HC Chapter 10: I Fear You (IX)
The temperature on Dong Ci’s face rose slightly, and she quickly took her hand off his arm. Even so, she still felt several girls around her pinning her body with ugly gazes.
“Yes,” she quickly said, standing up from her seat. Then, a little quieter, she muttered, “I will go with you.”
Although she hated Jing Rong, she didn’t want to stay alone in such a peculiar atmosphere even more. Here, this boy was the only person she could rely on.
“Sticking with me so closely?” Jing Rong smiled. To him, it was clear, why she wanted to come with him. But he still couldn’t resist the urge to distort the meaning of her words and drag her out into the center of the public.
“I should go back home,” Dong Ci said as soon as she walked out of the room. She glanced at the time on her phone, and her expression became a little more anxious.
Jing Rong didn’t stop her. Instead, he asked, “You’re going to continue searching for a storefront to rent?”
“I won’t tell you!”
“You won’t let me help you even though I can make it easier for you?”
Dong Ci stiffened, her face twisting into a grimace as she coldly answered, “I don’t need your help.”
He wasn’t a friend or a relative to her. Even more, Dong Ci was repulsed by him, so how could she believe that he would help her?
And even if he wished to help her – it wouldn’t be because of his good heart.
When Dong Ci returned home, her mother already had the dinner prepared. She glanced at mom’s face and cautiously sat down next to her, coyly grasping the older woman’s sleeve, “Mom, are you still angry? I’m sorry, I was wrong. I won’t do such a thing again in the future.”
Her mother’s expression relaxed a little. She put her hand on Dong Ci’s arm, seemingly wanting to say something. But in the end, she only looked at her daughter with a deep gaze, and her unspoken words transformed into a deep sigh.
“Mom-”
In Dong Ci’s mind, her mother is a very gentle woman. She has never raised her hand against her daughter, even if some mistakes were made. Instead, she repeatedly educated her child – it was never like now when she maintained a sullen mood and ignored everything and everyone around her.
It could be clearly seen that this time, Dong Ci’s mother was very angry.
“Go eat dinner or the dishes will cool down.”
In the end, the older woman didn’t talk about the problems between the two of them. But the sorrow in her eyes still stayed, never leaving.
Seeing her mother’s sadness, Dong Ci couldn’t help but lie, “Mom, several shops in Chengzhong District have recently transferred their locations. This place is very good, and the price is also suitable. I will go over to them in the next few days and discuss the possibility of renting. I’ll also take you there later, alright?”
Her mother frowned and unyieldingly stated, “Xiao Ci, I’ve been looking for a new over the last week, so you should stop thinking about opening a restaurant. We won’t use our money for such a thing.”
“Mom!”
“Alright, you should eat.”
There were some things that Dong Ci’s mother was stubborn about. As long as she made up her mind – no one would be able to dissuade her.
Dong Ci’s mind wandered back to the sketches of possible restaurant decorations that her mother once painted on paper, and her heart felt painful. Her father disappeared, leaving behind many regrets, and now the living mother is also unable to realize her dreams.
These things were left unsaid, but Dong Ci still knew about them.
Early the next morning, her mother left to search for a job, while Dong Ci stayed behind to preview the contents of the third year of high school. After she was done, she went ahead and cleaned the house.
Dong Ci didn’t know that her mother had the habit of keeping a diary, so when she helped to make the bed and noticed a black notebook underneath a pillow, she curiously opened it.
XX Year XX Month XX Day
Dong Cheng Kang left…
I tried really hard to convince myself that this was just a bad dream, but the blood-stained apron awakened me.
I live in a reality that is just like a nightmare.
Dong Cheng Kang, is this the return gift you promised?
XX Year XX Month XX Day
I can’t forget the fact that you left me. Every time I think about it, I feel like I am going to collapse with sorrow. And yet, my mind keeps coming back to you every day…
Today, Xiao Ci took my hand and said, “Mom, I will be obedient in the future. I will walk dad’s unfinished path, so please – cheer up and accompany me. Okay?”
I suddenly realized that your departure wasn’t just my sorrow – there’s still Xiao Ci.
Yes, I want to cheer up. I want to live a good life for you and our daughter.
…
XX Year XX Month XX Day
Today, the supervisor said to me, “You are just a widow, why are you pretending to be chaste and pure?”
Did you know, Dong Cheng Kang? The supervisor wants me to become his mistress. He said that as long as I follow him, I won’t have to worry about money.
I fiercely rejected him and even wanted to resign. But when I calmed down, I hesitated…
I could leave very proudly, but I still have our child at home. She’s so young – she hasn’t graduated from high school yet. Right now is the primary time to spend money on her education…
Turns out, people can endure a lot of things in their lives.
XX Year XX Month XX Day
I was fired.
When I think about it, would a child as clever as Xiao Ci curse at the supervisor for no reason? What he said, I can imagine just by looking at Xiao Ci’s red eyes.
When I saw our daughter’s face, I was angry and helpless. I hated myself for being useless. And I was also angry that Xiao Ci had to see such an awful side of her mother.
