Chapter 18: Cat Stealing
Hang Liumei was determined to see Qi Xiuchun. She was really excited today. She was lying on the beauty chair with a facial mask on her face, muttering to herself.
"Sister Xiuchun, long time no see." It was so bland, as if only a couple who met again after a breakup would say this.
"Sister Xiuchun, I'm here to take care of your business." Too arrogant. What if I don't buy anything? Will I be kicked out?
"Sister Xiuchun, are you still angry with me?" It was too humble. If she said she was still angry, wouldn't it be very embarrassing?
Hang Liumei, wearing her favorite dress and carrying her favorite bag, tried to look her best to find her friend, but she found she didn't even know what to say. Never mind. She already had the address, so she'd just go.
Qi Xiuchun's jewelry shop is on the side of South Street. The words "Baochun Gold" are written in gold on a red background. This "Chun" must be Qi Xiuchun; it seems she's become something of a boss. I heard that after leaving Dunhuang, she went to the provincial capital to learn the craft from a master craftsman, and somehow ended up finding her way into jewelry. Having to support her family and take her daughter to the doctor alone, it's not easy for her to get to where she is today.
"Sister Xiuchun is such a tough nut to crack. I don't know how she managed to pull through. If she'd come back to me, wouldn't I have helped her?" Hang Liumei sighed inwardly. She circled the store entrance twice before finally stepping inside. She walked back and forth along the counter before asking the clerk if Qi Xiuchun was there. The clerk told her that Qi Xiuchun had gone out to deliver something and wouldn't be back until the evening. Hang Liumei felt a mixture of disappointment and relief.
"How about you leave your name and phone number so I can ask Teacher Qi to contact you when he gets back?"
"No, no, no, that's not necessary. I'm just asking casually." Hang Liumei said and left in a panic.
She didn't walk far after she went out. She found a coffee shop across the street and sat down. She stared at the door of Baochun Gold through the glass and waited until Qi Xiuchun came back.
"It would be great if Zhihe was here. They have many young sisters, so she would definitely have a way to deal with this kind of thing." Hang Liumei stirred her drink, missing the feeling of Pu Zhihe persuading her to go on stage and sing in the bar.
"Sister Xiuchun, did you open this shop? I knew you were skillful and capable, and you could do anything. I felt really sorry when you left. We're both old now, why don't we sit down and have a good chat today?" It would be nice to just tell the truth. Can't she eat me? Hang Liumei had prepared the words in her mind, and the words were on the tip of her tongue, but why didn't Qi Xiuchun come back yet? She was so depressed.
Was it because the goods were so good that a customer treated her to dinner? Or was it because the goods weren't what she wanted and she got into a fight with the customer? I stared at her for two hours without blinking. She was always dressed in all sorts of colors, like she was celebrating a wedding every day. If she passed by here, it was impossible to miss her.
Thinking about getting married, Hang Liumei pulled out her phone to check the day's auspiciousness and omens. April 13th: "Auspicious: Breaking down a house, bathing, dissolving things, and avoiding other matters; Inauspicious: All other matters are unfavorable." There was also a line admonishing: "Clash with the Horse, Sha with the South"—people born in the Year of the Horse are in conflict, and the south is unfavorable.
Isn't this talking about me! Hang Liumei exclaimed in her heart that something was wrong. Ever since Song Jiang fell in front of her, she had begun to believe this.
A sudden commotion erupted across the street; it was Qi Xiuchun returning to the shop. The attractive young staff all rushed over to greet her with smiles and a chat. Sister Xiuchun was just like that; she was the center of attention wherever she went, and her thoughtfulness was undeniably endearing. But today was a particularly unlucky day, so forget it. Dejected, Hang Liumei grabbed her bag and left, packing up the remaining half of her Alkaline Water Knot to give to Xiaomai for breakfast.
Afraid of attracting Qi Xiuchun's attention, Hang Liumei put on a mask and sunglasses. It was already dark, and she looked unkind in this attire. She didn't care about these things, and hurried through the door, turning a corner and leaving. Hang Liumei stood by the wall, using the corner as a shield, wanting to catch one more glimpse of Qi Xiuchun, who was glaring under the sign.
