1990s: Spring Water Family

Chapter 85 She's taken, and that person is someone you can't afford to mess with.

"My buddy, Liu Ye."

Wang Fan gestured with his chin toward the boy with the earring, as if to introduce him: "His family owns the sporting goods store. There's a large empty space in front of it; you can set up your stall there."

Lin Xiyu smiled sheepishly: "Won't putting it at the entrance interfere with your business?"

"will not."

Upon seeing the beautiful women, Liu Ye shamelessly fawned over them, saying, "These two ladies are so pretty; it's an honor for the place to have taken a liking to it."

“Your setting up a stall there is a way of giving him face.”

Wang Fan laughed and said, "The people who buy sporting goods are all men. The moment you two sisters stand there, his little shabby shop instantly becomes much more impressive."

"So, we're essentially bringing him customers for free."

My cousin is straightforward and doesn't like to be taken advantage of: "How should the 'sitting at the table' fee be calculated?"

"puff."

Liu Ye spat out a mouthful of saliva.

"Sister Leilei."

Lin Xiyu blushed: "I misspoke, it wasn't 'sitting at a prostitute,' it was 'standing on a platform.'"

"Oh dear, I've been watching too many Hong Kong dramas lately, and I'm making a slip of the tongue."

My cousin made a slip of the tongue and made a fool of herself, which made me feel a little embarrassed.

"Sis, you're my sister, okay?"

Wang Fan suppressed a laugh and flattered, "Tonight, my brother and I will personally act as your bodyguards. Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to support us."

"Row."

His cousin gave him a knowing look and said, "Then let's not delay any longer, let's go."

"Got it."

Wang Fan extended his hand, gesturing for others to go first: "Please, go ahead."

"Your classmate is quite interesting."

My cousin listened with amusement, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

"Just a moment ago you were complaining about it so much."

Lin Xiyu rolled her eyes inwardly: "This is getting interesting. The change of face is too fast."

“I’m sorry.”

My cousin made up her own reasons: "He's not a good match for you, but I'm more compatible. He's not a gentleman, and I'm not a lady. One of us is rich, and the other is beautiful. If we go into business together, it'll be a powerful alliance, and we're sure to make a fortune."

Lin Xiyu was speechless: "You really are obsessed with money."

"necessary."

My cousin readily accepted her teasing: "I'm just an ordinary person who wants to make money. Although I may be interested in literature and money, I like it."

"Don't underestimate Wang Fan."

Unable to argue with her cousin, Lin Xiyu kindly reminded her, "He grew up with abacus beads, he's cunning and calculating, more shrewd than a fox. If you cooperate with him, be careful he doesn't trick you and ruin you."

"What are you afraid of?"

My cousin didn't take it seriously: "It's perfect since I've never been in a relationship before, I can use him to practice."

"you."

Lin Xiyu was utterly speechless: "You're not serious, are you? Don't you have someone you've liked for a long time, your high school classmate?"

"Shh, keep your voice down."

My cousin, not wanting to expose her secret, covered her mouth with her hand: "I was just kidding, did you really take it seriously? He's your classmate. I'm not stupid. Even if I were a scoundrel, I wouldn't date someone younger than me. Do you think I enjoy serving my younger brother?"

"Thank goodness it's not true, it scared me to death."

Lin Xiyu patted her still-frightened little heart: "I thought you really would do anything to make money and wanted to seduce him."

"hehe."

Discordant laughter came from behind the two sisters.

"what?!"

Lin Xiyu was so shocked that her heart skipped a beat.

"Who?"

My cousin suddenly turned around and scolded me irritably: "Eavesdropping on other people's conversations is annoying."

"Excuse me, ladies."

Wang Fan shrugged, feigning innocence: "I didn't want to listen either, but you guys were having such a great time that I had no choice but to listen."

"Beautiful sister."

Liu Ye suppressed a laugh and came to his friend's rescue: "If you want to seduce him, can you consider me? I'm a year older than him, we're more compatible, even if it's just practice, I'll accept it."

My cousin was furious and gave him a single word in return.

"roll!"

-

Sporting goods store.

In the open space by the door, the scaffolding was set up. My cousin hung up the clothes and, using the same trick again, tried her best to persuade and encourage her younger sister to be her model.

Unable to refuse, Lin Xiyu resigned herself to picking out a brand-new dress from the shelf and entering the dressing room.

When she came out after changing her clothes, she was dressed in a white top and blue skirt, and her delicate and elegant appearance was striking.

This scene truly proved Wang Fan's words, making the entire shop shine.

"Wang Fan, you're such a bad friend."

Liu Ye's eyes lit up: "Such a beautiful girl, why didn't you introduce her to us sooner?"

"Don't even think about it."

