Chapter 54

In less than a month, He He broke even and made a profit of more than five yuan.

On the first day of the new year, He He carried large bags of things she had bought with the money she had earned. Her uncle, who came to pick her up, was surprised that she had bought so many things.

After hearing He He's story, her uncle said with a beaming smile, "Our Xiao Hua is so capable! She's really amazing. She's not even out of school yet, and she's already making money. She truly deserves to be a member of the Cheng family."

Upon arriving at the military compound, before He He could say anything, her uncle helped carry the things and immediately announced the news to the family in a grand manner.

At first, the family thought her uncle was joking, but after He He herself told them, her maternal grandparents praised her for being amazing, and her aunt, cousin, and sister-in-law were also happy for her.

Auntie said she wanted to go out and buy more groceries, since good things come in pairs and should be celebrated properly, but Hehe stopped her in the end.

At noon, He He had lunch with her maternal grandparents and her uncle's family. In the evening, her other uncles and their families also came over for dinner.

Before He He could even announce that she had made money, her uncle was already grinning and promoting it for her.

After listening to her explain in detail how she made money, her second uncle gave her some advice, suggesting that she sign a contract with her classmate to avoid future disputes over money if they drifted apart.

He He listened attentively and carefully asked her second uncle how to sign a contract with her classmate. She would be buying books from other classmates in the future, and having everything clearly stated in black and white would be a guarantee for both of them. This was something that needed to be taken seriously.

After her second uncle finished speaking, she decided to go back to school and sign a written contract with Su Xiuyun.

This year, New Year's Day didn't fall on a weekend, but rather on a Tuesday, which was neither a day nor a weekend. The school only gave us one day off, and He He went back to school after dinner.

Her uncle also took her back to school, and he prepared large bags of food, drinks and other necessities for her, which were comparable to the things she brought home in the morning.

A new month, a new beginning. Things have settled down on Su Xiuyun's side, so He He doesn't need to worry about her much anymore.

She became acquainted with the bookstall owner, who, considering that they were students and had to attend classes, found it inconvenient to deliver goods. So, he suggested that he pay He He directly, and he would pick up the goods from the publishing house's printing department.

He He agreed without much thought, and even gave the bookseller an extra two cents. He would get six cents for each book sold, and she would get twenty-four cents.

Before picking up the books, the bookstall owner would pay her 25 cents per book, and she would then split the rest with Su Xiuyun.

The bookstall owner is quite shrewd in business; he's now recruiting other bookstall owners. Rongcheng is a large city, and where they are now is considered the city center. Some of the more remote areas of Rongcheng have inconvenient transportation.

The word spread quickly, and people from other places also heard that a new book by a new author had recently been published, and that it could only be bought at a stall in the city center, and not anywhere else.

Some people travel long distances to buy books, and bookstore owners from other places also sensed the business opportunity and came to inquire.

Su Xiuyun is quite famous in Rongcheng; even students at the Normal University read her books.

He He's first attempt was so successful that it made her arrogant. She signed two classmates' books at once and asked Su Xiuyun to continue writing, preferably longer ones, so that they could sell more money.

She was so busy making money that she almost forgot she had made plans to go shopping with Chen Jingbai over the weekend. It was only when her roommate reminded her that she was supposed to go out that she hurriedly changed into a nice cotton dress, put on a black coat, and ran to the school gate.

Chen Jingbai was already waiting for her. He stood very straight, looking upright and neat. As always, he attracted attention whenever they met.

Many people frequently glanced at him out of the corner of their eyes, and some girls were itching to go up and strike up a conversation.

In the 1980s, social attitudes became more open, and many brave girls took the initiative to pursue love. Many girls wearing skirts that showed off their legs appeared on the streets, and some even wore fashionable jeans.

Before He He even got close, Chen Jingbai's eyes lit up when he saw her, and he smiled at her.

He He stepped forward and took his arm. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for men and women to hold hands on the street; many young people do this.

It was afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and it felt warm on people. The streets had a fresh new look, and everyone was dressed smartly.

