I Was Reborn into the Past and Saved My Stunning Sister-in-Law at the Beginning - Chapter 16:

Chapter 16: I Can’t Be Bothered with You

As Xu Feng walked into the department store, everything behind the counters caught his eye.

He couldn’t take his eyes off the sparkling wristwatches, especially one he found himself liking more the longer he looked at it.

But when he glanced at the price tag, he immediately backed off—120 yuan for one! Even selling himself wouldn’t cover that.

Next time, he told himself. He had to get that beautiful watch no matter what.

“I’ve been watching you for a while. If you’re not buying anything, then don’t—”

At this time, being a shop assistant was considered a very respectable job. If your family didn’t have connections, you had no chance of getting in.

So not only was there no such thing as polite service, sometimes you even had to take a scolding.

Xu Feng instinctively looked up when he heard the voice. The moment the shop assistant saw it was a tall, handsome man, she immediately swallowed the rest of her sentence.

“Yo, Yanping can’t even bear to scold a good-looking guy, huh?”

The one teasing was a woman in her late thirties or early forties. The shop assistant called Yanping was a young lady with a good figure and graceful temperament.

“Aunt Liu, what are you saying? I’m just following the leadership’s smile-service policy.”

Yanping had a bold and carefree personality, so she didn’t feel the least bit shy.

“Now you remember the smile-service policy? Should I ask for you if he’s single?”

Xu Feng stood there speechless. He came to buy something, and these two were chatting away right in front of him.

“How much is that Dacron short-sleeve shirt? I’ll take one men’s and two women’s. Also, cut some fabric for me.

And give me two jars of Friendship-brand hand cream and two jars of Pechoin face cream. Also, grab me a few cans of yellow peaches.

Here’s 70 yuan and the corresponding ration tickets. With the rest, weigh out some White Rabbit candy and granulated sugar.”

Xu Feng had calculated it precisely. He planned to spend all 70 yuan and the tickets in one go.

“Then wait a moment. That’s a lot of stuff. I’ll get a bag to pack it all for you.”

No matter the era, attractive people always enjoyed better treatment than the unattractive.

If someone less handsome had tried to buy this much, the shop assistant would probably have thrown them dirty looks.

After some time, everything Xu Feng ordered was finally packed. At that moment, Aunt Liu struck up small talk with him.

“Young man, you look quite decent. Got a girlfriend? Want me to introduce you to someone?”

Aunt Liu saw that Xu Feng was good-looking, and considering he just spent seventy yuan in one go, she assumed his family conditions must be quite good.

“I’m already married, Aunt. But there are plenty of bachelors who really could use your help.”

Xu Feng replied casually. He wasn’t in the mood to waste time chatting with her.

He found a secluded spot to store everything into the System space. Then, he waited nearly an hour for the only bus that returned to Xu Village.

…

Qin You felt numb. At this point, he didn’t even know whether he should return to Qin Village and tell them Qin Zhenguo had been taken away by the police.

What kind of mess was this? Qin Zhenguo had told him to report himself. Now that it was done, how was he supposed to explain this to Uncle Qin?

After thinking it over, he decided he had to inform them. After all, he was the one who delivered him to the police station.

If spending some money could fix the problem, maybe they could get him out on bail.

He borrowed a bicycle and pedaled all the way back to Qin Village. The first thing he did was find Qin Zhenguo’s father and explain the situation.

Of course, he couldn’t tell the full truth. He had to shift the blame.

“Uncle, Zhenguo was caught by the police in the city trying to visit a brothel. You need to think of a way to get him out!”

The moment he heard that, Qin Zhenguo’s father nearly had a stroke. His hands trembled as he asked Qin You to repeat it.

But the answer remained the same. He kept mumbling that he shouldn’t have spoiled him so much.

But Zhenguo was his only son. In the end, Qin’s father gathered all their savings to try and bail him out.

At the same time, Qin’s mother had been planning to ask around the city for good marriage prospects, and she overheard everything.

Just as Qin’s father got on the bicycle to rescue his son, the entire village had already heard that Qin Zhenguo had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute—and word was quickly spreading to neighboring villages too.

At this rate, even if he got out, his reputation was already ruined. And there was no guarantee he’d get out at all.

…

“Xiyue, Xixue, I’m back!”

Lin Xiyue had been worried sick the whole night. The news that Qin Zhenguo from the neighboring village had been arrested for soliciting a prostitute had already spread to them by last night.

Since the two villages were so close, she knew about it quickly.

And her own man had gone into the city with Qin Zhenguo just the day before.

If the rumor hadn’t said that only Qin Zhenguo had been arrested, Lin Xiyue would’ve stormed into the city herself.

When she heard the voice she had been longing for, Lin Xiyue ran straight out. Lin Xixue quickly followed behind her.

“Whoa, slow down! I was only gone one night, and you miss your man that much?”

Seeing the two beautiful sisters waiting at home for him, Xu Feng couldn’t help but smile. Half of his life already felt complete.

People in this era were reserved in expressing love. No hugs or kisses—just quiet eyes scanning to see if he was missing anything.

Not only was he unharmed, both of his hands were full of heavy bags.

“What are you standing there for? Come check out what your man brought you!”

Xu Feng still didn’t know that news of Qin Zhenguo’s arrest had reached Xu Village. He thought Lin Xiyue was just worried he might revert to his old ways after going to the city.

Lin Xiyue didn’t say anything. She just looked at his silly grin and couldn’t help but tear up.

“Hey, what’s this now? Are you crying because your man spent too much money? Come see who I bought all this stuff for!”

Xu Feng handed the items to Xixue, then pulled his beloved wife into his arms and gently patted her back to comfort her.

“I treated you badly before, you cried. Now I treat you well, you still cry. Doesn’t that mean your man’s change was pointless?”

After a while, Lin Xiyue finally got her emotions under control.

“A’Feng, don’t you know that Qin Zhenguo was arrested by the police?”

When Xu Feng heard that, he finally understood why she had been so anxious.

Good news doesn’t travel far, but bad news spreads like wildfire.

“After we finished eating yesterday, he said he wanted to visit a brothel. Of course your man refused! Besides, I hadn’t even sold the goods yet—I had no money.”

As for what happened later that night, Xu Feng didn’t plan on saying anything. No need to make the sisters worry.

Hearing that, Lin Xiyue—still in a daze—actually felt grateful that her man hadn’t had money.

“Hmph! So if you have money next time, you’ll go looking for one?”

That came from Lin Xixue. Her personality was much more direct than her sister’s.

“How could I? Those city girls together still aren’t half as pretty as you, Xixue!”

That one sentence made Lin Xixue blush furiously. “I can’t be bothered with you. Have you no shame?”