TSMLI CHAPTER 13

Jiang Jin’s desire to find a house was not just a casual remark.

After Lin Chu disappeared, he went to the old building on Ningxi Road. Shen Hongshan had just finished eating, and Wen Peiru and Aunt Zhu were busy in the kitchen. When Jiang Jin appeared, she was overjoyed and hurriedly cut some fruit and put it on the table.

Jiang Jin apologized honestly. Shen Hongshan remained silent, and Jiang Jin had no idea what he was thinking. After he finished speaking, he pointed to his forehead and said, “You hit me and gave me such a big cut yesterday. I almost needed a needle!”

Shen Hongshan snorted coldly, adjusted his glasses, and continued to stare at the television.

The local TV station had been reporting on the Huitian North demolition case for more than three days. Local residents had expressed great dissatisfaction, and the city investment company’s series of remedial measures had been constantly criticized. However, as Shen Zhongxun said, Shen Hongshan did not react much to other people’s reports. He was only targeting Jiang Jin.

Jiang Jin reluctantly ate a bite of fruit, then continued talking to himself with a grin. After a long while, seeing that Shen Hongshan’s expression had softened, he got straight to the point and said that he wanted to move out.

He expected to be scolded, but Shen Hongshan only glanced at him and asked seriously, “Living alone? Do you have the money to pay rent and utilities? Can you clean the house?”

Jiang Jin was taken aback, exclaimed “Ah!”, and nodded. Shen Hongshan said, “Alright, let me know when you find a place, and I’ll have your uncle rent out the room you’re in now.”

Jiang Jin couldn’t accept that his grandfather was so easy to talk to. He looked at him suspiciously for a long time before leaving, turning back every few steps.

After Jiang Jin left for a while, Shen Hongshan picked up the landline and made a call, saying, “This time I’ll listen to you. If that brat causes any trouble outside, nobody will help him!”

Shen Zhongxun said in a deep voice on the other end of the phone, “He’s got big ambitions now. Let him play around for a couple of years. After he learns his lesson, he’ll naturally behave himself.”

Shen Hongshan sneered, “Learned a lesson? He’s brainless, only caring about immediate gains. He’ll fall to his death sooner or later!” He paused, seemingly tired. “Never mind that, how’s the situation over there?”

Shen Zhongxun reported truthfully: “We are currently attracting investment, and everything is going well.”

The city investment company held a 70% stake in the newly established project company, and there would be a continuous stream of funds injected in the future. It would eventually be developed into a significant landmark in Nanjiang City. Shen Hongshan knew everything; his extra question was simply out of concern for Shen Zhongxun.

After finishing the business, Shen Hongshan continued, “What do you think of the girl your sister-in-law introduced to you before? Don’t be too picky; your sister-in-law meant well!”

Shen Zhongxun remained silent for a moment before saying, “I’ve just gotten the hang of the job and haven’t had time.”

Shen Hongshan didn’t pressure him, only telling him to keep it in mind. After hanging up the phone, he summoned Wen Peiru and inquired in detail about the girl’s situation. The more he listened, the more satisfied he became, so he asked her to keep a close eye on things and find an opportunity to bring her to Shen Zhongxun. Wen Peiru naturally agreed.

Shen Zhongxun finally left the dining table and gathered the dirty bowls into the sink.

The faucet was making a particularly loud noise; the pipes, somehow connected, were constantly making a “whooshing” sound. Shen Zhongxun washed the bowl and inexplicably remembered the taste of the dumplings from before. He also thought that he was indeed not young anymore, and if his sister-in-law could introduce him to someone, he might as well. With his qualifications, he could easily surpass a civil servant with an annual salary of seventy or eighty thousand.

Thinking of this, he suddenly stopped, his fingers lightly tapping the edge of the pool.

He’s better than a civil servant with an annual salary of 70,000 to 80,000!

The next day was still scorching hot. Shen Zhongxun left early. Investment promotion for various projects was proceeding smoothly, and he was busy as soon as he entered his office. Before noon, he went to inspect the construction site. Under the blazing sun, the bricks and tiles seemed to warp. The workers had begun to avoid the heat, starting work at four or five in the morning and going home as soon as noon arrived. The entire site was empty under the sun. After the inspectors left, Shen Zhongxun lingered at the construction site, finding the steel bar that had cut his palm last time. He squatted down and examined the bloodstains on it until he was sweating profusely and feeling dizzy. Only then did he get up and leave, his mind preoccupied with the phone number he kept in his pocket.

