Which way to go is the road?

When describing how quickly time flies, people often use the phrase "in the blink of an eye." This is because when you are focused on doing something, you will ignore the changes around you. Occasionally, you will look up and suddenly find that the leaves have turned yellow and the cool autumn wind has become a bit chilly. People walk among the fallen leaves with their collars turned up. It seems like a lot of time has passed in the blink of an eye, which makes people sigh.

Writers feel this way when they write books, and netizens feel it even more. But as much as they are addicted, they still need to maintain their basic survival needs. They can make do with food, clothing, and sleep, but they cannot lack them.

As the weather turned cooler, Xiang Fei, who hadn't brought any warm clothes when he came to Yandu in the summer, asked Qian Luomei for leave to buy two new outfits.

"You really should buy a couple of new clothes. You're always so funny, always scrambling to buy things at the last minute? You only start buying clothes when it gets cold. Do you even have any money on you?" Qian Luomei looked Xiang Fei up and down and said.

"Yes, I save all my salary!"

"Okay, I'll go with you. I've got nothing else to do anyway!" Qian Luomei said as she went to get her coat.

"Sister Luomei, why don't you go ahead with your work? I just spoke to Dong Lu, and he'll come with me!"

Qian Luomei gave Xiang Fei a meaningful look and asked provocatively, "Are you afraid of me? Don't worry, I can't eat you!"

Xiang Fei had been very careful to maintain his relationship with Qian Luomei lately, keeping her at a distance but not too close. This balancing act had initially been exhausting for him, but he gradually got used to it and it became natural. Qian Luomei's actions today, which broke with his usual routine, were indeed quite unsettling for him.

"No, Sister Luomei, why would I be afraid of you?" Xiang Fei replied with a wry smile.

"No, let's go then. I also need to buy clothes. Men should bring a few women when they go shopping. Not only do they have an advantage in bargaining, but they can also give you suggestions. Dressing a man from a woman's perspective will make him look stylish, handsome, and masculine, no matter what he looks like. Similarly, women should also have a man accompany them when they go shopping. Whether he gives suggestions or not is secondary; the important thing is that someone can carry the bags. Of course, the ideal situation is that someone pays and carries the bags..."

Listening to Qian Luomei's experience in buying clothes, they arrived at the front desk on the first floor, where Dong Lu was already waiting, and another beautiful woman, Bai Xue, was standing next to her.

"Xiaoxue, you little internet addict, why aren't you playing games online? What are you standing here for? I don't have money to hire a hostess!" Qian Luomei greeted Bai Xue warmly with a smile when she saw her there.

"I don't want the money, okay?" Bai Xue said playfully, linking her arm with Qian Luomei's.

"Come on, you're not that kind. Did you go shopping for clothes with Dong Lu and Xiang Fei too?"

"Also? Sister Luomei, are you going too?"

"Yes, you're not welcome?"

"No way! It's the new season, let's go shopping together! I feel much more at ease buying clothes with you watching over things! Right, Dong Lu?"

"Yes, Sister Luomei, we were worried you might have something come up. Besides, we mainly wanted to help Xiang Fei buy clothes, so we didn't call you!" Dong Lu always spoke softly and gently to her Sister Luomei, never letting anything slip by.

"It's nothing. I just heard Xiang Fei mention buying clothes, and that reminded me I need to get a couple of new outfits too. What do you say, Xiang Fei? Let's go!"

With two more beautiful women by his side, Xiang Fei should have been overjoyed, but he had a bad feeling. Three women make a drama, and he was outnumbered and outmatched, destined to suffer in the middle. He secretly groaned. Just then, he saw Tian Hai coming over, seemingly going to the restroom, and Xiang Fei hurried over.

"Tian Hai, I need to buy two outfits, will you come with me?" Xiang Fei said obsequiously.

Tian Hai stared at Xiang Fei, who had suddenly run over, looking completely bewildered. He said impatiently, "I'm not going. My game is still running!"

"Bai Xue is going too, see? They're waiting over there!" Xiang Fei pointed to the front desk, enticing Tian Hai.

"Alright! Since you've said it, then go!" Tian Hai stared at Bai Xue intently, without turning his head, pretending to be reluctant.

"Let's go, they're waiting!" Xiang Fei said, pulling Tian Hai along.

"Wait! Wait!"

"What's wrong?"

"Wait until I'm done using the restroom."

