After leaving Zhongguancun, Chen Cheng drove back to Big Willow Tree.
When the Camry was about thirty to fifty meters from Fennel Noodle House, Chen Cheng saw that Xiao Meier was already waiting by the roadside.
Upon receiving Chen Cheng's call, she also hurriedly closed the shop, changed into her best-looking clothes, and waited on the roadside early.
Her crisp wide-legged trousers fit perfectly on her, the color complementing her skin tone and making her already fair skin look even more radiant.
The trouser legs stopped at the ankle, exposing her bare feet which showcased the skin's natural texture and sheen.
And those stiletto sandals with a single strap were indeed the highlight of her entire outfit.
Her freshly done red nail polish on her toes, set against the rhinestones of her sandals, seemed like ten identical flavored lollipops, prompting fanciful thoughts.
Chen Cheng stepped on the gas and drove the car up to Xiao Meier.
He rolled down the passenger side window, leaned out, and said with a smile, "Sister Meier, get in the car!"
Hearing his voice, a smile bloomed on Xiao Meier's face like brilliant spring flowers.
She walked down from the curb, opened the car door, and got in.
"Been waiting long?" Chen Cheng asked.
Xiao Meier shook her head, "Not at all, I just closed the shop."
Chen Cheng caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and saw sweat stains beneath the majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, already forming two curved gullies. He knew she was lying.
He quickly turned up the air conditioning and reminded her, "Seatbelt."
"Oh, right."
The Camry got back on the road.
Xiao Meier asked with concern, "Have you eaten?"
"Just grabbed a bite on the way."
"Then did you manage to handle your business?" Xiao Meier continued to inquire.
Chen Cheng knew that Xiao Meier was referring to the matter of repaying money, and he nodded with a smile, "All taken care of, got the IOU as well."
Xiao Meier let out a sigh of relief, "That's good."
She adjusted the air vent, "So, where are we heading now?"
"IKEA," Chen Cheng replied. "The store near Siyuan Bridge, to buy a bed."
He said with a smile, "Besides, let's see what else we might be missing. Let's buy it all at once."
Xiao Meier's eyebrows arched up in surprise. She knew that sleeping on a hard board was uncomfortable, but in her view of consumption, IKEA's products were fine, but the prices were much higher than those at furniture markets.
"How expensive could it be there?"
Chen Cheng replied, "Don't worry about the money."
"Have you found a job?" Xiao Meier asked, surprised.
"Not yet."
Xiao Meier snorted lightly, "And you're telling me not to worry!"
"I haven't found a job, but I've found an old client," Chen Cheng said unabashedly, "Today he's willing to give me 500,000 to help with his finances."
"500,000!"
Chen Cheng slowly turned the steering wheel, "Yep, with a commission rate of 0.3%, this deal..."
"1500!"
Xiao Meier was quick with mental math, and she looked at Chen Cheng's profile with envy, exclaiming, "Xiao Cheng, you're amazing! You earned 1500 in one morning!"
"I work a whole week at the shop, and after all the effort, that's about how much I make!" she said.
Just then, the traffic light at the intersection turned red, and Chen Cheng stopped the car.
He turned his head to look at Xiao Meier, "So I'm saying, Sister Meier. Today, we're not holding back on spending!"
Xiao Meier was genuinely happy for Chen Cheng, shaking her head in envy, "This is why education is important! You can make money just sitting there."
Chen Cheng smiled lightly, "This is just the beginning! If this deal's returns are good, there will be even bigger deals in the future!"
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"You really need to plan it well for others! Don't ever let them lose money!" Xiao Meier said nervously, "That's 500,000! Even if I save for fifty years, I can't save up that much money!"
According to Xiao Meier's savings of 100,000 over twelve years, what she said was indeed correct.
The next second, she asked Chen Cheng, "Even if you made some money today, you can't be spendthrift."
"Not allowed to spend it?" Chen Cheng asked with a laugh.
"I didn't say you can't spend, but you have to stretch every penny as far as it will go!" Xiao Meier calculated meticulously, "And you should compare prices across three stores. Don't just go for the good-looking, prioritize durability!!"
Hearing Xiao Meier's words, Chen Cheng joked, "Stretch every penny? Sister Er, you might as well not bother opening your stall anymore."
"What do you mean?"
"Let's go to the bank, get bags of pennies, and split them in the shop! Wouldn't we then have 3,000 yuan?"
Xiao Meier saw the mischievous smile on Chen Cheng's face and knew he was teasing her.
She reached over from the passenger seat and gently slapped the back of Chen Cheng's hand, "You little brother, why do you always have to talk back?!"
Chen Cheng laughed heartily under Xiao Meier's "attack."
"Stop it, the light's green now!" he kept saying, "Sit tight!"
Xiao Meier shot a glare at Chen Cheng, but a smile of relief spread across her face.
...
Soon, the car arrived at the parking lot of the IKEA Mall.
Chen Cheng parked the car and walked in with Xiao Meier.
The two walked side by side, looking like a couple out for a shopping trip, natural and harmonious.
When they reached the bedding section, her eyes were glued to the pretty bedsheets and duvet covers, "These look pretty good!"
But after checking the price tags, her initial excitement quickly faded, "Too expensive, not worth the price!"
Chen Cheng said, "Sister Er, we're here to buy a bed!"
"Oh, right!" Xiao Meier took another look at the price of the bed and her eyes widened, "This bed is 1499?"
She bent down to examine it more closely.
But this very action made Chen Cheng think it was worth every penny.
The loose wide-leg pants suddenly stretched tight, highlighting the roundness of her figure, and with the high heels she was wearing, it enhanced the beauty of her silhouette, capturing Chen Cheng's gaze.
"This bed won't do!" Xiao Meier turned and said, "I wouldn't pay more than 500!"
Looking at Chen Cheng's vacant stare, she asked, "What are you looking at?"
Chen Cheng looked away, pointing to a distance, "There's a discount over there; even if we have money, we shouldn't be suckers, right?"
"Exactly!" Xiao Meier straightened up, smiling brightly.
They moved on to the discount area.
She immediately spotted a single bed on sale for 199.
"This looks more reasonable." Xiao Meier asked, "What do you think?"
The size of 90*200 was just right to fit into the small loft of the Fennel Noodle House, plus the installation was simple and most importantly, it was cheap.
Chen Cheng stood by, "Alright then."
"So, this is the one?"
Chen Cheng nodded, "Yes."
Xiao Meier sat on the display bed, caressing the bedsheet lovingly, "199 for a whole set, that's such a bargain!"
Chen Cheng paused for a moment, and then started to laugh.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Sister Er, the 199 is for the bed!" Chen Cheng clarified, "We haven't even picked out a mattress or anything else!"
Hearing this, Xiao Meier popped up instantly and pointed at the bed she was just satisfied with, "Just a few lousy iron rods, selling it to me for 199? I might as well go buy you a military bed!"
Chen Cheng gasped, "Military bed? Would that even be comfortable to sleep on?"
Xiao Meier shook her head like a rattle, "No, no! Let's keep looking! The things in here are just too expensive!"
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