Suddenly, her feet felt itchy, and a beautiful Siamese cat leaned against her. Hang Liumei loved small animals, so her heart softened immediately. She squatted down and picked it up: "Where did you come from, you poor little thing? Your face is like the bottom of a pot, huh?"
The kitten twisted itself close to her face. She remembered the lye knot in her pocket, so she freed one hand and tore off a small piece to feed it. The little Siamese cat clung to her after eating the bread, nestling comfortably in her arms. Hang Liumei felt a ribbon around its neck; it was indeed a domesticated cat. Turning the gold tag over, she saw, "Baochun Gold," a cat from Qi Xiuchun's shop!
Hang Liumei quickly put it on the ground and fanned it towards the shop with her hands: "Go, go, go, find your owner!" The kitten refused to leave and lay down at her feet in a coquettish manner. Hang Liumei was getting anxious when she heard someone walking towards this side looking for the cat.
Hang Liumei grabbed the cat and turned her back to it, holding it under her armpits with both hands. Unexpectedly, the kitten was quite long when it stretched out. She carried the cat like this, stepping here and there, not knowing where to go. She made up her mind to wait for the person who was looking for the cat to come and then put it in his hands.
Who knew that the one leading the charge was Qi Xiuchun? Hang Liumei was scared again. She was so embarrassed by her current state. She thought for a second and decided to run in the opposite direction, holding the cat.
Someone called from behind: "Xiaomei? Xiaomei?"
"It's over, it's over. She recognized me. I can't let her catch me like this." Hang Liumei groaned in her heart.
The little Siamese cat meowed, and the little girl from Qi Xiuchun's shop also chased out. When she saw Hang Liumei's exposed cat claws, she immediately shouted, "That's our cat! Someone is stealing the cat!" While shouting, she called on her colleagues to follow and catch the thief together.
There was no way to avoid running now. Hang Liumei rushed forward in panic, with several young people chasing after her. Qi Xiuchun yelled at everyone to stop running, but no one listened. If their gold was stolen, they would call the police, but if their cat was stolen, they would fight to the death.
Hang Liumei, with her old bones, couldn't bear it after a few steps. There was a hotel nearby, so she went in with the cat in her arms. She hurriedly took out her ID card and put it at the front desk: "Book a room, a single room!" So she was let in with the cat.
When Qi Xiuchun chased out, she saw a person in front of her who looked like Hang Liumei. She had just called the kitten's name Xiaomei twice when Hang Liumei ran forward. Qi Xiuchun didn't know what she was up to and wanted to go up alone to grab Hang Liumei, but the clerk's shout ruined her plan.
South Street was crowded with people, and they lost Hang Liumei in a blink of an eye. The girls refused to give up, and Qi Xiuchun stopped them: "Don't worry, someone will bring her back."
At this moment, the black-faced little Siamese was excitedly parkouring on the big bed in the hotel. Hang Liumei, whose face was even darker than his, sat on the sofa, panting. What kind of thing had she done today? Seeing her lying motionless on the sofa, the kitten jumped off the bed and curled up on her legs, licking her fur and playing.
Hang Liumei held up its triangular face, stroked the "Baochun Gold" tag, and sighed. She decided to tie it up at the store entrance early tomorrow morning before leaving. As for finding Sister Xiuchun, they would discuss it after Zhihe and Xiaomai returned home.
After a long lunch, Pu Zhihe returned to Hang Liumei's house by car, only to find neither the grandmother nor the granddaughter was there. Xiaomai had said goodbye that morning, saying there was a basketball game that afternoon. Perhaps Hang Liumei had gone to see Xiaomai. Pu Zhihe took off the dress she'd worn to meet her elders, kicked aside her rubbing high heels, changed into something casual, and headed to the university to unwind. Otherwise, her mind would explode.
Xiaomai was playing basketball on the playground with a few classmates in their team uniforms. It looked like the game was over. Hang Liumei was nowhere to be seen in the stands. Pu Zhihe was standing off to the side, arms folded, waiting for him. Xiaomai's roommate noticed her first.
The roommate tugged at his sports headband, glanced at Pu Zhihe several times, then sprinted off, asking his friend to pass him the ball. Then, he confidently shot a three-pointer. After a high-five, he deliberately dribbled the ball toward Pu Zhihe, then let it slip, sending it careening toward her. She was lowering her head to reply to Zhu Fu's message.
