After finishing their meal in the cafeteria, the two drove away from the school.
"Brother, my mom came to Jiangcheng, and my dad wants us to go over for dinner this afternoon."
In the passenger seat, Xia Nuannuan, who was texting on her phone, looked up at Qin Tian beside her.
"Auntie is here?"
Qin Tian was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded, "That's great, we'll go after we finish shopping."
"Mhm!"
"Ask Auntie if she'd like us to buy some groceries."
"Right!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded in realization and immediately started typing.
"My mom said it's fine if it's convenient, and to buy whatever dishes we two want to eat."
"Alright, let's go look at bicycles first, then buy some groceries."
"Okay!"
"Why did Auntie suddenly come to Jiangcheng?"
Qin Tian asked casually.
"I don't know, maybe she was bored at home alone!"
Xia Nuannuan voiced her guess with a slightly helpless smile, "I call her often at night, and I feel like she misses me, even though she always acts really happy on the surface."
"It seems all mothers are the same!"
Qin Tian chuckled.
His own mother rarely called him proactively. He would call her every few days, and she would always say she was too busy with the shop to talk.
But Qin Tian could tell that his mother cared about him and was happy to receive his calls.
"Yes, National Day is coming up soon, and I was planning to go back and spend a few days with her. But she suddenly came today."
Xia Nuannuan said with a smile.
"Then tonight, let's have a good meal with Uncle and Auntie."
"Mhm!"
"Tomorrow and the day after are the weekend, you can stay at home for two nights to spend more time with Auntie."
Qin Tian suggested.
"We'll see later!"
"Mhm!"
...
...
The car drove to the commercial street. After finding a parking spot, the two got out and started shopping.
They bought two popular milk teas from a shop with a long queue, and then strolled around, holding hands and sipping their drinks.
"Nuannuan, I want to try yours."
Qin Tian smiled and gestured with his mouth.
Xia Nuannuan was taken aback for a moment, then handed the straw of her milk tea to him.
Qin Tian took a big sip and nodded in approval, "Mhm, yours is good too."
"You drank so much, you drank mine all up."
Xia Nuannuan pretended to puff out her cheeks in annoyance, her expressive eyes fixed on his cup.
"Then you can drink mine!"
Qin Tian smiled, understanding her hint, and handed his milk tea over.
Xia Nuannuan lowered her head, took a big sip like him, and smiled contentedly.
Just then, two boys walked past them. Upon seeing this scene, they started whispering to each other.
"Bro, see? Having a girlfriend isn't all that great. If it were me, I could buy two cups and drink to my heart's content."
"Can you not sound so sour?"
"Get lost, who's sour? Come on, let's go buy two cups of milk tea up ahead."
"Two cups each?"
"Are you stupid? Can you finish two cups?"
"If you're treating, I don't care if it's twenty cups!"
"Go away, why aren't you treating?"
"Tsk, stingy. No wonder you're single."
...
Hearing the boys' conversation, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan exchanged a surprised glance, and then burst into laughter.
The two boys behind them heard the laughter and immediately realized they had been speaking too loudly. Their faces flushed, and they quickened their pace towards the milk tea shop with the queue.
After finishing their milk teas, Qin Tian and Xia Nuannuan entered a Giant Bicycles specialty store.
"Hello, how can I help you?"
A female store assistant greeted them warmly.
"We're looking at bicycles."
Qin Tian replied.
"Okay, what kind are you looking for? I can recommend some for you."
"Mainly for getting to classes at school."
"I see!"
The female assistant nodded in understanding and then recommended a few models to them.
Qin Tian's gaze fell upon a mountain bike with a predominantly red frame, priced at just over two thousand yuan.
Giant is a major international brand, so this price was only for a basic model. There were many more expensive ones in the store, and even ones hanging on the wall that cost over a hundred thousand yuan.
However, for commuting to school, Qin Tian didn't need anything too fancy.
It wasn't that he couldn't afford it, but in a crowded place like school, he wouldn't be able to bring the bike into the dormitory every day, and buying something too expensive would be more trouble.
If it were stolen, the money would be a minor issue; the real problem would be the time and effort wasted in buying another one.
"Nuannuan, how about this one?"
Qin Tian asked Xia Nuannuan beside him.
"It's very nice!"
Xia Nuannuan nodded with a smile.
"Then we'll take this one."
Qin Tian said to the store assistant.
Buying a bicycle was just about practicality; there was no need to be overly picky.
"Okay, would you like me to recommend another one?"
The female assistant asked with a smile.
"No, thank you!"
Qin Tian shook his head and asked, "Can we add a seat to the back?"
"Ah?"
The female assistant was momentarily confused.
Qin Tian pointed to the rear of the bicycle and said again, "We want to add a passenger seat, a good, comfortable one. Do you have any in your store?"
"Yes, yes!"
The female assistant nodded eagerly, casting an envious glance at Xia Nuannuan beside him.
Xia Nuannuan smiled a little bashfully.
Then, the female assistant led them to the accessories section in the back and introduced a few rear seats.
The prices ranged from over a hundred to several hundred yuan, and the quality looked good, but Qin Tian was not entirely satisfied.
His gaze moved upwards, landing on a black leather rear seat at the very top.
"Can that one be installed?"
Qin Tian raised his hand, pointed to the rear seat, and asked the female assistant.
The female assistant looked up and was stunned again. She smiled kindly and reminded him, "Sir, this rear seat is our most high-end model. It's not very suitable for the bike you chose. Please don't misunderstand, I just think it's unnecessary and a bit expensive."
"It's fine, just tell me if it can be installed. This one should be more comfortable to sit on."
"It can be installed, but..."
The female assistant hesitated, looking a bit amused and exasperated.
This rear seat was considerably more expensive than the bicycle itself. It was mainly for display purposes, and hardly anyone bought such an item.
Mountain bikes were not suited for adding rear seats, let alone one that cost more than the bike.
Having worked there for several years, this was truly the first time she had encountered such a situation.
"As long as it can be installed, we'll take this one."
Qin Tian decided immediately.
"Miss, your boyfriend really thinks the world of you."
The female assistant looked at Xia Nuannuan with a strange expression, her eyes full of envy.
Xia Nuannuan smiled sweetly and linked her arm through Qin Tian's.
Then, the female assistant called a mechanic from the repair area to help install the rear seat while she took the two to the cashier to pay.
The bicycle was 2188 yuan, and the rear seat was 3588 yuan, totaling 5776 yuan. After a discount to round down, Qin Tian paid five thousand five hundred yuan by card.
The mechanic was very efficient, and soon the rear seat was installed.
To be honest, it looked a bit out of place.
With the rear seat installed, the bike didn't look high-end or stylish; instead, it looked even more basic.
But Qin Tian was very satisfied. This was the effect he wanted!