Jim Thorne nodded repeatedly. That was exactly it. He knew it in his heart but couldn’t quite put it into words. That Hawthorne kid was certainly silver-tongued.

In the end, Goldie Thorne was the one who stayed behind. With two thousand yuan worth of goods on the line, he really couldn’t rest easy unless he watched over them himself.

"Talk nicely to Madman Ye. Don’t try to go against him. A powerful outsider can’t beat a local snake, you know? Besides, we plan to do business here in the future, so we absolutely can’t afford to offend him. Just focus on getting Tang Xiaonan back..."

Goldie Thorne droned on and on. Jim Thorne grew impatient. "I know, I know. Adrian Hawthorne is smarter than you. If you’ve thought of it, don’t you think he has too?"

"His math isn’t even as good as mine, so what’s all the fuss..."

Jim Thorne didn’t dare say that last part out loud, but even though he mumbled it under his breath, Goldie Thorne heard him and kicked him squarely in the rear. Muttering that loud—did he think he was deaf or something?!

"I’m talking about you! Of course I’m not worried about Adrian. I’m worried you, you big mouth, are going to offend someone!"

Jim Thorne rolled his eyes. ’Does he think I’m an idiot? With Tang Xiaonan in their hands, of course I’m going to be polite. I’d even be willing to get on my knees and kowtow. Does he really think I can’t use my brain? Hmph!’

Tang Xiaonan spent the whole morning playing with Madman Ye. After some ice cream and soda, Madman Ye took her by the hand and went for a stroll. One of his underlings followed behind them—the one called Will. He was the only one with children, so Madman Ye figured he had more experience and brought him along as an aide.

They went straight to the largest department store in Capria. Madman Ye thought Tang Xiaonan’s clothes were too dowdy and an offense to his elderly eyes. He marched right to the children’s section and told the staff to bring out this year’s most popular clothes.

"Bring out everything that’s in fashion! And shoes and socks, too!"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Madman Ye gestured like a king surveying his domain. The salesclerk didn’t dare to dally, bringing out several popular items. Tang Xiaonan thought they were still a bit tacky, but for this era, they were already the height of fashion.

There were bib overalls, a plaid skirt, a bright red one-piece dress, a puffy sunflower-print skirt, and a white, lace-trimmed princess dress. The prices were exorbitant. The little princess dress alone cost eighteen yuan, which was about a month’s salary for some people. ’As expected,’ she thought, ’no matter the era, children’s products are always the most profitable.’

"Good heavens, it’s just a few scraps of fabric! Eighteen yuan is enough to buy yards and yards of cloth!" Even Will, who had seen his fair share, was shocked by the price. He had two mischievous sons, and they always wore clothes his wife made, which didn’t cost a single cent.

He would rather spend money on meat for his sons than buy such expensive clothes for them.

The salesclerk said with a placating smile, "This is a princess dress in a popular foreign style. The craftsmanship and fabric are top-notch. Eighteen yuan isn’t expensive."

In truth, she thought it was expensive too. They had gotten this model of princess dress in stock last year—only three of them. In a whole year, they had only sold two. The manager was about to put this last one on sale. She never expected such a big spender to show up, someone who clearly wasn’t short on cash.

Tang Xiaonan actually quite liked the dress, but eighteen yuan was just too expensive. Besides, she had a feeling it had been on display for quite some time. The color wasn’t as vibrant anymore, and it had even gathered some dust.

"It’s dirty."

Tang Xiaonan deliberately shook her head in disdain. ’This dress is definitely the last of their unsold stock. Since I can’t refuse Madman Ye’s enthusiasm, I might as well help haggle the price down a bit.’

Will chimed in, "It’s even got stains on it. This dress hasn’t been worn by someone else, has it?"

"Absolutely not. No one has worn it. It’s just been on display for a little long. How about this: if you really want to buy it, I can do fifteen yuan." The salesclerk’s customer service was quite good. She kept a pleasant smile on her face, a far cry from the other bossy and arrogant clerks.