41: The Girl in the Small Town 

 When Lin Yingying went out, she changed into another set of clothes, a black long skirt and luxurious clothes, and she looked noble and elegant.

  Since they were not in Jiangling, Lin Yingying was much more relaxed and hooked her arm around Jiangnan's. Jiangnan wanted to drive, but Lin Yingying refused and threatened to drive with her.

  Passersby on the road frequently turned back to look at the two of them. Judging from their clothes, they didn't look like locals. Of course, they were referring to Lin Yingying. Jiangnan was still very unfashionable.

  If he hadn't met Yang Jiarui, Jiang Nan himself would never have believed that changing clothes existed in the world.

  The two walked side by side, talking and laughing, but after walking for a while, Lin Yingying felt pain in her feet and neck and cried out in pain.

  In desperation, Jiangnan took a taxi to send Lin Yingying back to the hotel, as he was worried about Yang Jiarui being alone in the hotel.

  After sending Lin Yingying back, Jiangnan got into the taxi again and asked the driver to introduce a local leisure and entertainment venue.

  "Yes, sir, please come in, one person?"

  Jiangnan nodded. "What's so special about this place? I'm from out of town."

  The young waiter led Jiangnan to the basement level. The private room was not big, and the stereo and microphone were a bit old, as if they were quite old. "Looking at the gentleman's appearance, he should be from a big city. Although our hardware facilities are average, the software is incomparable even in heaven and on earth."

  The waiter was afraid that Jiangnan would back out, so he spoke quickly.

  Jiangnan didn't mind it very much. He sat on the sofa and asked, "Software?"

  The waiter smiled and said, "Sir, it would be boring if you were alone. Can I get you a girl to sing with you?"

  Jiangnan chuckled. This place looked comfortable. Although it was small, it had everything. "Please help me get some beer. By the way, how much does it cost?"

  The waiter said, "Before midnight it's considered a night club. This is a small package, the minimum consumption is 100 yuan, and the beer is free."

  "Ahem... I mean, how do girls charge?"

  The waiter smiled and looked at Jiangnan. "This...is charged by the hour. Twenty yuan per hour. But it's just singing. If there are other programs, you can negotiate the price with the girl."

  Jiangnan shook his head. "I thought it wasn't charged. Never mind. Just get me some beer." Jiangnan didn't have that in mind at the moment. With Lin Yingying's high-powered water pump and Yang Jiarui's small-lift one, he was already satisfied.

  After a while, the waiter brought a basket of beer, all of which were unfamiliar local brands. It's no wonder that they were free of charge, as they provided enough beer.

  Jiang Nan opened two bottles of beer, drank one, half-lay on the sofa, played a soft song, and thought about what to do next.

  Maybe he was tired after doing it twice during the day, thinking about these troubles, Jiangnan fell asleep quickly. When he woke up again, he found that there was already someone sitting next to him. Jiangnan sat up alertly, "Who?"

  A girl's voice said, "Boss, it's me."

  "Who are you?" Jiangnan fumbled to turn on the light. A young girl, with a red face, looked at him nervously, but didn't dare to look any further, lowering her head. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old, and she was even wearing a high school uniform.

  Jiangnan coughed twice, "Who asked you to come in?"

  "I'm here... to sing with you."

  Jiangnan frowned, took out his phone and checked the time, "When did you come?"

  The little girl bit her lip, "I came when you fell asleep."

  "Huh? You don't know how to knock on the door? And I didn't look for you, did I?" Jiang Nan thought to himself, this little girl must be trying to rip him off. Fortunately, the price was not high, but he was really at a loss to let her sit there for only three hours.

  "Go get me a glass of water." Jiangnan wanted to support this little girl, and the money couldn't be wasted.

  The little girl hesitated for a long time before saying, "Why ..."

  Jiangnan was a little angry, "You can't take my money, hurry up."

  The girl then realized that Jiangnan had misunderstood her, "Boss, the few hours I just sat there don't count. I will start charging you from now on."

  Jiangnan felt awkward for a moment, thinking that he was too petty. "Is that so... Then you go back. I want to be alone for a while." Then he took a bottle of beer on the table and gulped down two gulps. Two gulps were equal to a bottle.

  The little girl looked at Jiangnan pitifully, "But, I'm going out now and I won't have any work tonight. Please let me sing with you for an hour."

  Jiangnan softened his heart after hearing her say that, but then he thought, he also came from a nightclub and knew these girls' methods too well.

  Let's not talk about other people, just take Shanshan for example, she often gets tips from customers by pretending to be pitiful.

  Jiangnan crossed his legs and asked, "How long have you been doing this?"

  "Today... I just arrived."

  Jiangnan smiled slightly. This was exactly what he expected. In order to get more money, Shanshan always pretended to be a virgin or a newcomer. If she met a stupid old-fashioned guy, she would pretend to be a virgin to cheat him out of money. "Oh? Pretty professional!"

  "I'm real!" the little girl became a little excited.

  Jiangnan smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'll give you the money."

  Jiangnan looked at the girl. Her chest was flat. Based on his experience, the girl was not wearing a bra. She was still an underdeveloped girl.

  The little girl nervously moved her butt back and said, "Boss, I'm just singing."

