It wasn’t until 40 minutes later, as the queue of students finally started to disperse—which was only because Yi Jiadong and Jiaru were jointly selling milk tea—that some diners who came to eat had to wait at the table until Yi Jiadong was free to serve their meals.
After things quieted down, Yi Jiadong had a moment of realization as he glanced over the children in the room: Yi Jiayi, Jiaru, Jiajun, Ding Baoshu, and the newly joined Sun Xin. It then occurred to him, oh, they hadn’t eaten yet.
He then turned back to the kitchen, clanging and frying up dishes.
When he brought the dishes to the table, Sun Xin took the opportunity to make a plate of mapo tofu.
Everyone gathered around the table, more numerous and lively than usual, celebrating new dishes and good earnings, which put everyone in a great mood and brought out hearty appetites. They ate eagerly, enjoying the food more than usual.
When they finally put down their chopsticks, everyone’s stomachs were full.
Just as Yi Jiadong was about to get up, Sun Xin had already jumped up to collect the chopsticks. Ding Baoshu immediately ran into the kitchen, grabbed a dishcloth and dish soap, ready to start washing dishes right away.
“It turns out it’s not just two extra mouths, but two extra pairs of hands,” Yi Jiadong remarked, watching the two busy children, unable to help but feel moved.
In the afternoon, the extra pair of hands sat together to pickle radishes. Ding Baoshu, curious, asked Sun Xin how he had been mistakenly arrested as a suspect and how he was released.
After Sun Xin answered his hundred questions, Ding Baoshu shared stories about his own brother.
The two boys, several years apart in age, instantly felt a kindred spirit and pickled the radishes with even greater synergy.
Meanwhile, Yi Jiayi took Jiaru shopping. Before leaving, she even made a special trip back home.
Digging through the closet, she couldn’t resist her strongest desire and picked out her old school uniform from her student days. After trying it on and finding it still fit, she let her hair down and chose a deep blue hair clip from her sister’s old box, happily slinging on a small bag to head out. She was taking her sister to the famous Times Square in Causeway Bay!
Ah, the school uniform of a Hong Kong high school girl. Back in the mainland, I envied the uniforms in Japan, Hong Kong, and Taiwan every year, and now I finally get to wear it—fulfilling my youthful dream!
Stepping out in black leather shoes, Yi Jiayi twirled out of her room, thinking if only she had a pair of new Mary Jane shoes and a slightly smaller chest, she’d look even more like a student.
“I’m so jealous of your flat chest,” Yi Jiayi couldn’t help but say to Jiaru.
When Jiaru was struck as if by lightning, she stomped her feet on the spot, exclaiming in frustration — Princess Taiping1Princess Taiping is often associated with the term “flat breast” due to a particular historical account that suggests she tried to demonstrate loyalty and humility to her brother, Emperor Zhongzong, by exposing her chest to him to prove she had no intentions of usurping the throne. According to these accounts, she showed that, as a woman with flat breasts (indicating a lack of feminine beauty by the standards of the time), she posed no threat and had no personal ambitions for the throne. This act was meant to display her submission and loyalty to the emperor. was teased by her older sister, how infuriating!
As soon as they hit the streets, the sisters found themselves at odds.
With a generous budget in hand, Jiayi wanted to take the MTR, which had been operational in Hong Kong since 1979. Jiaru, who usually traveled no further than the school and home, seldom ventured out. Her rare outings were mostly limited to nearby Mong Kok, reachable by bike or on foot—no need for the subway.
Young girls, curious about everything they haven’t yet experienced, insisted on exploring the underground world, waving their Octopus cards determined to ride the MTR.
However, Jiayi was set on taking the double-decker bus. How could one possibly enjoy touring Hong Kong by subway, stuck in a closed carriage with nothing but wilted commuters to look at? After spending endless days on the subway in a past life in the metropolis, hadn’t she had enough?
The sisters’ battle was finally won by Jiayi’s strong insistence on experiencing something they hadn’t in decades—the double-decker bus, claiming victory by pulling the older sister card.
Of course, the price was a giant two-colored ice cream.
Their first destination, Times Square, brought no disagreement; it was an absolute choice.
Twins debuted in 2001, yet Jiayi had already stepped into Times Square in the 90s, listening to singers like Twins and Hacken Lee. Despite the question, “So what?” Jiayi was proudly triumphant.
