Hé Yǔshuǐ stood before the counter, her brow slightly furrowed in deep thought. A fierce internal struggle raged within her: the pull of her desire for beauty clashing with the reality of her budget. Finally, biting her lip, she spoke to the shop assistant, "Just give me a tin of vanishing cream. I'll pass on the pearl cream for now."
Upon hearing this, a look of contempt crossed the assistant's face. She reached for the vanishing cream with agonizing slowness, her movements so languid they seemed intentionally dragged out. As she did, she curled her lip at Hé Yǔshuǐ with undisguised disdain and muttered under her breath, "Humph, poor thing. I knew you couldn't afford it; you just kept asking anyway."
Though her voice was low, it rang out clearly in the relative quiet of the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, reaching Hé Yǔshuǐ’s ears. A flash of hot fury surged through her, and her face flushed crimson, like a ripened apple. Her eyes sparkled with indignation as she demanded, "What did you say? Who can't afford it? Say that again!"
Chapter 308