Chapter 31
Ever since Tang Tang learned about online shopping, it was like entering a new world. She was excited by this new world and would spend a long time browsing on the internet every day. Tang Tang discovered that it was very convenient, and she no longer had to travel with her crutches to buy things as most of the things she needed were available online.
Naturally, Tang Tang wouldn't buy things recklessly with her frugal personality. She just enjoyed browsing on different websites to learn more about this world. Out of all things, Tang Tang enjoyed looking at the clothing section the most. Her shopping basket was mostly filled with different types of clothing that were for women, men, and children. Of course, she wasn't planning on buying them. Tang Tang just wanted to use them as a reference so she could buy the materials to make them herself.
Her objective was to be as beautiful as she could in front of Ji Yan. Tang Tang decided to make the dress she previously saw first. She cut the material according to her measurements, proceeded to stitch, and completed the dress within one day. The dress she made was practically identical to the one in the shop. When Tang Tang put the dress on, if other people were to see her, they would probably think that she had bought the dress from the store.
「Bao Bao, does mummy look good in this dress?」 Tang Tang asked the little man while she happily twirled two times in front of him.
Ji Xiao Zhuo didn't even think about it and nodded wildly. He gave her two thumbs up, 「Mummy, you look extremely good in the dress. Beautiful!」
Since she was praised, Tang Tang was happy like a blooming flower. She went and twirled in front of the full-length mirror and admired herself. Even though she was still too skinny and looked bad, the dress made her look better and not as thin. Also, she sewed many layers of flowers in the bosom area, so even though she was pretty much flat-chested, the effect of the layered flowers looked pretty good.
If she could gain some weight, she would definitely look better.
At that moment, Tang Tang swore in her heart again that she must gain 5kg this month no matter what method she used!
When evening came by, Tang Tang planned to get changed into something else before leaving, with Ji Xiao Zhuo, to buy the ingredients for tonight's meal. But Ji Xiao Zhuo hugged onto her leg and pulled her towards the front door.
Tang Tang was confused. 「What's wrong, Bao Bao? Why are you pulling mummy?」
Ji Xiao Zhuo let go of her leg. Instead, he tugged her towards the door with his hands, 「Mummy, don't change your clothes. Let's go out now.」
Quickly, Tang Tang shook her head, 「No. Mummy needs to get changed. Mummy will take you out after that. Don't rush.」
Who knew that the little one would shake his head as well, 「No, don't, mummy. Don't get changed. Go out with that on. You look pretty in that, mummy!」
So it turned out that the little one didn't let her change because he thought she looked pretty, the little one probably wanted to help her flaunt her new dress.
Tang Tang found it funny and gently explained, 「The dress was just finished. It hasn't been washed yet. New clothes need to be washed before they can be worn. Mummy will wash it tonight and wear it tomorrow, ok?」
Normally, Ji Xiao Zhuo would have obediently nodded, but strangely today, he unruly disagreed, 「Mummy, wear that and go out for a bit. Can't you wash it when we get back? We're only going out for a while. It'll be fine.」
Tang Tang finally thought it was strange and kneel down in front of Xiao Zhuo. She cupped his face with her hands and asked, 「What's wrong, Bao Bao? Why do you want to stop mummy from changing, ah? You can tell mummy anything.」
Ji Xiao Zhuo pursed his lips and silently lowered his head for a while. Then he hugged her neck and coquettishly said, 「Mummy, I just want you to wear that dress when we go down. Is that ok, mummy?」
Since the little one was acting like that, Tang Tang couldn't defend herself and softened. She could only agree, 「Ok, ok, mummy won't get changed. Let's go down like this.」
Ji Xiao Zhuo immediately agreed and pulled Tang Tang towards the door.
Tang Tang felt that there must be something that the little one was hiding in his heart. But since he didn't want to say it, Tang Tang won't force him. So Tang Tang got led out by Xiao Zhuo in one hand while carrying a bag in the other. After a while, they arrived at the local little supermarket to buy ingredients.
The little supermarket was opened by one of the military family members. Apart from the daily essentials, the supermarket also sold some meat and vegetables so other families could buy ingredients for their meals. The majority of the people living in military housing bought their food from the little supermarket.
Every day, Tang Tang would bring Xiao Zhuo along in the morning to buy the ingredients required to prepare their lunch, and they would come again later to buy the food for their evening meal. Unlike other people, who would buy everything they needed for the day in one go because Tang Tang believed that it was better to get the food as fresh as possible.
