Chapter Ninety-Two: All the Best Cabbage Is Mine

Putting aside his disappointment, Hong Tao reignited his fighting spirit and called in the next customer. As his hand casually brushed through her hair, a torrent of flattery erupted from his lips; he wouldn’t rest until she was grinning from ear to ear. Only when she left the salon with her hair freshly permed and, for the next two hours, couldn’t even recall how many bowls of rice she could eat—that’s when his service would truly be complete.

With Han Yan joining as a powerful new ally, the workload on the second day was no lighter than the first, yet Hong Tao felt far less exhausted. The happiest of all was Sister Da Ling, who at last was freed from the endless chore of washing towels. Even if she wanted to help, she couldn’t—Han Yan had single-handedly taken over the task. And with Han Yan around, Hong Tao could spare a moment while setting curls to check on his aunt next door, who was left alone to measure, record, sell ready-made clothes, and cut fabric. Though most of her tasks didn’t require instant turnaround, it was enough to keep her hands full all day.

“Han Yan, here’s your pay for today. Starting tomorrow, you can officially join us. The salary will be a hundred a month. I’d pay you more, but I’m afraid it might scare you, so we’ll raise it slowly. By the way, do you have any more sisters at home? Besides Han Xue, I mean—any others?”

It was past nine in the evening when the shop finally went dark, not because Grandpa or Uncle had chased people away, but because the power had gone out for the entire street. Naturally, they had to close up.

Han Yan lived in the western part of town and needed to catch the 44 bus on the Second Ring Road. Hong Tao volunteered to walk her there; after all, it was pitch black—how could he let a young woman walk alone at night, especially with no streetlights? As they walked, Hong Tao inquired about her family. Of course, he didn’t just walk beside her—he insisted on holding her hand, justifying it by saying he was afraid they’d trip in the darkness.

To make sure Hong Tao could see her clearly, Han Yan deliberately stopped, crouched slightly, and shook her head at him.

“Oh, so even if you have more sisters, they wouldn’t want to come, right? Looks like you have quite a few complaints about your boss…” Hong Tao pretended to misunderstand.

Han Yan stopped again and shook her head.

“Oh… so even if you have no complaints, they still wouldn’t come?” Hong Tao kept running off on a tangent.

“No!” Han Yan finally spoke.

“Aha, see, you should have said so earlier. I know you’re not talkative. You can be quiet with others, but you have to talk to me, okay? I’m impatient—if you don’t talk, I’ll dock your pay. First time, half gone; second time, another half; third time, half again. Let me test you: after I get mad three times and dock your pay each time, how much do you have left?”

Now that Han Yan had spoken, Hong Tao didn’t want her to stop. Talking, like anything, became easier with practice.

“Twelve fifty!” Han Yan only pondered for a few seconds before giving the correct answer.

“Impressive! Let me give you another problem: if you can’t answer, you have to carry me for ten steps. If you get it right, I’ll carry you. Afraid? I’m just a primary school kid, you’re a high school graduate—are you scared of my math questions?”

Sure enough, Han Yan took the bait.

“Go ahead!”

What exactly the problem was needn’t be written here; suffice it to say that after Han Yan hoisted Hong Tao onto her back, she never put him down again. Not because she enjoyed carrying this mischievous boy, but because she couldn’t solve any of the problems. Once he gave the answer, it always turned out to be high school math or geometry, so she could only keep trudging forward with him on her back.

“You’re just like my sister said—full of mischief!” After all this, Han Yan finally warmed up to Hong Tao and was willing to talk.

“If your sister calls me bad, then you ought to say I’m good, because your sister isn’t exactly an angel herself. In her mouth, a bad person is probably a good person, don’t you think?” As they neared the bus stop, Hong Tao finally dismounted, having taken full advantage. Despite her slender frame, this young woman had remarkable strength; after all that, she was only slightly out of breath, nowhere near exhausted. Either she exercised regularly or did a lot of physical work.

“My sister is a good person!” Han Yan’s voice rose for the first time at Hong Tao’s words.

“Ah, but that’s faulty logic. Do you understand logic? Let me break it down for you: is your sister the same kind of person as I am?”

“No!” Han Yan answered emphatically.

“And is your sister the same kind of person as you?”

