Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Won at Thirty Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Won at Thirty When Chen Cheng finished showering and went upstairs, Xiao ier was already lying in bed.
Hearing the footsteps, she called out from behind the wardrobe without having fallen asleep yet, “Xiao Cheng, are you tired?”
Chen Cheng looked at a pair of small feet under the moonlight, “No…
not tired.”
“How about we have a drink?” Xiao ier sat up, put on her slippers, “I’ll go downstairs and get a couple of bottles of beer.”
“No problem.”
With a faint smile, Xiao ier asked, “Cold or room temperature?”
“In this weather, sothing cold would be refreshing.”
Before long, each with two bottles of Qing Dao big green bottles in hand, they sat by the small table next to the window, drinking under the moonlight.
Chen Cheng tried not to let his gaze wander, but still, it lingered on her inadvertently, because Xiao ier was dressed too scantily.
Under the moonlight, she was wearing only a thin strappy nightgown, revealing large expanses of skin as white as snow, and those faint curves made Chen Cheng’s heart skip a beat.
“What’s wrong, Xiao Cheng?” Xiao ier took a light sip, her cheeks tinged with red, adding a bit more charm.
Chen Cheng quickly looked away, giving a sheepish smile: “Sister, it looks like there’s a mosquito on your chest.”
Xiao ier looked down, “That’s a mole!”
“Ah?
So this is what they call harboring great ambitions!”
“Slick talker.” Xiao ier chided, but the corner of her mouth revealed a smug smile.
“Xiao Cheng, do you know?
I’ve always been quite jealous of you,” Xiao ier suddenly said.
“Jealous of ?
Why?” Chen Cheng was puzzled.
“Because you’re young, vibrant, and full of endless possibilities.
Whereas I…
have gotten old,” Xiao ier sighed deeply, her eyes reflecting a hint of loneliness.
The two were only a year apart in age, strictly speaking, rely seven or eight months.
Chen Cheng replied, “Sister ier, how can you say you’ve gotten old?
You look even younger than !”
“You’re just trying to cheer up,” Xiao ier said with a laugh: “n at thirty are in their pri, but what about won?”
“Won at thirty?
They’re like perfectly ripe peaches, so sweet they’d lt your heart.”
Xiao ier burst out laughing, “With that mouth of yours!
No wonder, all those young girls like you!”
“Sister, stop teasing .”
“Alright, alright, I’ll stop teasing you.” Xiao ier put down the beer bottle, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked at Chen Cheng,
“In fact, I really am jealous of you.
Your life is full of possibilities, but my life…” she paused, seemingly searching for the right words, “is now fixed.”
Chen Cheng detected a touch of helplessness and sadness in Xiao ier’s words, “Sister, everyone’s life has its own pace and trajectory.
Your experiences are also your precious assets.
And your beauty and charm, those are things that ti cannot erase.”
“You really know how to charm people.”
Chen Cheng took a sip of the cool beer and then asked, “Sister, can I ask you a question?”
“Ask away.”
“Why did you co to Beijing in the first place?” Chen Cheng voiced the question that had puzzled him for years.
Xiao ier’s thoughts seed to drift off, her fingers tracing circles around the rim of the bottle.
It took a while before she spoke:
“You might not know, but where I co from, the conditions can’t compare to here.”
Chen Cheng nodded, he continued listening.
“I didn’t get into college, missed it by just a few points,” Xiao ier said slowly, “I was faced with only two choices.”
“One was to move south to work in a factory;”
“The other was to stay in my hotown, find any job waiting tables and, once I was of age, marry whoever seed okay.”
Chen Cheng saw Xiao ier blinking frequently and knew her situation was challenging.
“But I didn’t want that!
I didn’t want to leave myself in that small county town.” Xiao ier’s eyes curved, “I just wanted to see what the outside world was like.”
“So, you ca here?” Chen Cheng said conversely.
Xiao ier shook her head, “No.
Do you think coming to Beijing is as simple as you going out for a stroll?”
Chen Cheng smiled helplessly, “You’re right.”
“I told my grandma that I wanted to go out and see the world, and she told , if you want to venture out there, you’ve got to have a skill.”
Xiao ier took a sip of her drink and continued, “So, before I ca here, I learned how to cut hair, and also learned a bit of cooking from my grandma.”
“You know how to cut hair?” Chen Cheng was a bit surprised.
“A buzz cut, no big deal.” Xiao ier covered her mouth and giggled, “Back ho, we call it a ‘leather-head’.”
Chen Cheng unconsciously scratched his head and said, “Then I think I’ll keep my hair!”
“What?
Don’t trust my skills?!”
“No…
how could I not trust you?” Chen Cheng quickly flashed a smile.
Little did he know, Xiao ier stood up, walked to the wardrobe, and took out a pair of hairdressing scissors and several combs that hadn’t been used in years, “Co on, let trim it for you!”
“Do we have to make it such a big deal?”
“Why not?
Your hair is still damp, perfect timing!”
Chen Cheng gave a sheepish smile.
Even though he was reluctant, he sat down obediently.
Xiao ier stood behind Chen Cheng, gently running her fingers through his hair.
Chen Cheng felt her fingers gliding over his scalp, the sensation making him sowhat restless.
“Snip snip.”
As she cut, Xiao ier said, “Afterward, my grandmother gave so money, and I ca here.”
“And then?”
“When I first got to Beijing, I didn’t understand anything.
I found a hotpot restaurant and settled down there,” Xiao ier continued.
Chen Cheng was engrossed in listening; he could imagine her at eighteen, coming to Beijing all alone.
“I was too young back then, didn’t know how to weigh things properly, and was a bit clumsy.
Then, on payday, I spilled a pot of hotpot oil.”
“What?!” Chen Cheng had never heard these stories.
“Don’t move.
Or you’ll get an uneven cut!”
Chen Cheng sat up straight.
Xiao ier reached out her arm from behind, “Look, there’s still a mark here!”
Chen Cheng looked down and indeed saw a scar from a burn on that white-as-jade arm, though it had faded considerably.
“So, you an you didn’t work there anymore?” he asked.
Xiao ier sighed, “The boss said the pot of base I spilled was very expensive, so he fired .
Didn’t even pay my wages.”
“Didn’t you go and make a fuss about it?”
“I was young back then, and all alone.
Not knowing anyone here, what could I say?” Xiao ier said irritably.
But in the next second, her tone beca determined.
“However, from that mont on, I knew that self-reliance is most important!
I can’t work for others all my life.
I have to beco a boss to make real money!”
Chen Cheng understood what was in her heart.
And at this mont, Xiao ier stopped her hands.
“There, how does it look?” she said, holding a mirror in front of Chen Cheng.
Chen Cheng looked at himself in the mirror and was surprised to find that his hair had been trimd neatly and looked much sharper than before.
“Sis, your skills are really great!” Chen Cheng sincerely exclaid.
Xiao ier smiled proudly, “Of course, do you see who I am?”
Chen Cheng put down the mirror and asked, “So, that’s why you ca to Big Willow Tree?”
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