T1983 Chapter 54

Shu Ran said that if one could make real money, nobody would choose to make money by selling their life. After saying a lot of heart-wrenching words and crying several times, he felt very tired after finally relaxing, unknowingly falling asleep on Xu Shen’s shoulder.

As for Xu Shen, he couldn’t sleep at first but then fell into a deep dream. The content turned out to be the story Shu Ran told him about, running away for his life and getting shot or something. When he woke up, he had lingering fears and pulled open his clothes to check his intact chest…

“Although I also like to look at it, but…” Shu Ran also woke up and watched him from the side with a strange look in his eyes: “If you look at yourself, you seem a bit… Perverted.”

Xu Shen woke up completely and rubbed his slightly depressed face: “I had a dream.”

“What dream?” Shu Ran didn’t sleep well either, yawning sleepily: “Could it be that… The story I told you yesterday scared you, right?”

“I’m not that timid.” Xu Shen pinched Shu Ran’s face: “I can’t explain it clearly, but it felt quite real and I actually dreamed about escaping.”

“It’s okay,” Shu Ran comforted him: “The structure of our human brain is so interesting. There are many things that we don’t care about and unfamiliar people, but sometimes they appear unexpectedly in our dreams. Like dreaming about someone that you have already forgotten about. That kind of thing.”

“That’s right.” Xu Shen also had a similar experience and could understand Shu Ran’s example.

Seeing that his wife hadn’t slept well, Xu Shen got up and cooked two bowls of noodles, then pulled him back to continue sleeping after eating. They were on their annual leave after all, and no one cared about them.

By the time they got up, it was already New Year’s Eve, and people all over the country were busy preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner. However, the two of them had just gotten out of bed, looking a little dazed.

Therefore, relaxed people rarely thought about trouble and fell into deep confusion when they encountered them.

Xu Shen somehow remembered that it was New Year’s Eve today, and he was going to start preparing for dinner, even thinking about what to cook. As a result, Zhang Yunsheng rode over early in the morning and asked them to spend the New Year together, since they were both small families and it would save everyone from a long day of work.

Now that he was already there, Shu Ran could only think about it. They haven’t prepared anything anyway… Just a bunch of ingredients. Who would have thought that Xu Shen would be so upset that he lost the opportunity to get up and cook?!

After Zhang Yunsheng came over to invite them, the two of them carried some New Year’s goods to their brother-in-law’s house for the special dinner.

“Only a sister is good in the world, and a child with a sister is like a treasure~” Shu Ran squirmed happily in the car.

It was still not popular to change the lyrics and sing randomly, as one pleased. Xu Shen listened to it for the first time and thought it was quite interesting: “Continue.”

“Thrown into my sister’s arms…”

“Stop it.” Xu Shen said. “Change the lyrics and fall into your brother’s arms.”

Shu Ran smiled and agreed: “Okay, then I’ll sing it again.”

In the next version, the sister was changed to the brother, and Xu Shen also sang with joy.

The year 1985 arrived.

The baby in Zhou Hui’s belly was expected to be delivered at the end of February or early March. Shu Ran felt sorry for his sister and discussed with Xu Shen whether to find an experienced confinement nanny from his brothers’ family members to come and help during the confinement period¹It is customary in China for a woman to not go outside after giving birth. They do so in order to recuperate and avoid pollution, illness, and bad luck. Postpartum confinement is well-documented in China, where the custom is known as “Sitting the month”: 坐月子 “Zuò yuè zi” in Mandarin or 坐月 “Co5 Jyut2” in Cantonese. The period of confinement ranges from 30 to 100 days. Confinement for one month (30 days) is considered “mini confinement” while confinement for three months (100 days) is considered “full confinement”. After 100 days, the Hundred Days Banquet (百日宴) is held to celebrate the baby reaching 100 days old. A confinement nanny is a person trained in traditional Chinese medicine principles and practices. Confinement nannies provide a variety of services, including infant care, postpartum meals, cleaning, and postpartum healing and recovery assistance.

