Shoutout to Alinaza for the commission!
Because she hadn’t slept well last night, after replying to the messages, Jiang Se took a sedative and lay down on the bed.
At four in the afternoon, the alarm rang on time.
She opened her eyes, after a moment of daze, felt for her phone, and sent a message to Jiang Chuan.
She suddenly wanted to eat Uncle Tong’s plum ribs.
When Jiang Se messaged Jiang Chuan, she hadn’t held any expectations, but didn’t expect that at dinner, the plum ribs would be even better than what Uncle Tong made.
The plums were ones Jiang Chuan himself pickled, especially for making plum tea and plum wine, incredibly intensely sour, even more fitting to the taste.
She ate with great delight.
Seeing her like this, Jiang Ye curiously picked up a plum and put it in his mouth.
The sourness flooded his taste buds, and the teenager’s handsome face instantly scrunched into wrinkles from the sourness.
“Holy cr*p!” Jiang Ye grabbed the Coke on the table and chugged it.
Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying were amused by him.
Jiang Chuan ladled a spoonful of plums for Jiang Se, smilingly saying: “When I got your message this afternoon, you really scared me. I was afraid I couldn’t make the taste you like. Your mom specially went to ask Aunt Zhang for the recipe, and Uncle Tong personally sent me a very long voice message.”
When he and Yu Shiying went to Beicheng to visit Jiang Se, they privately added Aunt Zhang and Uncle Tong on WeChat, thinking that if Jiang Se had any taboos in food, clothing, or living, they could pay attention.
At this moment, saying this, afraid Jiang Se wouldn’t like them having contact with Aunt Zhang and Uncle Tong, he glanced at her.
As if not noticing his cautious look, Jiang Se swallowed the food in her mouth, smiled a little, and said: “You make it better than Uncle Tong, but this can’t be told to Uncle Tong.”
Seeing her looking completely unbothered, Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying quietly let out a breath.
Yu Shiying used the shared chopsticks to pick a piece of pearl ribs for Jiang Se, saying with heartache: “If you like eating it, I’ll tell your dad to make it for you every day, but you can’t only eat the plums, you have to eat the ribs too, you’re too thin.”
Jiang Se lowered her eyes and looked at the plums and ribs in her bowl.
She was used to eating without talking, so she just lightly let out an “mm,” then slowly ate that piece of rib.
The Jiang family didn’t seem to have the rule of “no talking at meals, no talking at bedtime.” After talking about the plum ribs, Yu Shiying reminded Jiang Chuan to pickle some more plums for Jiang Se to eat, and after reminding him, she started urging Jiang Ye to listen to the coach properly when he went back to training tomorrow.
A gentle-as-water voice made this cool night feel a bit warmer.
Among the ten thousand households’ lights, there’s always such a voice.
A mother’s, the softly nagging voice.
There were bound to be people staring in a bar. After dinner, Jiang Chuan put on his helmet and rode the small electric scooter to send Yu Shiying to “Wangchuan.”
Jiang Ye skillfully gathered the bowls and chopsticks.
Jiang Se held a cup of black tea and asked, “Do you need help?”
Jiang Ye glanced at her: “You know how to wash dishes?”
She honestly said: “I don’t.”
“Then absolutely don’t come in to make trouble.” Jiang Ye lifted a stack of dirty bowls and walked toward the kitchen as he said: “There’s cut dragon fruit in the fridge, Mom said it’s very sweet, remember to eat some.”
“Not eating.” Jiang Se looked at the sky and said, “I’m going back to Xiangshu Alley.”
Jiang Ye hesitated: “Dad will be back soon, a bunch of the streetlights around here are broken, the road’s not easy to walk, wait for him to drive you.”
Jiang Se finished the last sip of black tea and said lightly: “It’s fine, I’m not afraid of walking at night.”
—
After autumn set in, it got dark extremely fast; at seven or eight it was already pitch-black.
The wind from the riverside swept through the streets and alleys, and the long narrow street hid in the dim night.
Jiang Se’s steps on the bluestone road were very light. She hadn’t walked long when hurried footsteps behind her slowly closed in.
She stopped, her right hand going into her pocket, her pitch-black eyes like the dark muzzle of a gun, looking toward whoever was coming.
Seeing that familiar figure, she froze.
“Dad?”
Jiang Chuan let out an “eh,” his figure passing through the dim tree shadows, panting as he said: “Why did you walk so fast? Several streetlights on this side are broken, it’s too dark, I was afraid you’d take the wrong road.”
Jiang Se didn’t say anything and loosened the folding knife tightly held in her hand.
When Jiang Chuan got closer, she discovered he was carrying a thermos.
Jiang Chuan followed her gaze and explained: “This is medicine from Old Gu. Old Gu is the best Chinese doctor in Tongcheng. Aunt Zhang said you’ve always had insomnia, so your mom thought you could try his medicine. Your sister had insomnia for a while too, and it was Old Gu’s medicine that cured her.”
