"How can I do that?" I said, my voice lacking conviction. "It's not that I don't want you to walk the dog, but I'm not good at talking. If you leave the selling to me, you might lose business. Plus, I don't know the prices of your flowers, and what if someone tries to bargain?"
"It's no problem~" she drew out the word playfully, winking at me.
"I have the prices marked on everything, and I refuse to bargain. Take it or leave it. My payment code is here, and if you want to earn some extra cash, you can even switch it out for yours. I really don't mind."
I was stunned and said shyly, "That doesn't seem right."
"What's not right about it?" she frowned slightly. "My family's store is right over there. I just set up this stall for fun; I'm not going to make any real money here. I mainly came out for the atmosphere tonight. What do you say, want to consider it?"
Looking at her sincere eyes, I nodded. I was truly tempted.
"Awesome!" She walked over with a smile, bent down to pet Xiao Xue, and started to untie the leash from the chair.
"Hey..." Before I could stop her, she had already unhooked it.
I was a little worried Xiao Xue might bite her, but thankfully, the dog was well-behaved.
"What's wrong?" She was quite tall, around 1.7 meters, slender and graceful. She looked at me curiously when she heard my voice.
"Nothing, I was just worried it might bite you," I said.
"It's fine, he's very gentle." She smiled and lowered herself to pet the dog. Xiao Xue was indeed docile. The dog looked at me, and seeing that I wasn't stopping her, it allowed her to continue petting it.
"Then I'm taking him out to play! I'm leaving the stall in your hands." The girl in Hanfu held the leash. Xiao Xue was excited, seeming to know it was about to go play.
"Wait, can I really use my own payment code? That still seems a bit much," I hesitated, but Xiao Xue's living expenses were still up in the air. Who doesn't like making money?
"It's no big deal!" To my surprise, she bent down and took her payment code away. "It's all yours now. I'm off to play."
"Hey..."
I wanted to say something more, but she didn't give me the chance.
She cheerfully ran off with Xiao Xue, blending into the crowd.
As she ran in her Hanfu, the ribbons and sleeves fluttered, creating a unique and picturesque beauty. Especially with a snowy-white dog in tow, watching her retreating figure, I felt an inexplicable illusion of "dreaming back to the Tang Dynasty."
"How much for this flower?"
A customer arrived quickly. I looked at the tag: "This one's fifteen."
"Okay."
I opened my phone's payment code. He paid and took the flower. It was that simple—much easier than I had imagined.
I worried that my injured appearance might hurt business, but I soon realized I was overthinking it. Most people came in pairs, and boyfriends rarely hesitated or tried to bargain in front of their girlfriends; they just bought and paid. In fact, perhaps because I was bandaged up and still out selling flowers, some people even asked if I needed donations. I was dumbfounded. "I'm fine, I just got injured. I'm just earning some extra pocket money now."
The person laughed and left.
Business was good. I was extremely happy watching my balance increase. I hadn't expected to earn so much extra cash today; it was a pleasant surprise.
Later, I noticed that the Hanfu girl hadn't gone far. She was still in the park, running around with Xiao Xue. Soon, many people started taking pictures of them, some even asking for a joint photo.
I looked over and saw that she had actually put up a sign that said: "Photo together: thirty yuan," and placed her payment code in front of her. Even more surprisingly, there was a constant stream of people willing to pay for a photo. Compared to her, my earnings were coming in slowly.
I felt like this girl was asking for trouble. With so many couples around, she was attracting a lot of attention. I estimated that countless boyfriends were going to be getting pinched by their girlfriends tonight.
But there were also plenty of single people, and many were willing to pay for a photo. A picture with a Hanfu beauty like her felt quite worthwhile.
I couldn't help but admire how clever she was at making money. She was indeed beautiful, and with the Hanfu and Xiao Xue, she truly was a stunning sight, like a character from a TV drama.
Still, I couldn't envy it too much, and I was grateful she gave me the opportunity to earn this extra cash.
I checked my phone and saw that Liu Xiaoyu still hadn't replied, which made me a little worried. Did that kid cry and run to his mom again? I couldn't imagine how much of a villain I must look like in his mother's and Uncle Luo's eyes, having made their precious son cry so many times. Which parent could tolerate that?
I decided to call him. Part of the reason was that I wanted to share my flower-selling excitement with someone.
I made a video call. It rang for a while, but he didn't answer and hung up instead.
I had expected it; it would have been odd if he didn't hang up. He must still be angry.
"What do you want?"
But he still sent me a message, which made me happy.
"Do you know what holiday it is today?"
"What holiday?"
"Qixi Festival."
"Oh."
"Why are you just 'oh'-ing?"
"Nothing."
I recorded a video and sent it to him.
He quickly messaged back: "Are you selling flowers?"
"Yep."
"Are you really out selling flowers in your condition? Your arm is still bandaged."
I was surprised. I hadn't realized he noticed my injury. I guess my arm must have been visible in the video.
"It's nothing. Just earning some money and improving my life."
"How much did you make?"
I originally wanted to say a few hundred yuan, which was quite a lot, but remembering that he was a person who didn't lack money, I changed my tone: "Not much. You wouldn't be impressed. Maybe enough for two weeks of my living expenses."
Another long silence before a reply.
I was getting used to Liu Xiaoyu's behavior and quickly apologized: "Xiaoyu, please don't sulk again. I didn't mean anything by it, just earning some pocket money. Hey, how about this flower? Which one do you like? I'll send you one."
He replied quickly: "Who's sulking? Who wants you to send flowers?"
"Alright, it's good you're not crying. I feel like your family must see me as an enemy now, making their precious son like this every time. I'm sorry."
"Why apologize? By the way, are you very short on money?"
I paused, then replied: "No."
"Oh."
