Cheng Zi still hadn’t figured out how to explain what would happen tomorrow.
Fortunately, Xia Hongjun misunderstood her as a “big spender,” so she simply went along with it and stayed silent.
“Just how much brainwash did that Gu guy give you? He’s getting married and you’re still eagerly sending fish—that’s over 2,000 yuan!”
Xia Hongjun thought she was hopelessly foolish.
“Alright, stop talking about it. The barbershop is here.”
“You’re really sick. I thought you’d finally given up. I even thought you’d go cause a scene tomorrow… and maybe demand some money while you’re at it!”
Xia Hongjun spent the whole perm session fuming. Cheng Zi felt like her resentment was literally steaming along with the old curling machine—strangely cute.
Cheng Zi discussed with the owner of Xiu Li Hair Salon and changed Xia Hongjun’s originally requested “steel wool head” into a Hong Kong-style wool curl.
The owner understood immediately, her eyes lighting up, and started working right away.
Cheng Zi had originally wanted to get her signature big waves, but after seeing the equipment in the shop, she gave up the idea.
Black straight hair was fine too!!
While waiting for Xia Hongjun, she looked around the area.
Zhouhe Street was an old pedestrian commercial district, unlike the standardized Hua Lian Mall area. It was more diverse and fashionable.
Outside the salon, a trendy rotating hair light flashed in black and white, eye-catching under the sun.
A large glass window displayed posters of popular Hong Kong stars.
Nearby were clothing stores, skincare shops, and shoe-and-bag boutiques—all very stylishly decorated.
The owner soon came out after finishing her work. She lit a women’s cigarette, the red lipstick, red nails, and bold makeup making her look strikingly beautiful—one of the top trendy women of the early 1990s.
“Little sister, you’re not getting a hairstyle?”
Cheng Zi shook her head. “Next time. I don’t feel like changing my hair this time.”
The owner pointed at her own hair. “What do you think of this red?”
They had recently imported a new hair dye said to be popular in Hong Kong. Few people in Tongcheng accepted it, so she casually promoted it to every customer.
To her surprise, Cheng Zi nodded.
“It looks good. That red suits you and brightens your complexion. Very pretty.”
“You really think so?”
The owner smiled charmingly, flicking ash from her cigarette and looking at herself in the mirror.
“Really looks good. It suits you.”
“You’ve got good taste,” the owner said, clearly pleased.
Once praised, she started chatting more freely.
After learning Cheng Zi was a designer, she looked her over several times and nodded approvingly.
“Your outfit is very stylish. I’ve seen this kind of style in magazines—Hong Kong pageant winners wore things like this. Really nice.”
Cheng Zi raised her eyebrows slightly, also feeling the woman had good taste.
A round of mutual compliments began.
“You see that shop across the street? It used to be very popular. But after the old owner passed away, her younger sister is too old-fashioned. She can’t keep up with trends—now it’s almost closed.”
The owner criticized others while praising herself.
“If she had even half my taste, she wouldn’t have ended up like this!”
“She used to be impressive too. In ‘85 she even went to Hong Kong to source goods!”
As she spoke, Cheng Zi also glanced across the street.
Three large storefronts, very old-fashioned decoration. Behind the glass were sewing machines and an old mannequin dressed in outdated styles.
“Is that shop for sale?”
Cheng Zi asked casually.
The owner, thinking she had guessed correctly, pointed with her cigarette.
“Not just selling the shop—she’s selling the property too. Three storefronts plus a small three-story building.”
“So expensive?”
“Yep.” She held up three fingers.
“30,000 yuan?”
“Yep, 30,000!”
The owner then pointed at her own shop.
“My place is about the same size as that clothing store over there. I only paid 12,000 back then.”
Cheng Zi: “……”
The price difference made her worldview feel slightly distorted.
Three-storey street property in the main commercial district—for only 30,000 yuan.
Too cheap.
Then she thought about her entire savings.
212 yuan.
Very expensive.
“Too expensive. I can’t afford it,” Cheng Zi said honestly.
The owner waved her hand casually. “Normal. People ask every day, but no one even bargains. That’s why it hasn’t sold.”
After a few more casual words, a customer came in requesting her personally, so the owner extinguished her cigarette and went back inside.
Since Xia Hongjun would still take a while, Cheng Zi decided to walk across the street to take a look at the clothing shop.
**Jiang Fen Clothing Store.**
Near noon, even though the shop wasn’t facing the sun, it was strangely stuffy inside.
“I already told you, I need this dress tomorrow! You still haven’t finished it—you must compensate me or this isn’t over!”
A quarrel echoed the moment she stepped in.
“Auntie, it’s not unfinished. It was made exactly according to the measurements. Now you’re saying it’s too loose…”
“That means you measured it wrong! You can’t even take measurements properly—what kind of business are you running? When Jiang Fen was here, everything she made fit perfectly!”
The two argued fiercely.
A faint child’s cry suddenly sounded—soft and broken, like a kitten.
Cheng Zi looked over curiously.
A baby, about a year old, lay in a stroller. Fair and chubby, very cute, but clearly frightened by the argument, its eyes filled with tears.
When Jiang Xiang saw a customer enter, she looked embarrassed.
“Feel free to look around.”
The arguing aunt turned around, anger still on her face.
“What’s there to look at? A shop that can’t even measure properly is just wasting people’s time!”
Jiang Xiang glanced at Cheng Zi, even more embarrassed.
“If it really doesn’t work, I can refund your deposit.”
“Refund? I don’t care about your little deposit! You delayed my important business—you must compensate me!”
Cheng Zi looked at the dress in the girl’s hands, then at the crying baby.
She sighed inwardly.
“Let me take a look at that dress.”