Chapter 34: Time and Space Reverses, and the Dead Resurrected
Of course, Qi Lian wasn’t about to let them ruin his face with horrible makeup. In the end, he found an old membership card of his mom’s in the shop, and it just so happened to have a leftover balance, enough to prepay for a booking.
He essentially covered Jiang Xiaoyuan’s bill.
Jiang Xiaoyuan never expected this situation to involve Qi Lian and was embarrassed that he ended up handling it. She quickly apologized, “I’m so sorry…”
Qi Lian: “It’s fine. Your shop is notorious for being tricky; you can’t even get a refund for unused credits.”
It wasn’t until Chen Fangzhou publicly declared the successful completion of the new service promotion that Jiang Xiaoyuan still felt like she was dreaming.
Marketing seemed easy but was hard to execute. After multiple failures, Jiang Xiaoyuan had thought she’d never reach her sales targets. Unexpectedly, she managed to get through by the skin of her teeth.
Speaking of which, it’s not like she didn’t feel guilty or uneasy. From being an intern technician to promoting the styling services, she relied on luck every time, and each time there was someone to help her… In the end, she barely scraped through the tasks, just managing to pass.
Jiang Xiaoyuan always felt that her small but intense achievements had a hint of underhanded tactics that weren’t exactly honorable.
Even though seeing Helen and the others furious was satisfying, but…
Jiang Xiaoyuan couldn’t help but steal a glance at Qi Lian. He had rushed over, solved her problem, and left just as quickly. It was impossible not to feel moved.
Since Chen Fangzhou’s salon was the only one to complete the task among its peers, their performance stood out. The big boss specifically called Chen Fangzhou to understand the situation, earning him quite the praise. As the store manager and key contributor, both Chen and Jiang Xiaoyuan received a year-end bonus.
Unfortunately, due to poor market response, standing out alone wasn’t a good look either, so headquarters ultimately decided to cancel the styling service.
With the not-so-generous red envelope[mfn]Red envelopes containing cash, known as hongbao in Mandarin and laisee in Cantonese, are gifts presented at social and family gatherings such as weddings or holidays such as Chinese New Year; they are also gifted to guests as a gesture of hospitality.[/mfn], plus commissions from dozens of orders and the base salary equivalent to a senior technician’s pay, Jiang Xiaoyuan finally had a bit of money in hand for the first time since arriving in this world. After paying off her debt to Qi Lian, she was pleasantly surprised to find she still had just under 2,000 yuan left—enough to celebrate the New Year.
The shop closed for a month starting from the second day of the lunar new year, giving Jiang Xiaoyuan the longest break she’d had since coming to this world. On New Year’s Day, they closed early, and Chen Fangzhou, acting as the family’s cook, made a big pot of dumplings, leaving a bowl each for Jiang Xiaoyuan and the other few remaining young staff members.
Jiang Xiaoyuan could already see his future—spending the rest of his life in the kitchen.
Chen Fangzhou: “So, are you planning to go back home?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan:“We’ll see.”
Chen continued, “The boss said I should recommend you for technician promotion after the new year, but just so you know, you’re still far from that level. Don’t just use your skills for food[mfn]The more accurate translation is “Don’t let your skills be reduced to just making a living over the next month.” but given the context of the next line we decided to keep the direct translation.[/mfn].”
Jiang Xiaoyuan took a bite, the dumpling skin was thin, the filling juicy, and it tasted delicious.
She said: “Got it, Mom.”
That same day, Jiang Xiaoyuan carefully researched the route and train schedule and bought a ticket to her original home in this world, planning to visit Jiang Xiaoyuan’s original family home with a mix of anxiety and anticipation.
…Soon, it would become her home.
Jiang Xiaoyuan spent half a day shopping in the city’s declining malls and supermarkets, picking up some discounted New Year goods. Finally, on the morning of the third day of the lunar new year, she found herself on a drafty bus alongside migrant workers returning home, each carrying large bags.
The bus smelled of gasoline and the mixed scents of people.
For the first few hours within the city, the journey was uneventful. But after driving for over three hours and passing through a remote town, they switched drivers and picked up a new group of eccentric passengers.
Some wanted to bring live chickens and ducks on board. Others haggled over the fare, while still others demanded to be dropped off roadside at every opportunity.
With no conductor on board, the driver single-handedly fought verbal battles with the passengers, raising his voice even louder than the bus engine.
Passenger: “Just stop for a moment, what’s the big deal?”
If you’re going to demand to stop anywhere today, tomorrow you’ll want to be able to use the restroom anywhere too. How does that sound?”
Passenger: “Well, I still need to travel a bit further. You should refund me five yuan.”
Driver: “Oh, so when you eat out and it doesn’t sit well, you expect the restaurant to take it back and refund your money?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan was getting a headache from the smell of gasoline while she heard someone whisper excitedly, “It’s going to break into a fight, it’s going to break into a fight.”