When they entered the supermarket, Ji Xiao Zhuo suddenly said, 「Mummy, can we take a stroll around the supermarket while getting our food?」
Tang Tang felt a bit suspicious. Why did the little one suddenly want to take a stroll? The supermarket was not very big, and they come here every day, so why take a stroll?
Before Tang Tang replied, Ji Xiao Zhuo took the initiative and pulled Tang Tang to stroll each aisle. During the stroll, whenever they saw acquaintances who lived in the same building, the little one would stop and greet them all; auntie, big sister, and grandma. Also, when they saw someone who liked to chat, they would stop and say a few sentences to them.
Tang Tang thought that the little one was especially enthusiastic today. Was it because she made new clothes today, so the little one was especially excited? Was it really just for that reason?
After they practically strolled around the entire supermarket, they finally arrived at the fresh produce section. After quickly calculating the time, they took 20 minutes longer than usual. Luckily, Ji Yan didn't get home early; otherwise, it would delay their meal.
「Tang Tang, Xiao Zhuo!」 A familiar voice was suddenly heard from behind. Tang Tang turned around and saw the regimental commander's wife.
「Sao Zi, you came to buy food?」
The regimental commander's wife replied while stroking Ji Xiao Zhuo's head, 「There are not many ingredients in the fridge. I brought Wen Wen along to buy some; otherwise, there won't be enough to eat tonight.」
Just when Tang Tang looked around to search for Wen Wen, a figure suddenly came from behind the regimental commander's wife and hugged her.
「Ah, ah, ah! Sister Tang Tang, aren't you wearing the dress we saw at the shop? I thought you didn't buy it?」
Tang Tang felt like she was going to go deaf. She covered her ears while taking a step back from the loud young girl, 「Wen Wen, be a bit quieter. My ears are going to be damaged from your shouting.」
Wen Wen stuck her tongue out while distancing herself from Tang Tang. But she still held onto Tang Tang's sleeve and gossiped, 「Sister Tang Tang, when did you buy it? Didn't you say it was too expensive? Did you think about it and went back to buy it?」
The regimental commander's wife also noticed and asked with surprise, 「That's right, Tang Tang, isn't this the dress you tried on last time?」
Tang Tang was elated by their response. When she was going to explain, Xiao Zhuo, who was next to them, spoke first, 「Auntie regimental commander, big sister Wen Wen, that's not true. Mummy made it herself with needle and thread!」
Both the regimental commander's wife and Wen Wen were shocked as they looked at Tang Tang. Their eyes were filled with disbelief as they asked, 「Are you for real?」
Tang Tang smiled and confirmed, 「Sao Zi, I just completed it today.」
Wen Wen didn't give up and stared at the dress on Tang Tang. After staring at it for a while, she suddenly pointed at Tang Tang's chest area, 「Aiya, this area looks different. I remember the dress at the store didn't have flowers! Sister Tang Tang, you really made this dress, ah!」
Tang Tang nodded, 「I added these flowers on because I thought it would look better.」
The regimental commander's wife took a look at the flowers, and admiration filled her eyes, 「That's true. The flowers make your figure look better. Tang Tang, your handicraft skills are not bad, ah!」
「The flowers make sister Tang Tang's chest look bigger!」 Wen Wen blurted out before hugging Tang Tang again as she rubbed her head on Tang Tang's shoulders, 「Sister Tang Tang, I worship you. From now on, you're my idol!」
Tang Tang's face went red. She didn't do it to make her chest look bigger, she did it to make herself look a bit plumper.
The regimental commander's wife jokingly flicked Wen Wen's head, 「Go, go, go, you brat, don't damage Tang Tang's new dress!」
Unwillingly, Wen Wen lifted her head, but she still held Tang Tang's arm and didn't let go.
The regimental commander's wife faced Tang Tang and said, 「Tang Tang, go and quickly buy the things you need. Otherwise, you won't finish making the evening meal on time.」
Seeing that it was getting late, Tang Tang stroked Wen Wen's hair and said, 「Wen Wen, I need to go back and cook. If you want to look at the dress, you can come to visit me at any time. You can also just come and play. I'm at home every day.」
Wen Wen finally let go of Tang Tang's arm, 「Sister Tang Tang, then I'll go to your place to play tomorrow.」
「Ok, I'll wait for you. I will make delicious food for you.」
That evening, Tang Tang was cooking in the kitchen while Ji Xiao Zhuo was lying on the sofa playing on the tablet.
