My cousin-in-law helped me achieve my ambitions.

"I'll buy you two new pairs!" Qiu Tong glanced at Su Ming's lower abdomen and laughed, "The underwear you wore when you took your nap this afternoon has faded. Also, don't wear that in your room anymore, okay?"

"Then how am I supposed to wear it?" Su Ming scratched his head curiously and said, "I've always dressed like this since I was a kid. Do I have to wear it inside out...?"

Qiu Tong chuckled. "Who told you to wear it inside out? I mean, when I'm in the room, could you please stop walking around in your underwear? You're eighteen this year, not a kid anymore. I'll get you two pairs of shorts to wear over your clothes later! Go ahead, try on the shirt and pants first."

"Okay!" Su Ming thought to himself, his heart pounding. He wondered if the little money he had brought would be enough to buy so much!

He carried the clothes and pants into the fitting room.

The fitting room was small and stuffy. Su Ming changed into the new clothes and looked at himself in the mottled mirror on the wall. The boy in the mirror stood straight, the shirt fit him well, and he actually looked somewhat like a city dweller. He touched the cuffs somewhat unfamiliarly, feeling a mix of emotions. The clothes were nice, but he didn't know if he could afford them.

When Qiu Tong came out, he was leaning against the counter chatting with the proprietress. Hearing the sound, he turned his head and his eyes lit up slightly.

"Hey! You look pretty energetic!" She walked over and reached out to straighten his collar. Her fingertips inadvertently brushed against the skin on the side of his neck, and Su Ming stiffened for a moment.

"This is the one." Qiu Tong turned around, took the clothes, and went to the cashier.

Su Ming hurriedly followed, saying, "I can do it myself..."

The proprietress had already quoted the prices with a smile: "Shirt 180, pants 220, shoes 150, total 550."

Su Ming gasped, then quickly waved his hand, "It's too expensive, I don't want it..."

"Wrap it up first. We also need two pairs of beach shorts and underwear." Qiu Tong turned to Su Ming beside her and laughed, "Hey, what size underwear do you wear?"

"Sister-in-law, let's not buy it..." Su Ming's ears burned as she quickly shook her head.

"Buy it, you have to buy it. I'll pay for it. I'll buy it according to your pants size!" Qiu Tong replied and went to pick out underwear and shorts.

Su Ming had no choice but to follow, whispering, "Sister-in-law, really, you don't need to!"

"Don't worry about it," Qiu Tong said with a smile, holding up a pair of underwear to Su Ming's waist. "Here, try this on!"

"You're going to buy this for me too..." Su Ming's cheeks were burning.

"What's wrong? Is it illegal to buy you a pair of underwear?" Qiu Tong gestured around his waist for a moment, then laughed, "They look about right, let's get this size!"

"Wait, sister-in-law, how much is this?" Su Ming asked in a low voice.

"Twenty-five."

"What? Twenty-five yuan for a pair of underwear?" Su Ming was startled and quickly shook his head, "No, thank you, it's too expensive!"

"Why would it be expensive? Trust me!" Qiu Tong leaned close to Su Ming's ear and whispered, "Men should wear good quality underwear, preferably cotton, and loose-fitting. Wearing poor quality underwear will affect a man's sexual performance."

"Ah... this..." Su Ming was a little embarrassed by his cousin-in-law's words.

"What do you mean 'what'? This is science! You said you went to high school, and you don't even understand this basic principle?" Qiu Tong laughed, grabbed another pair of matching underwear and two pairs of beach shorts, then swayed her slender waist and called out, "Okay, I'll go pay the bill!"

"Sister-in-law, really don't want to... It's too expensive..." Su Ming couldn't help but feel uneasy thinking about how it would cost his sister-in-law several hundred yuan.

Qiu Tong ignored him and paid the money readily.

Looking at his cousin's wife's hearty and generous demeanor, Su Ming felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He hadn't expected that his cousin's wife, whom he hadn't seen for many years and whose cousin was no longer with him, would still treat him so well.

Five minutes later, Qiu Tong handed the packed clothes to Su Ming: "Here, dress presentably when you go looking for a job. Change into these tomorrow!"

"Thank you, cousin-in-law. I'll pay you back once I find a job and get paid!" Su Ming said, feeling a little embarrassed. He didn't want to owe anyone anything.