Wang Fan herself felt a pang of jealousy, and transferred her frustration onto him: "She's taken, and that guy is someone you can't afford to mess with."

"Who is it? So awesome!"

Liu Ye retorted, "I refuse to believe there's anyone on this street I wouldn't dare mess with!"

"Gu Bin".

Wang Fan, eager to see him make a fool of himself, dropped a bombshell with a sense of satisfaction: "You dare to touch his people?"

"Clap."

Liu Ye was so frightened that he dropped the cigarette butt from his mouth onto the ground.

"What's wrong? Scared out of your wits?"

Wang Fan teased him with a smile: "Weren't you all so arrogant just now, wanting to fight someone one-on-one?"

"Who wants to fight me one-on-one?"

A mocking laugh came from behind them.

I never said that.

Upon seeing who it was, Liu Ye immediately backed down and quickly distanced himself: "It was that kid Wang Fan who deliberately tricked me."

"roll."

Wang Fan couldn't stand his cowardly behavior and kicked him in annoyance: "With your cowardly appearance, how dare you covet someone else's girlfriend?"

"Brother Bin, believe me, I didn't mean it that way."

Liu Ye's forehead was covered in cold sweat: "I wouldn't dare touch your woman even if you gave me a hundred lives."

"Alright, stop blocking the way."

Gu Bin impatiently pushed the person away, his gaze falling on the pretty and elegant girl. His expression changed instantly, and the tenderness in his eyes was so intense it was almost overflowing.

"Does it look good?"

Lin Xiyu recognized him and happily lifted her skirt, turning around in front of the mirror.

"nice."

Gu Bin took a few steps forward and pulled the person into his arms.

My cousin asked me to be her model.

Lin Xiyu, charming and cute, deliberately pouted and complained, "I have to change several outfits every night, and my back and legs ache from standing so much."

"If you're tired, I'll massage you."

Gu Bin leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Rub wherever it aches, a full-body massage is fine too."

"Who wants you to rub it?"

Lin Xiyu's ears burned from his teasing, and she pushed him away forcefully, running out with a flushed face.

"Tsk, tsk."

Liu Ye was forced to eat a mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection), and his stomach was churning with jealousy.

"What a load of crap."

Wang Fan kicked the man away and vented his frustration on him: "Hurry up and get a few drinks. You're talking so much nonsense in this heat. Aren't you thirsty?"

You're quite thirsty.

Liu Ye, being a shrewd person, sensed something was amiss and deliberately confronted Gu Bin in front of him: "It's still uncertain whether one of us is coveting the other's girlfriend."

"Do you fucking want to die?"

Wang Fan was furious when his secret was exposed, and he was about to chase after the person and give them a good beating.

Gu Bin suddenly stepped in front of him, blocking his way.

"Wang Fan, let's have a talk."

The sporting goods store is located in the middle section of Quancheng Road, in the best location of the night market, where young women mostly like to stroll around.

Lin Xiyu, dressed in a brand-new dress, stood at the door, which indeed attracted a lot of attention.

People kept gathering around, picking out clothes they liked.

"These are genuine Shanghai export-oriented garments, originally intended for the domestic market. You wouldn't find them for 50 yuan in brand stores. I can only sell them so cheaply because there are no stall fees at the night market."

"Look at my sister, how well it looks on her! It's slimming and makes her skin look fair. This dress is only 10 yuan a piece, you can buy it without hesitation, I guarantee you won't regret it."

My cousin was incredibly excited, talking non-stop, and she got all the young women and housewives hyped up. In no time, she sold several items.

The style of clothes Lin Xiyu was wearing was sold out, and her cousin urged her to hurry up and change into another outfit.

Where did Gu Bin go?

Lin Xiyu picked out another set of clothes and went to the dressing room. She looked around but didn't see Gu Bin or Wang Fan. Only Liu Ye was absentmindedly smoking a cigarette and glancing at the back door from time to time.

"He and Wang Fan had something to do, so they went out."

Liu Ye intended to keep it a secret and did not tell her the truth.

"Oh."

Lin Xiyu casually agreed, not taking it to heart: "I'll use your changing room for a bit."

"Use whatever you want."

Liu Ye, wanting to avoid suspicion, moved to the side, further away from the dressing room.

"Thank you."

Lin Xiyu smiled gratefully, took the clothes, and went into the dressing room.

"Beautiful women really are all trouble, trouble indeed."

Seeing her go inside, Liu Ye muttered something with a touch of emotion, then walked towards the back door with a cigarette in his mouth.

-

The clothing stall was doing well, and my uncle, who sold cigarettes, also benefited from it.

Male customers who wander around the sporting goods store will often chat with the two sisters under the pretense of buying cigarettes after they leave. Some even openly inquire about the sisters' family background.

"She's not my daughter, she's my niece."

As more and more people asked, the uncle's face darkened.

