Big Orange
After returning to the small western-style building, Chen Jin came out of the shower tonight and changed all the bed sheets and quilt covers in the room, as well as the sofa covers, tablecloths, etc., and put them all in the washing tub. After getting up the next day, the washing machine at home was busy all the time, and a clothes drying rack was set up in the backyard.
I cleaned up the front and back and swept away all the fallen leaves and other things.
The doors of the neighbors on both sides are still closed. Professor Song and President Xi are still in Hainan. They said they would come back in March, but they were so happy there that they postponed it to April. The return date is yet to be determined.
Professor Song said: Since you are retired and don’t need to work anymore, it’s rare for you to go out, and it would be a waste if you don’t stay longer. You don’t know when you will be able to travel far next time.
Chen Jin was busy with trivial matters at home. She received several calls in one day. Zhuang Yao called her to ask her to go shopping at Wanmin Square, and her third cousin asked her to go to the travel agency to see the newly selected travel agency consultation point...
"I told you the other day when we were at Juchun Garden that I'd be back at the little western-style building these days." Chen Jin was walking back and forth in the living room in loose pajamas, a coat, and slippers. "Let's meet again some other time. It's a bit far from here."
No one exposed her.
What do you mean it's a bit far? If she really wanted to go out, she could go around all four districts in one day. In fact, she is just lazy.
I went out to the nearby vegetable market to buy vegetables, and unexpectedly I met her student at the gate of the community near the vegetable market. These two people are from different majors, but the flyers in their hands look familiar. They are clearly the promotional flyers of Chen Lu's tutoring institution.
The two students were still introducing the situation to parents who wanted to know more.
Chen Lu and her colleagues think that the tutoring institution they run does not need to wait a year to expand. Given the current enrollment situation, if they do not expand, they will have no place to provide classes for students, right?
Lin Xinran said that they would open their agencies in all cities in Southern Province in the future. Being modest, she thinks it is possible for them to open stores all over the country.
Chen Jin didn't go over to say hello, but when she came out of the market after buying vegetables, she was still seen by students, who greeted her.
"You two are both living in the school, right? How are your part-time jobs during the winter break?"
One of the students from the Chinese Department was obviously a little excited. "They are all very nice. The seniors are taking good care of us." The student scratched his head shyly and thanked Chen Jin. "Senior Lin said that they didn't plan to recruit freshmen, but the senior said we are your students, Teacher Chen, so she kept us. Thank you, Teacher Chen."
Chen Jin waved his hand nonchalantly, "She was just joking with you. It's mainly because you have the ability. If you don't, even if you are my family, I wouldn't keep you."
"I won't delay your work. Just do your job well. Go back to the dormitory early at night and don't hang around outside."
"Got it, Teacher Chen."
Walking further, I met an old professor from the same community who was also out buying groceries. I asked her if the two people just now were her students. When she heard that some students did not go home for the New Year and stayed in school to work part-time to earn a living, the old professor also mentioned that in the past, students who went abroad to study also worked part-time to earn a living.
"Back then, it was not as good as now. It was too difficult back then. However, now many students who go abroad to study have to work and earn money while studying. It costs hundreds of thousands to study abroad, and so many students are still scrambling to go abroad... We are still not as good as foreign countries in many aspects. So many excellent students went abroad, but not many came back. Your neighbor Mr. Shen is very rare. He came to school as soon as he came back. The teachers in the computer department often praised him..."
The old professor kept on chattering, and Chen Jin took the basket from her hand and walked slowly with her. Even though they had different opinions, Chen Jin also expressed his views and acted as a quiet listener.
Many people who go abroad do not have a wealthy family like Shen Baichuan. Going abroad to study will drain all the money in the family. After graduating from studying abroad and returning to China, how long will it take to earn back the cost of your studies based on the current general salary? The wages abroad are dozens of times higher than those in China.
Most ordinary people always talk about life first and then their ideals.
