Bathing at the bathhouse required bath tickets. Wen Quhua certainly did not have any, so Yang Qin handed two bath tickets to the old attendant from behind her.
“Oh, why are you coming to bathe at this hour?” The old man was very familiar with Yang Qin and teased him somewhat ambiguously. Seeing that there was actually a young woman beside him, which was rare, since normally Yang Qin would just rinse himself with cold water and would not even bother coming to the bathhouse.
Yang Qin did not bother explaining. He pointed in a direction for Wen Quhua. “Over there, the women’s bathhouse.”
Wen Quhua quickly picked up her basket and went over, her steps hurried.
“Old man, don’t talk nonsense in front of her,” Yang Qin said lightly. Since he was already here, he simply found someone to scrub his back as well.
After he finished washing, the old man smiled and said, “She’s not out yet. Wait a bit.”
Yang Qin leaned against the entrance and lit a cigarette. He had just finished bathing, and his hair was still a little damp. Under the dim light, his features looked firm and somewhat cold. He stared at the ground, not knowing what he was thinking.
After finishing one cigarette and waiting for quite a while, Wen Quhua finally came out slowly.
She had taken a long time bathing. Her small face was flushed, and her whole body carried a faint mist of moisture. Her hair had only been half-dried with a towel, slightly loose. She looked like a peeled peach, fresh and tender.
Sensing his gaze, Wen Quhua looked toward the man at the door. The light there was dim, so she could not clearly see his expression. She simply walked over and asked, “Where’s the trash bin?”
“Just give it to me.” He extended his hand, meaning he would throw whatever it was away.
The next second, a dress was quickly placed into his hand. The fabric was soft and light, seemingly still carrying a fragrance. It was the ruffled dress she had been wearing earlier.
He frowned slightly. “You don’t want it anymore?”
Wen Quhua nodded. It had been touched by a stink bug, so she did not want it anymore.
Yang Qin looked at the clothes in his hand and fell silent for a moment. Earlier, people had said that her clothes were not cheap. Yet to others, clothes that were considered not cheap were simply discarded by her just because a bug had crawled on them.
“Alright.” He did not say more. This was her way of living.
At this time, the night breeze was still a bit cool. Yang Qin deliberately walked in front to block some of the wind for her.
The whole way, he did not speak again. After sending her back, he immediately turned and went back to the dormitory, not staying a second longer.
Wen Quhua felt puzzled. Could it be that he found her troublesome?
When Yang Qin returned to the dormitory building, he walked to the trash bin and was about to casually throw the dress in. But he glanced at the ruffled dress again. The texture was exceptionally soft. For some reason, he turned and walked toward the sink instead.
After washing it three times, he lowered his head and looked at the small dress in his hands, suddenly feeling that he had gone crazy.
That night, Wen Quhua made do and applied the medicine herself again. Some parts of her back were hard to reach, so she could only endure it. It was her first time sleeping in such a crude dormitory, and she tried to adapt.
She did not sleep well all night. The bed was hard, and her body was itchy. When she got up the next day, she was not in good spirits.
Even so, she tidied herself up. Wearing sunglasses and a mask, Wen Quhua went to the shop to open for business. The first floor had many windows, with good ventilation, so the impact was a bit less.
Mainly, she was bored.
Aunt Lu ate the fermented rice dumplings that Wen Quhua had sent over, her heart sweetened. She leaned by the window at the door, chatting with her while also probing a little. “Boss Xiao Wen, why did you come all the way from the south to our small Langcheng to open a shop?”
Wen Quhua rested her chin on one hand, lazily leaning against the window and making things up. “I heard my grandfather arranged a childhood betrothal for me before. It’s in Langcheng, so I came to take a look.”
So she had come to find her fiancé. Aunt Lu’s eyes lit up as she continued asking, “What’s your fiancé’s name? Maybe I even know him.”
Wen Quhua shook her head. “I don’t know either. I only know he’s from Langcheng.”
“Then how are you going to find him if you don’t even know that?”
“If he knows my surname is Wen and that I came from Hong Kong, he’ll come find me himself with the token,” Wen Quhua said with a smile.
