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Chapter 3: Hair Clip

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中午的客流量不少，这也是所有餐馆最忙碌的时候，杨绵绵早就饿得饥肠辘辘，但是客人们对她非常喜欢，出手也格外慷慨。

The flow of customers was at an all time high during noon, it was also the busiest time for all restaurants. Yang Mianmian had long been hungry, but the customers liked her very much and were extremely generous with their money.

杨绵绵虽然知道钱不会少，但是这么多还是超出了她的预计，还有人一口气塞了三四张毛爷爷给她，问她要手机号码。

Although Yang Mianmian knew that she wouldn’t be lacking in tiping money, it was still more than she had expected. Some people slipped her three or four pieces of bank notes at once and asked for her cell phone number.

她说：“我不用手机。”

She said, “I don’t use a cell phone.”

中午吃饭的时候，她坐在休息室的角落里吃工作餐，有肉有蔬菜还有汤，绝对是她这段时间以来吃的最好的一顿，她贯彻了光盘行动，连汤都喝得干干净净。

At lunchtime, she sat in the corner of the break room and ate her work meal, which consisted of meat, vegetables and soup. It was the best meal she had in this period of her life. She cleaned her plate thoroughly and even her soup was drunk without a drop left.

有个女孩子在那里抱怨菜难吃，都是多出来的，而且冷掉了，这是中午没有休息时间，因为这是最忙的时候，要么早吃要么晚吃，轮到杨绵绵她们的时候已经是下午两点钟了。

There was a girl there complaining that the food was awful, that it was all extra food and cold, that there was no break for lunch because it was the busiest time. They either eat early or eat late, and it was already two o’clock in the afternoon when it was Yang Mianmian’s turn to eat.

这都可以理解，让她翻白眼的是她们说归说，还要冷嘲热讽她是“穷鬼”。

This was understandable, but what made her roll her eyes was that though they are free to say as they please, they also had to cynically mock her as a ‘hobo’.

杨绵绵去后厨洗碗的时候，对水龙头说：“有的时候，女人的嫉妒真是一件莫名其妙的事情。”

When Yang Mianmian went to the back kitchen to wash her dishes, she said to the faucet: “Sometimes, a woman’s jealousy is a really inexplicable thing.

水龙头深以为然，然后问她：“能不能帮我洗一洗，那个女人把油抹我身上了好难受（┬＿┬）。”

The faucet agreed, and then asked her, “Could you wash me a bit? That woman put oil on me and I feel so terrible.” （┬＿┬）

等到晚上的时候，其他人彻底意识到了她的威胁，开始和她抢客人了，这些服务生们眼睛贼毒，一眼就能分出客人有没有钱、会不会给很多小费。

By the end of the night, the others were fully aware of her threat and began to steal customers from her. These waiters were so sharp that they could tell at a glance whether the customers had money or not, and whether they would tip a lot.

不过也仅限于此了。

But that’s about it.

刚刚一个长得挺帅的男人进来，她旁边的王露眼睛一亮，立刻挤开她迎上去了。

A handsome man came in just now, and Wang Lu, who was next to her, immediately pushed her aside and greeted him with a bright look.

杨绵绵心想：你就看到了他的阿玛尼西装，但是没闻到他身上淡淡的尸臭味和福尔马林的味道。

Yang Mianmian thought to herself: You just saw his Armani suit, but you didn’t smell the faint stench of corpse and formalin on him.

不能理解她们的智商。

She couldn’t understand their intelligence.

有一对情侣进来，她拿着精美的菜单走过去，然后发现这是个熟人。

A couple came in, she walked over with a beautiful menu, and then realized it was someone she knew.

荆楚也万万没想到会在这家高档餐厅里看到杨绵绵，看她穿着制服，眉头一下子就皱起来了，还板着脸，能有多严肃就有多严肃，通常得到这待遇的是罪犯：“你怎么在这里？”

Jing Chu never expected to see Yang Mianmian in this high-grade restaurant. Seeing her in her uniform, his eyebrows furrowed at once, and his face turned exceptionally stern. Those who get such a treatment from him are usually criminals, “What are you doing here?”

“赚学费和生活费。”

“To earn tuition and living expenses.”

