◎Home Delivery◎
The two little ones truly thought their aunt was upset. As they entered the supermarket, their usual excitement for picking out toys and snacks had completely vanished. With their heads drooping low, they racked their brains, trying to figure out how to cheer her up.
Suddenly, a small pull-cart appeared in front of them.
The children looked up in unison, confusion written all over their faces.
Le Qing lifted the handle of the cart and handed it to them. "Put whatever you want inside," she said.
During their last visit, she had noticed that the kids were too short—even on tiptoe, they struggled to reach the big shopping carts. This smaller, hand-pulled one was just the right height, perfect for them to drag around like a toy.
Little Le Jia asked timidly, "Auntie, are you still mad?"
Le Qing nearly laughed. Why were they still calling her "auntie"?
But she wasn’t actually angry. After all, "auntie" at least implied some distant familial connection, whereas she and these children shared no blood relation at all. Besides, the term had simply been picked up from Director Tan—the kids didn’t know any better.
"An aunt isn’t as close as a little aunt," she explained gently.
Oh!!!
So that’s why she was upset!
"I’m sorry," Little Le Jia murmured, her tiny fingers nervously tracing the edge of the cart handle. "I didn’t mean to. Little Aunt, I want to be close to you."
"Yeah, we’re even closer than Brother Xuxu!"
Le Qing gave a soft hum in response.
The children’s possessiveness toward her seemed stronger than she had anticipated.
Perhaps they weren’t as easily replaceable as she’d once assumed. For a moment, she couldn’t decide whether that was a good or bad thing.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, the supermarket was bustling with crowds, far less relaxed than usual.
The two kids hesitated, unable to take a step forward toward the toy section. Little Le'an, especially, clung tightly to Le Qing’s sleeve. "Little Aunt, come with us," she pleaded.
Le Qing noticed her unease and suddenly recalled how differently the two children behaved around strangers.
When her brother was around, Little Le'an was a bit braver. But alone, she turned into a timid little quail—likely a result of their past lack of interaction with outsiders due to their mother’s neglect. They had rarely met strangers, let alone learned to socialize.
While personality differences were natural, being overly introverted wasn’t ideal.
After a moment’s thought, Le Qing gently pulled her sleeve free from Little Le'an’s grasp.
Kneeling down to meet the child’s anxious gaze, she said softly, "I can go with you to pick out toys, but today, I’d like to ask for your help with something."
Help Little Aunt? Eager to share the burden, Little Le'an nodded immediately. "Tell me!"
Le Qing pulled up her shopping list on her phone. Having little experience with New Year preparations herself, she had scoured the internet for must-have items—just in case guests dropped by. Though she doubted anyone would visit, it wouldn’t hurt to stock up for the kids.
"There are a few things I’m not sure where to find. Can you help me look for them?"
Though still nervous, children were easily swept up by a sense of mission—especially when they felt important. Without hesitation, they agreed, "Mhm!"
Le Qing picked a few lightweight items. "Little Le'an, can you find one set of Spring Festival couplets and three 'Fu' character decorations? And Little Le Jia, could you get a pound each of milk candy, crispy candy, fruit candy, and chocolate?"
The kids repeated firmly, "Okay!"
Then they grabbed Le Qing’s hand, ready to drag her along.
But she stayed put, pointing instead to the store’s staff. "You’ll need to find them on your own. If you can’t, ask the uncles and aunties wearing those uniforms."
Little Le'an shrank back. "Little Aunt, you’re not coming?"
"I have other things to buy," Le Qing explained. "That’s why I need your help. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can go home for dinner."
Ohhh.
The kids, too young for school, were easily convinced.
"Stick together," Le Qing said, placing their hands in each other’s. "You can decide whether to find your brother’s things first or your sister’s. Once you’re done, I’ll come find you."
It never occurred to them to question how she’d locate them afterward—their attention was entirely captured by the task ahead.
Luckily, Little Le Jia was a natural social butterfly. Far from panicking at the idea of shopping alone, he eagerly took charge, one hand pulling the cart and the other holding his sister’s. "Come on, let’s go together."
Little Le'an still hesitated.
Le Qing smiled. "Then I’ll leave it to you two. Work hard!"
Those words instantly pumped them full of determination. Whether or not they succeeded, they had to respond, "We will!"
And off they marched, brimming with inexplicable pride.
