Ji Fangyun got her wages today, but it wasn’t much, and it was from two months ago.
“The boss said he’s short on cash, so he’s only paying half so we can eat. Who isn’t short on cash, though?” her coworker grumbled.
Ji Fangyun, however, had a good attitude about it. In her eyes, having money in hand was the happiest thing—unlike before, when she was stuck at home toiling away, and all her money was taken by Jiang Dayong.
A few days ago, she’d bought a dress online, and it had arrived. The women in the dorm decided to head to the nearby park today to take photos and relax.
“Ji Fangyun, go put it on and try it out right away,” a coworker urged enthusiastically.
Ji Fangyun felt a bit embarrassed. “I wish I hadn’t bought it. This bright dress doesn’t suit me at all.”
“How do you know it doesn’t suit you without even trying it on? Go change,” her coworker said, pushing her toward the bathroom.
“You’ve already washed it, so you can’t return it anyway.”
Standing in the bathroom, Ji Fangyun was terribly nervous. She used to wear dresses when she was younger, but after getting married, wearing dresses while doing chores just wasn’t practical.
She changed in the bathroom but lingered, too timid to come out.
At her age, wearing something so colorful felt a bit inappropriate.
“Ji Fangyun, are you done yet? Don’t just hide in there.”
The other coworkers had already put on their best clothes. Today, they were heading to the park for photos, and they planned to post them on social media.
Ji Fangyun stepped out, her face red, and everyone immediately gathered around.
“Where’s the problem? Isn’t this beautiful?”
“Exactly! You should dress like this more often.”
Another coworker even put some lipstick on Ji Fangyun. Then, the prettily dressed women set off happily.
This factory only gave them two days off a month, so they had to make the most of it.
As they left the factory gate, a male coworker stared at them and laughed. “A bunch of washed-up old ladies, dressing up like that. You’d be better off sleeping in the dorm. Not a good look, not a good look.”
Ji Fangyun was already fed up with men like that. “That’s still better than a bald guy like you. Seeing your old face makes me sick.”
An older woman, who was adjusting her scarf, spat out, “Keep that teapot spout mouth of yours away from here—don’t embarrass yourself.”
The women burst out laughing. The male coworker turned red with anger. “Oh? You’ve tested it out or something?”
The older woman, now wearing her scarf properly, said sarcastically, “I wouldn’t stoop so low. That guy Big Liu in your dorm said someone—uh—drips when he pees and can’t even aim straight.”
The male coworker cursed after them, but the older woman just rolled her eyes and walked on with the others.
At the park, the women posed with their scarves, striking many different poses.
“Use this beauty filter—it looks great.”
“This thing makes me look twenty years younger.”
Ji Fangyun took plenty of photos and even posted some on social media, a rare move. She waited eagerly for likes.
“All of you, give me a thumbs-up.”
“Already did.”
Soon, two comments appeared.
Ji Zhaoxi: [Beautiful lady Miss Ji Fangyun (kissy face) (kissy face)]
Ji Huaichuan: [No wonder I’m so handsome—it’s all in the genes (chin rub)]
Ji Fangyun’s father didn’t have a smartphone, just an old-fashioned flip phone. He usually played cards and didn’t bother with such things—in fact, he looked down on other people’s smartphones.
Around this time in the village, most people were out in the fields with their hoes. Ji Fangyun’s father hid by the wall, stealthily observing those inside.
He waited until he saw a man leave with a full bottle of tea before coming out from his hiding spot.
In the yard, a little girl was doing her homework. A woman wearing gold earrings was coaxing a boy in her arms.
“Be good, baby, go to sleep…”
As she soothed the child, she felt something was off. She frowned and looked up, spotting Ji Fangyun’s father standing at the entrance.
“Brother-in-law?”
Ji Fangyun’s father’s face darkened, and he roared, “Don’t call me your brother-in-law! That sister of yours is a bitch—she took my money and ran.”
The woman’s face turned pale. Just as she was about to speak, the man charged at her.
“Give me back the gold!” Ji Fangyun’s father, with a fierce expression, reached out and grabbed the gold earrings dangling from her ears.
The baby in her arms started crying in fright. The woman was taken aback. She tried to shield the baby while grabbing at his face, leaving several bloody scratches across it.
The little girl, crying, threw things at him.
