Jiang Mengning took Niannian into town.
The town wasn’t far from the residential compound—just a twenty- to thirty-minute walk.
It was a remote, modest town, not particularly prosperous, but it had the basics.
Their first stop was a hair salon.
There weren’t many customers; in those days, few cared about fancy hairstyles.
If hair grew long, people just trimmed it at home with scissors.
A mother bringing her daughter here was even rarer—who would spend extra money on a haircut for a little girl?
What a waste!
“What kind of hairstyle do you want?” the male owner asked as he approached.
The moment he saw Jiang Mengning’s face, his eyes widened.
He had never seen such a beautiful woman before.
In this poor, remote town, a golden phoenix had appeared!
Jiang Mengning ignored him completely. She pressed Niannian onto the chair and said:
“Cut it a little shorter, thin it out a bit.”
After a while, hearing no response, she looked up at the owner—his eyes were practically glued to her.
“Uh, boss, just staring at me won’t cut my hair! Hurry up, I’m in a rush,” she said calmly. She was used to being the center of attention; nothing fazed her.
“Oh, right, right. I’ll start right away,” the man finally realized and went for the scissors.
The female owner had witnessed the whole scene.
Seeing her husband staring at another woman, she was not pleased.
Rolling her eyes, she snatched the scissors from him.
“You go boil some water, I’ll do the cutting.”
“But isn’t there already hot water?”
“Are you going or not?” With her sharp gaze, he had no choice but to leave.
Finally, the female owner felt a little satisfied.
She examined Niannian’s hair and frowned.
“There are a lot of lice here. This will have to be shaved off for the hair to grow healthy. Cutting it short won’t help.”
At the word “shave,” Niannian immediately felt wronged.
She didn’t want a bald head, but she didn’t dare protest—afraid Mom would think she was being difficult.
Jiang Mengning, knowing how girls think, clicked her tongue and snapped:
“I said cut it short, not shave it bald. Just follow my instructions and stop arguing.”
She gave more detailed instructions, gesturing:
“Trim it even along the nape here, and make a straight fringe in front.”
Niannian had a lovely face—an orderly, cute bob would suit her perfectly.
She had nearly cried earlier, but now her mom wasn’t shaving her bald and was giving her a beautiful fringe.
Her heart leapt with joy. Mom was so good!
She had forgotten all the times Mom had scolded or punished her.
Now her eyes and heart were full of Mom’s kindness. She loved her mom dearly.
The female owner rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath about “ugly women making trouble.” Then she casually lifted a section of hair and began cutting from the roots. She knew that when she cut someone’s hair, the final decision was up to her—but Jiang Mengning wasn’t going to be messed with.
“Wait! I already told you what I want and gestured the length. If you cut even one centimeter too short, I’ll make you pay.”
Jiang Mengning knew exactly what the woman was thinking—trying to take out her frustration—but that was not going to happen. Her firmness scared the female owner; no one wants to risk losing money.
The haircut went smoothly. Niannian looked very cute with her new style, and she immediately became more obedient.
Looking at her reflection in the mirror, Jiang Mengning asked:
“Niannian, do you like your haircut?”
Niannian was almost stunned; she had never seen herself like this.
“Yes! I like it, thank you, Mom.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you like it.”
After paying, they left the salon.
Once out of sight, the female owner stormed into the back room and scolded her husband:
“Have you never seen a woman before? Look at you! Your eyes were practically sticking out—disgusting!”
The husband dared not speak, afraid of a beating.
She continued scolding:
“You can tell immediately it’s not a proper woman. Next time, stay away, or I’ll gouge your eyes out.”
Next, Jiang Mengning took Niannian to the supply store.
She bought a lice comb, plenty of hair ties, hairpins, and cute hair accessories—she couldn’t resist pretty things.
“Oh, there are pretty dresses here too, Niannian. Let’s buy a few sets.”
The little girl’s clothes were far too dirty to save.
Jiang Mengning planned to throw them away when they got home.
“Some small sandals too, Niannian. Pick whichever ones you like!”
“Oh, and underpants too. You pick the sandals, I’ll pick the underpants.”
Girls had to take care of themselves, be clean, and change underwear often.
Jiang Mengning wanted to buy so many things at once that Niannian was a little overwhelmed.
“Mom, this is so expensive.”
Ready-made dresses cost much more than homemade ones.
Most children wore simple clothes, rarely pretty dresses.
Jiang Mengning patted Niannian’s head:
“It’s okay, buy what you like. Girls shouldn’t live miserably. If you have the means, enjoy nice things and make your life a little better.”
Niannian thought Mom’s words were very forward-thinking.
She had never encountered such ideas before.
Under her mother’s influence, she would grow up just as happy.
Jiang Mengning bought three pairs of underpants for Niannian—and three for herself.
She wasn’t used to wearing anyone else’s underwear; it felt awkward.
After changing underwear, she also changed her bra.
Then she noticed men’s underwear for sale.
Suddenly, she was curious about Huo Jinyan’s reaction if she handed him a pair—she imagined it would be thrilling.
She decided to buy for him.
“Help me get three men’s pairs,” she said.
The salesperson was delighted to serve such a generous customer.
“What size for the men’s ones?”
“Size?” Jiang Mengning hesitated—she didn’t know.
She hadn’t seen his size. Maybe she could check by looking at his pants at home…
The salesperson, thinking she was shy, kindly offered advice:
“You know your man best. Just estimate—small or large, measure with your fingers.”
Jiang Mengning held her fingers apart, showing both a “small carrot” and “large carrot” distance. The difference was obvious.
She was impressed—the saleswoman was bold, even more open than her.
“Ha, you really illustrated it well. I’d say he’s the large carrot, right?”
A tall man, full of raw masculinity—there was no way he would wear small sizes. The saleswoman understood, her gaze turning playful, and handed Jiang Mengning three large pairs:
“These will fit perfectly.”