Le Qing didn’t follow immediately. Instead, she planned to keep a safe but discreet distance—close enough to ensure their safety, yet far enough that they wouldn’t feel supervised.
Truthfully, they were still very young. Social skills could be nurtured over time, and even if not, their father would surely teach them once they returned to him.
But for now, while she still had the chance, Le Qing wanted to do what she could. After all, they had called her "Little Aunt" for so long—it was only right to give something back.
Just as she was lost in thought, the kids came trotting back.
Their retreat was quicker than she’d expected. Keeping her expression neutral, she asked, "What’s wrong?"
"Little Aunt?" Little Le'an held up a finger. "What was I supposed to buy again?"
"One set of couplets and three 'Fu' decorations," Le Qing repeated patiently. "And your brother needs a pound each of milk candy, crispy candy, fruit candy, and chocolate."
"Ohhh!" Little Le'an’s eyes lit up. Counting on her fingers to cement the list in her mind, she turned and marched off again, muttering, "One… couplets, three 'Fu'…"
A few steps later.
"One… 'Fu,' three… 'Fu's?"
Little Le Jia had been helping his sister remember, but soon even he grew confused. Instinctively, he turned to his "uncle" for help. "Uncle, what was it again? Milk candy, pig… pig candy?"
Usually, his "uncle" would patiently repeat the list until he got it right. Thanks to this, his speech was far clearer than his sister’s. But today was different.
"Oops, I forgot too. Try to remember on your own," the system played dumb.
If even his uncle couldn’t recall, it must be really hard!
Distracted, Little Le Jia lost track of his counting. "Milk… milk candy, piggy candy, choc’late… huh? One finger’s empty."
So, after standing still for half a minute, the kids circled back once more. "Little Aunt, what candies?"
Biting back a laugh, Le Qing repeated the list again.
This time, they set off with renewed confidence, fingers firmly pressed to their palms. They would remember!
Wanting to help his sister first, Little Le Jia suggested, "You ask the auntie where yours are."
He couldn’t recall her items anymore.
Little Le'an fidgeted, toes twisting nervously.
"Be brave," Little Le Jia said seriously. "We’re little heroes now."
Little Le'an pressed her lips together.
Little heroes aren’t afraid of difficulties—they even help their aunt!
Summoning her courage, she lifted her head and called out, "Miss~"
The supermarket was blaring loud music, and the sales assistant didn’t hear the tiny voice.
Little Le'an’s face flushed red as she stood on tiptoe and raised her voice a little more. "Miss~ Hello~"
This time, the sales assistant heard but spent a while looking around before finally noticing the two soft little bundles beside her when she felt a warm touch on her hand.
Wrapped in pink and blue scarves, their heads snug under little hats, they dragged an empty mini shopping cart behind them—utterly adorable. Now, the two were straining on their tiptoes to talk to her.
The sales assistant bent down. "What’s the matter, little ones?"
Little Le'an spread her fingers. "Miss, where can we buy 'one hoo nian'?"
The sales assistant’s smile froze. "...What?"
Little Le'an earnestly counted on her fingers. "One hoo nian, three-three words, 'hoo' word."
"..." The sales assistant struggled to understand but failed. "Should I take you to find your parents?"
"No, we’re buying one hoo nian for our aunt."
"What is this 'one hoo nian'?"
"For New Year’s," Little Le'an explained vaguely, growing a bit flustered. "One hoo nian is... um, it’s..."
What was it again?
What had Auntie called it? She was sure this was the right word!
Luckily, Little Le Jia had a faint memory and hesitantly corrected her. "Little sister, I think it’s four words... 'dei nian'."
Finally, the sales assistant caught on. "You mean couplets?"
"Yes yes! One hoo dui nian!"
"One set of couplets," the sales assistant chuckled. "Come with me. But do you know what kind you want?"
Little Le'an insisted, "Just one hoo!"
Leading them to the couplet section, the sales assistant pointed at the display. "These are the couplets. Which one do you like? What words do you want?"
Oh no.
The little ones were completely stumped—why did they all look the same?
And Little Le'an couldn’t read!
"Brother, what does this word say?"
Little Le Jia stood on tiptoe, but the characters were bigger than his head. He couldn’t make sense of them. "I know that one is 'one'!"
Nearby, adults shopping for New Year’s supplies noticed the two kids picking out couplets on their own and curiously gathered around. "Oh, aren’t these Le Jia and Le'an?"
