For him.
He'd chosen those places to shop not because the clothes there were better.
Quite the opposite.
Shopping at those places had no sense of real life to it.
The reason he'd still chosen to spend money in those places was purely for convenience.
He'd gotten used to just reporting his size, then having the boutique staff select seasonal clothes and send them to his home, skipping even the step of trying things on.
This life.
He'd still shop at high-end malls like in his previous life.
But the difference was that in this life, he'd carefully select items and try them on, meticulously examining whether the cut fit right in front of the dressing room mirror.
He wanted to experience every bit of life and learn to savor the warmth of living in every detail.
But all of that was for later.
The two of them arrived at a store called "Carmen's Clothing" with practiced ease.
They knew the owner of this shop.
Linda and Margaret had spent a lot of time here over the years.
The store was relatively large, divided into two sections: left and right.
On the left was the neatly organized men's section, and on the right was a wide variety of women's clothing.
As soon as they entered, Ethan said to the owner, "Mrs. Garcia! Busy?"
Carmen Garcia, who'd been sorting through her tie display, looked up when she heard the voice, and a smile immediately appeared on her round face.
She put down what she was doing and greeted them warmly. "Oh! Ethan, Jack! Why are you here at this hour?"
She glanced at the wall clock and asked with concern, "Shouldn't you be at home studying? The SATs are coming up soon!"
Jack replied, "Mrs. Garcia, we're taking graduation photos tomorrow, so we came to pick out some decent outfits!"
"Oh, I see! Graduation photos are memories that last a lifetime! You should definitely choose good-looking outfits for them." Carmen suddenly understood why the two had come at this time.
Then she said, "Do you have a style in mind? Want me to help you pick something out?"
Ethan replied with a smile, "Mrs. Garcia! We're planning to wear suits to look more formal, but we don't want anything too old-fashioned. Could you help us find something suitable for our age?"
"Okay! Then I'll pull a few more casual styles for you!" After saying that, she walked to the clothing area.
Her fingers skillfully moved between the hangers. "This style is more suitable for young people taking graduation photos nowadays..."
After a while.
Carmen brought over two suits and asked them to go to the fitting rooms to change. "Ethan, you try this navy blue one. Jack has darker skin, so try this charcoal gray set."
"Sounds good!"
"Cool!"
The two took their clothes and headed to the fitting rooms.
After a moment, the curtains of the fitting rooms were drawn back almost simultaneously, and the two of them walked out.
The two teenagers stood in front of the full-length mirror, and it was as if the youthful casualness of their school uniforms had faded in an instant, revealing the unique charm of young men.
Ethan's tall figure was particularly eye-catching in the mirror.
His height of 6'1" combined with smooth, athletic lines perfectly filled out the well-tailored navy blue suit.
The haircut he'd gotten a few days ago sat neatly at the back of his neck, making his jawline even more defined.
The overall look was really sharp.
The only slight flaw was that his 18-year-old face still carried some youthful softness.
Jack's tanned skin looked even better against the charcoal gray suit, and his solid 5'10" height carried the suit just right.
The hairstyle he'd gotten cut with Ethan a few days ago added a bit of sharpness to his look. If he'd still had that mushroom cut paired with this suit...
"Wow—" Carmen couldn't help but let out a gasp of admiration.
Carmen's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands with a smile. "Oh my! Yes! Ethan's build is like a walking clothes hanger!"
She circled around the two of them, then nodded approvingly at Jack. "Jack looks great in this too. The whole look makes you seem very sharp."
Subsequently.
The two chose two pairs of shiny dress shoes to match their suits.
At checkout, Ethan's total came to $58, but Carmen rounded down and charged $50.
Jack's purchase came to $62, and she also rounded down to $50.
The two spent a total of $1,000.
After buying their clothes.
The two rode the electric scooter home.
As soon as he opened the door, Ethan saw Robert sitting in front of the wooden coffee table in the living room, leisurely sipping tea.
The fragrance of tea made the room particularly peaceful.
Robert saw his son was back, smiled, waved, and said, "Ethan's back! Come drink some tea with your old man."
As he spoke, he poured a cup for Ethan.
"Looking pretty refined, Dad!"
Ethan walked to the sofa and shouted up to the second floor, "Mom! Mom! I'm back! Come down and check out my new suit—it looks sick!"
"I heard you, I heard you! I'm not deaf. Why are you shouting like that?"
Linda's voice came from upstairs.
Father and son looked at each other knowingly, and neither dared to respond.
Ethan picked up the ceramic teacup and took a couple sips. The hot tea flowed between his lips and teeth, carrying a faint floral fragrance.
In the living room.
Father and son chatted casually about one thing and another.
Ethan was very grateful for the way he got along with his father. When he talked with his dad, they could communicate on equal footing like friends.
Memories suddenly flashed back to childhood.
Back then, Robert had indeed been strict, but every time Ethan was punished, it was because he'd been mischievous—either breaking a neighbor's window or getting into fights at school.
But Robert never just scolded him directly and harshly. He'd always make Ethan think things through with a serious expression, let him calm down, then pull him aside like a friend and carefully analyze right from wrong.
And his sister Emily, who was a few years older than him, would always secretly slip him some snacks after their father finished his lectures.
It was safe to say that since childhood, his sister had been really good to him and valued him highly.
The most memorable incident was the absurd thing he'd done when they'd gone back to visit family during summer vacation when he was ten years old.
Because he'd been fooling around, he'd used a machete to cut down half an acre of someone's corn crop.
After being dragged home, Robert had been furious when he'd learned the news, so he'd picked up a belt and was about to give him an old-fashioned lesson.
Emily had cried her eyes out at the time, holding their father's arm to stop him.
People outside had pointed fingers at Ethan, saying how a kid so young who dared to destroy crops like that was no good, and that even a beating wouldn't fix him—he'd definitely amount to nothing in the future.
Emily had directly shot back after hearing that, saying her little brother would definitely be successful in the future. Those bright eyes had flashed with stubbornness, as if she believed in his future more firmly than Ethan himself did.
It was safe to say she'd valued Ethan since they were kids.
Later, as he grew up, he never saw that strict father again after entering high school.
The once harsh discipline had gradually transformed into long talks like friends.
"Where are the clothes? Put them on and let me see."
Linda's voice came from the stairs, accompanied by brisk footsteps.
As soon as Ethan heard his mother coming down, he quickly got up and pulled out his suit to put it on. "Let me tell you, Mom, this suit I bought looks absolutely fire!"
He neatly put on the suit jacket, then put on his shoes and carefully tied his laces. When adjusting his collar, he deliberately ran a hand through his hair and said confidently, "So, Mom? Your son looks good, right?"
Robert, who was drinking tea on the side, took a sip and chuckled. "As expected of my son. Has the same style I had back in the day."
Linda looked him over, reached out to smooth his shoulder line, and said, "Well, it's not bad. Pretty sharp."
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