Maximize Interest, My Money Grows Infinitely-Chapter 10 - : Women at Thirty

When Chen Cheng finished showering and went upstairs, Xiao Meier was already lying in bed.

Hearing the footsteps, she called out from behind the wardrobe without having fallen asleep yet, "Xiao Cheng, are you tired?"

Chen Cheng looked at a pair of small feet under the moonlight, "No... not tired."

"How about we have a drink?" Xiao Meier sat up, put on her slippers, "I'll go downstairs and get a couple of bottles of beer."

"No problem."

With a faint smile, Xiao Meier asked, "Cold or room temperature?"

"In this weather, something cold would be refreshing."

Before long, each with two bottles of Qing Dao big green bottles in hand, they sat by the small table next to the window, drinking under the moonlight.

Chen Cheng tried not to let his gaze wander, but still, it lingered on her inadvertently, because Xiao Meier was dressed too scantily.

Under the moonlight, she was wearing only a thin strappy nightgown, revealing large expanses of skin as white as snow, and those faint curves made Chen Cheng's heart skip a beat.

"What's wrong, Xiao Cheng?" Xiao Meier took a light sip, her cheeks tinged with red, adding a bit more charm.

Chen Cheng quickly looked away, giving a sheepish smile: "Sister, it looks like there's a mosquito on your chest."

Xiao Meier looked down, "That's a mole!"

"Ah? So this is what they call harboring great ambitions!"

"Slick talker." Xiao Meier chided, but the corner of her mouth revealed a smug smile.

"Xiao Cheng, do you know? I've always been quite jealous of you," Xiao Meier suddenly said.

"Jealous of me? Why?" Chen Cheng was puzzled.

"Because you're young, vibrant, and full of endless possibilities. Whereas I... have gotten old," Xiao Meier sighed deeply, her eyes reflecting a hint of loneliness.

The two were only a year apart in age, strictly speaking, merely seven or eight months.

Chen Cheng replied, "Sister Meier, how can you say you've gotten old? You look even younger than me!"

"You're just trying to cheer me up," Xiao Meier said with a laugh: "Men at thirty are in their prime, but what about women?"

"Women at thirty? They're like perfectly ripe peaches, so sweet they'd melt your heart."

Xiao Meier burst out laughing, "With that mouth of yours! No wonder, all those young girls like you!"

"Sister, stop teasing me."

"Alright, alright, I'll stop teasing you." Xiao Meier put down the beer bottle, crossed her arms in front of her chest, and looked at Chen Cheng,

"In fact, I really am jealous of you. Your life is full of possibilities, but my life..." she paused, seemingly searching for the right words, "is now fixed."

Chen Cheng detected a touch of helplessness and sadness in Xiao Meier's words, "Sister, everyone's life has its own pace and trajectory. Your experiences are also your precious assets. And your beauty and charm, those are things that time cannot erase."

"You really know how to charm people."

Chen Cheng took a sip of the cool beer and then asked, "Sister, can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away."

"Why did you come to Beijing in the first place?" Chen Cheng voiced the question that had puzzled him for years.

Xiao Meier's thoughts seemed to drift off, her fingers tracing circles around the rim of the bottle. It took a while before she spoke:

"You might not know, but where I come from, the conditions can't compare to here."

Chen Cheng nodded, he continued listening.

"I didn't get into college, missed it by just a few points," Xiao Meier said slowly, "I was faced with only two choices."

"One was to move south to work in a factory;"

"The other was to stay in my hometown, find any job waiting tables and, once I was of age, marry whoever seemed okay."

Chen Cheng saw Xiao Meier blinking frequently and knew her situation was challenging.

"But I didn't want that! I didn't want to leave myself in that small county town." Xiao Meier's eyes curved, "I just wanted to see what the outside world was like."

"So, you came here?" Chen Cheng said conversely.

Xiao Meier shook her head, "No. Do you think coming to Beijing is as simple as you going out for a stroll?"

Chen Cheng smiled helplessly, "You're right."

"I told my grandma that I wanted to go out and see the world, and she told me, if you want to venture out there, you've got to have a skill."

Xiao Meier took a sip of her drink and continued, "So, before I came here, I learned how to cut hair, and also learned a bit of cooking from my grandma."

"You know how to cut hair?" Chen Cheng was a bit surprised.

"A buzz cut, no big deal." Xiao Meier covered her mouth and giggled, "Back home, we call it a 'leather-head'."

Chen Cheng unconsciously scratched his head and said, "Then I think I'll keep my hair!"

"What? Don't trust my skills?!"

"No... how could I not trust you?" Chen Cheng quickly flashed a smile.

Little did he know, Xiao Meier stood up, walked to the wardrobe, and took out a pair of hairdressing scissors and several combs that hadn't been used in years, "Come on, let me trim it for you!"

"Do we have to make it such a big deal?"

"Why not? Your hair is still damp, perfect timing!"

Chen Cheng gave a sheepish smile. Even though he was reluctant, he sat down obediently.

Xiao Meier stood behind Chen Cheng, gently running her fingers through his hair.

Chen Cheng felt her fingers gliding over his scalp, the sensation making him somewhat restless.

"Snip snip."

As she cut, Xiao Meier said, "Afterward, my grandmother gave me some money, and I came here."

"And then?"

"When I first got to Beijing, I didn't understand anything. I found a hotpot restaurant and settled down there," Xiao Meier continued.

Chen Cheng was engrossed in listening; he could imagine her at eighteen, coming to Beijing all alone.

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"I was too young back then, didn't know how to weigh things properly, and was a bit clumsy. Then, on payday, I spilled a pot of hotpot oil."

"What?!" Chen Cheng had never heard these stories.

"Don't move. Or you'll get an uneven cut!"

Chen Cheng sat up straight.

Xiao Meier reached out her arm from behind, "Look, there's still a mark here!"

Chen Cheng looked down and indeed saw a scar from a burn on that white-as-jade arm, though it had faded considerably.

"So, you mean you didn't work there anymore?" he asked.

Xiao Meier sighed, "The boss said the pot of base I spilled was very expensive, so he fired me. Didn't even pay me my wages."

"Didn't you go and make a fuss about it?"

"I was young back then, and all alone. Not knowing anyone here, what could I say?" Xiao Meier said irritably.

But in the next second, her tone became determined.

"However, from that moment on, I knew that self-reliance is most important! I can't work for others all my life. I have to become a boss to make real money!"

Chen Cheng understood what was in her heart.

And at this moment, Xiao Meier stopped her hands.

"There, how does it look?" she said, holding a mirror in front of Chen Cheng.

Chen Cheng looked at himself in the mirror and was surprised to find that his hair had been trimmed neatly and looked much sharper than before.

"Sis, your skills are really great!" Chen Cheng sincerely exclaimed.

Xiao Meier smiled proudly, "Of course, do you see who I am?"

Chen Cheng put down the mirror and asked, "So, that's why you came to Big Willow Tree?"