I became the Counterpart of the Winner in a Period Novel

Chapter 413 - 352: Escorting Xiao Ran Back to the Village

"Yes, yes, yes, I’m just overthinking it... What? You want to take Xiao Ran home?"

"What’s up with that?" Jiang Mingyue felt Gu Xiaoxiao’s reaction was a bit strange.

"Hehe! Yueyue, can I go with you? Don’t worry, I’ll swap shifts with someone tomorrow."

Jiang Mingyue: "..." Even stranger!

"Hehe! Yueyue, just say the word and I’ll guide the way if you need anything." Even though she felt something uneasy, being led by Gu Xiaoxiao this way, she didn’t have time to delve deeper.

"I’ll check out some fabric first. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and I promised to bring a gift last time, so I have to make up for it this time. But I thought about it, and I think it’s better to give something practical. Do you have some very soft pure cotton fabric here?"

"We do! Not to brag, but our procurement team is top-notch. Our product selection is superb, as good as the department stores in Beijing, all thanks to your brother’s leadership. I must say, your brother is a genius."

"Shh! Keep it low-key!"

"Okay," Gu Xiaoxiao also realized the indiscretion of her words. In a public setting, there might be eavesdroppers, and it could cause trouble for her cousin.

"This is it, although the color isn’t very appealing."

Jiang Mingyue didn’t mind. Light gray was already good for babies. Or would they prefer the ubiquitous labor blue of this era?

"It’s great! I’ll take this one. Comrade, please measure out four feet for me."

"Got it!"

Jiang Mingyue quickly counted the money and placed it on the counter.

She didn’t know how to make baby clothes, so she bought more for Xiao Si to figure out.

"Do you have any good pens and ink?"

Gu Xiaoxiao felt her friend underestimated their department store, rolling her eyes. "Of course we do."

Because the pen and ink counter was around the corner and the path was narrow, even after turning carefully, they still bumped into someone.

"Crash!" Things fell all over the floor.

Knowing it was her fault, Jiang Mingyue politely apologized first.

"Sorry! I’ll pick them up for you."

The person they bumped into was a tall woman, fair-skinned and beautiful, leaving a good impression.

But as soon as the woman spoke, that good impression was instantly ruined.

"Are you blind? So uncultured!"

Jiang Mingyue paused her picking up, looked up at the displeased woman, and said, "Comrade, you can vent by calling me blind, but what gives you the right to call me uncultured? I was walking properly, and you suddenly dashed out. Yes, your things fell, so I apologized immediately, but you can’t just start cursing, right?"

"Yeah, comrade, my friend didn’t mean it. She already apologized, and we’ve picked up your things, which are undamaged. But you hurled insults; shouldn’t you apologize to my friend?"

Gu Xiaoxiao didn’t want to indulge such behavior; she felt wronged for Yueyue.

"Who do you think you are?" The previously annoyed woman now had another annoyance, raising her voice.

This voice drew quite a few onlookers, including a man who hurried over, "What’s happening?"

Seeing the man, the woman immediately toned down her attitude, smiling as she linked her arm with his, "Han Jin, you came just in time. Some people here are blind, bumped into me, and then played the victim."

Gu Xiaoxiao felt like today’s events were truly eye-opening!

"What victim-playing? Why are you so unreasonable?" Gu Xiaoxiao was enraged.

But Jiang Mingyue had already realized. The clearly unreasonable behavior of these individuals, if they continued to treat the other party as human, they would be putting themselves through unnecessary hardship.

They had apologized and picked up the items. Jiang Mingyue tugged at Gu Xiaoxiao’s sleeve, ready to leave.

But when she met the man’s eyes, Jiang Mingyue suddenly had an epiphany.

Isn’t this her third sister’s ex-husband from a previous life?

It’s not that she couldn’t remember, it’s just that his before-and-after demeanor and attitude were so different. Even though it was the same face, at the educated youth spot in Qingshan Village, he was an unapproachable gentleman, now holding hands with a woman and behaving in a way that was unrecognizable.

Fortunately, he had more dignity than the woman, probably also recognizing her. After all, he spent nearly half a year in Qingshan Village, and any bad rumors could affect his future career.

"Sorry!"

An out-of-place apology sounded just as insincere.

"No worries!" Jiang Mingyue generously waved her hand, ending the matter.

One could imagine that the woman probably wanted to pounce in anger.

Gu Xiaoxiao chuckled, as if the previous anger never existed, feeling quite relieved.

Sincerity didn’t matter; an apology right there in front of everyone would do.

"Hehe! Women can really act! A pair of unmarried individuals, does the man even know her true colors?"

Does it even matter if he knows?

As long as there are benefits!

She had already "seen" the woman’s memory vault.

It was indeed Murong Xian, the woman Zhai Hanjin married right after abandoning her third sister.

Zhai Hanjin probably truly loved her.

What she just saw was different from what the book described.

The Zhai family and the Murong family were working together to bring Zhai Hanjin back to Beijing, and his position was already arranged. Murong Xian personally came to take Zhai Hanjin back, and once they were in Beijing, both families would sit together to discuss their marriage.

Jiang Mingyue breathed a sigh of relief, as long as they didn’t harm her third sister, everything could be negotiated.

The unpleasantness didn’t affect their shopping excitement.

Jiang Mingyue picked out two sets of pens and ink, kind of like a couple’s set, to give to her brother and Xiao Si.

Of course, as her friend, Xiao Si would also receive a bottle of snowflake cream as an honor.

Additionally, she picked out a calligraphy practice book for her third sister.

As Xiao Ran was starting school, some items needed preparation. The backpack didn’t need to be prepared, nor did clothes, so she bought some stationery for him. She thought about how everything was fine with the little guy except he wore out shoes too quickly. Clearly, he wasn’t as rowdy as Meng Liqiang or Yang Fan, but socks would have holes at the big toe within a month, cloth shoes the same, and leather shoes would last half a year tops. Looking at what he wore now, it likely wouldn’t last. It’s better to prepare a new pair of shoes for him.

"Comrade, I’ll take a pair of these shoes in this size."

The sales comrade seemed new; Jiang Mingyue hadn’t seen him before. He was a patient male comrade.

"Got it, I’ll get them for you right away." The male comrade was quick with words and actions, soon bringing out a new pair in the right size and even introducing others.

"Comrade, you might also want to consider these, especially this style." The male comrade pointed to a pair of small, portable leather shoes, introducing, "They’ve been in stock only three days, but they’re nearly sold out. Not only are they made of soft leather, which is comfortable for children, but more importantly, they have laces. Children are growing fast, changing every day. You can buy a slightly larger size, tighten the laces, and they’ll fit perfectly, allowing for extended use. Very economical."

Gu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Mingyue exchanged a glance, sharing the same thought.

This male comrade truly understands a woman’s mind. He’s a professional at sales; calling him a new hire, they wouldn’t believe it even if beaten.

"Alright, we’ll go with your recommendation, one size up."

"Got it!"

This drawn-out response made Gu Xiaoxiao and Jiang Mingyue laugh again.

After paying and leaving the shoe counter, Gu Xiaoxiao whispered, "I know who he is. The son of Manager Zhuang’s ex, came to Nanxi City not long ago."

"?"

"I heard it from others, not sure if it’s true. Manager Zhuang was very fond of that person; they made vows to each other, but later..."