CH 11

“Friend of Girls” Jiang Xiao really had some skills, like making woven bracelets.

He brought back a hundred or so pamphlets from the wholesale market, but he didn’t sell them. Anyone who bought a certain amount got one for free. There was also a booklet taped to the wall beside the shelf, and anyone who visited could look at it.

The girls all belonged to different cliques. It was a very clear arrangement and there was nothing secret about it. But the junior high girls in Houlin County hadn’t thought of so many techniques, like matching different types of cords, or buying bells, crystals, small pearls, or other things, and weaving them in. It made the bracelets prettier, but more importantly, it was something made by them personally. It was only natural that a handmade bracelet had more meaning.

But it was one thing to know the method to weave a bracelet, it was something else to actually make one.

In addition to the color pictures in the booklet, Jiang Xiao’s completed bracelets hanging on the cabinet were really nice to look at. The display attracted countless girls to take a look. If it weren’t that they were scrutinized and touched every day, a lot of people would have tried to buy his finished samples.

There was a story behind this too. Jiang Xiao had learned bracelet-weaving during his last life. When he first went out to work, he was employed for a while at a textile factory on an assembly line. There was a girl next to him who braided bracelets during the noon break to make extra money for her family. Her hands were quick, and in an hour-long lunch break she could weave three or four bracelets. The total amount she earned each month could reach hundreds of yuan. At the time, it seemed like a lot of money.

Back then his interests were pretty random, and he didn’t mind learning a bit of everything. Besides, he was poor. When he saw other people making money he was eager to learn. He studied for a month or two with other girls. Later he stopped working at the textile factory, so he left bracelet-making behind. But he still remembered some of the little tricks he learned at the time.

He lived in poverty for many years. When he first made money he was still thrifty, and he repaired his own clothes. The things he learned then, like braiding or replacing buttons, weren’t necessary later in his life, but he didn’t forget them.

Jiang Xiao had no one to rely on. He had to do everything himself. Back then he thought it was hard, but now it seemed like a rare asset.

Now that he was reborn, he still had all those skills. A while ago, a dress that Xia WanWan liked had a loose seam. It was brought back by her father from the big city. Jiang Xiao sewed it up for her and adjusted it according to Xia WanWan’s current size. Now it looked more elegant. Compared to something like that, it wasn’t difficult to weave a pretty bracelet step by step according to a pamphlet, then add a bit of flair. If you were careful and patient you could figure out most of the trivial chores in life.

Compared to Jiang Xiao’s other big changes during this period, sewing a dress was nothing.

Xia WanWan was so concerned about him that she naturally found out he was doing business. However, Jiang Xiao’s business was already up and running, and Ye Bing came over to persuade her.

“It’s good for children to have ideas,” Ye Bing said. “Xiao Xiao is well-behaved as well as talented. If we tie his hands we’ll just hold him back. Besides, it hasn’t affected his studies. Let him be.”

Then Jiang Xiao coaxed her like a spoiled child. Xia WanWan had never been able to deal with him, so it didn’t take her long to stop objecting.

Lately, bracelet-making had become a trend. Of course, Jiang Xiao’s other small items also sold well. Even though the price of the watches wasn’t low, they were really good-looking, and he was able to sell three or four. But the low unit price of the bracelets made them more interesting. During class, the girls in Class 15 didn’t read novels, didn’t chat, didn’t nap. They tied bracelets with their heads down.

Jiang Xiao was still studying hard, and the girls who were making bracelets didn’t disturb him. Between classes, some who knew him better came over to ask about techniques. Jiang Xiao answered their questions and taught them patiently.

This ended up causing him some trouble, which Jiang Xiao didn’t expect.

Since his rebirth, Jiang Xiao hadn’t dared to disturb Lin QingYu, his former crush. He thought that was the end of the matter, but who knew that his business was so big he ended up involved with her again.

In fact, it had nothing to do with Jiang Xiao. The best-looking and most expensive watch on his shelf was sold and given to Lin QingYu as a birthday present. It seemed that she wasn’t very fond of the boy who gave her the gift, but she didn’t refuse it either. It was so beautiful that she quietly accepted it. The more she looked at it, the more she liked it, so it replaced the ugly electronic watch she’d worn for years.

Lin QingYu’s family wasn’t poor. It wasn’t a big deal for her to get a new watch. But her grades had fluctuated a lot recently, and her brother Lin HeYuan felt something was wrong. A closer look revealed this very conspicuous watch.

Lin QingYu’s little savings jar hadn’t been touched. Was it a gift from a boy?