“Okay, I’ll look for one.” Xu Shen readily agreed. After all, Zhou Hui was Shu Ran’s savior and benefactor.

When the child was born, they would inevitably give them a big gift.

…………

The factory started work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. Shu Ran and Xu Shen prepared a lot of red envelopes to hand out and then convened a meeting with the management of each factory.

There was a lot to do, such as arranging the main work for the year, personnel transfers, promoting those who should be promoted, and transferring those who should be transferred. In the past six months, those on the promotion list had been practicing at their posts, and now they could work independently. Chen Sen and Chen Kai will not have to be so tired in the future.

On the tenth day of the Lunar New Year, Chen Sen packed his luggage and went to Beijing with Shu Ran and Xu Shen.

His mother knew that her eldest son was going on a blind date in Beijing.

Thank God… She wished she could hug Shu Ran and kiss him!

Over the years, Chen Sen’s marriage had kept her from sleeping at night, but in this beautiful year, he finally got it and was willing to marry a wife.

The buddies hung out on the train for a day, and Jiang Fan drove Xu Shen’s luxury car to pick them up from the train station.

“The food is ready in the courtyard. Just waiting for you to go back.” Jiang Fan raised his chin towards Chen Sen, whom he hadn’t seen in a long time.

“You’ve had a good life in Beijing, you’ve gained weight.” Chen Sen got into the passenger seat and glanced at Jiang Fan.

“What nonsense are you talking about?!” Jiang Fan looked in the mirror and said: “I’m not fat, just sturdy and as beautiful as a tree!”

“Tsk!” A laugh came from the back row.

“Brother Shen, don’t think I don’t know it’s you… Laughing at me!” Jiang Fan turned around and continued: “Brother Sen can make fun of me, but you’re guilty if you laugh!”

“Why do you treat them differently?” Shu Ran felt quite warm on the train, but as soon as he got off, he started to shiver: “Brother Shen, give me some clothes from your bag.”

“You were trying to be cool when I asked you to wear it just now…” Xu Shen immediately took off his coat and wrapped it around his wife, then went to look for something else to wear in the suitcase.

“I didn’t know it was so cold in Beijing. Is the snow melting?” Shu Ran said while shivering.

“Yes.” Jiang Fan answered. “It snowed like crazy for the past few days, and it just started to melt today.”

“… Let’s go back and see if all the plants in our yard are dead.” Shu Ran suddenly thought of it and said a little hopelessly.

“You still have the strength to think about that.” Xu Shen put on his clothes and zipped them up all the way.

The plants in their yard were all annuals, the kind that bloomed every year when the weather warmed up. They grew quickly and died just as quickly.

“Hey!” Shu Ran mourned silently in his heart.

“It’s okay. When the weather gets warmer, Brother Shen will plant it for you.” Xu Shen said. “If you want red ones, I’ll plant red ones. If you want yellow ones, I’ll plant yellow ones for you.”

“Hey…” Shu Ran raised his fist and hit Xu Shen.

“…” Xu Shen was stunned for a moment, then realized what he thought about and said with a smile: “Don’t react so quickly. It was originally fine, but now…”²I don’t get it, but I have the feeling that it might be a sexual innuendo based on “red flower” and “yellow flower”. I know that yellow is sometimes associated with pornography as in “yellow waste”, and flowers are used as sexual metaphors in most cultures, so maybe there is something in there. I don’t know, what Xu Shen said is 要红色‌给你种红色‌，要黄色‌给你种黄色

“We’re all silent.” Jiang Fan and Chen Sen said, feeling speechless.

“…”

Shu Ran scratched his face. Okay, this time, he admitted it was his fault.

Red and yellow flowers were relatively common colors!

And Xu Shen couldn’t give white flowers as an example, since that would be unlucky.

Jiang Fan drove them back to the alley, and several people got out of the car, while Jiang Fan went to park it in the garage that belonged to the alley. Yes. He bought a parking spot. Now that he had money and walked with the big guys, he could be as bold as he wanted to.

