Her eyes were very long and narrow, but also very large, taking up a third of her face. Looking into her eyes felt like she could see right into my mind.
Du Xiaolan had stopped doing her makeup and winked at me, remembering our previous agreement, she hurriedly stood up from behind the bar, dragging her exhausted body over.
"Hello, are you looking for a wedding dress or making arrangements for your marriage?" I approached with a glass of water, placed it on the table after she sat down.
The woman took off her black hat, her hair was styled in the fashion of 70s nobility. This retro outfit and hairstyle, when paired with her, exuded an air of grace and nobility.
"I haven't decided yet, I'm just here to get some ideas." She pushed the glass of water back towards the center of the table and smiled softly, with a very thin voice.
I offered a professional smile and said, "That's okay, it's good to shop around. All of our packages are detailed in this brochure for your perusal. Additionally, if I may ask, when are you planning to have the wedding?"
"Me? The groom doesn't even know where he is." The woman chuckled, covering her mouth.
I was speechless. Most of the people who come here have either set a wedding date or are in the process of choosing one. But this woman, who had not even found a groom, had walked in so carelessly, making me feel like I was being played.
I managed to force a bitter smile and didn't know what to say in that moment.
The woman smiled and said, "It's strange, isn't it? I find it very strange too. Why would I want to wait for someone who may never show up?"
Her words were somewhat profound, so I nodded and said, "Does that mean you already have someone in mind?"
"I suppose you could say that. I have a feeling that I will find this person very soon, so I came to get some ideas." After saying this, she picked up the brochure from the table and started looking through it.
I didn't make a sound, glanced over, and saw Du Xiaolan making faces at me incessantly.
I knew she was gloating because since I started working here, I had never encountered such a difficult customer to respond to.
The customer is god, and since god hasn't left, I can't just lean on the bar and nap.
After waiting for a long time, the woman seemed very satisfied with the set menu in the brochure, nodding continuously. Just as I was about to strike while the iron was hot, she suddenly closed the brochure and pushed it towards me.
As she was about to push it towards me, the brochure knocked over a glass of water, causing the water to spill out and drip onto the woman's cheongsam.
I hurriedly got up to find some tissue, but unexpectedly, the woman suddenly stood up and let out a loud exclamation. The jarring sound nearly startled me out of my daze, and I quickly turned around to see the woman standing in place, vigorously shaking her cheongsam to shake off the water stain.
She seemed hesitant to touch the water stain with her hand, and as a man, I couldn't help, so I asked Du Xiaolan, who was watching the commotion, to quickly get some tissue to wipe it clean for her.
After wiping it clean, the woman finally returned to her previous dignified self and apologized to me before walking outside. I hurried over and pushed open the glass door. She smiled at me and nodded, "My name is Jiang Xiumei, what's yours?"
"Yin Mingyang," I replied. After I spoke, Jiang Xiumei whispered something softly and then walked into the crowd.
Standing at the door for a long time, Du Xiaolan suddenly waved her hand in front of my eyes and said, "Hey, are you back to your senses? Have you fallen for her? May-December romance is quite popular nowadays."
"Nonsense!" I gave her a disdainful look and walked back into the store.
Du Xiaolan followed me, giggling non-stop. I gave her a look and said annoyed, "Can't you let me sleep for a while, please?"
"Go ahead and sleep," Du Xiaolan waved her hand. Just as I was about to lie down, she suddenly leaned over and whispered in my ear, "Mingyang, don't you feel that this woman is very strange? Her demeanor and behavior are like that of a cat, and she seems so afraid of water."
I didn't feel anything before, but after she said that, it did seem to be the case.
I said that there was something strange and that her black attire and those slender eyes were very similar to the black cat I saw in the rental house today.
Thinking of this, I quickly stood up and ran outside, but I couldn't find any trace of Jiang Xiumei in the bustling crowd.
Turning back, Du Xiaolan looked disdainful, "I told you, men are all the same. I didn't expect you to be like this too. I, such a beautiful woman, was standing in front of you, but you ran out to look at a woman several years older. I really admire you."
After she finished speaking, she made a respectful gesture to me. I was too lazy to argue with her and just pushed her head lightly before sitting on the stool.
"Hey, Yin Mingyang, how dare you push me..." Du Xiaolan stumbled from my push, and seeing that I ignored her, she fell silent.
I rested my chin on my right hand and tapped the table with my left hand, not knowing what I was thinking, feeling that the things that happened after returning to Xi'an today were somewhat strange.
While I was lost in thought, a faint, "crunching" sound interrupted me. When I came to my senses, I saw Du Xiaolan sucking on a cup of juice.
I weakly said, "Can you be quiet for a moment? I have a lot on my mind right now."
Du Xiaolan blinked and said, "If you have any troubles, tell me, and let me give you some advice."
"Never mind, I would consider myself lucky if you didn't bother me," I said, then got up. If she was in the store, I wouldn't have a moment of peace.
As I pushed open the glass door and was about to walk out, a cat's meow suddenly came from beneath my feet.
I looked down and saw a black and white kitten crouching on the ground, less than two meters away. This cat was different from the one I saw in the rental house – its eyes were gray, not the shiny green ones.
Without hesitation, I walked straight to the other side of the road and sat under a sun umbrella outside a tea restaurant. I ordered a glass of orange juice and sat there, watching the motionless kitten.
After finishing the orange juice, as I was getting up to leave, two five or six-year-old children walked up to the kitten and, ignoring its struggles, picked it up and started petting it.
Although I don't particularly like cats, I believe in caring for animals. Just as I was about to rescue the kitten from their clutches, Du Xiaolan suddenly emerged from the shop and sternly lectured the two children. Frightened, they dropped the kitten and ran off crying.
As I returned, she grumbled unhappily, saying, "I texted you to bring me a drink too. Why didn't you bring one?"
I checked my phone and indeed saw her message. I chuckled and scratched the back of my head, saying, "Sorry, I didn't check my phone."