Lin HeYuan didn’t want to embarrass her sister by confronting her. She’d already been lectured about her grades several times by her family, and she was having a hard time. There was no need to add more stress. But Lin HeYuan secretly took the watch and checked into it, and his search produced a biased result. The boy who gave Lin QingYu the watch was actually from a different junior high, but Lin HeYuan didn’t know that. It was just that someone told him they saw that watch on Jiang Xiao’s shelf.

When chasing someone he liked, the previous Jiang Xiao was kind of obsessed. Based on past experience it wasn’t illogical for Lin HeYuan to think of him.

Didn’t Jiang Xiao agree to give up?

He went back on his word!

So Lin HeYuan forced himself to calm down and went to Class 15 to ask about it. When he got to the classroom, he saw two boys fighting with each other by the desks. In Class 15, fighting wasn’t a big deal. It was pretty commonplace. Some students were standing around the classroom to get a better view, others were making noise and yelling things, along with some girls who were screaming. The classroom was in chaos, like a mess of porridge.

Look at the high quality people in this class!

Lin HeYuan’s face got even uglier. He thought this was the kind of person who pulled his sister down.

He carefully scanned the room for Jiang Xiao, only to find that he was sitting in the corner, keeping his head down in such a disorderly environment, as if he was working on a problem.

Doing questions?

There were only ten minutes between classes. Lin HeYuan wanted to call him out to talk, but he called over twice and the class was in such an uproar that Jiang Xiao didn’t hear it.

Lin HeYuan watched while Jiang Xiao finished a problem. Meanwhile the two boys fighting also ended a round. That was when Jiang Xiao threw his pen aside, yanked up Ye YingYing beside him, and went to pull the plug on the fight.

“All right, all right, that’s enough. Stop fighting.” Jiang Xiao was half a head taller than the boys in the class. In one move he separated the boys. “Everyone should stop watching too. Straighten up the desks and chairs. Pick up all the books! Don’t cause such a riot! If you make trouble again the teaching director will come. Be careful or he’ll pull you out and make you run laps!”

Jiang Xiao still had some prestige in Class 15. After he and Ye YingYing pulled the students apart, the scene calmed down. The onlookers returned to their seats and some girls helped pick up the scattered books. The boys divided into two groups to persuade the combatants, and the classroom quieted again.

Jiang Xiao heard someone call his name.

When he looked outside, he didn’t recognize Lin HeYuan at first.

Who was this? Jiang Xiao thought, and it took a while to remember him. Oh, it was little classmate Lin.

“What can I do for you?” Jiang Xiao went out and asked directly.

Lin HeYuan was in a bad mood when he came over. But after watching this farce in Class 15, he calmed down a bit.

It was like Jiang Xiao had a strange power that made people trust him. When Lin HeYuan asked about his sister’s watch, his tone of voice was surprisingly calm and not as angry as when he first arrived.

“It’s not from me.” After listening, Jiang Xiao didn’t get upset. He patiently explained, “If I wanted to give it away, I wouldn’t have put it on the shelf. Besides, I have an account book. That watch is expensive and I still remember the day it sold. If you don’t believe me, should I show you?”

Lin HeYuan: “…”

The person who couldn’t say anything turned out to be him.

Jiang Xiao wasn’t angry at all. He found it interesting, especially this person Lin HeYuan.

Houlin No.3 Junior High once voted on the school grass. In other people’s eyes, Jiang Xiao used to be a sunny boy with a bit of ruffian mixed in. During his rebellious and delinquent period, he was even more popular, and his bared little tiger teeth were much admired. Meanwhile, Lin HeYuan was the standard good student type. He was actually a few points more refined than his sister Lin QingYu. Given a choice of options, there were people who liked both types, but in the end Lin HeYuan had a higher number of votes.

Jiang Xiao hadn’t looked at him carefully before. The title of No.3 Junior High’s school grass was well-deserved.

Lin HeYuan had a good-upbringing since he was a child and wasn’t really angry. He was still young, and since he’d discovered that he’d wronged someone, his ears went red with embarrassment. Bowing his head, he apologized to Jiang Xiao.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “I can be impulsive. I’ll make it up to you.”

Jiang Xiao was a bit of a face-con. Well, to be honest, he was really, truly a face-con.

He responded normally, then stared for a long time at the other person’s red ears with great interest. After Lin HeYuan apologized, he didn’t leave but remained standing in the same place.

TL Notes:

2ML has entered the chat

face-con – 颜控 – a person who attaches great importance to looks, is obsessed with good-looking faces, and thinks that being beautiful is the way of heaven. “con” is from Japanese “コン”, from the English word “complex”, meaning a person who likes something to an extreme degree, e.g. “face complex”, “lolicon”