The two little ones looked up, confused—they didn’t recognize this person.
"I’ve seen your videos online," the girl said excitedly. "You’re here for New Year shopping? Where’s your aunt?"
Little Le'an stayed quiet, but Little Le Jia answered with a hint of caution, "Auntie’s here. She’ll come after we buy this."
The girl glanced around and spotted the strikingly tall and elegant Le Qing in the crowd. She smiled and bent down. "If you’re not sure what to pick, I can read them for you. You can choose the one you like best. These are all blessings—you stick them on your door for New Year’s."
Little Le'an studied the girl’s eyes, then nodded at her brother and whispered, "This sister is nice."
Only then did Little Le Jia relax. "Thank you, sister."
"You’re welcome." The girl picked up a few well-written sets. "'Good health and family joy,' 'wealth and treasures,' which one do you want?"
The little ones vaguely understood the phrases, but when it came to choosing...
Little Le Jia declared firmly, "The one that makes lots of money!"
"Then this one—'wealth and treasures.'" The girl placed the couplets in their cart. "Do you need anything else?"
Little Le'an held up three tiny fingers and murmured, "Three-three hu words."
"Huh?"
Even she seemed unsure. "Three-three words, hu word, three what word?"
Words?
The girl scanned the area and suddenly understood. "Do you mean 'fu' characters?"
"Yes!" Little Le'an’s eyes lit up. "Three-three fu words!"
"Three 'fu' characters." The girl lifted her up. "Pick the ones you like, and I’ll get them for you."
Suddenly elevated and now visible to everyone, Little Le'an blushed and quietly pointed at the one with little animals. "Thank you, sister."
"No problem! You two coming here to shop all by yourselves—you’re amazing!"
Wow, the sister said they were amazing!
Little Le'an’s nervousness melted away, replaced by pride. She carefully arranged the couplets and fu characters in the cart, treating them like treasures—her very first shopping success.
"Brother!" This time, she took the initiative to grab his hand. "Let’s buy milk~"
Le Qing, watching from behind, nearly laughed out loud.
These two little ones had already forgotten half the list.
But she had no intention of correcting them. Even if they got the wrong things, she wouldn’t say a word—they could always put them back. What mattered was the experience.
Luckily, while Little Le'an couldn’t remember, her brother at least recalled they needed candy.
But with so many varieties, his head spun. Who knew shopping required so much knowledge!
Uncertain, he decided to ask Auntie again.
Turning around, he immediately spotted Le Qing’s tall, elegant figure in the crowd. His anxious little heart instantly settled.
Auntie had been there all along!
He tugged his sister along as they ran over. "Auntie, so many kinds. I don’t know."
"It’s okay." Le Qing steadied them as they rushed up. "You’ve already done so well—you got the couplets and fu characters, and you even found the candy aisle. I should’ve explained better."
It had been a spur-of-the-moment idea, and she’d forgotten to mention the countless candy brands. Even adults struggled to choose, let alone little kids who couldn’t even reach the shelves.
She lifted one child at a time. "Which ones do you want?"
"Can we have this many?" Little Le'an covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling with longing.
Kids who got to eat this much candy must be the happiest!
She loved New Year’s—if only every day could be like this!
"Of course." Le Qing set her down and filled a bag with a little of each candy they pointed at. They wouldn’t eat much, but the joy was worth it.
The two little ones couldn’t help much, so they just stood by the shelf, hands resting on the edge, watching eagerly on tiptoe.
Little Le'an’s feet grew tired, so she plopped back down and dutifully guarded her precious "dui nian."
She had to protect it—this was something she’d bought herself!
Kneeling beside the cart, she gently touched the papers over and over, treating them like gold. When she looked up again, all she saw were towering legs and a dizzying array of shopping bags.
"Huh?"
Spotting a large hand slipping into someone else’s bag, Little Le'an tilted her head in confusion.
Auntie had said you couldn’t take things in the supermarket without paying first—and you definitely shouldn’t put stuff in other people’s bags!
Her gaze traveled upward, only to see an uncle’s hand reaching into someone else’s bag, his eyes darting around nervously.
Then, the uncle looked straight at her.
Their eyes met—one pair large, the other small—and the man glared at her before turning away as if nothing had happened.
But Little Le'an suddenly stood up.