荆楚紧锁眉头：“学费要多少，我先借给你。”他算是照顾小女孩的自尊心，没说给而是说了借。

Jing Chu furrowed his eyebrows tightly, “How much do you want for tuition, I’ll lend it to you first.” He took care of the little girl’s self-esteem, and didn’t say “give” but “lend”.

杨绵绵本来是不想多废话的，但是看在他修好了自己的马桶和电视机的份上，还是说：“救急不救穷。”

Yang Mianmian originally didn’t want to talk nonsense, but seeing that he had fixed his toilet and TV, she still answered, “Save it for an emergency, not the poor.”

荆楚一愣，她就抱着菜单走了。

Jing Chu was stunned, and she walked away with the menu.

罗裴裴不禁说：“这小女孩有点意思啊。”

Luo Peipei couldn’t help but say, “This little girl is kind of interesting.”

“亲戚家的小孩。”荆楚不想多说，“不过，是有点不一样。”

“A relative’s child.” Jing Chu didn’t want to say more, “But, she is a bit different.”

如果说第一次还没发现什么，但是第二次打交道，他敏锐的观察能力就发现杨绵绵和一般十七八岁的小女生有不大一样的地方了。

If he hadn’t noticed anything the first time, the second time he dealt with her he certainly has. His keen observation skills revealed that Yang Mianmian was not quite the same as the average 17 to 18-year-old girl.

不仅仅是早熟，但是不同在哪里，他一时半刻却也说不上来。

Not only was she matured early, whatever else that made her stand out from the rest wasn’t something he could pinpoint at the moment.

因为杨绵绵的特殊情况，经理特别关照财务给她一天一结工资，所以一天下来加上小费她赚了将近七八百块钱，实在超出预计，不过她的工作强度是十四个小时，包揽了午饭和晚饭的高峰时期。

Because of Yang Mianmian’s special situation, the manager took special care of her finances and gave her a day’s salary ahead of time. She earned nearly seven or eight hundred yuan in one day with tips, which was beyond her expectation. But she did work for fourteen hours and monopolized the peak lunch times and dinner times.

下班的时候已经是晚上十点钟了，她从后门走的，刚走几步就停下了，荆楚看见她那么有警惕心还有点欣慰，结果就看她只停了两秒钟就继续走过来了，还走到车窗那里敲了敲。

When she got off work, it was ten o’clock in the evening, she walked through the back door and stopped just a few steps away. Jing Chu was a little relieved to see her so alert, but she stopped for only two seconds and then continued walking over, even knocking on the window.

他降下车窗的时候表情就严肃地和教导处主任似的了：“不要走在车旁边，很危险。”

When he lowered the window, his expression was as serious as the head of the school, “Don’t walk beside a car, its dangerous.”

“我认出你的车了。”杨绵绵显然有点烦他，终于憋不住说，“你很烦。”

“I recognized your car.” Yang Mianmian was obviously a little annoyed with him and finally couldn’t hold back and said, “You’re annoying.”

荆楚微微皱眉，他送走罗裴裴之后特地绕回来等了她下班，一等就等了将近两个多小时，但是看到她年纪那么小，别人家的小孩都在家里和爹妈撒娇的时候她要出来打工到深夜，就把火气憋了回去：“上车吧，我送你回去。”

Jing Chu frowned slightly, after he sent Luo Peipei away, he specially came back around and waited for her to go home from work. In the end he waited for nearly two hours. But seeing that she was so young, she had to come out to work late at night when other people’s children were at home and spoiled with their parents, he held back his temper: “Get in the car, I’ll take you home.”

杨绵绵就上了车。

Yang Mianmian got into the car.

路上荆楚斟酌着语言，尽量不要用对犯人的那套来对她，自以为和蔼可亲：“你要打工这没什么，不过还是别留那么晚，女孩子一个人走夜路很危险。”

On the way, Jing Chu deliberated on his language, trying not to treat her in the same way as he does a criminal. He spoke in a way that he thought was kind and affable, “It’s fine if you want to work, but it’s better not to stay so late. It’s dangerous for a girl to walk alone at night.”

杨绵绵没说话。

Yang Mianmian didn’t say anything.

