That Expensive?

Although Jiang Wan'er was still curious about where her brother had gotten so much money, she eventually gave in to Jiang Tian's persuasion and got dressed. Then they all took a taxi to Grand Joy City.

Grand Joy City was probably a landmark in every city, usually situated in the busiest downtown district. The one in Yunzhou was no exception.

They got out and paid the fare.

The three stood outside Grand Joy City, looking at the buildings inside. Jiang Wan'er couldn't help exclaiming, "Wow, it's so pretty!"

Han Ying nodded eagerly as well. Clearly, neither girl had ever been anywhere like this.

"Come on, let's go inside and have a look."

Jiang Tian, however, looked completely at ease. The place might seem upscale, but to him, it was no different from an ordinary building, just more lavishly decorated.

The three went inside, and Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying were instantly captivated by the luxurious decor again.

The gleaming, opulent lobby, the dazzling array of shops on either side, and the floors so clean they could serve as mirrors left the two girls feeling a little awkward.

"Jiang Tian, things must be really expensive here, right? How about we go somewhere else?"

Jiang Wan'er was beginning to lose her nerve.

As far as she knew, a place decorated this lavishly was bound to be expensive!

Han Ying clung tightly to Jiang Wan'er's hand, looking uncomfortable too. Both girls felt rather out of place.

Seeing the apprehension in their eyes, Jiang Tian smiled. "What's there to be afraid of? It's just a bigger supermarket. Come on."

"But..."

Jiang Wan'er hesitated.

Jiang Tian left no room for argument. "No buts. Let's go!"

With that, he took Jiang Wan'er's hand and strode farther inside.

Never mind a mere Grand Joy City-even if he went to the National Capital, he wouldn't feel the slightest fear.

There wasn't a place in heaven or on earth that Jiang Tian wouldn't dare visit.

With Jiang Tian leading the way, Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying began wandering around the enormous Grand Joy City. Along the way, they saw so many novel things they had never encountered before that they barely knew where to look.

"Look, there's such a huge plush toy over there! It's so cute!"

"And that! Is that a fountain? You can have fountains indoors?"

"Wow, there's a slide too! It goes straight down from the third floor!"

The two girls were like Granny Liu visiting the Grand View Garden, marveling at everything they saw.

They laughed and chatted all along the way. Since both were very pretty, they naturally drew quite a few looks.

Jiang Tian followed behind them, smiling quietly too.

"Phew, Grand Joy City is amazing! There's so much here!"

Seemingly tired from all the fun, Jiang Wan'er returned to Jiang Tian's side and spoke happily.

Though she hadn't bought anything, she was still delighted. She could now count herself as someone who had seen a bit of the world.

Looking at her flushed little face, Jiang Tian couldn't help smiling. "Thirsty? Shall I take you two to get something to drink?"

"Yeah, I am a little thirsty. But Jiang Tian, I want milk tea."

Jiang Wan'er spoke tentatively, looking just as she had when she used to wheedle him as a child.

Jiang Tian shook his head with an amused smile. "All right, milk tea it is. There's a milk tea shop just ahead. Let's check it out."

With that, he led the two girls over.

At the milk tea shop, each of them ordered a cup, then sat down inside to drink.

"Wow, the milk tea here tastes so good too! It's much better than the instant milk tea I buy at school!"

Jiang Wan'er took a sip, and her eyes immediately lit up.

Han Ying nodded eagerly as well. "It's really good! Thank you for treating me to milk tea, Jiang Tian!"

Jiang Tian smiled and shook his head, indicating there was no need to thank him.

"Oh, Wan'er, shall we take a look in a jewelry store?"

Just then, the idea suddenly occurred to Jiang Tian.

"A jewelry store? What for?"

Biting her straw, Jiang Wan'er tilted her head and looked at Jiang Tian.

"To buy Mom some jewelry, of course," Jiang Tian said. "Look, she hasn't had any decent jewelry all these years. Just that copper bracelet she's worn until it's turned black, and Dad gave her that when they got married."

The thought made Jiang Tian's heart ache a little.

His mother's pay wasn't high, but she could still have afforded a piece of jewelry costing a few thousand yuan. Yet for the sake of the family, she had firmly chosen to save all that money for Jiang Wan'er's future university education.

