Chapter 0493

“All done,” Paul said.

Miranda moved her neck and shook her head a bit. To her surprise, the hairpin felt quite secure, with no sign of coming loose.

“Hey! Your boyfriend learned that really quickly! Looks like he even did a better job than me!” the vendor said cheerfully.

Paul gave a small smile.

Miranda tried to explain, “He’s not my-”

But the vendor didn’t give her a chance to finish. “In the old days, it symbolized marriage when a woman pinned up her hair. If a husband and wife were harmonious, the husband would even personally style his wife’s hair.

“Where I come from, if a man does a woman’s hair, it means he wishes for a long life together, bound in love. Too bad that nowadays, most men wouldn’t even pick up a comb to help their wives with their hair. They’re so lazy!

“But your boyfriend is quite amazing,” the vendor continued, giving Paul an approving nod. “He learns fast, and the most important thing is that he has patience and is willing to do it.”

Miranda tried again, “He’s not-”

“Young lady, hold on to him,” the vendor interrupted once more. “Good men like this are hard to find these days.”

Miranda was speechless. Could she ever get a chance to finish her sentence?

The two of them left the stall and continued walking. After a while, Paul spoke up, “Did you learn it?”

“Learn what?” Miranda asked, a bit puzzled.

“How to style your hair.”

Miranda paused, feeling a bit awkward. “How could I have learned it? I didn’t see what you did!” she thought to herself.

Paul raised an eyebrow. “Want me to show you again?”

“No, no need,” Miranda quickly waved her hands dismissively. It wasn’t like she absolutely had to style her hair in that way anyway; a simple hair tie would do.

“You don’t trust my technique?” he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice.

Miranda gave a wry smile. “It’s not your technique I don’t trust–it’s mine.”

Paul just looked at her, saying nothing, but his eyes sparkled with amusement.

As they walked on, they eventually reached the end of the street and met up with Mindy and Lionel.

“Mom!” Miranda called out.

“Hey, where did you get that hairpin?” Mindy immediately noticed her daughter’s neatly styled hair, her eyes landing on the gray hairpin.

“It’s pretty nice and looks like it’s very good quality. Where did you buy it?” she asked.

Miranda pointed to the small stall they had just passed.

Mindy gave her a curious look. “Did you do your hair yourself?”

Miranda stayed silent, hesitating to respond.

“I knew it!” Mindy exclaimed. “You’ve never been good at styling your own hair, no matter how many times I tried to teach you.”

“Mom, please,” Miranda thought, hoping her mother would stop talking.

“Did the vendor help you with it?” Mindy asked.

Miranda nodded quickly, mumbling a confirmation, eager to change the topic.

Paul stood quietly at the side, not saying a word but watching the scene unfold with a barely concealed smile.

“Paul, what are you smiling at?” Lionel asked, following his gaze and looking around. “What’s so funny?”

Paul touched his cheek thoughtfully. “Was I smiling?”

“You were just now, but not anymore,” Lionel said, looking puzzled.

“Well,” Paul paused for a moment, “I suddenly remembered something funny, so I couldn’t help but smile.”

“Hehe…” Lionel nudged Paul with his shoulder. “I know what you mean. Sometimes, when I think about Mindy, I just start grinning like an idiot. Hehe…”

Paul’s expression flickered slightly.

“By the way, Paul,” Lionel continued, “you’re at that age already. Why haven’t you found a girlfriend yet? Are you too busy with work to meet someone?”

“Would you like Mindy to introduce you to someone? We’ve got some new female teachers at our school; they’re pretty nice…”

Paul nearly choked. “No, no, that won’t be necessary.”

“Come on, there’s no need to be shy with me!” Lionel said.