"We'll talk about it later, take this for now!" Qiu Tong stuffed the clothes into his hands.

Su Ming accepted the clothes and silently remembered this kindness.

A little while later, Qiu Tong took Su Ming to buy a bucket, towels, some snacks and fruit before leading Su Ming back.

It was past nine o'clock when Qiu Tong got back to the apartment. The top-floor room on the seventh floor was like a sauna after a day of being exposed to the sun. As soon as Qiu Tong entered, she turned on the small fan in the living room, but the air coming out of the fan blades was hot.

"Take a shower first." She handed him a new towel. "You'll sleep on the sofa tonight; it'll be cooler on the mat."

The bathroom was small and right next to the toilet. Su Ming first relieved himself, then took a cold shower, and changed into his old undershirt and shorts. When he came out, Qiu Tong had already changed into a light purple slip dress and was bending over to spread a mat on the sofa. The slip dress had thin straps, revealing a large expanse of fair skin on her back. The waist was perfectly fitted, and the hem just covered half of her thighs.

Su Ming didn't know where to look, so he quickly bent down to help her straighten the edges of the mat.

"Alright, go to sleep!" Qiu Tong straightened up, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and said, "I'm going to take a shower too."

To everyone's surprise, as soon as she entered the bathroom, she let out a thunderous roar.

"Su Ming, come here right now!"

Su Ming was startled, wondering what had happened to make his cousin-in-law so angry.

He jogged to the bathroom and saw Qiu Tong frowning, staring angrily at the edge of the toilet.

"Look at this yourself! Did you do this?" Qiu Tong pointed angrily at the yellow liquid on the toilet rim. "A grown man like you, can't you even pee properly?"

"I...I didn't mean to..." Su Ming replied innocently, "I didn't expect it to get wet on me..."

"I'm speechless! Come here!" Qiu Tong dragged Su Ming to the toilet and solemnly instructed him, "From now on, stand closer to the toilet and aim carefully. Half of this pee probably went outside, and the smell is unbearable!"

Su Ming was so ashamed he wanted to disappear. This was the first time he'd ever used a toilet; he'd never even seen one back in his hometown. It was understandable that he'd misjudged his urine flow during his first experience. He never expected his cousin-in-law to get so angry.

It seems that no matter how generous my cousin-in-law is, this is still someone else's home, and it's really unpleasant to feel like a dependent! I hope I can find a job as soon as possible tomorrow!

He blushed and nodded to Qiu Tong, humming in agreement, like a child who had made a mistake.

"Alright, you can go now! I'm going to take a shower!" Qiu Tong waved at him.

Su Ming had no choice but to return to the living room.

After she went into the bathroom and the sound of water started, Su Ming lay down on the sofa. The bamboo mat against his skin was initially cool, but it was quickly soaked through by the sweltering heat. The fan spun futilely on the coffee table, blowing a lukewarm breeze that did nothing to dispel the heat. He tossed and turned, his back soaked with sweat.

After an unknown amount of time, the bathroom door opened. Qiu Tong emerged, drying her hair and wearing a deep red spaghetti strap nightgown. The low-cut dress only covered half of her chest, accentuating her voluptuous figure and making her look extremely sexy.

Su Ming glanced at it casually, and it gave him a strong visual impact. At eighteen years old, he had never seen such a scene in his hometown. After taking a couple of glances, he unconsciously swallowed.

As Qiu Tong dried her hair, she came up to Su Ming. Su Ming quickly turned around and pretended to be asleep.

However, the fine sweat on his body and his heavy breathing betrayed him.

She immediately recognized him; he wasn't asleep. She leaned down and asked with concern, "Su Ming, you must be very hot!"

"It's alright!" Su Ming said in a muffled voice.

"You're sweating, you must be hot!" Qiu Tong paused for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "Never mind, come sleep in my room with me!"

Su Ming was taken aback: "Huh?"

"The room has air conditioning, so it's not hot," Qiu Tong pointed to the bedroom door. "Sleeping inside is definitely more comfortable than outside."

Su Ming's mind went blank, his face flushed, and he stammered, "N-no need... If Jiang Jian finds out... that would be troublesome..."