Chapter 106: The Jewelry Store Opens (First Update)
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Strange stones are treasured, while strange people are shunned.
Whether one is a crane among chickens or a chicken among cranes, the result is the same: one does not belong. The Ugly Duckling is the finest example. Quietly transforming, then dazzling everyone—it is merely a beautiful wish. Had it not been a swan by nature, it would have spent its life in loneliness. Yet even after becoming a swan, it still could not find a place among the ducks, and in the end it had to fly away.
Chickens, ducks, and geese generally live in flocks. People are no different. The only distinction is that people cannot fly—not even flap their arms and struggle into the air.
Standing amid a crowd dressed in finery, the young mother felt like a chicken among cranes. She wished more than anything that wings would sprout from her ribs so she could fly far away. With her head lowered, she tried her best to avoid the strange looks around her. Rubbing the hem of her clothes, she stared at the big toe protruding through a hole in her shoe, her face burning with shame. Her toes dug furrows into the ground as though carving out a three-bedroom apartment, while she remained silent and miserable.
The little girl with braided pigtails, however, seemed oblivious to the strange looks around her and to her mother’s expression. Pointing at the jade ornaments in the jewelry store’s display cases, she exclaimed excitedly, “Mommy, there are so many strange little stones here! They’re quite pretty, too.”
A wave of quiet laughter swept through the crowd. Those standing nearest the mother and daughter even edged away a few steps, their faces filled with disgust.
The young mother smacked the little girl lightly on the arm and said through clenched lips, “Don’t say things like that. People will dislike you… And don’t point at things. What if you damage something? We can’t afford to pay for it.”
The little girl blinked her large eyes several times. Seeing the adults around her with their chins raised and nostrils turned skyward, she suddenly felt chilled. Pulling her thin clothes tighter around herself, she shrank behind her mother.
“You certainly know how to make people laugh,” said an elderly woman in a black evening gown as she approached them with two glasses of red wine. Handing one to the young mother, she smiled warmly. “If your child could damage something in the display case merely by pointing at it, that would only prove that the jewelry was terribly poor in quality.”
The young mother waved her hands in alarm. “I don’t drink…” She pressed her lips together before continuing, “The child has never seen much of the world and doesn’t know any better. I hope you won’t take offense.”
“I think she’s absolutely right.” The elderly woman bent down and winked at the little girl. “These are stones, after all. They were merely placed in display cases and given exorbitant price tags because they are different from other stones.”
The little girl tilted her head and stuck out her tongue. Her gaze lingered on the elderly woman’s elegant, understated makeup, and she praised her without thinking, “Grandma, you’re so beautiful—much prettier than the old women in our village…”
“See? She certainly knows how to talk!” The smile on the elderly woman’s face blossomed even more brightly. Pointing toward several long tables on the left side of the jewelry store, she asked, “There are some pastries over there. Would you like some?”
The little girl rubbed her hollow stomach, swallowed, and nodded vigorously.
“Little Blossom, no!” The young mother said sternly, “Those pastries are for the customers…”
“A business that opens its doors welcomes anyone who comes in,” the elderly woman interrupted. Extending her right hand toward the little girl, she said, “Come along. I’ll take you over. There are all kinds of little cakes, and even several more people couldn’t finish them all.”
“No, no.” The young mother hurriedly shook her head. “We came to find someone, not to buy anything… We can’t afford a single thing here, so we can’t really be considered customers…”
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The little girl had just started to reach out her hand when, under her mother’s stern gaze, she withdrew it dejectedly.
“Find someone?” The elderly woman glanced at the customers and salespeople inside the jewelry store, puzzled. “Someone who came here to buy things, or someone who works here?”
The young mother took a red invitation from her pocket and pointed to the two words at the very bottom. Deliberately lowering her voice, she said, “Neither. I came to find the owner. She’s a relative of ours…”
The elderly woman narrowed her eyes for an instant, then immediately smiled again. “Then come and have something to eat with me first. The owner hasn’t arrived yet. She must have been delayed on the way, so it may be a while. Wouldn’t standing here doing nothing only attract more attention? You might as well find somewhere more comfortable and fill your stomachs first. What do you say?”
The young mother secretly glanced at the people around them from the corners of her eyes, sighed, and nodded helplessly.
The elderly woman extended her right hand once more and made a playful face at the little girl. “Come on. They have cakes in every flavor—strawberry, mango, even durian.”
The little girl cried out excitedly, then glanced at the crowd around her and quickly covered her mouth. Placing her small hand in the elderly woman’s, she asked in a whisper, “Grandma, what’s durian? Is it a kind of fruit?”
“Durian?” The elderly woman led the girl toward the buffet area as she explained, “Of course it’s a fruit. Its flavor makes people yearn for it long after it’s gone, which is why it’s called durian…”
“Then I want the durian-flavored one!” The little girl licked her lips and declared with absolute conviction.
“You have excellent taste—just like me…” The elderly woman glanced back at the young mother following behind them and asked softly, “I noticed that your invitation didn’t have the guest’s name written on it. This is the first nameless invitation I’ve ever seen. Where did you get it? Of course, you don’t have to tell me if you’d rather not. I’m just an old gossip, asking a question out of idle curiosity…”
“Oh, there’s nothing secret about it.” The young mother smiled freely. The elderly woman reminded her of an elder she had known for many years, and there was something indescribably warm about her. Her manner grew more relaxed as she answered in her hometown accent.
