HPDBC Chapter 9: The rent for the second day, fishing nets and white silk, and a pair of milk foam topping
Chapter 9: The rent for the second day, fishing nets and white silk, and a pair of milk foam topping
The three of them still had messy hair from just waking up, and their faces were bare of makeup. Their bare faces made them look more childlike than yesterday, but also more youthful and cute.
That's the advantage of being young; you look good even without makeup.
She looks even more innocent and sweet than when she wears makeup.
Chen Mo leaned against the door frame, his arms crossed over his chest.
The little deer was the first to spot him, jumping up from the sink and scattering foam all over the floor.
She was wearing the same black cropped top and pleated skirt as yesterday, but without stockings. Her two smooth legs peeked out from under the skirt, so white they were almost glowing, and so tender they looked like they had just been pulled out of milk.
"Brother Mo, you're awake!"
Her voice was clear and bright, and she had a big smile on her face, with her eyes curving into two crescent moons.
Chen Mo nodded, his gaze sweeping over the stove.
"What are you doing here?"
The little deer tilted its head, and its ponytail swayed with it.
"Xiao Nan used to work as a waitress in a restaurant and secretly learned a few tricks. She's making you breakfast now."
She spoke with a sense of pride and honor, as if she were the one who was cooking.
Chen Mo suddenly realized, and his gaze fell on Sister Nan.
Sister Nan didn't turn around, but the tips of her ears turned slightly red, and the sound of the spatula flipping the pot was louder than before, as if she was trying to cover something up.
Then he looked at Xiaorou.
The girl was in exceptionally good spirits today, a stark contrast to her tired and dejected appearance on the street yesterday.
Her long, pinkish-purple hair cascaded over her shoulders, not tied into pigtails, with slightly curled ends that made her small face appear even more delicate.
A faint smile played on her lips, and her eyes kept glancing at Chen Mo, like a kitten that had stolen a fish, unable to hide her smugness.
Deng and Chen Mo exchanged a glance, their eyes meeting in mid-air.
Xiao Rou's face flushed instantly, burning from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. Her eyelashes fluttered wildly as she quickly looked away, lowering her head to pretend to be looking at the spatula in Sister Nan's hand.
Chen Mo also looked away, a slight smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.
Xiaolu noticed Xiaorou's unusual behavior, tilted her head and leaned closer to look her up and down.
"Huh? Why is your face so red?"
Xiao Rou felt even more guilty, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked, her eyes darting around uncertainly.
"No, it's probably because it's too hot."
The little deer looked suspiciously out the window. The morning sun had just shone in, and the air still carried the chill of the night.
"Really? Why don't I feel hot?"
As she spoke, she reached out and touched Xiaorou's forehead, then touched her own forehead, her brows furrowing.
Xiao Rou became even more flustered by her actions, reached out and slapped her hand away, her tone becoming urgent.
"Hurry up and wash your dishes, Xiao Nan will finish cooking soon, Mo Ge will be eating soon."
The little deer pouted, squatted back down by the sink, picked up the plate and continued washing, muttering something under her breath.
Chen Mo smiled and walked to the stove.
Sister Nan was frying eggs. The oil in the pan was sizzling, and the egg whites were slowly solidifying under the high temperature, with a layer of golden-brown crispy skin curling up at the edges.
Her technique was indeed not very skilled; she almost broke the egg when flipping it, but the overall appearance was not bad. The golden yolk lay in the middle of the white egg white, like a half-open flower.
"Not bad."
Chen Mo stood beside her, his voice soft.
Sister Nan blushed slightly and paused in her movements.
"I learned it all by chance, thinking I could use it when I need to survive in the wilderness."
Chen Mo chuckled, said nothing more, and turned to sit down at the dining table.
A few minutes later, breakfast was served.
Fried eggs, scallion pancakes, a pot of white porridge, and a small dish of pickled vegetables.
It wasn't a lavish meal, but it was steaming hot and placed on the light wood dining table, giving it a simple, homey feel.
