23 I Miss You, Though We Just Parted (2/2)
”I like you so much, Yueyue,” said Shi Shaochuan as he kissed her forehead.
Jin Qingyue did not resist. Instead, very confused, she asked, ”But it's our… first… meeting… how much do you like me?”
”I like you as much as you can imagine.”
”…”
”…”
”…”
It was half past 10 PM. ”Look at this daughter of ours, refusing to pick up all my calls. She had agreed to stick to her curfew of 10 PM, but it's already almost 11:40 PM and she's still not home yet,” panicked Mrs. Jin who was sitting in the living room. She began to feel more and more anxious with each passing minute.
”I guess she will be home very soon,” said Mr. Jin reassuringly.
Just as he expected, Jin Qingyue returned shortly after. ”Mother,” greeted Jin Qingyue who was all flushed and red like a tomato.
”You've been drinking.”
”Yeah, I'm going back to my room to sleep,” said Jin Qingyue, stumbling back into her room.
Mrs. Jin hurriedly chased after her and asked, ”How about I brew you something to clear away the effects of the alcohol?”
”No, it's fine,” rejected Jin Qingyue, waving her hand.
She fell straight onto her bed the moment she entered her room and broke into a sudden smile as she opened her eyes.
She then reached into the pocket of her coat to retrieve her undergarments, which she then proceeded to fling onto her bed.
The sound of a text message notification could be heard just as she came out of the shower.
Feeling a headache coming on, she began to read the words on the screen of her phone while squinting.
It was a text from Shi Shaochuan, which read: I miss you, though we just parted. See you next time, pretty girl.
Without replying, she cast her phone aside and had a great stretch before quickly falling into a deep sleep.
——
”Boss, someone is calling you again!” cranked An Xiaoning's ringtone, which woke her from her sleep unexpectedly.
”Hello?” she answered.
”Sister, it's me, Mei Yangyang.”
An Xiaoning opened her drowsy eyes and answered as she sat up slowly, ”Oh, it's you.”
”I heeded your advice and set up my stall in a more crowded place yesterday. Although there were still people who weren't convinced by my skills, I had managed to earn 200-odd yuan yesterday. So I decided to give you a call to express my gratitude, Sister.”
”That's great. Are you going to do fortune-telling for a living, though?”
”No, I've never thought of that. I'm actually thinking of looking for a job. After all, fortune-telling can be pretty taxing on one's health, thus it won't be a sustainable job in the long run. How about you, Sister?”
”I've never considered making a living out of it, either. I'm currently looking for a job.”
”I heard the media broadcasting company is looking out for actors to stand in as passers-by, and I've decided to go have a look in a few days. Would you like to come together, Sister? They're offering 100-odd yuan for a day's filming.”
”I haven't decided.”
”I've thought about it all. In the future, I will read fortunes for a few days a month, on top of working a proper job. I should be able to not have to worry about making ends meet, and even save some money for myself,” squealed Mei Yangyang, exceptionally thrilled and excited.
Just as An Xiaoning was about to reply, she felt an arm hugging her waist tightly. After shooting her husband a glare, she continued to speak over the phone, ”100 yuan a day is a tad too little.”
”It'll add up to about three or four thousand a month, that's not little for us. Give it some thought, Sister. You can call me if you're interested. Let's go together.”
”Sure,” agreed An Xiaoning, though she had no intention of going at all. To her, a few hundred a day was indeed not much, especially since her current savings were enough to last her an entire lifetime. She probably would not want to look for a job if it wasn't for boredom. Besides, who would not love the idea of just resting comfortably and doing nothing at home?
However, an overly comfortable life was not for her. She did not want to spend her days doing nothing except go for high tea, frequent mahjong sessions, and visit beauty salons, as typical wives of rich men did.Beimen means North Gate in Chinese