She saw what I have now become. My pain… I don’t want Xiao Ci to share it with me!
These days I keep feeling depressed, but Xiao Ci thinks that I am angry with her. How is that possible? Child, in fact, I am angry with myself. I feel that I have no dignity left to face you with.
XX Year XX Month XX Day
Xiao Ci said she wants to help me open a restaurant. My dying heart felt as though it came back alive when I heard her words. As though in trance, I could remember you when you were still…
That was my dream, but when you left – my dreams left with you.
Xiao Ci, your mother is already old. Those dreams from my youth are no longer possible. I just hope that you will grow up healthy, safe, and happy.
This diary was written after Dong Ci’s father died. The thick notebook was almost completely used up, its pages full of sad thoughts. Many places were unclear due to being repeatedly wet with tears.
Dong Ci wiped her own watering eyes and, suppressing the sadness in her heart, carefully put back the black notebook. If it wasn’t for accidentally finding this diary today, she would have never been aware of her mother’s pain.
This world, it was just like that – there was no right balancing out the wrong, and not many would care about what hard lives others were living.
This world could be so cruel.
Dong Ci could feel from those tear-stained pages, how much her mother wished to fulfill her dreams of youth.
She went to the bedside table and opened a drawer. And there they were – the sketches neatly arranged inside, just like in those days.
Her thoughts, which were already suppressed the day before, came up again. Dong Ci hesitated, then called Shi Ze.
For her mother, she should try. Even if it fails, at least there will be no regrets.
What’s more, she had confidence in her mother’s cooking skills. Dong Ci felt that her mother’s craftsmanship was so good – there would definitely be customers in their restaurant.
She Ze has always been smarter between the two of them. His mother was also in charge of a shop, so Dong Ci asked him for help in choosing a storefront and made an appointment to meet up.
It was cold outside, but maybe because the Chinese New Year was a few days away, the streets were very lively. Even the sound of firecrackers could be heard a few times in the surroundings.
“The location of your store is not in this block’s prime spot. The passenger flow isn’t very high, and the decorations inside are old. You shouldn’t accept such a high price.”
Sometimes, when there’s a friend nearby, things become easier to handle.
Dong Ci sat next to Shi Ze and carefully listened to his conversation with the shop owner. From time to time, she marked down some useful information in her notebook.
There isn’t much money that her mother can come up with, and there are many things to face for the first time when one wants to open a store. Dong Ci didn’t dare to make any quick decisions, she carefully considered every step on the way.
“Could we pay rent every month?” Dong Ci couldn’t help but insert herself into the conversation. She thought about it and continued, “I would like to rent the shop for a month and try the business. If there are profits and no loss of money, we can extend the contract to half a year…”
She thought that it was a good idea, but when she looked up at Shi Ze’s face, her voice suddenly stopped.
Did she say something wrong?
“Little girl, this is a store transfer, not a store rent. Come again when you clear up the situation,” the shop owner said, looking at Dong Ci as though she was an idiot. Then he sarcastically added, “Even if it wasn’t a shop transfer and I wanted to rent the store, I wouldn’t take such a deal!”
Although she was embarrassed when she first proposed such an idea, in the following days, Dong Ci found a shop owner who agreed on such conditions.
According to the boss’s words, this shop was very idle and there was no business. Even if the rent was only for a month or two, it was still money. So there was no objection to the girl’s proposal.
Dong Ci thought that she found a big bargain, but there was one thing she wasn’t aware of. The store’s real owner was Jing Rong.
The location of the storefront wasn’t in the prime spot, but the environment was rather good. Inside, the store was empty – it has been a long time since it had been renovated, and there were no tables or chairs.
“Mom, let’s try it for a month, okay? If it’s unprofitable, we can just stop,” Dong Ci said when she finally persuaded her mother to come to the shop.
To be safe, she also brought Shi Ze and his mother Mu Fang with them. Under repeated attacks from all sides, her mother was persuaded. Finally, everyone came together and concluded the deal. The store would be opened next year.
Dong Ci felt as though a huge stone finally rolled off her heart. Along with the New Year coming closer, the girl’s smile also increased. But her good mood lasted only until she received a strange call.
Hearing Jing Rong’s voice, Dong Ci’s first reaction was to hang up. She moved her finger to the ‘reject’ key and was about to press it, but the action stopped when she heard what he said.
“Xiao Ci, the final results have been released. Don’t you want to know whether you are in the top 30?”
This matter, it has been suppressed in her mind by other things, until he ruthlessly brought it out. Dong Ci’s heartbeat sped up as she slowly raised her phone back to her ear. Steadying her breathing, she asked, “You know my rank?”
On the other end, Jing Rong’s voice turned lower as he slowly answered with a smile, “Xiao Ci, I am afraid you will cry when you find out the result.”
T/N: This chapter is unedited, so there may be more mistakes. I will edit it on another day, but if you find some mistakes, I would appreciate a comment to point out where ^^
Zefelina's Translations 
Thanks for the chapter! ^ ^
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Thank you! Jing Rong is pretty smart!
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Thank you for your work!!
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