The three of them sat down around the table. Xiao Lu and Xiao Rou sat on one side, while Sister Nan sat opposite Chen Mo.
After finishing his meal, Chen Mo put down his chopsticks and glanced at the three girls.
"Do any of you have girlfriends who also need to rent a place? You can introduce them to us."
The three girls looked up at the same time, their eyes lighting up instantly.
Xiao Lu was the first to react, slamming her chopsticks on the table, making a louder sound.
"Of course, bro!"
Xiao Rou nodded in agreement, her eyes curving into crescent moons.
Chen Mo leaned back in his chair, speaking casually.
"Okay, then you should contact them and see if anyone is willing to come."
The three girls immediately sprang into action.
Xiao Lu sat cross-legged on the sofa, her phone pressed against her ear, the sound so loud the whole building could hear it.
"Hey, Little Chili! Still holed up in that crappy internet cafe? I've found you a great place... five yuan a night! I'll be a dog if I'm lying... yeah, hot water and Wi-Fi too... Okay, come over here!"
Xiao Rou huddled in the corner of the sofa, her voice much softer than Xiao Lu's, typing on her phone screen and occasionally sending a few voice messages.
Sister Nan leaned against the balcony door frame. She made a very brief phone call, saying only a few words before hanging up. Then she lowered her head and sent her location.
After a while,
Xiao Lu leaned close to Chen Mo's ear and whispered something.
"Brother, we invited two people in total. A few other girls also wanted to come, but their rental contracts haven't expired yet. They'll come when they do."
Chen Mo nodded.
"Can."
Chen Mo looked at the three girls in front of him and smiled:
"Then you should pay your rent for today. Would you like to choose five dollars, or one item?"
The three girls exchanged a glance, almost without hesitation.
The little deer answered quickly.
"thing!"
Xiao Rou and Sister Nan nodded in agreement.
Chen Mo nodded and extended his hand.
Sister Nan was the first to step forward.
She was wearing the same fishnet stockings as yesterday, the mesh shaping her legs into diamond patterns, her pale skin peeking through the mesh.
She bent down, hooked her fingers around the edge of the fishnet stockings, and started rolling them down from the top of her thigh.
With unhurried movements, the black fishing net sloughed off between her fingers like a snake, revealing a section of her fair and tender thigh.
She rolled the entire fishnet stocking into a ball and handed it to Chen Mo.
"Brother, here you go."
The second deer came up.
She wasn't wearing stockings today; her two bare legs were exposed.
She looked down at her legs, then looked up at Chen Mo, her eyes darted around, and then she turned and ran back to the bedroom.
A dozen seconds later she ran out, clutching a white object in her hand.
She walked up to Chen Mo and unfolded the object, revealing a pair of white stockings, thin as cicada wings, running from thigh to toe, gleaming softly in the morning light.
"Brother, this is the one I wore yesterday. It's been washed and is clean."
Xiao Rou stood there, her fingers twisted together, her expression conflicted.
She had already given her black stockings to Chen Mo yesterday, and now she wasn't wearing anything on her legs, they were completely bare.
She rummaged through the small black crossbody bag she carried with her, taking out each item one by one to examine it.
A half-used lip balm, a pack of tissues, a broken hair tie, a few crumpled napkins, and a dead power bank.
She turned the bag upside down, but didn't find anything valuable.
Then her fingers touched something in the bottom compartment of the bag.
Her movements suddenly stopped.
Her face flushed red instantly.
She held the object in her hand, hesitated for several seconds in her bag, as if she had mentally prepared herself for a long time, before finally taking it out of her bag.
It's a milk foam topping.
The white lace fabric was so thin it was almost transparent, with a delicate openwork trim around the edge, shimmering softly in the morning light.
She handed the milk foam to Chen Mo, her fingers trembling slightly, her eyes avoiding his gaze, her eyelashes drooping down to conceal the tears welling in her eyes.
"Brother... will this work?"