“Aunt Lu, have you rented out the place next door?” A passerby noticed workers renovating the not-so-large storefront and could not help walking over to the barbecue shop entrance to ask the woman threading skewers.
“It’s rented out.” Aunt Lu smiled with narrowed eyes. Because the rent was high, she was in a good mood.
Xiao Xin scratched his head and asked, “What kind of business? Why are they decorating it like that?”
Looking closely, wooden flooring had already been laid inside the shop. The lower part of the walls was covered with light green ceramic tiles about one meter high. The upper walls had been painted plain white, and workers were installing a chandelier.
“A sweet soup shop? I’m not too sure either. They’re people from the south. You know how it is. Their way of speaking is so soft and coquettish.” Aunt Lu tried to imitate the accent, but her voice was rough and she could not quite manage it.
Xiao Xin chuckled. When he returned to the dormitory, he immediately leaned over the table and said, “That small storefront next to the barbecue shop has been rented out. Aunt Lu is so happy she can barely contain herself. She said the tenant is from the south. I bet she really squeezed a lot of rent out of them.”
“The renovation is really flashy. I can’t get used to it,” Xiao Xin said while grabbing a handful of peanuts and eating as he gossiped. “I asked Aunt Lu why she didn’t introduce our renovation team to that sucker. Brother Yang, guess what Aunt Lu said?”
Yang Qin glanced at him but clearly had no intention of continuing the conversation.
Xiao Xin could not hold it in and continued on his own. “Aunt Lu said they hired a renovation company to design it themselves. She said it’s a ‘style’!”
“A renovation company just has a few designers who come up with fancy decorations. How could that compare with the craftsmanship of our construction team?”
Xiao Xin felt indignant. To put it plainly, he was just heartbroken that they had lost a job. And it was from a generous southern customer too.
Yang Qin said calmly, “Who they hire to renovate is their freedom.”
“If there are designers drawing plans, it looks more fashionable. Clients like that nowadays. Instead of complaining, you should learn more.”
Xiao Xin pouted. He did not have the talent to hold a pen. After he dropped out of school, it was his older brother who brought him out of their small fishing village to work and earn some money.
Seeing that Yang Qin remained calm, Xiao Xin could not help gossiping about something else. “Aunt Lu said the tenant is a great beauty from Hong Kong City!”
He really could not understand why a great beauty from a big city like Hong Kong would come to their place, which lagged far behind in development, to open a sweet soup shop.
Yang Qin finished the last bite of his meal, cleared the table, and stood up to take a shower. He had no interest in Xiao Xin’s talk about Hong Kong City, great beauties, or sweet soup shops. After working hard all day, he only wanted to lie down and sleep at night.
The hotels here were still equipped with those old-fashioned electric fans. As the weather gradually grew hotter, mosquitoes buzzed constantly.
Wen Quhua buried herself entirely in the blanket, but it did not help. The buzzing still sounded in her ears.
The noise kept her from falling asleep, yet she did not dare to stick her head out, afraid of waking up covered in mosquito bites.
Hiding under the blanket made her feel hot and irritated. She truly missed the air conditioner at home.
Even if it was not the home from sixteen years later, the stairwell apartment she lived in Hong Kong City was still better than this backward small county town.
Her family’s conditions were good. Wen Quhua had taken the green-skinned train all the way here, exhausted from the long journey by boat and carriage. Even staying in a small hotel was uncomfortable. This was probably the greatest hardship she had suffered in this life. She felt that even her face had become tanned.
But she had no choice but to come.
The only task on the panel she received after being reborn was to come to this small county town, find a man named Yang Qin, and guide him onto the right path so that he would not commit a crime and go to prison one year later.
Thinking of this, she let out another quiet sigh.
She had to approach a criminal. Although he had not committed the crime yet, she was still afraid.
Since he would commit a crime a year later, that meant violent tendencies must already exist in his genes.
Her plan had to be even more foolproof. Ideally, she would avoid direct contact with him as much as possible while still preventing him from going down the wrong path.
As she continued thinking about it, Wen Quhua gradually fell asleep.
She did not wake up until noon the next day. After getting herself ready, she put on a large sun hat and sunglasses before going out to check the renovation progress at the shop.
