Chapter 7

Zhang Xiuqin: "I am sorry, Xiaoyuan, my daughter... my daughter has never been very obedient since she was little. You see, I am doing this, running around in the car day and night, and I can never pay attention to her. Can you... can you not hold it against a child? She does not understand."

Any liquid or essence is merely a fantasy; if they can apply a bit of packaged snow cream when they return, preventing their skin from cracking in winter, that would already be considered a great kindness to this face.

Zhang Xiuqin's eyes, resembling those of a monkey, were filled with helplessness. Her complexion was slightly pale, and her lips bore no trace of color. She stood at the door, awkward and uneasy, and her gaze was like a dull rasp, which, upon brushing against Jiang Xiaoyuan, dissipated her surging anger.

Zhang Xiuqin: "Lower your voice! You're making my heart ache."

Standing a bit unsteadily, Jiang Xiaoyuan, who was experiencing low blood sugar, involuntarily swayed slightly. What she urgently needed now was to find a place to have a good meal and take a shower

However, before she had the chance to speak, Sister Zhang unexpectedly spoke first

In the small building, there is a tiny bathroom, where every morning, men, women, and children of all ages line up together. Each person brings a set of toiletries and swings a towel over their shoulder, all arriving in disheveled appearances and leaving dripping wet.

What to wash ... oh, the bathroom, the bathroom is outside, "Zhang Xiuqin said, "the kitchen is also outside."

Moreover, she is originally an uninvited guest who has received favors from others, so what is there to criticize about others

Zhang Tianling retorted sharply: "You are making me so angry that my teeth hurt!"

That night, Jiang Xiaoyuan thought she would toss and turn, unable to sleep, but she did not

"No," Jiang Xiaoyuan said somewhat stiffly, "It's nothing, thank you, I have troubled you too much."

Jiang Xiaoyuan hurriedly called out to her: "Where is the restroom?"

Zhang Tian: "What is wrong with the little girl? Can't a little girl be a bad person? I don't think she seems like a good person at all, she doesn't even know which countryside she came from. Yesterday at dinner, she wouldn't even let her chopsticks touch her lips, that means she looks down on you, can't you see that?"

She opened her slightly swollen peach blossom eyes, pressing her tongue firmly against the upper part of her mouth to prevent herself from directly spitting out a mouthful of pent-up anger onto Sister Zhang's face

Kindness, how precious it is, not everyone can afford to spread it

Under the lamp, there is a young girl, seemingly around fourteen or fifteen years old, who is very beautiful. She has a pair of eyes as large as Zhang Xiuqin's. When such large eyes are on Zhang Xiuqin's face, they make her look like a female monkey; however, on this girl's face, they only enhance her delicate charm.

It is indeed a design that facilitates observation

Zhang Xiuqin intended to scare him, but unexpectedly, she suddenly found it hard to breathe. She heard her heart racing for a moment, and her fingers unconsciously dug into the wooden door frame

Sister Zhang was momentarily at a loss for words, and Jiang Xiaoyuan said, "I will go wash my face first"

With Jiang Xiaoyuan's severe princess syndrome, no matter how grateful she is to Sister Zhang, she absolutely cannot suppress this feeling

Zhang Tian: "Come on! Our family only has these two shabby rooms, and you still think there aren't enough people living here, right? Even if a couple of flies come in, there wouldn't be enough space. And you want to bring someone home? They would just eat and drink for free. Do you think she looks like someone who is seriously looking for a job? What time is it now? Still not getting up? Who is she? Which family's young lady is she? Are we supposed to wait for someone to come in and attend to her daily needs and dressing?"

Jiang Xiaoyuan sat by the bed in a daze, recalling that she was a guest in someone else's home and should tidy up the bed for them. She lowered her head to look at the bed she had slept on, and as a result, she could see the mottled mold and yellow spots on the bed illuminated by the faint light streaming in through the crack in the wall

Jiang Xiaoyuan murmured with a pale face: "This... several households share such a... such a toilet, won't they get into a fight in the morning?"

Zhang Xiuqin introduced somewhat shyly: "This is my daughter, named Tiantian, Zhang Tian. Why didn't you call anyone?"

The restroom is restricted to individuals of medium to slim build. The floor is covered with an unidentified liquid. Most terrifyingly, above the squat toilet, there is a row of perforated decorative windows, seemingly designed for some unknown purpose. As Jiang Xiaoyuan looked up, she happened to make eye contact with an elderly man from the second floor of the opposite building who was hanging out laundry.

