Chapter 7: Zhang Xiu

She didn’t sleep well last night. After replying to messages on WeChat, Jiang Se took a sedative and lay down on the bed.

At four in the afternoon, the alarm clock went off on time.

She opened her eyes, feeling a little dazed, then reached for her phone and sent a message to Jiang Chuan.

She wanted to have the plum ribs made by Uncle Tong.

When Jiang Se sent the message to Jiang Chuan, she didn’t really expect much. She didn’t think the plum ribs she had for dinner would be better than Uncle Tong’s.

The plums were pickled by Jiang Chuan himself, specially for making plum tea and plum wine. They were extremely sour, and tasted just right.

She ate with great relish.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Ye, curious, picked up a plum and put it in his mouth.

As the sourness spread across his taste buds, the young man’s handsome face immediately scrunched up with folds.

“Damn!” Jiang Ye grabbed a bottle of cola from the table and chugged it down.

Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying were both amused by him.

Jiang Chuan scooped a spoonful of plums for Jiang Se and laughed, “I was really startled when I received your message this afternoon. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to make the flavor you like. Your mom specially asked Aunt Zhang for the recipe, and Uncle Tong personally sent me a long voice message.”

When Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying went to the northern city to meet Jiang Se, they secretly added Aunt Zhang and Uncle Tong on WeChat, so they could pay attention to any preferences Jiang Se had regarding food, living, and other matters.

He said this now, glancing at Jiang Se as if worried she wouldn’t like that they were in contact with Aunt Zhang and Uncle Tong.

Seeing that she didn’t seem to notice his careful glance, Jiang Se swallowed the food in her mouth, smiled, and said, “You cook better than Uncle Tong, but you can’t let him hear that.”

Seeing her look so carefree, Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Yu Shiying used serving chopsticks to put a piece of pearl rib on Jiang Se’s plate and gently said, “If you like it, I’ll have your dad make it for you every day. But you can’t just focus on eating plums. You need to eat ribs too. You’re too skinny.”

Jiang Se lowered her gaze, looking at the plums and ribs in her bowl.

She was used to eating in silence, so she simply murmured an “Mm,” and slowly ate the piece of rib.

It seemed there was no rule in the Jiang family about “don’t talk while eating, don’t talk before sleeping.” After talking about the plum ribs, Yu Shiying reminded Jiang Chuan to pickle more plums for Jiang Se, and then advised Jiang Ye to listen to the coach well when he went back to the training camp the next day.

Her gentle voice brought warmth to the cool night.

Such voices are never absent in the glow of a thousand household lights.

A mother’s nagging voice.

At the bar, there were always people keeping an eye on them. After dinner, Jiang Chuan put on his helmet and rode his small electric car to send Yu Shiying to “Wangchuan.”

Jiang Ye, familiar with the routine, began cleaning up the bowls and chopsticks.

Jiang Se, holding a cup of red tea, asked, “Do you need help?”

Jiang Ye glanced at her, “Can you wash dishes?”

She admitted honestly, “No, I can’t.”

“Then you’d better not come in and cause trouble,” Jiang Ye said, lifting a stack of dirty dishes as he walked toward the kitchen. “There’s cut dragon fruit in the fridge. Mom said it’s really sweet, so remember to eat it.”

“I’m not eating,” Jiang Se glanced at the sky and said, “I’m heading back to Xiangshu Alley.”

Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment. “Dad will be back soon, and there are quite a few streetlights broken around here, the road’s not easy to walk on. You should wait for him to come back and take you.”

Jiang Se finished the last sip of her red tea and calmly said, “It’s fine. I’m not afraid of walking in the dark.”

---

After autumn, the night fell quickly. By seven or eight o’clock, it was already dark.

The wind by the river swept through the streets and alleys, the long and narrow road hidden in the dim night.

Jiang Se walked lightly on the stone-paved path, and after a while, hurried footsteps gradually approached from behind.

She stopped, her right hand slipping into her pocket. Her pitch-black eyes, like the barrel of a gun, turned toward the approaching figure.

When she saw that familiar silhouette, she froze.

“Dad?”

Jiang Chuan called out in surprise, stepping through the shadowy trees, breathing heavily. “Why are you walking so fast? Several of the streetlights around here are broken, it’s too dark. I was afraid you might take the wrong path.”

Jiang Se didn’t say anything, loosening the folding knife she had tightly gripped in her hand.

When Jiang Chuan got closer, she noticed he was carrying a thermos.

Jiang Chuan followed her gaze and explained, “This is medicine sent by Old Gu. Old Gu is the best traditional Chinese medicine doctor in Tongcheng. Aunt Zhang said you’ve been having trouble sleeping, so your mom thought you should try this medicine. Your sister had insomnia for a while, and she got better after taking Old Gu’s medicine.”

