Chapter 195
After eating and drinking his fill, he washed the pot and chopsticks, opened the window, took a clean set of clothes and put them in a plastic bag. He planned to go to the village bathhouse to take a bath, as it was too cold to bathe at home.
Fortunately, taking a shower here is inexpensive, only six yuan per shower.
He's quite clean; whenever possible, he washes himself clean and keeps the house tidy so he can sleep comfortably at night.
Monday, early morning, the bus stop was still packed with people.
Wen Shi was already used to it, and he went to work as usual.
"Xiao Wen, didn't you just get paid yesterday? Buy a new phone. Your old phone is so old, the screen is like that. Be careful it doesn't get stuck outside and you can't pay to get home."
Wen Shi glanced at his little black phone, noting that it was far inferior to others'.
But he just received his salary and had no savings before. Right now, he uses his phone, but he doesn't play games or anything like that. Besides paying for things when he goes out, he reads books and plays Go. That's all.
Perhaps it was a self-fulfilling prophecy, but at noon, Wen Shi ate a boxed lunch outside that cost 15 yuan (two meat dishes and one vegetable dish), and his phone suddenly froze.
He fiddled with it for a long time, but the screen seemed to be malfunctioning.
"The shopping mall is over there. There's a national subsidy for buying mobile phones there recently, so it's much cheaper."
His colleague immediately gave him directions, and upon hearing this, sighed, realizing he had no choice but to buy it now.
There are still more than forty minutes before lunch break, and it's only a few minutes' walk away.
There weren't many customers in the mobile phone store at this time, but as soon as Wen Shi went in, someone immediately made recommendations for him.
He also walked into a domestic mobile phone store.
"This one is new, with 80W fast charging, it charges very quickly, and the processor is also the latest. What do you think?"
Wen Shi glanced around, deciding against buying a phone costing four or five thousand yuan, as he couldn't spend all his money at once. In the end, he chose a phone that cost 1,800 yuan. He didn't have much need for a phone; he only used it for reading and making daily payments.
He opened his old phone; the shop could recycle it, but the price was less than a hundred yuan. He had no use for it, so he might as well recycle it.
Fortunately, he always used the old-fashioned flip phone case, and also because he felt that the urban village was not very safe, he always carried these important documents, his ID card and salary card, with him at all times.
You can't pay with your phone, but you can pay by card.
After he inserted the SIM card and transferred the data, the store also helped him apply a screen protector for free, gave him a free white transparent phone case, and even a thermos. Now he can use his new phone right away.
The new phone is quite different from the one from a few years ago. Only the color is the same. The screen is more sensitive, and the camera works much better.
Ten minutes later, Wen Shi returned to the company with the new phone.
I remembered what the young man at the phone store said before I left: the first time you use your phone, you should let the battery drop to 20% and then fully charge it.
With little time left, he looked at the 30% battery level and started scrolling through short videos.
Before going to work, he charged his new phone. His old phone took an hour to fully charge, but this new one only took half that time.
He is capable at work, his boss doesn't make things difficult for him, and he works hard, never slacking off at work. He is a good employee.
After the phone was fully charged, he quickly unplugged the charger and put the phone aside.
"Xiao Chen, has your resignation letter been approved?"
"Not yet. I'll definitely go to the capital after the New Year. I'll go see my supervisor later. I need to see my girlfriend. Long-distance relationships aren't good. If it goes on for too long, I'll break up with her every other day."
“Long-distance relationships are indeed not good. The jobs over there are not much different from ours, but the salary can be at least double. It’s good for you to go there.”
"I'm married, but my wife is pregnant, so I can't go out."
“Your parents can help you. It’s easy to have a house and a car bought outright at home. You don’t have a mortgage, and your salary is enough. Your wife is a civil servant. I’m going out this time for my girlfriend and to earn more money. It’s not bad where we are, but it can’t compare to big cities. If I go out for a few years and save more money, I can buy a car. When I come back, I might be able to make a bigger down payment, and the pressure will be less.”
Upon hearing this, Wen Shi suddenly looked up as it was almost time to leave work.
That evening, Wen Shi returned home and opened a search engine to search for cities such as Beijing.
His gaze fell on the black suitcase, and he felt a pang of melancholy.
For him right now, it's just like living another life. But there are so many people in this world. Even if he has guesses, where can he go to find them?
They had hoped things would be similar to before, and if they were still meant to be, they could meet again through blind dates when they reached a certain age.
He missed her terribly, but he didn't know where she was.
Countless times, he searched for his wife's name online. He searched for the name Yingxiang so many times that it became a cliché, but the results that popped up in his browser had nothing to do with her.
His wife's face was still clear in his memory; he could even draw her portrait. But when he came here, things were very different from before.
If she were really alive in this era, what would it be like? Things are never static.
All he can do right now is work hard, save money, think more about himself, and if he meets her in the future, he will buy her a car and a house and try his best to give her the best life in this era.
City B
As the year draws to a close, migrant workers are gradually leaving this bustling city.
Since her mother's death, Chen Yuxuan has always attended boarding school. After her father remarried, she would not go home unless she had to.
After graduation, she didn't expect her father, who favored sons over daughters, to be able to help her. Without saying a word, she and her girlfriends packed their suitcases and headed to the capital.
It's already difficult to get train tickets during the Spring Festival travel rush, and she didn't manage to get any. She rented a place and was able to celebrate the New Year, so she didn't really want to go back to her hometown of Yangcheng.
After sending a message to my dad saying I wasn't coming back, I transferred him a 500 yuan red envelope as a way of showing that I could buy myself some food and drinks and that spending the New Year in a rented apartment was just as comfortable.
As she grew older, she gradually came to understand the meaning of those words.
If you have money, every day is like New Year's Day; if you don't have money, even New Year's Day isn't enjoyable.
Today is the last working day before the holiday. After get off work, she returned to her rented room and started lying around watching TV series on her phone.
Wen Shi's situation is about the same, and he doesn't want to go back. He has twin brothers, several nephews and nieces, and his elderly parents are biased towards him.
Putting aside everything else, I'll have to give out a lot of lucky money when I go back.
After arguing with his father, he decided to spend the New Year alone. He hadn't received any money from his father beforehand, and he knew he would have to put up with his father's attitude when he went back.
He's an adult and earning money now; he doesn't want to live such a pathetic life.
In both his past and present lives, he truly had little connection with his parents, but relying on himself is the most reliable thing to do.
On the eve of the Lunar New Year, every household is lit up, but if you have money, you can lie in your rented room and look at your phone and not feel too bad.
Throughout the year, apart from National Day, the New Year is the only time we can completely relax.
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