Chapter 12: Authentic and Genuine
Jiang Ranxu's wish for the wild duck came true.
He would hardly meet an elite man running wildly in an expensive suit in his lifetime.
Several possibilities popped up in Jiang Ranxu's hungover mind:
The first one is that Meng Weishen is the hidden eldest son of the richest man in Beijing. In order to resist the family marriage arrangement, he resolutely chose to elope.
The second is that Meng Weishen is a mysterious multinational agent who is the king of urban gunslingers and is being hunted by the enemy's elite troops.
The third type is that Meng Weishen is the protagonist of the quick-travel system's golden finger, and needs to complete the world mission of conquering the cold and sickly beautiful doctor.
Jiang Ranxu said, "Meng Weishen, are you hiding from someone? This place is quite far from Shichahai, don't worry."
Meng Weishen finally realized that his behavior was inappropriate, and quickly jumped away from him, giving him a slightly restrained smile.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Jiang. I was so busy avoiding my relatives and my blind date. Did I bother you?"
"It's okay. I'm free today. What happened? Tell me about it."
...For a talented yet awkward contestant like Meng Weishen, reality is sometimes more magical than routine novels.
The two men leaned under a row of flashing electrical boxes. Meng Weishen was responsible for describing his unlucky New Year's Eve experience, while Jiang Ranxu was responsible for finding a solution for him.
Jiang Ranxu was secretly worried that Meng Weishen might smell the alcohol on him, so he deliberately wandered to the vent in the alley and removed the red paint debris stuck on his shoulder. Fortunately, Meng Weishen didn't notice at all.
"I think I understand. Let's go and find a way to deal with your relatives first." Jiang Ranxu said smoothly, "But there's no need to rush. There's a place in the alley next door that sells candied haws. They're better than the ones in the scenic area. You can go see if they're open first."
Since they met, their lives have finally shown signs of changing. The candied haws shop is open on New Year's Eve, and there's no need to queue. They're selling freshly baked candied strawberries.
Meng Weishen tore open the paper bag. The rock sugar had solidified into a hard, translucent shell, which was slightly reflective, making the fruit appear a bright red like a heart.
Meng Weishen didn't rush to bite the top strawberry, and joked, "Can I have it? You suggested that I eat less sweets."
Jiang Ranxu said, "Every dentist would advise you this. But I'm on vacation today, so the advice is temporarily ineffective."
Meng Weishen smiled at him, revealing a row of teeth.
The two walked and talked. Jiang Ranxu asked, "Tell me about your family. You mean, your mother asked you to be responsible for booking hotels and tickets for all the relatives, but she herself saved the money and didn't come? Moreover, your relatives didn't say anything and just took advantage of it silently?"
Meng Weishen bit into the tip of the strawberry covered in rock sugar and seemed to be in a much better mood. "My mom has indeed urged me several times, but I haven't paid yet. I just found them a three-day Beijing tour guide. The attractions are all the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and the Drum Tower."
"If you ask me, why not just arrange a rubbish tour for them? One of those things that advertises a tour around Beijing for a few hundred yuan. It's both convenient and cheap. Of course, I wouldn't normally do that. It's just that your relatives are a bit annoying..."
Jiang Ranxu was worrying about whether his good image in Meng Weishen's heart would be ruined, when he suddenly realized that the other party had disappeared.
It turned out that Meng Weishen had stopped in front of a store. Judging from the tattered sign, the yellowed price list, and the old man playing a slow-paced short video outside, one could barely tell that it was a small travel agency.
Meng Weishen lay on the table, quickly typing out strings of numbers with a ballpoint pen. Jiang Ranxu hesitated: "What are you doing?"
"I'm filling in the ID numbers and phone numbers of my aunt, uncle, auntie, and cousins." Meng Weishen didn't even look up. "Uncle, I want to sign this group up for a three-day tour package to the suburbs of Beijing. Yes, the cheapest one, the one that goes to Miyun Reservoir and the Wild Great Wall."
