Chapter 32.2 - Heartless (2/2)

It was a good time in March. The small river in front of the front door was crystal clear, and the river banks were covered in winter jasmine with bright yellow flowers dotted throughout. 1 The plum blossoms on the shore had withered, and small green fruits had grown. The peach blossoms were about to bloom, pink and pleasant, 2 and there were even weeping willows dipping into the water and rippling with the waves. 3

Blocks of bluestone pavement lay beneath their feet. It was unknown how many years it had been paved, but it had been ground flat.

Seven Bridge Town was a Jiangnan canal town.

When the scenery was beautiful, their moods were automatically lifted. Tang Huan’s gaze wandered around the surrounding scenery like a tourist, and a smile naturally appeared on her face whenever she caught a glimpse of something she liked. There was no need for her to deliberately seduce others, and countless eyes had already been drawn to her.

The men were all amazed, while the women were envious and resentful. Seeing that their men were stunned, they cursed Tang Huan ‘little widow’ and ‘vixen’ in their hearts as they reached out their hands to pinch their men’s ears, causing a wave of noises.

After turning onto the main street, the flag hanging above her restaurant could be seen from a distance.

But Tang Huan was looking at the butcher shop diagonally opposite her restaurant.

The street was crowded, and the butcher shop was surrounded by women buying meat. She couldn’t see Song Mo at all.

Tang Huan first went to her restaurant.

The neighbors had heard the screams in the middle of the night when Shui Xian and Lin Peizhi were fooling around that day. Later, when a doctor went to her house, word had spread quickly that she had contracted a serious illness. Of course, the restaurant staff had heard about it as well. Given that the owner was away and the number of customers had dropped by half in the past few days, several members of the staff had become anxious like ants on a hot pot. If the owner really died, the restaurant would be taken over by the government. When that day came, they would have to find another job. The restaurant’s business had been good, the owner was generous, and her looks were a lovely sight to behold. Jobs like this were hard to come by.

As a result, when Tang Huan arrived at the restaurant, the staff were on the verge of crying with joy, and they came forward one after another to flatter their boss.

Tang Huan was the best at dealing with men. After dismissing a few crooked melons and cracked dates 4 , she only asked a fairly better-looking young man to remain by her side. She purposefully sat at the table near the entrance, and when she looked up, she could see the scene of the butcher shop over there. Her mouth was asking the staff questions, but her eyes were on the opposite side.

When the number of people buying meat in front of the butcher’s shop gradually decreased, she dismissed the staff, left Dumpling in the restaurant, and slowly walked towards the butcher’s shop.

The white and green skirt outlined a graceful figure, and the sway of her hips revealed an alluring sight. In the midst of the bustling crowd, she was like a walking fresh daffodil, attracting everyone’s attention. 5

As she approached, the women in front of the butcher shop couldn’t resist making way for her.

When Song Mo looked up, he saw the widow next door.

As if he hadn’t noticed her, Song Mo handed the freshly cut pork belly to an older woman, took her money, and gave her the change, without saying an extra word. He ignored all of the pleasantries.

Tang Huan leaned against the wall next to the shop, folded one arm, and shook her fan with the other, staring recklessly at Song Mo.

If it weren’t for the various kinds of pork in front of him that looked too funny, Tang Huan would definitely be a little… scared when she saw this Song Mo.

Once bitten, twice shy.

Butcher Song was almost the same as the real Song Mo. With a fair, handsome face and cold black eyes that kept everyone at arm’s length, at a glance, she thought of the man who had killed her.

However, the more he resembled the real him, the stronger her desire to conquer him became.

She looked at the little young ladies who were still standing in front of the shop, smiled, and said, “Little girls, judging by your clothes, you should have maids serving you at home. Why do you have to come in person to do dirty work such as buying meat?”

They were all girls between the ages of fourteen and fifteen. Even if Tang Huan simply asked a casual question, they understood her meaning beyond her words. Their faces instantly flushed, and they sneaked shy glances at Song Mo, their gazes full of lingering feelings they were too shy to express.

Tang Huan smiled even more brilliantly. “Oh, I see. So you’re interested in your Song- dage and want to get close to him using buying meat as an excuse. Hey, Song Mo. There are a lot of girls who like you. Do you like any of them? If you do, I’ll be your matchmaker!”

“Madam Mei, w-what nonsense are you talking about?!”

Not to mention Song Mo, how could the few girls stand up to such upfront teasing? They immediately stopped buying meat, covered their faces, and fled.

Looking at their backs, Tang Huan smiled happily.

“What are you here for?”

Song Mo put down the meat he was about to cut, wiped his hands, and asked coldly. He didn’t mind losing a few sales, but it appeared as if this woman intended to stay here forever, so he had to ask.

Tang Huan cast a sidelong glance at him and sneered, “Why? You don’t even dare to look at me. Are you feeling guilty?”

Song Mo frowned, and his eyes finally turned to her. “Guilty?” He didn’t look at her simply because he didn’t bother to. Why would he feel guilty?

Tang Huan patted her forehead with her fan. “Yeah. That night when I was bullied, I asked you for help, but you ignored me. Now that you see my wounded forehead, shouldn’t you feel guilty? Don’t you feel ashamed, as an adult male, for ignoring a helpless girl in distress?”

After she finished speaking, she glared at him angrily, and there was a trace of sorrow in her indignant eyes. Shui Xian had always looked at Song Mo like this. Tang Huan didn’t believe that Song Mo couldn’t see that Shui Xian liked him. Today, she wanted to see if Song Mo had any feelings for Shui Xian that she could take advantage of.

Song Mo looked at the woman as if he was looking at a lunatic.

The bully had been invited in by herself, and she had a strong maid by her side, so how could something bad happen? Who knew if they were playing tricks at that time? Who knew if the wound on her forehead was real or fake?

He didn’t know, and he didn’t care.

It was just that he hadn’t expected this woman to have the gall to come over and condemn him.

He looked at her, his voice cold. “Even if you were really in distress at that time, it’s your own fault for being a hussy. What does it have to do with me?”

The author has something to say: Song Mo, you are so vicious. Aren’t you afraid of losing fans?

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Winter jasmine

(Pic source https://www.ruralsprout.com/winter-blooming-flowers-shrubs/ ) Plum vs cherry vs peach blossom

(Pic source https://www.musubi-jp.com/plum-peach-japanese-cherry-blossom-flowers-of-spring-in-japan/ ) Weeping willow trees

(Pic source https://www.thisoldhouse.com/gardening/21332451/weeping-willow ) 歪瓜裂枣 (Crooked melons and cracked dates): (Idiom) Ugly person or things, lol Her name 水仙 (shuǐxiān) actually means daffodil.