He opened the box of men’s boots, took out the few pairs of military-style boots on top, and said to Zhigang, "Take these out. One pair for Shuiqing, one for Brother Yong, and one for you."

These few pairs of shoes were set aside separately and weren’t on the inventory list.

"Alright!" Zhigang carried them out and gave Li Shuqing his shoes. "Brother, this pair is yours, and this one is for Brother Yong."

Li Xiangyang also walked out, carrying a stack of shoe boxes.

Li Shuqing looked at Li Xiangyang, a little embarrassed. "Xiangyang, thanks a lot. You went so far away to source goods and still thought to buy shoes for us."

Li Xiangyang smiled. "It’s just a few pairs of boots. I picked them up while I was there."

Zhigang picked out his size, opened the box, and saw a pair of black leather boots lined with thick fur.

He looked at Li Xiangyang happily. "Brother, how did you know I’d like these kinds of shoes? You have such great taste. Not only are the clothes you stock good-looking, but the shoes are too."

Li Xiangyang laughed and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "If you like them, try them on." Then he said to the girls, "We haven’t unboxed yours yet. Once we do, each of you can pick a pair."

Little Mei shook her head. "They’re not pretty. I don’t like them."

Yang Zhigang grinned. "There are women’s styles, you know!"

Little Mei nodded repeatedly. "I want a women’s pair!"

He Li looked at her. "Should we go sort out the women’s styles and take a look?"

Lin Lan smiled. "While we’re at it, let’s inventory the shoes and put some in the display window."

"Okay!" Little Mei pulled Zhigang and Li Xiangyang over to help carry out the box. The moment they saw the women’s boots, the girls fell in love with them.

Little Mei picked up a brown pair. "I like the brown ones."

"I like black," He Li said. Little Xue also preferred the black ones.

They were slip-on, short-cuffed leather boots with a rounded toe. They came in two colors, brown and black, with a heel of about an inch and decorative tasseled laces at the back. When worn, the top of the boot reached mid-calf.

Lin Lan grabbed a pair of straight-leg pants with a slightly narrower leg opening, a red woolen overcoat, and a cream-colored silk scarf for her. "Tuck the pant legs into the boots, then put on the coat and see how it looks."

Little Mei took the clothes to the fitting room. When she came out, everyone’s eyes lit up.

Her black pant legs were tucked into the boots, and over everything, she wore a bright red woolen coat. The look gave her the prettiness of a girl mixed with a touch of a boy’s dashing spirit.

Little Mei stood before the full-length mirror, turning this way and that. She had to agree it was a great look.

He Li sighed. "That combination looks so good. It’s even more stylish than the girls in the city."

Little Mei looked at her reflection proudly and said, "Of course. All the clothes we have here are the latest styles."

Lin Lan said to the girls, "You two should wear this outfit as a model display tomorrow."

Little Mei and Little Xue nodded in agreement.

Lin Lan then picked out a jacket for Zhigang. "Zhigang, if you wear this jacket with the boots tomorrow, you’ll definitely turn heads."

Yang Zhigang accepted it with a smile. "Sister-in-law, the meat stall is covered in grease. I’ll put it on after I close up and head home." 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Old Li waved with a smile. "Alright, it’s past midnight. Let’s go home and sleep. We have to open the shop early tomorrow morning."

"Grandpa Li, we’ll leave as soon as we’re done cleaning up."

Little Mei and the other two girls put away the ironing board and iron. Li Xiangyang tied the shoe boxes together with packing straps for Old Li to carry. He strapped a flashlight to the handlebars of a bicycle, and the group left the shop, each heading home.

Li Xiangyang gave Old Li a ride on his bike, while Lin Lan gave He Li a ride on hers. The night was deep and quiet, and the fog was so thick that the flashlight beams didn’t offer much visibility.

The two of them pedaled against the wind, heading to Lin Lan’s family home first. As soon as they got near the house, Wangcai started barking.

