A Young Woman's Heart

Putting all that aside for now, let's talk about how Chen Cheng went back to the noodle shop after school.

Chen's mother was preparing the ingredients for dinner, while Old Chen took a break from his work and leaned against the wall by the door to sleep, oblivious to the fact that his hair was covered in plaster.

"Chen Cheng." Chen's mother always called him by his full name. Although it sounded a little distant, it also showed that she treated him as an adult, which suited Chen Cheng's wishes better.

"What?" Chen Cheng frowned and tossed his backpack behind the cashier. "Where's Lianlian?"

"Lianlian is at the general store. You're back just in time. Lianlian and I are going to the hair salon later. You can watch the store while we go."

"Me? Go find your dad yourself."

"He's too tired, he needs to rest for a while. You keep an eye on things for now."

"I don't make noodles."

"It's alright, just wake your dad up when business comes in."

"Oh, whatever." Since he could just stay put, Chen Cheng's tone immediately calmed down. He seemed to have grown taller, and sat down at the cashier, asking with a puzzled look, "Going to get a haircut?"

"Let's get her hair done. Look, Lianlian hasn't had her hair cut since she's been with you. Aren't hair dyeing and perming very popular these days? I'll take her to get her hair dyed and permed."

"Your family is really rich," Chen Cheng retorted sarcastically.

"Didn't you used to spend the most money?"

"Heh, I had no idea you were putting on a show of wealth." Chen Cheng sneered, then seemed to realize he had gone too far, and lowered his head in silence.

"This store is newly opened and they're having a sale, so I was thinking of going to try it out and bringing my daughter-in-law along. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"Whatever you want." Chen Cheng's expression was cold, but his tone was somewhat guilty.

"I'm leaving now. Keep an eye on the shop."

"Got it." Chen Cheng rolled his eyes and turned his gaze to the account book in front of him.

Since the family was reunited, Chen's mother's complexion has improved day by day, and she has recently started dressing more stylishly again, as if she has returned to the time when she was the wife of a rich second-generation.

Of course, life cannot be relived, and the marks left by time are difficult to erase.

The wrinkles on her face were much deeper than before, but that air of a noblewoman had once again emerged.

This is also related to life experience. For example, Mo Xueyao's mother in the fruit shop, even though her family is making so much money, still won't go to the hair salon to dye or perm her hair—even if it's on sale.

With that money, she would probably rather buy some better ingredients to eat or better clothes for her daughter.

Grandma Jin was also in the grocery store. She hadn't been in the store much lately, so it was quite a rare treat to run into her there.

"Aunt Jin, I'm here."

"Well, what happened?"

"I'm taking Lianlian out to get her hair done," Chen's mother said politely. "Is the salon convenient right now?"

"Of course it's convenient, haha, go get your hair done, that's great, young people should be fashionable, quite a few of the older ladies I know have gone to get their hair done too!"

"Come on, Lianlian, let's go to the hair salon!" Chen's mother seemed very excited, perhaps because she had rediscovered the feeling she used to have.

Zhuang Lianlian nodded gently, politely said goodbye to Grandma Jin, and then went to the hair salon with her.

This barbershop is no ordinary place. First of all, its signboard is different; it's called "Image Design Club," which sounds particularly high-class.

The store is also very large, with floor-to-ceiling windows all outside, making it look very bright and airy.

It is divided into several areas, including a hair salon, a hair coloring and perming salon, a hair washing salon, and even a rest area for family and friends.

The store had just opened, and the flower baskets at the entrance hadn't been removed yet—by the way, the dozen or so flower baskets here were made by Mo Wenli.

This one big order alone made him a lot of money.

The poster at the entrance read "Grand Opening Special," and the prices were drastically reduced.

For example, hair dyeing and perming, which originally cost 588, is now only 88...

Full hair styling, originally priced at 1999, now only 499...

The entire poster is filled with this kind of content, which is particularly eye-catching in this era.

Unfortunately, even at this price, it's still a bit expensive for the average person.

After all, dyeing and perming hair, as well as getting hairdressed, aren't really that necessary.

"So expensive." Although Zhuang Lianlian had once lived in a fairly good family, her long period of poverty had made her less accustomed to such extravagant spending.

"It's alright. Women should treat themselves well. Don't be silly. Make yourself look pretty. Although Chen Cheng is my son, men are always fickle, especially handsome ones—you have to keep being attractive."

"Is...is that so?" Zhuang Lianlian wavered slightly. "I think true love...doesn't need these things, does it?"

"That's not necessarily true. In any case, it's always good to change things up occasionally." Chen's mother gently patted Zhuang Lianlian's head. "What color does Lianlian like?"

"Hmm... there's nothing I particularly like."

"I see that dyeing your hair dark blonde seems to be very popular now, do you want to try it?"