Jiang Se knew exactly what was wrong with her insomnia, and she knew the contents of the thermos wouldn’t help her. But she didn’t want to reject Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying’s kindness, so she took the thermos from his hand.

“Okay, I’ll try it tonight.”

Jiang Chuan wiped the sweat from his forehead and asked, “There are many historical sites around Tongcheng. Is there any place you’d like to visit?”

Jiang Se came to Tongcheng with the mindset of a gambler, so of course, there were places she wanted to go. She named a place.

“Jinxiu Alley.”

Jiang Chuan laughed when he heard it. “Jinxiu Alley? That’s in the old part of Lian’an, almost on the outskirts. It takes about an hour to drive there. Why suddenly want to go? That place is so rundown, no one goes there to visit anymore.”

Jiang Se smiled. “I want to go and try on a qipao.”

Jiang Chuan didn’t know much about qipaos, but since his daughter wanted to go, whether he understood or not, he would take her.

After discussing it with Yu Shiying, they decided not to send Jiang Ye to Jiangcheng the next day. They called a car for Jiang Ye to return on his own, and then drove their small white car to take Jiang Se to Jinxiu Alley.

As Jiang Chuan had said, Jinxiu Alley was indeed very rundown. Many shops were closed, but they were lucky and soon found a tailor shop.

The tailor shop was called “Zhang Xiu,” and it was very small. A cloth curtain separated the front and back sections of the store.

In the front was a rectangular counter, where a young girl with a baby face sat, playing on her phone. When she saw someone enter, she quickly put down her phone and greeted them warmly. “Are you two ladies here to make a qipao?”

Yu Shiying replied, “My daughter wants a qipao. Do you have good fabric here?”

“Yes, yes, yes. We have silk, brocade, hangluo, cotton linen, and satin. You can take a look and see which fabric you like.”

The girl, whose name was He Miao, eagerly pulled out a fabric catalog from under the counter and opened it for Jiang Se to look at.

Jiang Se wasn’t picky about fabrics, and after glancing at the catalog, she looked toward the back of the shop. “Is your boss here?”

He Miao responded with a surprised “Ah?” upon hearing the question. “Do you know my master?”

Jiang Se casually hummed in reply.

He Miao thought that Jiang Se must be a regular customer of her master, so she smiled and said, “I’m not sure when my master will come by the shop, but don’t worry—every qipao here is made by my master herself. As long as you pick your fabric and floral design, and I take your measurements, you can come pick it up in about a month.”

Jiang Se picked a fabric at random, slowly flipping through the design book. She then asked gently, “Are these the only designs available?”

“Yes, for now. All the floral designs at ‘Zhang Xiu’ are created by my master, and they’re one-of-a-kind in the market. If you have any preferences, you can ask my master to design something unique for you.”

Jiang Se flipped to another page, her eyes stopping at a design of a magpie perched on a branch in ink wash style.

“This one,” she pointed to the design number.

He Miao leaned over to take a look. “You have a good eye! My master is best at embroidery with ink wash and birds.”

Jiang Se’s gaze lingered over the dark magpie, and she closed the design book, smiling as she asked, “Once the qipao is done, would it be possible to ask your master to design a floral pattern just for me?”

The tailor shop was located in a run-down alley with little foot traffic, so He Miao, eager for business, quickly nodded. “You can discuss it when you come to pick up the qipao. My master will be in the shop that day! If you have specific design ideas, you can always come by the shop, and even if my master isn’t here, I can take your ideas and show you some preliminary samples.”

Jiang Se smiled. “Alright.”

After leaving Jinxiu Alley, Jiang Chuan had originally planned to take Jiang Se to Hanshan Temple to ask for a safety amulet.

Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. By the time they reached the foot of the mountain, it started to drizzle, so they had to head back home.

Jiang Se sat in the back seat, took out her phone from her pocket, and began scrolling through the text messages. After a few quick swipes, she found a message from three months ago.

The message was from an unlisted number, with only one cryptic sentence: 【Jinxiu Alley, No. 39, Zhang Yue.】

The fine rain traced winding water stains on the window glass, and a flash of lightning illuminated the sky, followed by a deep thunderclap.

The thunderstorm from when she was sixteen seemed to overlap eerily with the scene outside, roaring through Jiang Se’s still body.

---

The autumn rain in Tongcheng lasted for half a month. During this time, Jiang Se visited Jinxiu Alley from time to time.

He Miao was friendly and talkative.

Perhaps because Jiang Se had been her only customer for the past half month, He Miao had gotten more familiar and began spilling the beans about various things in the qipao shop, occasionally mentioning her master.

“Your master’s embroidery skills are so good. Why did she open the shop here?” Jiang Se asked casually while flipping through the design book.

He Miao took a sip of her milk tea and said, “This shop has special meaning for my master. She says she’s waiting for someone to come back.”

