Jiang Si was annoyed, but the words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back when she saw the dark circles under his eyes.
Whether by plane or train, no journey from the capital to Shanghai would have him arriving home at this hour.
The only possibility was that he had already arrived in Shanghai yesterday afternoon and had been busy with work ever since, only finding time to return in the dead of night.
Thinking this, the petty grievances in her heart were instantly replaced by a pang of tenderness.
She raised her hand, her fingertips gently brushing the shadows beneath his eyes. "Go back to sleep. You can still catch a bit more rest now. After you wake up, we'll go out together to buy New Year's goods."
With the New Year approaching, every household was scrambling to stock up. Jiang Si had also taken the opportunity to retrieve quite a few things from her space.
Rice, flour, cooking oil, chicken, duck, fish, meat—she had it all.
However, things like new clothes for the children to wear during the festivities, including gifts for others, still hadn't been purchased.
She had originally planned to go herself, having even asked Third Granduncle to help exchange for a good amount of ration coupons on the black market.
But she couldn't resist the two little ones' earnest pleas, insisting they wait for Daddy to come back before going shopping.
Now that she thought about it, it had been a long time since their family of four had gone out together.
Jiang Si thought about it and agreed, mainly because there was a lot to buy. With Huo Tingzhou there, things would be easier for her.
"Alright," Huo Tingzhou responded, his voice thick with sleepiness. Yet, the arm encircling her showed no intention of letting go.
Seeing this, Jiang Si nestled back into his embrace.
In the depths of winter, leaving a warm, cozy bed truly required great courage.
Huo Tingzhou's embrace was warm, carrying a comforting scent. Before long, both of them had sunk back into a deep sleep.
Perhaps aware that his behavior in the morning wasn't ideal, after waking up, Huo Tingzhou hoisted the two little ones onto his shoulders.
He paraded them around the room several times until their delighted giggles filled the air, only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, Jiang Si seized this moment to hurriedly write out a shopping list.
There were simply too many things to buy. If she didn't list them out beforehand, once they got to the department store amidst the crowds and chaos, she was sure to forget.
Once the list was mostly complete, the family got ready and prepared to set out.
Seeing Third Granduncle still sitting motionless as a mountain on the living room sofa, the two little ones quickly ran over to remind him.
"Great-Grandpa, hurry and get dressed! We're going out soon."
Third Granduncle set down his teacup and said with a chuckle, "You all go ahead. Grandpa Zhong and I won't join the bustle."
Then, he looked at Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou. "Shi'an is holding his wedding banquet in a couple of days. We two old fellows will go over and see if there's anything we can help with."
The streets were packed shoulder-to-shoulder at this time, so Jiang Si didn't insist. After making sure the children's hats, scarves, and sanitary masks were securely on, the family of four finally headed out.
Their home wasn't far from Nanjing Road. The weather was unusually nice today, with a warm sun and little wind.
Huo Tingzhou decided not to call a car, choosing to walk there with the children instead.
The two little ones were like birds freed from a cage, chattering non-stop the whole way, finding everything new and exciting.
Watching them play and frolic as they walked, Huo Tingzhou felt a sense of déjà vu, as if seeing scenes from his and his wife's own childhoods.
Back then, she was just like this too—bright, vibrant, radiant like the hottest summer sun.
Even after she seemed to become a different person upon entering adolescence, that innate liveliness and kindness at her core never changed.
"What are you thinking about?" Jiang Si tilted her head slightly, asking curiously.
The alleyway was quiet with few people around. Huo Tingzhou took her slightly cool hand and tucked it directly into his own pocket.
"Darling, thank you."
Before Jiang Si could speak, he glanced ahead at the two little ones.
This warm scene before him was something he had only dared dream of in the past.
Now, it was all coming true, one by one.
He knew all of this was thanks to the woman by his side.
But Jiang Si clearly misunderstood. She blinked, a look of realization dawning. "I knew those two little ones couldn't keep a secret."
Right before leaving, the father and his two children had been huddled together, whispering.
So that's what it was about.
If Suisui and Zhaozhao had heard, they would surely have jumped out to protest: Mom, that's a huge accusation! We won't take the blame for this!
Huo Tingzhou was visibly taken aback. Before he could even begin to explain, Jiang Si let out a soft sigh.
"I wanted to give you a surprise. Oh well, since you know, you know."
She looked up at him. "I had two new suits custom-made for you, and a wool overcoat."
Only then did Huo Tingzhou realize the surprise she meant was this.
Even though the smile at the corner of his eyes was about to overflow, Huo Tingzhou habitually restrained it.
"I have plenty of clothes, enough to wear. You should buy a couple more outfits for yourself."
Jiang Si was never one to shortchange herself; of course, she had ordered new clothes for herself too.
She just didn't like how Huo Tingzhou always put her and the children first in everything.
Today, she was determined to cure him of this 'bad habit'!
