Qian's home is in the urban village, about a ten-minute walk to the city center. Hungry and broke, Qian's gaze pierced through the messy roadside stalls.
The people at those stalls all knew her and would allow her to pay later, but she didn't want to wrong herself.
In her past life, she wouldn't wrong herself, and in this life, even less so.
Walking past the street stalls, her gaze lingered on a decently sized hotel not far away.
Although it couldn't compare to the high-end hotels she frequented in her past life, it would do. Ignoring the fact that she didn't have a penny on her, Qian calmly walked in.
The waiter saw the pretty girl, dressed simply. He asked her several times if she was alone, but with a single look from Qian, he nervously adjusted his glasses, awed by her presence, and obediently led her to the window seat.
Through the floor-to-ceiling window, the view outside was good. The stars dotted the sky, and a large willow tree swayed in the breeze, with the hotel's neon lights casting on it and the sound of cicadas in the air.
Qian picked up the menu, skimming through it, "Two plates of boiled shrimp, shallot stir-fried sea cucumber, steamed turbot, scallops with vermicelli, a plate each of river crab, stir-fried green beans, shredded potatoes with green pepper, and a bowl of rice."
The waiter hesitated, "Miss, our plates are quite large."
Qian smiled gently, "I can't finish it, so I'll take the leftovers."
The waiter dared not slack off but still glanced at Qian several times. The dishes she ordered were all expensive ones here.
The dishes were served quickly. Qian ate leisurely; with no despised person in front of her, she had a better appetite, while the waiter stood nearby, watching this peculiar girl.
She had ordered a lot of seafood, but hadn't touched any, only eating the vegetarian dishes with rice.
For the first time encountering such a guest, Qian finished almost eating and called the waiter over.
"Add two more dishes, and I'll take them to go. But I have special requests for the preparation and plating."
"Alright, what would you like?"
After Qian explained her requests, the waiter was astonished, "Are you... sure?"
Could that stuff even be eaten?
"Do as I say, and I'll pay double for the dish."
She ordered a pot of refreshing chrysanthemum tea, watching the flowers tumble in her cup, Qian blew on it again and again.
"The taste is much worse than golden chrysanthemum."
In her mind, a soft child's voice seemed to appear.
Mom, why do you always drink chrysanthemum tea?
Chrysanthemum tea clears the liver heat from staying up late, and mom stays up late a lot.
Then Xiaowei will stay with mom in bed, and mom won't work so late.
Her eyes felt a bit warm as a few students, returning from evening classes, passed by on bicycles outside, their big, ugly sports uniforms couldn't hide their youthful faces.
If it weren't for those bastards, her Xiaowei would be in middle school too, with a big backpack, sharing the troubles of growing up.
But after the little angel left, she's had insomnia, closing her eyes only to see her daughter's body covered in blood, crying for her mother; the indescribable pain, no one could understand.
Daughter, mom misses you.
"Miss, the total is 480 yuan. Will you be paying by card or cash?" The waiter's voice interrupted Qian's thoughts, and she withdrew her gaze from outside.
"I need to borrow your phone; is that alright?"
"This way, please."
No one could comprehend how a mother, who depended on her child for life, felt after losing her most beloved child; even taking revenge on the enemy couldn't quench the hatred in her heart.
For her to simmer down, unless that little angel could return to her side and call her "mom" once more.
But how could Qian, who had been a psychologist all her life, not know that in psychological terms, death is called the greatest loss, a void that can never be filled.
So, she could only take action to avenge those who took her daughter away. Since she couldn't fill the hole in her heart, she would poke a few in those scumbags' hearts and let them suffer with her.
After borrowing the phone, Qian called Ni Jianren.
"I'm at the Binhai Hotel, come over to pay."
Ni Jianren was a stingy man, even more so than Chen Lin. Hearing Qian mention payment made his scalp numb.
"What are you doing there?!" That was one of the most expensive restaurants in the city!
"Just come to pay the bill, why so much nonsense?"
"I have something else to do and can't make it. Figure it out yourself!" he said, ready to hang up.
Qian smiled and adjusted her glasses, "I think I see your boss, is his name Li Zhen? I'm going to settle accounts with him."
"Qian! Don't find him! I'm coming right away!" Ni Jianren panicked.
After hanging up, Qian glanced at the dishes on the table, deciding she could pack a few more.
There was no Li Zhen; she made it up.
The scumbag was so tense because Li Zhen was the scumbag's boyfriend. He was afraid of her exposing his secret.
"Miss, all the dishes you ordered are packed. This is your special order—can it really be eaten?" The waiter handed over the takeout box, the strange odor wafting through.
"Young lady, let me ask you: where does it not hurt to have a wound?" Qian asked.
"Um... on the nail?" The waiter was baffled, what a strange guest.
"Wrong, a wound on someone else's body doesn't hurt oneself. So, do you understand?" Qian adjusted her glasses, leaving the waiter in a daze; it was profound.
Just eating herself seemed so selfish; she had to entertain the scumbag as well. Those were prepared for him.
Ni Jianren arrived breathlessly after Qian finished a pot of chrysanthemum tea, scanned the room but found no Li Zhen, only Qian sitting there as calm as ever.
"Where's Li Zhen?"
"Maybe it's just a resemblance, I might have been seeing things."
Ni Jianren took the bill, nearly passing out seeing the 400 yuan total.
"Why so much?!" He worked at a public institution with a decent salary, but this was half a month's pay for him!
"I don't have that much money on me!" Ni Jianren was heartbroken.
Half a month's salary!
"Then I'll call my dad over. But you know how stingy he is; if he gets angry, our engagement next week might be off, and he might even make a scene at your workplace?"
"I'll go get cash!" Ni Jianren squeezed the words out from between his teeth.
"Leave your phone." Qian took the old Nokia from his hand. In these times, it was a luxury; with this as collateral, she wasn't afraid of the scumbag running off.
Watching Ni Jianren's angry figure leaving, Qian felt refreshed, sipping the tea lightly from the table.
Indeed, she was a bad woman. Seeing the scumbag seething with no way to retaliate was truly satisfying.