At that moment, Lin Chu was complaining bitterly, but her face remained calm as she ate her meal in small bites.

Yang Chunbei talked for a while, seemingly casually, and finally said, “Next time you go out to eat, you have to take me with you!” She leaned closer to Lin Chu, winking and saying, “Hey, do you think he might have feelings for you?”

Although Lin Chu had little dating experience, she wasn’t stupid. No one would treat someone to an expensive meal for fifty yuan for no reason, and then be so reluctant to pay it back. She also guessed that Jiang Jin had feelings for her, but these “feelings” seemed so inexplicable that she didn’t take them seriously.

Lin Chu laughed and said, “Don’t talk nonsense. I guess it’s because I helped him with that case at the landfill last time that he wanted to treat me to dinner.” Then she pretended to mutter, “He knows how to get things done. He’s thinking of bribing all sorts of people. No wonder he’s a reporter.”

Yang Chunbei then smiled and chatted intimately with Lin Chu about other things.

After work, Lin Chu went to the supermarket and bought some fresh fruits and vegetables.

The sub-landlord, Shi Tingting, provided a small shared refrigerator, a short, half-sized piece placed in the narrow passageway. Lin Chu had never seen that style before; it looked like the top shelf had been cut off from a complete refrigerator. The top of the refrigerator was covered in dust, and they didn’t seem to bother to wipe it clean.

Lin Chu stuffed the food she bought into the container, wrung out a rag to wipe away the dust, and had just wiped it for the second time when she received a call from Jiang Jin, who said he was looking for a house nearby and wanted Lin Chu’s help.

Instead of answering, Lin Chu asked, “By the way, sometimes when I hear your accent, it sounds like you’re a local?”

Jiang Jin was taken aback: “Yes, I’m from Nanjiang.”

“The city center?”

Jiang Jin was puzzled: “Yes, it’s in the city center.”

Lin Chu smiled and said, “I’m a native of Chuqian. I spent four years of university in the suburban university town. I only moved to the city this year, but my activities are limited to my workplace and residence. I rarely even go to the city center. So, why are you asking me?”

Jiang Jin was speechless. Lin Chu laughed again, “I’m busy right now. I recommend you go to an agency. I’ll talk to you later, goodbye!”

Before Jiang Jin could speak, the phone went dead. He called out twice, furious, feeling that Lin Chu was ungrateful and had no sense of obligation to those who had helped him.

He absolutely refused to use a real estate agent; his funds were limited, and he had only been working for a few months, unable to afford the exorbitant agency fees. He had no choice but to find listings online. But who knew rents would be so high? Apartments easily cost three or four thousand, and even a single room with a private bathroom was around fifteen hundred—and that was the cheapest price. After much deliberation, he finally settled on a simply furnished one-bedroom apartment in Guantang Sixth District near Guanjin Garden, the rent of which he could barely manage for a while.

Upon learning this, Shen Zhongxun remained silent. Jiang Jin called out to him twice more before Shen Zhongxun slowly asked, “Near Guanjin Garden?”

Jiang Jin replied, “Oh, those are the cheapest houses there. Are houses in the city center even fit for human habitation? Are they made of gold?”

Shen Zhongxun instructed, “Tell your maternal grandfather and maternal uncle later.”

Jiang Jin agreed, gave the detailed address again, and then hung up the phone.

This week was not as busy as before. Lin Chu finally felt like she was in a state-owned enterprise. She could handle work in the morning and relax in the afternoon to drink tea and chat, listening to her colleagues dig into everyone’s background, as well as a person who had been parachuted in.

A colleague whispered, “I heard he’ll only stay for two months. He’s just putting on a show in this position. He’s not bad looking, just like any other guy who came back from Thailand.”

Lin Chu coughed up a mouthful of water with a “pfft,” and then coughed uncontrollably. Her colleague covered her mouth and laughed, “You guys are all like blockheads! Our little Lin is so smart, her reactions are so quick!”