  "Haha, don't call me boss. By the way, can this thing be used as a TV? These songs have been playing for a long time. I want to watch a football game tonight."

  The girl finally felt relieved and walked to the old TV. She squatted down and adjusted the program for a long time. Finally, she turned it to a live football program for Jiangnan. She sat down and asked in a low voice, "What should I do?"

  Jiangnan was watching TV without looking back, "Oh, you... watch TV with me. Today is your day off."

  As he spoke, he took another bottle of beer, opened it, thought for a moment, and handed it to the girl, who shook her head.

  Jiangnan asked, "How old are you this year? Don't you go to school?"

  The little girl lowered her head, her eyes red as she said, "Sixteen, the college entrance examination is next year, so I'll take a leave of absence to earn money at home. Otherwise, even if I pass the exam, I won't have the money to go to college next year."

  Jiangnan glanced at the little girl with his eyes slanted. He had been through a lot and could see through it. Although the little girl didn't look like she was lying, he was not a heartless person. There are people who can't afford to go to school, people who have no money to treat their illnesses, and people who can't eat. In this world, who can care about whom, let alone just a chance acquaintance in a foreign land.

  "What's your name?"

  "Zhao Min."

  Jiangnan couldn't help but turn his head and take a closer look. He really looked like a newcomer. Just as Shanshan said, who would tell the real name to the guests?

  Jiangnan suddenly felt a little bored with the game, so he asked curiously, "Did something happen at home?"

  Zhao Min pursed her lips and lowered her head. "No, my family was poor to begin with. My parents were working outside. My dad was crushed to death by a cement loader on a construction site this year."

  As Zhao Min spoke, his eyes became redder, but his eyes still revealed his strong determination for life.

  "Why do you want to do this?"

  "Make money quickly!"

  The beer Jiangnan was holding stopped in the air. This sentence sounded so familiar, Nana had answered herself in the same way. If you think about it carefully, most of the women who fell into prostitution did so because of their family background. In the end, how many of them could remain chaste like Nana? Especially in this small county town where people could not see the light of day, under the cover of some false civilization, how long could this girl's chastity be preserved?

  Jiangnan didn't say anything else and just drank by himself. During the time, he asked Zhao Min to go to the bar to order a few bottles.

  When we left, it was almost eleven o'clock.

  Jiangnan pretended to check his watch, "I'll give you a hundred yuan starting from the time I fell asleep." Jiangnan took out two fifty-yuan bills, but he was still worried about this beginner, "Well... just tell your boss that I sang a song worth fifty yuan when I fell asleep before, and you can keep the rest in your pocket. I won't tell him."

  The girl took the money gratefully and said, "Thank you, boss."

  Jiangnan put on his coat and said, "Don't call me boss, I'm just an employee too." Then he checked his things and left.

  After leaving the small karaoke room, I found that the entire small county town was much quieter. Without the hustle and bustle of a big city, except for a few houses that still had lights on, the entire place was silent.

  Jiangnan was waiting for a taxi when he suddenly heard Zhao Min's voice from behind him, "Sir, there are no cars here."

  Jiangnan turned around and saw Zhao Min coming out with a schoolbag on his back. "Why are you off work too?"

  Zhao Min smiled and said, "Thank you for today. It would be great if I could meet a customer like you every day."

  Jiangnan smiled and said, "Are there no taxis this evening?"

  Zhao Min said, "Basically no, because... this area is full of people like this, and most of them choose to stay overnight. Besides, the security here is not very good, so there are not many taxis coming at night."

  Jiangnan turned his head and looked at Zhao Min, "Then you are really brave enough to work the night shift even though you know the security is bad."

  Zhao Min lowered her head and whimpered, kicking the bricks that rose up under her feet, without saying a word.

  Jiangnan looked at him and thought, well, I was talking too much again. "Forget it, it's getting late anyway, I'll just take you back on the way."

  Zhao Min's eyes widened. "Great, my home is not far ahead."

  As he spoke, Zhao Min led Jiangnan in front.

  "No brothers or sisters?"

  Zhao Min shook his head. "No, I'm alone at home now. My mother is cooking for people at the construction site and I have to wait for my father's funeral money..."

  Jiangnan put his hands in his pockets and lit a cigarette, and suddenly thought of the little housekeeper Yang Jiarui. If she were around at this moment, she would definitely give him a severe scolding, telling him that smoking is bad and harmful to the body.

  Thinking of this, a relieved smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

  "What are you laughing at?" Zhao Min said a little angrily.

  Jiangnan came back to his senses, "It's nothing, I'm not laughing at you. By the way, why don't you change your job? It's not safe for a little girl like you to be alone at night. If something happens, there will be no one to take care of you."

  Zhao Min walked in front, his heavy bag filled with books, looking no different from an ordinary student, "Sir, you are not from here, right?"

  Jiangnan didn't know where to start, "I'm just passing by and traveling."

  "Come visit us?"

  Jiangnan waved his hands, "Can't you come?"

  Zhao Min chuckled, "You rich people are really weird. People here want to go out, but you still come here. There is nothing fun in the city. I'll take you around when I have time."

  Jiangnan chuckled and said, there is no time at all. After they separate, they may never meet again in their lifetime.