In the uncle’s eyes, she had seen it—this man was a thief! And thieves were bad people.
The little heroine Le'an would never allow such a thing to happen!
"Brother," Little Le'an tugged at her brother, who was still crouched by the candy shelf. "There’s a bad guy."
Equally righteous, Little Le Jia immediately went on high alert. "What? Where?"
His bag still held the toy gun he’d bought last time. Hearing his sister, he turned and pulled it out. "Don’t be scared."
"That one." Little Le'an pointed at the man still rummaging through bags in the crowd. "He’s stealing."
Little Le Jia’s face darkened. He pushed his sister and the shopping cart back gently. "Stay here."
Then, clutching his toy gun, he marched forward.
"Le Jia, what are you doing?!" The system’s voice sharply reprimanded him. "Don’t go alone—tell an adult!"
But it was too late. Little Le Jia had already reached the man, who had just pulled a phone from someone’s bag when he felt something poke his leg. Turning, he saw a little boy aiming a toy gun at him.
The system blared a warning: "Le Jia, go back!"
Little Le Jia froze. He had never heard the system uncle sound so harsh or heard such an alarm before.
But before he could react, the thief had already noticed him.
"Freeze!" Little Le Jia shouted instinctively. "Hands up!"
The man: "..."
The commotion drew the attention of nearby shoppers, and the girl whose bag had been touched turned around, immediately spotting her phone in the man’s hand. "Why do you have my phone? Thief!"
Chaos erupted.
Cornered, the man tried to flee, but the "little cop" was still blocking his way. In a rage, he raised his foot to kick the child aside.
Before his foot could connect, a figure darted forward, scooping the boy out of harm’s way.
Dangling midair, Little Le Jia looked up and saw his aunt’s stormy expression.
She looked even scarier than when she’d heard about Cousin Wang. He went limp in her grip, still clutching his toy gun. "Auntie, I caught the bad guy."
Le Qing had no time to ask how. Her only thought was to get the children away. "Security!" she yelled.
But the crowd had already surrounded the thief. Furious, he glared at the "little snitch" who’d exposed him, then at the slender woman who looked like an easy target. Enraged, he pulled a knife from his bag and lunged.
Le Qing had just lifted one child when she saw the attack coming. Instinctively, she twisted to shield the boy in her arms while reaching for the other.
The knife grazed her down jacket, sending feathers flying.
Her heart clenched, but there was still a child on the ground. She grabbed Little Le'an just in time, turning her back to the blade.
The expected pain never came. Instead, the man let out a bloodcurdling scream.
The crowd scattered.
Le Qing seized the chance to retreat to safety before looking back.
The thief was now pinned to the ground by a tall man in a long brown leather coat, a gray scarf, and a low-brimmed hat.
His movements were swift—even with the knife, he hadn’t hesitated. His hands struck with precision, ignoring the thief’s howls, until one final twist forced the man to drop the blade.
Only when others rushed in to restrain the thief did the man in the coat stand.
Security arrived late, and the thief was hauled away. Many shoppers, shaken, quickly left the scene.
Le Qing’s arms trembled under the weight of the children. After a hurried "Thank you" to the stranger, she set them down. "Are you hurt?"
Little Le Jia, who’d been so brave earlier, was now silently crying, tears streaming down his face. "No."
Little Le'an was worse, hiccuping as she clung to her aunt’s torn sleeve. "Auntie’s feathers flew away... wuwuwu..."
Still worried about the feathers—she must be fine. Le Qing exhaled in relief. "It’s okay now."
The kids were too shaken for a lecture.
"The bad guy’s gone. Don’t cry." She wiped their tears and pulled them close. "Auntie’s here. I’m fine. Let’s go buy toys later, okay?"
Little Le Jia clung to her, trembling, before finally whispering, "Grumpy Uncle?"
What uncle?
Le Qing turned. The man in the leather coat hadn’t left—and now faced them.
No wonder the kids recognized him. Even wrapped up, Jiang Suizhi’s imposing frame and sharp contours were unmistakable.
Today, he wore a mask and black-framed glasses instead of sunglasses, his cap pulled low. His eyes behind the lenses were hard to read.
He was peeling off his leather gloves when the children called out. He acknowledged them with a quiet "Hn."
"Mr. Jiang," Le Qing stood. "What are you doing here?"
Jiang Suizhi tossed the gloves into a nearby trash bin. His voice was low. "I live nearby."
