Chapter 333 [Update 1]
Wucheng is not too close to Shanghai, but not too far either. There are direct buses from the bus station.
The money in Jiang Ning's savings account should be enough for Grandpa Jiang to have a physical examination. The problem is how can she convince Grandpa Jiang to give up his job as a forest ranger, come to the city with him for the examination, and live with her in the city in the future.
Grandpa Jiang has never set foot out of the land where he was born and raised in his entire life. The farthest place he has ever been is a stretch of wild lotus root beach at the end of a big river in the neighboring city. During the famine years, this lotus root beach fed many people who were about to starve to death within a radius of 100 miles.
In his time, all the educated youth were looking forward to returning to the city, and he heard a lot about the big cities outside from them.
The ground in big cities is not yellow mud. When it rains, your feet won't sink ten centimeters into the mud when you step into it.
In big cities, there is no need for ferries. There are buses outside the door, and you can take the bus to any place you want to go in the city.
I heard that the Friendship Shopping Mall is as high as a six-story building. How tall is that? There are many things sold in it that he has never seen or heard of.
Nowadays, all the educated youth who went to the countryside to work in their brigade have returned to the city, except for Teacher Xiao An who is now middle-aged. Only Grandpa Jiang, who has heard stories about the city, is left with expectations and yearning for the city.
He knew that the city was a good place, a hundred times, a thousand times better than their countryside, and he hoped that his granddaughter would be able to take root and grow up in such a good place in the future.
But he never thought of going there by himself. He had no special skills and could not survive in such a place. There was no soil for him to take root there.
He both longed for and was afraid of the outside world. His only wish was to let his granddaughter step out of that small mountain village and see the vast world outside that he had never seen.
Grandpa Jiang was still patrolling the mountain, occasionally standing on the huge rock on the top of the mountain and looking into the distance.
As far as he could see, the farthest place was the long river in the distance and the charcoal mountain on the other side of the river. He could not see anything further.
He often went back to see the Tan Mountain on the other side of the river. Not only did he look at it often, but everyone on this side of the river would look at it often. Whenever there was a power outage, everyone would go out of their homes to see if the lights on the Tan Mountain on the other side of the river were still on. If the lights on the other side of the river were flickering, then the power outage was a problem with their power station and they could call an electrician to fix it. If the lights on the other side of the river were also out, then there was a problem with the electricity in the entire town and there was no need to wait, there would definitely be no electricity tonight.
All the family debts have been paid off, and the family no longer needs to use his salary to pay off debts. His money will be saved for his granddaughter to go to high school.
He brought the pheasants and rabbits he had shot down the mountain and asked Jiang's father to bring them to the street to help him sell them when he went to market.
He said, "I know you and your wife both love Jiang Song. No one cares about Jiang Bai and Ning Ning. Jiang Bai is better because he is a boy. At least you are willing to pay for his tuition. I know your wife doesn't want Ning Ning to go to school. I don't have any other ability. You have paid off your debts. I have never taken the money for guarding the forest. I will keep it for myself from now on and will not give it to you."
"Ningning needs tuition, I can't let her follow me around picking up rags all the time."
Grandpa Jiang’s annual salary is less than a thousand yuan, which is not enough to pay Jiang Ning’s tuition for two semesters. He has to find a way from other places.
On the way back, he still had a snakeskin bag in his hand. He picked up all the bottles, cans, iron wire and iron lids he could see and put them into the bag. When he had enough, he would sell them all together.
Jiang Ning didn't know what Grandpa Jiang was really afraid of in the big city. She was only thinking about buying a house in the city, bringing Grandpa over, letting the hospital check his health, and taking good care of his health.
But she vaguely knew that her grandfather had no friends in the city. It would not be a good thing for the old man if he did nothing but stayed at home. It would be best to find him something to do so that he could earn some money with his own hands and have an income. Only then would he feel at ease.
She wanted to rent a shop near the school and open a small store for her grandfather, selling dry goods such as melon seeds and peanuts, or go to the small commodity market to wholesale some snacks and sell them at the school gate.
Grandpa Jiang is not in good health and cannot do any work that is too strenuous. Even if he runs a shop, it would be best for him to do light work.
Her first choice was the street where No. 1 Middle School was located.
There are two high schools standing face to face on this street, Wucheng No. 1 High School and Wucheng Senior High School, both of which are the two most famous key high schools in Wucheng.
Although there are two high schools, this street is not lively, and can even be described as deserted, especially when compared with the street next door where there are No. 2 Middle School and No. 4 Middle School. The contrast is particularly obvious.
The reason is that both No. 1 Middle School and Wuzhong Middle School are too strict.
Because gangster movies were popular in the 1990s, many factories closed down, countless workers were laid off, and young people couldn't find jobs. Many unemployed young people in their teens and twenties became street vagrants, wandering the streets in groups of three or five all day long.
If there are too many people like this, fights and trouble are inevitable.
The teachers at Wucheng No. 1 Middle School and Wucheng Senior Middle School were afraid that something might happen to the students, so except for the weekends when they let the students go home, they kept the students in school and did not let them leave for a moment.
