Afraid of hurting people, she used very light force. Each time she combed, she would first pinch the roots of the hair with her other hand before moving her hand. After combing the hair smoothly, she would then separate the bangs and the hair at the back into triangular sections.
Xu Chacha puffed out her cheeks and blew away the long bangs that were blocking her vision. "Sister, are you going to cut my hair?"
Wen Mubai hummed in agreement, "Do you still want that lady from before to cut your hair?"
"No, no, I want you."
"Then I'll cut it for you." Wen Mubai raised his hand and gestured on her shoulder. "Is this length okay?"
Xu Chacha's hair wasn't very long, mainly because the ends were cut unevenly, and her bangs hadn't been styled in a long time, making it look messy. Thinking that little girls should love beauty and like to keep their hair long, Wen Mubai didn't want to cut too much of her hair.
Xu Chacha held onto the sink with both hands, tiptoeing to carefully check the length, "Hmm, okay."
"Then I'll start cutting." Wen Mubai twirled the scissors in his hand and tapped Xu Chacha's forehead with his left hand. "Please don't move around for now, little guest."
"I know!" Xu Chacha obediently closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly as she pressed against her eyelids, perhaps due to nervousness.
Wen Mubai turned to the side and used his hand to divide her bangs into three sections. With the first clean cut, he cut the middle section above her eyebrows, and then used the scissors at an angle to naturally connect the two sides with the middle section.
After the bangs were cut, it was simple. Just cut them into neat, straight cuts. Wen Mubai's hands were very steady, and each cut perfectly matched the length in front, so there was no need for any further trimming.
After cutting it, she wiped the stray hairs that had fallen onto Xu Chacha's eyelids with a tissue. "Okay, take a look."
Xu Chacha opened her eyes, but before she dared to look directly at the mirror, she whispered to Wen Mubai for his opinion, "Does it look good?"
"It looks good." Wen Mubai smiled at her, and fearing that the little one wouldn't believe her, she added, "Really, I'm not lying."
With her new haircut, Xu Chacha looks somewhat like a doll meticulously crafted by a Japanese artisan. Her fair and round face paired with her cute and neat bob haircut is enough to charm a whole bunch of older women, even if she just stands there without moving or saying a word.
Moreover, Xu Chacha's age is indeed suitable for a refreshing straight fringe, which can reveal her beautiful and clear eyes, and the wispy hair trimmed on both sides can also modify her face shape.
However… Wen Mubai reached out and tucked Xu Chacha’s hair behind her ears, then, on a whim, pinched and played with a soft piece of her cheek.
Her chubby cheeks were actually cuter.
Xu Chacha patiently let her pinch her face without any resistance.
Wen Mubai stopped teasing Xu Chacha and patted her bangs, saying, "Good girl."
Her bangs tickled her forehead, and Xu Chacha squinted and flicked her bangs, but she didn't reject Wen Mubai's affectionate gesture.
Wen Mubai washed and dried the scissors and comb and put them back. "You stand here first, I'll go and get you some hot water."
The hot water here comes on rather slowly, taking about thirty seconds to come out. Wen Mubai kept testing the temperature with his hand as he ran the water, and only turned it off when he felt it was just right.
Xu Chacha stared at her back, trying to figure out how to persuade Wen Mubai to let her take a bath alone. But even after the water was ready, she still hadn't managed to utter a single word.
"Come here." Wen Mubai stood up and walked towards her. (GZH: lesbian2088, all yuri resources are available)
Xu Chacha tilted her head back, watching Wen Mubai slowly approach her through the steaming hot water, her face and neck turning red with nervousness.
"Lift your hand a little." Wen Mubai pulled up the hem of her clothes.
Xu Chacha pressed down on the clothes with both hands, her face scrunched up, "Sister, I really can wash them myself."
Wen Mubai looked up and saw her flushed face. He immediately understood that the little cutie was shy.
Yes, at this age, one should understand some basic manners and values.
However, it's really hard to feel at ease leaving someone alone in the bathroom.
"Wait a minute, sister." She let go of her hand, walked into the room, and took out a close-fitting camisole from her suitcase to wear underneath.
"Put this on, your sister won't look at you." Wen Mubai handed the clothes to Xu Chacha.
"Huh?" Xu Chacha clutched her clothes, not understanding what she meant.
"Wear this, and I'll only wash the parts you can't reach. You can wash the rest of the parts you're shy about yourself." Wen Mubai patiently confirmed with her, "Is this okay?"
"Alright then." It is indeed a win-win solution.
After Wen Mubai turned his back, Xu Chacha quickly changed her clothes.
The camisole that fit Wen Mubai perfectly looked like a dress on her, with the hem covering her mid-thigh.
She pinched the straps and tied a knot, pulling up the low neckline.
"Okay, sister."
Wen Mubai turned around, placed a towel on the wooden stool where he had been standing on tiptoe, and then let Xu Chacha sit on it.
"Lower your head."
Xu Chacha hummed in agreement and obediently lowered her head.
Wen Mubai squeezed out a pump of shampoo, lathered it in his palm, and then rubbed it onto Xu Chacha's hair.
Her hair is fine and soft with little volume, making it easy to wash.
Xu Chacha sat with her back to him, her hands resting on her knees. Occasionally, when Wen Mubai's fingers touched a sensitive spot on her scalp, she would shrug her shoulders and groan softly. At that moment, she would receive a gentle "Sister, be gentler."
"It's not pain," Xu Chacha said breathlessly, "it's itchiness..."
"Then let me help you finish washing quickly," Wen Mubai said again, seemingly having inexhaustible patience with the little girl in front of her.
