Chapter 6: A Moment of Astonishment

  The restaurant business is neither booming nor declining, and it's not too tiring either. Occasionally, when I have some free time, I lean against a corner of the restaurant and sneak a peek at those passing by - fashionable, beautiful women and handsome men, with eyes full of envy and jealousy.

  But this situation cannot be seen by the boss's wife, if she sees it, that is to provoke a hornet. It will sting your eardrum and make your head swell... The boss's wife's endless chatter, with an attitude of pointing at one thing while scolding another, is almost like the landlady in some movie.

  "Kobayashi, this is the frostbite medicine I bought for you from the supermarket. Remember to apply it at night." Li boss said with concern as he looked at Zhen's fingers which had many red blisters due to constant contact with ice and water.

  Zhen, who was washing dishes, hastily stood up and shook her head: "I can't take your things, it's not good if the boss sees." Seeing Li Boss insisting on giving them to her, she had no choice but to lift her apron and wipe off the water stains on her hands. Just as she was about to accept them, a hand suddenly reached out from behind and snatched them away.

  "That old thing, flirting again." The fierce female boss was like a land god, silently emerging from the ground, cursing her husband with a mouthful of dirty words. She then turned to glare at Zhen'e, who was shocked and stunned, and scolded: "You dead fox spirit, thinking you can seduce my old man when I'm not around? Let me tell you, if I catch you flirting with my husband, you'll see my ferocity."

  The boss's wife's chubby fingers almost poked into Zhen's face, scaring her to quickly retreat. As she retreated, the boss's wife continued to point and curse, pushing Zhen until she was backed into a corner with no way out. Only then did she wipe away the spittle from the corner of her mouth, fold her arms, and catch her breath.

  "What are you...blindly talking about? Little Lin is old enough to be our daughter, and at your age, you still have such thoughts, it's just that you coincidentally gave her a box of Dove chocolates."

  "You old thing, you want to eat tender grass, are you dissatisfied with me being an old hag?" The boss's wife scolded and still hadn't vented her anger. This boss who didn't know what was good for him added fuel to the fire, reigniting the boss's wife's temper.

  The landlady's saliva splattered everywhere, the boss was furious, and the man's dignity had been completely destroyed by this shrew. At this moment, he couldn't care about his demeanor, and with a loud slap, he vented out all the grievances of this period.

  She took advantage of their quarrel and quickly ducked down, making a run for it and rushing out of the restaurant.

  Zhen didn't run far, could she have run far? Her ID was still being held by the boss's wife, and her luggage was still in the attic. The biting night wind grew stronger, Zhen felt very tired and cold, thinking of Dad, Mom, her brother, and Jing...

  The pale white street lamp cast a noble and elegant light, gazing proudly at Zhen who was curled up with her arms wrapped around her on the roadside chaise longue. Not far away, a woman wearing an ermine cloak walked towards Zhen, carrying a fluffy pet dog in her arms, her crimson high heels clicking "click, click" like a song, swaying her slender willow waist as she took three steps at a time.

  Zhen owed his body and looked at the street lamp, thinking about the real purpose of coming here. For a month, no money was earned, but he suffered a lot.

  Mr. Li had promised to let Zhen be a waitress in his restaurant and raise her salary accordingly when she got into his car. However, with the month almost over, not only did he fail to fulfill his promise, but also provoked Mrs. Li's jealousy, leading to frequent quarrels...

  "Doudou, be good, Mommy is taking you home now. Daddy hasn't come back for half a month, and Mommy misses him so much!"

  With the rhythm of high-heeled shoes, a woman with black mink fur and a white fluffy pet dog in her arms walked towards me with a seductive gait.

  The woman was muttering something softly to herself, the scent of perfume on her body wafting into the nostrils of the man sitting on the roadside bench. Ah... so fragrant, Zhen suddenly felt a flash of inspiration before his eyes, this is his goal and ideal.

  Zhen secretly made up her mind to achieve the super cool attitude and dressing style of this unfamiliar woman she saw.

  Zhen's attention seemed to have piqued the woman's curiosity, her noble and proud head slightly lowered.

  "You... how are you alone here?" The woman's voice was also pleasant to hear, and as she bent down, the curly-haired pet dog in her arms slightly stirred in protest.

  "I... have nowhere to go."

  "Oh..." The woman's scrutinizing gaze sparked a thought in her mind, "Isn't our home lacking someone to accompany me?" Looking at this girl, she seems quite decent. Since he rarely shows up anyway, why not let her become the housekeeper? Firstly, I'll have some company, and secondly, there will be someone to take care of all those tedious household chores.

  Zhen, blinked a pair of timid and fearful eyes, carefully swept from top to bottom on the stranger's body, with curves and lines, exuding an air of nobility and arrogance.

  "Have you been an au pair before?" The woman's gentle voice sounded again.

  "Hmm... nothing, but I can do laundry and cook, hmm... and also sing for you." Zhen poured out all her abilities in one breath, she had a goal, which was to find a place to stay tonight, if it really worked out with this woman, that would be great.