Passing by their own yard, Shu Ran and Xu Shen went in, put down their luggage, and then went to the courtyard to look for everyone.

“Would you like to change your clothes?” Xu Shen pointed at Shu Ran’s obviously ill-fitting coat.

“There’s no need to change.” Shu Ran tugged at the clothes on his body: “Brother Shen, this will be a trend in the future. The looser the clothes, the better.” In order to show that he was not lying, he added: “In the future, there will be people wrapped in cotton blankets on the streets.”

Xu Shen showed a strange expression. Who would go out wrapped in a quilt?! He couldn’t imagine what kind of era that was.

“People in the future have really weird aesthetics.” Shu Ran pointed at himself and said: “I’m quite conservative.”

“Then just wear it.” Xu Shen thought he probably didn’t wear that type of clothing often and, maybe even hoped that people wouldn’t recognize him.

Shu Ran didn’t want to change, firstly because he was too lazy, and secondly because wearing Xu Shen’s clothes felt indescribably comfortable. Being surrounded by and smelling the faint scent of Xu Shen, made him feel like he was being hugged by the other party.

Back in the courtyard, Jiang Fan introduced Chen Sen to everyone. They were all people who had heard of each other, so they naturally got along like acquaintances.

“Brother Sen, I’ve heard about you for such a long time, and I finally got to meet you today!” Xie Yuan looked Chen Sen up and down and said with a smile: “Shu Ran was right, you are indeed cooler than Brother Shen!”

As soon as Xu Shen stepped into the door of the courtyard, he vaguely heard Xie Yuan’s voice. He glanced at Shu Ran: “You actually said such things to Xie Yuan?!”

“Ah, I think I might have said that…” Shu Ran continued. “What’s wrong? Are you unhappy that I said Brother Sen is cooler than you?”

Xu Shen shook his head: “I’m not unhappy. Brother Sen is indeed cooler than me. I’m gentle.”

Shu Ran clicked his tongue: “Only I believe you!”

“You two, walk faster! We’re starving!” Jiang Fan stopped by the door, yelling at them and waiting to close it as soon as they stepped in.

As the boss, when Shu Ran met his employees for the first time at the beginning of the new year, he immediately took out red envelopes and handed them to everyone: “Good luck, good luck, good luck!”

When he handed out red envelopes to the girls, he pointed at Chen Sen and said: “This is the single partner we talked about last time. If any of you like him, just ask! Haha, I’ll be the matchmaker!”

The girls immediately glanced at Chen Sen shyly. Regardless of whether they meant it or not, that kind of topic was very embarrassing.

However, after being looked at by the girls, Chen Sen nodded solemnly, indicating that he was also interested in finding a wife.

Seeing him like that, Shu Ran was speechless… He was really taciturn to the end. The “Cool Brother” indeed had the fragrance of a cool brother, but he was… Too cool!

In that way, everyone was quite reserved and nobody dared to exchange a few words at the dinner table. Shu Ran had no choice but to help open up the conversation: “Brother Sen came to Beijing this time mainly to take over some of the work done by Brother Shen and I. In a few days, Brother Shen and I will go to Shanghai to open a new store. From now on, the big business here will be… Brother Sen will take over most things.”

“Okay, we’ll cooperate with Brother Sen!” Everyone nodded.

“Well, if you have any questions in the future, please communicate with him.” Shu Ran continued. “Even though he looks serious, he is actually very kind.”

Chen Sen was looked at, so he had to nod: “I’m new here. Please tell me if I’m wrong.”

Shu Ran waited for him to continue speaking, but he failed again.

Xu Shen buried his head and laughed at the side. The main reason was that Shu Ran’s hard work as a matchmaker was very funny, looking as if he was worried about his own son.

Chen Sen was such an honest person… Even looking at him made him angry!

“Would you like to tell everyone how you usually do things and what you like to do after work?” Shu Ran hadn’t given up yet.

“Oh.” Chen Sen answered. “I am a pragmatic person and do things step-by-step. I am not the kind of person who comes up with something new as soon as Shu Ran comes up with it.”

