The Kindhearted Girl Gets a Wife 9

Chapter 9:

The Golden Retriever was very friendly and kept trying to lick Chen Qingtang’s face, only to be lightly slapped away by Pei Yunle.

“Look at you, acting so cheap, wagging your tail like that.”

A shadow fell over Chen Qingtang’s head. She looked up and saw Pei Yunle standing behind her, her bent figure blocking most of the scorching sunlight.

Chen Qingtang pointed at the dog, then at Pei Yunle, as if to ask: Your dog?

Pei Yunle nodded cheerfully. She grabbed the Golden Retriever’s paw and made it wave a greeting to Chen Qingtang, putting on a voice, “Hello, Big Sis. My name is Jimao.”

Chen Qingtang couldn’t laugh out loud, but you could clearly see her back shaking with laughter.

Pei Yunle turned to the side and pointed to the person under the tree. “That’s my friend, Ji Mingzhu. She’s the one who brought me the dog.”

Chen Qingtang followed her gesture and saw a girl in a tweed skirt suit sitting on the edge of a flower bed, holding a small purse over her forehead to block the sun. Noticing their gaze, Ji Mingzhu waved at them.

The dog gets introduced before a living, breathing person? Ji Mingzhu plucked a handful of leaves from a nearby plant and tossed them in Pei Yunle’s direction.

“Qingtang?”

The two words were spoken with emphasis, but the pronunciation was a bit slow and unclear. Puzzled, Pei Yunle followed the sound and turned to see a girl walking out of the store. Her hair was tied in a low ponytail, revealing her ears and the hearing aids hooked behind them.

Chen Qingtang had come out in a hurry without her phone, so she couldn’t easily communicate with Pei Yunle. She had to sign to the other girl first.

The two of them were signing back and forth. Pei Yunle tried to decipher something from their gestures, but alas, the heavens had not blessed her with that particular talent. It was an unpleasant feeling, as if she were being invisibly excluded. In that moment, Pei Yunle felt like she was the one being “discriminated” against.

Feeling like a third wheel, she thought to herself that they could just stay out in the sun for all she cared, preferably until they were as dry as fish jerky.

Jimao’s sense of smell was sharp. Catching the meaty scent of sausages from inside the store, she turned and bit the leash, trying to pull Pei Yunle inside. The human and dog duo walked to a shelf. Jimao said nothing, just stared at the sausages, drooling.

Pei Yunle casually picked up a red-packaged sausage. She squeezed it with her fingers, and some oil oozed out. It looked incredibly greasy. She shook her head in disgust. If America saw this greasy thing, they’d probably launch an overnight invasion to seize this pack of sausages.

She never bought random food for Jimao outside, especially not snacks like this, with two rows of additives and preservatives listed on the package. Eating it would guarantee an upset stomach.

Pei Yunle stole a glance at the two people outside who still hadn’t come in. Although it was silent, their conversation seemed quite lively. She was afraid their hands were moving so fast they were creating afterimages.

“Jimao.”

Seeing that Pei Yunle was about to give in, Jimao immediately lifted her front paws, ready to jump up and bite the sausage pack.

“Here, go find the boss and pay.” She held the sausage to Jimao’s mouth. The dog’s jaws snapped shut, clamping down on the meat. Wagging her tail, she ran out at top speed.

Pei Yunle watched the dog’s lightning-fast shadow and muttered, “Silly dog.”

On the counter, besides the thick ledger and the old calculator, there was now a slice of mille-crepe cake and a cup of milk tea. Pei Yunle frowned and looked away. Chen Qingtang wasn’t someone who usually ate sweets.

Soon, the red beaded curtain was pushed aside, the beads clinking against each other with the crisp sound of pearls falling on a jade plate. Chen Qingtang brought in a wave of heat from outside, suppressing some of the store’s gloom.

Through three rows of steel shelves, Pei Yunle saw that only Chen Qingtang had come in this time. But right now, she felt like a shy child at a holiday gathering, reluctant to see relatives.

“She’s gone?”

Chen Qingtang was peeling the sausage casing with a small pair of scissors. She smiled and nodded.

The store was small, not as spacious and lively as outside. After eating the sausage, Jimao had run out to find Ji Mingzhu again.