And sure enough, a fight broke out.
The dispute between the driver and passenger escalated, going from sarcastic jabs to full-blown insults involving each other’s mothers. Jiang Xiaoyuan pinched her nose, contemplating her future against the noisy backdrop.
Halfway through her deep thoughts, her phone rang.
The voice on the phone was that of Empress Dowager Jiang: “Hey, kid, happy New Year! It’s me.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan wanted to slap the “kid” remark back at him but didn’t dare challenge Jiang’s tone yet.
“I found your number on the registration list from your last class,” said Elder Jiang Sam in a tone of authority, “I saw the face painting you did on that little girl. It’s pretty good. Did you learn this too?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “… Wasn’t it from you?”
“Stop talking nonsense. The stuff I taught you was just to get by,” Empress Dowager Jiang said without any remorse. “The trainees at your shop, each one is more clumsy than the next. Thinking they can make a living from this? Dream on.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
Apparently, Empress Dowager Jiang had forgotten that she, too, was one of his students.
“Didn’t I tell you I’d think of you if any good opportunities came up?” Empress Dowager Jiang continued. “Well, something’s come up now. Are you in?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…What?”
Jiang Sam: “My last assistant was hopeless, so I fired them. You want the job? Three thousand a month, plus commission on work. Once you’ve gained some experience, you can fly solo.”
“Three thousand?” Jiang Xiaoyuan was momentarily stunned. “Jiang, Teacher Jiang, you’re that rich?”
“It’s not my money,” Jiang clarified. “I’m contracted with a school, right? They have me teach a few classes each semester, and the school’s paying for the assistant—you interested? No point staying in that lousy hair salon, slapping boiler caps on people’s heads. You won’t get anywhere.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan was dazed. She didn’t know much about the industry but suddenly realized Jiang Sam might not be just an average makeup artist.
A school willing to hire an assistant just to keep him on? What kind of status was that?
At that moment, the quarrel between the passenger and driver reached a peak. The passenger unleashed a string of colorful curses, jolting Jiang Xiaoyuan from her thoughts. The driver, fed up, pulled over and yelled, “Get out! I’m not driving anymore!”
The shout was especially jarring in the suddenly quiet bus, and it was clearly heard through Jiang Xiaoyuan’s phone, which was leaking sound, by Teacher Jiang.
The high-and-mighty Teacher Jiang paused for a moment and asked, “What’s that noise?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan felt a bit awkward and replied, “Uh…”
Teacher Jiang quickly realized, “Oh, you’re watching a fight? Alright, never mind then. Just think it over and let me know your decision later.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan hurriedly said, “Thank you, Teacher Jiang.”
“No need for thanks. Just stay out of the fight—don’t let them drag you into it,” Jiang advised. “Once, I got too close watching a fight, and someone snatched my brand-new rolling pin in the heat of the moment. It was confiscated by the police as a weapon—can you believe it?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
Empress Dowager Jiang: “You don’t need to thank me. Keep watching. Just remember to stay out of the way and not get caught in the crossfire—oh, I once got too close during a fight and had my newly bought rolling pin snatched away. It wasn’t even unwrapped yet, and the police seized it as a weapon… Who did I offend?”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
It turns out that Empress Dowager Jiang, besides her love for shaving eyebrows, also enjoys watching fights… Such a refined way of living.
And all that talk about a school arranging an assistant for him? Probably just bragging, right?
The driver suddenly stopped the car. Several people who had previously clashed with him now rallied together, voicing their complaints. Finally, the driver, furious, decisively pulled out the car keys, got out, and walked away: “I’m done. If you want a ride, push the car yourself!”
Three minutes later, Jiang Xiaoyuan, along with other stranded passengers, lined up on a windswept mountain road.
She looked up at the dim distant road and felt it was worse than losing her rolling pin.
Jiang Xiaoyuan seemed cursed with this road—she would never be destined to travel it by car. After hesitating for a moment, she decided to try calling her neighbor whom she had contacted before.
After a difficult conversation about their locations, they found out that Jiang Xiaoyuan had landed not far from their home, a stroke of luck. Her neighbor’s aunt quickly sent her husband to pick her up.
Jiang Xiaoyuan, shivering with hunger, had completely lost interest in contemplating her bright or gloomy future. She waited in place for over an hour, only to see a dusty tricycle approach in the distance, and a sense of foreboding surged within her.
The tricycle driver wore an awkward smile—his face frozen and unable to move, he had a purple-red face in the cold wind, shouting, “Xiaoyuan! Xiaoyuan! Uncle Sun is here!”
Jiang Xiaoyuan: “…”
That sense of foreboding turned out to be true. How could she think that her neighbor’s “ride” meant a four-wheeled vehicle?
Jiang Xiaoyuan tightened the hood of her down jacket, buttoned up all the buttons, covering her face, and wrapped her hands in her sleeves. She climbed into the open cargo area of the tricycle, bracing herself for a rugged journey with tears streaming in the wind.
