True Solution of the Sword Dao

Emerging from No. 7 Middle School and turning right along the street, they soon saw Qingzhu Accessories, which was well-decorated with a sizeable storefront.

At the bustling entrance of the accessories store, two bright-eyed girls were chatting. One of them, a bit plumper, noticed Jiang Nan walking towards them.

She quickly came forward to greet her.

"Nannan, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen you," the girl was Xu Qin, Jiang Nan’s good friend. The other quieter one was Nie Xiaoyan.

"It hasn’t been that long," Jiang Nan said, embarrassed.

"The last time we saw each other was last year. And you say it hasn’t been long!" Xu Qin said with a stern face.

"It’s just been New Year; of course, it was last year," Nie Xiaoyan said with a laugh.

All three girls could be considered cute and pretty—a lot of times, pretty girls tend to appreciate and befriend each other. Looks and attire, these are special standards of measurement.

When the three girls got together, it was always Xu Qin who talked incessantly; she seemed to have an endless amount of things to say.

"Let’s first visit the Central Trade area, then check out the nearby doll shop. I heard they got a new batch of Korean-style pendants that are pretty nice. Also, Xiaoyan, didn’t you just say you wanted to check out some skirts? Let’s stroll through the Beauty Clothes Shop, then head to KFC for lunch. How does that sound?"

"I have no problem. I came out today to shop," Nie Xiaoyan smiled and nodded.

Jiang Nan nodded, "I also need to buy a pair of trousers. But..."

"Then that’s settled. This arrangement is perfect," Xu Qin interrupted her, always the decisive one among them, usually in charge of planning the outings. "Let’s take a look at Qingzhu first; we have all been waiting for you and haven’t gone inside yet."

Jiang Nan could only helplessly nod. She had gotten used to being organized by Xu Qin.

The three entered Qingzhu Accessories. The dazzling array of little accessories and crystals was mesmerizing.

Xu Qin led the way, with Nie Xiaoyan and Jiang Nan following.

Nie Xiaoyan glanced at Jiang Nan, noticing her current plain attire. "Jiang Nan, what exactly is going on with your family? I heard from Sister Xiaoxue and others that your family’s business was tricked and you lost a big chunk of capital. Is that true?"

Jiang Nan silently nodded her head.

"My dad invested too much in his business, and this time he lost terribly. So now, I’m pretty much poor. My allowance can’t compare with yours," she said, managing a smile.

Hearing this, Xu Qin turned around while walking backward, speaking to Jiang Nan.

"No worries! Nannan, whatever you want to buy today, I’ll treat you! It used to be Jiang Nan who often treated us; now it’s naturally our turn. When Jiang Nan’s family recovers later, she can treat us back!"

Jiang Nan felt a warm sensation inside and shook her head slightly.

"There’s no need, actually."

Meanwhile, Nie Xiaoyan suddenly asked,

"But I heard your family moved to Wuxi, how did you end up transferring to No. 7 Middle School?"

Jiang Nan pursed her lips and picked up a silver necklace.

"Some changes happened at home," she said softly.

Seeing this, although Nie Xiaoyan and Xu Qin were curious, they felt it was inappropriate to pry further. They shifted to discussing other topics, joking and laughing, and the atmosphere gradually returned to its original warmth.

In the accessory shop, Jiang Nan chose a silver ring and asked the shopkeeper to laser engrave the character ’Fei’ on it. This was a gift she had prepared for Lin Fei; she had never given Lin Fei a gift before.

Xu Qin and Nie Xiaoyan also picked one or two items each, but Xu Qin was quick to pay for Jiang Nan’s selection.

Then, the three headed to the Central Trade building, circulated a few rounds, Xu Qin bought a blouse, and Nie Xiaoyan found a skirt she liked, though she still planned to visit the Beauty Clothes Shop to take another look. However, Jiang Nan, upon seeing the price tag on the clothes, hesitated and ultimately did not buy anything. She wasn’t the same as before; even though she wasn’t highly regarded by her parents previously, she used to have much more allowance than most. But now, with only the little money she earned from part-time jobs, she felt heartache over buying anything slightly more expensive. Involuntarily, she calculated whether the remaining money would be enough for her future expenses.

Xu Qin and Nie Xiaoyan noticed this but said nothing.

Then came the doll shop with its extremely cute brand-name plush toys, large and small, in various styles. Jiang Nan just looked, but didn’t dare to buy anything easily.

Meanwhile, Xu Qin and Nie Xiaoyan each picked up a small plush toy to hang on their backpacks.

The three girls slowly strolled the small stores along the shopping street sidewalk. They entered every new clothing store or accessory shop that opened for a round. When thirsty, they bought a sundae and a Coke each from McDonald’s. Before long, Xu Qin was carrying a small box for hair clips.

Then they went to the Beauty Clothes Shop. Although the clothes there had seemed quite affordable when Jiang Nan bought them before, now, after careful consideration, they just seemed too expensive.

"Jiang Nan, why aren’t you buying anything?" Xu Qin asked while resting near the dressing room at Beauty Clothes Shop, as Nie Xiaoyan went inside to try on clothes.