The environment is a bit lacking," Zhang Xiuqin said apologetically, "It's just a little messy, not dirty... The sheets have just been washed, please have a seat, I will get you a glass of water

She pinched her nose and tidied herself up, organizing her only possessions and carrying them all on her person, preparing to embark on a long journey. She politely bid farewell to Sister Zhang and made ready to go to a hotel with a determination to burn her boats.

The atmosphere, no matter how awkward, has dissipated

Jiang Xiaoyuan lowered her head to look at the small figure on the army cot, the various unknown yellow stains at the corners of the bedding, and then glanced around this windowless storage room, thinking to herself with self-mockery: "I have transformed from Cousin Dali into Harry Potter"

But what is there in this cursed place

Zhang Tian said: "Do you know who she is, just bringing her home?"

Zhang Xiuqin asked her to wait aside, while she rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward. In a matter of moments, she piled the miscellaneous items into a heap and unearthed a folding army bed along with a blanket. With a simple placement and arrangement, a single bed space emerged out of nowhere

Jiang Xiaoyuan's daily cleansing routine used to be as follows: she would first thoroughly cleanse her face using a four-step facial cleanser. After the toner was absorbed, she would apply another layer of toner, ensuring to pat different textures of toner three times each, from the thinnest to the thickest. She would then sequentially apply the essence, eye essence, facial essence, eye cream, and face cream, finishing with a nourishing mascara base. Once this routine was completed, she would decide based on her mood whether to add a face mask. After the skincare phase concluded, she would officially enter the more complex makeup stage.

Zhang Xiuqin: "They just arrived at our home, it's a bit awkward..."

She lay on the creaking army cot, and before her head even touched the pillow, she had already fallen asleep. She slept dreamlessly through the night, until she woke up in a daze, having slept so deeply that she felt half-paralyzed.

Behind the palm-sized living room, there is a bedroom that is equally devoid of light. Jiang Xiaoyuan suspects that the girl, being so fair, might have been affected by this environment of perpetual darkness throughout the year. Behind the bedroom is a storage room, which is Jiang Xiaoyuan's place to settle.

She stood at the entrance of the small courtyard, watching Jiang Xiaoyuan's figure disappear, and sighed. Perhaps it was because she was too exhausted from the last car ride, or maybe she hadn't slept well the night before. Zhang Xiuqin felt a sharp, stabbing pain in her chest, and she leaned against the door frame to rest for a moment. Suddenly, she heard a sound from above, "Eh," and without needing to look, she knew that it was that silly child causing trouble again.

Sister Zhang lives on the first floor, where the corners of the walls are covered with moss and weeds. Before even entering the house, a damp and chilly musty odor warmly rushes towards you. Due to the obstruction of the terrace on the second floor, the lighting inside the room is very poor, with only a small south-facing window allowing in a bit of sunlight, resembling a prison cell

Jiang Xiaoyuan imagined the scene, and goosebumps rose all over her body, forming a square formation

Jiang Xiaoyuan held her position for a moment, expressionless, maintaining the gesture of raising one hand. Suddenly, she bent down and covered her mouth, beginning to retch.

Even during the day indoors, the lights must be on. When Jiang Xiaoyuan entered the room, she noticed a small 5-watt light bulb, which can be considered as a living room, hanging from the ceiling. Whenever someone moved upstairs, the dim yellow light swayed back and forth.

"No, " Zhang Xiuqin interjected, "Everyone uses spittoons and urinals, and it’s just a matter of queuing up to empty them every day, it’s quite quick."

Jiang Xiaoyuan is the kind of person who, if someone inadvertently offends her and the other party responds with a dismissive or indifferent attitude, will certainly pursue the matter relentlessly. However, if the other party sincerely apologizes with genuine remorse, even if she is still upset, she would feel embarrassed to lose her temper.

The surroundings were pitch black, making it impossible to discern the time; within this darkness, one's biological clock was completely out of order—let alone the fact that Jiang Xiaoyuan had never possessed such a thing.

Because of this destination, Jiang Xiaoyuan has practically transformed into a camel, being extremely cautious with every bite and sip, fearing that she might have to make an extra trip to the restroom—leading Sister Zhang to always think that she is shy

Zhang Xiuqin said: "Lower your voice, please... I encountered someone on the road, quite pitiful, a little girl, not much older than you..."