“…No…” This time she hesitated, but ultimately answered.

“There you have it. You and your sister are different kinds of people. If she says I’m bad, then she must be good, right? But since you’re not the same as her, that would make you bad. If you’re not bad, then your sister is bad, and the bad person she talks about must actually be good—so that makes me good. Therefore, both you and I are good, and your sister is bad!” Hong Tao deliberately muddled himself into the logical web, determined to leave Han Yan tangled.

“I’m done talking to you! Dock my pay if you want, but even if you take it all, you’re still bad, and my sister is good!” Han Yan’s face flushed red. She couldn’t untangle the logic, but the real issue was that people aren’t simply “good” or “bad.” If you get stuck on that dichotomy, you’ll never reason your way out.

“Hahaha! All right, all right, your sister is good, your sister is good… There, don’t go yet—the next stop is far. You don’t know your way; if you get lost, then I really would be the bad guy. By the way, isn’t it tiring to commute back and forth every day? How about you stay at the shop? Lock the door from inside at night, with the board outside for extra security—it’s perfectly safe. There’s even a fan for summer and heating in winter. You could help keep an eye on the place too. What do you think?”

Seeing he’d riled her up, Hong Tao hurriedly changed tack; this was the classic carrot-and-stick approach. When emotions run high, reason takes a hit—perfect timing to negotiate serious matters.

“If it’s as nice as you say, why don’t your cousin and aunt live here?” Han Yan hadn’t dropped her guard.

“They each have their own room at home, with big beds—of course they wouldn’t want to stay here. Don’t believe my sugarcoating—the conditions aren’t as good as at home. For instance, you’d be sleeping on a folding cot; in the morning, you’d have to put it away and stash the bedding in the cabinet. It’s actually a bit rough. So, if you agree to be on ‘night duty,’ I’ll add twenty yuan a month. How about that?”

He made the shop sound like a hardship post, not a cozy home. Framing it as “night duty” also shifted it from lodging to work.

“…I’ll have to discuss it with my sister. What does night duty involve?” Han Yan hadn’t agreed, but her expressive eyes betrayed her interest.

“Of course, you should talk it over. If your sister doesn’t agree, you wouldn’t dare come anyway. As for the job: just stay inside, sleep, don’t let anything catch fire, and in the morning, unlock the door and get ready for business, making sure the water heater is full. Oh, I almost forgot—you can take hot showers here! Just pull the plastic curtain in the shampoo area, and you have a mini shower. My cousin used to do that all the time.” Hong Tao dangled one last bait. For a young woman, being able to shower daily with hot water—especially in winter—was like having a luxury apartment with a pool.

“Is it safe?” That was the only excuse Han Yan could muster.

“Safe? Haven’t you seen the thick pine boards we bolt across the door? Once you lock up from inside, not even ten people could get in. Besides, there’s a factory in the back with night guards. All we have are cold perms and hair clippings—who would bother stealing from us? Don’t you agree?” He could tell he was close to winning her over.

“Well… I’ll ask my sister. The bus is here—goodbye, master!” Han Yan had run out of reasons to say no—and truthfully, she didn’t want to refuse. The little master’s logic made sense: she’d earn more and live more comfortably, with a space of her own. She couldn’t wait to rush home and persuade her sister to let her stay.

“Good, goodbye! Come early tomorrow! Hehehe…” Hong Tao waved as Han Yan boarded the bus, then crossed the street toward home, grinning mischievously.

The next day, when Hong Tao arrived at the shop, Han Xue and Han Yan were already waiting. As soon as he appeared, Han Xue gave him a look and headed for the roadside. Hong Tao knew exactly what she wanted, but pretended ignorance and followed.

“You never mentioned my sister would have to do night duty! Is it safe for a girl to live here alone?” Han Xue cut straight to the point, sparing no pleasantries.

“Hey, Han Xue, don’t slander me! Are you saying my aunt or cousin are unsafe? Or am I the one who’s not safe?” Hong Tao countered, trying to seize the upper hand.

“Don’t try that with me! I’m not worried about your aunt or cousin—I’m worried about you! Don’t think your age fools me; you’re full of tricks! What are you really after, having my sister live here? Come on, out with it!” Han Xue wasn’t buying it; she was sure Hong Tao had ulterior motives.

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