Shu Ran: “?!”

Chen Sen continued: “In my spare time, I like to ride motorcycles, walk up mountains and down rivers, camp, drink tea, and cook. According to everyone’s reaction, my cooking should be pretty good.”

“Yes, Brother Sen’s cooking is delicious!” Shu Ran promoted without hesitation: “He is also good at housework. He will definitely be good at doing laundry, cooking, and raising children in the future!”

The girls were already blushing, but they became even more shy after hearing that. They couldn’t express their position at the moment, and they still had to discuss it in private, to avoid upsetting someone over the matter.

Everyone was watching Chen Sen’s blind date, so no one noticed that Shu Ran was wearing Xu Shen’s clothes that night.

After they had their fill of eat and drink, they left Chen Sen in the courtyard and went back. Not long after, Shu Ran received a call from Xue Yan. It turned out that the three girls discussed in private and came to the conclusion that Xue Yan was indeed interested in Chen Sen. She liked the kind of man who looked calm and reserved.

“Okay, I’ll tell him to take the initiative to ask you out to play.” Shu Ran was quite surprised. He didn’t expect that out of all the girls, it would be Xue Yan who might fall for Chen Sen in the end.

No matter what, she was smart, capable, generous, and obviously, a good hand in running a household. It seemed to be fate, since Xue Yan and Chen Sen were part of the same species. If it turned out to be a good thing, Xue Feng would definitely be extremely happy.

“What’s going on?” Xu Shen looked at his wife. “You’re grinning from the corner of your mouth to the back of your ear.”

Shu Ran sat back on the bed and said to Xu Shen: “Yanzi called me just now and said she liked Brother Sen. It seems that we’re going to have a happy event soon.”

“That’s good.” Xu Shen was truly happy for Chen Sen. “If they get married now, we could all have a baby to take care of by next year.”

“You’ll have a nephew soon.” Shu Ran also thought about it.

“Maybe it’s a girl.” Xu Shen looked at Shu Ran and found that his wife’s lips were a little dry. He quickly poured a glass of hot water for him to drink: “Do you think our sister has a dragon or a phoenix in her belly?”

“We won’t know until she gives birth. No matter what, it will be fine.” Shu Ran took a sip of hot water and continued: “It’s just a baby, anyway.”

“You’re my baby.” Xu Shen kissed Shu Ran’s forehead.

Shu Ran smiled and sighed: “Every time I see someone else becoming a father, I always think, it’s such a pity not to have a child with your face.”

“Do you want a child?” Xu Shen was silent for a moment and then decided: “Okay, let’s have one.”

“What?” Shu Ran thought he was telling the truth, and his expression suddenly became serious.

“We want what others want.” Xu Shen came in under the quilt and pulled apart a little of each other’s clothes so that they wouldn’t catch cold: “I’ll work hard, and we’ll have a baby too.”

Shu Ran was startled and smiled: “It’s only February now. If I get knocked up in one try, I can still give birth this year.”

“I’m not that arrogant.” Xu Shen chuckled and indeed worked hard as if he was serious.

Shu Ran thought to himself that if he was a girl, and with Xu Shen’s physique, he would indeed have the capital to be arrogant.

He said he wanted to have a baby, but Xu Shen still didn’t dare to put it in, otherwise, his wife would suffer washing up in the cold bathroom.

“How can I get pregnant like this…” Shu Ran said quietly as he watched him take out a handkerchief.

“You’re not tired of acting yet?” Xu Shen was so amused by him that he grinned at the corner of his mouth and said coaxingly: “When the weather gets warmer, brother will make sure you get pregnant.”

When the weather warms up, he won’t get cold when washing.

“So shy…” Shu Ran muttered, but his eyes were fixed on the process of Xu Shen soiling the handkerchief. No matter how many times he saw it, he still loved to see that scene, which made his pupils expand unconsciously.

“Does it look good?”

“Nice.”

Xu Shen smiled. After finishing the performance for his wife, he got up and went to get a hot towel to clean up the mess.

