afternoon tea
In the end, Chen Jin didn't become a light bulb for his second cousin and Sister Zhuang Yao.
She called to ask for Sister Zhuang Yao's location, then stepped on the accelerator, dropped her second cousin off, and drove away.
"Talk to Sister Zhuang Yao and save the meal you owe me for now!"
If you want to buy gold jewelry, you have to go to the old gold shop in Dongcheng District. Don’t be fooled by its small and old appearance. The master craftsman inside has great skills and the styles he makes are more classic.
Chen Jin actually knew an old store, a small one located on the main street. She used to come here with her mother to make gold jewelry.
There are many gold jewelry stores on this street, and even when criminals were most rampant, there were still gold jewelry stores open on this street. Because the Municipal Public Security Bureau, Municipal Procuratorate and Municipal Intermediate People's Court are all at the beginning of this street, and the Municipal People's Government is at the end of the street. No one would be so blind as to come here to rob. There is a high probability that they will be sent to prison by the public security, procuratorial and judicial organs.
The shop owner is no longer the old man with white hair. He has been replaced by a young man who looks about her age. He is lazily lying on a recliner outside the shop, swaying slowly with a large palm-leaf fan. He looks very similar to the old man who was over 70 years old back then.
Hearing the footsteps, the young shop owner opened his eyes and glanced over calmly, then said, "There are samples on the counter. Once you decide on the style, pay the deposit and come back a week to get it. The prices are on the counter, check for yourself."
Chen Jin thought to himself: This guy is very casual in doing business!
No one disturbed them. The only sounds in the quiet shop were Chen Jin's breathing and the sound of him flipping through the brochure. He looked down at the samples in the locked glass counter, compared them with the text descriptions in the booklet, and began to carefully consider which style to choose.
The words on the introduction booklet are in small regular script with flowery characters, and the paper is simple and antique, as if you are flipping through an ancient book.
While flipping through the books, Chen Jin calmed down and focused on selecting samples.
After a long time, she closed the brochure. I hesitated whether to call the shop owner, after all, he looked like he was asleep. Before he had hesitated for long, a fat orange cat suddenly fell from the tree branch that stretched into the second-floor window and landed heavily on the shop owner. Chen Jin gasped when he saw this, not knowing whether he should worry about the shop owner who was hit hard, or the fat orange cat who was brought down.
I heard the shop owner scold the fat orange cat, "If you dare to fall into my arms again, I will throw you back into the garbage dump!"
The fat orange cat let out a protesting "meow".
Chen Jin was a little envious of the store owner's fat orange cat, and wanted to say: In that case, why don't I take it away for you!
"Have you chosen?" The shop owner came over with the cat in his arms and asked her what style she wanted to choose. Chen Jin picked the one with dragon and phoenix patterns.
When she went to Hong Kong for a trip before, the gold bracelets she brought back were all versatile styles and had no special patterns on them. If Chen Jin hadn't thought that wedding gifts might need to be more particular, he wouldn't have thought about what patterns to choose, let alone understand the meanings.
After she paid the deposit, the shop owner gave her a receipt and said she could pick up the gold bracelet with the receipt in a week.
Seeing that she had collected the receipt and glanced at his cat, he said, "It's a small business, so I don't give away cats."
The fat orange cat meowed in agreement.
"......"
Chen Jin said "oh" and left.
Humph, it’s not like she can’t afford a cat!
But forget it. There is now a cat at home, and if she wants to go on a long trip in the future, she can't take it with her.
She was so worried about the cat that she forgot about going to Guxi Road to buy a cake... So she decided not to eat cake today, as eating too much is bad for her teeth.
After quickly convincing himself, Chen Jin drove the car directly to the flower and bird market.
Because I was busy with the students' military training recently, the vases in my house have been empty for a while. Although there is a small flower shop outside the west gate, how can a flower shop compare to a market with piles of flowers!
After parking the car, Chen Jin took out the red cart with two small wheels from the trunk. This thing is similar to the shopping cart in the supermarket. It is very convenient to take it with you when buying vegetables and fruits. It is one of the practical items that Aunt He strongly recommends. Now this thing has become a must-have item for her when she goes out, so that she doesn’t have to buy too many things that are difficult to bring back.
So, Chen Jin dragged a small red cart through the bustling flower and bird market, and dived into the stalls selling all kinds of flowers, specifically choosing stalls with few people, otherwise people would not let her choose.