"I'm old now, so I tend to be a bit long-winded. Thank you for listening to me."
"No, I don't have anything else to do at home anyway, so I might as well listen to the stories of the seniors. This way I can have real-life examples to talk about in future meetings with students."
After sending the old professor home and carrying the basket of vegetables into his home, Chen Jin said goodbye and went home.
"Oh, isn't that Chen Jin? Professor Zhang, you know her too?" Shen Yibai was about to go out to look for his grandson when he saw Chen Jin walking out of Professor Zhang's house next door.
Professor Zhang smiled and said, "I often see him in the community. He looks familiar. Do you know Professor Shen?"
"Isn't it? She and Mr. Shen from the Computer Department bought my house." Shen Yibai said, "Fortunately, there were other people who wanted to buy my house at that time. Fortunately, I sold it to them. They are both teachers in our school, so they are not that bad. You don't know that the couple who wanted to buy my house at that time later bought a house in the faculty and staff family compound. They quarreled with a young couple downstairs every day. The young couple were graduate students of our school. People with bad character moving in will affect the relationship between neighbors..."
Chen Jinke didn't know that after she left, Professor Shen and Professor Zhang were still chatting about the gossip about the faculty and staff family compound in their own yards, otherwise she would have to stay and listen before leaving.
A few years ago, she came here to put up couplets and hang lanterns, and at that time she distributed a lot of foreign picture cards to the children in the community. When they see her now, they are all as sweet as if they saw the God of Wealth, and call her "Sister Chen Jin" all the time. But Chen Jin corrected him, "Call me Teacher Chen."
Teacher Chen sounds more authoritative and can control the annoying people who are throwing tantrums.
That afternoon, Chen Jin went to the flower and bird market again.
This time, she not only bought flowers for arrangement, but also bought a lot of large potted plants. The owner of the stall helped to move things for a long time, and finally put all her purchases into the trunk of the car.
Chen Jin didn't leave in a hurry. He walked around the flower and bird market and finally met someone who wanted to sell a cat.
Two small orange kittens. Chen Jin liked all of them, but someone else took the lead and decided on one of them first. The remaining one lay there lazily, glanced at her, and fell back down.
It’s not quite right to say that he was selling the cats. He said that his family had too many cats and could not afford to raise them, so he gave them away to relatives and friends. But he couldn’t give away the remaining two, so he brought them to the flower and bird market to see if anyone wanted them. Give ten or eight yuan, and consider it as earning enough to buy a cage.
"Girl, do you want one? This cat is easy to raise. It will eat anything you feed it. Here, this stick has the scent of its mother. Find an empty place at home and make a pile of dirt. Stick the stick in it and the cat will find its way to the toilet. It's very easy to raise."
The boss had said many other kittens were easy to raise, and he was afraid that Chen Jin would not like this last one. Chen Jin took the opportunity to ask a lot of things to pay attention to when raising cats. She was a little afraid that if she brought the cat home, she would end up killing it.
"It's not that particular. Cats of this breed are very easy to raise. We've dewormed it at home. Just grind mothballs into powder and rub it on it. If you're worried, take it to the vet."
It is true that there are not so many rules to follow. In the past, the cats and dogs in the village ran around from one end of the village to the other and were very wild. But if she brings the cat back to the community, it will definitely be different from in the village, and she has to make the kitten behave itself.
After Chen Jin pondered over it, she suddenly felt gravity on the back of her feet. She looked down and saw that the little orange cat had already lay on the surface of her shoe, holding her feet and continuing to lazily.
The stall owner said excitedly, "Look, this cat is meant for you, so just take it away. This cat is the most well-behaved. If I didn't have so many cats and dogs at home, I wouldn't want to send it away. Look, isn't it not making a fuss?"
Chen Jin looked down at the kitten, feeling a little skeptical. It's not well-behaved, it's just purely lazy! She is a lazy person herself and knows the kitten's temperament very well.
