The summer vacation was drawing to a close in the blink of an eye. In just one more day, Lu Yu would have to report to school, while Lu Xun's kindergarten wouldn't start for another two days.
After lunch that day, Shu Qingqing solemnly announced something: Lu Yu, Lu Xun, pack up a bit. I am taking you out shopping this afternoon.
Lu Xun immediately cheered, hugging Shu Qingqing's thigh: Yay, yay! I love it the most when Mommy buys me things. Mommy, I want an Ultraman Zero.
Shu Qingqing pinched his cheek: You are overthinking it, son. I am not taking you to buy toys.
Lu Xun: Then what are we buying?
Shu Qingqing: Books, stationery, and everything related to studying.
Lu Xun let out a dejected Oh.
Shu Qingqing laughed out of exasperation. Very well, Lu Xun truly disliked studying right from a young age.
Lu Yu asked, What about the studio?
Not going today, Shu Qingqing said. The traffic in the livestream room was already very stable now, and the daily sales had stabilized as well. Tingting could hold her own, and Shu Qingqing and Feng Xiangdi had hired another streamer to assist Tingting, so she could free up two days a week to rest.
After all, there was no end to making money, and health was the most important thing.
Hearing this, Lu Yu stopped worrying.
After resting for a while after lunch, the three of them drove off in a grand procession.
Lu Yu thought they were going to a shopping mall, but the car drove all the way to the Fourth Ring Road.
After parking the car, Lu Yu pulled Lu Xun out and looked up at the building in front of them.
Unlike a regular shopping mall, the entire building formed a square, with rows of shops inside. A striking red sign hung above the entrance: Wanxin Small Commodity Wholesale Market.
Shu Qingqing looked back at the two brothers standing still: Let's go, what are you spacing out for?
Lu Yu was confused: Didn't you say we were buying things for school?
Yeah, Shu Qingqing pointed to the sign above. Didn't you see? Small commodity wholesale market. They have everything here.
Lu Xun was innocent and ignorant: Mommy, why didn't we go to the mall from before? This place looks run-down.
You are just a kid, you wouldn't understand. It might look run-down on the outside, but it has a lot of stuff, and it is cheap. It is not easy for adults to make money. You guys use so many pens and notebooks for studying every day, of course we have to budget carefully.
Lu Xun seemed to understand but also didn't quite get it, but what Mommy said was definitely right, so he finally just said Oh.
Lu Yu, on the other hand, glanced at the Porsche worth over six million yuan parked in their space at home, and silently pulled Lu Xun along to keep up.
After entering, Shu Qingqing led the two straight to the stationery area.
The display in the wholesale market was simple but eye-catching enough. Various styles of notebooks and pens were neatly stacked at the entrance, which was very pleasing to the eyes of anyone with obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Shu Qingqing waved her hand grandly: Pick whatever you want, today's expenses are all on me!
Lu Yu casually picked up a notebook, and the merchant immediately smiled and said: Young man, you have a good eye. This notebook is a top seller this year, four yuan each. Of course, if you buy more, we can offer a discount.
Four yuan?
Lu Yu's pupils widened in surprise. He had seen this kind of notebook in the stationery store at the school gate before, and it cost sixteen yuan there. Here it was only four yuan?
Seeing this, Shu Qingqing leaned over: How about it, I told you the things here are cheap, right? Your senior year of high school will use up a lot of paper, so pick a few more, and grab some for Zheng Binyang too.
Having worked during the summer vacation, Lu Yu also knew that making money wasn't easy. He didn't dare to underestimate this kind of wholesale market anymore and immediately lowered his head to choose.
Shu Qingqing also helped Lu Xun pick out some markers, colored clay, stickers, and the like.
In the end, two large baskets of items only cost a little over seven hundred yuan.
This place is pretty good, Lu Yu finally concluded.
Shu Qingqing was a little proud: Right? This is called saving where you should and spending where you must. Let's go, now I will take you to the next place.
The car drove back to the Second Ring Road and stopped in front of a hair salon.
Lu Xun jumped out of the car, but as soon as he saw the setup inside the shop clearly, he immediately turned his head and scrambled back in.