"Dark gold...?" Zhuang Lianlian saw the store's advertising posters, which featured many beautiful women with their hair dyed dark gold.

She thought of Mo Xueyao with her blue eyes and suddenly realized that she really should change her look.

She can't change her eye color, but at least she can change her hair color.

"Should we make it slightly wavy?"

"Hmm... I think a dark gold color would be fine," Zhuang Lianlian said uncertainly. "Curly hair... feels difficult to manage."

"Then let's give it a try."

This store is clearly not for ordinary people; it's just that ordinary people are coming in because of the opening promotions.

A barber with an extremely exaggerated look was standing at the door. He looked like he had just graduated from college. He even had eyeliner on and wore earrings, as if he was showing off his understanding of fashion.

He walked up to us and politely asked, "Are you two getting your hair done?"

"Yes, Lianlian and I both want to get it done. I'd like to get my hair permed. Do you think that suits you?"

"Of course, that's possible. Do I need to dye my hair?"

"Let's dye it." Chen's mother's gaze fell on a poster. "Like that one, golden yellow, it looks pretty."

"Okay, we'll arrange a hairstylist for you right away. Since we have a special offer today, we can arrange a senior hairstylist for you directly. The price is still 88 yuan. If you need, we can also arrange a design director for you. The price will be a bit higher, but the design effect will be better."

After all, Chen's mother was no longer the naive rich second-generation wife she used to be. She had long been experienced in spending money—after all, she had been in the business world for so long, how could she not know these little tricks?

So she shook her head and said, "That's fine, a senior designer will do."

"Okay, and what about this young lady...?"

"Let her dye her hair a dark blonde, no need to curl it."

"Come, young lady, please sit over there. I'll arrange another hairstylist for you." He smiled and gestured toward the soft leather chair. Ignoring his odd appearance, one could easily mistake him for a gentleman with a British air.

Zhuang Lianlian noticed the name tag hanging on his chest, which read "Design Director" in large characters.

She thought he was just a greeter...

It was her first time getting her hair dyed and permed, which made her a little nervous. However, this salon did have its unique features. At the very least, the hairstylists were all young people, and their movements were particularly gentle. Their various procedures looked exceptionally professional, making it clear that they had received special training.

Dyeing and perming hair takes a long time, and often you can only sit and stare blankly.

Fortunately, there were newspapers and television in the shop, which helped Zhuang Lianlian and Chen's mother pass the time.

It started raining outside the window at some point, and the dense clouds in the sky made the whole city look like it had already entered night.

The streetlights along the street also lit up appropriately.

If the clock hadn't only pointed to the number three, Zhuang Lianlian probably would have really thought it was already six or seven in the evening.

……

"Hello, Chen Cheng? Are you at the shop? Are you busy right now?" The hair coloring and perming took a long time, and it wasn't until 7 p.m. that Chen's mother called.

"It's alright, not too busy." Perhaps it was because of the heavy rain in the afternoon that there were far fewer customers than usual.

"Then bring an umbrella? Lianlian and I are at the hair salon right now, but the rain is too heavy and we can't come out."

"Oh."

"Bring a bigger umbrella so your hair doesn't get wet. You can't wash your freshly permed hair right away."

"Oh."

"It's that newly opened barbershop, you should know it, right? If not, just ask someone on the street."

"Oh." Chen Cheng finally hung up the phone impatiently, searched around the noodle shop, and only found two somewhat worn-out umbrellas.

The umbrella wasn't very big; it was just right for one person, but a bit cramped for two, clearly not meeting Chen's mother's needs.

A larger umbrella...?

As Chen Cheng stepped out of the store, his eyes suddenly lit up, his gaze fixed on the large parasol on the roof of the fruit shop.

The umbrella was left there; it was originally meant to shield plants from the sun in the summer, but it wasn't put away even in winter.

The Coca-Cola logo was also printed on it, which suggests that it was likely given away for free by Coca-Cola as an advertising tool.

Chen Cheng braved the rain and ran over quickly.

Yang Xiaoyu was cooking at the door, while Sutang was dozing off on a cardboard box next to her, smelling the aroma of the food.

"Aunt!"

"What's wrong, Chen Cheng? Why are you in such a hurry?"

"Can I borrow the big parasol on your rooftop?"

"Sure, what's wrong? Is the noodle shop so popular that there's no room left inside?"

"No—" Chen Cheng didn't explain, but ran to borrow a ladder, then picked up a large parasol and ran towards the newly opened barbershop.

……

Chapter 187 What a Big Umbrella

The rain at night was pouring out like ink spilled from a bottle that a cat had messed with. Chen Cheng ran wildly in the rain, holding a standing parasol that was bigger than five ordinary umbrellas combined.

It wasn't the kind of umbrella that was easy to carry around, but he was holding it like an ordinary umbrella.