After Pu Zhihe typed and sent it, a figure flashed past. It was Xiaomai, who had intercepted a basketball flying towards her. He hadn't recognized Pu Zhihe yet, so he was busy with a three-step layup. The boy with the hairband angrily blamed Xiaomai, "I used that ball to create a chance with a beautiful woman, and you ruined my chance!"
Xiaomai finally saw Pu Zhihe and waved hello. Pu Zhihe smiled at him. This greatly satisfied the adolescent boy's vanity. Several classmates, no longer interested in playing basketball, came over curiously and asked Xiaomai who this was. Xiaomai patted the basketball and said, "A friend."
"I thought you were here to see me! You've quietly started flirting with the senior. If it works out, remember to treat everyone to a meal. I want the senior to introduce me to a girlfriend who's older than me." The boy with the hairband whistled. Xiaomai didn't reply, but jumped up and grabbed his rebound.
They played a few more quick games, finally breaking up just as dusk fell. A girl walked up to Xiaomai, carrying a cup of milk tea. "Mai Xu, during our last English class group project, I told you I'd buy you a drink if we won. Here, I'm keeping my word!"
The people around him started screaming and booing, turning to look at Pu Zhihe. Xiaomai's face flushed to the roots of his ears. He put on his schoolbag and draped his coat over his arm, scratched his head and said, "Did you tell me that? I forgot. Thank you, or you can keep it. I don't like sweet drinks."
"I know, I ordered sugar-free."
Several male classmates became even more excited. The boy with the hairband even squeezed to the front row and put his arm around Xiaomai's shoulder to take the milk tea for him: "Hey, they're offering it to you, just accept it. Look, we haven't even had any yet."
Xiaomai was still too shy to look her in the eye, but she didn't care and said goodbye gracefully.
Surrounded by a group of boys, Xiaomai walked up to Pu Zhihe. Her high ponytail was ruffled by the wind, and she squinted her eyes as she watched the girl's back as she walked away, admiring her slender legs beneath her hot pants. Campus was still the best place. The air was full of dopamine, and the shows were all idol dramas, unlike her, who only had family dramas on 8/7 shows.
The others saw that she was lost in thought, thinking there was a love triangle going on, and kept silent.
"Are you done playing? You don't have classes soon, right?" she asked.
"Well, I'll be fine tonight." He replied.
"Something happened at home. Change your clothes and I'll tell you the details later." After she said that, she took the lead and walked forward.
Several heads turned to look at the two calm faces. Is that all? No jealousy? No questioning who it was? They chatted with Pu Zhihe in a roundabout way. Pu Zhihe's response was so easygoing that they spoke without hesitation.
"The one who just delivered the milk tea is from the School of Public Administration, right? Wow, she has a killer back view." They began to comment in front of her.
Xiaomai didn't want to talk about this and waved her hand: "No, don't talk nonsense about others, we don't even know each other."
The boy with the headband asked Pu Zhihe to speak: "Really? Senior, don't you think she's a little too ordinary to be with our microphone? She needs to learn how to put on makeup, or at least get double eyelid tattoos. I think if a girl pursues a boy like you, it's a piece of cake."
He suddenly raised his arm, and the smell of sweat from his armpit was unbearable. Pu Zhihe stood a step away, looked ahead and said calmly, "You're right. After divorcing my ex-husband, I looked for athletes, and I always caught one." As expected, the boys exchanged looks of astonishment, not daring to talk to her anymore. Only Xiaomai listened to her nonsense and smiled secretly.
After walking downstairs to the dormitory building and waiting for everyone else to leave, Pu Zhihe asked Xiaomai Hang Liumei where she was and why there was no one at home and her cell phone was turned off.
Xiaomai said, "Grandma has never come to look for me, but she often wanders around the school by herself. I'll clean up and we'll go look for her."
He rushed upstairs and took a quick shower. When he came down with wet hair, Pu Zhihe had already borrowed a bicycle from a female classmate. She sat on it and gestured to Xiaomai to borrow one from her roommate as well. The school was so big that it was faster to find someone by bike.
"Sister Zhihe - I can't ride a bike." Xiaomai put her hands on her waist helplessly, and water drops from the ends of her hair fell on her clothes.
Pu Zhihe patted the back seat of the woman's bicycle and said, "Get on. I'll give you a ride."
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