While washing, she kept her eyes downcast and quietly observed the injuries on Xu Chacha's body.
Just as expected, Xu Chacha suffered long-term abuse at the hands of that couple, with large and small bruises, both old and new, on her back and legs, mostly thin stick marks.
Wen Mubai counted the wounds on the small body one by one with his eyes, as if trying to memorize them all in this way.
With each additional number added, her lingering fear grew stronger.
If there hadn't been so much luck and coincidence in what happened today, would there have been a few more shocking marks like these on this fragile, frail body?
"Look down," Wen Mubai said, turning on the shower. "You can rinse it off now."
Xu Chacha nodded, closed her eyes, and as she looked down, she habitually shrugged her shoulders, causing the butterfly bones on her thin back to tighten. As a result, she accidentally untied the knot of her tank top, revealing a birthmark on her vest.
Wen Mubai's eyes caught sight of the distinctive butterfly wing birthmark, and he stopped what he was doing.
It couldn't have been rinsed properly in such a short time, but there was no movement on her head. Xu Chacha asked in confusion, "Sister?"
"Cha Cha, do you know who your mom and dad are?" Wen Mubai touched the butterfly mark with his left hand and rubbed it.
It is indeed a birthmark, not something drawn on.
Xu Chacha noticed her movements and then remembered the setting in the book. It seemed that the original owner was found at the age of fifteen because someone discovered the birthmark on her back.
Her birthmark is very special, looking like a light red butterfly. When she was born, a fortune teller praised her, saying it was an auspicious sign that she would surely become an outstanding person in the future.
"Cha Cha doesn't know who her parents are, but she overheard them arguing once." Xu Cha Cha racked her brains and started making up a story, "saying that they shouldn't have bought me, this money-losing girl, from City A in the first place."
“City A?” Wen Mubai frowned.
Xu Chacha pressed her advantage, saying, "It seems she also mentioned that Chacha's parents used to be very rich, and they had lots and lots of perfumes at home."
City A, a family with a renowned perfume business, plus this birthmark, and Xu Chacha's age.
The guess in Wen Mubai's mind gradually took shape.
The Xu family's perfume brand has been in business for over a century. In City A, only the Wen family can rival it, but if we simply compare financial resources, the former is still superior.
However, in recent years, the Xu family has also paid great attention to the cultural packaging of their own brand, and thus has had more frequent cooperation with them.
She remembered that seven years ago, the Xu couple had a daughter who was pretty and had a butterfly mark on her back. The Xu couple doted on their daughter and held a grand 100-day celebration for her.
As an important partner, the Wen family was naturally invited, and Wen Mubai attended the event, even taking a photo while holding the baby.
But little did the Xu couple know that their joy would not last long. Their daughter went missing on the street when she was three years old due to the nanny's mistake, and was never found again.
"Cha Cha, do you remember how old you were when you were taken to those bad guys?"
Xu Chacha thought for a moment, "Chacha doesn't remember, but the neighbor aunt said that when I was brought back, I could already walk."
"Can walk..." That means he must be around three years old.
"What's wrong, sister?" Xu Chacha asked tentatively.
She wanted to know if Wen Mubai had gotten the hint she was implying.
"It's okay." Wen Mubai turned the water back on and rinsed her hair.
"Does your older sister know Chacha's parents?"
Wen Mubai was 70% confident in her guess, but before she was 100% sure, she couldn't bear to give Xu Chacha the expectation that it might not come true.
"Does this mean Cha Cha's parents don't want her anymore?"
“Impossible,” Wen Mubai said. “Besides, no matter what, you still have your sister. Your sister wants you.”
Chapter 6
Xu Chacha once had a happy and fulfilling family life, but unfortunately it was too short-lived. The laughter, warmth, and sweetness in her memory seem like just bubbles that burst at the slightest touch.
After her parents left, she was assigned to live in an orphanage for a period of time. That was the first time she had lived and eaten with so many people her age.
Wearing old clothes and eating soup and porridge, Xu Chacha didn't care about any of that. She even thought that if someone other than her family was willing to take her in, it would be the greatest gift from heaven.
She still remembers that day when she was holding a book as usual, sneaking off to the rooftop for her afternoon nap, only to be followed by a group of children who looked much older than her.
At first, Xu Chacha had no idea what she was about to face. Soon she heard the iron door of the balcony slam shut, the creaking sound seeming to pity her five minutes later.
First, a boy grabbed her collar and forcefully pulled her cheeks to the sides.
"Stop pretending! What's so great about pretending to be a good student? Get out of here right now! This is our territory!"
"Just because you're young and pretty, you think you can get more favor from the headmistress by acting cute? Just wait, I'll tell on you, and she'll hate you soon enough, hahahahahahahaha!"
Xu Chacha's parents are hardworking, honest, and kind-hearted people, so she was taught from a young age to be humble, kind, and tolerant of others.
Ironically, her first reaction wasn't to blame the children who hit her, but rather to wonder if she had done something wrong that upset them.
"Why should a newcomer get extra food? Kneel down properly and say 'I'm sorry, brothers and sisters,' and apologize to you!"
The book in her hand was thrown aside and stomped on a few times in a fit of anger. Xu Chacha's gaze fell on it, and she listened blankly to what those people were saying.
Then she suddenly remembered that she had gotten first place in the last study test and was rewarded with a lunch of chicken leg and ham and eggs, as per the rules.
So, is this why she has to be treated this way?
After that, Xu Chacha never got first place again, and she never sneaked out during her afternoon nap again, but those people's actions only got worse.
One morning after exercise, the dean called her into his office with a stern face. She took out a pendant inlaid with rubies and told Xu Chacha that she had found it under her pillow.