…………

The next day, Shu Ran was wrapped up like a ball early in the morning and went to the courtyard to find Chen Sen.

“Did you sleep well last night, Brother Sen?” He walked into Chen Sen’s relatively simple room, with only a bed, desk, and wardrobe.

But for a bachelor, it was enough, and Chen Sen didn’t bother to choose something better.

“Good. Why are you here so early?” Chen Sen looked at him and continued: “You’re by yourself?”

“Yeah.” Shu Ran sat down on the chair and put his hands in his sleeves: “Go and make an appointment with Yanzi to go out to play.”

“Huh?!” Chen Sen looked at him.

“Yes, she called me.” Shu Ran asked: “Do you even know which one is Yanzi? The one with an oval face, a big, thick braid, and a pink floral jacket.”

“I know.” Chen Sen thought for a while and said gratefully to Shu Ran: “Thank you.”

“What are you talking about?” Shu Ran said. “We all hope you get married.”

“Then I’ll ask her out.” Chen Sen said with a smile.

“Okay, hurry up, we’ll be leaving in a few days.” Shu Ran warned.

Chen Sen asked Xue Yan to go out for dinner and a movie that night and bought the girl a gift. Then he went back to find a warm teahouse to chat and exchange information about each other.

It didn’t matter whether it worked out or not, he still had to follow the etiquette.

The first thing Chen Sen wanted to say was that his father was in prison.

“Miss Xue Yan, I won’t hide it from you. It will take six or seven years before he can come out. But it’s not because of any murder or arson. It was an economic crime.”

Xue Yan was quite stunned and didn’t know what to say for a moment.

When Chen Sen saw her look, he thought it was impossible, and felt a little bitter in his heart. That was also one of the reasons why he couldn’t find a wife before.

Girls would always be more or less concerned about his father’s situation.

“It doesn’t matter.” Chen Sen continued generously. “We can just be friends and we’ll still be good partners in work from now on.”

“Ah?!” Xue Yan came back to her senses and said hurriedly: “No, Brother Sen, I just didn’t know how to comfort you!”

That… Twenty years in prison. It made her scalp numb just thinking about it.

She didn’t know how sad it was to have an orphan and a widowed mother left in the family.

“Oh.” Chen Sen was a little surprised. Since that was the case, he continued: “After my father went in, the family’s livelihood was difficult. My brother and I also had a rough time, but that has passed, and now everything is completely forgotten.”

Xue Yan nodded.

“It will be even more peaceful after I bring my mother to Beijing later.” Chen Sen looked at her. “If you mind that I’ve been fooling around before, it doesn’t matter. Boss Shu Ran is very careful and will find you a better man later .”

“I don’t mind. A prodigal son can’t be exchanged for gold when he comes back.” Xue Yan shook her head. “My master said that you have to judge a person by those around him. If the people around him are good, he would definitely be a good husband.”

Chen Sen had to go and mingle in society for the sake of those around him, not because he was a bad person.

“As long as you don’t mind.” Chen Sen picked up the teapot and served the girl some tea.

“Then, have you ever had a woman?” Xue Yan asked with a blushing face. “I don’t want to get involved with other women.”

Xue Yan knew better than anyone how profitable the business was now. Although Chen Sen was a bit older, he was definitely a rich and handsome young talent who was probably liked by many women.

“There was one ten years ago. But we’ve been separated for ten years and she’s already married.” Chen Sen said. “There are no emotional entanglements that you have to worry about.” He then added: “Since I want to talk about marriage, I’m definitely serious about it. I won’t do anything to let people down.”

Xue Yan thought for a while and then asked: “Then, do you like me? If it wasn’t me but another girl, would you be willing to get along with her as well?”

“I won’t hide it from you,” Chen Sen said after careful consideration, “When it comes to love at first sight, it’s not so absolute. I can only say that I like the feeling you give me.”

Xue Yan said nothing.

“My brother and his sweetheart both started out this way, and it didn’t stop them from getting along with each other later.” Chen Sen said.