Soon, Ji Xiao Zhuo heard footsteps outside. He immediately recognised that it was his daddy's footsteps and put the tablet down before climbing down from the sofa and ran to open the door, 「Daddy!」
Ji Yan smiled as he stroked Xiao Zhuo's head before bending down to change his shoes. In the end, Ji Xiao Zhuo pulled his hand towards the kitchen when Ji Yan finished changing his shoes, 「Daddy, quickly come with me. Mummy is really pretty today.」
Ji Yan was confused as he got pulled to the kitchen's entrance. The first thing he saw was the scene of Tang Tang cooking some vegetables. He saw this scene every day, but there was something different today, as he had never seen the white dress that Tang Tang was wearing.
By coincidence, Tang Tang turned around when she heard some noise, and Ji Yan blanked. He understood the meaning of Xiao Zhuo's words. Usually, Tang Tang would wear a dark-coloured long sleeves top and trousers, and she would look ordinary. Today she wore a light-coloured dress, and the feeling she gave was totally different. It was as if she had become another person. She was more attractive to the eye.
Tang Tang didn't know what the father and son were talking about before. She simply smiled, 「Husband, there is just the soup left, which will be ready soon. You can go and wash your hands first, the meal will be ready when you are back.」
Ji Yan nodded, and then he lifted Ji Xiao Zhuo single-handedly and walked to the bathroom to wash their hands.
Ji Xiao Zhuo looked at Ji Yan, 「Daddy, did you see the new dress mummy made? Isn't it pretty?」
Ji Yan, who was washing Xiao Zhuo's hands, paused as he caught the main point in Xiao Zhuo's words, 「Mummy made the dress herself?」
Proudly, Ji Xiao Zhuo nodded his head, 「Yes, mummy made it with needle and thread. It's pretty, isn't it? Auntie regimental commander and big sister Wen Wen both said it was pretty and praised mummy.」 Xiao Zhuo described as he did the action for sewing to show Ji Yan.
Ji Yan pursed his lips as an unknown emotion flashed across his eyes.
「Daddy, doesn't mummy look pretty today?」 Ji Xiao Zhuo didn't give up and asked again.
Ji Yan remained silent and continued to wash his hands.
Seeing that Ji Yan didn't answer, Xiao Zhuo unhappily pouted while looking at Ji Yan accusingly with his hands clenching on his trousers, 「Daddy, are you the same as the others and think that mummy is ugly? You can't be like that, daddy. Mummy isn't ugly. She'll be hurt if you're like that!」
Ji Yan frowned as he looked down at the little one, 「The others? Who thinks mummy looks ugly?」
Anger flashed across Ji Xiao Zhuo's eyes. He clenched both his hands and hesitated before replying, 「Daddy, I will tell you, but you can't tell mummy. Otherwise, mummy will be hurt.」
Ji Yan nodded.
Ji Xiao Zhuo relaxed upon seeing Ji Yan's reply. Then he reported angrily, 「Daddy, many aunties said mummy doesn't look good. Zhuang Zhuang and Miao Miao both asked why mummy is so ugly, I was so angry. I ended my friendship with them! I don't want friends like them!」
As he spoke, Ji Xiao Zhuo snorted, 「My mummy is not ugly. Mummy is very pretty today, right daddy?」
Ji Yan suddenly felt upset. So it turns out that the people here would privately talk about Tang Tang's appearance? Then did she hear people talking about her?
Lifting Ji Xiao Zhuo up, Ji Yan kissed Xiao Zhuo's forehead, 「That right, mummy is not ugly.」
Ji Xiao Zhu's eyes brightened as he held onto Ji Yan's neck, 「Daddy, I knew that you and I have good eyes.」
Standing outside the bathroom, Tang Tang held her hands at her chest. She heard the entire conversation. Tang Tang repressed the urge to cry and silently left. She didn't want them to find out that she was there.
She finally knew why the little one was acting so strangely today, and why he didn't let her change before they went to the supermarket, and why he suddenly wanted to stroll around. He didn't want to flaunt her new clothing. Instead, he wanted to show other people how good his mummy looked and to stop other people saying his mummy was ugly.
