Chapter 616: Very Good Taste
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The salesperson smiled and said, “Miss, you have a very good taste. You know how to pick clothing very well.”
The salesperson looked at Qiao Nan with admiration. “You may not know. We, Chinese, are very conventional in our thinking. We feel that it’s not auspicious to wear white and light-colored clothing. It’s as if we’re wearing funeral clothing. Many don’t like them. After the goods arrive, they will just be displayed there as they are not easy to sell. I didn’t expect the effect of wearing white-color clothing to be so good. It looks so pure.”
The salesperson was not trying to praise the cleanliness of that piece of clothing. She was expressing that this piece of white clothing complimented Qiao Nan’s style and charisma when the latter wore it. She looked very pure, as if one was looking at crystals.
“Thank you.” Qiao Nan pa.s.sed the other two pieces of clothing back to the salesperson.
The salesperson’s att.i.tude was very good and she tried her best to recommend. Qiao Nan would feel extremely embarra.s.sed if she did not buy at least one piece of clothing from her. Fortunately, she finally found a piece that suited her. She thus did not have to go against her wish and buy one that was completely unsuitable.
Zhai Sheng took over the remaining clothing in Qiao Nan’s hands. “This one then. Where do we pay?”
After all, the clothing had been sold. Furthermore, it was a piece of clothing that very few would take a liking to normally. Hence, the salesperson was smiling very brightly. “Please wait a while. I’ll write you an invoice. You can then go over there to make the payment.”
Zhai Sheng made the payment and then helped Qiao Nan carry the bag with the clothing.
Qiao Nan wanted to take over but Zhai Sheng did not allow her to. “This clothing is not heavy.”
“Precisely. As it’s not heavy, I can carry it myself.” Being used to self-sufficiency, Qiao Nan had never asked someone to help her carry stuff before.
Zhai Sheng did not take issue with her. He only said nonchalantly, “You have to get used to it eventually.”
Qiao Nan was amused. “Are you sure that I have to get used to it eventually?”
Zhai Sheng was stunned for a while. “At the very least, you can get used to it when I’m around.” Right, the time he spent in the army would often far exceed that at home. Thus, he could not always keep Nan Nan company by her side and share her woes. Nevertheless, when he was around, Nan Nan could rely on him. “Are you going to look at other clothes? You only bought one. It’s hard for me to explain to my mom.”
“Auntie Miao didn’t specify how many you have to buy for me, right? One should not get a reward without any contribution. What’s with Auntie Miao? Why did she make you bring me out to shop for clothes?” Actually, she should have declined.
However, given the previous example of Zhu Baoguo, Qiao Nan would accept these few pieces of clothing first.
Previously, Qiao Nan saved Zhu Baoguo’s life from a group of hooligans. The Zhu family used such a way to repay the ‘debt’ that they owed Qiao Nan.
“No contribution? All the grandchildren of the Zhai family have to come from your womb in the future. Your contributions are going to be great.” Having found out Qiao Nan’s preference, Zhai Sheng simply started looking out for Qiao Nan.
It was a pity that, when he looked around, he found that there were very few clothes that matched Qiao Nan’s preference in the whole shopping mall.
“Brother Zhai, bring me to a place.” Qiao Nan knew that Brother Zhai would not give up if they only bought one piece of clothing. Qiao Nan might as well suggest going to another place.
“What place?”
“You’ll know when you’re there.”
When Zhai Sheng and Qiao Nan were leaving, they b.u.mped into one person coincidentally. However, only that person saw them, whereas they did not see that person.
Qiu Chenxi had been hiding at home and refusing to leave the house. Qi Minlan wanted to buy a few clothes to coax Qiu Chenxi. Of course, she had to coax s.h.i.+ Qing too so that she could ask s.h.i.+ Qing how she knew about Feng Wei. Who would have known that before Qi Minlan bought any clothing, she saw Zhai Sheng bringing Qiao Nan to the shopping mall? Most importantly, the bag Zhai Sheng was carrying in his hand obviously contained ladies’ apparel.