I sold flowers for a while longer, and he sent another message: "Why are you doing these things now? Where are your parents? I think you should be focusing on studying right now, not doing these things, especially when you're injured."
I fell silent for a long time after seeing that message. My thoughts drifted back to the day my mother and sister left me, and my heart began to feel cold.
"Hello?"
He sent another message, but I still didn't reply. Thinking about my mother's and sister's attitudes inevitably darkened my mood.
I kept my head down, lost in my memories, while still selling flowers.
"Ding-a-ling!"
I picked up my phone. It was a voice call from Liu Xiaoyu.
I clicked hang up and replied: "I'm fine."
"What does 'fine' mean?"
"'Fine' means nothing is wrong."
"..."
After a long while, I replied half-jokingly: "Seriously, nothing is wrong. It's just that my mom doesn't want me anymore, haha."
Liu Xiaoyu didn't reply after that.
I didn't think much of it. Experiencing so many things recently had made me increasingly independent. My attachment to my mother had gradually faded. At least I didn't think of her constantly as I used to. This period had slowly taught me self-reliance.
I sold flowers until late at night. The Hanfu girl, holding a "Closed for Business" sign, politely turned away the customers, then led a nearly exhausted Xiao Xue back to me.
Xiao Xue was utterly spent, its head low, its tongue lolling out as it slowly walked over.
But to my surprise, unlike Xiao Xue's fatigue, the girl was still vibrant and energetic, showing no sign of weariness. I had to admire her. She had been working non-stop for so long, and it didn't seem to affect her at all. Maybe it was like the internet said—girls have endless energy when they are shopping or in a good mood.
"Thank you for Xiao Xue! He's a great dog—so smart and gentle, and he cooperated with me for so many poses. I really put him through it," she said, reaching out to stroke Xiao Xue's head.
Xiao Xue lay on the ground, tongue out, looking half-dead. This woman must have really tired him out.
But this wasn't bad for me. A tired Xiao Xue was a quiet Xiao Xue, which meant no more chaos at home.
"It's nothing. I couldn't walk him anyway, so you did me a favor," I said, pointing to the stall. "And this. I made a few hundred yuan today. Should I transfer it to you?"
"No need, no need. That's hardly any money," she waved her hand. "I made a lot from photos today and already recouped my costs. I have your Xiao Xue to thank for that."
"Alright," I didn't refuse.
"How about this, let's add each other as friends. If you need a dog walker again, I'd be happy to step in," the Hanfu girl smiled brightly.
"Sure." I nodded. Dog walking was best left to the professionals.
We exchanged contacts.
"You should give me a note. My name is Cang Yingyun."
"Lin Nan."
Right after Cang Yingyun added me, I received a transfer of five hundred yuan.
I stared at the transfer, then quickly shook my head.
"I can't accept this. There are still a few hundred yuan from the stall," I refused.
"It's not for you, it's for Xiao Xue. Just take it as his food allowance. He worked hard today," Cang Yingyun said, pointing to Xiao Xue lying on the ground.
"...But... I can't," I hesitated.
"What's wrong? Five hundred is nothing. Do you know how much I made today?" Cang Yingyun laughed.
"I have no idea." I shook my head, though judging by her business, it must have been a lot.
"Over three thousand, hehehe," she chuckled.
I was astonished. I couldn't believe she earned so much just posing for photos. I was incredibly envious, but she deserved it—she was genuinely beautiful and had the Hanfu going for her.
"But I can't do this often. Just occasionally for fun, or people will start hating me," she covered her mouth and smiled.
"But I'd be happy to walk your dog. Such a beautiful Samoyed, and such a fine breed. It's the first time I've encountered one," she looked down at Xiao Xue, clearly very fond of him.
"Then I'll accept it," I nodded, no longer hesitating. She seemed genuinely indifferent and not short on money, and Xiao Xue's food expenses were indeed significant. This five hundred was a temporary fix; otherwise, I would have had to dip into my own savings.
I wasn't very knowledgeable about Hanfu, but I had overheard people discussing it while selling flowers. Her authentic Hanfu could cost over ten thousand yuan. No wonder it looked so good. She must come from a wealthy background.
"Time to pack up," I said, checking the time.
"Okay. Just message me when you take him out next time," Cang Yingyun nodded.
We packed up the flower stall together. Seeing the few remaining flowers, she handed them to me.
"What's this?" I felt a surge of emotion as she offered the flowers. No one had ever given me flowers before.
"What's what?" Cang Yingyun didn't seem to notice anything unusual. "These didn't sell, so they're for you. What's wrong, you don't want them? Just throw them in the trash can. I own a flower shop; these aren't worth anything to me."
"Oh..." I quickly suppressed my fleeting romantic thought. Clearly, she had no other intentions; I was merely projecting.
After she finished packing and patted Xiao Xue, she left, walking gracefully away.
I watched her go. Her fluttering robes made her silhouette beautiful. I never thought I could have any connection with a "goddess" like her. Well, it was hardly a connection—just adding a friend. I imagined she had hundreds, if not thousands, of such friends. People like her were best admired from a distance.
Of course, the biggest credit for all this went to Xiao Xue. Without him, I wouldn't have earned this extra money tonight.
If I hadn't been kind enough to take in Xiao Xue, I probably wouldn't have had any connection with her at all.
Cang Yingyun was a college student. I envied her greatly. She seemed so free and unrestrained. I suspected she might even be the campus beauty.
She carried a certain spirit that the high school students at Yunlong City First Middle School completely lacked. High school students were rigid and numb, spending their days studying, memorizing vocabulary, and applying formulas. She, on the other hand, had a genuine spark of vitality.
But I realized there was nothing wrong with high school students studying hard. If you don't study hard in high school, when will you?
My aspiration for college grew a little stronger, and I felt more motivated to study.