"Nothing really catches my eye, haha," Jiang Nan said, not quite believing her own words. But for the sake of her wallet, she had to say so.

"Really?" Xu Qin asked, puzzled. However, she quickly pursed her lips and did not inquire further. "Well, never mind, the main thing about buying clothes is liking them. No matter how pretty they are, there’s no point if you don’t like them."

Jiang Nan sat on the bench, watching the well-dressed female customers bustle through the store, and suddenly felt a wave of inexplicable emotion.

When Nie Xiaoyan came out, they browsed for a while longer, and it was already past five in the afternoon. The three of them headed directly to a KFC near Dongyuan Street. They found a seat in the back. Their numerous bags took up a seat of their own.

Xu Qin ordered three codfish burger meals and added three egg tarts, stretching leisurely in her seat. She paid directly, insisting on treating them as they had previously agreed, and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

Nie Xiaoyan and Xu Qin discussed topics like magazine stars or which celebrity from school had recent news, expressed their admiration for someone in the class, and their dislike for others.

Jiang Nan quietly listened from the side.

"I’m going to the restroom," she said as she stood up and made her way around the nearby corner exit. Not far off was a public restroom. She hurried over.

One minute later.

Leaving the restroom, Jiang Nan walked back towards the KFC along the same route.

"If I take much longer, Xu Qin will probably start making a fuss again," she thought, recalling Xu Qin’s fiery demeanor, which somehow warmed her heart.

She pulled open the glass door and stepped into the KFC. Ahead was a short corridor only four or five meters long leading directly to where they were seated.

From there, Xu Qin’s voice faintly reached her, not loud and somewhat indistinct. However, Jiang Nan suddenly heard her own name mentioned and was instantly curious. She tiptoed closer, wanting to hear what Xu Qin was saying about her.

As she drew nearer, amidst the noise, the voices became clearer.

"... how could her family situation become so poor? They’ve all moved to Wuxi now. I just asked her," said Nie Xiaoyan’s voice.

"Forget about it then," Xu Qin’s voice came. "Let’s not invite her next time. The students who come out of Grade Seven are so low quality." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

"Really? Wasn’t it you who just patted your chest and insisted on treating?" Nie Xiaoyan laughed.

"My money doesn’t grow on trees. Today’s treat is to pay her back for the times she treated us before. When her family had money, we always followed her lead, watching her face, and catering to her feelings. Now that we’re treating her, it feels really good. Let her also enjoy the awkward feeling of following others," Xu Qin said clearly into Jiang Nan’s ears. "Earlier I deliberately asked her why she didn’t buy anything, so funny, she actually told me she didn’t like anything, while I saw her eyeing a dress for quite a long time."

Jiang Nan bit her lower lip, feeling an unspeakable sourness in her heart.

She remained standing in the corridor as passersby occasionally glanced at her curiously, wondering why the girl was standing still.

After a moment, she subtly backed toward the door, then coughed loudly twice. The conversation inside abruptly stopped.

Only then did she slowly return to her seat beside Xu Qin.

"Nannan, why did you take so long?" Xu Qin complained, moving back to the earlier topic of clothes combinations with Nie Xiaoyan.

Jiang Nan sat beside her, smiling and quietly listening.

***************

Lin Fei quietly sat in the black Audi, driven by the recently returned Xiaoling, a girl who greatly admired her. Lin Fei didn’t know how she had negotiated with her family, but it must have taken a firm resolve.

Today, both Jianguo and others weren’t home for dinner. Lin You had left saying he was dining with friends and then vanished. Jiang Nan had also called to say she was dining out.

Lin Fei had just received a call from Xiaoling inviting her to dinner, and she readily agreed.

"This is the first time I have dined out with you," Xiaoling said while driving. "I’ve booked the entire Second Layer of Yue Xing Restaurant on Hong Kong Road. Hehe, isn’t that impressive?"

Lin Fei was amused.

"I’m not that important; there’s no need for this. And how many times did I say you can just call me Lin Fei?"

"No way!" Xiaoling laughed. "In Ping City, you’re on the same level as the city mayor and the party secretary. Can’t neglect that."

"Really? I didn’t know that," Lin Fei said wryly.

"By the way, if Lin You and his friends went out to eat, what about Jiang Nan?" Xiaoling asked.

"She said she was going out to eat too."

The city shops rapidly passed by outside the car window.

All of a sudden, Xiaoling pointed to the right and said, "I think I see her. Is that girl Jiang Nan?"

Lin Fei turned her head and followed Xiaoling’s direction to the right, just in time to see Jiang Nan coming out of the KFC with two beautiful girls.

"Yes, that’s her. Let’s invite her to join us for dinner. Since you are treating, and fast food like KFC isn’t nutritious, it has too many hormones and is bad for health."

"No problem, it’s all on the expense account anyway," Xiaoling said with a sly grin.

Lin Fei shook her head, resigned. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to go to Central Book (qidian.com) to cast recommendation votes, and Monthly Tickets, your support is my greatest motivation.)