Chapter 1689: Stylish

On this return trip, they took three and a half days by boat to reach the town's pier.

The whole group groaned, twisting their necks and waists, and had long been standing on the deck waiting to dock.

The old lady also looked exhausted; although she didn't get seasick, being confined to a cramped, swaying space for so long was still stifling.

But one thing that was better for her than others was that she was a bit hard of hearing; without her hearing aid, her hearing was poor, which reduced the impact of the machine's roar.

After the others went ashore, they all felt their hearing hadn't recovered yet and kept shouting loudly when speaking.

"Finally home."

"You several go back first; I still need to arrange unloading and delivery."

"Okay, shall we take a vehicle?"

"Let's take a vehicle; we young people can walk back without issue, but the old lady's legs can't handle such a long distance, so we'll take a passing bus."

"Alright, then we'll go wait for a passing vehicle."

They discussed it, got off the boat, and headed toward the main road.

Catching a passing vehicle wasn't actually that easy; you might have to wait an hour for one bus, and with that amount of time, anyone with quick legs would already be home; most people chose to walk unless the distance was far.

If there hadn't been an old lady among them, they would definitely have walked straight back, which would have been even faster.

Lin Lin Xiuqing walked while asking the old lady, "Are you still okay? Can you walk? If you can't, let's stop and rest for a bit."

"The tractors nearby are all transporting goods and won't carry passengers; we can only wait by the roadside, otherwise spending a bit more money to be sent straight home would be faster."

The old lady waved her hand, "It's fine; we've only walked a few steps. Walking slowly is no problem; getting to the roadside earlier means catching a vehicle sooner, and only then can we rest at home."

"I'll make a phone call to have the family tractor come pick us up; it might even be faster."

"Then let's have the family tractor come over; passing vehicles are hard to wait for."

Lin Lin Xiuqing nodded.

Ye's mother calculated they would arrive in about these two days, so she waited at home.

Sure enough, upon receiving the call, she immediately dispatched a tractor to the town to pick them up.

When she saw the old lady, with her head full of black hair, bowing her head as several daughters-in-law helped her down from the vehicle, she was stunned.

"Huh? Going to Shanghai can actually reverse aging?"

The old lady, whose face had been full of exhaustion, now wore a smile. "Where is there any reversing of aging?"

The women in the workshop also exclaimed with surprise.

They didn't even bother finishing cleaning the fish; they all excitedly gathered around, chattering over one another as they surrounded the old lady, finding it incredibly fresh.

"Does Shanghai nourish people? One trip there, and white hair turns black?"

"Oh my, one trip out, and you come back unrecognizable?"

"Amazing! Shanghai's soil and water really nourish people; after staying a month, you come back younger?"

"Not just younger, but also stylish..."

"Tsk tsk tsk, really different? One long trip away, and you come back over ten years younger?"

"Big cities are just good; they nourish people? How did the hair turn black all of a sudden?"

The old lady, beaming, touched her hair, very proud. "How exaggerated is that? This is what Ah Qing dyed for me; doesn't it look young? Hehe, those few days there were typhoon days, so I was idle and just messing around."

"Dyed? I thought you ate some immortal pill or miraculous medicine."

"This hair dyeing is good; instantly younger. Ah Qing knows how to dye hair?"

"How is it dyed? Can one dye it oneself? I have quite a few white hairs too; can they be dyed black as well?"

"Don't say it; white hair turning black instantly makes one look much younger."

"Can one dye it other colors oneself? Dye it red or yellow, and immediately become stylish."

Today's protagonist is the old lady!

No woman dislikes being beautiful; from three years old to ninety, no one dislikes being praised for beauty.

Surrounded by everyone praising her youth and the good hair dye job, the old lady felt all her exhaustion lighten.

Ye's mother was envious; touching the white hairs on her own head, she felt she had lost out by not going on this trip.

"Tomorrow I'll go to the barbershop in town and ask; is dyeing hair expensive?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing smiled and said, "Hair dye is very cheap; a box is only a few yuan. For short hair, one box can dye two people; I opened one box to dye for Father and the old lady, and it was just enough."

"Your father dyed it too? Then he must look several years younger?"

"He looks younger; Father's temples were originally white; after dyeing, his hair is jet black, making him look at least five years younger."

"For no reason, why did you think of dyeing hair?"

The old lady opened her mouth to speak but then closed it, feeling it wasn't appropriate to say.

It was a bit uncomfortable.

She had been holding it in for a month; seeing everyone discussing so lively, she really wanted to speak freely...

Lin Lin Xiuqing answered, "Ah Dong suggested it. When I bought it, I saw other colors too; I bought a wine-red one and a yellow one. If you want to dye it, I'll dye it for you tomorrow."

"I knew it must be his idea; otherwise, who at our age would voluntarily dye their hair." Ye's mother was somewhat tempted but still restrained herself and didn't say she would dye it tomorrow.

