43. Unlucky
“Alright, perfect!”
Gently putting down the eyebrow pencil in her hand, Jiang Ruyan adjusted Jiang Zhi’s face so she was facing the makeup mirror on the table to admire her own beauty.
After more than an hour of effort, Jiang Zhi looked completely transformed at this moment…
Right?
Jiang Zhi was not too sure.
She raised her chin and tilted her face, looking at herself from various angles in the mirror, before finally voicing her doubt, “Wait, what’s the difference from before?”
Her lips were a bit redder.
Her face was a bit whiter.
Her eyebrows were a bit thicker.
Other than that, there was hardly any difference from an hour ago!
Earlier, she had seen Lin Shuwan’s bare face and could only say that compared to her made-up self, it was like heaven and earth, they were simply not the same person.
Jiang Ruyan rolled her eyes and complained, “My lady, you really are hard to please!”
“You said you were going to discuss serious matters, not go on a blind date, and told me not to make it too flashy, yet here you are, unhappy with your light makeup.”
“I’m just asking…”
Jiang Zhi shrank her neck from the scolding, feeling a bit guilty as she stuck out her tongue, stood up, and glanced at the dress she was wearing.
A cream-colored dress.
Since her makeup was done, of course, her outfit needed some attention too.
This new outfit was picked out by Jiang Ruyan after they finished eating hotpot yesterday.
Although it was a dress, it was a long one that revealed very little, exposing only her arms and ankles, well within Jiang Zhi’s acceptable range.
She adjusted the hem of her skirt and checked the time.
Jiang Zhi took a small bag, putting in the necessary items like keys: “Then I’ll head out first, Sister Jiang, please take care of Qian Qian for me.”
She planned to leave early.
She was the one treating, so it was only right not to keep others waiting. Considering the time it would take to go to the supermarket to buy gifts, leaving now was just right.
Though the time spent on makeup took longer than she had expected, it was okay; riding the scooter would be quick… Speaking of which, why does light makeup take so long?!
“Mm-mm-mm, don’t worry!”
Jiang Ruyan patted her chest and vowed. Waves crashed in the background, and Jiang Zhi silently gave a thumbs up.
After bidding farewell to Sister Jiang, Jiang Zhi stepped out of the house. Upon exiting the corridor, a gentle breeze brought a slight coolness; Zaoc City was not hot today.
Cicadas were chirping in the trees.
Jiang Zhi hopped onto her beloved little electric scooter, fastened her helmet, and rode smoothly without any obstacles towards a small shopping mall, the supermarket on the first floor being her destination.
Two bottles of Moutai.
A box of Taishan.
And two buckets… uh, peanut oil.
After paying, she struggled to load the two buckets of peanut oil into the scooter’s rear basket and positioned the Moutai upright on the front seat, sinking into contemplation.
Is this right?
This doesn’t seem right, does it?
For a principled principal, Brother Gu only had him prepare these?
She could understand the Moutai and Taishan; the other party liked alcohol, but these two buckets of peanut oil seem a bit too ordinary?
In Jiang Zhi’s imagination, gifts at a gathering of such big shots should be things like luxury watches and fine wines that she wouldn’t normally have access to.
According to Brother Gu, Principal Wang had a solid background that ranked highly in all of Zaoc City.
Sigh, the world of the wealthy is beyond her understanding.
Nonetheless, these items had set her back by twenty thousand, just those two bottles of Moutai were worth three years of her earnings from part-time work.
But it’s okay.
As long as it helps Qian Qian go to school, spending such a small amount is really nothing.
Jiang Zhi comforted herself in her heart.
For this dinner party, she really invested a lot, aiming to show her sincerity. Ideally, she’d like to resolve Qian Qian’s schooling issue before the remaining month of summer vacation is over.
Otherwise, once school starts, she couldn’t just leave Qian Qian alone at home every day, right?
Although she usually attends classes in a rather lackadaisical manner, often arriving late, leaving early, missing classes, etc., and frequently on the verge of losing credits.
But when that time comes, she would definitely not be able to take good care of Qian Qian.
Jiang Zhi even thought, why not just drop out?
After all, she didn’t particularly like studying, and even chose her major randomly; she only applied to university because she felt those three years of high school shouldn’t go to waste.
And then she actually got in.
But that was just a passing thought.
In today’s society, a bachelor’s degree is still very important. Jiang Zhi didn’t think she could rely on writing novels to live her whole life, so she needed to be prepared on both fronts.
Speaking of which, if school truly starts…
She would run into Lin Shuwan again, wouldn’t she?
Ugh, bothersome.
Jiang Zhi sighed and stopped thinking about all those things, riding her scooter, focusing on the dinner party ahead.
She had spent longer than expected selecting the gifts, with still 20 minutes until the agreed time; thankfully, the restaurant was nearby, and it would only take five or six minutes to ride there.
Hmph!
Everything is under control!
Suddenly, she felt a strange sense of déjà vu like an ancient soldier about to enter battle.
The dinner party is the battleground, the scooter is the steed, and the gifts she’s bought are the weapons and armor, and she is just an ordinary soldier fighting for her daughter’s education.
Damn, kind of cool😀.
Jiang Zhi put on her helmet, stabilized herself, and twisted the throttle. The next moment, her scooter was supposed to go… at an average speed of… hours…
Huh?
Why isn’t it moving?
She twisted the throttle a couple more times, skeptical.
Still not moving.
Jiang Zhi, bewildered, got off the scooter, not even bothering to remove her helmet. Looking beneath the scooter, she found the rear tire flat on the ground like a deflated ball.
I @¥%#!
Which idiot left a nail on the ground?! Can they take responsibility if someone steps on it??
She didn’t have much time to berate whoever did this; a more serious problem presented itself before her—without the scooter, how would she take all this to the restaurant?
