Chapter 84: This Couple Really Has No Money

Zhou Yingyue really liked this down jacket, especially since just now Xie Yunshu had arrogantly bought two down jackets in one go. She felt even more resentful in her heart—no matter what, even if she had to cry today, she was going to make Lu Zhixing pay for it.

But she looked around and didn’t see Lu Zhixing anywhere.

The sales clerk waited for a long time but she said nothing, so tentatively asked, “Miss, do you want this jacket or not?”

She sounded confident just now—could it be she actually had no money in her pocket?

Since Zhou Yingyue was brought by Lu Zhixing to work at Haicheng Hospital, she had become a regular customer at this department store and the envy of the nurses at the hospital. Those admiring glances greatly satisfied her vanity, but she never thought she would ever be this embarrassed and helpless.

“Wait for me a moment, I’ll go find my partner—he has the money,” Zhou Yingyue reluctantly said, and had to take the jacket off first.

The sales clerk pointed across the aisle: “You mean that man just now? He’s shopping over there.”

Zhou Yingyue looked over and immediately saw Lu Zhixing. She quickly called out, “Zhixing-ge, come pay for me!”

Lu Zhixing was holding that children’s padded vest. Hearing Zhou Yingyue, he immediately frowned. He had clearly said he had no money—did she not understand human speech? Why should he pay for her to buy a down jacket?

“I have no money,” Lu Zhixing repeated, already somewhat impatient, “I said I’m buying clothes for Xiaowei, the clothes are bought now, let’s go.”

Zhou Yingyue grabbed him and softened her tone: “Zhixing-ge, I really like this jacket. Back in the mountains, every winter was so cold my hands got frostbitten…”

This tactic of showing weakness had worked many times before—if she shed a few tears and mentioned those miserable things, he would naturally pity her and give her money.

But Lu Zhixing’s mind was filled with thoughts of Xie Yunshu. Over the year they were married, Yunshu never once asked him to buy her a jacket, not even a dress that cost a dozen yuan—she would think it was too expensive.

And Zhou Yingyue? The kid didn’t even have a padded jacket that cost a few dozen yuan to wear, and yet she wanted him to give her two hundred yuan to buy clothes!

“I only have a little over twenty yuan left, and I already bought clothes for Xiaowei. You have your own salary and bonus—if you can afford it, buy it; if not, wear your old clothes,” Lu Zhixing said coldly, mercilessly.

The sales clerk beside them finally understood. So this couple really has no money, huh? They look well dressed, especially the woman—who just now even had the nerve to mock that little girl! Luckily she was smart enough not to say anything harsh, or else the three-hundred-plus-yuan sale would have fallen through.

Zhou Yingyue still held the down jacket, full of unwillingness. The words slipped out: “Then why could Xie Yunshu buy it just now, but I can’t? Lu Zhixing, did you give your salary to Xie Yunshu?”

In a sense, yes—that was what he owed Yunshu!

Lu Zhixing repeated the words he once said to Xie Yunshu, now said again to Zhou Yingyue: “Yunshu lost her job because of you. Compensating her is only right. We owe her!”

When he first arrived in Haishi, Lu Zhixing also said that the Lu family owed Yunshu a debt of gratitude, so he made it up to her and treated her well.

Zhou Yingyue wanted to say more, but the sales clerk nearby had lost patience. She snatched the down jacket away, rolled her eyes, and said, “Miss, if you have no money, don’t come up to the second floor to shop. This is all foreign merchandise—not for just anyone to try on.”

Then she hung the jacket back up and muttered loud enough for them to hear: “Ridiculous—begging a man for money to buy clothes, and still have the face to say others can’t afford it? It’s the poorest people who love to pretend. So annoying!”

Zhou Yingyue was furious: “What did you say?”

At this moment, sales clerks in department stores are often quite sharp and lacking service awareness—they frequently look down on customers. This sales clerk had been helping her try on clothes for a while, and now that she said she had no money, she got even ruder.

“I said you’re a poor pretender! Don’t you understand human speech? If you have money, pay up already. That girl just now bought two jackets without all this nonsense. No money? Then don’t waste my time here, switching this way and that, just messing up my business, right?”

Her voice was loud, and with this shout, everyone shopping in the department store turned to look.

Lu Zhixing felt so embarrassed he just turned and left: “If you want to buy it, buy it yourself. I’m going home.”

Why did Zhou Yingyue change so much after only a few days of marriage? She knew Lu Zhixing was unhappy about being forced to marry her, but now that they were married, he not only wanted a divorce all the time but even left her behind!

People watching the scene glanced over. Zhou Yingyue’s face fell, feeling like a clown being laughed at and ridiculed.

The sales clerk behind her pushed her: “If you’re not buying, don’t stand here wasting my time!”

Zhou Yingyue bit her lip hard, red-eyed, and glared at the sales clerk: “Just wait—you’ll see. I’ll come back and buy this jacket sooner or later!”

The sales clerk laughed: “Heh, come on then.”

What a jerk!

Zhou Yingyue took a deep breath, grit her teeth, and ran off. She couldn’t find Lu Zhixing anywhere, so she walked back alone to the family housing complex. She couldn’t swallow her anger—though she had married into the Lu family, her living conditions were worse than before!

Xie Yunshu had bought the down jacket and only had ten yuan left in her pocket, but she was in a great mood. Sitting on the back of a bicycle, she smiled and said, “This jacket will look great on Mom, she’ll look ten years younger!”

Xie Mingcheng was riding the bike in front. He hesitated for a moment and said, “Sis, this jacket is too expensive.”

Actually, he wanted to stop her just now, but since they ran into Lu Zhixing and Zhou Yingyue, he didn’t want his sister to lose face in front of them.

Xie Yunshu clicked her tongue: “It is a bit expensive, but if they can buy it, why can’t we? Earning money is meant to improve life. Your clothes are so old and worn out—you should have changed them a long time ago…”

But she didn’t buy anything!

Xie Mingcheng’s eyes flickered, remembering a light gray wool coat that cost 180 yuan. He didn’t have money to buy clothes for his sister, yet she turned around and bought him a down jacket that cost over 200 yuan.

Xie Yunshu saw he was silent and guessed what he was thinking. She patted his shoulder from behind: “Stop overthinking. This is called investment, you know? Today, I bought clothes for you—next time you have to remember to buy ten for me.”

“Okay.” This time, Xie Mingcheng answered firmly with one word.