Jiang Se knew very clearly what her insomnia was about, and she also knew the stuff in this thermos wouldn’t help her. But she didn’t refuse Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying’s good intentions. She took her hand out of her pocket and reached out to take the herbal medicine.
“Okay, I’ll try it tonight.”
Jiang Chuan raised his hand and wiped the sweat on his forehead, then asked: “There are quite a few historical sites in Tongcheng. Is there anywhere you want to go?”
Jiang Se had come to Tongcheng with a gambler’s mentality, so naturally she did have places she wanted to go. She said a name.
“Jinxiu Alley.”
Jiang Chuan immediately laughed: “Jinxiu Alley? That’s over in Lianan Old City, almost near the outer city. Even by car it takes about an hour. Why suddenly want to go? That place has gotten so run-down no one really goes anymore.”
Jiang Se smiled: “I want to get a qipao made.”
Jiang Chuan didn’t understand much about qipao, but his daughter wanted to go, so whether he understood or not, he had to take her.
After discussing with Yu Shiying, the next day they didn’t send Jiang Ye to Jiangcheng anymore. They called a car for him to go on his own, then drove the little white car to take Jiang Se to Jinxiu Alley.
Jinxiu Alley was indeed just as run-down as Jiang Chuan had said; many storefronts were closed. But they had good luck. After walking a bit, they found a tailor shop.
The tailor shop was called “Zhang Xiu,” the storefront very small, a cloth curtain dividing the front and back rooms.
The front only had a rectangular counter. A young girl with a baby face was sitting behind it playing on her phone. Seeing people come in, she hurriedly put her phone down and said warmly: “Are you two ladies here to have a qipao made?”
Yu Shiying said: “My daughter wants a qipao. Do you have good fabrics here?”
“We do, we do, we have silk, brocade, Hangzhou gauze, cotton-linen, silk-spun, all of it. Take a look at what material you like.”
The baby-faced girl was named He Miao. Hearing Yu Shiying, she attentively pulled out the fabric book from under the counter and opened it for Jiang Se to look.
Jiang Se wasn’t picky about fabric. After one glance at the fabric book, she looked toward the curtain: “Is your boss here?”
He Miao let out an “ah”: “You know my master?”
Jiang Se answered with a vague “mm.”
He Miao thought Jiang Se was an old customer introduced by her master, so she smiled and said: “I really don’t know when Master comes to the shop, but don’t worry, all the qipaos here are made by Master personally. Right now you just have to pick the fabric and the pattern, and let me take your measurements. You can pick it up in at most a month.”
Jiang Se casually picked a piece of fabric, slowly flipping through the pattern book, and gently asked: “Only these patterns?”
“Mm, for now just these. All of ‘Zhang Xiu’s’ patterns are designed by Master. They’re one-of-a-kind on the market. If you have a preference, you can also ask Master to design a custom one for you.”
Jiang Se turned a page, her gaze stopping on a sumi-style pattern of magpies perched on branches.
“This one.” She pointed at the pattern number.
He Miao leaned over for a look: “You have good taste. What Master is best at embroidering is ink-style flowers and birds.”
Her gaze brushed past the dark magpie. Jiang Se closed the pattern book and smiled, asking: “After the qipao is done, would it be convenient to have your master design a pattern exclusively for me?”
The qipao shop was in a broken alley with barely any foot traffic. Business had always been poor, so He Miao wouldn’t possibly reject a paying goddess showing up. She hurriedly nodded: “You can, on the day you pick up the qipao, Master will be here! And if you have any pattern requests, you can always come to the shop. Even if Master isn’t here, I can draft something for you first.”
Jiang Se smiled: “Alright.”
Coming out of Jinxiu Alley, Jiang Chuan had originally planned to take Jiang Se to Hanshan Temple, saying he wanted to take her there to ask for a peace amulet.
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate. When the car reached the foot of the mountain, it started drizzling, so they had no choice but to turn back home.
Jiang Se sat in the back seat, took her phone out of her pocket, opened the message tab, scrolled down a bit, and quickly found a text from three months ago.
The message came from a number with no name, with only one abrupt line: 【No. 39 Jinxiu Alley, Zhang Yue.】
Fine rain twisted into warped trails on the window glass, a bolt of lightning split across the distant sky, thunder rumbling.
The thunderstorm from when she was sixteen overlapped eerily with the rain scene before her, roaring past inside Jiang Se’s silent body.
—
This autumn rain in Tongcheng fell for half a month straight. During this half month, Jiang Se would go to Jinxiu Alley from time to time.
He Miao was naturally friendly, and also a chatterbox.
Maybe because during this half month Jiang Se was the only customer, once they got even slightly familiar, she couldn’t help revealing her true nature, spilling all sorts of stories about the qipao shop, and occasionally mentioning her master.