Arriving in Hong Kong’s peak era, they explored locations featured in peak era movies and TV shows, indulged in the delicacies eaten by major stars and characters, and walked the streets imbued with joy, sorrow, and legendary tales, as if stepping into a splendid tunnel of time.
Jiayi, more excited than the younger Jiaru, delighted at every turn with wonder and joy.
Finally exhausted from their high spirits, Jiayi pulled Jiaru to Causeway Bay’s Tang Lung Street to shop for clothes, weaving through the crowds where no one knew that a time traveler was among them, eyeing each hurried passerby with a mix of relief and peculiarity, appreciating every visitor who wasn’t glued to their phones.
She bought sunscreen, new hair ties for herself and her sister, new shoes for their brother and younger brother, a new racket, and a new backpack for the younger brother.
When it came to shopping for the siblings, Jiayi pondered over how much to spend.
After all, 12-year-old Jiajun, clueless as he was, would be thrilled with any new pair of shoes, treasuring even the cheapest as a gem. The rugged big brother would tear up with gratitude for his big sister’s thoughtful gifts.
But Jiaru, at the sensitive and prideful age of 16, couldn’t just be appeased with any trivial item.
Yet, opting for something too pricey would be painfully pretentious for Jiayi, the obviously less affluent elder sister.
Struggling to recall her sister’s spending habits, she drew a blank.
Then, she saw Jiaru excitedly stopping at a stall selling cute patches like Doraemon and Chibi Maruko-chan, eagerly wanting to buy several beautiful Hello Kitty patches to renew an old shirt.
As she spoke, Jiaru’s expression was one of genuine excitement, with no pretense.
Just moments ago, Yi Jiayi, who was initially hesitant about her sister’s love for designer brands, almost teared up in heartache.
For a child accustomed to poverty, the grandest wish in her mind never involved anything like buying designer brands. She was completely judging Jiaru through the eyes of young people who grew up in affluent conditions and were surrounded by material desires.
In this era in Hong Kong, being seen as ‘only caring about money’ was considered tacky and looked down upon. What people admired more were traits like ‘loyalty’ and ’emotional generosity’.
It was she who was being tacky.
But the tacky Yi Jiayi, carried away by her impulsiveness, ended up buying three new tops and a pair of shoes for her ‘naive’ sister.
Jiaru was so excited by the purchases that she was speechless, and the salesgirl in the clothing store was so delighted that she couldn’t stop praising them:
“You’re so amazing! You must have won lots of scholarships, right? Otherwise, how could you spend so generously!”
“Little sister, you’re so lucky to have such a generous sister. I’m really envious of you.”
“Oh, that one suits you so well! Wow, what do you think of that one? You’ll definitely look like a Disney princess in it!…”
Finally, the salesgirl praised so much that Yi Jiayi’s wallet trembled, and amid her repeated declines of “Thank you, no!” the salesgirl reluctantly bid farewell to the shopping sisters.
Returning home laden with big and small bags, the Yi sisters began to imagine the shocked expressions of the Yi household’s boys when they saw all the purchases.
The eldest brother would definitely exclaim in agony over the money, shouting, “Why did you buy so much?” “It’s such a waste!” “Jiajun is still growing, those new pants will be too small in a few months, you should buy a size larger, no no, five sizes larger!”
Jiajun would certainly be starry-eyed, moved to tears by having such a generous sister.
As they approached the escalator with their bags, Yi Jiayi suddenly spotted a sneaky man on the escalator going up on the other side. As he reached their floor, he stealthily stole a wallet from an old lady’s bag.
Jiayi’s eyes widened, and without thinking, her body reacted first.
She let go of her bags, quickly pulled out her ID from her bag, and sprinted towards the thief. She raised her arm high with her ID and shouted loudly:
“Don’t move! Police!”
In that moment, Yi Jiayi was incredibly cool!
It was like a scene out of a movie, causing passersby around to turn their heads and unconsciously admire: “A policewoman catching a thief, how beautiful!”
Standing behind her big sister, Jiaru looked up at Yi Jiayi, who stood tall and imposing, filled with admiration.
That’s my sister!
This super cool person, she’s my real sister!
