One year apart (1)
In the shopping mall, Nanqi was dressed as a bear handing out flyers.
There are many children coming and going here. Cute children will take pictures and hug her, while naughty children will stand behind her and kick her.
Wearing such a disguise, she couldn't see people clearly and her movements were restricted, so she didn't dare to turn around easily, for fear of bumping into the children behind her or accidentally falling and injuring someone. So she simply let them fool around and continued to stand in place, swaying left and right with the flyers in her hand.
Nanqi is 178 cm tall and physically strong. She can earn 300 to 400 yuan a day by dressing up as a bear. For the sake of the money, she can endure the heat and be kicked.
At five o'clock in the afternoon, she took off her heavy protective gear; her shirt was already soaked with sweat, and her hair was a mess. Even so, if the boss could give her more money, she would be willing to work a few more hours.
Suddenly, a scream came from ahead. A portly man wielding a sharp knife was chasing after two girls. The people around were terrified and screams rose and fell.
Nanqi said to the mall manager, "Quickly call security."
"We've already called them, and security is on their way."
At that moment, the assailant had already grabbed a girl's braid and was about to stab her. Nanqi didn't hesitate any longer and rushed over, punching the assailant in the arm with her bare hand. The man felt the pain and the knife in his hand clattered to the ground. Nanqi immediately stepped on the knife to prevent him from hurting anyone else. Several security guards also ran over and rushed forward to pin him to the ground.
The two girls, still shaken, hugged each other and comforted one another before thanking Nanqi.
Wow, you're so handsome, sister!
Nanqi was riding down the escalator when she heard someone praising her. She turned around and saw a girl with dyed blonde hair smiling at her.
"My name is Cui Yingying, shall we get to know each other?"
"My name is Nanqi," Nanqi replied politely.
Although Nanqi is tall and has long legs, she has an oval face with small features, and her smile is very cute.
"I just saw you beat up that thug. You were so cool! I didn't expect you to look so young. Are you an adult yet?" Cui Yingying said excitedly.
Nanqi smiled and said, "I'm definitely older than you. I'm off work now, I'm leaving first."
"Are you going to dress up as a bear again tomorrow?"
Nanqi shook her head, "I'll dress up as a mischievous rabbit in other shopping malls."
Cui Yingying quickened her pace and caught up with her: "I know the manager of the Vance Hotel. You're so capable, I can recommend you for a security guard job there."
Nanqi shrugged and said, "How much money can a security guard make?"
"Don't underestimate the security guards there. They can make seven or eight thousand a month. You can earn more than three hundred a day."
"With such a good job, how could they be short-staffed?"
"They have high standards; the guests there are all wealthy and influential, so they test the security guards' physical fitness and striking abilities."
Nanqi thought for a moment and said, "I haven't graduated yet, and I have to set up a stall at night, so I can't do it full-time. I wonder if they hire part-time workers?"
"My God, you work two jobs every day, aren't you tired?" Cui Yingying exclaimed.
"If possible, it would be nice to have two more servings."
"Then let me ask for you, and we can exchange contact information?"
"Okay, thank you."
Back in her rented room, Nanqi didn't rest. She packed the mung bean soup, orange juice, cola, and plum juice she had made that morning into cups, added ice packs, and put them all into a styrofoam box. Just as she was loading the three boxes into her car, Nanyue called her. She answered the call, then used her neck to hold the phone steady before continuing to work.
"Sis, how have you been lately?"
"I'm fine. How's Mom's health?"
"The doctor said her blood pressure was high and prescribed some antihypertensive medication. Her blood pressure has come down after taking the medication for the past few days. She will have to go for a follow-up check-up next week."
"It's good that you're with her, so I can feel a little more at ease."
"Sis, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, do you want to come home for dinner?"
"Did Mom say that?"
"..."
Sensing Nan Yue's hesitation, Nan Qi said, "I'm not going back. I'm very busy with work right now, and I'll lose a lot of money if I go back."
"You're still a student, there's no need to work so hard."
“Students will have to work after graduation, and it’s good to get an internship certificate early.”
"Okay then, take care of yourself."
"Yes, you too. Take good care of yourself and Mom."
After hanging up the phone, Nanqi rode her tricycle to the night market. The night market was bustling with activity, filled with stalls. The stalls were scattered along this one street, and although they were all small businesses, there was no shortage of backstabbing and infighting. The older stall owners took advantage of her youth and the fact that she was a girl. No matter how early she arrived, they would always push her to the back and take over the stalls facing outwards, making her almost unnoticed by passing customers.
Nanqi didn't argue with them. As soon as they arrived, she parked the car inside and went outside to call out to customers, especially children. She would offer them cartoon hair clips as a gift with every drink they bought. She bought the hair clips wholesale, and they only cost 2 yuan a pack. Over time, she gained a regular customer base.
Zhou Ren, who sells roasted sweet potatoes, and Wang Yi, who sells clothing, saw that she had good business and was easy to bully, so they always targeted her. Sometimes, when she was greeting customers by the roadside, the two of them would walk over, push and shove her away, and then snatch customers right in front of her.
Around 8 or 9 p.m., the city management officers who had finished their shift would come over. If they couldn't stand it anymore, they would say a few words in her defense, "Just focus on your business and stop bullying young girls all day long. If you're a man, do what a man should do."
Nanqi was also very sweet-talking, calling him "brother" repeatedly and even offering him water, leaving the city management officer completely bewildered.
This behavior only fueled the resentment of Zhou and Wang. When she rode her bike to the intersection after get off work today, the two of them blocked her way and overturned her bike without saying a word, scattering her belongings all over the ground.
Nanqi didn't argue with them and went to pick up her things, but the two of them were still relentless. Zhou Ren even stepped on her hand triumphantly.
"Listen up, you're not allowed to set up a stall here again, or else this time it's your car that fell on the ground, next time it'll be yours!" Zhou Ren said arrogantly.
“Exactly!” Wang Yi echoed.
Seeing that Nanqi's hands were red from being stepped on, but she didn't cry out or say anything, they assumed she had given in. Zhou Ren lifted his foot triumphantly, and Nanqi moved the back of her hand slightly, saying with a sharp look in her eyes, "Fine."
Xuan immediately stood up and kicked each of them. She didn't use much force, but the two of them stumbled a few steps and almost fell.
"I'm not going to lower myself to your level, but you guys are really taking advantage of me."
The two grown men, having been humiliated by a young girl, felt they had lost face. They rolled up their sleeves, clenched their fists, and were determined to teach her a lesson. Nanqi then pulled a pair of scissors from the box. "Want to fight?!"
"Are you serious?" Wang Yi asked.
Nanqi sneered, pointed the sharp end of the scissors at her arm, and slashed it sharply. Blood gushed from her forearm, flowing all the way to her palm. The two men were startled by her crazy action.
"You're fucking crazy!" Zhou Ren cursed at her, exchanged a glance with Wang Yi, and said, "Don't bother arguing with a lunatic, let's go!"
"Coward." Nanqi put away the scissors, wrapped her wound with her coat, picked up her car, and continued walking home.
It was almost 2 a.m. when she got back to her rented room. It was a small, square room with all the necessary amenities. There was a beverage machine and cooking utensils near the door. When it was hot, she would move the stove outside. Inside the room, there was a bed, a desk, and a chair. The only decoration in the room was a poster of the up-and-coming actress Song Siwei on the wall.
As soon as Nanqi entered the room, the poster caught her eye, quickly dispelling the gloom of her day. She took out gauze and skillfully bandaged the wound. Before going to bed, she opened her phone's journal and habitually recorded her day.
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