“Don’t hit my mom!”
With a ruthless look, Ji Fangyun’s father finally yanked the earrings off. Blood dripped from the woman’s ear.
“And the gold necklace? That was from my money too!”
Panting heavily, he headed toward the house.
The woman put the baby down in a stroller and rushed to block him. The room was already in chaos from his search, and at last, he found a wooden box containing a gold necklace.
Furious, the woman lunged to grab it back. “You monster! My sister bought that with her own wages from working—what does it have to do with you?”
The two quickly got into a scuffle. The woman sat on top of him, grabbing whatever was nearby and hitting him on the head with it. He hissed in pain, his face covered in blood.
The baby’s cries grew louder from outside, and suddenly a confused voice came from the doorway. “Cui’er! Cui’er! Your baby fell over. Where are you? Cui’er!”
While Ji Cuiyun was distracted, Ji Fangyun’s father shoved her hard and bolted away.
The person at the door, holding the crying baby, was startled.
The little girl was still sobbing, and the yard was a mess.
Under the dense, lush leaves of a camphor tree, there was a patch of shade. Several people were painting the tree trunk white bit by bit. In the sunlight, the freshly applied white paint looked glaring.
Ji Zhaoxi was frantically replying to messages in her “insult group chat.”
[Why aren’t you taking orders anymore? Got thin-skinned on us, huh?]
[What’s the constant excuses for? Don’t you respect your customers?]
[Group owner, speak up!]
Ji Zhaoxi quickly responded: [Sorry everyone, I’m not taking orders anymore. A big client has bought out my entire insult service. Grateful for all the time spent together (heart emoji)]
[?]
[???]
[So you’re a money-grubber, huh, group owner? Weren’t you just saying you started this for students’ mental health, to give them an outlet?]
Ji Zhaoxi ignored the insults. But as the complaints kept piling up, she carefully typed a new message:
[Insulting people in the group costs money now. You’re no longer my clients. If you keep cursing me, I’ll curse you back!]
Did they think she was some kind of saint? She, Ji Zhaoxi, only cares about money!
[I’m speechless…]
[Ji Zhaoxi, you were the one who begged me to insult you!]
[This is just spoiled behavior! Who needs a schedule to insult Ji Zhaoxi? Screw paying—everyone, let’s just curse her in the group!]
Next second, Ji Zhaoxi disbanded the group.
Go ahead and curse—she’d just deleted the whole group, so how could they curse now?
She already had a more profitable way to make money. So what if she lost her roots?
They paid, she provided the service—no financial ties left between them.
Just then, a message popped up.
[Water bottle. Sports field. Money.]
That familiar tone.
Ji Zhaoxi’s eyes lit up. A new request had come in.
Monolid didn’t know why he had agreed to do something so ridiculous for Zhou Chiye.
But he came anyway.
He watched as Ji Zhaoxi eagerly handed water to Zhou Chiye. Zhou Chiye coughed awkwardly and took the bottle.
Zhou Chiye glanced at Monolid—a signal.
Monolid’s mouth twitched. He kept observing Ji Zhaoxi. Wasn’t her expression perfectly normal just now? What was Zhou Chiye hinting at?
“Bro, you’re so good at playing ball,” Ji Zhaoxi complimented him.
Zhou Chiye twisted the bottle awkwardly, forcing his voice to stay calm. “Mm. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
He casually swept his gaze over Ji Zhaoxi and found her looking at him with bright, sparkling eyes full of admiration.
The tips of Zhou Chiye’s ears turned red. He lowered his head, coughed, and then looked at Monolid again.
Monolid: ?
Monolid frowned. Why was Zhou Chiye signaling him again? He couldn’t see anything wrong.
Ji Zhaoxi was drinking water, wiping her sweat, and then asked a question.
Zhou Chiye turned sharply toward Monolid. He should get it now, right?!
Monolid: He didn’t. Really.
Ji Zhaoxi looked at Zhou Chiye and said politely, “Bro, do you want me to throw this bottle away for you?”
Zhou Chiye watched as her hand reached toward him, her eyes still curved in a smile. His throat felt tight. He replied seriously, “Throwing away the bottle is fine. But don’t act cute.”
Ji Zhaoxi, who had been accused of acting cute for no reason: …
She had just asked if he wanted her to throw away his bottle.