The sound of a heartbeat seemed to echo inside Jiang Se’s chest.

She lowered her gaze to the bird on the design book but kept her tone light as she asked, “Waiting for someone? A boyfriend?”

He Miao chewed on a tapioca pearl and mumbled, “I’m not sure. My master won’t say. I guess she’s waiting for her mother. She said this qipao shop used to belong to her mom, but for some reason, it was sold off. When my master came back to Tongcheng, the first thing she did was buy back ‘Zhang Xiu.’”

Jiang Se smiled lightly and hummed in acknowledgment.

The rain, soft and continuous like cotton threads, fell steadily along the eaves.

Jiang Se had been listening to the sound of rain in the qipao shop for nearly half an hour. Just before three, she finally stood up to say goodbye.

He Miao asked, “Why are you leaving so early today? You haven’t finished looking at all the designs!”

Jiang Se replied, “My brother is coming back today.”

Jiang Ye had been in Jiang City for training during the entire Golden Week. Today was the only day off he had managed to get.

Early this morning, he had sent her a picture of orange-red cakes, reminding her not to eat too much at lunch, so she could leave space for dessert.

By the time Jiang Se returned to Liyuan Street, it was still before five o’clock. Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying had both gone out, leaving her alone in the house, casually flipping through a Buddhist scripture.

The wooden door was slightly ajar. Jiang Se had just begun reading when a teenager with bleached yellow hair rushed in, panicked.

“Uncle Jiang, something’s happened! Come with me, we need to save him!”

After shouting, the teenager suddenly realized that there was an unfamiliar beautiful woman sitting inside and paused for a moment.

Jiang Se recognized him. There was a photo of him with Jiang Ye on the TV cabinet—he was Jiang Ye’s best friend who had grown up with him, and they’d been inseparable since they were kids.

Jiang Se calmly said, “My dad is out delivering something.”

The boy, whose name was Huang Xu, finally realized that this woman was Jiang Ye’s other “second sister.” He didn’t even think to greet her before rushing toward the door.

“Wait—”

Jiang Se called out, “Tell me, who are we saving? Is it Jiang Ye?”

Huang Xu’s expression changed.

Jiang Se observed his face and the bruises, thinking for a moment before setting down the Buddhist scripture. “Tell me what happened to him. Where is he?”

---

Half an hour later, at the Hong Ding Club.

Jiang Se stood in front of the club’s entrance, her voice calm as she asked, “So, Jiang Ye was brought here?”

“Yeah, Little Stutterer was brought into the club by that bastard Cao Liang. Ye Ge was worried, so as soon as he came back from the base, he rushed here to get Little Stutterer out. But Cao Liang insisted on forcing Ye Ge to play pool with him, saying that the loser had to cut off a finger. Ye Ge is good at games, but he’s terrible at pool!”

Huang Xu, whose full name was given by his father in hopes that he would always be a child with a warm heart.

Huang Xu glanced at Jiang Se, feeling a storm of unease in his heart, uncertain and without confidence.

Maybe he shouldn’t have brought Ye Ge’s second sister here. Would Ye Ge be angry with him when he found out? Would he be furious?

“Uh, Second Sister, maybe we should call Uncle Jiang instead? Cao Liang’s people are really not easy to deal with. His family has a lot of influence.”

Jiang Se asked with a very light tone, “Do you think my dad can’t handle Cao Liang and his people?”

Huang Xu choked slightly, unsure of how to respond: “…Well, not exactly, but Uncle Jiang can fight, and he knows the local power players in our area.”

Jiang Se wasn’t surprised by this. After all, if someone could open a bar in Tongcheng, they likely had connections. But those connections… it was always better not to owe any favors if you could avoid it.

In this world, the hardest debt to repay was the one owed in favors.

“I’ll go in and take a look first. If it’s not possible, I’ll call the police.”

Jiang Se said this and started walking toward the club. Huang Xu hurriedly grabbed her arm.

“Second Sister, you have to be a member to get in the club. Just wait a bit, ‘Ke Ai Duo’ is coming soon. Her dad is a member here and can definitely help us get in.”

At the mention of “member,” Jiang Se paused for a moment. She nearly forgot that she was no longer the daughter of the Cen family, the kind who could freely enter and exit the grandest clubs in North City just by showing her face.

After a brief silence, she turned back and looked at Huang Xu. “Ke Ai Duo?”

Huang Xu clarified, “Ah, it’s a girl who’s been pursuing Ye Ge.”

Jiang Se: “…”

They exchanged glances for a moment, and just then, a flashy Gemera turned the corner and drove toward them. The glaring headlights hurt their eyes.

Jiang Se squinted, her gaze following the car as it moved. When she saw the license plate, she calmly said, “We don’t need to wait for ‘Ke Ai Duo’ anymore. I have a way to get in.”

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