“One night, I was making pickles when Old Wang next door’s dog suddenly barked three times. Then a ghostly face appeared over our courtyard wall—frightening as anything… The ghost didn’t say a word. It simply tossed this invitation down and then vanished from the wall…”
The elderly woman unconsciously stopped walking. After pondering for a moment, she said, “There are no ghosts in this world. Someone was merely pretending to be one…”
After a pause, she asked, “From your accent, I’d say you’re not from A City. Where is your hometown?”
“Green Vine City. Our stinky tofu is famous…” The corners of the young mother’s mouth lifted slightly. People’s eyes always seemed to shine when they spoke of home, as though it were the finest place in the entire world. “I brought Little Blossom all the way here from Green Vine City. We ate all the stinky tofu in my bag along the way, or I would have given you a piece to try.”
“No, no.” The elderly woman maintained her smile. “My husband just came back from Green Vine City and brought me some. I’ve already tried it… From what you just said, did you walk all the way here?”
“What does that mean?” The young mother scratched her head awkwardly. “We just came on our legs. We weren’t after anything…”
“No wonder.” The elderly woman glanced at the shoes on the mother and daughter’s feet and sighed. “Why didn’t you take a vehicle? Green Vine City is hundreds of miles from A City. How long would it take to get here on two legs?”
“I had planned to take a vehicle at first, but then I thought it over.” The young mother lowered her head. “We don’t know how long we’ll have to stay in A City this time, and we’ll probably spend quite a bit of money. If we can save a little, we should. The New Year is almost here, and I still need to keep enough money to buy Little Blossom a new outfit. Money should be spent where it matters most.”
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“Aren’t you here to find Jinyue?” The elderly woman picked up a piece of durian cake from the buffet table and placed it in the little girl’s hands. Then she took a glass of juice from the table and handed it to the young mother, puzzled. “She is, after all, the owner of a jewelry store. Surely you can afford a little food and drink?”
“That wouldn’t do.” The young mother pursed her lips. “One or two meals would be fine, as a gesture of kinship. But any more than that would make us a nuisance. Her money doesn’t grow on trees, so why should she spend it on the two of us? Besides, I feel more at ease spending my own money. I don’t owe anyone a favor, and I don’t have to bow and scrape. A person may be poor, but she must never lose her pride.”
The elderly woman looked at the young mother with admiration and nodded repeatedly in agreement. Taking an elegant sip of red wine, she continued, “You said one or two meals would be fine… Are you planning to stay in A City for quite some time? Surely you didn’t come to attend Jinyue’s grand opening ceremony?”
“No, no. We came to ask Jinyue about something…” The young mother shook her head with a bitter smile. “If we’d known her new store would open under circumstances like these, we wouldn’t have rushed here. We could have waited until after the opening ceremony. I thought this grand sale would be like the promotional events held by the shops in our town. I wanted to arrive early and show her some support, to make the place livelier with more people. Who could have imagined… Ah! We’ve only made fools of ourselves!”
“How have you made fools of yourselves? After what you said just now, you are already better than many people here. Don’t be deceived by their fine clothes and polished appearances; in truth, many of them are neither decent nor respectable. Quite a few are merely putting on airs with the foundations built by their parents and ancestors. Strip away those clothes, and underneath you’ll find nothing but greedy parasites…”
The elderly woman took a business card from her pocket and handed it to the young mother. Her voice was gentle. “If you run into any difficulties in A City, come to me at any time. From this moment on, the two of us are friends. Friends ought to help each other, regardless of who has more pride or less.”
The young mother stared blankly at the words on the card: Huang Xiaoxiao, President of the Heart of Compassion Volunteers Association. Her eyes reddened, and she murmured her thanks. But when she looked up, the elderly woman had already left.
The elderly woman reached the entrance of the jewelry store just as Jinyue hurriedly arrived. She extended her right hand, her face bright with smiles.
“Congratulations on the grand opening of your new store, Manager Jinyue. May business flourish!”
Jinyue was momentarily stunned. When she recognized the elderly woman, she hurriedly extended her own hand and gave hers a light shake.
“Thank you… President Huang, what brings you here?”
“I heard about it from one of my colleagues at the Heart of Compassion Volunteers Association. I had nothing else to do, so I came to show my support…” Huang Xiaoxiao suddenly noticed a fine streak of blood on the back of Jinyue’s hand. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly. Deliberately, she patted the back of Jinyue’s hand with her other hand and laughed heartily. “The store is beautifully decorated, and the jewelry is truly inventive. You really are a promising young woman!”
Jinyue waved her hands modestly. “Not at all. You flatter me. I still have much to learn from you.”
“It’s your grand opening, so I ought to stay a while longer, but something has suddenly come up and I must return to the association. We’ll have a proper chat another day. With so many people here, I imagine you’ll be busy today…” Huang Xiaoxiao pointed toward the buffet area. “Oh, that’s right! Your relatives are waiting over there. I kept them company for a while. Now that you’ve arrived, you should go and see them. Poor relatives are relatives all the same…”
Jinyue followed the direction of Huang Xiaoxiao’s finger and happened to meet the gaze of the filthy young mother. She frowned slightly. Just as she turned back to thank Huang Xiaoxiao, she saw that the elderly woman had already left the jewelry store and climbed into a taxi.
Jinyue curled her lips. Then she suddenly noticed the bloodstain on the back of her own hand. Her heart tightened, and she hurriedly took a white gauze glove from her pocket and slipped it on. After letting out a long breath, she walked slowly toward the mother and daughter in the buffet area, her eyes cold as ice.
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