Once Jiang Chengzhou and Yan Yuan had finished setting things up, they returned to the stall.
“Brother, this is what I made selling the silver pomfret.” Linlin sounded excited, clearly eager for praise.
Jiang Chengzhou smiled. “Not bad at all!”
“How much are the clams?”
The siblings were in the middle of talking when another customer approached.
Linlin quickly answered, “Five mao per catty.”
“Then give me two catties.”
“Sure!”
Since she had made some money, Linlin was in high spirits, her voice noticeably louder than usual.
With her brother and Yan Yuan by her side, she seemed to have grown bolder too. She even tried haggling, though she was still rather inexperienced at it.
Jiang Chengzhou realized that this really was a good way to help her gain confidence, so he quietly stayed by her side.
From then on, Linlin often came along to watch the stall.
Whenever there was nothing to do, she would sit to one side and read.
Sometimes she simply spaced out.
When Jiang Chengzhou noticed his sister staring blankly across the street again, he waved a hand in front of her eyes. “What are you looking at this time?”
Linlin came back to herself. “Brother, that lady is so beautiful.”
Jiang Chengzhou followed her gaze.
There were two of the most impressive buildings in this area.
One was the large shopping center nearby, which had only recently been built and contained hundreds of shops.
The other was a foreign-affairs hotel, even grander and more luxurious. Its exterior walls were covered in tiny white tiles, and the people coming and going were either overseas Chinese with bags stuffed full of foreign-exchange certificates or self-employed businessmen in suits. Ordinary citizens only dared to admire it from a distance through the windows.
The entire first floor facing the street was made up of high-end independent storefronts.
Directly across from their shop was a beauty store specializing in cosmetics, perfume, and dresses. Supposedly, all the merchandise was imported.
The owner was a young woman.
She wore a fashionable perm and trendy Hong Kong-style clothes, and she put on heavy makeup every day, accentuating her striking features. She spent her days lounging lazily behind the counter, and her very presence, full of feminine allure, was enough to make passersby turn their heads again and again.
Even after the country had begun opening up and reforming, most people still dressed rather plainly. But the female shop owner across the street was different from everyone else in every gesture and movement.
Jiang Chengzhou withdrew his gaze and ruffled Linlin’s hair. “In your brother’s eyes, our Linlin is the prettiest girl in the world. That woman doesn’t have a very good reputation, so don’t imitate her.”
The woman was beautiful and alluring, and made no effort to hide it. More than once, Jiang Chengzhou had heard people outside speak about her with malicious teasing and judgment.
He couldn’t bear to imagine such things happening to Linlin.
Linlin looked up. After hesitating for a moment, she said slowly, “Brother, my reputation isn’t good either.”
Sometimes, a woman’s reputation was an undeserved calamity.
No matter what women did, people outside could say whatever they wanted. A rumor repeated often enough became accepted as truth—and such “truths” could hurt people.
Jiang Chengzhou froze. The smile vanished from his face at once. “Linlin, I shouldn’t have said that. None of those things are your fault. Don’t take them to heart.”
Linlin lifted her head and gave him a small smile. “I know, Brother.”
The siblings suddenly fell silent, neither of them knowing what to say.
Yan Yuan’s nerves twitched. He pulled several ten-yuan bills from the box. “Don’t just sit here. Isn’t the shop across the street devoted to women’s things? Go see if there’s anything you like and buy it all.”
Jiang Chengzhou came to his senses and hurriedly pulled money from his own pocket. “That’s right. I have some too. Here, take it all. Buy whatever you want. Don’t worry about saving money.”
Linlin waved her hands, refusing. “That’s not what I meant.”
Jiang Chengzhou pressed the money into her hands. “Listen to me!”
Before she knew what was happening, Linlin had been ushered to the door of the shop across the street.
Clutching the money tightly, she stepped inside.
A brass bell hanging from the doorframe jingled, and the shop was filled with the rich scents of face powder and flowers.
The woman behind the counter turned her head to look over. One eyebrow lifted slightly, and her gaze drifted over Linlin like a feather.
A customer had arrived, but she still didn’t get up. She merely pointed to the side with a finger painted in red nail polish. “What are you standing there for? Come over here.”
Linlin clutched the money and walked over, stopping in front of her.
Shen Man looked her up and down. Then she suddenly reached out and lifted the thick bangs from Linlin’s forehead, curling her lip in disdain. “It’s so hot, and you keep your hair this long? Aren’t you afraid of getting prickly heat?”
As she spoke, she brushed the hair aside—then stopped.
Shen Man had seen plenty of beautiful women. She herself was strikingly beautiful and had never considered herself inferior to anyone.
But the face before her made her think for the first time, So this is what it means for someone to be born this beautiful.
Her features were rich and lovely without being gaudy. Her pupils were black and bright, like two clear mountain springs. Her nose was delicately straight, her lips naturally red, and her skin so pale and translucent that even the fine down on the tip of her nose could be seen clearly.
Her face was completely free of makeup, yet every feature was perfectly balanced.
Shen Man found it difficult to think of a word that could describe the astonishing beauty before her.
She withdrew her hand and composed herself. “Go pull the curtains shut.”
Linlin didn’t understand why, but she did as she was told and drew the curtains across the storefront windows.
The light inside the shop dimmed. Shen Man pressed the switch on the wall, and the lights around the ceiling came on at once. The bright, even glow of the incandescent bulbs illuminated every detail of Linlin’s face.
Shen Man studied her for a long while. The more she looked, the more she felt it was a terrible waste. Unable to help herself, she tapped Linlin’s forehead with one fingertip. “A face this beautiful, hidden behind all that hair? What a waste of a God-given gift.”
It was the first time Linlin had been examined by another woman with such warm, appreciative eyes. Her cheeks flushed, and she parted her lips. “Sister, you’re very beautiful too.”
Shen Man burst out laughing. She rose from her stool and took two steps toward Linlin.
Only then did Linlin realize that one of her legs was lame.
Shen Man gave a soft laugh. “Did I scare you?”
Linlin hurriedly shook her head. “I… I just didn’t know what I could do to make you more comfortable.”
“Silly girl.”
Shen Man paused, then laughed as she scolded her affectionately.
Over the years, she had encountered every kind of gaze: disgust, pity, curiosity, and more.
But this was the first time someone had stood before her and said, “I didn’t know what I could do to make you more comfortable.”
“I had an illness when I was little. One of my legs was left a little lame, but it doesn’t affect anything else.”
After saying that, Shen Man even lifted her skirt to show Linlin.
Her father had massaged the muscles in that leg for years. Although it was somewhat shrunken and deformed, at least it still looked presentable.
Linlin was silent for a long time before finally managing to say, “Jade is polished by hardship… The greatest perfection appears flawed.”
Shen Man was amused again. She laughed so hard that tears nearly came to her eyes, then wrapped an arm around Linlin’s waist. “Jade is polished by hardship, the greatest perfection appears flawed. My goodness, what a little treasure you are.”
Held in Shen Man’s arms, Linlin was enveloped by the woman’s dense, sweet fragrance, leaving her a little dizzy.
Zhou Yue was younger than she was, and while growing up, the female elder Linlin had spent the most time with was Song Fang.
Unfortunately, the greatest amount of malice she had received had come from Song Fang as well.
This was the first time an older woman had treated her with such warmth and enthusiasm. Linlin was at once unsure how to respond—and secretly reluctant to let go of the feeling.
