I locked the door and followed Yang Sisi out of "Jiulongju". She walked quite fast, and we only walked side by side when we were almost at the alley entrance. I said to her, "Are you walking so fast? Do you know the way?"
"I know Dali better than you do."
“You know it better than I do, but you don’t even know which street Cao Xiaobei’s shop is on.”
"Didn't you say it's located on the only road to the Women's Flower Bar? I'll just walk and look around."
"Walk slowly, I'll show you the way."
Yang Sisi stopped and asked, "Tell me honestly, is Cao Xiaobei's shop a necessary stop on the way to the Women's Flower Bar?"
“As long as it’s not a dead end, there are always a few ways to get there. If you take other routes, you’ll have to go at least several hundred meters further.”
Are you worried that I won't be able to walk these few hundred meters?
"If you really don't want to go through Cao Xiaobei, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
"I know what you're thinking."
"Human hearts are made of flesh and blood. Sometimes when I see Cao Xiaobei's dejected appearance, I feel really bad."
"Your hearts are made of flesh and blood, while mine is made of stone. I have no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness... is that right?"
I looked at Yang Sisi for a long time before replying, "Are you going or not?"
"Only you like to go back on your word... If I say I'll go, I definitely will."
After Yang Sisi finished speaking, she walked ahead of me towards the main road of the ancient city. Cao Xiaobei's shop was in an alley connected to the main road. Although the alley was not very lively, it was easy to "touch". If Yang Sisi was careful, she would definitely be able to see it.
...
After being rebuffed by Yang Sisi, I stopped leading the way and just followed behind her. When we were almost at Cao Xiaobei's "Sheep Cafe", Yang Sisi stopped. She looked around and then her expression became complicated.
I stood next to her and said, "This is Cao Xiaobei's Sheep Cafe... At 10 p.m., all customers who happen to enter the store can have a free cup of his homemade pudding 'milk tea'."
What time is it now?
"9:55, shall we go in?"
"Is it possible to go in early?"
"I don't know, I always arrive right on time."
"Then wait five minutes."
"Just wait, it'll only take the time it takes to smoke a cigarette."
After saying that, I took out a cigarette from the pack and lit it. Then, looking around a bit boredly, I casually said to Yang Sisi, "By the way, I remember you rented a villa in Shanshuijian, and it even had a sea view... Why don't you live there?"
Yang Sisi was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "I like making friends, is that okay?"
“Okay, definitely; I’m just worried you’ll get crowded over there. You’ve been to the Women’s Flower Bar before, it’s not a very big place.”
"As long as your friend doesn't mind the crowd, I won't mind either."
I nodded and said nothing more.
...
Footsteps sounded behind me. I thought it was a tourist passing by, so I didn't pay attention at first. But when the person brushed past us, I realized it was Cao Xiaobei carrying a big bucket of bottled water... Cao Xiaobei also noticed me and immediately asked, very annoyed, "Here to mooch free milk tea again?"
I smiled and said, "Yes, and he even brought a friend with him."
Like me, Cao Xiaobei never expected Yang Sisi to come back, so he didn't notice her immediately as she was playing on her phone with her body turned to the side. When he finally noticed her, his expression was indescribable. His eyes widened, his eyebrows looked like they were standing on end, and then he made a move... The large bucket of purified water that he was holding fell to the ground with a plop and rolled to Yang Sisi's feet.
Yang Sisi glanced at the comically ugly Cao Xiaobei, first trying to suppress her laughter, then burst out laughing and asked, "Am I a ghost? Why are you so scared!"
Cao Xiaobei and Yang Sisi looked at each other, then bent down and picked up the bucket of water in an extremely awkward way. After a long while, he replied, "...The shop ran out of water to make milk tea, so I went out and got a bucket of water."
"Could you please not give irrelevant answers?"
Cao Xiaobei smiled at Yang Sisi. After the initial surprise, he was clearly overjoyed. He said to Yang Sisi, "It's windy here, let's go inside... You should also try my cooking, my milk tea is top-notch."
Do you want money?
"It's free. If you like, you can have the whole shop for free."
"Who cares!"
As Yang Sisi spoke, she walked towards Cao Xiaobei's shop, while I said to Cao Xiaobei behind her, "I won't be mooching your free milk tea today. I have to go to a friend's place. You two can chat."
Cao Xiaobei glanced at me and replied, "Go on, hurry up and go."
I smiled and then told Yang Sisi to go to the "Women's Flower" bar by herself. Yang Sisi didn't object, so the next moment, I walked alone to the end of the alley. Although I didn't know what the two of them would talk about, I was sure that Cao Xiaobei would be very happy. I could imagine what kind of feeling his happiness was, just like the feeling when Ye Zhi suddenly returned to my side.
Unfortunately, I wasn't so lucky, because Ye Zhi wasn't a woman who liked to go back on her word. When she left, she was probably really gone.
People are truly all different, with different personalities!
...
When I arrived at the "Woman Flower" bar, Nicole was still decorating. Thanks to her efforts, the bar had been completely transformed. Although it wasn't my style, I was sure women would like it, which proved that Nicole had really put her heart into it. For example, the murals hanging on the walls were all classic female figures, probably meant to encourage customers to be as self-reliant and vibrant as these iconic women.
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