“What about Boss Xu and Boss Shu?” Xue Yan asked: “They both have a partner. Is this how they started as well?”

“Yes.” Chen Sen nodded quickly.

“That’s right…” Xue Yan had never been in love before, so she believed Chen Sen’s words: “Love at first sight is all about appearance. Compared with it, I believe in character and responsibility more.”

Chen Sen praised: “You are not naive at all.”

Xue Yan glared at him. Could that even be considered a compliment?!

Of course, she was an independent girl… Otherwise, she wouldn’t have applied for the modeling job.

“Well, then let’s get along.” Xue Yan said shyly.

“Okay.” Chen Sen smiled and gave the girl a snack: “While we’re talking, you can try this.”

“Ahem.”

“Where was I?” Chen Sen took a sip of tea and continued: “I do have a younger brother, but he is useless.”

“Are you talking about Second Boss Chen?” Xue Yan had also heard of the other party.

“Just call him Kaizi.” Chen Sen nodded. “He is only twenty-two, and he’s showing his big face all day long. I’m afraid he won’t be able to live well even if he gets a wife.”

Xue Yan said: “Boss Shu is also around twenty, but I think he is very good.”

Chen Sen said: “He is good.”

And Xu Shen, as his partner, was also living a good life. As Chen Sen’s mother said, marrying the right wife would make one’s family prosperous for three generations.

…………

Chen Sen and Xue Yan decided to date, and Shu Ran was the first to know. At the same time, Xue Yan also said that she hoped to find partners for her two model sisters.

“Will you pay attention?” Chen Sen asked.

“I try my best to find someone, but I don’t dare to vouch for it.” Shu Ran sighed: “It’s all my fault that Brother Kai failed to live up to expectations.”

Chen Sen understood deeply: “Yeah.”

Well, that was the case. If one was bad, nobody would dare to introduce him to others. If his clients didn’t have a good life, the matchmaker would have a bad conscience.

After Shu Ran found out, people around him also soon knew that Xue Yan and Chen Sen were dating, and everyone was suddenly reminded of the idea of getting rid of the single status.

However, it was estimated that only Xie Yuan remained motionless. No one liked him anyway and, even if someone had a good impression at first, they would definitely not like him after they got to know him better.

Besides, he didn’t dare to be understood.

The self-admiration in Xie Yuan’s heart that he couldn’t get rid of turned into inspiration, so he started designing like crazy.

“Brother Yuan…” Spring was coming and everyone was looking for potential partners, but Shu Ran didn’t know how to comfort Xie Yuan, so he had to talk to him: “I have an idea that I don’t know how to realize, let’s talk about it.”

“What idea?” Xie Yuan asked.

“I want to get a sexy student outfit, huh…” Shu Ran said. “Is it difficult for you to combine sexy and student?”

“Who would wear it?” Xie Yuan asked. “It’s not difficult, that’s actually my strength.”

“I’ll wear it.” Shu Ran said.

“Huh?!” Xie Yuan looked at Shu Ran in disbelief. In one second, so many stories flashed through his mind: “You…”

“Don’t think blindly, I’m different from you.” Shu Ran said quickly.

“Wearing it will become addictive!” Xie Yuan looked at him: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you, there is a fine line between zero and countless times of cross-dressing.”

“You don’t understand, just design.” Shu Ran didn’t want to explain to him.

It was not for the love of cross-dressing. It was for the love of fun!

“Okay, that’s too simple.” Xie Yuan picked up the pen and quickly sketched on the white paper: “If you want to be sexy, you must add a bit of neutral style. A pure masculine style… It’s not that you can’t be sexy, but your figure can’t support it. Come on, only a man like Brother Shen could be sexy in a purely masculine style.”

“Yes, he looks sexy even if he’s wearing a sack.” Shu Ran said.

“Add some tulle to create a sense of space.” Xie Yuan was indeed a professional, so he finished the design pretty quickly: “Is this possible?”