Everyone was still puzzled and urged her to explain. Lin Chu blushed and wiped her mouth and the table, feeling both amused and exasperated.

At night, she chatted with Ye Jing on the phone, and the whooshing sound of wind could always be heard from the receiver. Lin Chu was extremely envious and stood in front of the air conditioner, blowing in the breeze, and said, “I can only pay money to stay cool!”

Ye Jing smiled and said that she had bought her many gifts. She seemed to have forgotten her troubles and did not mention the matter at all. Lin Chu did not want to provoke her memory.

It was Friday again, and Lin Chu rushed back to Chuqian. The weather was so hot and humid that she felt like she was on fire, but stepping inside felt like entering a frozen wasteland. Lin’s mother brought out a pile of chilled food and told Lin Chu to eat a few bites and then go take a shower. Lin Chu sighed inwardly, thinking that home was indeed the best place. Before even settling in, she felt reluctant to leave.

The next day, Saturday, Lin Chu was supposed to visit her grandparents as usual, but the weather was so hot that she struggled to get up from the bamboo mat. Her mother slapped her bottom hard: “Go quickly, stop dawdling. Talk to your grandparents. Your father and I will come over for dinner tonight.”

Lin Chu cried out in pain and left the room dejectedly.

When she arrived at her grandparents’ house, her face was already scorched by the sun, and she was covered in sweat when she touched it.

Lin Chu hurriedly knocked on the door, wanting to go in to escape the heat, but as soon as the door opened, a blast of hot air rushed out. Her grandmother, covered in sweat, said, “Oh dear, I forgot to call you to come later. The air conditioner is broken!”

“Why is the air conditioner broken? Have you called a repairman to fix it?” Lin Chu walked towards the bedroom, but was taken aback.

The grandparents only installed one air conditioner in the bedroom, which was purchased by Lin’s father and Lin Chu’s uncle two years ago. It was not used very often because the two elderly people were worried about the electricity bill.

For some reason, the machine was not cooling, but the repairman she called in surprised her greatly.

Shen Zhongxun poked his head out of the window, nodded and smiled at Lin Chu. A rope was tied somewhere, extending from the window to the TV cabinet. Grandpa stood by the window to help, saying to Lin Chu, “There are a lot of people repairing air conditioners lately. Your grandma and I called to call someone this morning, but we couldn’t get them to come. They said they wouldn’t be able to get over until five o’clock. It’s just that it’s so hot, and we happened to see Xiao Shen, so we asked him to come and help!”

Lin Chu’s face looked stiff, as if it had been injected with needles. She couldn’t even manage a smile. She cautiously said to Shen Zhongxun, who was covered in sweat, “Manager Shen, come in quickly, don’t be busy!” As she spoke, she ran to the window and offered her hands, trying to pull him in.

Shen Zhongxun looked down at the pair of small, white hands that looked like a child’s in front of him. The fingers gripping the window frame twitched, and he said in a low voice, “The air conditioner’s main board and module are not broken, but the outdoor unit has not been working. It must be a problem with the compressor. We need to call a technician to fix it.”

Lin Chu nodded hurriedly and urged him to come in quickly.

Shen Zhongxun braced himself against the windowsill, and with a little effort, he leaped up onto the platform without needing Lin Chu’s help.

His grandparents kept thanking him and invited him to stay for dinner, but Shen Zhongxun only said that he hadn’t been of any help and had instead dirtied the floor. Lin Chu glanced at his right hand, which was still wrapped in bandages, and asked, “Manager Shen, is your hand alright?”

Shen Zhongxun replied, “It’s alright, I’m almost done!”

The four people inside were all sweating profusely, and it was even more stuffy when they were gathered together; the fan’s power was barely perceptible.

As Shen Zhongxun walked to the door, his grandparents continued to thank him. He hesitated for a moment, then looked back at Lin Chu, who was gulping down cold water, and said, “Why don’t you go to my house for a while and wait for the repairman to arrive?”

Grandpa and Grandma were immediately delighted. After a few polite refusals, they stopped being so polite.