Jiang Ranxu was secretly shocked by the other party's amazing execution ability. No wonder Meng Weishen had established a deep working friendship with his former leader, and he was also willing to be Meng Weishen's leader.
Jiang Ranxu didn't forget to bargain: "Uncle, we're bringing in so many people at once, can we negotiate the price? Or maybe we can pay a two hundred yuan deposit first, and you can ask this group for the subsequent fees."
"A deposit of three hundred." The old man snatched their completed registration form with one hand and quickly swiped to a new short video, his eyes still glued to the phone screen. "After payment, remember to ask them to gather at the store entrance. We'll arrange a bus to send everyone away today."
For 300 yuan, they sent a whole bunch of relatives to the store. The price/performance ratio was better than the 30 yuan teeth cleaning service at their dental clinic. They made a deal with the old man on the spot.
"Go deal with Yan Cunrui now, and send me the address of the auction."
As soon as Jiang Ranxu mentioned the auction, Meng Weishen became visibly nervous. He first straightened the overlapping cuffs of several layers of clothing, and then tightened the tie between his shirt.
Meng Weishen didn't dare touch the glued hair easily, and asked him for help: "Wait, is my clothes okay? Can you help me check, is my hair messy?"
Jiang Ranxu found it funny and reached out to smooth back the few strands of hair that were scattered on the other person's forehead, just enough to clearly see the continuous arc between the forehead and the brow arch.
At an inexplicable moment, the urge to kiss was born.
Jiang Ranxu leaned closer to the other's forehead. But he immediately realized that Meng Weishen was tall enough, and he was more likely to kiss the tip of his nose, just one step away from his lips.
This seems to be moving too fast.
——
Meng Weishen saw Jiang Ranxu leaning down slightly and then pausing very close to him. He was confused. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"
Jiang Ranxu seemed stunned, and after a moment, he withdrew his fingers from his hair. The dried hairspray had failed to work, and his hair fell back down, creating several abrupt black lines across his vision.
"Your eyelash has fallen on your face." Jiang Ranxu slowly spread out his hand and showed him a tiny eyelash on his fingertips.
"Thank you. Now there's nothing left, right? Let's go."
Meng Weishen couldn't take a single step before Jiang Ranxu approached him again. This time, he lifted his cheeks and signaled him not to move.
"Wait, your hair is messy, let me help you fix it first."
The temperature between Jiang Ranxu's fingers was cool, and his fingertips were distinct. The touch reminded him of the metal instruments in a dental clinic. He could clearly feel the other person touching his forehead and then running through the ends of his hair. He was indeed helping him with his hair.
He seemed accustomed to close contact with Jiang Ranxu and didn't find it strange. But unlike his usual dental experience, Jiang Ranxu wasn't wearing a medical mask today, and his breath tangled with his. He felt a little breathless, and his eyes kept lingering on the other person's lips, which were so noticeable.
Jiang Ranxu retracted his fingers at the right moment. "It's done. You can be more confident. You have a good figure and can definitely carry off this outfit."
"...Thank you, Dr. Jiang. I know that praising patients is a professional habit of dentists." Meng Weishen still kept his back tense, trying to make himself look as straight as possible.
The other person glanced at him and continued, "Besides, Yan Cunrui changes her son's stepfather candidate every three months on average, so you're not sure how long you can hold out. You don't regard the auction as an important test for your blind date, do you?"
Meng Weishen suspected that Yan Cunrui had defaulted on medical bills at the dental clinic, or perhaps had some other flawed virtue, which had caused her to offend someone as gentle as Jiang Ranxu. He decided to mention Yan Cunrui as little as possible in the future: "It has nothing to do with her. Actually, I haven't been to an auction, but I've seen videos of internet celebrities pretending to be wealthy at auctions, and I don't want to end up like them."
Jiang Ranxu's face was calm: "It's just a small auction. Just follow me closely. You won't be nervous once you've participated in it once."