Other stranded passengers, seeing this, wore expressions of sympathy. But with no other options in this remote place, they had no choice but to suppress their expressions and clamor to get on.
“Driver, take me along with the young lady!”
“Take me too, I’ll pay the fare. Just drop me off near your home, and I’ll find another ride.”
“Sorry for the trouble. It’s not easy being out during the holidays.”
“Driver…”
Jiang Xiaoyuan released her mouth and nose from under her collar: “Alright, stop the noise!”
Uncle Sun, smiling, said: “Everyone, come on up.”
The pig teammate’s comment immediately prompted a flurry of thanks from the crowd, who scrambled to climb into the limited space at the back of the tricycle, causing a near stampede.
Jiang Xiaoyuan quickly thought on her feet and shouted: “Hold on! It’s not free! Fifteen bucks per person!”
As soon as she said this, the surroundings fell into silence.
Perhaps due to the recent frenzied marketing, Jiang Xiaoyuan felt as if she had been possessed by a giant bundle of money; she was surprised by herself.
However, she quickly regained her composure and said smoothly, “Fifteen bucks per person. If you want to go, get on. We’ll leave once it’s full.”
Uncle Sun looked at her in shock.
Jiang Xiaoyuan ignored him, hands stuffed in her sleeves, and maintained an air of calm authority.
Eventually, a middle-aged man was the first to pull out money and hand it to her, saying, “Take me with you.”
With this lead, several others quickly followed suit, and the small tricycle was soon half full.
Jiang Xiaoyuan said, “Uncle Sun, if we don’t fill up, we’re leaving. It’s too cold.”
Uncle Sun, his brain frozen, stared blankly and, after a moment, pressed the clutch. The electric tricycle emitted a loud, struggling sound.
Seeing that they were about to leave, those who had been reluctant to pay suddenly became excited. Some jumped onto the tricycle, and in the end, not only did they have a full load, but they also overloaded it by one person— the extra young woman had to sit half-crouched on her husband’s lap.
Jiang Xiaoyuan pulled her face back into her collar and revealed a pair of curved eyes.
The top-heavy electric tricycle, enveloped in dusk, traversed the cold wind and years of dust, “puttering” towards the nearby, secluded village with the sound of roosters crowing and dogs barking.
Jiang Xiaoyuan’s return caused a stir among the local residents. Everyone ran out to watch. Seeing that she looked even more plain than when she left, they felt reassured and began to praise her.
In the eyes of these elderly locals, a girl’s clothing and appearance always seemed linked to questionable behavior. At the same time, they envied the beauty of city girls. The same dress on their own girls would be seen as decadent, while on city girls, it was fashionable and stylish. It seemed they projected their own image onto their relatives’ offspring— accustomed to enduring poverty, they could only view poverty as a virtue.
It was as if good people were inherently unworthy of enjoying life.
Jiang Xiaoyuan was initially clueless about these social nuances, but after only half a year in this world, she had become accustomed to all walks of life and had picked it up by herself.
Uncle Sun’s tricycle carried nine people in total. Excluding Jiang Xiaoyuan, the eight passengers each paid fifteen yuan, totaling one hundred and twenty yuan. Jiang Xiaoyuan, pleased with doing a favor, gave the entire amount to Uncle Sun.
Uncle Sun hurriedly refused, “That won’t do, I can’t take it all. You collected the money for me; it was your idea.”
Jiang Xiaoyuan replied, “You were the one who came to pick me up. Without you, I wouldn’t have made it back. Besides, you and Auntie have been taking care of my grandmother. This is just me showing gratitude. I feel like I’m not sincere enough.”
Uncle Sun, who unexpectedly earned a bit of extra money for picking someone up, was baffled and could only brag to everyone, “This girl is destined for big business. She has the demeanor of a great leader.”
Although Jiang Xiaoyuan seemed to have the demeanor of a great leader, she was actually quite unsure. She had no idea where the original owner’s home was and had only deduced from the phone call that it should be near Uncle Sun’s place, so she followed him to the Sun family’s doorstep.
Jiang Xiaoyuan found she didn’t need to look further. About twenty meters away, a small, elderly woman was leaning on a cane, watching her.
Jiang Xiaoyuan had seen this old woman before; she had found her black-and-white photo in her father’s old album when she was young—the photo, of course, showed her much younger, before middle age.
Her mouth was slightly downturned, her hair meticulously arranged, her cheeks sunken, and she looked rather stern, as if she seldom smiled. The youthful shadow of her features was faint, with only a head of white hair standing out starkly against the darkening sky.
It was as if time had reversed and the dead had come back to life.
When the old woman saw Jiang Xiaoyuan, her attitude was not warm. She walked over shakily and naturally took Jiang Xiaoyuan’s hand, as if leading a child who had been playing outside and refused to come home.
“Let’s go,” she said lighly, “we’re going home.”
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