荆楚想了想，吓唬她：“前段时间有不少女学生失踪了，都被人拐卖到外地去了，有些就是像你这样，半路上被人拉进车里，就没人再看见过她们。”

Jing Chu thought about it, scaring her: “Some time ago, many young female students went missing, and they were all abducted and sold to foreign countries. Some of them were like you, walking home and was dragged into other people’s cars. And then no one ever saw them again.”

杨绵绵：“……”

Yang Mianmian: “……”

“之前还有抢劫犯假扮快递员进家里把一家四口全都杀了的新闻你看见过吧？一个人在家不要随随便便给人开门。”

“Did you see the news about the time a robber disguised as a delivery man and went into a house and killed a family of four? Don’t open the door to anyone when you’re home alone.”

“那天有个女的下班回家走夜路被人强~暴了……咳。”大概终于意识到自己讲的内容对于一个小女生来说太过恐怖，荆楚及时打住了。

“There was a woman walking home at night from work the other day who was raped… cough.” Probably finally realizing that what he was saying was too terrifying for a little girl, Jing Chu promptly stopped.

他侧头看着杨绵绵，她小小的脸庞在黑暗的车里都好像是会发光，他以前看到书里说“陋室生辉”觉得是在放屁，人脸又不是电灯泡，居然还会发光？但现在才知道是真的。

He looked at Yang Mianmian sideways, her small face in the dark car looked like it was glowing. He had seen such descriptions in books and thought it was all bullshit. The human face was not a light bulb, how could it glow? But now he realized it was true.

她扑哧一下笑了起来，真的好像是在黑暗里擦亮了火柴：“你这个人……”她想了一想，才说，“心肠蛮好的。”

She giggled and really looked like a match that was lit in the dark, “You’re really…” she thought for a moment before saying, “quite kind.”

荆楚啼笑皆非，刚想说什么，就听她悠悠道：“就是太烦了，我从小到大都没人管，也不需要人管。”她说，“我和其他人不一样，所以我希望你别来烦我了。”

Jing Chu didn’t know whether to cry or laugh, and was about to say something, when she continued leisurely, “You’re just too annoying, I’ve had no one to care for me since I was a child, and I don’t need anyone to care for me.” She said, “I’m not like other people, so I wish you’d leave me alone.”

荆楚不是容易和人动气的人，但她如此不识好歹，也不愿意再自讨没趣。

Jing Chu was not one to get angry with people easily, but she was so ungrateful that he didn’t want to set himself up for another rebuff.

大雨来得又快又急，很快外面的视线就被阻挠了，荆楚开了收音机，有个电台在放轻音乐，舒缓而温柔。

The rain came fast and furious, and soon the view outside was obstructed. Jing Chu turned on the radio, putting on some light music that was soothing and relaxing.

正是因为这暴雨和车内的音乐阻扰了杨绵绵的听觉，她没有听见路边遗落的发夹嚎啕大哭的求助声。

The torrential rain and music in the car obstructed Yang Mianmian’s hearing, so she did not hear the wailing cry for help from a hair clip left on the roadside.

“救救她！你们救救她啊！”

“Save her! Please save her!”

可是没有人听见。

But no one heard it.

荆楚把杨绵绵送到楼下的时候雨还没停，他看着她拎着袋子就跑出去，不由开口：“冲点板蓝根，当心感冒。”

When Jing Chu sent Yang Mianmian home, the rain had not stopped. He watched her run out with a bag, and could not help but open his mouth: “Drink some woad, be careful of getting sick.”

杨绵绵懒得和他说自己家里连一块姜都没有，还板蓝根呢，她敷衍了当：“知道了，谢谢你，再见啊。”

Yang Mianmian didn’t bother to tell him that she didn’t even have a piece of ginger at home, so how could she have woad? So she perfunctorily said, “I know, thank you. Goodbye.”

荆楚目送她上楼，直到她家里的灯亮起才开车离开。

Jing Chu watched her go upstairs and drove off only when the lights were on at her house.

大家集体评价：“他人还蛮好的呢。”

Everyone commented collectively, “He’s quite nice.”

杨绵绵拉上窗帘，不在意道：“警察蜀黍嘛，就是那么爱操心。”

Yang Mianmian closed the curtains, not caring: “He’s a policeman, they just love to worry.”

