Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“I’m not a beggar,” the girl had protested.
“I know,” Jiang Jiusheng had said, removing her guitar from her back. “I want to hire you. I am a busker. Would you like to be my assistant?”
Sounding doubtful, the girl had answered, “But I wouldn’t know what to do.”
“It’s very easy. You just look after the guitar case and collect the money for me,” Jiang Jiusheng had explained, tossing the guitar case on the ground. Taking a seat on a piece of paper on the ground, she had begun tuning her guitar. “If we make more, I can give you a bigger share.”
She had agreed, at which point she had picked up the guitar case.
As Jiang Jiusheng strummed and sang, she had created a lively atmosphere, attracting quite a crowd very quickly.. Jiang Jiusheng had sung four songs one after the other. During their break, the girl had bought two bottles of iced water with the only money she had on her, leaving the two 100-dollar bills that Jiang Jiusheng had given her in the guitar case, untouched.
“My name is Jiang Jiusheng. What’s your name?”
“My name is Mobao,” the girl had replied. “Tan Mobao.”
“Let’s move to another spot.”
“Okay.”
Jiang Jiusheng had sung another rock song, and although Tan Mobao hadn’t recognized the song, she’d liked it very much. At that time, she had wondered how it was possible that a girl could sing so well.
They busked at three different locations and made $1,860. They had then decided to have noodles under the Thirty-ninth Bridge. When Mobao went to order seconds, Jiang Jiusheng placed the neatly stacked bills that they had earned, along with the $200 dollars she had used to hire her, on the table: a total of $2,060.
That was when Tan Mobao had realized that Jiang Jiusheng wasn’t a busker.
She took the money and bought her mother a cheap coffin for $1,600. Not having enough to rent a funeral hall, she had paid a gravedigger $400 to help her bury her mother.
Returning from her memories to the present, Jiang Jiusheng replied, “Yes, I do remember. We made $1,860 together.”
With tears in her eyes, Tan Mobao said, “Thank you.”
Shaking her head, Jiang Jiusheng said, “You earned that money and even treated me to noodles, so we’re good.”
She hadn’t been wrong about Jiang Jiusheng being the nicest person on the face of the earth.
“Sheng Ye.” Using a common chat-up line, Tan Mobao approached gingerly with her local cat. “Is this your dog?”
In her arms, Bomei yelped as Jiang Jiusheng replied, “It belongs to a friend.”
Pristine white fur—not very well-maintained—a tad chubby and dim-witted, but adorable.
“How majestic!” Tan Mobao exclaimed with sincerity.
Jiang Bomei responded instantly with a regal woof! as if to prove her right.
Local Cat retreated slightly. Rubbing him behind his ears, Tan Mobao laughed. “Oh, look, my little precious is intimidated. What a forceful bark! Only a dog belonging to a friend of Sheng Ye’s could manage that!”
Woof! Woof!
Jiang Bomei showed off with another two vigorous barks.
Then it was time for grooming…
Ow-oooh! Ow-oooh! Ow-oooh!
Such earth-shattering howls! The pet groomer had only just picked up his clippers, yet that was enough to send Jiang Bomei into a frenzy, howling to high heaven in despair and trying to hide from the groomer.
Jiang Jiusheng took out a piece of jerky and coaxed, “Bomei, don’t hide. It won’t hurt.”
The dog took the jerky and continued to make muffled howls.
Hmm… Hmm… Hmm…
The little darling was petrified.
The pet groomer gave Jang Bomei a crew-cut, which made it look chubbier. Its face now appeared even rounder.
Staring at its reflection in the mirror, Jiang Bomei had a moment of contemplation and… just wanted to die!
Using her mobile, Jiang Jiusheng took a few pictures of the dog and sent them to Shi Jin.
He responded in an instant, asking, “No wefies?”