Today they planned to go for a walk in the park. They hadn't seen each other for a long time, so they decided to take a stroll. If they got bored, there were boats available in the park.

He He looked up at Chen Jingbai. His already sharp features became even more striking. It was clear at a glance that he had been very tired lately, and he had lost weight. There was also a faint dark circle under his eyes.

I gained some weight in the first two months after returning to the city, and I wasn't that thin anymore, but now I feel like I've lost weight back to how thin I was in the Qianjin Brigade.

Although Chen Jingbai is good-looking no matter what, being too thin is not good. She still prefers Chen Jingbai with a chubby face, because it feels nice to pinch.

"You seem busier this month, haven't you? You've lost so much weight! Are you not eating properly? You also have dark circles under your eyes, haven't you been sleeping well either?"

"I've been too busy lately and haven't been able to contact you much. I need your forgiveness. I promise I'll contact you more often when I'm less busy." Chen Jingbai smiled slightly, the smile spreading from the corners of his mouth.

He was very happy about He He's concern; as long as he heard her concern, he felt better about everything.

He is indeed very busy, so busy that he only sleeps six hours a day. At the beginning of the month, the teacher assigned him some work, and he has been helping the teacher since the start of the semester, all in order to convince the teacher of his abilities so that the teacher can give him some small tasks.

The teacher assigned him the task of creating architectural floor plans for the first time. The teacher valued him and he wanted to do his best to live up to the teacher's trust, so he has been busy with this task all month.

If the blueprints are acceptable, he can earn more money than he used to do odd jobs for the teacher.

Because he was so busy, he had indeed neglected He He since the start of the semester, and the two had seen each other very rarely. Even his older sister noticed, telling him not to work so hard and always be busy with schoolwork, and to find some free time to visit He He more often.

He He was genuinely worried: "I think you can relax a bit and not overwork yourself. You don't need to push yourself so hard. Help the teachers with less work. Your health is more important. How many hours of sleep do you get these days?"

Chen Jingbai was afraid He He would worry, so he didn't dare to tell the truth. "I get seven hours of sleep. Don't worry, I won't exhaust myself."

He He knew Chen Jingbai was stubborn and liked to keep things to himself. "Why are you working so hard?"

Chen Jingbai looked at the calm lake surface and said, "I want to make money, I want to go to the capital to get my ears fixed, and I want to be able to hear your voice clearly without having to go through so much trouble in the future."

He hadn't told He He that he was going to the capital to get treatment for his ear; he hadn't found a suitable opportunity or a time when he had free time to talk to her.

Actually, he didn't want to tell her originally. He wanted to give He He a surprise after his ear was healed, but now he was too busy making money and neglected her. She was also worried that he was working too hard and ruining his health, so he wanted to tell her.

He He was somewhat taken aback. She never expected that Chen Jingbai was so busy because he wanted to earn money to go to the capital to get his ears treated.

She didn't know how Chen Jingbai's ears became like this. Anyway, she remembered that when he first arrived at the Qianjin Brigade, Chen Jingbai had hearing loss. No one asked or said anything. She always thought that his hearing loss was congenital and there was no way to cure it.

"You...your ears can be cured? It's not congenital? Then why didn't you tell me you wanted to go to the capital to get your ears treated? I have money, I could have given you the money first, getting your ears treated is so important."

Back in the Qianjin Brigade, He He often witnessed people making fun of Chen Jingbai because of his hearing problem.

Chen Jingbai felt a lump in his throat. His pride prevented him from asking He He for money; he was confident he could earn the money himself.

“It’s very expensive. The provincial hospital said a surgery would cost at least seven or eight hundred yuan. I’ve already saved some.”

He He's tightly closed mouth opened slightly in shock. She had thought it would be expensive, but she hadn't expected it to be this expensive. Seven or eight hundred was practically a death sentence. How could an ordinary family save up that much money?

She seemed like someone who spent money without batting an eye, but everyone was surprised by how expensive the surgery was. Over the years, her family had given her a lot of money, and she had spent it all, saving only a little over three hundred yuan.