  The woman's age is not much older than Zhen, maybe just a year or a few months apart. As she looked at this rustic and unsophisticated girl in front of her, she felt a sense of pride and satisfaction in her heart.

  "How old are you?" The woman gently stroked the dog in her arms and asked.

  "I'm sixteen years old, just turned this year." Zhen hastily stood up, in a flurry of activity, momentarily at a loss for words.

  "Oh! Do you have an ID?"

  "There is, but it's at another boss's house and hasn't been taken out yet." Zhen thought to herself, wondering if she could let this woman go with her to Li Boss's house to demand a month's salary, personal items, and ID card.

  "Are you working somewhere else?" The woman seemed to say with some disappointment. She then pretended to leave, muttering something softly to her dog.

  "Beautiful sister, can you help me?" Zhen suddenly felt uneasy in her heart, she was deeply afraid that the woman would leave herself. At this time, Zhen pinned a glimmer of hope on the woman whom she had just met for two minutes.

  "Oh, wow! You're so sweet, I'm Xiao Qin, you can call me Qin Jie! Tell me why didn't you stay at that restaurant to work and leave?" The woman said, glancing sideways at the stool behind Zhen. Her ankles were tired from wearing high heels and she wanted to sit for a while, but this dirty little thing was occupying the spot and wouldn't budge.

  Zhen was quick-witted and saw the other person glance at the bench behind him, so he hastily lifted up his clothes and rubbed them vigorously on the bench several times.

  "Sit down, Qín jiě." With a blunt tone, not feeling the slightest bit of shame, without waiting for the other person to respond, she continued to raise her cute chin and flattered: "Qín jiě, you're really beautiful, wow! Your dog is so well-behaved."

  "Hmph, you're really clever! Alright, I'll help you. Tell me the address of the restaurant and I'll come find you tomorrow." The woman said casually without sitting down.

  "Thank you! Thank you." Busy thanking, Zhen's eyes stared at the woman's swaying figure, her high heels clicking "click, click" as she walked away.

  Just as Liu Jing was intently listening to Auntie telling the story of Zhen, the sound of an electric bicycle horn came from the entrance. Turning around, she saw an old man and a young person riding an electric bicycle into the courtyard.

  Lao is naturally Zhen's father, and the child is Zhen's kid (Xiao Jie). Xiao Jie looks just like Zhen, but his facial expression always gives Liu Jing a feeling of oppression. How can such a young child look so gloomy?

  "Good, Mr. Lin." Liu Jing hastily stood up and greeted with a smile.

  "Alright, alright." Lin Dad's face was expressionless, his slightly curly white hair particularly eye-catching. Liu Jing had known since she was a child that he was a man who didn't like to talk or laugh. That's why Zhen had never been able to communicate with him since childhood. The child was taken out of the car by Grandpa and stared blankly at this unfamiliar aunt.

  It is said that Liu Jing previously joked with Zhen that the child would call her godmother, but according to what happened later, the relationship between Liu Jing and Zhen deteriorated. The matter of calling her godmother was shelved, let alone having the opportunity to get in touch with this child who had lost his loved ones.

  "Little Jie called out 'Auntie'." Auntie's words startled Liu Jing. This was something she and Zhen had discussed in private, could it be that Zhen had also told her own mother?

  Xiao Jie was stunned and stood still, his face expressionless. Just then, Chen Jun came in from the courtyard, seemingly calling Liu Jing back to her uncle's house for dinner, but unexpectedly a dramatic scene unfolded.

  Xiao Jie looked at Chen Jun entering the courtyard and showed his small teeth, shouting "Dad..." in a timid voice.

  For a moment, Liu Jing's throat was blocked and she couldn't speak. After a long while, she exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!"

  Chen Jun was even more at a loss, flustered and helpless as he stared at the child who had thrown himself to his knees. Extremely embarrassed, wanting to explain something, but feeling suffocated, his face, neck, and ears flushed bright red.

  "Jing'er... this... you don't think that's true, do you! It's ridiculous, I..." Chen Jun stuttered and didn't know how to explain what had just happened.

  "It's nothing, maybe the child just needs more care! You're thinking too much, this is a normal thing for people, what are you afraid of?" Liu Jingwen refused Chen Jun's outstretched hand and said in a low voice. Although she pretended to be calm and repeatedly stated that there was nothing wrong, putting on a magnanimous appearance, her heart was actually knotted with anxiety.

  Zhen suddenly appeared in front of Liu Jing with a bulging belly, and then disappeared without a trace. She didn't reappear until the child was one year old, this time in City A. Liu Jing had always wanted to know what Zhen did during those months when she was pregnant, and who took care of her secretly. However, no matter how hard she searched, she couldn't find any reliable information.

  Zhen has changed a lot since giving birth to the child, smoking, gambling, and not returning home at night, all of which were told by Zhen's mother to Liu Jing.