Chapter 118: The Imagined Phone Call
The phone was connected.
"Hello, I’m Jiang Cheng, looking for Shen Que."
The one who picked up the phone was Director Lian, he tried to control his voice and said, "Mr. Jiang, please wait, I’ll go and get Shen Que for you."
Before Jiang Cheng could finish saying "good," he heard the sound of clattering, tables and chairs being bumped.
People on the other end were shouting: Go find Shen Que! Go find Shen Que! Mr. Jiang is calling him!
Although he couldn’t see the scene, Jiang Cheng imagined a chaotic situation.
While imagining, Jiang Cheng heard a door being pushed open.
"I’m Shen Que."
Shen Que’s voice, tense and holding his breath, came through the phone to Jiang Cheng’s ear.
"Hello, Shen Que, I wanted to tell you that I’ve passed your gifts to Grandma Shen, Shen Xing, and Shen Yue, and they all liked them very much."
On the other end, Shen Que automatically did a mental translation: I received your gifts and liked them very much.
"Also, thank you for the dumplings, they were delicious."
Shen Que: Jiang Cheng likes dumplings.
"Grandma Shen is healthy, Shen Xing is making progress in his studies, and Shen Yue is learning painting and improving quickly."
Shen Que: Everything is going smoothly, Jiang Cheng’s contributions are invaluable.
Jiang Cheng spoke quite a few sentences and didn’t hear a sound from the other side.
"Shen Que, are you still listening?"
"Yes!"
The firm response confirmed Shen Que’s presence.
"I’m here, always here."
"Thank you for your call, I’m in the provincial city undergoing treatment, expected to return to S City in a week."
Shen Que sounded as if he was making a report, speaking earnestly and seriously.
"Alright, I’ll pass the message to Grandma Shen and the others, then I will hang up now."
Jiang Cheng said hang up and indeed hung up.
Jiang Cheng smiled after hanging up the phone.
Was Shen Que too nervous?
Is the proactive side always nervous?
Jiang Cheng didn’t have an answer, she had zero experience.
The reason for making this call was simply that she didn’t dislike Shen Que, she wanted to keep in touch a bit.
Nothing to be pretentious about.
After hanging up, Jiang Cheng immediately put Shen Que out of her mind.
Meanwhile, Shen Que was listening to the dial tone smiling foolishly, reluctant to put the phone down.
Director Lian and two comrades looked on clicking their tongues in wonder.
"An old man’s heart in spring is different."
"What do you know? That’s an old house catching fire!"
"Hahaha! Exactly right."
The three cheeky friends went online, and Shen Que finally put down the phone.
He looked at the three disdainfully.
"Married old men!"
*
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Cheng borrowed Principal Wang’s office to write three letters.
One addressed to Elder Xu in Beijing, one to Uncle Zhong also in Beijing, and one to Director Leng whom she had just met.
The three were golden connections, keeping in touch was still important.
After writing three letters, Jiang Cheng pondered while sitting on a chair, checking what other people she needed to stay connected with.
She actually thought of one person—Master Ma.
Shen Xing and Shen Yue were injured, he helped treat them without charging a fee.
She always remembered to thank him personally but had been busy until now.
Currently, the time...
Jiang Cheng glanced at her wrist and suddenly realized she didn’t have a watch.
"Looks like I need to buy a watch tomorrow."
Jiang Cheng got up to leave.
"Do you have a watch coupon?"
Principal Wang suddenly appeared at the door, looked at Jiang Cheng, asking, "Do you have a watch coupon?"
"Yes."
Jiang Cheng cheerfully got up and made space, taking the three envelopes.
Principal Wang walked behind the desk and opened a drawer.
"Wait a moment, take a key."
Principal Wang directly handed Jiang Cheng a key to the office.
"Then I won’t be polite."
Principal Wang pursed his lips, "When are you ever polite?"
Jiang Cheng replied with a cheeky smile.