Pei Yunle sighed, the breath expelling all her previous annoyance. She instantly felt refreshed. “What’s with the change of heart today? Buying cake to eat.”

Chen Qingtang’s fingertips were stained with red oil. She felt it wouldn’t be right to ignore Pei Yunle, especially since she hadn’t had time for her earlier. She hastily wiped her hands clean and scribbled on a piece of scrap paper: [She gave it.]

“Oh.” Pei Yunle pouted and fell silent again.

Chen Qingtang washed her hands, her tasks finally complete for the moment. She sat back down at the counter, next to Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle propped her chin on her hand, her eyes lowered, occasionally glancing at the unappealing cake. Whenever Chen Qingtang’s arm moved near it, Pei Yunle would watch her every move.

“Why aren’t you eating it? A gift from a friend must be delicious.”

Yesterday’s accounts were still unfinished. With more than half left to do, Chen Qingtang was busy with the calculator and had no appetite. She paused, her fingertips hovering over the faded keys, then pushed the cake and milk tea towards Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle had only said it casually, not expecting the other girl to actually give her the cake. She examined it up close. The mille-crepe cake was truly mediocre. If any cake shop in Anyang City made something like this, it would probably go out of business eight hundred times over.

“This isn’t right. After all, someone brought it to you personally. You should eat it. But… don’t you dislike sweets? As a friend, shouldn’t she know that?”

Before Chen Qingtang could reply, a figure appeared at the door.

“Aiya, I didn’t expect this little convenience store to serve tea,” Ji Mingzhu said, pushing aside the beaded curtain and leaning halfway in.

Pei Yunle was speechless. “I thought you’d left.”

Ji Mingzhu tied the leash to the doorframe and brushed back her bangs. “As you wish, I’m leaving right now. I just brought the dog back for you. But really, this cake is too rich. It definitely needs a good cup of green tea to cut through the sweetness. I never thought you’d secretly be studying the art of tea. Tsk, tsk.”

“Ji Mingzhu.”

“What?” Ji Mingzhu took out her mirror to touch up her lipstick.

“Pay me back for the dog food.”

Ji Mingzhu snapped her mirror shut with a click and turned to leave. “I think I hear a three-wheeler. We’ll meet again if fate allows.”

Chen Qingtang listened to this exchange in a daze. With the poor internet in Pingshun, she never browsed her phone, and the old phone she had was bought a decade ago. She couldn’t understand this kind of talk at all, feeling like a caveman being forced to watch a 21st-century awards show.

But Pei Yunle didn’t know that. She hadn’t intended to speak that way. She was just asking a friendly question, just a little curious. Who knew that the moment she opened her mouth, the scent of green tea would waft out? A strange talent, maxed out!

Ji Mingzhu left with a flourish, leaving Pei Yunle in a puddle of embarrassment. She didn’t even dare to look at Chen Qingtang and just laid her arms on the glass counter, burying her head in them. All that was visible was her frizzy pink hair and her earlobes, which were red enough to bleed.

Chen Qingtang poked Pei Yunle’s arm. The girl didn’t move. She poked the soft flesh at Pei Yunle’s waist. That was a sensitive spot for Pei Yunle. Unable to stand the tickling, she had to lift her head. Something on the table had left a big red mark right in the middle of her forehead.

Chen Qingtang suppressed a laugh and showed Pei Yunle the reply she had prepared earlier—[I like sweets, but cake is expensive, so I don’t eat it.]

The sweet, rich aroma of the cake filled the air, but it couldn’t mask the mixed feelings in Pei Yunle’s heart. A slice of mille-crepe cake usually cost 20-25 yuan. If she didn’t truly love it, someone like Chen Qingtang, who didn’t have much money, would never indulge. To an outsider, it would just look like she didn’t like it.

“Where is there a cake shop in this town? I don’t think I’ve seen one.”

[Wachang Street.]

“Is it good?” Pei Yunle thought about buying one for Chen Qingtang, as long as it didn’t cost more than ten yuan, which was all the money she had.

Chen Qingtang thought for a moment. [Good. A friend’s shop.]

Pei Yunle immediately understood. No wonder she’d brought cake; she was the one who made it.