Even if it is the weekend, when you leave school, you have to fill out a form, writing down the time you left, what you are going to do, where you are going, and when you will return.
Jiang Ning had previously filled in a timetable to go shopping at the small commodity market and be back before seven o'clock.
Since there was still time, Jiang Ning walked around the two nearby streets to see if there was a suitable shop to rent.
Unlike the deserted street near No. 1 Middle School, the street next door is very lively. Many young boys and girls in school uniforms are walking around the various snack stalls on this street.
There are also two high schools on this street, No. 2 High School and No. 4 High School.
No. 2 High School is also considered a key high school.
For the high school students in the small town below, if they cannot get into No. 1 High School and Wuzhong, the two most famous key high schools, it is also good to be admitted to No. 2 High School. No. 2 High School has always wanted to compete with Wuzhong and No. 1 High School for the top spot, but it is always the younger brother and has never been taken seriously by No. 1 High School and Wuzhong. No. 1 High School only has Wuzhong in its eyes, and Wuzhong only has themselves in its eyes.
Well... occasionally I would raise my eyelids to look at the first Chinese school that could pose a threat to them.
No. 4 Middle School is a semi-arts high school with a relatively relaxed school atmosphere. Students are not prohibited from entering and leaving the school on a daily basis. Therefore, the business on that street is much busier than the street with No. 1 Middle School and Wuzhong Middle School.
Jiang Ning casually strolled along these two streets to see if he could find a shop to rent.
As a result, after going around in a circle, not to mention the shops on both sides of the street, even the doors facing the alleys in the nearby alleys have been turned into fried skewers shops. The streets and alleys are all occupied by people who can't find jobs because they were laid off. There are stalls selling cakes, spring rolls, wontons, and fried skewers. All kinds of small stalls are lined up all the way to the alley entrance.
There are four or five shops selling fried skewers alone, and there are also quite a few selling spicy hot pot.
They string bean curd skin, gluten, rice cake, dried fish, ham and other ingredients together on bamboo sticks, fry them in a pan, and then coat them with spicy and fresh sauce. It is the favorite of young people who lack oil and water.
There are a lot of people queuing up to buy spring rolls.
Jiang Ning had eaten this spring roll once in her previous life and had been thinking about it for many years. She didn’t know whether her memory beautified it or it was really that delicious, but Jiang Ning never ate such delicious spring rolls again.
The proprietress used an empty oil drum to make a wide iron stove, and placed a large frying pan on it. On the frying pan were more than twenty rectangular spring rolls, and next to it was a bucket of vermicelli mixed with leeks that had already been seasoned.
The proprietress took out a large spring roll wrapper, scooped out a large spoonful of chopped leek vermicelli with a spoon, put it on the wrapper, folded it into a rectangle, put it in the pan, turned over the other fried crispy and fragrant spring rolls, and continued to wrap the next one.
Unlike the spring rolls Jiang Ning ate later, which had only a little filling but thick, long, thin wrappers, each spring roll the proprietress made was generous in fillings.
She moved quickly, and soon she had filled the remaining space on the pan with freshly wrapped spring rolls. She then skillfully handed the fried spring rolls to the people in line one by one, shouting, "Don't push! Don't push! The stove is very hot, I won't help if you get burned!"
Jiang Ning also joined the queue and soon it was her turn.
The spring rolls were a little hot when they came out of the pot. Jiang Ning waited until they cooled down a little before he could not wait to take a bite. They were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with the aroma of vermicelli and leeks filling them.
It’s the taste of memory.
It tastes good, but seems a bit too oily.
Jiang Ning finally ate the spring rolls that she had been longing for for many years. It was like she had let go of an obsession and finally stopped thinking about the delicious taste in her memory that she could never find again.
Walking down the entire street from the beginning to the end, it is difficult to squeeze into a shop, let alone a stall. After all, no one is a fool. There are four high schools nearby on the street, so there is no shop to rent to you. I am afraid that the shop that has just been vacated will be snatched away immediately.
Jiang Ning was about to go back after searching for nothing, but suddenly heard a Cantonese accent different from the local accent: "Teacher Ning Meng, you are here too?"
Wang Yong really didn't expect that he would meet Ning Meng on the street after not seeing her for several days.
Wang Yong, who came from Guangshi, was wearing bright and fashionable clothes that were different from those of this gray little county town. Coupled with his young and energetic face, even if he was walking on the street without saying a word, he would attract people to look at him twice. What's more, his eyes were shining and his face was full of joy as he ran towards a girl who was wearing a huge No. 1 Middle School uniform that was as big as a sack...?
The aunties and grandmas selling things on the roadside were not quite sure, and they couldn't help but look at Jiang Ning's buzz cut from the corner of their eyes, or openly, to determine whether she was a boy or a girl.
Of course her face looks like a girl, but her hair and figure look like a boy.
Did this guy just call him/her? What was it? Lemon old thought?
Is there anyone with such a weird name?
