"Why isn't there anything suitable! This is discrimination! Naked discrimination!"
The uproar interrupted Zheng Qing's thoughts.
Turning around, he saw the fat man who had just squeezed into the shop waving his stubby arms, desperately screaming, "I'm going to file a complaint! I will complain to the Four Seasons Management Committee and I will report this to the Public Security Bureau!"
"But even the largest cloud mother in the shop can't fully measure you." The old woman helplessly vented out a string of large regular script words: "We are truly sorry, customer."
Looking at the triple-chinned, bald head that looked like an ostrich egg, and the body resembling a small hill, Zheng Qing couldn't help but giggle.
Two piercing eyes glared at him fiercely, "What are you laughing at!"
Zheng Qing's face flushed, somewhat at a loss.
"They just said you're a public-funded student?" The fat man bulged his belly and moved heavily towards Zheng Qing, looking down on him.
At least two meters tall, Zheng Qing secretly estimated. The small groups of clouds in the shop began to drift over.
"A public-funded student of the First University?" The fat man asked again.
Zheng Qing nodded, taking a small sip of Green Bee.
The beverage was aptly named. It was jade-green and icy upon entry, with a sting like a bee, but warmed up comfortably in the stomach. Quite soothing indeed.
It tasted like a very light wine.
"Being a publicly-funded student means you can look down upon and mock others!" The fat man proclaimed indignantly.
Zheng Qing carefully stepped back, feeling his ears ringing from the loudness.
"Publicly-funded students get to eat for free at the shop?" The fat man strived to open his small eyes, as he glared at Zheng Qing.
Zheng Qing held a mouthful of Green Bee, unsure whether to spit it out or swallow it after hearing this.
The sharp pain of the bee sting fermented in his mouth, reddening the rims of his eyes.
"Pull out your Law Book and let the curse clear my shame!" The fat man assumed a singing pose, pulled out a thick, bulging softcover book from his greasy Da Lian, and waved it around. The strange low chant and the flickering glow from the book gave off a slightly ominous atmosphere.
"What's a Law Book!" Zheng Qing hastily swallowed the Green Bee and cried, "What's a Law Book for!"
The fat man's triple chin quivered, and his beady eyes narrowed further. "Hehe..." came from his throat, but he didn't utter a word.
Zheng Qing held his cup of Green Bee, looking dumbfounded.
The soft-cover book was eventually shoved back into the Da Lian.
Zheng Qing sighed with relief, and finished off the remaining half cup of Green Bee.
The strong sting made him blink forcefully.
"I'll be back later. I hope there will be suitable cloud clothes by then, otherwise, I will definitely complain to the school and to the Four Seasons Pavilion!" The fat man stormed off, expressing his dissatisfaction to the side Cloud Mother.
A few polite dark clouds escorted him out.
"These young ones are getting more and more impolite." A clean white cloud floated towards Zheng Qing and shaped into the Cloud Mother's distressed face. It blew out a ring, and vented out a string of words: "Unacceptable! More and more unacceptable! Bad manners, even worse figures… Young man, this is your school robe."
A large bag was handed to Zheng Qing. Upon opening the bag and counting its content, it contained two of his robes, a cloak, and seven pairs of deer-skin gloves.
"Thank you for the drink, I appreciate your help." He returned the cup, took the bag of clothes, and showed a bright smile to the Cloud Mother.
"We welcome you back anytime." Cloud Mother cheerfully saw him out of the shop.
On the street, Thomas was holding two cups of jade-green drinks and waving at him.
"I just had this in the shop." Zheng Qing clinked his cup with Thomas's, took another sip of the pale green liquid, tasted the stimulating taste of the 'Green Bee', and couldn't help asking, "Why do I feel that 'Cloud Think Boutique' has some special perks for public-funded students?"
"It's not just a feeling, it's the truth." Thomas rummaged through the bag Zheng Qing had brought and took a sip of Green Bee, savoring it. "Being a public-funded student means you have great potential, so great that the school is willing to train you for free. The merchants of the Four Seasons Pavilion also like to add icing to the cake by granting you some costless privileges... This is your toolbox."
With that, he handed Zheng Qing a yellow wooden box that was one foot high and two feet long.
"Thank you." Zheng Qing nodded, took the box, and continued to ask, "I have been meaning to ask, why are those school robes made of peculiar materials?"
"School robes woven from cold silkworm silk can help keep your mind clear during usual times, which is the most important when doing experiments. As for gloves – they primarily block poisonous and harmful substances during experiments. Your deer leather gloves will suffice for college use. Of course, evil dragon skin is better. It can even isolate heat. It can be used for some high-grade experiments, only that it's quite expensive. If you happen to conduct this kind of experiment, you can apply for the school's public gloves."
"What is an evil dragon?" As Zheng Qing opened the box and started rummaging through it, he casually asked.
"It's similar to the dragons in the West, from the Zogon Clan, with a resemblance to lizards but with wings... different from the oriental flood dragons, you should know this."
"Why are there things like electronic scales? I mean, do we also need to learn to repair machinery?" Zheng Qing, who was squatting down, raised his head and held up something resembling an awl, looking at Thomas questioning.
"Technology is also a form of ability. Many wizards are great scientists." Thomas answered succinctly.
"Then I don't have to worry about not finding jobs after graduation." Zheng Qing finally felt a sense of security, put away the toolbox, and said with some excitement, "I always thought it would be hard for wizards to find suitable jobs."
"What is a wizard?" Thomas counter-questioned.
This was indeed a big question.
"You said before that monks, priests, superpower holders, even vampires and werewolves are all considered wizards." Zheng Qing furrowed his eyebrows, pondering slowly," Like astronomers, geographers, chemists, mathematicians, they are all considered scientists."
"If scientists are people who discover problems and then use logic and knowledge to solve them, then wizards should be those who discover problems and then use supernatural abilities to solve them."
"Your view is a bit narrow, but the analogy is quite apt." Thomas nodded with approval, "As you said, since wizards can solve problems, would you still worry about not finding a suitable job?"
Zheng Qing was speechless.
The shops in Four Seasons Pavilion are all set up around large stone pillars. Shops under each pillar are engaged in similar businesses.
Next to Cloud Think Boutique, there are two more clothing stores.
One is called Green Xifang, and the other is Ground Brush.
Not far from this pillar, under another stone pillar, there is a stationery store, with four big characters on the sign at the entrance — Pen and Ink are Cold.
There is a bookstore on either side of the stationery store.
The one on the left is called Three Flavor Bookstore.
On the right is the San You Bookstore.