(1)
Once again, she was walking home alone.
But this time, she could always sense a gaze from someone in a car falling upon her.
She shook the stuffed rabbit she carried, feeling a bit tired from the walk—probably because of her shoes. They weren’t nearly as comfortable as the sneakers she usually wore.
In the middle of the Little Square, the aunties were dancing, while in the corner a few small stalls were set up. Some sold glowing toys to amuse children, others sold cheap stir-fried dishes for the weary migrant workers returning home.
The barbecue shop was a bit quiet tonight—maybe it just wasn’t late enough yet. After all, people usually came for barbecue after eight, sometimes much later, when you could still hear their indulgent, uninhibited laughter.
“You really are a little brat!”
“Whoa, Feifei-jie, what are you doing out here?”
“Came out for a haircut.” Yu Mingfei pointed at the rusty metal stairs behind her. “Just came down. Tsk tsk, you actually wore a skirt today?”
“N-no! It’s because Xiaoying made me wear it!” An Jing hurriedly defended herself, but the playful smile on Yu Mingfei’s face only grew more mischievous.
“Oh ho~ is that so~”
“Ahem!”
“But it looks pretty good on you, and it’s the whole set, even the little leather shoes. So, how does it feel—” Yu Mingfei leaned close to An Jing’s ear, lowered her voice, and teased, “How does it feel being stared at all the way here?”
“Ugh, it’s too attention-grabbing!”
“Enjoy it! That’s a privilege for beauties, you know. Every time Huihui dresses up and goes out, everyone stares at her, not at me.”
“Fei-jie, you look good too, it’s just that you’re not feminine enough.” “Ha—? Are you saying you’re more feminine than I am?”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Sigh, I wasn’t this chubby back in high school. Now I’m round and short.” “No way, Fei-jie, you’re not heavy at all.”
“Huihui is 172cm and only 110 jin! I’m 162cm and already 110!” “That’s because Huihui-jie works out every day.”
“I feel tired enough myself, running around all the time. Why don’t I lose weight?” Yu Mingfei grumbled, pinching her stomach, then slung her arm around An Jing’s shoulder. “Kid, have you eaten yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Perfect, let’s eat outside together later!” “Huihui-jie isn’t home?”
“Huihui? She’s wiped out, doesn’t want to do anything tonight.” “What? Even Huihui-jie has times when she doesn’t want to cook?” “That’s normal! We can just pack something up for her to bring back.” “Fei-jie, can’t you cook for once?” “I’m lazy.” Yu Mingfei was completely honest.
“Tch…”
“What do you want for dinner?”
“Hmm… can I skip dinner?” An Jing looked at a cake shop by the road, cheeks puffed out as she asked, “I want cake…”
“Eating cake at night, aren’t you afraid you’ll get fat?” “I’m not Fei-jie.”
“Tsk!” Yu Mingfei shot her a sideways glance, annoyed. “Fine! Come with me to finish my haircut first.”
It was still that old, simple Old Hair Salon.
Its decorating style was basically no decoration at all.
A section of the white wall’s paint was almost completely peeled off, exposing the cement beneath, with no intention of being fixed.
The owner was the same as ever, squatting by the door smoking, with seven or eight cigarette butts already piled at his feet—he must’ve been zoning out from boredom for a long time.
“Boss!” Yu Mingfei, a regular here, suddenly raised her hand in a big wave. “Fix my hair!”
“Oh.” The boss took a few quick puffs, finished the half-smoked cigarette, flicked it to the ground, crushed it out with his cloth shoe, then turned and pushed open the blue glass door.
The store’s fluorescent tube lights seemed repaired—no longer flickering constantly—but thanks to the glass cover, the lighting remained tinged blue. It was clearly just after dark, but under the eerie blue light, it already felt like midnight.
Somehow, there was now an old, battered sofa that made the cramped shop feel even smaller.
An Orange Curly Cat was sprawled across the sofa, and next to it, a little girl in red shoes dangled her chubby legs, focused intently on a wordless Comic Book in her lap.
“Li shushu, when is my second daddy coming?”
“He went to buy food.” The Old Hair Salon boss fished out a lollipop and handed it to the little girl.
“Thank you, Li shushu!”
“Mm.” He nodded slightly, went to the sink used for hair-washing, while Yu Mingfei expertly sat down, leaning forward to position her head over the sink.
“The usual.”
“Okay.”
Even though she was a regular, the boss never had much to say.
“How’s business today?” It was Yu Mingfei who took the initiative.
“Not bad.”
“What’d you eat tonight?”
“Haven’t eaten.”
“Are you closing for a break this month?”
“No.”