Since she has already considered how to raise the kitten in the future, if she turns around and leaves, she might worry about it for a long time, or even regret not taking the kitten back with her.
Chen Jin didn't hesitate any more, and directly took out ten yuan from his pocket and said, "Then please help me pack its things."
He patted the kitten's paw again, "I'll take you home, you have to be good. High five! It's a deal. If you dare to rebel at home, you're done for!"
Finally, the cats were sent away. The stall owner smiled sincerely, "Don't worry, it's definitely well-behaved."
When he took out the kitten's cage, he was still a little reluctant and said to Chen Jin: "You have to take good care of it. These animals are spiritual. If you can't keep it, find a better family for it. Don't sell it to someone who buys cats. You don't know how many people buy cats and dogs to eat, and there are people who kidnap dogs..."
Chen Jin went out and brought back a trunk full of flowers and trees, and a chubby kitten.
When she was moving things into her home, she was seen by the little kids in the neighborhood. They volunteered to help, and then they stared into each other's eyes at the orange cat lying in a small paper box in the trunk.
"Wow!"
Chen Jin sighed. Are these little brats the reincarnation of frogs?
Everyone said they would come to help her, but in the end they were so fascinated by the orange cat that they completely forgot about everything. She could only move things in bit by bit by herself, and then took the cat and the cage back home. She also went a long way to buy bentonite clay for the kitten to use as the toilet.
"Sister Chen Jin..." Under Chen Jin's gaze, the child changed his words again, "Teacher Chen, what is the name of this kitten? Grandpa Shen also has a cat at home, it's white, and its name is Xiaobai."
Chen Jin thought: She can’t just name her cat Xiaoju just because it’s orange, right? It doesn't sound good at all.
After thinking for a while, Chen Jin said, "It's called Daju."
The big orange cat simply moved its body and turned its head to the other side, as if to protest that it didn't like the name.
"Just call it Daju. Daju Daju Daju." Since it can't talk anyway, of course she has to make the decision. Chen Jin touched its paw pads again, so cute!
Daju was not satisfied with the name, but there was nothing he could do, so Chen Jin called him "Daju" all the time. The children originally thought that the name "Daju" didn't sound nice, but Chen Jin called it so smoothly that they quickly accepted it. So many people shouted this that Daju just accepted his fate.
Although the name is not very impressive, the big orange cat has been looking around since it came, and seems to be very satisfied with the conditions in this house. It doesn't seem to be uncomfortable at all, and it just lies on the carpet and allows people to watch it.
Chen Jin took a look at the carpet that was almost the same color as the orange one, and thought to himself that he should change the carpet for his house, and he should not buy tablecloths or anything like that in the future. Otherwise, if it lies there motionless, who would be able to find it?
On the day she brought Daju back, Chen Jin called her third uncle's house and told Chen Yongan not to find her a cat because she had already brought one back and couldn't afford to raise more.
"Okay." Chen Yongan was a little disappointed that they found the cat so quickly! But Chen Yongan also gained other things from breaking into the chat group of old men and women these days. This phone call lasted for more than half an hour.
"The one outside Chen Wenzhen is Zhang Meixian's cousin. She came to our house with a big belly! Zhang Meixian actually told her to give birth and help raise the baby. But! The one outside Zhang Meixian's cousin also came to our house and said the child was his! An old lady in the community found out when she went to visit relatives at the Second Hospital. Everyone in the community should know about it now. Chen Wenzhen is in the right now, and the woman's family doesn't dare to come and make trouble."
Chen Jin couldn't understand how this matter would develop.
She didn't know whether to say that Chen Wenzhen was lucky or unlucky.
"More!!!" Chen Yongan's voice almost broke with excitement, "Third sister, you definitely don't know! Chen Wenxing can't have children! No wonder Mrs. Chen San wanted to take the child from her daughter's family before, and even wanted to drive Chen Wenxing's wife away. Now Chen Wenxing's wife is controlling her so much that she and Mr. Chen San dare not say a word. Look, look, you can't imagine it, right?!"