There was a cart full of flowers, but there was nothing else to buy. However, she liked to go to the flower and bird market, and she walked out of the market satisfied after taking a round. Then I picked up a few beautiful vases from a small stall outside and filled half of the trunk.
I returned to Wutong Road and stopped in front of a fruit shop to pick some fruit before returning home.
Professor Song heard the sound of her car, came out, and saw that she had brought back another trunk of flowers. His mood brightened and he trotted over to help her arrange the flowers.
"That's great! My illustration skills are not as good as yours." Chen Jin's flower arrangement is characterized by freedom, unlike Professor Song, who arranges flowers as if he is playing with a work of art, and the ones he arranges are much more beautiful than hers.
“Do you need help?” Shen Baichuan also came out. Although he was asking, his hand had already reached out and took over Professor Song’s position. Together with Chen Jin, he moved the cart down and was covered with the fragrance of flowers.
Shen Baichuan looked at the trunk of the car, and saw a cardboard box with several tightly wrapped vases in it, so he helped pick up the box and followed Chen Jin into the house.
Speaking of which, they bought the house more than a year ago, and they have moved in as neighbors for more than half a year. Chen Jin has never been to Shen Baichuan's house, and this is also the first time that Shen Baichuan has set foot in the main house of Chen Jin's house.
As soon as he came in, he saw that the house structure was exactly the same as his home, so it looked familiar. Looking again, furry dolls and cute little ornaments can be seen everywhere in this house. There are many photo frames on the walls, cabinets, and tables, and some potted plants are arranged in every small corner of the house.
The cushions on the sofa are tilted all over the place, and there is a whole row of strange-shaped cups on the sideboard...
Her home is as colorful as her life.
Chen Jin asked him to sit down, then trotted out to bring in the fruit from the trunk, closed the trunk, and kicked the gate shut.
Shen Baichuan relaxed when he saw Chen Jin go find a cup to pour them some water, and since she didn't say anything, he took it as her tacit agreement that he could stay and help. So I helped Professor Song to sort out the flowers that Chen Jin brought back.
Professor Song even encouraged him to choose a cup for himself. "Xiao Jin's cups are all labeled. Whoever chooses one gets to use that one. She still has some unused ones. Go pick one. Tsk, are you shy? You can't do this."
He hasn't even taken the initiative to chase anyone, but he's already blushing. The air conditioner is set to such a low setting and it's blowing loudly, it can't be that he's blushing because of the heat, right? !
"Professor Shen, can I use this black cup?" Chen Jin raised the cup in his hand and gestured to him. The remaining unused cups all looked fancy and not very suitable for Teacher Shen's temperament. The only one left was a black and white chessboard cup. She liked it very much at the time, but she hadn't decided what to drink with it, so she left it idle in the cabinet for the time being.
"Okay." Shen Baichuan nodded, and let out a long breath, then picked out a vase, picked up a few bouquets of flowers, picked up the scissors and snapped a few times, then put them in the vase, and arranged them in a staggered manner with a clear order of importance.
Even Professor Song praised his flower arranging skills, but when Chen Jin came out with two glasses of boiled water and looked at them again and again, the only words he could say were "Really beautiful!"
She praises people and things in a simple and straightforward manner, basically saying "It's delicious!" "It's very good!" "It looks good!", and so on.
There were two "experts" in the living room helping with flower arrangement, and Chen Jin was responsible for washing and cutting the fruits, and then inviting them to come over to eat. She was left to her own devices with the last few flowers left: she cut them randomly and put them all in the largest vase, which she placed on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Now it was the most eye-catching thing in the room.
Professor Song wanted to help create an opportunity, so he said to Shen Baichuan: "Baichuan, I said last time that I wanted to drink the coffee you made. Why don't you make a few cups and I'll go get some cakes from home. Xiao He made mung bean cakes this morning, which is perfect for afternoon tea. We'll get together in the backyard of Xiao Jin's house later. Oh, I have to go back and get my mung bean cakes first, or the old man will eat them all."
Shen Baichuan didn't move, and looked at Chen Jin, unsure if she would like them to come over to her backyard for afternoon tea.
Chen Jin just asked, "Then what should I prepare?" There seemed to be some snacks in her house, but Professor Song and Teacher Shen didn't look like people who liked to eat snacks.
"You don't have to prepare anything, you have already cut the fruit." Professor Song was worried about the mung bean cake at home, so she went home first.
Shen Baichuan waited for a while, “Then I’ll go back and make coffee? What flavor do you like?”
