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Chapter 35 – A Taste of Sweetness

“Didn’t you say you were very favored at home?” one of the co-workers asked at this point.

Yi Jixiang was suddenly at a loss for words. She had boasted before that her father had given her the only job opportunity available. But now, where on earth did Yi An’an get so much money?

Seeing that Yi An’an couldn’t answer, the three others all snorted coldly, their minds beginning to harbor suspicions toward Yi Jixiang.

Yi An’an walked into the hair salon wearing a red woolen coat, immediately drawing everyone’s attention. Sister Hua, in particular, thought some high-ranking official’s daughter had arrived and quickly stepped forward to greet her—only to realize it was Yi An’an.

“An’an, your outfit is so beautiful!” Sister Hua couldn’t help but exclaim.

“Isn’t that the red wool from the South sold at the supply and marketing cooperative? Priced at sixty yuan per meter and needs cloth coupons too!” someone recognized it and stepped up to take a closer look.

“That’s the one!” Yi An’an said with a big, open smile, casually flipping her hair. After all, her goal today was to draw in more people. As for clothes—there would be opportunities to sell them later once she had the channels.

Her long, slender neck paired with her curled hair ends made her look especially charming and beautiful.

“Wow, your hairstyle is gorgeous!” someone finally noticed her hair.

“Pretty, isn’t it? All thanks to the skilled stylists here. Honestly, I think Sister Hua’s and Xiao Wang’s hairstyles look even better. I just got my ends curled,” Yi An’an said with a smile.

Everyone had been discussing Sister Hua’s and Xiao Wang’s hairstyles for a while but still felt a bit hesitant, since they were salon employees. Now that a customer praised them, they immediately felt reassured and quickly sat down to request perms.

Those who liked a bold, flamboyant look went for Xiao Wang’s big waves—sexy and glamorous. Those wanting to look younger opted for Sister Hua’s crimped style. For those with stricter workplace environments, Yi An’an’s style was the perfect balance—low-key but striking.

The salon only had three machines, yet five customers suddenly wanted perms, so they had to take numbers and wait.

While the first three were getting their hair done, another five or six people arrived. It turned out they were brought in by the ones who had gotten their hair done the day before. In a small town like this, such stylish hairstyles were unheard of. And hearing they could book appointments made them flock in during the evening to get number tags. Soon, appointments were booked up to the third day.

By the end of the day, a total of 20 customers had gotten perms. With two master stylists plus Sister Hua and Xiao Wang, the four of them each had to do about five perms a day. It was exhausting, but knowing they had earned an extra 2.50 yuan each that day—adding up to 75 yuan a month—was more than their original salary. Even if it was tiring, their spirits were high.

To maintain quality and avoid overworking the staff, Yi An’an capped the number of perms per day at 20. After all, money wasn’t made overnight.

Everyone was very satisfied with Yi An’an’s arrangements—especially after she split the day’s profits with them right away.

After a tiring day and seeing the money in hand, they were even more motivated, suggesting opening the shop half an hour earlier the next day.

Yi An’an advised them to take care of their health, and they agreed not to start early—but were all determined to give it their all the next day. In all their years of working, they had never tasted such “sweetness” (i.e., rewards).

As evening fell, Yi An’an rushed out of the salon to catch the bus.

But as she walked, she felt something was off—as if someone was following her.

She wrapped her coat tightly around her, pulled on a scarf to cover her head, and quickened her pace.

As she sped up, the person behind also sped up. The sound of footsteps echoed clearly in the empty alley.

Yi An’an reached into her pocket. Inside were ten yuan from today’s earnings, plus dozens more she had brought—quite a large amount. If it was a robbery, she’d rather toss the money to save her life. But what if it was someone from the bookstore?

The bus stop was just ahead. Yi An’an couldn’t help but break into a run.

The person behind her started running too.

Yi An’an frowned, a bit panicked—especially when she saw the station was empty, with no bus in sight.

“Big sis!” Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind.

Yi An’an turned around—it was Tang A’ren.

“What are you doing here?” Yi An’an breathed a sigh of relief and clutched her chest.

“I came this afternoon. I was worried about you walking home alone at night in case you ran into trouble with the bookstore guys,” Tang A’ren said.

There was only one bus from the countryside to town in the morning and evening, so if he came in the afternoon, he had to walk.

That would take nearly two hours on foot.

And he had done that just because he was worried about her.

Yi An’an was moved. She quietly thanked him and anxiously looked toward where the bus should be coming.

If she missed the bus, she wouldn’t be able to go home today.

“It hasn’t come yet,” Tang A’ren said softly. “Don’t worry.”

Yi An’an nodded and stood at the cold, windy bus stop with him.

Her wool coat looked good, but in terms of warmth and wind protection, it was no match for a cotton-padded jacket.

She couldn’t help but shiver.

Seeing her tremble, Tang A’ren immediately took off his army-green padded jacket and handed it to her. “Why don’t you wear mine? I’ve got another layer underneath—I’m not cold.”

Yi An’an waved him off.

But a gust of cold wind cut right through her wool coat.

She regretted running out so fast earlier that she left her cotton jacket at the salon. Now it was too late to go back.

Seeing her shiver, Tang A’ren decisively draped his padded jacket over her shoulders and said firmly, “Don’t be picky. Staying warm comes first.”

With that, Yi An’an had no choice but to accept it.

Soon, the bus arrived, and they both got on.

Once onboard, Yi An’an wanted to return the coat, but Tang A’ren just went straight to the front and gave up the only seat to her.

The bus was warm, so Yi An’an didn’t make a scene by walking across the bus to return his jacket. She leaned against the seat and soon fell asleep.

In her sleepy haze, she heard Tang A’ren calling her name. She opened her eyes and was helped off the bus by him.

As soon as they stepped down, they saw Zhan Nanhui standing at the stop.

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