Steaming hot food was brought into Shen Zhongxun’s home. While her grandparents were setting the table, Lin Chu whispered to Shen Zhongxun, “Manager Shen, we’re really sorry to trouble you so much!”

Shen Zhongxun turned his head to look at Lin Chu. His long, sweat-dampened hair clung to his cheeks, and his eyes were sincere and focused as he spoke. The politeness and distance had faded, replaced by genuine sincerity. He took out a pair of small-sized gray slippers and said, “No need to be polite, we’re neighbors.”

Lin Chu didn’t notice anything unusual about the slippers and went into the house with a smile.

During the meal, Grandma kept praising Shen Zhongxun: “These days, there aren’t many young people as good as you. The last tenant was also in his twenties, and he was a businessman. He always threw trash at the door, making the floor all oily and wet. I said a few words to him, and he even tried to hit me!” As she spoke, she kept piling food onto his plate and urged Lin Chu to eat more braised shrimp, saying, “Isn’t this your favorite? Eat more!”

Lin Chu simply responded without picking up the shrimp. She ate shrimp rather ungracefully, always stuffing it directly into her mouth and pretending to be an expert by spitting out the whole shell, but always ending up with her mouth full of soy sauce.

The group chatted for a while longer, their sweat soaking into their skin, and finally the stuffiness subsided.

Shen Zhongxun picked up a piece of food for his grandparents with his chopsticks. They thanked him with a smile. He then turned his chopsticks and picked up a braised shrimp. Shen Zhongxun gently placed it into Lin Chu’s bowl. Lin Chu was taken aback, then thanked him as well. She put the shrimp in her mouth, stirred it carefully for a while, and spat out the broken shell. Only then did Shen Zhongxun smile.

After the meal, Shen Zhongxun brought out fruit and drinks, and handed a can of juice to Lin Chu: “I don’t know if you like this.”

Lin Chu quickly accepted it: “I love it, thank you!”

The group sat on the sofa watching TV. Grandpa told Shen Zhongxun to go about his business and not to stay with them. Shen Zhongxun glanced at Lin Chu from time to time, only saying, “I’m not busy.”

Lin Chu was on the phone, politely asking her master to come earlier. She talked until her throat was dry before her master finally agreed to come an hour earlier, and Lin Chu breathed a sigh of relief.

After hanging up, she called back the missed call. “What’s up?”

Ye Jing, tears streaming down her face, said on the other end of the line: “Chu Chu, are you in Chuqian? I’ll come over tomorrow.”

Lin Chu asked curiously, “Why are you crying? Why do you want to come to Chuqian?”

Ye Jing sobbed, “I’m here to have an abortion.”

Lin Chu hung up the phone in a daze, returned to the sofa absentmindedly, and sat there for a long time before she came to her senses, feeling both resentment and anger.

Shen Zhongxun suddenly asked, “Boyfriend?”

Lin Chu was momentarily stunned and exclaimed, “Ah!”

Upon hearing this, Grandpa and Grandma exclaimed excitedly, “Is it Xiao Wang? Oh, when are you bringing him over? How about tomorrow? I’ll go grocery shopping tomorrow!”

Lin Chu said awkwardly, “It wasn’t him.” She didn’t want to explain in front of Shen Zhongxun, so she just gave this perfunctory answer.

The group stayed up until four o’clock when the repairman finally arrived, leaving Shen Zhongxun’s house empty for a moment. He picked himself up from his disappointment and went back to his study, which had been converted from the second bedroom, to work on his business. He was busy until ten o’clock at night before turning off the lights, not knowing when Lin Chu had returned home.

Wen Peiru called after estimating the time, and laughed, “I know you’re a workaholic, so you’re probably not doing anything now, right?”

Shen Zhongxun said, “Yes, I just finished.”

Wen Peiru got straight to the point: “So, do you remember that girl I told you about last time? Your dad thinks she’s good too, why don’t you come back and take a look tomorrow?”

Shen Zhongxun closed his eyes and leaned against the headboard, Lin Chu’s words “It wasn’t him” echoing in his mind. She really did have a boyfriend, but what did it have to do with him? “Okay, I’ll be back tomorrow.”

But plans can never keep up with changes, and tomorrow will arrive in the blink of an eye.