What a coincidence.
"Thank you for today." Without him, she’d have been hurt. "Are you injured?"
"No." He flexed his fingers. The gloves had left his hands pale, but his knuckles were reddened—evidence of the force he’d used.
"But..." Le Qing pointed. "Your hand is shaking."
And not just slightly. It trembled violently, as if beyond his control.
Jiang Suizhi’s brow furrowed. "Excuse me. I need to find a restroom."
Since she often takes the children out, Le Qing makes a habit of observing her surroundings wherever she goes, just in case of emergencies. The last time she visited this supermarket, she had already familiarized herself with its layout. Given that it’s located near upscale residential areas, it’s a large supermarket with public restrooms. She pointed in a direction: "Over there."
"Thank you."
Seeing the man stride toward the restroom, Le Qing thought for a moment before placing the weighed candy into the shopping cart and following with the children.
Jiang Suizhi stood at the sink, washing his hands repeatedly with soap, then removed his mask and glasses to splash water on his face, trying to ease the discomfort on his skin. As he dried his hands, he glanced at his slightly disheveled reflection in the mirror, his fingers clenched so tightly they turned pale.
Only after a long pause, when he heard someone enter, did he put his mask back on.
"Uncle."
Hearing the voice, Jiang Suizhi froze mid-motion and turned his head.
Little Le Jia had been standing there for who knows how long, looking up at him.
After a few seconds of eye contact, confirming that the child’s only reaction was his still-reddened eyes from being startled earlier, Jiang Suizhi asked, "Why did you come in?"
"Auntie is worried about you." Little Le Jia took a step forward, carefully examining the man from head to toe. "Does it hurt, Uncle?"
Le Qing couldn’t enter the men’s restroom, so she had sent the child in to check.
With no one else around, Jiang Suizhi hesitated for a few seconds before picking up his glasses from the sink and crouching down. "It doesn’t hurt."
Uncle wasn’t hurt—that was a relief.
Little Le Jia wanted to take him outside to show Auntie, but then he noticed the man slowly lifting his gaze.
Staring into those eyes, the child took a few seconds to process.
Uncle’s eyes were so pretty… like he’d seen them before.
But wait, he’d never met this uncle before, had he?
Before he could figure it out, he realized the uncle was looking at him a little fiercely now.
Hmm, he definitely hadn’t seen such a scary uncle before.
Little Le Jia instinctively took a step back.
Just as his foot moved, the uncle called out, "Stop."
He was a little scared but didn’t dare disobey. He remembered this uncle was a good person.
"How old are you?"
"Three…"
Jiang Suizhi had deliberately left his glasses off. Even adults would be intimidated by his sharp gaze without them, let alone a child. He nodded twice and slightly raised the brim of his cap. "Haven’t you been taught that kids shouldn’t take matters into their own hands when dealing with bad people?"
This…
Little Le Jia slowly shook his head. He really hadn’t learned that yet.
His talking pen hadn’t covered it, and Auntie… Auntie had only recently started being nice to him. Even System Uncle hadn’t mentioned it.
Oh right, System Uncle had been really fierce earlier too.
Now System Uncle wasn’t saying anything at all.
Jiang Suizhi, who had prepared a whole lecture to teach the kid a lesson, found himself at a loss.
Damn.
Did Le Qing’s parenting guide skip this part?
"Then learn it now." He frowned. "A three-year-old’s first priority when facing danger is to stay safe. You should always ask an adult first."
He pointed at the toy gun the child was clutching tightly, feeling a mix of exasperation and disbelief. This kid was even bolder than he had been at that age. "This gun? I could crush three of them with one hand. You think you can fight bad guys with this?"
Crush three?!
Little Le Jia hugged his little gun even tighter.
"Why are you holding onto it?" Jiang Suizhi was momentarily speechless. "I’m telling you not to act tough!"
"Uncle," Little Le Jia said timidly, "this is a little gun, not an ‘orange’ gun."
"……"
Step one of educating his nephew: failed.
"Anyway, next time you can’t go after bad guys by yourself. You have to tell your auntie—" Thinking of Le Qing managing two kids alone, he corrected himself, "—or call the police, or find another adult. Got it?"
Little Le Jia felt there was some logic to this and nodded solemnly. "I’ll hug Auntie tight."
After a pause, he added, "And hug Little Sister tight too."
