Chapter 13: Taking Her Shopping (Part Two)

After trying on five outfits, Jiang Ning felt she had enough. She didn’t have many clothes, and these five should be sufficient for now.

She could come back to buy more when winter arrived.

When Jiang Ning came out wearing the last outfit she had chosen, she noticed that many people were looking at her.

An older woman said, “What a lovely girl, these clothes look like they were made for you!”

“They look great! But you seem a bit too plain. You should get a perm and pick some accessories. You’d be even more beautiful than the stars on TV!”

Jiang Ning smiled and didn’t take these comments to heart. She was just here to buy some daily necessities and couldn’t afford to be too extravagant.

Jiang Ning didn’t take these comments seriously, but the man standing by the cashier did.

The last outfit Jiang Ning tried on was a red knee-length dress, which didn’t quite match her cloth shoes. Someone noticed this and pointed out that there was a shoe store nearby.

Jiang Ning nodded and thanked them for their kind suggestions. After trying on several outfits, she was too lazy to change again and decided to leave wearing the last one.

However, her hairstyle didn’t quite match the outfit.

In her current life, Jiang Ning, who often worked in the lab, usually wore a white coat and rarely had time to go shopping.

She had once heard her female colleagues in the lab complain about the effort it took to dress up, do makeup, and style their hair before going out, as missing any step would make them look incomplete.

Now, Jiang Ning could relate to that.

Noticing a red ribbon nearby, she picked it up and told the salesperson, “I’ll buy this too.”

Everyone then watched as she took the red ribbon, placed it on her head, gathered all her hair to one side, and quickly braided a side ponytail.

After braiding, she gently pulled each section to make it a bit fluffier. Although it looked a bit messy, it had a certain disheveled beauty.

Everyone present was amazed at how quickly she had styled her hair.

When Jiang Ning went to the cashier to pay, she was told that someone had already paid for her items.

For a moment, Jiang Ning was a bit stunned. She remembered that Shen Mo had stayed by the cashier and hadn’t followed her inside.

The daily necessities were shared, so Jiang Ning could accept Shen Mo paying for those. However, the clothes were for her personal use, and using Shen Mo’s money for them made her feel a bit embarrassed.

Especially since Shen Mo had already given her a considerable amount of money, enough to buy clothes.

“Comrade, here is the change,” the salesperson handed the remaining money to Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning accepted the money. “Oh, thank you.”

The salesperson no longer had the impatient attitude from earlier and instead looked envious.

“Comrade, I really envy you. Your husband is so good to you.”

The salesperson was also married, but her husband had never accompanied her shopping, let alone been so generous as to buy her clothes.

The money she earned had to be used for household expenses, leaving her with little to spend on clothes.

Jiang Ning agreed with her. There was no doubt that Shen Mo was good to her.

In fact, she sometimes felt that he was a bit too good to her.

Shen Mo didn’t seem like a fool. He knew they would eventually get a divorce, yet he still treated her so well. Didn’t he worry that she might cling to him?

Speaking of Shen Mo, where was he?

The salesperson handed the packed clothes to Jiang Ning. Just as she was about to take them, a hand reached out and grabbed the large bag first.

Shen Mo held the bag of clothes in one hand and then knelt down to open two shoeboxes, placing the shoes by Jiang Ning’s feet. He said, “I bought you two pairs of shoes from the store next door. Try them on to see if they fit. If they don’t, you can go and exchange them.”

He even reached out to help her take off her shoes.

Jiang Ning’s mind went blank. “!”

The touch on her ankle felt like it burned all the way to her head, and she inexplicably thought that this man was very skilled at this.

Yet, he had a serious expression while doing it.

Although the reform and opening-up had relaxed the social atmosphere, doing this in public was still…

Jiang Ning stiffened and quickly knelt down. “I’ll do it myself.”

Shen Mo nodded slightly, his cool voice softly saying, “Alright.”

He stood up.

Jiang Ning took off her cloth shoes. Shen Mo had bought her trendy Mary Jane leather shoes, which matched her dress perfectly.

Both pairs were different styles of small leather shoes, and Jiang Ning tried them on. They fit perfectly.

She was a bit surprised. How did Shen Mo know her shoe size?

Shen Mo had overheard someone say that Jiang Ning’s shoes didn’t match her clothes. Coincidentally, there was a shoe store nearby. He estimated Jiang Ning’s shoe size and went directly to the store, telling the salesperson the type and size of shoes he wanted.

The salesperson recommended the shoes, and Shen Mo, imagining how Jiang Ning would look in them, bought two pairs on the spot.

Jiang Ning kicked her feet and twirled around in place. Shopping really did lift her spirits.

Shen Mo watched as she spun around in front of him. The red dress made her skin look porcelain white, her legs slender and straight, and her waist, cinched by a belt, looked delicately small. The visual impact was strong.

Her waist was so slender that he could easily wrap his hands around it.

Shen Mo shifted his gaze away.

He knelt down and picked up the pair of shoes Jiang Ning hadn’t worn.

With the clothes bought, it was almost time to go back.

But instead of taking Jiang Ning downstairs, Shen Mo headed up to the top floor.

The top floor was dedicated to jewelry, accessories, and skincare products.

Jiang Ning was still wondering why Shen Mo had brought her to the top floor when he led her to a popular skincare counter of the era. He gestured to the salesperson to get a set of Pechoin and Snowflake Cream.

Seeing how smoothly Shen Mo bought the skincare products, Jiang Ning could tell he had probably bought them before.

And since he, as a man, wouldn’t use these products, he must be buying them for a girl.

Seeing him buy both Pechoin and Snowflake Cream, and knowing he had already spent a lot of money today, Jiang Ning hurriedly stopped him. “You don’t need to buy so much; one set is enough.”

Shen Mo thought for a moment and said, “You girls care the most about your skin, and these are essential.”

Hearing him say that, Jiang Ning knew that before she arrived, Shen Mo had been involved with other girls.

Shen Mo was concerned that one set might not be enough and was about to ask the salesperson for another set when Jiang Ning stopped him.

Her eyes were cold and emotionless as she said, “No need, one set is enough.”

Jiang Ning’s tone was very calm, but Shen Mo sensed that something was off with her emotions, though he couldn’t quite figure out what.

So, he only took one set of skincare products.

Shen Mo always made his own decisions. Sensing that something was off with Jiang Ning, he didn’t directly take her to the jewelry store. Instead, he asked, “There are some jewelry items over there. Do you want to take a look?”

Jiang Ning replied, “No need to buy any.”

Her response had a hint of pouting.

Jiang Ning quickly realized that her reaction was a bit off. She had unconsciously started to see herself in the role of Shen Mo’s wife.

Any woman would be upset if she found out that her husband had been involved with another woman, possibly having a significant relationship with her.

But she would eventually divorce Shen Mo, so it seemed a bit out of place to feel that way.

Shaking off her thoughts, she quickly regained her composure.

She was still broke and couldn’t afford to wear jewelry. She said, “If I buy more, I really won’t be able to pay you back.”

Then she pointed to the bag in Shen Mo’s hand. “I’ll slowly pay you back for the clothes once I find a job.”

Shen Mo hadn’t figured out if she was truly upset when he heard her say something so distant.

His floating heart sank to the bottom.　　　　

^[1]A Pechoin is a skincare brand. The brand is known for its use of traditional Chinese herbs and ingredients, such as ginseng and safflower oil, to improve skin health and vitality.