Chapter 134.5: Shi Yunyang Extra 10
Source: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=1363950 This translation was originally posted on https://love4baihe.blogspot.com
"Okay," Shi Yunyang replied somewhat evasively, but she didn't have anywhere else to go, so she had to stay here for now.
"I'll change the water heater tomorrow. Do you think there's anything else that needs to be replaced?" Xu Zhaodi asked. She had calculated her savings earlier and still had some left.
"Do you have enough money to replace it?" Shi Yunyang asked a very practical question. If there was enough money, she'd prefer to change the entire house. But this girl, who looked malnourished, seemed very poor. She even seemed reluctant to throw away the leftover buns from the morning.
"I have a little bit of savings left," Xu Zhaodi said somewhat sheepishly.
"If you can afford to replace the water heater, then go ahead. By the way, where are your skincare products?" Shi Yunyang asked. She had looked around the bathroom earlier but couldn't find any skincare products.
Xu Zhaodi retrieved a box of Baique Ling* cream from the nearby drawer and handed it to Shi Yunyang. She felt a bit embarrassed because she knew most women had a variety of skincare products. A couple of years ago, when her father fell ill, she was so broke that she couldn't afford luxuries like skincare products. In the winter, when her face felt dry, she would buy a box of Baique Ling to moisturize, but in the summer, she skipped it. Even though she had a bit more money now, she still hadn't gotten into the habit of buying those expensive skincare products.
"Is this the only thing you use?" Shi Yunyang asked incredulously. Women could cut costs elsewhere, but how could they skimp on skincare?
*or Pechoin, the earliest, largest, and widely known domestic skincare brand in China
"Um, I'm not used to putting too much stuff on my face," Xu Zhaodi said embarrassedly. Shi Yunyang glanced at Baique Ling, then at Xu Zhaodi's face. Although it wasn't particularly fair, it seemed like her skin was still in good condition. Living in such rough conditions and still looking like this was already quite rare. "How old are you?" Shi Yunyang asked.
"I'm thirty-two," Xu Zhaodi answered truthfully.
Shi Yunyang took another look at Xu Zhaodi and couldn't help but feel that she didn't look like a thirty-two-year-old woman. She appeared to be at most twenty-four or twenty-five, looking even younger than herself. Although Shi Yunyang couldn't remember her own age, judging from her appearance, she guessed she was around twenty-six or twenty-seven.
"Is it because you have good habits and never stay up late?" Shi Yunyang asked.
"For the past year or two, I've been going out to set up my pancake stall around four or five in the evening and only come back around one or two in the morning. If I go to bed, it's usually around that time," Xu Zhaodi replied.
Shi Yunyang looked at Xu Zhaodi's face carefully once again. Despite using such rough skincare products and staying up late every day, she managed to maintain such a youthful appearance. It was truly envy-inducing. However, she felt that using only Baique Ling might not be enough. She felt that her face was precious and couldn't bear to neglect it.
"All right, let's skip buying the water heater for now and get me a slightly better skincare set instead," Shi Yunyang said. Although the erratic water temperature was unbearable, she felt that nothing was scarier than aging. Despite feeling extremely disdainful of Baique Ling deep down, Shi Yunyang still accepted the Baique Ling handed over by Xu Zhaodi.
Xu Zhaodi looked at Shi Yunyang and didn't expect her to choose skincare over the water heater without hesitation, despite comparing their faces. Although Xu Zhaodi had never bought skincare products from better brands than Baique Ling, she knew that a set of skincare products in those bottles and jars wasn't cheap. A water heater could be bought for only a few hundred yuan if it was secondhand, while a new one would cost around a thousand. However, a set of skincare products would also cost around a thousand yuan, and the brand would probably just be average. She couldn't understand why some women constantly sought perfection even though they were already good-looking, while some less attractive women, no matter how expensive the skincare products they used, didn't seem to improve much. If it were her, she would choose to buy the water heater without hesitation, as taking a comfortable shower was a tangible way to make herself feel better, which would yield immediate results.
"Well, in that case, I'll buy a secondhand water heater tomorrow and get you another skincare set," Xu Zhaodi said, feeling that it would definitely exceed her budget. She had a feeling that maintaining this woman would be very expensive, and she felt like she couldn't afford it.
"Actually, I think it's better to buy new appliances. If you don't have the budget now, you can wait and buy it later," Shi Yunyang felt that a secondhand one wouldn't be much better than the current one. She believed in "better to have nothing than settle for less." Since she was spending money, she wanted to buy a good one.
"Okay," Xu Zhaodi's family had many things bought from the secondhand market, such as dining tables and desks, which she thought were pretty good. However, she didn't dare to tell Shi Yunyang, afraid that she would find fault with everything. She had already noticed that Shi Yunyang was someone who pursued a high quality of life.
Shi Yunyang applied the Baique Ling cream and found it too greasy, which she couldn't stand. Indeed, the most important thing was to switch to a different skincare set.
After applying the cream, Shi Yunyang returned the Baique Ling to Xu Zhaodi, who silently placed it back in the drawer, knowing that the Baique Ling would be neglected tomorrow.