Without a doubt, her dream of becoming a female movie star when she grows up might just turn into becoming a policewoman!
Startled by the sudden appearance of Yi Jiayi, the thief shuddered, glanced quickly at her, and then turned to flee.
The elderly lady whose belongings were stolen reacted swiftly. Realizing that her possessions had been taken, she swung her sturdy, plump arm and fiercely grabbed the thief by the shoulder.
With a ripping sound, the thief’s clothes tore as he turned around and cursed loudly:
“Damn your whole family! Damn!”
“What did you say?” Yi Jiayi stepped forward, ready to take action.
Seeing her dressed in a school uniform and looking delicate, the thief wasn’t intimidated at all. Regaining his composure, he shook off the old lady’s grip and pushed her, making her stagger. Then, puffing up his chest and leaning forward more aggressively than Yi Jiayi, he yelled, “What if I curse you, Madam?”
He even made a gesture as if he was about to hit Yi Jiayi.
Just as Yi Jiayi, fearless as a calf facing a tiger, was about to retort more fiercely, a group suddenly burst forth behind the thief.
Seeing that Yi Jiayi didn’t strike, the thief guessed she was a new, weak cop and prepared to show off before making his escape. But just as he was about to speak again, a flying kick came out of nowhere, catching the unguarded thief with a painful yelp. In an instant, his arrogance was gone, and he was sprawled on the ground.
Liu Jiaming steadied himself, and as the pickpocket attempted to leap up and flee, Sanfu rushed forward. He crouched and pressed his knee firmly into the small of the thief’s back, causing the thief to cry out in pain, immobilized.
After handcuffing him, Sanfu retrieved a wallet from the thief’s pocket and tossed it to an elderly lady standing nearby, then he hoisted the thief up to stand.
The onlookers who had gathered around were dazzled by the swift action. Just moments ago, they were worried about the young policewoman getting hurt, and suddenly, a group of imposing men appeared and subdued the thief with ease.
Could it be that the policewoman had plainclothes bodyguards?
“Wow! Our little Eleven is so impressive! Even in plain clothes, she manages to perform her duty!” Liu Jiaming, having just kicked the thief, felt refreshed and cheerfully praised Yi Jiayi with a smile.
“Yes!” Gary laughed heartily, mimicking Yi Jiayi’s earlier actions by swiftly pulling out a badge from his bag and shouting authoritatively, “Freeze! Police!”
After finishing his imitation, he clapped and laughed loudly, “Madam, you’re so cool! You’re definitely the most handsome and charming policewoman in Hong Kong!”
Yi Jiayi, flattered and blushing, could only giggle sheepishly.
Just now, she had acted impulsively. Thinking back, if it weren’t for their timely intervention, she could have really been bullied.
In the future, she resolved to practice her martial arts; otherwise, facing villains with only a strong presence and not enough strength would be inadequate.
“Why are you guys even here?” Yi Jiayi scratched her head and asked shyly.
Sanfu Brother dragged the thief out to hand him over to the patrolling uniformed police, while Lin Wangjiu casually approached Yi Jiayi, explaining:
“Today, Team C had a task to catch someone, requiring a tight setup throughout the mall. We were short on people, so both we and Team A came over for a coordinated ambush. But we didn’t catch the person, so everyone dispersed early.”
Following behind and watching his subordinates make their move was Boss Fang Zhenyue, who approached leisurely with a deep, contemplative look in his eyes as he observed Yi Jiayi. He didn’t mention the thief-catching or Team C’s task, but instead asked softly, “What’s with this outfit?”
Yi Jiayi’s face turned pale!
Locking eyes with Fang Zhenyue, it was clear that he had been observing her for quite some time and had already noticed.
Only then did she realize that today was absolutely the wrong day to run into a colleague!
She was out having fun, wearing her school uniform from her student days!
After growing up, Yi Jiayi had developed further, making her chest stand out more, causing the front of her shirt to curl up a bit. Her skirt was also somewhat short, and her long, straight, white legs were conspicuously eye-catching.
If she hadn’t run into anyone she knew, she could have enjoyed her shopping trip, accepting other people’s stares as compliments and happily embracing them.
But running into someone she knew…
How embarrassing!
How could this happen?
Doesn’t she care about losing face?
i knew it lmao