The tattoo shop was quiet for a long time.
It was so quiet that Xia Mian felt uneasy, standing in place as if her feet were nailed to the floor.
The cicada song outside grew increasingly noisy, and the heat radiated through the room, leaving only the old-fashioned fan in the corner shaking its head and blowing with a whirring sound.
Zhuang Zhong let out a snort of laughter.
Lao Lu’s hand holding the plastic wrap pressed down with increasing force, causing him to yelp in pain while laughing.
“Are you sure about that green?” Lao Lu asked. “He lost a bet to someone, and they ruined it by dyeing it that way.”
Zhou Ran frowned, clearly not wanting to hear Lao Lu talk about this.
“Get lost.”
Xia Mian didn’t know how to answer for a moment.
She didn’t mean to make fun of him.
She squeezed the sweat in her palms and lowered her voice a little: “I just think this color is very pretty.”
Light green, like spring, full of vibrant life.
Hearing this, Zhou Ran raised his eyes to look at her for a moment, then stood up: “Fine, let’s go with this color.”
He tossed the cucumber end he was holding and looked down at Xia Mian.
“When are you getting it tattooed?”
Xia Mian looked at him, and only when he stood up did she realize he was very tall. The muscle lines hidden under his short sleeves were faintly visible, his waist was very narrow, and his physique was as good as a male model in a fashion magazine.
She was stunned for a moment, and only after coming back to her senses did she stammer: “To, today.”
“You can’t get it done today,” Zhou Ran said. “The design takes time, and I have to modify the drawing based on your own ideas. It can’t be finished today.”
Xia Mian stared blankly at Zhou Ran and nodded: “Then when can it be done?”
“Tomorrow, I guess.”
Zhuang Zhong had already pulled up his pants and climbed off the bed, explaining to Xia Mian: “Brother Ran draws fast; he can get it done for you in one night.”
He touched his butt; it was itchy and a bit hot.
Zhuang Zhong looked back at Lao Lu: “Has your skill really not declined? I feel like my butt is burning. Don’t tell me you messed it up.”
Lao Lu had just put a cigarette in his mouth and hadn’t even lit it yet when he heard this from Zhuang Zhong, and he rolled his eyes.
“It’s always like this right after a tattoo. If you think it’s too hot, just cut that half of your butt off.”
Zhuang Zhong was rebuffed and muttered: “I’m just not used to it, that’s all.”
Xia Mian watched Zhuang Zhong scratching his butt intermittently and asked: “Does getting a tattoo hurt a lot?”
Zhou Ran glanced at her: “Afraid of pain?”
Whether it was her imagination or not, Xia Mian always felt that the man’s gaze was somewhat... she couldn’t describe it, but it made her feel uncomfortable.
“A little,” Xia Mian answered truthfully.
Lao Lu laughed and pointed at Zhuang Zhong beside him: “Those who are too afraid of pain shouldn’t get tattoos, otherwise they’ll end up just like this grandson.”
Xia Mian squeezed the small square bag in her hand. Zhou Ran was still looking at her, his gaze as if asking her, “Are you still getting it?”
She thought for a moment: “Then I’ll come back tomorrow.”
Zhou Ran lifted his chin: “Fine.”
He reached into his pocket: “Give me your mobile phone, let’s add each other on WeChat.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll send you the design tonight. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, we can change it.”
Xia Mian said “oh, oh,” took out her mobile phone, unlocked it, and handed it to Zhou Ran.
The back of her phone case was printed with two white butterflies, with a string of white beads hanging from the bottom like a bracelet.
Zhou Ran flipped it over to look and smiled: “You like butterflies that much?”
“They’re pretty.”
Zhou Ran tapped on the screen, and with a “beep,” he handed the mobile phone back to Xia Mian.
“If you have any questions, find me on WeChat. If you have any requests, try to state them all at once. The final design will be charged by size.”
Xia Mian didn’t understand these things, so she could only nod along.
“Come back tomorrow at noon; I have an appointment in the morning.” Zhou Ran brushed the hair on his forehead: “You’re sure you want this color, right? No more changes?”
Xia Mian looked seriously at Zhou Ran’s light green hair: “No more changes.”
“Fine.”
Zhuang Zhong leaned over and asked her: “Is it far for you to come here? If it’s inconvenient, just let Brother Ran sketch a few lines for you on the spot so you can see what the style is like.”
Zhou Ran had just taken a cigarette from Lao Lu and, hearing Zhuang Zhong say this, raised his foot to kick him in the butt.
“Do you think I’m a magic brush artist? You think I can just draw it out whenever you say so?”
Zhuang Zhong hurriedly covered his butt and dodged: “Brother, don’t kick, don’t kick! I still want this butt!”
Xia Mian watched Zhuang Zhong’s comical appearance, couldn’t help but curl her lips, and stood to the side giggling.
There were boys who acted like this in her school too, but she was in the elite class, where the atmosphere was usually dull. After school, her mother would immediately pick her up to go home, and she could only see such youthful spirit during the short walk past the playground.
This was her first time experiencing it up close.
Zhou Ran saw her giggling and raised an eyebrow: “What are you laughing at? I’m asking you a question.”
Xia Mian was stunned by the sudden remark: “What?”
“Asking if you live far from here.”
“Not far,” Xia Mian recalled the road she took. “Walk two streets from here, near the alley entrance of the snack street by the beach, that’s where I am.”
Xia Cheng was just a small, obscure city. You couldn’t even spend two hours driving around the downtown area, so no matter how far it was, it couldn’t be that far.
Zhuang Zhong pondered and clapped his hands: “Isn’t that area all homestays run by Aunt Pang?”
Lao Lu looked back at him: “You mean that old building area?”
“Yeah.”
Zhuang Zhong looked at Xia Mian and gestured with his hands to his own body: “Aunt Pang, the one with a figure like a big fat gourd, hair permed in curls like a landlady, and who wears reading glasses to watch TV whenever she’s free.”
Lao Lu laughed out loud when he heard Zhuang Zhong’s description: “You’re really not afraid of Aunt Pang hearing you and chasing you with a broom?”
Zhuang Zhong waved his hand: “I’m not her son.”
He asked Xia Mian again: “Is it her?”
Xia Mian was also amused by Zhuang Zhong’s description. She stopped laughing and nodded.
“It’s her.”
“Why are you staying there?” Zhuang Zhong asked.
Xia Mian said: “Graduation trip, just found a place at random.”
Zhou Ran held his half-smoked cigarette and looked up at Xia Mian through the smoke.
“Came here for a graduation trip?”
You could walk around this tiny, broken city on foot; what kind of trip is that?
Xia Mian smiled embarrassedly: “I heard Xia Cheng is very close to Minghai, and you can see the purple beach here. Minghai is crowded, so it’s the same for me wherever I watch it.”
Lao Lu was amused by her train of thought.
“You’re quite an interesting little girl.”
Zhou Ran stubbed out his cigarette: “Then come over tomorrow. Don’t drink alcohol before getting the tattoo, and remember to eat something before you come, so you don’t get dizzy from the needles.”
He picked up his mobile phone and scrolled through the screen, looking at the newly added WeChat friend.
He tapped on the profile picture; it was a snow-white Maltese dog wearing a little dress, with the hair on its forehead clipped up with a small hair clip.
Even the dog was pretty.
“What should I call you?” Zhou Ran asked, opening the notes.
Midsummer was hot, and even the wind was warm.
The wind chime at the doorway swayed gently, and amidst the crisp sound, she answered him.
“My name is Xia Mian.”
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