……

Just as Xiang Fei was helping Tian Hai off the plane at the front desk, Zhang Chu, who had been silent all along, pulled Xiang Fei aside and whispered, "Brother, why did you let three women buy you clothes?"

"No! I originally wanted Dong Lu to go, but then two more people suddenly appeared!"

"Why won't you let me go with you?"

"Aren't you inseparable from the front desk? Besides, with your previous ghost girl look, to be honest, that aesthetic..." Xiang Fei looked at Zhang Chu's expression but didn't say the rest.

"Get lost, is it really that bad?" Zhang Chu wasn't annoyed at all, and said with a grin, "You're in trouble now. Three women with different ideas, whose advice are you going to listen to? They'll probably start fighting!"

"What should we do then? We can't just kick them both out, can we?"

"Add soil to the water and stir slowly!"

"What do you mean?"

"It means..."

Before Zhang Chu could finish speaking, Bai Xue, unable to contain her impatience, rushed in, grabbed Xiang Fei, and dragged him away, saying, "Are you ever going to stop? We bought you clothes, and now everyone's waiting outside! How can you be so shameless!"

Qian Luomei didn't let everyone take a taxi; instead, she drove the five of them directly to the mall. Xiang Fei, sitting in the passenger seat, gazed at the scenery outside the window and suddenly realized that he had been in Yandu for several months and hadn't really explored it properly! The monotonous life of going between the basement and the internet cafe had made him think that Yandu was just what he saw on his way to work. As the car drove through the various streets and roads of Yandu, the scenery flashed past the window. Xiang Fei gradually remembered Yandu's iconic buildings—Taihe Gate, Ruyi Garden, the Great Wall… "I should go see these places," Xiang Fei thought to himself.

When people laugh at the frog in the well, aren't they also confined by their own small world, unable to see the vast world outside? Even if they have the opportunity to sigh like that, they will soon be pushed back into that small well by life.

Led by Qian Luomei, Xiang Fei and his group arrived at a high-end shopping mall. After passing the jewelry and cosmetics counters on the first floor, they took the elevator to the men's clothing section on the third floor. The mall's glitz and grandeur made Xiang Fei feel a little timid. He mechanically followed everyone, wandering between the various brand counters and dealing with all sorts of questions.

"Xiang Fei, this trench coat is nice. The style and color suit you well!" Qian Luomei brought over a trench coat and tried to sell it to Xiang Fei.

"Black makes you look old, and it's an old-fashioned long trench coat. Try this one! A short beige trench coat, it's perfect for young people!" Bai Xue also picked up a trench coat.

"Black makes men look sophisticated!"

"Boys look energetic in beige!"

The conversation gradually turned tense, which Dong Lu couldn't quite understand, but she couldn't let things go off track.

"Sister Luomei, what you said makes sense, but Baixue is right too! But you two shouldn't argue! Aren't we buying clothes for Xiang Fei? Let's hear his opinion!"

After hearing the first half of Dong Lu's sentence, Xiang Fei finally understood what Zhang Chu meant by "stirring soil in water slowly"—it was basically "mixing mud." However, the second half of Dong Lu's sentence left Xiang Fei with a headache, as he racked his brains trying to figure out how to "mix" this "mud." Then, looking up at the down jacket counter on the other side, he spontaneously mastered a "Great Shift of Heaven and Earth" technique!

"Autumn is almost over, and buying a trench coat to last for a few days isn't worth it. I'd rather look at down jackets over there!" Xiang Fei said, walking towards the down jacket counter.

After spending half a day browsing through various mid-to-high-end men's clothing counters, Xiang Fei hadn't found a single item he liked, merely going through the motions to appease Qian Luomei and Bai Xue's various recommendations. When the two disagreed and argued, Dong Lu reluctantly acted as a mediator, showing Xiang Fei clothes they both agreed on, only for him to still not like them. In a fit of pique, Qian Luomei and Bai Xue abandoned all pretense and, consulting each other, went to the women's clothing section on the fourth floor to pick out clothes for themselves, each buying three items in one go. Tian Hai also joined in, buying two items, leaving Dong Lu and Xiang Fei as mere accompaniments.

Going down to the third floor again, Tian Hai picked out a mid-range men's clothing store and helped Xiang Fei choose a down jacket. Everyone thought it looked good, but Xiang Fei still shook his head, which made Tian Hai anxious: "Are you just worried about the price? This is already the cheapest one here, only 460 yuan!"