A grown man called this kid who looked like a student "Lao Si"?
Their minds are full of curious gossip.
"Teacher Ning Meng, what a coincidence? Are you here to see me? Have you finished writing the manuscript? Do you want me to copy it for you?" Wang Yong's eyes were filled with a clear and stupid smile.
Jiang Ning, who was urged to submit his manuscript in person: …
Do I look like I want to see you?
"Monday, I'll write more on Saturday and Sunday. I'll bring it to you after the morning reading class on Monday."
Wang Yong nodded with shining eyes: "That's great. By the way, the total monthly sales of the first issue of "Da Song" published in "Wuxia" is out. The single issue has exceeded one million. The total monthly sales of our magazine this month has reached 3.2 million copies!"
When Wang Yong received the news from his colleagues in Guangzhou, he was so happy that he almost danced with joy.
The magazine is selling well, so there is hope for his job!
"Teacher Ning Meng, our director said that you haven't replied to his emails. Are you free now? Do you want to reply to him? Of course, if you have anything to say, you can let me pass it on." Wang Yong is only a little over 1.7 meters tall. Perhaps because he just graduated from college not long ago, his face is filled with complete enthusiasm.
"By the way, do you want to apply for MSN? The magazine now has MSN, and you can contact the editor directly through MSN. I am your editor-in-charge, and I will be responsible for contacting you about your manuscripts from now on." He took out a piece of paper and handed it to Jiang Ning: "This is my MSN and email number. If you can't find me by phone, you can also contact me directly through MSN and email."
Thinking that it was time for dinner, Wang Yong asked again: "Teacher Ning Meng, have you had dinner yet?"
He was just about to say that he wanted to treat Jiang Ning to dinner, but suddenly he remembered that there was no restaurant nearby that suited his taste, as the food was all too spicy.
He has been eating so much these days that he is about to develop hemorrhoids and has several pimples on his forehead.
The people in Wucheng are so terrible that they even put spicy food in their wontons.
After staying here for a few days, Wang Yong really couldn't get used to the food and wanted to go back urgently.
Seeing Jiang Ning finish the spring roll in his hand, he couldn't help but ask expectantly: "Teacher Jiang Ning, do you want to go back and write the manuscript now?"
"By the way, our magazine has now opened an email submission service. You can type out the manuscript on your computer and send it to us via email. Teacher Ning Meng, there is an Internet cafe in front. Do you want to try it?" After a pause, he said uncertainly: "Teacher Ning Meng, can you use a computer? It doesn't matter if you can't, I can use it, I will teach you!"
After I have taught Teacher Ning Meng how to type, I won’t have to copy manuscripts anymore, nor will I have to wait for a long time to receive letters. I’m afraid that there will be gaps in the magazine!
He is really just an ordinary little genius in urging people to submit their papers!
Jiang Ning also wanted to go to the Internet cafe, so he half-pushed and half-pushed her into the Internet cafe.
The Internet cafe is not on the street where the four high schools are located, but is two streets away, with a shortcut in the middle that can be passed through the alley.
Wang Yong rented a small room in a nearby alley. He had nothing to do during the past few days, so he wandered around and discovered this shortcut.
The Internet cafe is very old, with only about twenty computers in total, and the huge computer monitors are like clumsy bricks.
Wang Yong had already diligently helped Jiang Ning turn on the computer, and told Jiang Ning: "Teacher Ning Meng, this is the power button. Press here and the computer will turn on."
"Yeah." Jiang Ning responded absentmindedly, but her attention was on the computer screens of the people around her.
At that time, Penguin Chat Software had not yet been developed. Those who came to the Internet cafe were students from nearby or unemployed young people in society. Most of them were boys, with only a few girls, who also came with the boys and only watched but did not play.
Looking at their computer screens, most of them were playing a fighting game called "Virtual Realm Fighter 2". Even Jiang Ning, who had never played games, knew this game. Game arcades on the streets were full of 2D games like "Fighter King" and "King of Fighters". The one they were playing now was similar to "King of Fighters", but it was 3D.
Seeing that Jiang Ning's eyes were fixed on the game on other people's computer screens, Wang Yong became anxious and quickly asked Jiang Ning to sit down and draw her attention back: "Teacher Ning Meng, come here, I will teach you how to type first."
There are two types of typing software now, one is Smart ABC, which is the original pinyin typing, and the other is Wubi typing.
To learn Wubi typing, you must first learn to memorize the radicals, which is a bit difficult for beginners. However, Smart ABC has no entry threshold. As long as you know pinyin, you can get started in one second.
Wang Yong switched to Smart ABC and used two-finger Zen to teach Jiang Ning: "Look, if we type '你好', we need to find 'n-i' 'hao' on the keyboard and type '粵宮' 'yun' 'tun'." He handed the keyboard to Jiang Ning: "Teacher Ning Meng, you try it."
Jiang Ning thought about where he had left off in the previous chapter, got the hang of it, and switched the input method to Wubi. He stared at the computer and his fingers flew.
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