“Oh—”
After washing her hair, Yu Mingfei sat in the adjustable barber chair. The boss stepped on the pedal, lowering it a little.
In this Old Hair Salon, traces of time were everywhere—but the mirror was always spotless, as if replaced with a new one every month.
“What is it?” Yu Mingfei glanced up, puzzled—he was staring at her, but hadn’t picked up the scissors.
“Thinking of trimming a little less, leaving more here.”
“Oh?”
“…Might make your face look smaller.”
“Huh—? Has my face really gotten that much rounder these last few months?”
“Yeah.”
Yu Mingfei could only cover her forehead in exasperation. “Whatever, do as you see fit.”
“Okay.”
Beside the apartment, in the Little Square, there was a Western Cake Shop.
Unlike chain stores, it didn’t have bright, clean windows or glass doors, nor was it spacious inside. All the cakes and breads were displayed in glass cabinets by the counter. Most of the business was in custom cakes, so there weren’t many small cakes available each day.
Even so, quite a few were left unsold by nightfall—probably because, for people in a small city, the price wasn’t cheap.
A small triangular slice of cream cake cost fifteen yuan.
Of course, the ingredients were excellent: the cream wasn’t too sweet or greasy, with a fresh, light taste, and the fruit inside was always fresh…
“Mm… hmm.”
“Which one are you picking? Hurry up!” Yu Mingfei, holding her packed takeaway, urged impatiently.
“They all look so good.”
“No way we’re buying two, absolutely not.”
“I know, I don’t like wasting money anyway. And having two at once makes them less tasty. Hmm…” An Jing tapped her lips with a finger. “I didn’t get enough of today’s chocolate cookie… might as well go for the chocolate one.”
“Boss, the chocolate one.”
“Fifteen.”
“One slice, please pack it up, don’t forget the spoon.” Yu Mingfei handed over the money.
“Alright.”
“You little brat, you sure one slice is enough for you tonight?”
“It’s enough.”
“If it’s not, I’ll share some of my food later, counts as dieting.” “Fei-jie, this new hairstyle really does make you look slimmer.” “…Starting today, I’m definitely going on a diet!”
“No use, some people just have chubby faces, not chubby bodies.”
“Why doesn’t the fat grow on my butt instead…” Yu Mingfei grumbled, accepting the boxed cake, then glanced sideways at An Jing. “Okay, go upstairs and enjoy your cake—just let me have a bite later.”
“No way, Fei-jie! Your ‘bite’ is way too big!” “I’ll use a spoon, just one bite, promise.” “Last time you took a third with one spoon!”
“Tch, cheapskate! I’m the one who paid for it!”
“What you buy for me is mine! And besides, Fei-jie, aren’t you dieting?”
“I’ll start tomorrow then!”
“Ka!” Yu Mingfei jabbed her chopsticks into the Foam Box, sat cross-legged on the chair, and stretched with a big yawn. “That was awesome! This Spicy Chicken is always so good.”
“It’s just too spicy, I can smell the heat.” An Jing was still nibbling on her cream cake—she always ate these rare treats slowly, savoring each bite.
This Chocolate Cake had a layer of chocolate shell on the outside, and inside, instead of overly sweet chocolate sauce, there were small pieces of chocolate. The cake itself was light, so every time she bit into the crispy chocolate, it was a special surprise.
“It’s nice not having to do the dishes once in a while.” Yu Minghui chuckled, stood from her chair, stacked the empty Foam Boxes, tossed them in the kitchen trash, then took an apple from the fridge, peeled and cut it, and set the slices on the table. “Feifei, eat some apple, it’ll cut the spice.”
“My mouth isn’t spicy, I’m just worried about the bathroom later…” Yu Mingfei smacked her lips. “Ahh, why does eating spicy always come with this hassle? Makes me almost scared to eat it anymore.”
“Cake is best, you never have that problem.” An Jing gently pressed her cheek with the cake, savoring the treat—her two cousins had finished dinner, but she still had half her cake left.
It was just a small slice of cake.
Yu Mingfei speared a bit of apple with a toothpick, stuffed it in her mouth, and used her free hand to scratch at her foot. “Huihui, how about a Family Gathering tomorrow?”
“What should we eat this time?”
“Grilled fish! Shouldn’t die if it’s just one night, right?”
“We’re raising it, it should be fine. Starting in the morning again?”
“Sure, hope I can get up.”
When Yu Mingfei mentioned a Family Gathering, she actually meant the three of them staying home all day, getting up early to clean the house together, preparing all the snacks and food for the day, chatting over lunch at the coffee table or dining table, spending hours watching a movie or two, and finally, before sunset, taking a bath and going to bed—
—to sleep a long, deeply satisfying sleep.