暴雨下了几个钟头再停，但那时早已进入凌晨时分，整个城市静悄悄的，发夹哭累了，匍匐在肮脏的水池里低低抽泣。

The rainstorm rained for a few hours and then stopped, but by then it had already entered the early hours of the morning, the whole city was quiet. The hairpin was tired out from crying as it wallowed in the dirty pools of water sobbing intermediately.

“你别哭了。”停在路边的一辆小面包车安慰她。

“Don’t cry anymore.” A small bread van parked on the side of the road comforted it.

“她要死了。”发夹上原本镶满了水晶，应该戴在少女如云般的秀发上熠熠生辉才是，但是它现在狼狈极了，“救救她，谁来救救她啊。”

“She’s dying.” The hair clip had been filled with crystals and should have glistened on the girl’s cloud-like hair, but now it was a mess, “Save her, someone save her.”

“不要哭了。”面包车想了想，小声说，“等到天亮，我看看能不能找到人来帮你，不过，你要救谁啊？”

“Don’t cry anymore.” The bread van thought and whispered, “Wait until morning and I’ll see if I can find someone to help you, but who are you going to save?”

“谢谢啊。”发夹小声说，“涵涵被人抓走了。”

“Thank you,” The hair clip whispered, “Hanhan had been taken.”

涵涵是它的主人，是一个漂亮年轻的姑娘，发夹说，她是在下班路上被人给掳走了的。

Hanhan was its owner, a beautiful young girl. The hair clip said that she had been taken on her way home from work.

“它们都在说快走，但是涵涵听不见……”发夹低落地说，“它们都说他不是好人，但是她听不见，也听不见我讲话QAQ。”

“They were telling her to quickly leave, but Hanhan can’t hear them…” the hair clip said in a low voice, “They were all saying he was a bad person, but she can’t hear them, nor hear me.” QAQ

深夜的低语里，黎明渐渐到来了。

In the whispers of the night, dawn gradually came.

杨绵绵比平时醒得更早，她困极了，把头埋到枕头下面：“再让我睡一会儿。”

Yang Mianmian woke up earlier than usual, and she was so sleepy that she buried her head under the pillow: “Let me sleep a little longer.”

“绵绵，有个女孩子不见了。”闹钟仔细听窗外的电线杆说完，和她说，“好像是半路被人拐走了。”

“Mianmian, a girl went missing.” The alarm clock listened carefully to the telephone pole outside the window and said to her, “It seems that she was abducted halfway home.”

杨绵绵睁开一只眼睛：“拐小孩？”

Yang Mianmian opened one eye and said, “Kidnapping?”

“不是。”她卧室的窗外正对着一根电线杆，此时给她送来最新消息，“绵绵，她好像……死了。”

“No.” Her bedroom window was facing a telephone pole and the latest news was delivered to her “Mianmian, it seems… that she’s dead.”

杨绵绵一下子就清醒了。

Yang Mianmian came to her senses at once.

她坐在床上呆了两秒钟：“死人了？”

She sat on the bed for two seconds, “Someone died?”

“嗯，就在老公园的小树林里。”

“Yes, she’s in the woods in the old park.”

杨绵绵噢了一声，重新躺了回去：“既然死了，就不关我们的事儿了。”

Yang Mianmian gave an affirming sound and laid back down, “Since she’s dead, it’s none of our business.”

死人了，调查是警察的事儿，和她有什么关系？世间万物各安其责，乱管闲事是不会有好下场的。

If someone died, it’s the police’s business to investigate, so what does it have to do with her? Everything in the world has its rules, and meddling in something she shouldn’t would case her trouble.

杨绵绵在心里和自己那么说，然后比平时早了一个小时起床，飞快洗漱完毕，她塞了几块硬币在口袋里就走出了家门。

Yang Mianmian said that to herself, then got up an hour earlier than usual, washed up quickly, stuffed a few coins in her pocket and walked out of the house.

夏季的白天来得早，这会儿快五点钟了，东方已经泛白，路上空荡荡的，连买菜的大妈都还没起床。

The daytime of summer came quickly, it was almost five o’clock, and the east was already shining white. The roads were empty, and even the morning grocery shoppers hadn’t gotten up yet.

杨绵绵找到了那只发夹，非常漂亮的粉色水晶，还有许多华丽的水钻镶嵌环绕，是个漂亮的小姑娘。

Yang Mianmian found the hair clip, a very pretty pink crystal with many gorgeous rhinestones set around it.