"As long as it's not bitter, thank you, Mr. Shen."
When Shen Baichuan also floated back to his own home, Chen Jingang hurriedly found a rag to wipe the tables and chairs in the gazebo in the backyard, and then dug out a clean tablecloth from the locker, and threw the small floral cloth on it, and the small gazebo in her backyard became a small coffee shop.
Unexpectedly, Professor Song not only brought a plate of mung bean cakes, but also brought President Xi, who didn't like to go out. Professor Song added an "order" to Shen Baichuan's house across the fence, and also wanted to bring a cup of coffee to Dean Xi.
"I'm not used to drinking this foreign stuff." President Xi wanted to refuse.
Professor Song ignored him and said, "If you are not used to it, don't drink it. Just leave it alone."
When Shen Baichuan came over with four cups of coffee, Dean Xi still took his cup, then took a sip, pondered the taste, and took another sip...
He muttered quietly, "It tastes okay."
Chen Jin pursed his lips to hold back his laughter. Dean Xi was so stubborn that even though Professor Song ignored him, he still insisted on trying it himself. If Professor Song had persuaded him to give it a try, he might not have touched it for a long time.
"You two have been going in and out together recently, are you dating?"
President Xi's sudden words were like a loud thunder in the clear sky, which struck Chen Jin so hard that he was almost speechless.
"President Xi, please stop making fun of us. Teacher Chen and I just happened to have lunch together at noon, and he took my car on the way back. He had to go to work in the afternoon, so he just happened to take my car."
Chen Jin nodded quickly, "Yes! It's just on the way."
However, this also sounded a wake-up call for her. She and Teacher Shen are now just ordinary friends, but if they get too close, it can easily lead to misunderstandings. I'd better be more careful next time.
When Dean Xi saw Chen Jin’s thoughtful expression, he thought to himself, “Oops,” and realized that he had ruined Shen Baichuan’s good deeds.
Shen Baichuan took a sip of coffee at this time and smiled: “I can only stop by occasionally. My company is busy recently. I don’t have any classes, so I have to go to the company.”
Then he looked at Chen Jin, "But I still have to eat lunch at school. I'd like to trouble Teacher Chen to save a seat for me."
"...Okay."
As soon as Shen Baichuan mentioned his company, Dean Xi, who had been obsessed with computer programming and couldn't extricate himself recently, asked about computer-related matters, but Chen Jin didn't understand anything at all.
Fortunately, Dean Xi and Professor Song’s old colleagues came to find them, and finally gathered in the backyard of Chen Jin’s house. Chen Jin directly gave up his seat to make room for these old professors to chat. When Professor Song was thinking about going back to his own courtyard, he was pulled by President Xi and sat down with his two old friends in the pavilion of Chen Jin's house, leaving Chen Jin and Shen Baichuan to chat on their own.
"You young people have topics to talk about, but you are not interested in the topics of us old men and women."
When the two entered the living room, President Xi whispered, "We are here so they can have a chance to be alone."
The two old friends who came over understood and asked why □□ had to stay in the yard of the young people's house. It turned out that she wanted to be a matchmaker.
"You are such a cunning person. You were like this when you were in school."
In the living room, Chen Jin looked at Shen Baichuan, then looked around the house, why did he feel that his house suddenly became crowded?
The two of them sat at each end of the sofa, looking at the ceiling and the floor, but not at each other.
Chen Jin couldn't stand this atmosphere, so he said, "Teacher Shen, can I turn on the TV?"
“Ah, okay.” Shen Baichuan nodded.
The TV was replaying what she had seen, and Chen Jin felt bored after watching for a while, but seeing that Shen Baichuan seemed to be watching with gusto, she suppressed the urge to change the TV station. The coffee just now was not to her liking, and there is still half a cup left. Chen Jin went to look through the refrigerator, found a pineapple-flavored ice cream, and asked Shen Baichuan if he wanted to eat it.
"No, thank you." Shen Baichuan moved his gaze back to the TV.
In fact, he had no intention of listening to what the people on TV were saying, his mind was full of confusion. He now has to rethink how he and Chen Jin get along now.
He had previously thought of taking it slow and boiling the frog in warm water, but with what President Xi had just said to help him test the water, he realized that he had absolutely no way of boiling the frog in warm water, because Chen Jin wasn't going to jump into the water at all. It is possible to stand by and watch him flutter.
"Teacher Shen? Teacher Shen?"
