Bald

Qin Yanan booked a suite at the top of Mount Lu, and Zhu Juntang gave Qin Yanan an elevator to renovate the house, which shows that Zhu Juntang is not unrealistic when it comes to serious matters, and is quite pragmatic.

Most importantly, Liu Chang'an is only a partner, but Zhou Shuling is the one who actually manages the store and handles daily affairs.

Zhu Juntang really did create some mess. The first thing was at her own place in Baolong Center, which she cleaned up quickly. The second thing she dealt with was Zhou Shuling. Anyway, it wasn't Liu Chang'an who caused the trouble.

Of course we'll accept it.

Seeing Zhou Shuling's delighted expression, she was naturally willing. It wasn't that she was greedy for the large gift from Zhu Juntang. Just like how hotels often treat their owners with the highest level of courtesy, it was a very prestigious thing for her little pink shop to be located in Baolong Center, and for the big boss to personally deliver a gift. It felt like she had been blessed by a noble person, which was a good omen.

"I'd like to treat Manager Quan to a late-night snack tonight. He's been personally overseeing things lately, which is why the process has gone so quickly. He's been a great help both inside and out," Zhou Shuling added.

"Okay." Liu Chang'an tidied up and prepared to go Pao Hu Zi.

I mean, let's go together.

"I'm not going."

"Of course we should invite him together! Otherwise, it would be too ambiguous for me to go out for a late-night snack with him alone," Zhou Shuling said hurriedly. This Liu Chang'an was really quick and decisive when it came to refusing such requests.

"Ambiguity isn't about who you go out for late-night snacks with, but about whether your heart is lonely." Liu Chang'an patted Zhou Shuling on the shoulder. "You're not getting any younger, why not give it a try?"

"He's bald!" Zhou Shuling's cheeks flushed slightly. The young man spoke in a way that sounded old-fashioned, like a gossipy aunt... a little more literary.

"I want to correct your idea. Since ancient times, bald has actually been a beautiful word. In "Shuowen Jiezi", Duan Yu annotated the word "bald": Xiu and bald have no two characters in ancient times. Since Xiaozhuan, there are two writing methods. Nowadays, people with baldness can also be said to have a beautiful head. If you think about it carefully, one person can speak smoothly with a single operation. For the sake of publicity, people often praise him for being handsome, which actually means that he is bald. Bald means strong and excellent, and a bald man means an excellent person." Liu Changan shook his head. This person has read less, so it is easier to misinterpret words such as "bald" and "stupid" that are clearly complimentary.

"Say something I can understand!" Zhou Shuling rolled her eyes at Liu Chang'an.

Liu Chang'an glanced at the chubby little boy who was trying to hug the sycamore tree. "Zhou Dongdong, do you want to go get some late-night snacks?"

Zhou Dongdong turned around, tripped and fell, rolled over and got up, exclaiming, "There's food again!"

"Go ahead, I know a late-night food stall by the river that sells really delicious lamb testicles; men love them," Liu Chang'an said.

Zhou Shuling's eyes held a hint of reproach as she took out her phone and sent a message to All-Star. Of course, she also made sure to mention that she had brought her child and business partner along, so as not to give All-Star any unrealistic expectations that might lead to his disappointment.

"Should we go somewhere a bit more upscale?" Zhou Shuling thought for a moment, then hesitated, worried about offending someone.

"Barbecuing is all about sitting at a small table next to a roadside charcoal fire, eating skewers served in a stainless steel bowl – that's what makes it high-class," Liu Chang'an waved his hand. "In their eyes, you're the most beautiful sight; who cares where you eat?"

Zhou Shuling bit her lip. Oh well, she couldn't be bothered to argue with him. Luckily, once the shop opened, she wouldn't have to bother him anymore. She could send him some gifts and red envelopes later. She would try to minimize contact with him in the future to avoid people misunderstanding that she had something going on with All-Star.

Because there was going to be a late-night snack, Zhou Dongdong walked around the sycamore tree to help with digestion. She wanted to try climbing the tree, but with her stomach pressing against the trunk, her arms were too short, which was unavoidable.

Liu Chang'an went to play cards under the grapevines next to the convenience store. His retirement pension was approaching, and he still had some money left for playing cards. How could he resist having a go? Old Man Qian suggested they play for big stakes today; a single game could net them several tens of yuan.

In the end, Liu Chang'an won twenty yuan, while Old Man Qian actually lost fifty yuan, thus solidifying Liu Chang'an's position among the neighborhood card players.

"You can't leave! You can't leave after winning. There's no such rule!" Old Man Qian said excitedly. "Again! I want to shoot birds!"

"Old Man Qian, you still want to hunt birds? I'm afraid you won't be leaving here without paying a hundred yuan today!" Old Lady Liu provoked her, as she was also having a good day.

"In that last hand, you played a card and then took it back. Xiao Liu didn't take it, and the next card was mine—a self-draw! How much difference did that make? And you still have the nerve to complain!" Old Man Qian got even angrier.

Old Lady Liu her eyes at him, said nothing, turned to the side and took out pumpkin seeds from her pocket to peel.

"Let's play again another day, until one of us loses all our pants, okay? I'm going to get some late-night snacks, I have military training tomorrow." Liu Chang'an pointed to the grapevine trellis and declared his determination.

"Let Xiao Liu go. You can't even afford to lose a few dozen yuan?" Auntie Xie said, trying to help him.

Old Man Qian didn't want to waste any more time; he wanted to win it back as soon as possible. He waved his hand and said, "Alright, you remember."