The auction was held in a private courtyard house, nestled at the foot of the imperial city, where land is at a premium. Yet, the space is surprisingly spacious, its shape symmetrical along its central axis. The owner meticulously crafted the decorative details, including the entrance screen wall and the inner corridor, which feature antique carvings. The wisteria trellis and Taihu rocks in the courtyard are designed to highlight a ginkgo tree. The ginkgo tree is a witness to time, its life outlasting any person or dynasty it bears witness to. Its trunk is as thick as an adult's waist, its countless withered branches pointing skyward like tombstones.
Beijing's winter is dry and harsh, and the climate is not pleasant. The collectors all hide in the main courtyard to chat, and Yan Cunrui is no exception.
Jiang Ranxu entered the room before him and took the wine glass from the waiter. Without waiting for an invitation, he took the seat next to Yan Cunrui and touched the wall of his glass. "Today's host has good taste, and the wine is very authentic."
Yan Cunrui's expression was unusually sullen. His gaze passed over Jiang Ranxu's shoulder and landed, intentionally or unintentionally, in front of Meng Weishen. Meng Weishen felt as if he had been stared at by Medusa. He froze in his tracks, not daring to find a seat or accept the waiter's glass.
Before she opened her mouth, the old man in the front row who was very good at reading letters came to join in the fun:
"Hey Cunrui, you're going overboard today, aren't you? You only brought two 'friends' to play with you at once?"
The old man resembles Tang Sanzang, with not a single seedling growing in the fertile soil above his head. He holds two agarwood strings in his hands, looking quite plump. However, a pair of snake-like girls are tucked under each armpit, suggesting he may be skeptical.
Jiang Ranxu treated the old man as air, drank half a glass of wine, and asked Yan Cunrui: "Sister, why didn't you invite me to the auction? I live nearby, it's very convenient for me to come."
The old man insisted, "Nearby? How close? You live in the Forbidden City."
Seeing Yan Cunrui turned away, looking uninterested, Jiang Ranxu finally chimed in: "I wouldn't dare to, I live in Shichahai."
"Beijing? Your accent isn't noticeable. Your parents are from other places, right? Did you only get your household registration after the 2008 Olympics?"
"I'm certainly not a proper Beijinger." Jiang Ranxu seemed lost in thought. He asked the waiter to pour another glass of wine before continuing, "My great-grandfather moved to Peking in the early years of the Republic of China. He was the only son born to his first wife, but his mother died early, and his father remarried. My great-grandfather lost his land inheritance rights and fled all the way to Beijing, where he started a seafood resale business. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, my grandfather inherited his seafood store. Just as the public-private partnership was underway, he went to work as a purchasing manager for a state-owned enterprise. It was only after the reform and opening up that my father resumed the business."
The old man's eyes twitched. "The first year of the Republic of China? That's a few years earlier than when my grandfather came to Beijing. You must be considered a Beijinger. Fake Beijingers only got their household registration after the millennium."
Jiang Ranxu nodded in agreement, then changed the subject: "Oh, by the way, my mother should be considered a Beijinger. Her ancestors were nobles of the Eight Banners and entered the Great Wall with Huang Taiji. By the time of my great-grandfather, there was a hereditary title, commonly known as the Iron Hat King. Yes, I do have Banner ancestry, but my ID card shows that I'm Han. It doesn't matter. The Qing Dynasty has been gone for many years. Now I'm just an ordinary medical worker. I'm so ashamed."
...What is the relaxation of old Beijing and the privilege of old money!
Jiang Ranxu's pure old Beijing princess bloodline, authentic and legitimate, shocked all the old Qing Dynasty zombies in the audience.
Meng Weishen's face also showed a bit of bewildered admiration. But he realized belatedly that Yan Cunrui's eyes were still fixed on him, and a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.
"Xiao Meng, what about you?" Yan Cunrui said calmly, "I thought you were going home with your relatives for the New Year. Why did you mess with Dr. Jiang again?"
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