她低头把发夹拾了起来：“别哭了，她死了。”

She bowed her head and picked up the hair clip “Don’t cry anymore, she’s dead.”

水晶发夹的哭声戛然而止：“涵涵……死了？”

The crystal hair clip’s cries stopped abruptly: “Hanhan’s… dead?”

旁边的面包车发出低低一声抽泣，发夹的声音尖利极了：“涵涵，死了？”

The bread van beside him let out a low sob, and the hair clip’s voice was sharp: “Hanhan’s, dead?”

“死了。”

“She’s dead.”

发夹嚎啕大哭：“我不相信！她才二十一岁，刚刚认识男朋友，他把我送给了她，说他们要在一起一辈子，我不相信！”

The hair clip wailed, “I don’t believe it! She’s only twenty-one, she just met her boyfriend, and he gave me to her and said they were going to be together forever! I don’t believe it!”

“那也没有办法。”杨绵绵把它塞进自己的裤袋里，“警察很快就发现她的尸体。”

“That can’t be helped.” Yang Mianmian tucked it into her pants pocket, “The police will soon find her body.”

“你带我去看看！”发夹哀求，“涵涵最喜欢我了，你把我还给她好不好？”

“Show me!” The hairpin begged, “Hanhan likes me the most, will you give me back to her?”

杨绵绵沉默了一会儿，说道：“现在不行。”

Yang Mianmian was silent for a moment and said, “Not now.”

“为什么？”

“Why not?”

“你会妨碍警察办案的。”杨绵绵找到一家刚刚开门的早餐店，思来想去，决定吃一碗馄饨，四块钱，素馅，但胜在个大，白白胖胖浮在汤里，相当有食欲。

“You’ll get in the way of the police case.” Yang Mianmian found a breakfast place that had just opened, and after thinking about it, she decided to have a bowl of wontons. Four dollars, vegetarian filling, but it was big, white and chubby floating in the soup, and quite appetizing.

她加了醋和辣椒，几乎是一口一个，发夹还在不依不饶：“你带我去看看吧，既然你能听见我的声音，带我去吧。”

She added vinegar and chili, and pretty much ate one wonton per bite. The hair clip was still not willing to give up, “Just let me see her. Since you can hear me, just take me over there.”

在别人的店里，她自言自语就显得很可笑了，所以杨绵绵一声没吭，任由它聒噪，到最后发夹看她实在是不肯理它，又哭哭啼啼起来。

In other people’s stores, it would be ridiculous for her to talk to herself, so Yang Mianmian didn’t say a word, letting it clamor. In the end, the hair clip saw that she really wouldn’t pay attention to it, and wept again.

杨绵绵：“……”

Yang Mianmian: “…….”

这只发夹真娇贵，和小姑娘似的，还是这种奢侈品店里的东西都是这么矜贵的性子，她以前买过一个地摊上的蝴蝶结发夹，粉红色圆点，性格剽悍，会在大马路上骂不小心刮蹭到她的人。

This hair clip was really pampered, like a little girl. Or were all things from a luxury store like this in personality? She previously bought a bow hair clip with pink polka dots from a stall that had a fierce personality. It would scold anyone that touched it out on the road.

“去你妈的小兔崽子，居然敢蹭老娘！你是活腻了吗！”

“Fuck you little brat, how dare you touch against me! Are you tired of living!”

诸如此类。

And so on.

可惜地摊货的质量实在是不怎么样，没过多久就坏了，她和杨绵绵告别的时候还凶巴巴的：“没什么好伤心的，下辈子投胎，我要做卡地亚家的发夹！”

Unfortunately, the quality of the goods from a stall wasn’t high, and it was not long after it broke down. When it said goodbye to Yang Mianmian, it was as fierce as always, “There’s nothing to be sad about. I hope in my next life, I will be a Cartier brand hair clip!”

“……祝你好运。”

“… Good luck.”

人有的时候的确不能选择出生，但至少可以选择生活的方式。

It’s true that one can’t choose their birth but at least one can choose how to live.

她回过神来，水晶发夹还在哭，她把最后一个馄饨吃掉，结账离开。

She came back to her senses, the crystal hair clip still crying. She ate the last of her wonton, paid and left.

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