Liu Chang'an managed to escape, and just then Zhou Shuling came downstairs with Zhou Dongdong. All-Star said he would drive to pick them up, but Liu Chang'an, not one to stand alone, said, "You guys take the car, I'll walk."

They got into the car together. The All-Star's car was an Audi A4L. Liu Chang'an pulled Zhou Dongdong to sit in the back, while Zhou Shuling had to sit in the front passenger seat.

All-Star was also very polite to Liu Chang'an because his parents were actually acquaintances with Zhong Qing's mother, and some of the rumors he heard were vaguely revealed by Zhong Qing, who knew that Liu Chang'an and Zhu Juntang had a good relationship.

He just couldn't understand why someone of such a high social standing, who associated with ordinary wealthy and powerful people, and Liu Chang'an, who shouldn't be an ordinary person either, would live in such an old neighborhood.

But that was none of his business. They chatted and laughed all the way to the late-night snack stall that Liu Chang'an had mentioned.

This is the place where Zhong Qing brought Liu Chang'an to eat, and also the place where Bai Hui was tricked into eating sheep testicles.

"The scenery here is quite nice, the river breeze is like a comb, but it can't hide the years." All-Star touched his hair and laughed self-deprecatingly. The wind was indeed quite strong as soon as he got out of the car. Most people with thinning hair would carefully tidy up their few strands to cover the thinner areas before going out, but this wind messed it all up.

"He told me today that baldness means being outstanding, and a bald person means an excellent person." Zhou Shuling noticed that All-Star was a little embarrassed, so she quickly said something to ease the tension.

The All-Star became even more awkward. Zhou Shuling also felt it was inappropriate and quickly hoped that Liu Chang'an could save the day.

Zhou Dongdong had already dragged Liu Chang'an to see the two-meter-long barbecue grill, which was filled with various skewers being grilled, including lamb testicles, which Liu Chang'an liked to eat.

The All-Star found a sheltered spot, with a "GG" sign behind him. He quickly touched his hair and tidied it up, barely managing to regain some confidence.

"I've been relying on Manager Quan's help these past few days. Otherwise, I don't know how long I would have been running around doing nothing, and he's not one to get things done anyway," Zhou Shuling said politely as she placed the menu in front of All-Star.

"It was all Miss's instructions, I was just following the rules." All-Star was quite honest, and he didn't want Zhou Shuling to think that he was doing it entirely for her sake. With Zhu Juntang's connections, the entire department was very cooperative.

"Please continue to look after me in the future," Zhou Shuling said politely.

"You're too kind, you're too kind."

Liu Chang'an and Zhou Dongdong are back.

"Is Xiao Liu Zhou's cousin?" All-Star asked with some curiosity. If they didn't know that Liu Chang'an only eighteen years old, they would have thought that the young man was a bit mature and that he and Zhou Shuling were not much different in age. With Zhou Dongdong, they really looked like a family of three.

"We're neighbors. I used to rent Xiao Liu's place, and now we run a noodle shop together... He's really capable; without him, this noodle shop wouldn't have been able to succeed." Although she sometimes bickered with Liu Chang'an, Zhou Shuling's admiration and affection for him were genuine, especially with outsiders present.

"That's impressive, he must be a top student from Xiangtan University," All-Star exclaimed.

"I hope Dongdong can get into Xiangtan University someday." Zhou Shuling patted Zhou Dongdong's head.

"What is Xiangtan University?" Zhou Dongdong asked while carefully looking at the menu.

"University is a place you can only go to study in fifteen years." Liu Chang'an picked up the menu. She could only recognize the numbers on the price list; she didn't know what was so interesting about it.

"Why fifteen years? Nine years of compulsory education plus high school is only twelve years." All-Star asked, puzzled.

Zhou Shuling realized what was happening and playfully punched Liu Chang'an, "Dongdong, Chang'an- gege said you're stupid."

"I am resourceful and brave."

The All-Star realized what was happening and chuckled. Liu Chang'an was truly humorous.

The four of them had just ordered when the waiter brought over a large plate of sunflower seeds. Zhou Dongdong didn't know how to peel sunflower seeds, but Zhou Shuling wouldn't let her put them in her mouth to bite, saying that she was teething and that biting sunflower seeds would make her teeth pitted. So she could only eat one sunflower seed peeled by Liu Chang'an and one Zhou Shuling.

Another table of people arrived, and hearing familiar voices, Liu Chang'an saw Bai Hui sitting down with a group of boys and girls, some of whom were wearing military training uniforms, so they must all be her classmates.

Bai Hui also saw Liu Chang'an, and a surprised smile involuntarily appeared on her face. However, she then looked a little uneasy, glanced around, greeted her classmates, and ran over.

"Life is full of unexpected encounters, and I even ran into an old friend at a barbecue stall," Liu Chang'an said, cracking sunflower seeds.

"The sister who can meow like a cat!" Zhou Dongdong remembered. She wasn't a vengeful child, even though this sister who could meow like a cat had insisted that Zhou Dongdong learn to dance that day, reminding Zhou Dongdong of a less pleasant past.

"Hi!" Bai Hui forced a smile and greeted Zhou Dongdong.

Zhou Shuling nudged Liu Chang'an. The young girl looked embarrassed and nervous, clearly wanting something from him, but he remained sitting there calmly.

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I'm recommending a friend's book, I Want to Rent Myself. It's a collection of short, episodic stories with a lighthearted, slice-of-life feel. The author is a seasoned writer, and the writing is nonstop. If you're interested, give it a try. Important note: the book is ruthless in its recommendations of female characters, having already recommended five or six so far. Whether that's a downside or a highlight is up to you to decide.

Congratulations LPL! I'm going to have a breakout performance tomorrow!