Jiang Suizhi: "?"
Little Le Jia blinked back innocently. "Do I need to hug anyone else?"
They stared at each other in silence.
Jiang Suizhi ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Not even dealing with the company’s board had made him this agitated—at least those old men understood human speech.
Was this really Jiang Yan’s kid? He didn’t seem particularly bright.
Finally, System Uncle in the child’s mind couldn’t take it anymore. "Ignore his nonsense. Go find your auntie."
"Uncle, let’s go find Auntie." Little Le Jia was now very obedient to System Uncle. He should’ve listened earlier—then Auntie’s clothes wouldn’t have gotten torn again. "Auntie is waiting for you."
Jiang Suizhi felt utterly defeated.
He couldn’t even communicate properly with a three-year-old!
Fine. He’d take it slow.
Seemed like he needed to draft his own parenting guide too.
He put his glasses back on and met the child’s puzzled gaze. "What?"
"Uncle isn’t scary like this." Little Le Jia answered honestly.
Jiang Suizhi felt like he’d been shot in the knee. Though he’d intentionally acted stern to teach the kid a lesson, hearing it still stung. "You’re not afraid of thieves, but you’re afraid of me?"
Ungrateful little brat.
Little Le Jia whispered, "I’m afraid of both."
"…Alright, stop talking for now."
"Okay."
As they stepped out of the restroom, Jiang Suizhi immediately spotted Le Qing—she was hard to miss.
Still shaken from earlier, the little girl now clung to the shopping cart for comfort, forcing Le Qing to crouch beside her.
To onlookers, it looked like a pitiful scene: a red-eyed child half-buried in an adult’s embrace, the adult’s clothes torn and her face pale, the two of them huddled in a corner, evoking sympathy.
Jiang Suizhi raised an eyebrow in surprise.
From what he’d observed of Le Qing, she usually seemed gentle but resilient—the kind who countered toughness with softness.
He hadn’t expected to see her like this.
She must’ve been genuinely frightened.
"Auntie!" Little Le Jia ran over as soon as he saw her. "I asked—Uncle isn’t hurt."
Le Qing stood up at the sound and noticed that "Mr. Xie" did seem better, likely from washing his face. His bangs were slightly damp. She averted her gaze from his unusually reddened hands. "Glad you’re okay. We’ll head off now."
Jiang Suizhi’s eyes lingered on her torn clothes for a second. "Mm."
The supermarket had returned to normal. Le Qing continued shopping with the kids, and when she glanced back later, Mr. Xie was nowhere in sight.
"You were in there for a while. Did Uncle Xie say anything to you?"
"Mhm." Little Le Jia nodded. "A lot."
"Like what?"
Little Le Jia sighed. "I didn’t understand any of it."
Grown-ups were so strange. Even when they were explaining things, this uncle’s words made no sense.
Well, maybe he did understand, but the uncle thought he didn’t.
Le Qing: "……"
Little Le Jia distilled the essence of his conversation with the stern uncle: "Oh! He told me to hug you and Little Sister tight."
Hug tight?
What was that about?
Today, since she hadn’t driven over, Le Qing could only buy some of the things she needed. She planned to bring the kids back the next day—there was no rush anyway, as the house wasn’t lacking anything urgent.
Carrying bags of groceries home, she had dinner and then handed Sister Wang a red envelope, letting her head home early.
Work had been slow lately, and it was only fair to let her spend time with her family for the New Year. Besides, Le Qing could manage the two kids on her own.
After Sister Wang left, Le Qing sorted through the purchases, checking them against her list to see what was still missing for the next day. Suddenly remembering something, she asked, “Where are the new clothes I bought you?”
“Here!”
The two little ones dashed to their room. Their daily outfits were usually picked out by Auntie Wang, and there were several sets they hadn’t even worn yet—ones they’d been eyeing for a while.
They brought out all the unworn clothes and piled them on the living room carpet.
Before receiving the clothes, Le Qing had already seen the pictures Brother Jiang sent, so she’d only given them a quick check at the café before handing them to Sister Wang for washing. Today, however, she noticed one set she hadn’t seen in the photos.
She picked up the outfits and examined them. Both had red accents and a touch of traditional Chinese design, perfect for the New Year.
Did Brother Jiang include these too?
If so, she must have underpaid him.
“Auntie, what are we doing?”
“Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve, so you get to wear new clothes.” Le Qing pushed the two sets toward them. “Want to wear these?”
Little Le’an asked, “Only for New Year?”
“You can wear them anytime,” Le Qing explained. “But the New Year marks a fresh start, so it’s nice to use new things.”
“Then I want to wear this!” Little Le’an hugged the clothes tightly. “But what about Auntie’s new clothes?”
“Auntie didn’t buy any!” Little Le Jia pointed at the coat hanging by the entrance, its frayed edges still shedding fluff. “Auntie’s wearing broken clothes. Auntie doesn’t get a fresh start.”
“Auntie has new clothes.” Little Le’an remembered the one stored in a box. “Auntie, wear it!”
“...” Le Qing sensed danger. “Auntie’s a grown-up. Grown-ups don’t need new clothes.”
“How can that be?” Little Le’an shook her head. “Grown-ups should be happy too.”
She grabbed a handful of candies from the table and stuffed them into Le Qing’s arms. “Auntie doesn’t want anything. Le’an isn’t happy.”
“Auntie shouldn’t grow up,” Little Le Jia declared. “Then Auntie can wear new clothes.”
“If Auntie doesn’t wear them, Le’an won’t either.”
The two little ones went back and forth, making it clear they wouldn’t let her off the hook. “We have to celebrate together.”
Celebrate together, huh?
Le Qing had never really had a cheerful New Year with anyone before.
She smiled. “Okay, we’ll celebrate together. Put your clothes away neatly—tomorrow, you’ll dress yourselves, got it?”
“Got it!” The two hugged their outfits. “We’ll put them by the bed so we see them first thing!”
Seizing the moment, Le Qing snapped a photo of the clothes and messaged Brother Jiang, explaining the situation and asking how much extra she should pay.
She figured these outfits couldn’t have been cheap.
His reply came quickly.
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “No need. They were part of a bundle.”
What a saint of a merchant.
Before she could type her thanks, another message popped up:
“If you need anything else for the New Year, we’ve got plenty in stock. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve—lots of stuff won’t sell, so it’s all on clearance.”
Attached were several photos.
Le Qing’s eyes widened slightly.
The items were a dazzling mix—food, clothes, toys—everything she’d listed but hadn’t yet bought. And the packaging looked surprisingly high-end.
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “Delivery included, same-day arrival. Bundles are even cheaper.”
Was this for real?
Then again, post-holiday surplus was common.
Le Qing calculated that even if she bought extra, it’d still be cheaper than supermarket prices.
“Then I’ll trouble you for it.”
A few seconds later, another message:
“You bought a lot for the kids. What about yourself?”
Le Qing instantly went on alert. A sales tactic.
One step after another.
Was this the cunning nature of merchants?
She replied, “I have clothes.”
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “The factory has a few women’s styles. Spring collection’s new, winter’s on clearance. If you’re interested, I can deliver them tomorrow. It’s the New Year—sure you don’t want any?”
More photos followed.
Le Qing meant to refuse, but her fingers froze as she scrolled through them.
Every single piece Brother Jiang sent was tailor-made for her taste. Even the discounted winter wear had sleek cuts, minimalist designs, and subtle yet striking details.
She stared for a long time.
She wasn’t just raising kids—she was a woman too.
A woman who happened to be quite pretty.
She loved beautiful things—clothes, shoes—and once, she’d even dreamed of wearing something new for the New Year, of going out like other kids, snacking on treats, receiving toys and red envelopes.
But every time, she’d only watched from afar, listening to others’ laughter until her own hopes faded, leaving her numb.
Maybe buying herself something new wasn’t so bad?
No one would scold her for being greedy now. No one would forget her in an empty house while the world outside glowed with celebration.
Her fingers hovered, but she still typed out a refusal:
“Adults don’t need the ritual of new clothes.”
She was grown now, financially independent, able to afford not just one but many new outfits.
Yet she hadn’t bought any for the New Year in years.
Doing so would only remind her how little she belonged in the festivities.
As it grew late, Le Qing put her phone away, ready to sleep.
Then the screen lit up again.
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “Who said adults can’t wear new clothes?”
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “Well, I’m sending you one anyway. Can’t pick? I’ll just bundle something and deliver it tomorrow.”
Le Qing: “...Do all businesspeople operate like this?”
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “.”
AAAAA Wholesale Brother Jiang: “I do.”