Even if two more He Hes were added together, it probably wouldn't be enough to cure Chen Jingbai's ears.

A single surgery costs seven or eight hundred yuan. If you factor in the travel expenses to the capital and the cost of food and lodging, a full recovery would cost at least a thousand yuan.

This is robbery!

"So expensive!" He He's voice was somewhat loud.

Chen Jingbai nodded without speaking. The surgery was indeed very expensive, far beyond what his family could afford. Borrowing money from his second and youngest uncles wouldn't be enough.

His family was only exonerated last year, so they couldn't save much money. His second uncle's family couldn't save much money either. His second uncle's family was better off being transferred to a remote military unit, while his younger uncle's family was sent to the countryside and couldn't save much money at all.

When my parents asked, my second uncle gritted his teeth and lent me 100 yuan. My youngest uncle initially lent me 50 yuan, but since he was a university teacher and his monthly salary was very high after he was reinstated, he later sent me another 200 yuan.

We have raised over 500 yuan to treat his ear, but we're still short more than half.

He He leaned close to Chen Jingbai's ear and whispered, "I have..."

She had only said two words when she realized her voice was still a bit loud. The park was packed with people at this hour, with elderly people and children everywhere.

She made Chen Jingbai hold out his hand, wrote the number 300 in his palm, and added a plus sign after it to represent that she had more than three hundred yuan. She then leaned close to his ear again and said, "I have so much money, I'll lend it all to you. And you know that I'm making money by selling books now, right? I should be able to earn seventy or eighty yuan this month. In the future, I'll give you all the money I earn."

A gust of north wind blew by, and the cold wind made Chen Jingbai's eyes feel sore. He blinked and said, "Xiao He, you don't have to be so good to me."

He He: "You're my boyfriend. If I'm not good to you, who will be good to me? I feel that since you're good to me, I should be good to you too."

After He He finished speaking, Chen Jingbai could no longer hear her faint breathing. He shifted his gaze from the lake to He He's face and their eyes met.

Her eyes were bright and sparkling, with clear amber pupils.

Chen Jingbai noticed his heartbeat; it was fast, pounding as if it were about to break free from him and jump onto He He's body.

After a long while, he calmed down, his eyebrows and eyes curving up before his lips curved into a smile, his voice hoarse, “I will be very busy in the first half of this year, and I probably won’t have time during the winter vacation either. I have talked to my parents and older sister, and if we can save enough money, we will go to the capital for treatment this summer vacation. The summer vacation is longer than the winter vacation, so we will have enough time to recover.”

He paused for a moment, then said, "If I haven't saved enough money by winter break, I'll borrow it from you."

He He thought about it and agreed with his decision, "Then it's settled. If you don't have enough money, you must tell me. We'll get your ears fixed during the summer vacation."

Chen Jingbai smiled and said, "Definitely, I will get my ears fixed during the summer vacation."

He can save enough money, very soon.

He He hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Can I go with you? I've never been to the capital before, and I want to go there for fun. Oh, no, I want to go with you."

Chen Jingbai: "Okay, if you want to go, you can come with me. I'll show you around the capital and see if it's as described in the book."

He He: "Great! Let's go to the capital! Are train tickets to the capital expensive?"

When Chen Jingbai learned that he could go to the capital to get his ear treated, he went to the train station to check the ticket prices. "From Rongcheng to the capital, a hard seat costs 30 yuan, and a sleeper costs 45 yuan. It takes about two days to travel."

However, sleeper berths are hard to buy, so he hadn't considered it. But if He He were to go, he would have to consider whether he could get a sleeper berth.

He He was surprised that Chen Jingbai remembered so clearly. "Okay, it's settled then. I'll go with you. I have money, so you can't treat me like an outsider."

Chen Jingbai kept glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, saying, "I don't treat you like an outsider."

"You're smart to know what's good for you." He He was happy and, while speaking, quickly pressed a kiss to Chen Jingbai's cheek.

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Author's Note: My darlings, please give me some nutritional supplements! If you could even click on my author page and follow me, I would be eternally grateful! [heart eyes][heart eyes][heart eyes]