*
After leaving the night school, Jiang Cheng first went to a department store, if she said to buy a watch, she really went to buy a watch.
Last time Sister Zhu, who sold her a bicycle, saw her buy a watch this time and was even more enthusiastic.
Seeing Jiang Cheng didn’t even blink as she bought a hundred eighty yuan for the latest model Shanghai watch, she was extremely envious.
After buying the watch, Jiang Cheng also bought some flour bags at the department store.
Filled with three pounds of white flour and two pounds of millet, she headed to Master Ma’s home.
Master Ma lived on the outskirts of S City, in two slightly broken low mud houses.
When Jiang Cheng arrived, Master Ma was holding a bundle of sticks ready to go inside.
"Master Ma."
Jiang Cheng got off from her bicycle and called out.
Master Ma, with a hunched back, turned slowly, his cloudy eyes glanced over.
"Master Ma, I’m Shen Xing and Shen Yue’s sister. Last time you helped Shen Yue realign her bones, I never came to thank you."
Jiang Cheng walked over carrying her stuff, Master Ma turned away, his voice deep and aged.
"Take it back. I don’t take money, nor things, that’s the rule."
The word "rule" halted Jiang Cheng’s steps.
Those who set rules have their own insistence, if she forcibly gave it might backfire.
"Alright, then I’ll take it back!"
Saying that, Jiang Cheng tied the flour bag and millet bag together and put it over her shoulder.
"Can I do some work for you then? Not much, just for seven days!"
Jiang Cheng prepared to grab the sticks from Master Ma’s hand, Master Ma wanted to refuse.
"Master Ma! Get over here!"
A hurried male voice, came from behind.
A big man, holding his shoulders, walked over with a grimace, lifting his foot prepared to kick someone with a bad attitude.
"I’m calling you! Hurry and fix it!"
Master Ma slowly put down the firewood, completely ignoring the man’s cursing, walking to him to realign his bones.
Master Ma felt his way around, it’s unclear what he did, only hear the man howl, and the next second his arm was fine.
"Can’t you do it gently, damn it!"
The man who was aligned opened his mouth to curse, Master Ma remained motionless, bent over slowly to pick up the firewood.
The man spat a thick glob of saliva on the ground, grinning wickedly, "I’ll give you something!"
Saying this, the man lifted his foot prepared to kick Master Ma’s lower back.
"I’ll give you a kick—hahaha—phooey phooey phooey!"
The man ate a mouthful of dirt face.
"Your mouth washed with dirt is a waste, should be stuffed in the toilet, same flavor as you!"
Jiang Cheng helped Master Ma up.
"I don’t know why you let yourself be tortured, but I came to thank you, I can’t just watch you be bullied."
After speaking, Jiang Cheng stood opposite the furious man cleaning his dirt-stained face.
"My name is Jiang Cheng, go to Siwu Hutong and ask around, you’ll know me."
"If necessary, go to Siwu Hutong’s police station and ask what kind of person I, Jiang Cheng, am!"
"Find out, then decide whether to trouble me or not."
With every sentence Jiang Cheng spoke, the man’s anger diminished a bit.
Running into a tough one?
Then again, such a beautiful woman, coming to fight without hesitation, certainly has connections.
The man’s imagination ran rampant.
Jiang Cheng saw clearly the man’s bullying of the weak, he assumed Master Ma wouldn’t retaliate.
"Why are you still standing around?"
With a fierce look from Jiang Cheng, the man turned and fled.
After scaring the man away, Jiang Cheng turned around as if nothing happened and continued helping Master Ma with his work.
Several times Master Ma opened his mouth to chase her away, but Jiang Cheng pretended not to hear.
After doing almost everything, Jiang Cheng looked at Master Ma and said, "Since you don’t like me coming here, I won’t come tomorrow."
Master Ma finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Tomorrow I’ll let my brother Shen Xing come! He works better than me!"