On the very day she arrived in Langcheng, she had already rented the shop and hired a renovation company to handle everything. She even paid extra for urgent work, so the progress was extremely fast.
After picking out several faults, Wen Quhua was barely satisfied.
The second floor also had to be renovated. The materials had to be the best. She had even ordered furniture made from solid wood to craft the sofas, cabinets, and bed.
After all, she would be living here for a year.
Wen Quhua was not short of money. She was simply very particular. If those workers were not doing it for the sake of the money, they probably would have quit already.
As soon as she left, the workers ran outside to smoke and take a break. While doing so, they complained a few times, and Xiao Xin happened to overhear it all.
Xiao Xin ran to the construction site and repeated it to Yang Qin as casual gossip.
“Good thing they didn’t hire us. The work there is so meticulous that one job equals several of ours.”
Yang Qin wore a black sleeveless shirt. His muscles were well-defined. Sweat stained his bronze-colored skin, and even his firm face was covered with sweat.
He focused on the work in his hands, and it was unclear whether he had heard what Xiao Xin said.
Xiao Xin truly admired Brother Yang. Even when helping cover the work for a laborer under him who had taken leave, Yang Qin still worked so seriously.
“Brother Yang, we’re getting paid today. Want to go eat barbecue tonight? A few bottles of iced beer would feel amazing.”
“Alright.” Yang Qin finally responded. As he finished up the work in his hands, he took a towel and wiped his face. The movement was not deliberate, yet it looked good.
From time to time, Xiao Xin would feel envious of Yang Qin’s physique. Yang Qin was tall, had a good build, and a handsome face.
Xiao Xin was half a head shorter than him and envied him greatly.
Xiao Xin suddenly asked, “Brother Yang, what kind of partner do you want to find?”
Yang Qin did not stop the work in his hands. He glanced sideways at him. “Thinking about getting married already? How old are you?”
Xiao Xin scratched his head and laughed. “I’m definitely not in a hurry. I’m worried about you, Brother. In a few years, you’ll be thirty.”
“Get lost,” Yang Qin scolded with a smile.
He really had no such thoughts. At least for now, he had never considered it. How could women be more important than making money?
In the afternoon, Yang Qin, Xiao Xin, and several other brothers headed straight to the barbecue stall.
After doing physical labor all day, everyone was hungry. They ordered plenty of meat skewers, a basket of grilled flatbread, and two packs of beer.
The group ate and drank together. Aunt Lu even brought out a large oscillating electric fan for them, making the place much more comfortable.
Once the iced beer went down, it felt even more refreshing. A single drinking session could last two or three hours.
At seven in the evening, the sky was beginning to darken slightly, but the rosy clouds of sunset had not yet faded. The small county town felt peaceful and leisurely.
Under the shade of the trees, a figure slowly approached. A large hat covered half her face. She carried a small bag and walked into the shop next door that was still under renovation.
“Look, look. The one who just went in is the great beauty from Hong Kong City I was talking about.” Xiao Xin was the most excited and pulled the people beside him to look.
With such a big hat on, how could anyone see clearly? Even so, that swaying, graceful figure approaching still made several people hold their breath for a moment as they stared at the face hidden beneath the hat.
Aunt Lu happened to come over carrying the newly ordered iced beer. When she saw them like that, she laughed. “She’s already gone inside. What’s there to see? People from the south are particular about these things. Sun hats, small parasols, big sunglasses. If I hadn’t seen her face when I rented the place to her, I wouldn’t have seen what she really looks like either.”
“Hehe, just looking at that figure, she’s already beautiful. How bad could her face be?”
“That’s not necessarily true. Ever heard of a ‘back-view beauty’? The figure is incredibly graceful, but once she turns around…”
“Aunt Lu.”
Aunt Lu had just been about to say that the new tenant not only had a good figure from the back but was also beautiful in the face when a soft, gentle voice behind her interrupted.
Most of the people sitting at the barbecue stall raised their heads and looked toward the space behind Aunt Lu.
“Brother Yang, quick, look!” Xiao Xin tugged at the sleeve of the person beside him.
