I asked her, "What does your dad mean?"
He said he respected my choice.
It seems Xiaoyu's father is inclined to let her go abroad. An athlete's career is only a few years long. Putting aside economic interests, who wouldn't want to attract attention? Besides, he's just a coach for the city sports team; his awareness probably isn't that high.
"So what do you think?"
Ni Siyu bit her lip and said, "I'm conflicted. My current grades are mediocre, not the best, but not the worst either. I desperately need a better coach and a more reasonable approach. But the thought of changing my nationality makes me feel strange."
Mulan quietly asked me, "What does it mean to change your nationality?"
I said, "It's about changing from one country to another."
"So, if a war breaks out, which side should we help?"
This is the result of 12 years in the military; my thinking is always so direct and sharp, without a trace of sarcasm. But this clearly complicates a simple issue. To put it in a broad sense, sports have no borders. If you insist on applying this to warfare, then of course you should help them if they invite you.
Seeing that I hesitated for a long time and couldn't answer, Hua Mulan stopped asking and just gave Ni Siyu a deep look.
Ni Siyu smiled and said, "Let's not think about these things for now. Xiaoqiang, what are you guys doing here?"
"Take my cousin to buy some clothes—hey, are you free this afternoon?" What a perfect young strongman, I'd feel guilty not to arrest him.
Ni Siyu readily agreed, saying, "I'll go with you; I can offer some advice."
I laughed and said, "That's great! This lady just complimented you on your looks."
"Hehe, older sister is prettier." The little girl suddenly asked timidly, "...Big brother, are you alright?"
"It's good, but my pride was hurt a little in the battle to seize Nan Yi Primary School."
Ni Siyu's expression hardened, and she immediately realized that I was spouting nonsense again. She raised her small, lotus-root-like hand and gave a perfunctory gesture.
I whispered to Mulan, "—Xiang Yu's little fan."
Mulan looked at me, puzzled. I had no choice but to explain to her again what fans were...
I initially thought Ni Siyu's presence would make our lingerie shopping trip less awkward, but once inside the women's lingerie store, I realized I was terribly wrong. The awkwardness stemmed from the group itself. In reality, when a man and a woman shop together in a lingerie store, unless I say anything, no one knows what our relationship is. But when a man and two women come to this place together, it's hard to say. I felt completely uncomfortable under the sales assistant's suggestive gaze, not knowing what to do with my hands and feet.
There's one more thing I was wrong about. I thought Mulan would feel a little uncomfortable here, since buying such private items in public would be embarrassing for her. But to my surprise, she excitedly pounced on the dazzling array of bras as soon as she saw them, murmuring, "What beautiful bras! I saw Baozi wearing one yesterday." As she spoke, she casually picked up a sample and fastened it to her chest.
So she thought we were at an arms shop. Looks like I'll have to tell her this isn't a quiver when we buy the handbag later.
The current trend of wearing underwear as outerwear is just a retro phenomenon, because both Jing Ke and Li Shishi did this, and they had a common habit of wearing their smaller items on the outside.
I whispered a few words in Mulan's ear, and after listening, Mulan looked at me strangely and said, "Wear the inner armor?"
I:"……"
An inner armor is fine, as long as she wears it underneath. I don't want to be walking around with a woman wearing a lace bra on the outside.
Hua Mulan picked up a bra and followed my instructions into the fitting room. I walked up to Ni Siyu and said to her, "Go in and help her."
Ni Siyu looked up at me strangely, a little confused. I patted her gently on the back, and Ni Siyu didn't ask anything more, then followed me inside. Not long after, she poked her little head out and gave me an "OK" sign, indicating that it was suitable.
I told the saleswoman, "This is the one." As I spoke, I glanced at the model number on the original packaging. So, Mulan's model number is... well, I can't say, that's a military secret!
After Mulan came out, I asked her to get a few other styles based on that size. I turned to Ni Siyu and said, "What about you, little girl? What size are you?"
Ni Siyu rolled her eyes at me: "Pervert."
I innocently replied, "I meant you should buy a few items too, and I'll reimburse you."
"No way!"
"How about I give you a bikini?"
Ni Siyu pulled Hua Mulan along as they walked out, saying, "Sister, let's go, let's ignore this pervert."
Not far from the lingerie store is a women's shoe boutique. Chanel, Belle, and Zhenmeishi are all prominently displayed, along with many other English brands I can't recall—these days, many stores deliberately omit Chinese translations to project an image of sophistication and bourgeois taste, which is infuriating. But judging from the prices, most are mid-to-high-end shoes from reputable brands.
Ni Siyu asked, "Does your sister need to buy shoes?"
Without hesitation, I walked inside: "Buy it!"
Women's dressing up is a complete process from head to toe. Men are different. It's said that the three things that best showcase a man's mature taste are leather shoes, a belt, and a tie clip. The magazine I just read even said that if these three things are perfect, what a man wears doesn't matter—I wonder if not wearing anything is acceptable.
Several classic high heels were displayed in the most prominent position, crystal clear and exuding an air of nobility. Mulan admired them for a while with her hands behind her back, and said sincerely, "They're so beautiful—what are they for?"
...
After Mulan tried to stand up several times in high heels but failed each time, she rubbed her feet and complained to me in a low voice, "Didn't you say that you don't bind your feet here?"
Just then, my phone rang abruptly. Before I could even ask who it was, the other person blurted out, "Your second uncle!"
I flew into a rage and, without thinking twice, started yelling, "Your second uncle! Your grandfather! Your ancestors!"
The other person said cautiously, "...Brother Qiang, this is Sun Sixin, your second uncle is here again."
"What does he want now?"
"They didn't say, but it looks like they're waiting for you."
I held the phone in one hand and glanced hesitantly at Mulan. Ni Siyu said, "If you have something to do, you can go first. I'll stay with my sister."
Mulan waved her hand and said, "You may go."
Before leaving, I held Mulan's hand and squeezed it: "I believe you will stand up again!"