Because there was a parent-teacher meeting, fashion-conscious Mother Jiang decided to get her hair permed and didn’t have time to cook lunch for Jiang Yumo. Mother Jiang had been in a good mood lately because the pharmacy increased her salary by 200 yuan. And because Father Jiang at the bus station had honestly returned valuable items left behind by a passenger, the bus company rewarded Father Jiang with 500 yuan, which made Mother Jiang smile for several days.
Because she was in a good mood, she became generous and not only got her hair done but also took her daughter out for a steak lunch.
At the end of last year, Ningcheng opened a self-service steak restaurant where you could get a steak for 59 yuan. They also had a variety of other dishes, making it very affordable.
Jiang Yumo didn’t go home after school but went to the place her Mom mentioned.
Even before reaching the entrance, she felt uneasy!
There were several hair salons on this street… and one of them happened to be where one of Duan Ye’s gang member worked.
She prayed silently all the way, but unfortunately, her prayers went unanswered.
She heard her Mom’s energetic voice on the phone, “Which shop? Young man, what’s the name of your shop? Oh, it’s called ‘Love or Cut.’ Just come over directly!”
Jiang Yumo : “Uh…”
She was almost at the door, and if she tried to escape now, she would definitely be scolded by her Mom when she got home.
So she started praying again : Let that gang member have the day off today! Please, don’t let him be here at this moment!
She sluggishly entered the shop like a snail.
She spotted her Mom right away, sitting on a leather chair with her hair all wrapped up, and there was a hair perming device on top of her head, a circular contraption spinning around.
“Momo, over here.” Mother Jiang had been keeping an eye on the entrance, and as soon as her daughter entered, she called out to her.
Jiang Yumo quickly scanned the shop.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief, she heard the sound of someone coming downstairs, thumping down the stairs.
Liu Zhi, with his dyed yellow hair, thought he was seeing things, but when he squinted and got closer, he was about to blurt out “Sister-in-law.” But just in time, Jiang Yumo blinked frantically at Liu Zhi and raised her voice, “Mom, I need to use the restroom!”
Liu Zhi suppressed the word “sister-in-law” he was about to say, but he ended up choking on his own saliva and coughing violently.
Mother Jiang’s voice came from the other side, “Then go.”
Jiang Yumo pretended to ask Liu Zhi, “Excuse me, where is the restroom?”
Liu Zhi quickly turned to the side, “Sis… cough, cough, let me take you there.”
Jiang Yumo followed Liu Zhi upstairs, and there was no one upstairs at the moment. Liu Zhi warmly greeted her, “Sister-in-law, you haven’t eaten yet, right? I have a lot of snacks here. Do you want some orange slices? And there are Oreos too. How about potato chips?”
“You’re going to kill me! My Mom is here!” Jiang Yumo glared at him.
What if her Mom heard? Wouldn’t that be awkward?
Liu Zhi understood and covered his mouth.
He was not tall, thin, and gave off a sense of malnutrition. His hair was permed into striking yellow curls, and he wore several metal accessories. Not to mention the multiple earrings he had on his ears. If Duan Ye dressed similarly, Jiang Yumo could guarantee that her parents would never approve of their relationship. They would definitely be on high alert and strictly forbid her from associating with someone like him.
Liu Zhi appeared to be very unorthodox, but Jiang Yumo had interacted with him a few times and had long seen through that behind his unorthodox and unscrupulous appearance, he had a self-deprecating and kind-hearted nature.
“Don’t call me that way.” Jiang Yumo thought for a moment, but she swallowed back the words “Don’t show that you know me either.” She felt that if she said it, Liu Zhi would be hurt.
Other than Liu Zhi’s unorthodox appearance, he was good in every other way.
He had a kind heart, didn’t smoke or drink, and didn’t engage in promiscuous relationships. He was the kind of guy who focused on working hard and earning money.
Liu Zhi hurriedly responded, “Sis… no, no, no, I understand.”
He cautiously asked, “Do you want to eat something?”
He quickly pulled out a plastic basket and said, “These are the snacks we have here. What would you like? We also have soda biscuits.”
Jiang Yumo waved her hand, “I’m not hungry. I’m going out to eat with my Mom later.”
Liu Zhi nodded, feeling a bit regretful. How could he not recognize that Auntie as his sister-in-law’s Mom? He blamed it on never having seen her before. Today he would definitely remember!
Duan Ye had many friends, but he wouldn’t introduce every friend to Jiang Yumo. Jiang Yumo only learned about Liu Zhi later from Zhao Zheng. Liu Zhi was Duan Ye’s elementary school classmate, and based on Liu Zhi’s current appearance, one could imagine that he was even skinnier and shorter in elementary school. He was constantly bullied and threatened to pay protection fees by older students. However, Liu Zhi came from a poor family, his parents divorced early, and they didn’t care about him. He ended up living with his elderly grandparents.
At that time, Duan Ye witnessed this and helped Liu Zhi several times, making Liu Zhi become Duan Ye’s follower.
Liu Zhi didn’t even attend junior high school. After graduating from elementary school, he started hanging out. In his own words, he wasn’t smart, couldn’t learn well, so why waste time and money on education? At the age of thirteen, while others were still studying in school and protected by their parents, Liu Zhi had to learn how to earn money to support himself. He also took some wrong paths. When he worked as a waiter, he was severely bullied and even cheated out of money. The worst incident was when he was tricked into going to the provincial capital, but Duan Ye went there overnight and brought him back. After that, he became an apprentice at a hair salon, and now he had stabilized his life. At least he had a skill to make a living.
Jiang Yumo could guess what Liu Zhi wanted to do. Just as she turned around to go downstairs, she quickly turned back and “educated” Liu Zhi seriously, “Don’t offer discounts to my Mom in your name, don’t refuse to take money from her. You’re not the boss. I know that you’ll end up paying for it yourself anyway. Charge however you should, don’t pay for it!” She softened her tone, “You’re working hard to earn money now, so don’t do this. I don’t like it.”
Liu Zhi : T v T
He said emotionally, “Sis…”
Jiang Yumo’s scalp tingled, “Oh my, I’ve told you not to call me that way. If my mom hears it, I’ll be in trouble!”
Liu Zhi lowered his head and said, “Okay.”
What the sister-in-law said goes.
Only then did Jiang Yumo feel relieved and went downstairs peacefully. She sat next to her Mom and chatted leisurely. Fortunately, her Mom had come early, and it was almost over now.