Chapter 331 : Want to Try the Strawberry Flavor
"Ling Ning, what do you think of this one? The sound quality is pure, the feel is great, and the materials and craftsmanship are top-notch. But... it might be a bit pricey."
Xu Qing said, holding a guitar in her hands. She had searched several music stores before finding this one, and it was, in her opinion, the best option. While it was unnecessary to buy such a high-quality guitar for a beginner, the fact that it was for Ling Ning's sister made Xu Qing feel it was worth it.
Ling Ning glanced at the price tag. It was indeed quite expensive but still within her acceptable range.
"Let's go with this one."
Just as they were about to pay at the cashier, Xu Qing stopped her.
"Hold on! Don’t be in such a rush. Let me see if I can haggle a bit~"
"Oh~"
Ling Ning watched as Xu Qing began negotiating with the shop owner. She had no idea Xu Qing was so skilled at bargaining; every word she said seemed to catch the owner off guard. By the end of their conversation, the owner looked utterly baffled by Xu Qing's negotiation tactics.
After a while, the shop owner finally agreed to sell the guitar at a significantly lower price. He even threw in a guitar bag, a capo, picks, strings, and other accessories for free.
Initially, the owner had no intention of adding these extras after lowering the price, but the moment Xu Qing opened her mouth again, he quickly offered them up without further argument. He even added a beginner’s guidebook for learning the guitar.
Once they left the store, Ling Ning realized Xu Qing had saved her quite a bit of money. She looked around, then noticed an ice cream shop by the roadside.
"Let me treat you to some ice cream~"
"Sure~"
When they arrived at the ice cream shop, Ling Ning gazed at the variety of flavors and asked, "What flavor would you like?"
"I... I’ll just have plain vanilla."
"Hello, I’ll have one vanilla and one strawberry ice cream, please. Thank you~"
"Alright, please wait a moment!"
"Wow~ It’s been so long since I last had this!"
Xu Qing exclaimed as she took a bite of her ice cream, a nostalgic expression spreading across her face. She used to love ice cream, but after realizing it could make her gain weight, she had stopped indulging. Now, tasting it again, she felt a surge of uncontrollable delight.
Xu Qing glanced at Ling Ning, who was cutely licking her strawberry ice cream with her little tongue, looking utterly charming.
"What’s wrong?" Ling Ning asked, puzzled, turning to Xu Qing. "Do you want to try the strawberry flavor? Here, give it a taste."
She extended her ice cream towards Xu Qing, but it was evident the surface had already been thoroughly licked. Xu Qing hesitated, torn between accepting or refusing.
After a brief moment, Ling Ning seemed to realize something and quickly retracted her hand. Embarrassed, she said, "Oh, I forgot—I already licked it all over."
"It’s... it’s fine~" Xu Qing replied, regretting her hesitation. If she had just taken a bite earlier, she wouldn’t have missed out on the Ling-Ning-flavored ice cream.
Defeated, Xu Qing resigned herself to eating her plain vanilla ice cream. She didn’t even notice when a smudge of it ended up on her face.
"Hey, you’ve got some on your face."
Seeing the white spot on Xu Qing’s cheek, Ling Ning instinctively reached out with her finger to wipe it off, then popped the finger into her mouth to clean it.
Xu Qing stared at her in astonishment, momentarily at a loss for words.
Realizing her action was somewhat inappropriate, Ling Ning quickly withdrew her finger and gave a sheepish smile. "Um... it’s still early. Why don’t we keep shopping~?"
"...Alright."
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"Ye Ye, Mom’s home~"
Ling Ning gently opened the front door and immediately spotted her daughter lying on the sofa, watching TV with a bored expression. An open bag of chips sat on the table in front of her.
Hearing her mother’s voice, Ling Ye turned her head instinctively and saw her mother grinning at her, a guitar strapped to her back.
Curious, Ling Ye walked over and asked, "Mom, what’s that...?"
Ling Ning casually took the guitar off her back and handed it to her daughter. "Didn’t you say you wanted a guitar? Here you go~"
"Wow~"
Ling Ye let out a cheer and carefully accepted the guitar. She had only mentioned it offhandedly, unsure if she could commit to learning it, yet her mother had bought her a brand-new one. Judging by its material and craftsmanship, it must have been expensive.
Feeling moved, Ling Ye gently placed the guitar to the side and then threw her arms around her mother, leaving a slobbery kiss on her cheek.
As she wiped the saliva off her face, Ling Ning asked with curiosity, "When Ye Ye grows up, are you planning to become a superstar? Like your Sister Bai Yiyue?"
"A superstar?" Ling Ye froze for a moment before quickly shaking her head. Being a superstar? No way. It sounded exhausting, not to mention the constant scrutiny of her personal life. Besides, she planned to marry her Mom someday—how could she let such a career get in the way?
"Then what does Ye Ye want to do when she grows up? An inventor, a scientist, a doctor, or perhaps continue writing web novels?"
"Geez, it’s too early to think about that~"
Ling Ye rolled her eyes at her mother. Did she think she was still a little kid? Inventor, scientist—none of that mattered. All she wanted was to stay by her Mom’s side forever. What she did didn’t matter.
"By the way, Ye Ye, would you like to visit the seaside?"
"The seaside?" Ling Ye’s eyes lit up instantly. She had never been to the seaside before. Although she had seen it countless times on TV and the computer, she longed to experience it in person.
"If Mom’s going, I’ll go! But why did you suddenly think of going to the seaside?"
"Because I realized I’ve never taken you to the seaside before. Lately, with everything going on, I haven’t spent much quality time with you. So, I want to find some time to take you out for fun~"
"Mom, you’re the best."
Ling Ning chuckled softly and gently patted her daughter’s head. Now that the decision to visit the seaside was made, the next step was to figure out which beach to go to.
She recalled that S City had several famous beaches, but since she hadn’t paid much attention to this before, she decided to ask around at the café tomorrow.
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Author’s Note:
Never talk about "flesh-colored" to a salted fish. A whole head of flesh-colored hair—just the thought of it is hilarious, okay?