"Yes, I just think it's too expensive! Okay? You guys go back after you've bought it, I'll go buy it myself!"

"You're so mean! Didn't we all come here to help you? You're the one who invited me, what's the rush?" Tian Hai said, giving Xiang Fei a light shove as he spoke!

"What's your rush? If you're not in a rush, why should I be?" Xiang Fei got angry immediately after being pushed, and pushed Tian Hai back, his voice unconsciously turning into a roar!

"Tian Hai, what are you doing? Can't you talk this out? Why are you hitting me?"

Bai Xue shouted to Tian Hai, clearly protecting Xiang Fei. Dong Lu saw that Xiang Fei was also getting angry, so she quickly ran over to stop Xiang Fei's next move.

"I wasn't hitting anyone, I was just a little annoyed, okay? I admit I was wrong, alright?"

Tian Hai noticed Bai Xue's enthusiasm for helping Xiang Fei choose clothes, which made him somewhat resentful and even jealous, though he couldn't show it. He seized the opportunity to deliberately embarrass Xiang Fei. However, knowing that his arrogance would only push Bai Xue further towards Xiang Fei, he simply admitted his mistake and apologized! Xiang Fei, on the other hand, never expected that his brother, who had shared hardships with him, would turn against him. Filled with regret, he consciously avoided Bai Xue, rejecting all her kindness, now knowing the reason behind her actions.

Qian Luomei didn't try to persuade either of them, calmly observing everything. When she saw Bai Xue trying her best to protect Xiang Fei, she simply nodded solemnly. Since Tian Hai had apologized, Qian Luomei went over and gave them both a good slap on the wrist.

"Alright, enough already. Two grown men, trying to fight in public? Aren't you ashamed? It's also my fault for not thinking things through. Let's go, let's go to the next stop!"

Xiang Fei and Tian Hai, carrying large and small bags, followed the three women to the parking lot to get their car. Together, they went to a clothing wholesale market near Yandu Water World. There were shops and stalls, and a huge crowd of people jostled each other.

"How much is this?" This time, Xiang Fei took the initiative, picking up a down jacket he liked and asking.

"225, a brand-name down jacket, washable, and doesn't release down! See how different this style is from the others?"

"Will you sell it for 100?" This time, Qian Luomei and Bai Xue remained silent, while Dong Lu directly spoke up to negotiate the price.

"Are you kidding me? 100? That's way too much! Here, take 150!"

"Just 100! If you won't sell it, we'll go look somewhere else!" Dong Lu said, pulling Xiang Fei away and hanging the down jacket back up where it was.

"Little miss, you win. Here, take the police (110). If that doesn't work, feel free to go wander around!"

In the end, Dong Lu snagged the down jacket that cost 225 for 110, leaving Qian Luomei and Bai Xue speechless and giving her a thumbs up. Then, Dong Lu used a similar method to buy Xiang Fei two pairs of pants, two thermal underwear sets, and several pairs of socks.

Dong Lu also bought a coat at the wholesale market. Xiang Fei didn't need to participate in bargaining, choosing styles and colors; he just crouched behind her, casually looking at the clothes on other stalls. When his gaze returned to the four of them, he was surprised to find a boy of about fifteen or sixteen years old crouching behind Bai Xue, reaching into her bag with a pair of chopsticks in his left hand. Xiang Fei quickly ran over to stop him, but was blocked by a hand halfway there.

"Don't worry, I'll do it!"

It turned out that Qian Luomei was the one who stopped Xiang Fei. She had been paying attention to Xiang Fei, intentionally or unintentionally, and had noticed that a pickpocket was targeting Bai Xue. She stopped Xiang Fei to prevent him from acting impulsively.

"Bai Xue, come here! Look how cute those five-finger socks are!" Qian Luomei shouted loudly on purpose, startling the thief, who hurriedly left after failing to steal them.

……

On the way back to "Shuiyunjian," Qian Luomei told Xiang Fei: "It's okay to be brave, but you have to ensure your personal safety. Pickpockets at mall stalls are not like thieves on trains; they operate in groups! If you handle it like you would on a train, you'll be in danger! Let him fail, that's enough. Whether society is safe or not is not something one person can change. All we can do is maintain our goodwill and try our best not to let it go bad!"

Upon hearing this, Bai Xue said thank you with deep affection, while Xiang Fei was more concerned about the intense hatred in the eyes of the person next to him!