His father was the same, scrimping and saving every day just so Jiang Wan'er could have a good life at university.

As they put it, university was a small society of its own. They didn't want their daughter to feel inferior to anyone there.

Perhaps this was what people meant by the boundless love of parents.

After hearing her brother's words, Jiang Wan'er nodded thoughtfully. "You're right, Jiang Tian. But the jewelry here must be really expensive. Can we afford it?"

Jiang Tian smiled. "Didn't I tell you not to worry about money? Besides, we're just taking a look. We don't necessarily have to buy anything, right?"

Jiang Wan'er realized he had a point and readily agreed.

The three left the milk tea shop and headed straight for a store specializing in gold, silver, and jewelry.

Zhou Dafa Jewelry!

It was a jeweler renowned throughout Yunzhou, and even across Great Xia.

The moment they stepped inside, Jiang Wan'er grew nervous again. After all, this was her first time entering such an upscale place.

Han Ying followed timidly behind, as if afraid she might accidentally break something.

Jiang Tian, on the other hand, was perfectly at ease. He walked straight in and began looking around.

Seeing customers arrive, a sales assistant hurried over to greet them.

The staff here were highly professional, at least much better than the salespeople at Imperial View Garden. At the very least, they didn't neglect him because he was dressed simply.

"Hello, sir, ladies. Are you here to buy jewelry?"

A neatly dressed woman with a polished, efficient appearance approached and asked with a smile.

Jiang Wan'er instinctively shrank back, not daring to speak.

Jiang Tian nodded with a faint smile. "Yes, we'd like to have a look."

"Of course. Please come in. May I ask which of these two young ladies you're buying for, sir?"

The saleswoman politely gestured for them to follow, then asked her question.

Jiang Tian shook his head. "I'd like to buy something for my mother."

"Oh, it's for your mother. Then please come this way. The pieces here suit the tastes of middle-aged and older customers. There's bound to be something she'll like!"

Understanding, the saleswoman led the three to a display case.

Following behind Jiang Tian with Han Ying, Jiang Wan'er whispered, "I didn't expect them to be so polite. I thought they'd look down on us."

Han Ying nodded like a chick pecking at grain. "Yes, their service is really good!"

Jiang Tian merely smiled, then stepped up to the counter. "Wan'er, take a look. What do you think Mom would like?"

"Huh? You want me to choose? I don't know anything about this."

Jiang Wan'er sounded a little overwhelmed. After all, she had never seen so much jewelry before.

"It's fine. Have a look. I trust your taste."

Jiang Tian smiled.

The saleswoman nodded too. "That's right, miss. If anything catches your eye, I can take it out for you to look at. If you don't like it, we can simply put it back. There's no need to worry!"

Hearing this, Jiang Wan'er felt less nervous. She glanced over the display and soon spotted a lovely necklace.

"Jiang Tian, I think this one looks nice!"

Jiang Wan'er pointed at the necklace.

Jiang Tian nodded, then told the saleswoman, "Please take it out so we can have a look."

"Certainly," the saleswoman said with a smile. "You have a very good eye, miss. This necklace is a new design we introduced for the New Year, and it only recently went on sale. Before its release, our official online store already had over ten thousand preorders. This one has only just arrived at our store!"

As she spoke, she took out the necklace with white-gloved hands and respectfully placed it in Jiang Wan'er's hands.

Seeing that the woman was handing it straight to her, Jiang Wan'er's lips parted in surprise. She hurriedly wiped her hands on her clothes before carefully accepting it.

"What do you think?"

Jiang Tian asked with a smile.

"It's beautiful! Especially this openwork design, with a gold heart inside that can rotate. It's so pretty!"

Jiang Wan'er nodded repeatedly. There was no denying that the girl had an eye for beauty.

Jiang Tian smiled faintly, then said to the saleswoman, "In that case, we'll take this one. How much is it?"

"Right now, we're running a New Year promotion. Purchases over ten thousand yuan receive a five percent discount. After the discount, this necklace comes to thirteen thousand eight hundred..."

At those words, Jiang Wan'er and Han Ying's mouths fell open:

"That expensive?!"