The old lady opened her mouth, unable to hold it in anymore. "It was Old Pei; he dyed his hair black. We saw it looked a bit young and chatted about it for a bit, then Dongzi told me to dye one too."

"Huh? Old Pei dyed his hair and you saw it?" Ye's mother exclaimed with surprise, "An old man, at his age, still dyeing his hair to look young; what is he up to? Making so much fuss."

A woman lowered her voice and asked sneakily, "Could it be he really found one outside, so he needs to make himself look young and not let his wife find out?"

The old lady stopped speaking, trying to cover up. "Oh, how would I know that? We didn't see anything. It's exhausting; we took several days by boat and then by vehicle; I need to go back and lie down to rest."

Lin Lin Xiuqing hurriedly supported her. "Yes, hurry back and lie down to rest; don't overdo it."

Just back, they were indeed very tired; only after getting off the vehicle and seeing so many people making a fuss did they talk a bit more.

The old lady, lacking energy, couldn't hold up; supported back to the room, she lay down. "I'm so tired I can't stand or even sit up; remember to call Dongzi and tell him we've arrived home."

"Okay."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was exhausted, but she still managed to make the call, and after finishing, she thought about washing up before lying down.

Bathing was inconvenient on the boat; they hadn't washed in many days, and besides, it was only late September—still very hot.

The children at home were all in school and hadn't returned yet; the house was perfectly quiet, perfect for a good nap.

When the children came back, they wouldn't need to be called—they'd hear the noisy commotion at the front door, just like a morning market.

Lin Lin Xiuqing checked: she'd only slept two hours, but she still had to get up and cook.

Ye Ye Chengyang and Ye Ye Xiaoxi had just gotten home from school and had no idea their mother had returned; they were already shouting and calling friends in the courtyard.

"What are you yelling about? As soon as you get home, I hear you making noise like a marketplace."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi was delighted, calling out happily as she ran toward her, "Mom, when did you get back?"

"This afternoon."

"I called Dad at lunchtime, and he said he didn't know, told me to wait—didn't expect you'd already come back."

"Go play outside, don't make noise at home—Grandma's still resting…"

"It's fine, it's fine, I've slept enough, I'm up now."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi was also delighted to see Grandma, "Ah!! Grandma!! Are you really my Grandma? Wow～ Did you eat an immortal pill? Your hair's all black!"

She excitedly circled Grandma, staring at her hair, reaching out to touch it but not quite daring to.

Pei Yu also rushed over, excited and curious, "Grandma, is that real hair? Or a wig?"

"It's real. Grandma dyed her hair. Does it look good?"

"It looks great! So great! Grandma, going on a trip made you stylish!"

Pei Yu immediately added, "Grandma, can I touch your hair?"

Grandma chuckled and sat in the armchair, the two girls standing one on each side, curiously reaching out to touch the color of her hair.

"It's completely black!"

"It's real hair!"

"Sister, I saw a handsome guy in the Magic City with yellow hair—he looked really cool too!"

"Really?"

"Really, so good-looking! When I grow up, I'm going to dye my hair pink!"

"Then I'll dye mine red!"

The two little girls chattered excitedly.

Ye Ye Xiaoxi turned to Ye Ye Chengyang, "Second Brother, you should dye your hair yellow—you'd look so cool!"

Pei Yu said, "Let Big Brother dye his blue, and let my little brother dye his green—we'll become a rainbow!"

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed, "Don't get ideas out of nowhere—there aren't that many colors. Wait till you're older to decide. You're barely knee-high and already thinking up all this."

"Mom, why did you stay away so long? You said you'd be back in a few days!"

"Didn't a typhoon hit a few days ago? That's why I was delayed. Go play outside, don't bother me here—my head hurts."

"You just got back and already have a headache? Don't you feel any affection?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing flicked her forehead, "Go play by yourself."

Ye Ye Xiaoxi hugged her waist, buried her head in her mother's arms, pouted for a while, then ran off to play.

Ye's mother had planned to come home and cook, but seeing her already busy, she asked, "Did you bring back other colors of hair dye?"

"Since you didn't ask earlier, I thought you didn't want to dye."

"I was just thinking you just got back, so I'd wait a bit. Let me see—what colors do you have? Pick one for me. Will it look good?"

"I can't guarantee it. Black dye won't go wrong, but other colors are uncertain. Why not take the dye to the salon tomorrow and let the stylist do it?"

Grandma was old and didn't care much—black wouldn't go wrong, and even if it did, it didn't matter. But if red or yellow dye ruined Ye's mother's hair, she'd be too ashamed to go out, and that would be a grave fault.

"That's fine too. Let me take a look first." Ye's mother eagerly followed her to get the hair dye.

Seeing Grandma suddenly look ten years younger, she too felt a sudden urge.

"Mom, you could also get a perm. I saw fashionable women in the Magic City with curled hair—they looked great."

Ye's mother was deeply tempted, "Really? I'm this old."

"Of course you can! There are plenty of stylish middle-aged women."

Ps: I'll add another chapter later