Upon hearing this, Third Aunt's heart filled with bitterness. Compared to Lin Feng, her own son was an embarrassment. He wasn't young anymore, yet he had no career of his own. Worse, he idled about all day, causing trouble everywhere he went, only knowing how to create problems.

At that moment, Lin Daan patted Lin Feng's shoulder with an impressed look. "You rascal, you're becoming more and more promising! Not bad, not bad."

Lin Daan wasn't a petty man. If Lin Feng prospered, he could also lend their family a hand.

"Why don't we all go shopping together? The more, the merrier."

The group laughed and chatted as they headed out to shop.

Third Aunt took a liking to the coat in Zhou Cuilan's hands and wanted to buy one for herself. "Where did you buy this coat? I'm going to get one too."

When they arrived at the store, Third Aunt glanced at the price tag and gasped. 28,800! She would hesitate to buy a coat for 2,000 yuan. Spending over 20,000 yuan? Isn't this just burning money? The main issue was that her financial situation didn't allow for it, and she didn't have a successful son like Lin Feng.

Third Aunt tried on the coat, examining herself in the mirror from all angles. She shook her head in feigned dissatisfaction. "I'm much chubbier than your mom. I can't pull off that look."

Zhang Yuxi, unaware of the real reason, said, "Third Aunt, I think it looks quite nice on you."

Zhou Cuilan nodded in agreement. It really did look good.

In the end, after trying on several pieces, Third Aunt found various reasons to nitpick, claiming none of them were suitable. Lin Daan, who didn't know what was really going on, grew quite dissatisfied.

"So many clothes," he said, "and not a single one suits you?"

They had waited for over half an hour, and she hadn't bought a thing. Wasn't this a waste of time?

Third Aunt shot him a glare. "None!!"

After that ordeal, Third Aunt lost her desire to shop. "Let's just look around. I'm not buying any clothes. I still have lots of new clothes at home that I haven't even worn."

Along the way, Lin Daan pulled Lin Feng aside for a casual chat. "At the baby's last half-year banquet, your cousin's wife was actually already pregnant. She's about two months along now."

Lin Feng smiled. "Congratulations, Third Uncle."

"Now that she's pregnant, she's been feeling a lot of pressure and wanted to start a small business or something. She saw that your children's clothing store was making good money, so she took over a shop herself, but she ended up losing a ton of money. So, now that you're back for the New Year, she was hoping to ask for your advice on how to make the business successful."

Lin Feng thought for a moment. "I just got lucky opening my shop right on the pedestrian street. If you're asking me for a secret to success, I honestly couldn't tell you one. As you all saw last time, my store has no other advantage besides its great location."

Hearing this, Lin Daan felt a headache coming on. What Lin Feng said was true. But…

Just then, they passed a maternity and baby store that was bustling with people. That was because of the New Year holiday, whereas Lin Feng's store was packed with customers even on regular days. Comparing the two… Then again, maybe a good location isn't the only reason for success. The shop his son and daughter-in-law took over was in an area with a lot of foot traffic, too. But the business simply wasn't taking off; it couldn't even cover the rent anymore. They had been trying to transfer the lease for two months, but there were no takers. It's so frustrating and nerve-wracking!

Lin Dashan spoke up. "Third Brother, I've seen Lin Feng's store, and it's no different from any other. It might really just be the good location or plain luck."

With that, the matter was dropped.

Next, they arrived at a jewelry store. Zhang Yuxi's main goal today was to buy something for her mother-in-law. A woman needs more than just clothes!

"Mom, let's go have a look," Zhang Yuxi suggested.

Zhou Cuilan shook her head. "No, there's nothing worth seeing."

Zhang Yuxi touched her own earrings. "I want to buy a new pair to wear tomorrow night. Mom, could you help me pick them out?"

Third Aunt chimed in encouragingly, "Oh, come on, let's just look! It's not like we have to buy anything." With that, she led the way into the jewelry store.

A saleswoman in black stockings immediately greeted them with enthusiasm.

Lin Dashan went straight to the sofa and sat down. "Women and their shopping," he grumbled. "We'll be lucky to get out of here in half an hour."

Lin Feng and Lin Jie stood to the side with the baby stroller. Lastly, there was Lin Daan. He noticed two shoeboxes in Lin Jie's hands. "Did your brother buy those for you?"

"Yeah!" Lin Jie nodded with a smile.

Lin Daan wasn't familiar with the tastes of young people, but he had a vague feeling that the brand wasn't cheap.

The saleswoman brought them tea, along with melon seeds, pastries, and candy. During the New Year, jewelry stores were always swarming with customers. Women seemed to have a natural weakness for jewelry.

Zhou Cuilan said she didn't want anything, but her body betrayed her as she eagerly eyed the displays. Back when her family was wealthy, she had owned many beautiful pieces. Later, however, she had to sell all of them to pay off debts.

Zhang Yuxi selected three pearl necklaces and asked the saleswoman to hold them up for comparison. In the end, she chose the one with the fullest pearls and the finest luster.

"Mom, try this one on," she urged.

Zhou Cuilan immediately refused. "I won't wear it. Don't buy it for me, I still have several necklaces."

Third Aunt gave her a nudge. "Your daughter-in-law is asking you to try it on, so just do it! Why be so difficult?" she said, barely concealing her envy. "She might not even be buying it for you; now you're just making things awkward."

Hearing this, Zhou Cuilan felt a bit embarrassed. "Alright then, I'll try it on."

Once she put it on, Zhou Cuilan's entire demeanor instantly became more dignified and elegant.

The saleswoman lavished praise on Zhang Yuxi. "Ma'am, your daughter-in-law has excellent taste. For your warmer skin tone, it's best to choose cream, gold, or brown pearls. The one you are wearing now is the last cream-colored necklace we have in the store. These are all saltwater pearls, and each one is between 7.5 and 8 millimeters in diameter, with very little variation."

Zhou Cuilan looked at herself from every angle, growing more satisfied by the second. She subconsciously glanced at the price tag: 25,000. The shock made her immediately start to take the necklace off.

"Ma'am, let me help you," the saleswoman said, stepping forward. Please don't tell me this sale is going to fall through, too, she thought. It's not that these ladies don't have money. After all, judging by the daughter-in-law's clothes, she's clearly well-off.

Seeing how beautiful the necklace looked on Zhou Cuilan, Third Aunt couldn't resist picking one out for herself. She examined herself in the mirror, extremely pleased. Hers was slightly inferior, with pearls about 7 to 7.5 millimeters in diameter and a slightly lower quality.

"This one suits me. I'll take this one," she declared.

Zhang Yuxi turned to look. "It does look beautiful on you, Third Aunt."

Third Aunt glanced down at the price: 12,000.

Her expression changed in an instant. The pearl necklace around her neck suddenly felt as uncomfortable as a hot iron.

The saleswoman was already beginning to package it and had quickly printed the invoice. "Will that be card or cash?"

Third Aunt stared at the shopping bag, her mind racing as she frantically searched for an excuse to refuse.

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