Jiang Xiaoyuan : `` ... ... ''

Sister Zhang ultimately hesitated to speak, saying nothing in the end. Her back ached even more, feeling as if she could hardly straighten up, as if a great mountain were pressing down on her.

She, of course, did not express anything, only physiological tears streaming down her face. Jiang Xiaoyuan wished to find a place to cry her heart out with someone, but she was all alone in this space, not knowing anyone. The parents of this Jiang Xiaoyuan were not her parents, and the relatives of this Jiang Xiaoyuan were not her relatives. She was merely a fare evader who had stolen someone else's identity

Zhang Xiuqin shivered and accidentally pushed the door of the storage room wide open. In the dim and narrow space, one person stood while the other sat, exchanging silent glances.

Zhang Tian glanced at Jiang Xiaoyuan; her pupils were extremely dark, and her face was exceptionally pale. Together, they resembled a figure that had stepped out of a painting. However, before Jiang Xiaoyuan could appreciate it, this girl with picturesque features gave her a standard cold smile

The outside fell silent for a moment. After a while, the door to the storage room was gently pushed open a crack. Zhang Xiuqin might have wanted to sneak a peek to see if Jiang Xiaoyuan had woken up, but unexpectedly, she locked eyes with Jiang Xiaoyuan, who was sitting on the edge of the bed in a daze.

Zhang Xiuqin: "Alright, alright, my dear, don't you still have to go to your extra classes? Please be kind and leave quickly. Have I packed the lunch I brought for you... Hey, Tiantian, why aren't you holding it?"

Two minutes later, Jiang Xiaoyuan was brought to the front of the communal "restroom" on the entire floor. It hardly deserves to be called a "restroom" because there is simply no place to wash hands.

Sister Zhang's two rooms combined are still smaller than her bathroom, and if they were to sell both her and her daughter together, they wouldn't fetch even a month's pocket money for her.

Oh my, in a place like this, does she really think she is in the White House? Jiang Xiaoyuan thought, "She really values her broom quite highly!"

Zhang Tian appeared indifferent, her expression lacking warmth; judging by her demeanor, she seemed to be in the late stages of a typical adolescent phase.

She turned over with great difficulty, wiped her face, and recalled that on the previous night, in the stillness of the deep night, she surprisingly did not take the opportunity to cry alone. She almost admired herself—she felt as if some special self-protection mechanism had developed within her. Regarding her own experiences, Jiang Xiaoyuan seemed to observe from behind a layer of something, coldly watching, as her feelings of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness became numb all at once

Zhang Xiuqin, feeling helpless, said to Jiang Xiaoyuan: "I have no way to manage her—Xiaoyuan, come over here, you can stay here for now, and wait for your elder sister to tidy things up for you in a bit..."

Zhang Xiuqin accompanied Jiang Xiaoyuan all the way out, and the neighbors all thought that Jiang Xiaoyuan was a relative of her family, greeting her with smiles.

Zhang Xiuqin felt quite embarrassed. She was inclined to get angry, but after a moment of agitation between her brows, she held it back again and explained to her daughter in a low and submissive tone: "This sister is temporarily unable to find a place to stay, so she will be lodging with us for now. I don't understand your homework either, so you can ask her more in the future..."

With a dull thud, that little fool threw something down from the second floor again, and Zhang Xiuqin found herself unable to move, realizing it was too late to dodge.

An abandoned, dust-covered safety helmet fell from the sky, landing squarely on Zhang Xiuqin's head. Amidst the commotion of shouts and cries, Zhang Xiuqin fell straight down.

At that moment, Jiang Xiaoyuan heard voices coming from outside—there was no privacy in the old house; even whispers from next door could be heard clearly, let alone the fact that they had no intention of concealing anything

She was wearing a deep blue sports uniform typical of middle school students, engaged in her homework. Upon hearing a sound, she glanced up at the doorway and saw Zhang Xiuqin leading a stranger inside. The young girl neither greeted nor expressed surprise; she first frowned slightly, then indifferently returned her gaze to her book, casually flipping through the pages while absentmindedly twirling a strand of hair at her temple with her pen

A sound of the door echoed from outside, and Zhang Tian's angry voice floated over from a distance: "You can keep it for yourself, let me starve to death!"