The little one wanted to protect her!
Tang Tang sniffed and lowered her head to look at the dress. Resolution filled her eyes. She had to change her wardrobe and work hard to be a beautiful mummy. She needed to be pretty every day like today to let the little one be proud of her!
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At night during the footbath, Ji Yan took a few more glances at Tang Tang's dress. He hesitated for a moment before speaking, 「You made it yourself?」
Tang Tang nodded and spoke with pride, which she rarely did, 「Yes, I saw this dress in a shop when I went to the city with the regimental commander's wife last time. I thought the dress looked good, but it cost 800 yuan. It was too expensive, so I bought the materials to make it myself. Now the dress cost less than 100 yuan in total, and it's similar to the one in the shop. I have saved a lot like this.」
Originally, Ji Yan wanted to praise her dress to increase her confidence to prevent her from being upset if she heard other people's idle gossip. But he didn't expect the main reason for making the dress was to save money, he thought that making clothes was her hobby.
Ji Yan suddenly didn't know how to say the words he was planning to say. She always managed to make him speechless and caught him unprepared.
Tang Tang happily carried on, 「I also bought some materials for you and Bao Bao. I want to make denim overalls for Bao Bao and a shirt for you. You can soon wear it since I can make them quickly.」
Ji Yan remained silent as he examined if his usual attitude towards her was a problem; otherwise, why would she be so stingy on herself that she was unwilling to buy one dress and keep constantly thinking about ways to save money?
He might just be a soldier, but as a man, it was his job to support his wife and child. Even though he couldn't give them a lavish lifestyle, they weren't at the stage where they needed to worry about money.
Was he really that poor in her mind?
「Tang Tang.」 Ji Yan called her when she laid down.
「En?」 Tang Tang looked towards him puzzled; 「What's wrong, husband?」
「Tang Tang, have you looked at the balance on the card I gave you?」
「Eh? What balance?」 Tang Tang was baffled. She didn't understand why Ji Yan would suddenly ask such a thing.
He knew that she hadn't looked at the balance. Ji Yan sighed and directly said, 「Tang Tang, there is one million yuan in the card I gave you.」
「Oh, ok, one million yuan, ah. What? One million!」 Tang Tang suddenly sat up. Her eyes were widened as she looked unbelievably at Ji Yan and stuttered 「Husband, you … you said the card has … has one million yuan?」
Since Tang Tang has been living in this world for a long time now, she clearly understood what the average spending was, and she was clear how much one million yuan was. An average worker would save less than a hundred thousand yuan in a year. To save one million yuan would take at least ten years.
So it was a shock for her when Ji Yan told her there were one million yuan in the card.
Ji Yan indifferently replied, 「Tang Tang, there really is one million yuan in that card. I gave it for you to use, so we're not as poor as you think we are, alright? You don't need to worry about money so much that you're unwilling to buy some clothes for yourself.」
Tang Tang was speechless and finally came back to her senses after a while. Suddenly, she went out to find her bag to find the card. Then she rushed back and passed the card to Ji Yan, afraid 「Husband, how can you give all our money to me. That's not safe, ah. What if I lose it? You should take it back. You should just give me some money for family expenses.」
Ji Yan suddenly wanted to laugh. He muffled his laughter while Tang Tang was confused, 「Husband, what's wrong. Did I say something wrong?」
Covering his forehead, Ji Yan smiled as he looked at her and clearly said, 「Tang Tang, I didn't give all our money to you. That amount is for family expenses. Our family has other money than what's in that card.」
「Ah?」 Tang Tang blanked with her mouth open. Her brain has crashed. 「But … But can a soldier earn so much money? The regimental commander's wife said soldiers don't earn much …」
Ji Yan was defeated by this silly girl and patiently explained, 「Tang Tang, the source of income isn't just from a soldier's wage. Do you understand?」
Ji Yan's money was given to Zhuo Ji to help him invest, and he received quite a lot in dividends. He didn't rely only on his wage to live.
Tang Tang blinked and finally understood. So her husband had other methods to earn money, he was amazing! In an instant, admiration strongly filled her eyes.
Ji Yan felt uncomfortable from Tang Tang's gaze, so he cleared his throat and reached out to switch off the bedside lamp, 「Let's sleep.」
「Okay!」 Tang Tang nodded in the dark and happily went to sleep.