Aunt Lu had never seen such an approach before, but she had just heard a huge piece of gossip. So Boss Xiao Wen had come all this way to find her fiancé!
Seeing her leave excitedly, Wen Quhua smiled without saying anything.
What fiancé was there? She had just made up a story about having a partner. It could be considered a small protective charm for herself, so she would not attract unnecessary trouble. She did not want to deal with those rotten romantic entanglements.
Once Aunt Lu spread the news, there would probably be fewer men coming to the shop just to look at her.
In the afternoon, when she went to the small shop to buy mosquito repellent, Uncle Zhang from the shop could not help but smile and ask, “Boss Xiao Wen is so outstanding. I wonder how excellent your fiancé must be to match you.”
“Not at all, not at all.” Wen Quhua modestly paid the money and returned to the construction site dormitory with the mosquito repellent. She had been bitten by mosquitoes again last night.
On the way, she naturally ran into familiar faces, all looking at her with curiosity. Wen Quhua did not mind. But when she saw someone even more familiar, she could not help but call out happily, “Master Yang~”
Xiao Xin turned his head and looked. “Brother Qin, Boss Wen is calling you.”
Yang Qin’s back stiffened. Of course he had heard it, but he did not turn around. Instead, he walked even faster.
Xiao Xin was confused. Wen Quhua was also a bit embarrassed. He had actually ignored her.
“Boss Wen, maybe Brother Qin is thinking about something and didn’t hear you. Don’t mind it,” Xiao Xin explained for Yang Qin.
Wen Quhua certainly did not mind. Although she felt that she had become a bit more familiar with Master Yang because of yesterday, in truth, they were not that close. She did not even know his name.
After returning to the dormitory, she sprayed mosquito repellent in every corner of the room. The smell was so strong that she had to rush outside, completely unable to stay inside.
She could only stand by the railing and let out a deep sigh.
Aunt Zhu happened to finish work and come back. She smiled and came over to greet her. “Boss Wen, I’ll wash my hands first and come later to help you apply the medicine.”
“Thank you, Auntie.”
“By the way, have you eaten? Why don’t you come to my house for a meal?”
“I’ve already eaten.” Wen Quhua naturally would not take polite words seriously. She had eaten some small rice dumplings at the shop. With her whole body in an allergic reaction, she did not have much appetite.
It had been more than ten days since she came to Langcheng, yet there was still no news about the person she was looking for, and the task panel had made no progress. She felt a bit annoyed.
She had only given herself one year. After one year, she would definitely return to Hong Kong.
When Xiao Xin returned to the dormitory after finishing his meal at the canteen, he saw Brother Qin mending a pair of worn-out trousers. He could not help but say, “Brother Qin, you earn quite a bit. Why are you so frugal with yourself?”
Yang Qin lowered his eyes and said nothing, focusing on what he was doing.
He led several brothers from the small fishing village to take on contracted work at construction sites, and sometimes they also took private jobs outside. He did earn a fair amount, but not that much. He definitely could not casually buy dresses that cost hundreds of yuan.
Xiao Xin sighed again. “I wonder what kind of person Boss Wen’s fiancé is, to make her travel thousands of miles to find him. If a woman ever did that for me, I’d have no regrets even if I died.”
Yang Qin’s stitching paused. His thumb and index finger rubbed together hard.
She had a fiancé.
Then why would she casually jump into his arms and hold his hand?
A trace of hostility deepened in Yang Qin’s eyes, and the thread snapped in his hand by accident.
He threw the trousers aside and stood up to leave.
“Brother Qin, where are you going?”
“There’s a job. I’m going to take a look.”
So hardworking.
But Xiao Xin felt that no matter how hard Brother Qin worked, it was actually rather hopeless. Everyone knew that Grandma Yang’s illness could not be cured. She was old, and no matter how much money they spent, they could not snatch her back from the King of Hell.
Although Grandma Yang was a heavy burden for Brother Qin while she was alive, she was still a source of emotional support.