“Your master has such good craftsmanship, so why open the shop here?” Jiang Se flipped through the pattern book, asking absentmindedly.
He Miao sipped milk tea and said: “This shop is extremely meaningful to Master. Master said she has to wait here for someone to come back.”
A heavy thump, as if her heart was pulled down hard by someone.
Jiang Se lowered her eyes, staring at the bird on the pattern page, but asked with a light tone: “Waiting for someone? Her boyfriend?”
He Miao chewed on a pearl, her voice muffled: “Not sure. Master won’t say. I guess she’s waiting for her mom maybe. Master said this qipao shop originally belonged to her mom, but later for some unknown reason it was transferred out. The first thing Master did when she came back to Tongcheng was buy ‘Zhang Xiu’ back.”
Jiang Se smiled and let out a quiet “mm.”
Drizzling rain, soft as threads, fell from the roof eaves.
Jiang Se listened to the rain in the qipao shop for more than half an hour. When it was almost three, she finally stood to take her leave.
He Miao: “Why so early today? There are still so many patterns you haven’t finished looking at!”
Jiang Se said: “My little brother is coming back today.”
Jiang Ye had been in Jiangcheng training throughout the entire Golden Week holiday. He finally managed to get one day off.
Early in the morning he had sent her a picture of orange rice cakes, telling her not to eat too full at lunch, saying she had to leave room for dessert.
When Jiang Se got back to Liyuan Street it wasn’t even five yet. Jiang Chuan and Yu Shiying were both out, so she sat alone in the house, absently flipping through a Buddhist scripture.
The wooden door was half open. She had barely started reading when a yellow-haired teenager rushed in in a panic.
“Uncle Jiang, something happened! Come with me to save someone!”
Only after yelling did the teen notice the unfamiliar great beauty sitting inside. He froze for a long moment.
Jiang Se actually recognized him, his photo with Jiang Ye was on the TV cabinet. He was Jiang Ye’s childhood buddy who practically grew up sharing the same pair of pants.
Jiang Se said flatly: “My dad went out to deliver goods.”
Only then did Yellow-hair realize this was Jiang Ye’s other ‘second sister.’ He didn’t have time to greet her and immediately lifted his foot to dash back out.
“Wait—”
Jiang Se stopped him: “Tell me who needs saving. Is it Jiang Ye?”
Yellow-hair’s expression changed.
Jiang Se took in his expression and the bruises on his face. After thinking for a moment, she set down the scripture and said: “Tell me first what happened to him. And where he is.”
—
Half an hour later, Hongding Club.
Jiang Se looked at the club entrance and said calmly: “So, Little Ye was taken here?”
“Yes, Little-Stutter was taken inside by that b*stard Cao Liang. Brother Ye couldn’t let it go, so as soon as he got back from the base he rushed here, wanting to bring Little-Stutter out. Who knew Cao Liang insisted Brother Ye play pool with him, saying the loser has to lose a finger. Brother Ye is great at games, but he’s really trash at pool!”
Yellow-hair’s real name was Huang Xu. His dad had given him that name in hopes he’d always be a child full of warm sunshine.
Huang Xu secretly looked at Jiang Se, a storm raging in his heart, completely lacking confidence.
Should he not have brought Brother Ye’s second sister here? When Brother Ye finds out later, he probably won’t kill him right?
“Uh… Second Sister, maybe we should call Uncle Jiang? Those guys around Cao Liang are really not easy to mess with. His family has background.”
Jiang Se asked lightly: “And my dad can mess with Cao Liang and his people?”
Huang Xu choked: “…Not exactly, but Uncle Jiang can fight, and Uncle Jiang knows the local tough guys around our area.”
If someone could open a bar in Tongcheng, Jiang Chuan clearly knew people. That didn’t surprise Jiang Se. But those kinds of people, better not owe favors if you can help it.
In this world, the hardest debt to repay is a favor.
“I’ll go in and take a look first. If not, I’ll call the police.”
Jiang Se said that and started toward the club. Huang Xu hurriedly grabbed her.
“Second Sister, you need to be a member to get in. Just wait, ‘Keaiduo’ is about to get here, her dad is a member here, she’ll definitely be able to get us in.”
Hearing the word “member,” Jiang Se paused. She almost forgot she was no longer the Cen family young miss who could enter all the luxury clubs in Beicheng just by showing her face.
After a quiet moment, she looked back at Huang Xu: “‘Keaiduo’?”
Huang Xu: “Ah, a girl who’s chasing after Brother Ye.”
Jiang Se: “……”
As they stared at each other, a flashy Gemera turned in from the street corner. The two glaring headlights hurt the eyes.
Jiang Se narrowed her eyes slightly, her gaze following the car. After seeing the license plate on the back, she said in a calm voice: “No need to wait for ‘Keaiduo.’ I have a way in.”
