160: It’s not that shopping malls are unaffordable, but trade cities are more cost-effective!
Chapter 160: It’s not that I can’t afford to shop at the mall, it’s that the trade city is more cost-effective!
“You’re back, big brother. Have you had breakfast yet?”
“I steamed beef and carrot buns this morning. Wash your hands first, and I’ll go warm them up.”
After hearing movement at the door, Lin Qian, who was watering flowers on the balcony, quickly put down her watering can and trotted over.
She took Lin Yi’s backpack, pulled out slippers from the shoe cabinet, and asked her brother if he had eaten breakfast. “Give me a few!”
It was already past ten o’clock, and Lin Yi had originally planned to just eat lunch, but upon hearing about the beef and carrot buns, his mouth suddenly salivated profusely.
His sister’s bun-steaming skills were a complete inheritance of their mother’s, especially these beef buns; they were so good that one would eat them in silence.
Ever since their lives became financially strained these past two years, beef, which cost over 40 yuan a catty, was basically something they hadn’t dared to hope for. “Slow down, big brother. If these five aren’t enough, there are more in the pot. Drink some millet porridge so you don’t choke.”
Watching her brother wolf down his food, Lin Qian couldn’t help but swallow her own saliva.
She touched her still-full stomach and decided against eating another one. “That’s enough. Sit down and don’t fuss. We’ll go out after I finish eating. I’ll save some room in my stomach to treat you to a big meal for lunch.”
“Go out for what? You worked all night, big brother. Aren’t you going to sleep for a bit?”
Lin Qian asked doubtfully. If he was taking her out specifically for lunch, she wouldn’t go.
Her brother had already worked a night shift, and the most important thing now was to rest. “I’m not sleepy. After we come back at noon, I’ll just take a nap.”
“Don’t worry about it, just follow me. Today we’re going to the mall to get all the small things we’re missing.”
Lin Yi firmly rejected his sister’s kind offer.
He wanted to take advantage of this rare day off to quickly get all the household items that were missing or needed replacing.
Counting on his frugal sister to spend money, their old rice cooker, which had been used for over ten years, would probably still be on duty for several more years. “Oh! Alright then.”
Seeing her brother’s determined look, Lin Qian couldn’t refuse any further.
It was a good opportunity to help her brother get some new clothes at the mall.
He was already a doctor at a big Hospital, yet he was still wearing cheap clothes from street stalls, which really seemed inappropriate.
She could be frugal herself, but she absolutely couldn’t let her brother be looked down upon at work. Lin Yi quickly finished his meal, and the siblings changed into clean and neat clothes before hastily leaving Cuiyingyuan Community.
Fortunately, about six or seven hundred meters from the Hospital, was Jin City’s very famous Ouyuan Mall.
The two walked for less than ten minutes and arrived at the mall’s main entrance.
“Big brother, why don’t we go to the Yiwu Trade City near Xiaoxihu instead?”
“Things there are at least half cheaper than here, and the quality isn’t much worse.”
Standing at the mall’s main entrance, looking at the grand decor inside and the fashionable crowds coming and going.
Lin Qian suddenly grabbed her brother, intending to change their shopping location.
With the money her brother had recently transferred to her, it wasn’t that she couldn’t afford to spend at this mall, but rather that the trade city offered better value for money!
Xiaoxihu was only three bus stops away from their current location, so it wouldn’t take too much time. “How can that be the same? You get what you pay for!”
“Come with me, big brother. Don’t worry about the money. Just buy whatever you like…”
Lin Yi said without explanation, dragging his very reluctant sister into the mall’s main entrance.
The completion of 30 gallbladder surgeries yesterday had added nearly 30,000 yuan in cash to his account.
Given his sister Lin Qian’s spending habits, he was actually worried that he wouldn’t be able to spend all this money!
Even if he spent all the money he had today, Lin Yi wouldn’t worry at all.
After Yang Dong’s test results came out, this would be the best live advertisement.
From today onwards, at least within Long Province, patients preparing for gallbladder surgery wouldn’t even need to think about it; Lin Yi would, of course, be the best choice.
Lin Yi, who could even successfully treat gallbladder cancer, would find minor surgeries like gallstones and cholecystitis to be a piece of cake, with no possibility of error. Based on a rough estimate of the number of gallbladder patients admitted to the General Surgery Department of the Central Hospital each day, the Emergency Department would need to perform at least dozens of gallbladder surgeries daily from now on.
Each surgery could bring Lin Yi an overall income of about a thousand yuan, so even with a minimum of ten surgeries, he could ensure a net profit of at least ten thousand yuan per day. With this income as a base, even if he spent all the money in his account today, Lin Yi wouldn’t have the slightest worry.
And starting today, Lin Yi wanted to set an example for his sister with his actions, showing her the correct way to truly spend money.
In this world, Lin Yi only had his sister as a relative. If he earned money and wasn’t generous enough to spend a bit more, what was he saving it for, to hatch chicks?
“Based on her skin type, give me the best skincare set.”
Just two steps into the mall, Lin Yi stopped at a cosmetics counter he had heard of, pointed at his sister, and asked the sales associate to pick out a suitable set of products.
“Handsome man and beautiful lady, please come in quickly. You can sit on the sofa and rest for a moment. I will definitely help the beautiful lady choose the most suitable set.”
The sales associate, wearing a skirt suit, smiled like a flower and quickly ushered Lin Yi and his sister into the counter.
“Big brother, Da Bao is perfectly fine for me. Why buy these things? I don’t even need them…”
Pulled into the counter by her brother, Lin Qian anxiously whispered in his ear.
As a girl, even if she hadn’t used these high-end cosmetics, she knew their prices.
Although L’Oréal wasn’t the best, a set would definitely cost more than a thousand yuan.
Spending so much money on cosmetics was simply a sin. If converted into beef buns, it would be more than enough for the siblings to eat for a year. “Stop talking nonsense. If I tell you to buy it, you buy it, or I’ll really get angry!”
Lin Yi said with a dark face, feigning anger.
Without some decisive action, he wouldn’t be able to dispel his sister’s concerns.
“Don’t worry, big brother is now a star player in the department. You saw Old You who came yesterday, didn’t you? My daily income level now is absolutely beyond your imagination!”
Seeing that Lin Qian still showed no intention of moving, Lin Yi had to patiently explain it again in a different way.
The siblings had grown up practically inseparable since childhood, and Lin Qian was certain that her brother would never truly be angry with her, so she didn’t take Lin Yi’s threats seriously. “Then I’ll try it first. If it’s not good, I definitely won’t buy it.”
After her brother explained it this way, Lin Qian reluctantly began to move.
The main thing was, standing inside someone else’s counter and continuing to argue like this would only make outsiders laugh.
“This way, beautiful lady.”
From beginning to end, the sales associate maintained a pleasant smile. Only after confirming that the customer was ready to try the products did she quickly lead Lin Qian to introduce them. “Dad… Dad, what’s wrong?”
“Is there a doctor? Can someone help me, please?”
Just as Lin Yi was bored, sitting inside the counter and admiring the beautiful, cool summer scenery of people coming and going.
Diagonally across from his line of sight, an elderly person suddenly fell in the mall corridor.
The middle-aged man beside him, while helplessly checking his elderly father’s condition, wailed loudly, desperately appealing to the surrounding crowd for help.