Walk?
That would be too hard.
Although the restaurant wasn’t far away and would take about ten minutes on foot, three big hills lay ahead that could tire a person out, and taking a detour would leave her with no time.
Shared bicycle?
Even harder; with all these items, she couldn’t ride a bike at all.
Taxi?
That could work…
Jiang Zhi licked her slightly dry lips, the sweetness of the lipstick lingering on her tongue and blooming until it calmed her down a lot.
Coincidentally, a taxi was right by the roadside.
She approached and knocked on the window, asking, “Driver, to Taoyuan Restaurant.”
“Taoyuan Restaurant?”
“Uh-huh.”
“That’s a bit close. Can’t you walk a couple of steps, girl?”
Jiang Zhi forced a smile, lifting the Moutai in her hand: “I’m carrying things, and I really have an urgent matter. Don’t you want to earn money?”
“…I guess.”
The taxi driver frowned, reluctantly pressing the door unlock button: “Get in…”
“Wait!”
Unexpectedly, at that moment, a frantic shout came from not far away.
A person who looked like a worker rushed over, shoved Jiang Zhi aside, and breathlessly clung to the car door, saying, “Driver, the café next to XX company, I’m running late for a contract meeting.”
Jiang Zhi:…
It’s over.
That’s so far from here.
As expected, upon hearing what the worker said, the driver’s eyes immediately lit up, then he slightly apologized to Jiang Zhi: “Sorry, girl.”
“If that doesn’t work, just request a DiDi.”
“But…”
“Hurry up, get in, brother, don’t delay your work, let’s go-go-go!”
The taxi sped away, leaving Jiang Zhi standing there with her gifts, watching the car’s disinterest fading into the distance, getting a mouthful of dust.
I’m so sour!
I was here first!
Did you lose sight of the money?
And you had the nerve to tell me to call DiDi; I wasted five minutes chatting with you, and who knows when DiDi will arrive!
At the end of her rant, Jiang Zhi managed to squeeze out a bit of a hurt sound: “I can pay more, you know…”
All her helplessness turned into a sigh.
She resigned herself to looking at the items on the ground, especially the two buckets of peanut oil, gritting her teeth and lifting all the gifts with all her strength.
So heavy… too heavy… why is it so heavy… woohoo (;´༎ຶД༎ຶ`) ?
——————
Ten minutes later, at Taoyuan Restaurant.
Pushing open the door to the private room, seeing the cold and empty space inside, Jiang Zhi finally relaxed her previously tense heart.
Good news: she arrived before Principal Wang.
Bad news: she was completely exhausted.
Jiang Zhi dared not slack off; she gently placed the gifts on the floor before finding a stool to sit down, her whole body collapsing onto the seat like an exhausted ox after plowing.
Fortunately, she had exercised before; otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to handle those three hills.
Unfortunately, after becoming a girl, her physical strength had decreased; if it were before, she wouldn’t have been so wiped out, what the heck.
Jiang Zhi was once again forced to acknowledge the fact that she had become a girl.
Not sitting for long, just as she was thinking of resting a bit more, the sound of footsteps suddenly echoed from outside, and Jiang Zhi quickly jumped up from her seat.
Is it Principal Wang?
It should be about time, right?
Huff… Huff… Jiang Zhi… stay calm.
In a very short time, Jiang Zhi mentally rehearsed her upcoming behavior.
Lower her stance.
First, she needs to present the gifts, then call him Principal Wang, after drinking, she should switch to calling him Brother Wang, and during the chat, they should discuss Qian Qian’s situation. If she annoys him, she must punish herself with three drinks.
Even if he says something that makes her uncomfortable, for Qian Qian’s sake, she must endure!
That’s right!
Jiang Zhi, you can do it!
After self-motivating, Jiang Zhi slapped her cheeks and wiped off her sweat with a tissue, trying to appear less disheveled after her vigorous activity.
Having done all this, she approached the door.
Opening it, she was met with Principal Wang’s large, wrinkled face.
Jiang Zhi froze, clearly not expecting the person to be a chubby man. This was not the authoritative principal she had imagined who educates and teaches!
No, she couldn’t judge by appearance!
Earlier, when she chatted with Principal Wang online, he seemed very down-to-earth.
Jiang Zhi quickly adjusted her mindset, instantly putting on her trademark polite smile, extending her hand toward Principal Wang: “Hello, Principal Wang, I’m Jiang Zhi, you can just call me Xiao Zhi!”
Principal Wang symbolically twitched his mouth, but his gaze seemed to linger on her, speaking with a meaningful tone, “Well, well, didn’t expect Xiao Zhi to be so young.”
“That’s a compliment.”
Jiang Zhi’s smile brightened: “I’ve heard you enjoy drinking, and I didn’t know what you liked, so I randomly bought two bottles of Moutai for you. Hope you like them.”
“Ah, no need to bring alcohol, we’re here to discuss serious matters, ha ha ha.”
Seeing the alcohol, Principal Wang finally smiled, the wrinkles on his face accumulating into a mass, he raised his eyebrows, secretly sizing Jiang Zhi up with his eyes hidden beneath heavy eyelids.
His gaze was unabashedly like inspecting a product.
Jiang Zhi twitched her mouth.
Endure, she must endure; Principal Wang might just look sleazy, yes, just like that.
“Don’t just stand there, please take a seat. The school is pretty quiet today, so tonight we can have a good chat.”
When he emphasized the word “tonight”, he particularly stressed it.
“What do you think, Xiao Zhi?”
After saying this, Principal Wang looked at Jiang Zhi’s hand that was extended toward him, smirking disdainfully, raising his arm as if to put it around Jiang Zhi’s shoulder.
“…”
Seeing that approaching chubby hand, Jiang Zhi’s expression suddenly darkened.