Li Xiangyang handed the shoes to Lin Lan. "Get some sleep."

Lin Lan took them and looked at Old Li. "Dad, you two ride carefully."

Old Li smiled. "We will. You’ve been tired lately, too. Now that Xiangyang is back, you should get some proper rest."

’He was growing more and more pleased with his daughter-in-law. Not only is she capable, but she’s also hardworking. She handles things thoughtfully and is very filial to her elders.’

Hearing Wangcai’s barks, Wu Shufen threw on some clothes and came out to open the door. Seeing both Li Xiangyang and Old Li, she greeted them happily before urging them to hurry back and get some rest.

After watching them ride off into the distance, Wu Shufen and Lin Lan closed the courtyard gate and hurried into the kitchen.

Lin Lan untied the string around the shoe boxes. Opening them, she saw two pairs of short boots—one brown and one black—with very soft leather.

There was also a pair of low-cut, fur-lined women’s shoes and a pair of men’s fur-lined shoes. The leather and soles were both very soft, and they were lined with thick lamb’s wool. It seemed they were bought for Wu Shufen and Lin Changyou.

"Mom, Xiangyang bought you and Dad fur-lined shoes."

Wu Shufen, who was busy pouring hot water for Lin Lan to wash up, took a look and said with a pang of concern, "These are such nice shoes. They must have been incredibly expensive."

Lin Lan comforted her, "Fur-lined shoes are warm, and you don’t have to worry about the soles getting soaked in the rain. We got them at the wholesale price, so they weren’t that expensive."

Wu Shufen tried them on and found they fit perfectly. Moved, she said, "Tell Xiangyang, Mom says thank you."

This son-in-law was good to her daughter and filial to her and her husband. ’Sometimes,’ she thought, ’I wonder if we did many good deeds in a past life to deserve such a blessing.’

Lin Lan gave her a playfully chiding look. "Oh, Mom. You don’t have to be so formal with your own son-in-law."

"When someone treats you well, you can’t just take it for granted," Wu Shufen said. Noticing the dark circles under Lin Lan’s eyes, she added with a pang of worry, "Now that Xiangyang is back, I should head home for a bit too. You need to rest for a few days so you don’t wear yourself out."

Lin Lan smiled to reassure her. "I’m fine. If I feel tired, I’ll rest."

Li Xiangyang hadn’t made it home the previous day, so she had been worried and hadn’t slept well all night. On top of that, she had been busy arranging the new stock all day, so she was indeed a bit tired.

Wu Shufen poured a basin of hot water for her to soak her feet and tucked two hot water bottles into the bedding. After washing up, Lin Lan snuggled into the warm bed and leaned against her mother with a comfortable sigh.

"Mom, it’s no wonder they say it’s always good to have a mother, even when you’re a hundred years old."

Wu Shufen gently patted her back. "How can a mother protect you for a lifetime? When we get old, we’ll just be a burden to you."

"You’re not a burden."

Lin Lan thought of her parents from her past life, who had died young, and her nose tingled. She turned, hugged Wu Shufen’s arm, and drifted off to sleep before she knew it.

「The next day.」

Wu Shufen got up, turned off the alarm clock, and told Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan not to wake Lin Lan.

The three of them loaded kidney bean rolls, pumpkin cakes, and roasted pumpkin seeds onto a pushcart and took it to the shop in the south of the city.

After Li Xiangyang got up, he checked the time, had a meal, and rode his bike to the south of the city, only to discover that the pastry shop had several new items.

Qiaohui and Tong Xinglan were busy bagging honey buns for a customer. When they saw him arrive, they said, "Cousin-in-law, our cousin is still at Lexing and hasn’t come out yet."

The honey buns sold for fifty cents for three. They were more expensive than steamed buns, but had a better texture, and had become very popular since their launch.

Wu Shufen gave the key to Li Xiangyang. "There are some wontons on the steamer rack. You two can cook them for lunch."

"Okay." Li Xiangyang took the key and rode his bike toward Lexing.