Lu Yu looked at him in confusion.
He is afraid of getting haircuts, Shu Qingqing whispered, then walked to the side of the car. Come down, Lu Xun. Didn't Mommy already tell you? Your hair is too long, it is almost covering your eyes. At the start of the new semester, we need to dress up neatly to go to school and be the most handsome cub in kindergarten.
Lu Xun covered his head and shook it desperately: No, no, Mommy, my hair isn't long. I don't like getting haircuts.
But your brother likes getting haircuts. If you don't go in, Mommy will just take your brother to get handsome all by himself. Shu Qingqing made a show of pulling Lu Yu inside.
Lu Yu had actually just had his hair trimmed half a month ago.
But if he had to get it cut again, that was fine too.
It was just that the reverse psychology didn't seem to work this time. The two of them entered the barbershop looking back every step of the way, but Lu Xun remained completely unmoved, and even stretched out his short little arm to close the car door.
Shu Qingqing: .......
Forget it, leave him be. Shu Qingqing locked the car doors with her keys to prevent Lu Xun from running around, and only then began discussing Lu Yu's hairstyle with the barber.
Let's go with this one. Shu Qingqing pointed to a model picture on the tablet: Trim it a bit cleaner around the ears, and leave some volume and airiness on top.
The barber understood immediately: Like the male lead in a novel, right? Consider it done.
Lu Yu didn't say a word the whole time, letting Shu Qingqing direct the barber's trimming.
Finally, when he finished the cut and stood up, Shu Qingqing's eyes lit up: This is exactly the effect I wanted. This will totally captivate the female lead, haha.
Captivate what? Lu Yu didn't catch the second half of her sentence.
Nothing, nothing. Let's go and show off to Lu Xun.
The two got into the car, and Shu Qingqing pointed to Lu Yu's hair and said to Lu Xun: Look how handsome your brother is!
Lu Xun took one look and turned his face away again.
Lu Yu suddenly picked him up and put him on his lap: Lu Xun, actually, getting a haircut isn't scary at all. I can go back in with you. Of course, if you insist on not cutting it, that is fine too, but your hair will grow even longer in the future. Then you will have to tie it up, just like how Mom did it for you last time.
Lu Xun suddenly remembered his experience of dressing up as a girl last time. Having such long hair was indeed very troublesome, and his brows unconsciously furrowed.
Lu Yu could see he was conflicted and continued: Look at my hair, it is so short that it only takes two minutes to wash. But as your hair gets longer and longer, it will take at least twenty minutes to wash.
Brother, how long is twenty minutes?
It is the time it takes you to watch one episode of Ultraman.
That long! Even before, when his hair was short, it took a long time to wash, and water would often get into his eyes. If he had to wash it for twenty minutes in the future, wouldn't his eyes suffer even more!
Lu Xun immediately climbed down: Brother, brother, quickly come in with me to get a haircut.
Shu Qingqing silently watched the entire process, sighing in her heart: Boys really do understand boys best.
After getting their haircuts, Shu Qingqing took the two of them to buy new clothes, shoes, and schoolbags. They had dinner out before finally heading home.
Lu Yu sat at his desk, looking at the table entirely covered in his new things, feeling an overwhelming sense of satisfaction.
When he was little, the thing he envied most at the start of every school year was the other children who had new backpacks and stationery prepared by their mothers.
Now, he finally had that too.
Just as he was lost in thought, a sudden knock came from the door. "Lu Yu, are you asleep?"
Lu Yu hastily covered up his new schoolbag and got up to open the door.
Shu Qingqing stood outside without stepping in, simply asking, "Can I take you to school for registration tomorrow?"
Lu Yu nodded. Of course she could.
Shu Qingqing immediately broke into a bright smile. "Great! I'll leave you be, then. Hurry up and get some sleep!"
Lu Yu curled his fingers inward. "Does taking me to registration really make you that happy?"
"Of course!" she replied. After all, Lu Yu's canon love interest was going to make her debut tomorrow. She absolutely adored that resilient and beautiful girl from the original novel, and she was incredibly excited for Lu Yu to meet her for the very first time.