Additionally, the two of them had been heading to shops that sold apparel for young ladies. Qi Minlan knitted her brows. Zhai Sheng was buying clothing for Qiao Nan. Could it be…
According to Qiao Nan’s navigation, Zhai Sheng drove the car and stopped at a place. “The textile shop?” Could it be that Nan Nan wanted to purchase fabric and tailor her own clothing?
“Yes, this textile shop has a comprehensive range of fabric styles. They have everything. It’s also cheaper if you buy more. Instead of buying at the shopping mall, I’d rather pick some fabric and tailor-make the clothing myself.” The 21st century was different from the late 20th century. In the 21st century, one piece of clothing was cheap. It could not even cover the cost of the manpower.
At this time in China, purchasing fabric and finding a tailor to tailor-make clothing was a very popular practice.
“Do you know how to?” It was quite hard for Zhai Sheng to imagine that Qiao Nan also knew how to tailor clothes.
“Do I?” Qiao Nan smiled bitterly. With her mother around, there were very few things that she did not know.
She had always been picking up Qiao Zijin’s old clothing to wear. Her body frame was smaller than that of Qiao Zijin. When they were children, Qiao Zijin’s old clothes were too big. Hence, she would make do and just wear them. When she was older, Qiao Nan started to alter the clothes with needlework before wearing them.
There was still a huge difference in cost between buying a bolt of fabric and clothing. Having been restrained often by Ding Jiayi, tailoring clothing on her own was still the most cost-effective way when Qiao Nan occasionally wanted to wear new clothing.
Hence, when it was the 21st century, a lady like Qiao Nan, who knew how to buy fabric and tailor her own clothing, was already very rare.
“Brother Zhai, I know a little of all of these life skills. One day, if someone praises me, should I thank my mom’s stinginess toward me?” Qiao Nan tried to cheer up amidst the sorrow.
Zhai Sheng did not reply but his eyes were full of heartache.
Clearly, he and Nan Nan stayed in the same quad. Why didn’t he discover Nan Nan, like her, or even protected her earlier? Instead, he had let Nan Nan suffer for so many years.
Regarding the unreasonable behavior of Ding Jiayi that was beyond the comprehension of a normal human being, Zhai Sheng already did not wish to examine this kind of strange living being anymore. It was just that his heart ached so much for Qiao Nan for having Ding Jiayi as her mother.
Qiao Nan perked up and laughed. “Brother Zhai, it’s much cheaper to buy the fabric than ready-made clothing. It’s rare that I have such an opportunity. I have to make up for what I have lost when I was a child. Do you mind helping me pick more pieces of fabric? I feel like buying back all the pretty fabric in the shop.”
“Just buy as much as you wish. I drove here, so we can bring them back easily.” Zhai Sheng was prepared to do this even if Qiao Nan had not said so.
If not for the fact that the clothes in the shopping mall were not to Qiao Nan’s liking, Zhai Sheng would have simply bought seventy-two sets of new clothing for Qiao Nan. This was derived based on four sets of clothing per annum for the full eighteen years that she had lived.
At this era, the cost of fabric was truly cheap. Qiao Nan was not polite with Zhai Sheng as well. It was rare that she did not restrain her shopping desire and madly shopped for once.
Fortunately, Zhai Sheng drove here. Otherwise, there was so much fabric that the two of them really could not bring them back. They would then have to request the owner to deliver them.
Turning her head and looking at the bolts of good fabric in the car, Qiao Nan felt soothed as she sighed. “Retail therapy is truly the best way to relieve stress.”
It was just that, next time, she would spend her own money when she felt like shopping till she dropped.
“Ah, are you moving someone’s textile shop home? You bought so much fabric. Qiao Nan, you don’t intend to study anymore and want to specialize in tailoring business?”