“Oh… by the way, how do you two know each other?”

At her words, Chen Qingtang’s fingers tightened around her phone, the knuckles turning white against her skin. The words on the screen were deleted and revised over and over.

After a long moment, she placed the phone on the counter. This time, however, she didn’t hand it to Pei Yunle. Pei Yunle had to bend over and lean in to see.

[We met at a school for the deaf and mute. We were classmates and roommates. We haven’t had much contact since graduation. I think she’s getting married soon.]

Pei Yunle nodded, her expression calm, though she was muttering to herself inwardly. She scooped up a piece of cake with a spoon and put it in her mouth. The cream was actually real cream; a few more bites didn’t have the cloying taste of vegetable-based cream.

Although it didn’t look like much, the craftsmanship was pretty good.

As Pei Yunle thought this, she found that the food had lost some of its flavor.

It was noisy outside. A crowd of children rushed into the store, vying to buy ice cream and spicy strips, their faces flushed from the sun.

“Hey, do you want to try ice cream cake? Cake wrapped around ice cream, with a layer of melted chocolate poured over it, then frozen in the fridge until it sets.”

An idea struck Pei Yunle. She took out her phone and sent a message to Ji Mingzhu, asking her to mail the ingredients and tools for making ice cream cake.

[They don’t sell that here.]

After typing this, Chen Qingtang was busy ringing up the elementary school students. The children were impatient and unwilling to line up, nearly crowding into the counter space. Pei Yunle had to stand pressed against Chen Qingtang, her mood souring. She snapped, “Didn’t your teacher teach you to line up?!”

Her voice was thunderous. The students all turned to look at Pei Yunle, their attention fixed on the red mark on her forehead. A few boys laughed out loud, breaking the silence, and everyone started chattering again.

The store was still noisy. Pei Yunle slammed her hand on the table and shouted, “Quiet down!”

Pei Yunle’s features were sharp—her brow bone, nose, lips, and chin were a series of angles, as if carved with a ruler. This kind of appearance made her look intimidating. When she frowned and clicked her tongue, she looked like she could eat three children in one bite. Even the red mark on her forehead now seemed like a symbol of the King of Hell.

This familiar feeling—it reminded the students of their homeroom teacher. They all froze, not daring to speak. The store fell silent in an instant. The few students who had been crowding Pei Yunle looked at each other, then pushed their way out of the crowd.

The space behind the counter instantly felt much wider. Pleased, Chen Qingtang tore the wrapper off a straw, poked it into the milk tea, and handed it to Pei Yunle.

Pei Yunle stared at the cup of milk tea, which was probably made from some kind of powder. Her mouth was dry. “Someone gave this to you. It wouldn’t be right for me to drink it, would it? No, I’d better not. What if she gets angry?”

As Chen Qingtang collected the sweat-dampened fifty-cent bills, she felt that these words sounded familiar. At that moment, Ji Mingzhu’s words seemed to echo in her ears in 3D surround sound.

She glanced at Pei Yunle out of the corner of her eye. The girl was standing with her hands on her hips, busy maintaining order. From having to speak loudly for a long time, her usually rosy lips were now chapped. Half of the cake on the counter was left. This person was so thirsty, yet she wouldn’t take a sip. She was probably sick of the cake and didn’t want anything else sweet.

Sensing the gaze, Pei Yunle instinctively looked back, but only saw the side of Chen Qingtang’s fair face. She seemed to be hesitating, then quickly scribbled something on a piece of paper.

Soon, the mysterious paper was handed over by Chen Qingtang, the handwriting messy from being written in a hurry—Is the cake too rich? Do you want to drink tea?

Pei Yunle replied with a forced smile, “I’m allergic to tea.”

With that, she took the milk tea from the counter and took two huge gulps. She drank so fast she almost choked. With so many people around, she had to force herself not to spit it out and just swallow the two mouthfuls in one go.

Then, taking a moment, she sent a message to Ji Mingzhu, her fingers flying across the screen: You’re paying me back for the dog food! And the fish oil, dried fish, and chicken jerky! And pay me back for her water money too!

Ji Mingzhu, still bouncing along in the three-wheeler, had no idea what had gotten into her friend. She slowly typed back: ?