Lin Qinghuan held an umbrella and walked alone on the road. Her clothes were soaked with sweat, and she was slightly out of breath. She saw a big tree ahead and decided to rest for about ten minutes before continuing on her way.
Lin Qinghuan quickened her pace to the big tree, rubbed her slightly sore legs, and saw a large rock under the tree. Just as she was about to sit down and rest, she heard an old voice.
"Young lady, why don't you come and rest under the tree to cool off!"
Lin Qinghuan turned around and saw an elderly woman in her sixties walking out from behind a tree.
Lin Qinghuan's eyes flickered, and she said politely but distantly, "Yes! It's too hot, I want to rest for a bit before continuing."
The old woman looked at Lin Qinghuan's beautiful face, her eyes shining with admiration.
Lin Qinghuan felt a chill run down her spine from the old woman's gaze, finding it particularly eerie. She hurriedly took a step back, looking at the old woman warily.
The old woman looked at Lin Qinghuan and asked, "Young lady, you are so beautiful, aren't you lucky enough to find a husband?"
"I grant it," Lin Qinghuan replied.
The old woman said regretfully, "My grandson works at the police station. He's very handsome, and I was hoping to introduce him to you."
Lin Qinghuan chuckled dryly twice, not responding to the old woman's words.
The old woman took out a bottle of water, twisted it, but couldn't open it. She looked at Lin Qinghuan apologetically, "Miss, could you help me open the bottle cap?"
Looking at the old woman's rough hands and the calluses on her index finger, Lin Qinghuan refused, saying, "Auntie, I've never been strong since I was little, I can't do this kind of rough work."
"It's alright, I'm not that thirsty right now." The old woman put the water bottle away.
"I have to go now," Lin Qinghuan said, quickly leaving.
The old woman jogged after Lin Qinghuan, saying, "Young lady, let's walk together, so you can keep each other company on the way."
Seeing that the old woman was chasing after her, Lin Qinghuan started running.
Damn it! You're obviously up to no good. Who wants to go with you? Are you just waiting to be sold out?
The old woman saw Lin Qinghuan running very fast, stopped in her tracks, and spat out, "You little brat, how can you be so clever?"
Two burly men emerged from the shadows, complaining, "Wang Po, how could you let such a beautiful girl get away?"
Granny Wang cursed and said, "Stop talking nonsense to me. If you're so capable, then go and chase after that brat right now and tie her up."
"Wang Po, are you trying to get us killed? If we get caught, we'll definitely implicate you, and you won't get away with it either," a burly man threatened.
"I'm old and all alone, I'm not afraid," Granny Wang said nonchalantly.
Seeing that Wang Po was as stubborn as a mule, the two burly men had no choice but to shut their mouths.
"Wang Po, this time Brother Qiang and his group only want beautiful women, and they want young and beautiful women. Where are we going to find young and beautiful women?" a burly man complained.
“If it’s not pretty, how could it be worth 1,500 yuan?” Granny Wang said.
“A woman costs 1,500 yuan, and we can each get 500 yuan. We must take advantage of this opportunity to make a fortune. After this, I plan to retire from this business,” another burly man said.
...
Lin Qinghuan came to the city, went to a department store to buy pens, stationery and envelopes, went to the post office to withdraw money, and opened a savings account to deposit the money.
A female postal clerk in her thirties looked at Lin Qinghuan and asked with a smile, "Your husband sends you so much money at once, he's quite responsible."
Lin Qinghuan blushed and said, "He is my boyfriend. I am still young and cannot get married yet. He has been saving this money for a long time and has been reluctant to spend it. But he was worried that I would not have any pocket money, so he transferred the money to me."
"Your partner is so lucky," the post office clerk said enviously.
Lin Qinghuan nodded shyly and said, "He has always been very good to me."
Lin Qinghuan originally wanted to write a letter to Wei Xiao, but with someone watching, she couldn't write it and decided to write it when she got home.
Lin Qinghuan saw a steamed bun vendor by the roadside. The vendor was a middle-aged woman. She walked over and asked, "Sister, how much is a meat bun?"
The woman selling steamed buns said, "One mao (0.1 yuan)."
Lin Qinghuan took out a dime and bought a meat bun, eating it while watching.
Suddenly, she saw a sugar figurine stall. As she approached, she saw an old man painting sugar figures. When the old man saw Lin Qinghuan, he smiled and asked, "Little girl, do you want to buy a sugar figurine?"
Looking at the lifelike sugar figurines on the stall—monkeys, sparrows, fish, and mice—Lin Qinghuan smiled and said, "I like dragons, is that okay?"
"Sure," the old man replied.
Lin Qinghuan asked, "How much?"
"One cent," the old man replied.
Lin Qinghuan took a dime out of her pocket and gave it to the old man, saying, "Could you please draw a dragon for me?"
The old man took the money and quickly drew a dragon for Lin Qinghuan.
"Wow, that's fast!" Lin Qinghuan exclaimed.
"I've been painting for decades, and practice makes perfect," the old man said modestly.
Lin Qinghuan finished eating the meat bun, then looked at the sugar dragon again and again, and couldn't help but stick out her tongue and lick it. It was fragrant and sweet.
"Grandpa, the dragon you drew is not only exquisite, but also smells delicious," Lin Qinghuan said with a smile.
"I'm glad you like it," the old man said with a broad smile.
Lin Qinghuan smiled and said goodbye to the old man. Remembering that she hadn't eaten meat for three months, she craved it and went to the market to buy more than a pound of meat for two yuan. She then carried the meat home.
Lin Qinghuan inadvertently caught a glimpse of an elderly woman in her sixties pulling a young and beautiful girl. The girl was Li Yuhan, whom she had met once before, and the elderly woman was the same one she had encountered on the street.
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