Chen Jin sighed, "Who could have imagined this?!"
There are so many new things happening in their Qiaodong Village! So exciting!
"I want to hurry to Qingming Festival."
"Ah? Why?" Isn't the Qingming Festival a time for tomb sweeping?
"During the Qingming Festival, villagers can get together again." How interesting is it to listen to gossip that is relayed than to hear it in person? By then, it would be strange if Chen Sangong, Chen Sanpo and Chen Wenxing were not humiliated by Aunt Zhou.
Chen Jin sincerely gave Chen Yongan advice, "I think you can consider becoming a journalist in the future. When you have time, collect newspapers in Hong Kong to see how they write gossip. If you publish a Rose Garden gossip daily, no, you have to go to school, why don't you publish a weekly newspaper? I will sponsor you for free."
Chen Yongan actually considered her suggestion and said, "Then I'll go ask the school's tabloid if they're still hiring next semester."
After Chen Jin hung up the phone, he was still thinking about the gossip in Qiaodong Village. Suddenly, he looked down and saw Daju jogging away. Chen Jin smiled, "You understand? Then I'll take you to listen to gossip some other day."
She has a kitten at home, and more and more children come to her house. Chen Jin is considering hanging a wooden sign on the front door of his house: Daju Kindergarten.
Shen Baichuan moved back to the small western-style building the afternoon before school started. Seeing the familiar white Santana, my mood improved. However, the gate to her house was not closed, leaving a gap, and the door to the main house was also open, and the voices of many children could be heard from inside.
After he brought his luggage in and opened the door to the backyard, the noisy sounds from the neighbor's house became more obvious. As soon as he walked out, he saw six children sitting under the gazebo in her backyard. An orange kitten was lying quietly on the table, licking its paws from time to time. Then there was a burst of childish "wow".
He met Chen Jin who came out and asked with his eyes what was going on.
Chen Jin said helplessly: "I brought a kitten home to raise. My house is almost turning into a kindergarten."
Then he brought a plate of fruit and placed it on the table, "Frogs, eat some fruit and be quiet for a while."
"Frogs?"
"They're making noises all day long. If not frogs, what are they?" Chen Jin put her hands on her hips and looked at the group of little kids. She called them that and they laughed heartlessly.
He actually thought she was quite happy "raising frogs".
“We agreed to come back for dinner after the New Year, but my company has had some minor problems recently, and I haven’t found the time.” After Shen Baichuan explained, he wanted to ask when Chen Jin would be free.
Chen Jin then remembered that when he called her on New Year's Eve, he said he would come back for dinner after the New Year, and she agreed. But now… "We'll talk about it another weekend when we're free. School starts tomorrow."
"Okay." Shen Baichuan sighed softly.
"Teacher Shen, have you dealt with the company's affairs?"
Shen Baichuan looked up at her, and seeing the corners of her mouth rise and fall, and she was holding back her smile, he understood and said, "You want to ask me if I won the argument that day? Fortunately, I won the argument."
"Teacher Shen, you're overthinking it. That's not what I meant." Chen Jin added, "I guess you can't lose the argument."
"......"
Shen Baichuan didn’t know what to say.
Soon, Shen Baichuan remembered another thing, “You said before that if you have the chance, you will take me to see the new things in the village. You have a piece of land in Qiaoxi Village, right?”
"Yes." Chen Jin responded, and suddenly thought of a possibility. He raised his head and looked at him expectantly, "Any news?"
“Nine times out of ten, you wait another month or two. Maybe it won’t take that long.” Shen Baichuan thought to himself: Sure enough, the news of getting rich is what she is most interested in.
Chen Jin calculated the time, waved his hand, and said, "It doesn't matter if it's late. It's more exciting to get the money later."
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