If Grandma Yang were gone, Xiao Xin was worried about Brother Qin. He looked like someone with a strong sense of responsibility, but once he lost the person he was responsible for, living would truly lose its meaning.
Xiao Xin had been personally brought out of the small fishing village by Brother Qin, so he sincerely hoped Brother Qin could meet someone he liked, someone to care about.
Before, he had even thought that someone like Boss Wen might suit Brother Qin, but he had not seen Brother Qin show any particular interest.
Now there was even less hope. Boss Wen already had a fiancée.
Yang Qin worked until past ten. It was already dark. On his way back, he passed by a barbecue stall and subconsciously glanced at the shop next to it. He noticed that the lights were still on.
He walked over and could see the busy figure inside through the open window.
It was so late, yet she had not closed the shop.
Yang Qin withdrew his gaze. Turning his steps, he entered the small shop next door. “Uncle Zhang, give me a pack of cigarettes.”
Wen Quhua was busy making a chilled fermented rice dessert. Most of the orders were from customers at the barbecue stall. Thanks to the barbecue stall, her shop’s business was fairly good.
This was originally her usual bedtime, but when Aunt Zhu came to help her apply medicine, the two of them had been driven out by the overwhelming smell of mosquito repellent filling the room.
Aunt Zhu said helplessly with a smile, “You can’t spray this much! It won’t disperse even after a whole night.”
So Wen Quhua came to the shop to continue working. She planned to stay downstairs for the night after she finished. She could not go back and risk being suffocated by the fumes.
Whether in this life or her previous life, she had always had people taking care of her. Especially after the incident in her previous life, her family had hired an auntie to take care of her daily needs. She had never personally managed her own life, so she lacked basic life experience.
“Boss Wen, two more servings of chilled fermented rice dumplings.”
“Coming right away~”
Even while smoking in the small shop, Yang Qin could hear her light, lilting voice.
Uncle Zhang took the opportunity to chat with him. “Xiao Yang, remember the niece from my wife’s family I mentioned before? She graduated from technical school and was assigned to teach at Langcheng Affiliated Middle School! Her conditions aren’t outstanding, but they’re not bad either. Why don’t you… meet her? If it doesn’t work out, it’s fine. Just consider it as making a friend.”
Uncle Zhang’s wife had taken a liking to Yang Qin’s situation. His family was simple, just one grandmother, and he could earn money himself. Although he did not have much education, he was good-looking and had no burdens. He was a good candidate for building a family and making a living. Her niece had met Yang Qin once and found him quite agreeable.
Yang Qin responded casually with an “Mm,” his mind filled with Wen Quhua’s voice. He had not heard what Uncle Zhang said clearly. By the time he realized, Uncle Zhang was already smiling and saying, “Good, good, good.” It was too late to refuse.
He frowned slightly, tucked the cigarettes away, and left. As he was leaving, he happened to see her carrying a bowl of rice dumplings out of the shop, swaying lightly as she delivered it to the barbecue stall.
People called her Boss Wen and chatted with her. She responded patiently with a soft smile, treating everyone the same.
Yang Qin did not look back. Hearing her voice, he only felt a headache, as if it was penetrating every gap and drilling straight into his mind.
A few more days passed like this. Wen Quhua and Yang Qin did not see each other again, even though they both lived at the construction site.
Going back and forth, Wen Quhua got to know quite a few other female workers and even turned them into customers of her shop.
Wen Quhua’s appearance was striking and somewhat sharp, but her voice was gentle and soft. As long as she was willing, she could get along well with anyone.
Except for Master Yang.
She could not understand it. Ever since that day at the bathhouse, when they passed each other face to face, it was as if they did not know each other.
“Hey.”
She did not even call him “Master Yang” anymore, and her voice was no longer sweet. Standing by the window, Wen Quhua called out to the man who was passing by in front of her shop.
“Did I offend you?” She did not have much patience to begin with. Her small face hardened slightly as she asked directly.
“Do you need something?” He raised his eyes impatiently. His eyes were naturally deep-set, and when his brows lowered, he looked wild and untamed, not someone easy to approach.