Chapter 19: A Belated Epiphany

The customer named Mr. Perro spent a total of three thousand yuan to buy an empty wine bottle. It took Su Ziceng an entire night to snap out of the daze from this incident. That night, in the small attic of the "Sixth District Bicycle Shop," she tossed and turned, recalling the scene at the time when she, Su Ziceng, seemed to be possessed by a spirit, reading the customer’s mind—surely, it was her mother’s "Red Love" that was blessing her. In the middle of the night, Su Ziceng sat up. There was no air cooler in the attic, just an old fan that struggled to make a complete turn every thirty-four seconds, creating a dizzying noise that was incessantly loud like a car engine throughout the entire night. Why could Sister Mu always grasp the customers’ thoughts? Su Ziceng didn’t know whether Mr. Perro came into the shop to catch up with Sister Mu or if he really wanted to find a vase, but either way, it didn’t matter. In the black night, the old fan still roared forcefully. That eight-year-old girl, when she pulled her mother through the door, was only looking for an apple green princess dress. Of course, there was no such children’s clothing in the adult women’s store, but Sister Mu still managed to have her buy a bottle of apple-flavored sparkling wine that absolutely did not contain any trace of apples. "You did very well today. If there’s no demand, then create it." This was the praise Zimu gave her as they were closing the shop, a rare compliment from Zimu because, in her view, praising people was like diluting a bottle of wine with water. Thus, this praise was more of a suggestion to her. "Mr. Perro, do you really need this vase?" When Su Ziceng handed over the wrapped "vase" to Mr. Perro, he only answered, "You made me feel that I really need this vase." Buy a dress, then you’ll need a bag, and after that possibly a pair of suitable shoes. Sister Mu didn’t stand up to greet every customer who entered the shop. In the eyes of the customers, they thought that Zimu had difficulty with her legs. Only Su Ziceng and those former shop assistants knew that Zimu was quite agile. Facing every entering customer, she was like a coiled lioness ready to pounce, ready to devour the customer’s buying desire. The attic was dim and stuffy, the air oppressively heavy on Su Ziceng’s body, her tank top soaked with sweat. It wasn’t the sweat from heat but a cold chill crawling up her spine. She finally understood why Yan Wuxu had fled from "Admiration." Hiding in the street corner of Zone 5, "Admiration," and Zimu with her lame right leg, were like the gluttonous beast Taotie in myths, devouring the confidence and desires of the people around. "Forget all that," said Su Ziceng, in the darkness, as if she could see the sweat sliding down her skin. "I’m not even afraid of death. "Admiration" is just a clothing store after all. She pulled over the bedsheet that had fallen to the ground, ignoring the sound overhead like that of a bomber, burying all the fatigue of the day under the bedsheet. When the midnight chimes rang, on the desk of Mr. Perro at Kelly Women’s College, there lay a large bunch of freshly picked roses. On each rose, dew rolled as if on the cheeks of a weeping beauty, pitiable. His fingers nimble, he avoided the sharp thorns on the roses, then used scissors to snip off every single one, followed by the excess branches. Finally, he inserted them all into that unwrapped wine bottle. Inside the bottle, there was now a liquid, not clear water, but a coral-like red. His tone contained a measure of reproach and a touch of helplessness. "Su Ziceng, you really are a silly girl. Flowers should not be soaked in alcohol; otherwise, they’ll just turn into specimens." Meanwhile, at the same time in the Su Mansion, Su Qingzhang was roaring, "Useless, all useless! It’s been a full ten days, and not even a shadow has been found." "Qing Chang, don’t get yourself so worked up." Chang Mei soothed at his side, "Don’t worry, Ziceng won’t go far. Before she ran away, she didn’t take much cash, and her cards have been frozen; she couldn’t have gone far." "Can’t even keep an eye on a living person." Su Qingzhang was so angry that he swung his cane towards Chang Mei. Chang Mei wanted to dodge, but a thought struck her, and she took the blow. As the cane came down, she fell to the ground, blood oozing from her forehead, and Chang Chi cried out in shock. Su Qingzhang rushed over in a panic, apologizing profusely. Chang Chi looked at Su Qingzhang, who a moment ago was cursing loudly and now had his anger subsided, still muttering "unfilial daughter" Su Ziceng under his breath. She cleared the living room, wisely making herself scarce. No sooner had Chang Chi left the living room than her pager went off. When she saw "Hang Yishao" on the display, joy mingled with annoyance, and after hesitating for half a second, she still decided to return the call. "Has Su Ziceng come back?" Hang Yishao’s voice carried a mix of hope and impatience. "Not yet," Chang Chi tried her best to hide her discontent and replied with a softened voice. "Have you asked all her friends?" Hang Yishao asked a few more questions. "She doesn’t really have friends." Thinking of Su Ziceng made Chang Chi’s stomach turn, and she tried to steer the conversation away from Hang Yishao. "Yishao, Godfather has arranged for me to enter Daoquan University in the second half of the year. I..." "Just lost a Su Ziceng, now another you, annoying." Hang Yishao once again hung up the phone, tossing his mobile onto the sofa and unbuttoning his shirt. He had been out all day, and upon returning home, he heard his mother nattering about him, saying as soon as it was summer vacation, he was neglecting his duties, hanging out with bad company all day long. "Better to stay in the dorm," Hang Yishao mused to himself. "No, what if Su Ziceng does like she did in middle school, shouting my name under the boys’ dormitory every day again? That would be unbearable." Ah, no, Chang Chi said she was going to Daoquan University. Could it be Su Ziceng really doesn’t plan on going to college? Hang Yishao thought about the last time he saw Su Ziceng, when she had just returned to Mo City after high school graduation, in the sweltering heat, her heavy makeup all run off, looking greasy, rushing to pick him up at the airport. At the time, he didn’t even feel like glancing at her, going off to celebrate with friends instead. What did Su Ziceng look like beneath the thick makeup? Hang Yishao turned over, his brows furrowed with the strain of trying to remember, but he couldn’t quite recall. Could he really be annoyed by a woman whose face he couldn’t remember? Hang Yishao shook his head, wanting to expel that blurred, makeup-streaked face from his mind. He walked into the bathroom, where the faucet poured water loudly, picked up his toothbrush, and reflexively squeezed some toothpaste onto it, sticking it in his mouth. As foam bubbled in his mouth, he glanced at the toothpaste in his hand. For eighteen years he had used this brand with a mint-tea flavor. He laughed at himself mockingly; it turned out to be just a habit. The name Su Ziceng was like the toothpaste in his hand, just the name of a familiar stranger he had heard for eighteen years. That was the case in the past, and so it is now.