"Two?" The clerk had not expected him to be so decisive, and her face lit up. "Certainly, please wait a moment."
"Wait." Qu Yunxuan froze, then immediately gave Dong Xuebin a light smack on the head. "What are you doing? They're so expensive."
Dong Xuebin covered his head. "As long as you like it. I've never given you any gifts before, and now that I finally have a little money, can't you give me a chance to show myself off?"
"You're buying one for me? Then I definitely can't accept it. No, no. You just started working, and it wasn't easy for you to earn this money. You're not allowed to waste it." Qu Yunxuan hurriedly stopped the clerk. "Sorry, we don't want them."
Dong Xuebin ignored her objections and said, "We do, we do. Please write up the receipt."
Qu Yunxuan deliberately pulled a stern face and raised her hand fiercely. "You want Auntie to beat you up?"
"Even if you beat me flat, you still have to accept this iPhone 4 today."
"You..." Seeing that she could not argue him down, Qu Yunxuan simply turned her head and ignored him.
Dong Xuebin picked out the model color, screen protector, and case. After they paid, the clerk began opening the package and setting up the phone. Dong Xuebin had thought buying a phone would be quick—just pay for it—but Apple phones needed the SIM card cut down, a screen protector applied, network registration handled, and all sorts of other troublesome procedures.
Not long afterward, the clerk smiled at Qu Yunxuan. "The iPhone 4's slot is a different size from domestic SIM cards. Could you give me your SIM card? I need to trim it."
Qu Yunxuan said nothing.
Dong Xuebin gave Aunt Xuan's hand a nudge with his elbow and laughed awkwardly. "Come on, why are you being like this?"
Qu Yunxuan ignored him.
Dong Xuebin rolled his eyes. "Anyway, we can't return it now. If you don't want it, I'll give it to someone else."
Qu Yunxuan shot him a look, then heavily flicked his forehead. "You little brat, you really know how to waste money." After a pause, she finally slowly took out her phone from her bag, removed the SIM card, and handed it to the clerk. "...Does the free case come in other colors? ...What do they look like? ...Mm-hmm, this one looks nice. I'll take this one... Oh, do you have songs and movies here? ...You do? ...Then copy a few onto it for me later... Right..."
Half an hour later, Qu Yunxuan fondly played with her iPhone 4, liking it immensely.
Dong Xuebin smiled too. "Aunt Xuan, that iPhone 4 looks even prettier in your hand. I think Apple ought to hire you as their spokesperson." The Dong Xuebin who had just graduated from school would never have been able to say something like that. It seemed he had improved quite a bit from being tempered at the office lately.
Qu Yunxuan burst out laughing and shot him an annoyed glance. "You little flatterer. Don't do it again." As she spoke, she casually looped her arm through Dong Xuebin's and said with deep emotion, "Our Xiao Bin has grown up. He can earn money now, and he knows how to be good to Auntie. Hehe, when our Xiao Bin becomes a big leader someday, it looks like Auntie will get to bask in your glory too."
Damn, she linked arms with me.
For the first time in his life, Dong Xuebin had been linked arm-in-arm with a woman, and he was blissfully happy.
It was around nine when Dong Xuebin and Qu Yunxuan finally took a taxi home and tossed a pile of bags onto the Coffee Table.
In the Dong Family living room, Qu Yunxuan sat down on the sofa and happily took out her iPhone 4 again, swiping at the touchscreen. "It got too late and the store was closing, so I couldn't find several songs I wanted. Xiao Bin, download a few more online tomorrow and put them on here for Auntie. I want to use them as ringtones." Standing up, she took several selfies with the iPhone 4, then cheerfully showed Dong Xuebin. "How do they look? Hmm?"
Dong Xuebin laughed. "You look good no matter how you take them."
The corners of Qu Yunxuan's eyes crinkled with a smile. "You really know how to make Auntie happy."
"I mean it. Whether it's a 300,000-pixel camera or a five-megapixel camera, you'll look beautiful in the pictures."
"Smooth talker." Shooting him a glance, Qu Yunxuan happily tugged his arm and pulled Dong Xuebin down onto the sofa. Then she affectionately linked arms with him, raised the iPhone 4 over her head, and aimed it at the two of them from the upper left. "Take one with Auntie. Smile."
Dong Xuebin's elbow was practically pressed against her chest, and the smile he forced out was completely distorted, looking incredibly strange.
When she saw the photo, Qu Yunxuan nearly laughed herself breathless. "What kind of expression is that? You're so hopeless."
Dong Xuebin blushed. You're pressed so close to me. How could I not be nervous?
Once the novelty wore off, Qu Yunxuan put away the iPhone 4 and began sorting the clothes he had just bought, hanging them one by one in the small room's wardrobe. While she was at it, she took scissors to several patched, faded old garments and cut them into more than a dozen square rags. "It'd be a waste to throw these clothes away, so Auntie cut them up to use as table-wiping cloths." Though Aunt Xuan's salary was not low, she was very thrifty and capable at managing a household.
Dong Xuebin liked that domestic side of her. Seeing this, he could not stop himself from blurting out, "Aunt Xuan... I li... li..."
Qu Yunxuan shook out the rag in her hand and turned back at him strangely. "What did you say?"
"Li... li..." Dong Xuebin was practically sweating, but he just could not say the words "I like you." Qu Yunxuan was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life. She had a great figure, a great personality, a great job—she was simply flawless. Of course Dong Xuebin wanted to marry her and tell her how he felt, but the two of them had only just developed from neighbors into their current relationship. If confessing made Qu Yunxuan feel awkward, they would never be able to go back to how things were now—and that was what Dong Xuebin least wanted to see.
Wait, I haven't used Back today yet.
If Aunt Xuan rejects me, I can use Back to return. Then I won't have to worry about any awkwardness.
Right, right, that's what I'll do.
"What are you saying? Wash?" Qu Yunxuan suddenly understood, both annoyed and amused. "You have dirty clothes to wash, right? You should've said so earlier. Why are you stammering and acting shy? Silly thing."
Dong Xuebin waved his hands quickly. "No, hey, that's not it."
Qu Yunxuan ignored him and gently walked to the bathroom, picking up the socks and underwear Dong Xuebin had changed out of while showering that evening. "All right, leave it to Auntie. Is there anything else that needs washing?"
Dong Xuebin wished he could dig a hole and crawl into it. He hurried over to snatch them back. "Really, you don't need to. I'll wash them myself."
"Get out of the way." Qu Yunxuan twisted her shoulders to dodge him, but perhaps she moved too sharply. The next moment, she cried out in pain and rubbed her neck while drawing a breath. "Hiss, stop grabbing them. Auntie's shoulder hurts."
Dong Xuebin cried out, "Are you okay? Are you okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to."
Qu Yunxuan found a place to sit and twisted her neck. "It's not your fault. Auntie's cervical spine has never been very good. It's an old problem."
Dong Xuebin felt terribly guilty. "Then let me massage you."
"No need. It'll be fine after a night's sleep."
"No, no." Dong Xuebin said anxiously, "Go lie down in the inner room. I'll give you a massage."
Qu Yunxuan hesitated, then did not stand on ceremony with him. "...Hehe, all right."
Dong Xuebin took a deep breath and prepared himself to confess.!!!
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