Chen Jin asked twice, and seeing that Shen Baichuan was concentrating on watching TV and didn’t hear what she was saying at all, she gave up asking. He went upstairs, got a book, tore open a pack of biscuits, and started eating them while reading.
The house was bustling with activity in every corner. Chen Jin could hear the old professors chatting and laughing in the backyard, as well as the dialogues between the characters in the TV show behind her. But at this moment, she was also immersed in the words of the book, following the author on a journey through the world.
Dean Xi came over quietly to check the situation, and glared at Shen Baichuan in disappointment, but Shen Baichuan was so engrossed in watching TV! Thinking it was inappropriate to continue disturbing them, he said goodbye to Professor Song and his two old friends.
Chen Jin and Shen Baichuan sent the people out of the courtyard together. Chen Jin was about to turn around and close the courtyard door as usual, but found that Shen Baichuan was still standing in his yard.
"Teacher Shen, are you going home?"
Shen Baichuan wanted to just shake his head, but after looking around, he realized that it was not the best time and place to confess to her, so he had to give up.
"Thank you for the treat today."
"You're welcome." She didn't offer any treat.
Just as he was about to close the gate of the courtyard, Chen Jin raised his eyebrows when he saw Li Xingyi and Bai Ling coming with Lao Youfu cakes. Now that we have experience, we know to give people cakes from old shops that suit their tastes instead of high-end gifts.
These two people are quite persistent. Even though school has started, they still come to Professor Song's house regularly without fail.
Although these two people are annoying, they must have some real talent, otherwise Professor Song would have kicked them out and would not agree to meet them every time.
But what happened to them had nothing to do with her anymore.
Go back to the house and turn on the TV to watch TV!
Since that day, Chen Jin returned to his previous routine and still went to and from get off work by himself at noon.
Shen Baichuan would drive directly to Dongcheng District after lunch every day. It was said that all his courses this semester were scheduled in the morning, so he had no classes in the afternoon. So Chen Jin had to eat lunch by himself and then go back to the college office building to drive. I dare not sleep very deeply at home at noon, for fear that I might accidentally press the alarm clock and wake up at three or four in the afternoon.
That would be really scary!
She also thought about staying in the office to take a nap, but after school started, several teachers chose not to go home at noon. After all, they were not as free as during the summer vacation, and Teacher Chang snored!
It was too torturous. She spent one lunch in the office and never dared to think about taking a nap in the office again the next day.
I have lunch six days a week, three of which I eat with Shen Baichuan, and the remaining three days I either eat with other counselors in the office or with Yang Qian and the other three.
Occasionally, we bump into each other and make decisions based on the empty seats in the cafeteria.
Yang Qian saw her rushing into the cafeteria with a file, then quickly getting her meal and sitting opposite her.
"Oh my god! There really is someone who stole someone else's admission letter and came to school to replace someone else!" As soon as Chen Jin sat down, he couldn't help but talk about what he had been busy with in the past few days. "If we hadn't conducted a baseline test at the beginning of the school year, we really wouldn't have found anything wrong."
"Really? The students you teach?"
"No, it's a student from the School of Physics. Their teacher conducted a baseline test to understand the students' physics learning situation, but unexpectedly, there was a student who scored only in the teens! The teacher felt that the result was not right, so he reported it to the counselor, who then gave the student a set of high school test papers. Except for physics, the student did well in other subjects, but that score was not enough to get into Nanjing University. The counselor checked the student's college entrance examination results and also checked the student's learning situation in high school. It turned out that his grades were usually among the best, and it was impossible for him to do so poorly..."
"Then we reported it to the college, and then to the police. Finally, we found out that the admission letter was stolen! What's even more shocking is that the person whose admission letter was stolen was his aunt's cousin, and his aunt helped him steal it. There was no need to steal the household registration booklet, his aunt gave it to him directly."
This incident caused a big stir. After the college reported the results of the public security investigation to the school, the school leaders held a meeting, followed by a meeting of the freshman counselors, and then they prepared for a freshman entrance examination tomorrow. She has been sorting out students' files these days.
"No, what's the point? His aunt helped him steal her own son's admission letter. Is she sick?"
Chen Jin sighed, "For two thousand dollars."
Just for two thousand dollars, he sold out a young man's future.
"The boy who was replaced, seeing that he failed to get into university, followed someone else to work."
I don’t know whether the police can contact this student and notify him to return to school.
"If someone with decent grades were to take his place, just imagine how terrible it would be. No one would be able to notice anything was wrong."
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