“Isn’t it too conservative?” Shu Ran hesitated and said: “Anyway, I’m wearing it in my own house, so you might as well put aside your three views…”

“Pft…” Xie Yuan laughed directly and then stared at him to see if he was joking with him.

“Well, you heard that right.” Shu Ran gave him a confirming look.

“There are some people who let go of their three views…” Xie Yuan hesitated: “But if you see what I’ll come up with, my image in your mind will be destroyed.”

“I’m still the one wearing it.” Shu Ran pointed at himself: “Is the image you have about me in your mind destroyed?”

Xie Yuan thought about it while looking Shu Ran up and down: “Boss Shu, I didn’t expect you to have such a good time…”

How could wearing women’s clothing even compare to this?!

“…” Shu Ran wanted to say that he wasn’t, but he swallowed it. If it weren’t for the fact that Xu Shen could play like that, he would never touch such a thing even if he died.

Xie Yuan drew several more versions, each one getting hotter and more exhilarating than the last. When they finally got to the last version, both of them felt embarrassed. They really had no other ideas as to how they could continue to change it. Well, that was it.

Just finalize it.

“This is our secret.” Xie Yuan gritted his teeth and said, “If you dare to tell others, I’ll die with you!”

If word of it even got out, it could potentially ruin his entire career.

“Am I stupid?!” Shu Ran rolled his eyes.

Although designer Xie was very shy, he was still very addicted to the mood. He felt that he and Shu Ran shared a secret and it was quite fun to design something like that, so after finalizing the sketch, he sewed it by hand.

The schoolboy uniform that broke all three views was made in one day and night. Shu Ran got it, secretly wrapped it in a black cloth: “Thank you, I will take it to Shanghai.”

“Wear it when the weather is warmer.” Xie Yuan kindly reminded him: “There is too little fabric, you’ll freeze if you wear it on a cold day.”

There was no fabric on the waist and abdomen, and the top was so short that it could only cover the indecent areas of his chest. Alas, as for the design of the lower part… Xie Yuan could never admit that it was his idea.

He was not that open-minded!

“I know.” Shu Ran said.

Shanghai was an international big city, and most high-end hotels should already have air conditioners or even heaters.

If not, Xu Shen could only wait until spring came and flowers bloomed before enjoying his gift.

Xu Shen was in charge of packing the luggage when he saw the unfamiliar black cloth bag: “Wife, what is this?”

“My schoolboy uniform.” Shu Ran also took a look.

Xu Shen smiled but did not open the bag to look at it.

Shanghai was indeed an international metropolis. As soon as one arrived at the station, they would feel something different. It was more fashionable, modern, and brightly lit than Beijing.

As for Old Shanghai, the part also known as the Shili Foreign Market, it was full of people who were drunk, wealthy, and sensual.

It was the place where rich people could get the best enjoyment.

Even though Shu Ran and Xu Shen were rich people, they were both dressed very delicately, with velvet coats on their bodies, gentleman’s hats on their heads, and small well-made leather bags in their hands.

The two of them were now considered celebrities. In addition to hats, they also used scarves to cover their faces when going out.

Walking into the spacious station, they suddenly heard a huge crowd of people, accompanied by crazy shouts. It was a scene that Shu Ran was very familiar with, probably signaling the arrival of some celebrity at the station.

“They’re chasing stars, let’s walk faster!” Shu Ran said.

“What an exaggeration.” Xu Shen looked up thanks to his height. He didn’t see the star himself but saw one of the signs that were held high: “It’s indeed a male movie star. The tabloids have written that he is the most popular handsome guy among women nowadays.”

“The one who is most popular among women nowadays,” Shu Ran said, “must have thick eyebrows and big eyes.”

“Yes.” Xu Shen thought about the other person’s appearance. Oh, he really had thick eyebrows and big eyes.

“I like your look more.” Shu Ran said. “Sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, but not too rough.”

Xu Shen smiled while holding something in his heart, slowly accompanying Shu Ran to the hotel where they were staying.