Yang Qin found it boring. From the beginning, he had not joined their conversation, and now he had no intention of acting like an idiot and staring at someone else’s girl.
The voice was indeed pleasant to hear, but it sounded too soft and cloying, making his whole body feel slightly numb.
Yang Qin continued drinking his beer. Soon, that delicate voice sounded again beside his ear.
“Aunt Lu, the renovation company said it would be best to install a separate electric switch and meter. It will save trouble and make the calculation easier. What do you think?”
Wen Quhua spoke politely as she discussed the matter.
It was a small matter, so Aunt Lu naturally agreed.
“Look at me, I got so busy I forgot. We really should separate the electric meter ahead of time. Just have the worker come to my house’s meter box and split the circuit.”
Wen Quhua said a little embarrassedly, “Then I’ll contact the renovation company first and ask them to arrange for the water and electricity technician to come.”
“Why go through so much trouble? Any one of them can do it. It’ll only take a moment.” Aunt Lu enthusiastically introduced them and pointed to the table of customers behind her.
Xiao Xin immediately rubbed the corner of his shirt and said gently, “We can all do it! Just cover the cost of materials.”
This would certainly be more convenient, so Wen Quhua naturally did not refuse. “Then I’ll trouble you. Thank you very much. I’ll also pay the labor fee.”
The weather in May was already somewhat hot and restless, but she spoke slowly and softly. Hearing her voice made people feel a little cooler.
Xiao Xin was a bit excited. Watching her retreating figure, he forcefully pulled Yang Qin.
“Brother! See, I brought in a job too! Do you think when we go do the work later we’ll be able to see the lady boss’s face clearly?”
Yang Qin was suddenly pulled by him. His lazy gaze swept over, and his tone was mocking.
“A job that earns two yuan? It’s not even worth the trouble…”
His words paused. Beneath the sun hat, the smooth curve of half a profile flashed briefly into view before the person disappeared inside.
Yang Qin fell silent, his brows lifting slightly.
How exaggerated. There really were people who looked beautiful even when you could not clearly see their face.
“That dress she’s wearing, I’ve seen that style on television. The whole outfit isn’t cheap. It must cost several hundred.” Aunt Lu whispered to them, her eyes full of envy.
The men at the table sucked in a breath when they heard that.
A dress that cost several hundred? Was it made of gold?
Immediately, quite a few people gave up their thoughts. No matter how beautiful she was, they could not afford to keep her.
Yang Qin lowered his eyes and said nothing. What he was thinking about was the hem of the skirt that had briefly leaped into his sight earlier, light and flowing.
There was no doubt about it. She really was a naive, rich outsider from the south. Just looking at how she dressed, who would not take advantage of her?
Yang Qin curled his lips into a faint smile. A flower like that should never have drifted to Langcheng. It probably would not be long before she could no longer endure Langcheng’s backwardness and boredom and returned to Hong Kong City, where the weather was like spring all year round.
Xiao Xin planned to first check the electric meter, then bring materials tomorrow to do the job for the lady boss.
None of this required Wen Quhua to worry. After supervising the work for a while, she left. Before leaving, she even specifically went to the small convenience shop next to her storefront and bought some things. It was always good to build a relationship with the neighbors on both sides in advance.
Once the sky darkened, the streetlights lit up.
Under the dim yellow light, one could see the slender waist gathered by her dress and her ankles in sandals. At a glance, they looked thinner than his wrist.
Yang Qin watched her departing figure without restraint. The hand holding his beer had wide knuckles, with veins standing out clearly. He seemed to be thinking about something. He felt that he could grip that waist with one hand.
Later that night, lying on the dormitory bed with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed, he suddenly thought of the question Xiao Xin had asked earlier that day.
Brother Yang, what kind of partner do you want to find?
He had never thought about it before. Now he thought that the partner he wanted should have a slender waist, one he could pull into his arms with just one hand.
Yang Qin’s body suddenly tensed. He lowered his head and glanced down, then scoffed softly. “What are you getting excited about for no reason?”
He had not even seen her face, yet she had already stirred desire throughout his body. Even though he was not particularly moral, he still felt it was somewhat disrespectful to her.
Yang Qin took a deep breath to calm himself.
He could not think about it anymore.