Feeling that her hair was almost dry, Xu Zhaodi lifted the blanket and prepared to go to bed.
"What time is it now?" Shi Yunyang, who had no phone or watch, asked Xu Zhaodi.
"It's nine-thirty," Xu Zhaodi checked her phone and replied. She was still using a feature phone, a Nokia from several years ago that hadn't broken down yet.
Shi Yunyang looked at Xu Zhaodi's phone and initially wanted to play with it, but upon seeing the feature phone, she completely gave up the idea. She thought this woman was definitely peculiar. Even if she was poor, she could afford a cheap smartphone. Xu Zhaodi was completely out of touch with the times. If it weren't for Xu Zhaodi looking young, Shi Yunyang would have thought of calling her auntie.
With nothing to do, Shi Yunyang couldn't sleep at all. In the past, she was someone who enjoyed the nightlife, often staying awake until one or two in the morning. It was only 9:30 now, and her body clock wasn't ready for sleep. Moreover, being in an unfamiliar and uncomfortable environment without memories made it impossible for her to fall asleep.
But seeing Xu Zhaodi already lying in bed, Shi Yunyang could only climb in as well. Surprisingly, the bed had a faint fragrance. Shi Yunyang knew Xu Zhaodi was a poor soul, with only a jar of Baiqe Ling face cream, unlikely to use perfume. That must be her natural scent. This woman not only looked young but also had her own natural fragrance. Indeed, heaven was fair, granting her a few virtues despite her lack of radiance. Otherwise, Shi Yunyang would have felt Xu Zhaodi was too pitiful. Thankfully, it wasn't that bad, Shi Yunyang thought to herself.
Shi Yunyang found Xu Zhaodi's scent comforting, and Xu Zhaodi also found Shi Yunyang's scent pleasant. Xu Zhaodi attributed it to her family's shower gel, although the smell wasn't quite like her family's shower gel. The two lay in bed together, with enough distance between them for another person to lie. The sense of unfamiliarity emanated from both sides.
"I can't sleep. Can you keep me company?" Shi Yunyang spoke after Xu Zhaodi turned off the lights. For some reason, she felt particularly uneasy in the darkness, stemming from the insecurity of her blank memory. This insecurity was undoubtedly exposed in the darkness.
"I'm not good at chatting," Xu Zhaodi admitted. She had no idea what to talk about with Shi Yunyang, as she didn't think Shi Yunyang would be interested in her world or topics.
"Then just talk about anything, your family, your parents, relatives, and so on..." Lost in amnesia, her mind was completely blank, unable to initiate a topic. She was curious, though, about how Xu Zhaodi could be so poor.
Xu Zhaodi briefly recounted her family background, lightly brushing over many heavy matters.
"It must have been tough," Shi Yunyang remarked, feeling the weight of Xu Zhaodi's story.
"It's okay, it's all in the past," Xu Zhaodi replied. Despite her brother's recent troubles, she remained relatively optimistic. In such a tough living environment, maintaining such optimism was commendable, thought Shi Yunyang.
As they spoke, Xu Zhaodi's voice grew softer until she eventually fell asleep, leaving Shi Yunyang alone, unable to sleep.
Shi Yunyang glanced at the time; it was only half past ten. Why was she so tired? Little did Shi Yunyang know that since the car accident last night, Xu Zhaodi had been on edge, barely sleeping. Today, with things finally settling down, she relaxed, coupled with physical exhaustion, naturally drifting off to sleep.
Shi Yunyang lay awake, her mind empty except for memories of Xu Zhaodi. Glancing at Xu Zhaodi, who was sleeping peacefully beside her with a soft snore, she felt grateful for her presence. Without her, Shi Yunyang didn't know what she would do. She stared at the ceiling, at the worn-out lamp, lost in thought until she slowly drifted off to sleep.
While Shi Yunyang slept, Xu Zhaodi returned from outside, having bought the ingredients for the evening's pancake stall: a crate of eggs, homemade pickled vegetables, coriander, spring onions, and more.
When Shi Yunyang woke up, the sun was already high in the sky. She freshened up and emerged from her room to find Xu Zhaodi busy in the kitchen. On the table lay a deep-fried dough stick, a bowl of soy milk, and a boiled egg, accompanied by a small dish of soy sauce. Shi Yunyang sat down, and grabbed the dough stick and soy milk, briefly considering warning Xu Zhaodi about the potentially unhealthy alum in the dough stick, but the thought quickly passed. Ultimately, she indulged in the crispy dough stick, surprisingly finding it delicious despite knowing its unhealthy nature. With the dough stick dipped in soy sauce and a peeled egg, she felt satisfied. Xu Zhaodi's considerate gestures didn't go unnoticed.
After finishing her meal, Shi Yunyang noticed Xu Zhaodi still in the kitchen chopping pickled vegetables, with a large bowl of coriander and spring onions beside her.
"You're awake. Just give me a moment, almost done. We'll go out together later," Xu Zhaodi said, sensing Shi Yunyang's presence. After all, with Shi Yunyang's imposing stature, her presence was hard to miss.
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T/N:
Shi Yunyang Extra ends here