Jiang Si went straight for the decisive move, pretending to pull her hand back. "You don't want them? Fine, I'll give them to someone else then, anyway—"
Before she could finish, Huo Tingzhou immediately tightened his grip on her hand.
Finally, under Jiang Si's amused, knowing gaze, he conceded defeat. "I want them."
How could he not want clothes his wife had thoughtfully bought specially for him for the New Year?
Hearing this, Jiang Si smiled with satisfaction. "That's more like it."
The shop where she ordered the clothes was very famous in Shanghai. Besides selling ready-to-wear clothes and leather shoes, they also took custom orders.
Even judged by Jiang Si's standards from a future era, the styles of their ready-to-wear pieces were classics among classics.
Most of the clothes she had worn before were custom-made at this shop.
However, after the political movements, the shop no longer operated publicly, usually only receiving foreign personnel, high-ranking cadres, or overseas Chinese.
If Jiang Si weren't a long-time customer with some old family ties to the shop owner, they might not have agreed to take her order.
"Try them on when we get there. If they fit, they won't need alterations," Jiang Si said as they walked. "For Qin Shian's wedding the day after tomorrow, you can wear that wool overcoat set."
Hearing this, Huo Tingzhou fell silent.
A man's damnable competitive spirit still existed. Even though the other party was about to get married, he couldn't afford to relax.
"Alright, as you say."
As they spoke, the group arrived at the Baromon Custom Tailoring Shop on West Nanjing Road. The person who received them was the shop manager, Mr. Luo.
"Comrade Jiang, Mr. Huo, this way, please." Manager Luo greeted them with a proper smile and led the family upstairs to the second floor.
After verifying the collection slip, Manager Luo retrieved several sets of clothing from a wooden wardrobe in the inner room.
This time, Jiang Si had ordered two sets of pure wool gabardine Zhongshan suits for Huo Tingzhou, both in dark colors.
Additionally, there was a long wool overcoat in a matching color scheme.
She had quite a few clothes for herself, but formal wear was on the lighter side.
Thinking about attending the National Advanced Worker Commendation Conference after returning to the capital, she decided to order two sets of woolen suits. In addition, she also ordered a few plain-colored small square scarves.
In front of everyone, Shop Manager Luo unfolded these sets of clothes one by one, first letting them inspect details like the stitching and buttonholes.
After confirming there were no visible flaws, Shop Manager Luo said with a smile,
"You should try them on first. If the shoulder seams are tight or the cuffs are long, we'll arrange for a master tailor to make alterations immediately, guaranteeing a perfect fit."
Jiang Si's measurements had been taken in person at the shop, and both sets of clothes fit her perfectly.
As for Huo Tingzhou's clothes, Jiang Si had provided his measurements from a year ago.
She had thought there might be some discrepancy, but surprisingly, they fit him exceptionally well when he put them on.
The crisp fabric perfectly followed the lines of his shoulders and waist, accentuating his well-maintained physique from years of training to the fullest.
Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and straight legs.
Even Jiang Si couldn't help but marvel inwardly at how well she was doing for herself!
"Comrade Jiang, we just received several styles of leather shoes today. The leather and craftsmanship are excellent. Would you like to try them on?" Shop Manager Luo thoughtfully asked.
Primarily because Jiang Si was a regular customer whose spending habits and capacity he understood, otherwise Shop Manager Luo wouldn't have made the recommendation so readily.
After all, the price of leather shoes in their shop was much higher than at the department stores.
Each pair cost around 25 yuan, plus an additional five industrial coupons.
Of course, you get what you pay for. Their shop only sold "Babu" brand for men's leather shoes and "Lantang" brand for women's.
These two brands were jointly known as the "Twin Jewels of Shanghai," comparable to the "Shanghai" brand in watches and the "Phoenix" brand in bicycles!
Jiang Si nodded; of course, she wanted them.
So, she provided their shoe sizes: size 36 for her, and size 46 for Huo Tingzhou.
"Please have a seat for a moment. I'll have someone fetch them from the storeroom right away," Shop Manager Luo said, then instructed a shop assistant.
The assistant acknowledged and casually hung the overcoat she had been ironing on a nearby clothes rack.
The coat was made of the most common woolen fabric, but the style looked quite special.
Especially because the white parts in the houndstooth pattern were dyed in grey tones, making it elegant yet understated.
Jiang Si's gaze was instantly drawn to it.
Seeing her keen interest, Shop Manager Luo also paused his own task.
He proactively introduced it, "This overcoat uses a 'sleeve-wrapping-shoulder' cut, which gives it excellent drape. It would look very stylish paired with a dark grey high-neck cashmere sweater."
They only had this one piece in the entire shop. It had previously been borrowed by a department store and displayed in their window for over half a month.
It was beautiful, no doubt, but because it was made of pure wool gabardine fabric, factoring in the material, trimmings, and tailoring fees, this coat came to over 80 yuan, plus another five industrial coupons.
That's why this coat still hadn't found its destined owner.
