A Little Episode

A Lai shrugged, feigning helplessness. "Honestly, I don't know."

Hanh Hanh asked, puzzled, "You don't know? Then why did you make such a fuss?"

A Lai replied, "Well, I do know that the answer lies in the heads of these two dolls. If you take them home and open the back of their heads, you'll find out."

Hanh Hanh, still skeptical, pulled out twenty yuan from her pocket.

A Lai shook his head.

She then took out another ten yuan.

A Lai shook his head again.

Frustrated, Hanh Hanh took out two fifty-yuan bills.

A Lai smiled and shook his head once more.

Just as Hanh Hanh was about to take out another two fifty-yuan bills, a cold, stern voice interrupted them.

"Boasting, guessing people's thoughts, making it sound like some mystical trick—what a crafty street swindler," the voice said.

A Lai turned around to see an older woman holding two bottles of drinks as she walked toward them from the crowd.

A Lai sized her up. She could be described as a mature woman who still retained some of her youthful charm. She was simple yet elegant, with a high, cold demeanor.

The older woman, clearly annoyed, said, "I'll open them right now. Tell me how much you want. If they're not what she was thinking, what will you do?"

A Lai shrugged again and smiled. "What do you want me to do? Chill out with some cold tofu?"

The older woman's face turned pale with anger. She snapped, "Enough nonsense! If you're wrong, stop scamming people here and pack up your things!"

"Pack up?" A Lai said, trying to calm her down. "Okay, okay, I'll do as you say."

He pretended to be clueless and began reaching into his pants...

After fumbling around for a moment, he suddenly pulled out two eggs and rolled them on the cloth covering his stall.

"Haha..." The crowd erupted in laughter.

A Lai, acting as if no one was watching, cracked the eggs open and handed one to Hanh Hanh. "Hungry? Go ahead and eat. Don't worry, they're clean! They're even five-spice flavored."

Then, to prevent her from choking, he took out a magazine, rolled it up, and pulled out a bottle of mineral water from it, opening the cap and handing it to her.

"Wow, that's impressive," someone in the crowd exclaimed.

The older woman snatched the mineral water from him and handed her own drink to Hanh Hanh. "Let's go, Hanh Hanh. Don't bother with this guy. A young man like him, already learning these tricks to deceive people and take advantage of them."

"He's not bad. He didn't do anything to me. Wu Ma, why do you have to say that about him?" Hanh Hanh finally couldn't hold back her frustration and complained.

Wu Ma, the older woman, patiently explained, "Those two stuffed dolls are just cheap trinkets. You almost gave him two hundred yuan for them, and he didn't even refuse. If that's not a scam, what is?"

"People like him make a living by tricking young girls out of their money," someone in the crowd chimed in.

...

"Are you done talking?" A Lai asked. "Has everyone had their say?"

"Did I ever mention a price?" he retorted angrily, glaring at the crowd.

The crowd fell silent, unable to respond.

A Lai then shifted his gaze back to the older woman. From the conversation, he finally understood that she was with Hanh Hanh. "Are they mother and daughter?" he wondered. "But their facial features don't match. Could they be relatives...?"

Wu Ma pulled at the girl's arm. "Hanh Hanh, the streets are full of scammers nowadays. Let's go."

A Lai, worried, called out, "Those two dolls already know your thoughts. If you leave them behind, they'll be sad. Why don't you open their heads and see?"

The crowd, now more curious, began to egg her on. "Go on, open them up and take a look."

Hanh Hanh picked up the dolls from the stall and, noticing a zipper on the back of their heads, quickly unzipped one of them. She pulled out a small piece of paper, unfolded it, and saw the words she had written: "A match made in heaven." Excited, she opened the other doll to find "A pair created by the earth."

Wu Ma was shocked. "Did you write that?"

Hanh Hanh, annoyed, replied, "Don't you recognize my handwriting?"

Seeing the paper had burned to ashes and then miraculously reappeared inside the dolls' heads, the crowd was stunned, murmuring in awe.

A Lai calmly suggested, "Why not check further and see if there's anything else?"

Hanh Hanh found another note inside that read, "Priceless treasure. Wishing the lovers a happy ending and a life of health and joy."

Blushing deeply, Hanh Hanh apologized, "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you earlier."

"Haha..." A Lai laughed cheerfully. "Do you know what 'priceless treasure' means? Since you're a regular customer, I'm giving these to you as a gift, free of charge."

Some in the crowd finally realized what was happening. "This guy is just flirting with her," they thought.

Excited, Hanh Hanh pulled out over five hundred yuan from her pocket and shoved it into A Lai's hand. "Running a street stall must be tough. I don't have much with me, but take this for now."

A Lai smiled gently and shook his head.

"Then let me give you my phone number. Maybe I can treat you to a meal sometime?"

A Lai chuckled sadly, "Sorry, I don't have a phone."

"Hmph!" Wu Ma sneered, "Young man, you'd do well to focus on your studies if you want to achieve something in life."

Without waiting for a response, she grabbed Hanh Hanh's arm. "Come on, my little lady, we have things to do. We're running late."

As they walked away, Hanh Hanh turned around, gave A Lai a playful smile, and waved before disappearing into the crowd.

A Lai watched her retreating figure, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss.

"How about it? Did your big act of impressing a girl work out?" a voice behind him teased.

A Lai turned, startled to see Fang Fang. "When did she get here? Did she follow me again?" he wondered.

Seeing his deflated expression, Fang Fang coldly remarked, "No need to explain. I've been watching your performance from the corner. I just wanted to see how well you could flirt and show off."

"It was just a little episode, part of business. You care about that too?" A Lai retorted.

"Oh, so I'm still your future wife?" Fang Fang challenged.

A Lai's stubborn side flared up. "What did I do? Did I flirt with her?"

"Come on, A Lai. Maybe my mother's suspicions about you weren't entirely unfounded. Think about it, you can't even afford a phone, let alone the phone bills. What are you trying to prove? You're just making a fool of yourself. That old woman was right—'Young people should focus on their studies if they want to succeed.'"

A Lai firmly replied, "A phone? That's nothing. Bread will come, milk will come, and I'll master everything. Just wait for the day when I show you a real miracle."

"Fine, I'll wait for that day, and we'll live the good life together. But remember, don't go chasing after another girl while you're still with me."

A Lai joked, "Why bother chasing another girl? I might as well take the whole pot home."

"Don't you dare!" Fang Fang exclaimed, grabbing his ear. "You've started getting good grades, and now you're addicted to these tricks again."

"Ouch! Fang Fang, let go! I'm sorry, okay? Everyone's watching us."

"Pack up your things and come home to study. I'm not letting you set up this stall again."

"Fine! I agree. I'll follow my wife's orders."

"Getting into a top university is what Grandpa Lei and I expect from you. You must do it, no exceptions."

"Got it! I promise I'll complete this glorious mission."

...