He's only 32 years old, does he look that old?

How can someone have two daughters this big?!
-

The clothes sold out quickly; in less than half an hour, more than a dozen more pieces were sold.

The style Lin Xiyu tried on was sold out again, and under her cousin's urging, she had to go to the dressing room to change clothes again.

Gu Bin and Wang Fan happened to come in through the back door. Both of them were injured. They panicked when they saw her. One covered the bruise on the corner of his mouth, and the other covered the dark circles under his eyes. Their synchronized movements were strangely amusing.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Lin Xiyu's eyes widened suddenly, and a horrifying thought involuntarily surfaced in her mind: "Could they have gotten into a fight?"

"No."

They both denied it in unison.

"No fight?"

Lin Xiyu didn't believe it and looked at them suspiciously: "Where did you get your injuries?"

"It fell."

They both answered at the same time.

"Could a fall really cause a cut on the lip?"

Lin Xiyu narrowed her eyes, glared at Gu Bin, and then questioned Wang Fan with displeasure: "And you, where did you fall? How could you bruise your eye?"

"We bumped into each other by accident."

"My eye socket hit his mouth."

The two were truly childhood friends, practically inseparable, and their lies were perfectly in sync.

"You two are just making things up."

Lin Xiyu was so angry she was speechless. She didn't want to talk to them anymore and took her clothes to the dressing room.

"hiss."

When Wang Fan saw her go inside, his expression changed instantly, and he clutched his stomach, gasping for breath in pain.

"It hurts so much, should we go to the hospital?"

Liu Ye suppressed a laugh, pretending to be very concerned, and asked him about his well-being.

"Gu Bin is too ruthless."

Wang Fan rubbed his lower abdomen and complained resentfully.

"Who told you to have such ill intentions?"

Liu Ye, never one to shy away from a good show, stabbed him in the heart once more.

"Damn it, it was all your doing."

Wang Fan was furious and, taking advantage of his unpreparedness, hooked his arm around his neck.

"Brother, I was wrong, please forgive me."

Liu Ye was being choked and couldn't breathe properly, so he kept begging for mercy.

"brush"

Lin Xiyu pulled back the curtain of the dressing room and walked out with a displeased expression.

Wang Fan was so startled that his heart skipped a beat, and he quickly released the person.

Lin Xiyu ignored them and walked past them without looking at them.

"Do you need help?"

Gu Bin awkwardly chuckled and leaned closer.

"no need."

Lin Xiyu didn't give him a friendly look either: "I don't want people to misunderstand me as a shrew."

"Cough cough."

Gu Bin instantly understood what she meant, his lips twitched a few times, and he showed a rare hint of embarrassment.

"What does she mean?"

Liu Ye didn't understand and looked completely bewildered.

"fool!"

Wang Fan pushed the person away with disdain: "You don't even understand this? Don't call yourself my buddy in the future."

"What does that mean?"

Liu Ye was so frustrated he wanted to curse: "Can't you just say it directly? You're taking advantage of my lack of education and inability to understand."

She meant

Wang Fan, not wanting to listen to his nagging, explained impatiently, "To avoid misunderstandings, the injury on Gu Bin's mouth was caused by her."

"puff!"

"Hahahaha"

Liu Ye spat out a mouthful of saliva, almost laughing so hard his mouth twisted into a crook.

-

A steady stream of customers flowed outside the shop, and the barbecue stall owner, accompanied by a woman of similar age, squeezed through the crowd.

"You two sisters are selling here today? I had a hard time finding you, I thought you weren't coming."

"It's you, boss lady!"

When her cousin recognized her, her smile became noticeably more genuine: "How was the class reunion? Did our clothes make you look good? Did anyone compliment you on how young you looked, even prettier than unmarried young women?"

Listen to this, listen to this!

The proprietress laughed and joked with her best friend, "This girl has such a silver tongue, she can talk the dead back to life."

"You bought your clothes from her?"

The woman who came with her couldn't help but look at Lin Xiyu, her eyes drawn to the new dress she had changed into.

"Yes, I bought it from her."

The proprietress helped the two sisters promote their purchase: "If you like it, let her sister pick out a set for you. Her sister has a great eye; she'll definitely find something suitable."

"I want the outfit she's wearing."

Her best friend, Hu Jing, stared intently at Lin Xiyu, her eyes growing brighter with each glance.

"We have a new set of this; I'll get it for you."

My cousin beamed with joy when she saw that business had come in.

"There are several sets."

Hu Jing asked impatiently.

My cousin hesitated a bit: "It's hard to say how many sets, I have to look for them."

"Three sets."

Lin Xiyu reacted faster than her: "I took five sets of each style and color of clothing. Someone just bought one set. Besides the one I'm wearing, there are three more sets left."

(End of this chapter)