Upon arriving, Shu Ran walked into the room and continued the previous conversations: “Brother Shen, you’re not too rough. Or at least, you’re only rough where you should be rough… Indeed, you’re not rough at heart,” Shu Ran smiled and looked around the room: “You’re only rough here.”

“What are you studying?” Xu Shen stood aside and watched him.

“The air conditioner in the house.” Shu Ran said. “If the heater is warm enough, you’ll be blessed.”

“We’re both blessed.” Xu Shen also heard of air conditioners used for heating. A new version was recently launched on the market, not as expensive and difficult to use as before.

After Shu Ran adjusted the thermostat and waited for the effect, he remembered a certain famous air-conditioning brand that seemed to have been established that year, hoping they could launch their products quickly and benefit the people.

By the time Shu Ran came out of the shower, he found that the heating effect was pretty good.

Seeing him picking up the black cloth, Xu Shen asked: “Aren’t you tired after riding the train all day?”

“Are you tired?” Shu Ran looked back at him: “Then I’ll wait for you to rest for two days.”

How could Xu Shen even listen to that nonsense?! “Just pretend I didn’t say anything just now.” Then he went to wash up, passing by Shu Ran and slapping someone’s behind.

“Hiss…” Shu Ran glared at him.

But he also knew that he was not innocent, and the question he just asked was too unreasonable.

Xu Shen came out of the shower and took a good look at Shu Ran who was wearing his school uniform. He smiled and asked: “You call this a student’s uniform? It must be the farthest thing from a student I’ve ever seen…”

“But I am still a student, I haven’t graduated yet.” Shu Ran winked at him.

“Nothing is covered, it’s really…” Xu Shen looked at it carefully and then went to hug his schoolboy after seeing enough.

“Brother Shen, can I still wear this?” Shu Ran also hugged him and asked in a low voice.

“Okay.” Xu Shen said, his voice also dangerously low. “I’ll try my best not to tear it apart for you, so you can wear it next time.”

“It doesn’t matter if you tear it off.” Shu Ran said softly: “Next time, I’ll design a more attractive one. I don’t want to repeat the same thing every day.”

Xu Shen chuckled: “Then don’t even think about still wanting to be with me when you’re 50 years old. I definitely won’t be able to hold on until then.”

“Really not? Then I’ll try fewer tricks.” Shu Ran was really worried.

“Fake.” Xu Shen kissed him and continued: “You can do whatever you want. If I’m still of no use by the time I’m 50, you can replace me.”

Xu Shen’s arrogance was so high that it made Shu Ran’s eyes turn silky.

As for Xu Shen, he didn’t say much and used practical actions to let his wife know whether he was of any use or not.

The two of them said they were coming to Shanghai to inspect the market, but on their first night there, they were only thinking about school uniforms.

After Xu Shen went to wash their clothes, he finally realized how immoral those clothes were. Immoral enough that he didn’t even dare to hang them out to dry.

Otherwise, if their neighbors saw it, they might just be drowned in spit.

• 1
  It is customary in China for a woman to not go outside after giving birth. They do so in order to recuperate and avoid pollution, illness, and bad luck. Postpartum confinement is well-documented in China, where the custom is known as “Sitting the month”: 坐月子 “Zuò yuè zi” in Mandarin or 坐月 “Co5 Jyut2” in Cantonese. The period of confinement ranges from 30 to 100 days. Confinement for one month (30 days) is considered “mini confinement” while confinement for three months (100 days) is considered “full confinement”. After 100 days, the Hundred Days Banquet (百日宴) is held to celebrate the baby reaching 100 days old. A confinement nanny is a person trained in traditional Chinese medicine principles and practices. Confinement nannies provide a variety of services, including infant care, postpartum meals, cleaning, and postpartum healing and recovery assistance
• 2
  I don’t get it, but I have the feeling that it might be a sexual innuendo based on “red flower” and “yellow flower”. I know that yellow is sometimes associated with pornography as in “yellow waste”, and flowers are used as sexual metaphors in most cultures, so maybe there is something in there. I don’t know, what Xu Shen said is 要红色‌给你种红色‌，要黄色‌给你种黄色