16. Treating guests
Although she lost several thousand dollars, at least her trip wasn't delayed, and getting her car keys back saved her a lot of trouble. The next evening, sitting in a restaurant with a sea view, Ding Xiaojuan waved her hand generously: "This meal is on me!"
"Why are you treating us?" He Miao looked up when she heard this, as she was studying the wine list. "Are you celebrating losing several thousand dollars?"
“Of course!” Ding Xiaojuan picked up her water glass and swirled it. “This is called losing money to avoid disaster! The important thing is that the disaster is averted. Luckily, I didn’t withdraw more cash at the time.”
"Alright, alright, we're happy for you. The loss wasn't much greater." Yi Yi was still a little heartbroken about the money. "Let's skip the treat."
Gao Sheng, however, chuckled and said, "When she wants to treat us, let her. She'll be unhappy if we don't."
"Did you hear that?" Ding Xiaojuan gestured with her chin at He Miao and Yi Yi. "My boss approved it. So, we're going all out today. The more expensive, the better, to wash away all the bad luck!"
He Miao immediately perked up, her eyes shining: "You said it yourself! Then I won't be polite. I just saw that tomahawk steak and seafood tower, and they looked pretty good..." She winked at Yi Yi, who couldn't help but smile and nod.
"That's the confidence of a rich woman..." Yi Yi sighed.
"Wrong!" Ding Xiaojuan corrected her. "Even when I only had ten yuan left in my pocket, I was still just as confident in spending money."
"Aren't you panicking?"
“What’s the panic! I have a credit card! Credit cards can be paid in installments!” Ding Xiaojuan said confidently. “The most extravagant time I ever paid in installments was for two whole years.”
"Huh?" Yi Yi exclaimed in surprise. As someone who was used to saving and cautious about debt, she found it hard to understand this kind of consumption view.
Gao Sheng added insult to injury at the opportune moment, his tone laced with indulgent teasing: "Others may be carefree at the beginning of the month but be broke by the end, but she'll enjoy herself for a while and then slowly pay it back over two years."
"I'd love to!" Ding Xiaojuan said nonchalantly. "I just want to enjoy myself freely, and then figure out what to do next!"
Yi asked curiously, "So what's your method?"
"He's cheating..." As soon as the words left his mouth, Gao Sheng burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Ding Xiaojuan rolled her eyes at him.
Gao Sheng smiled and said, "What do you think?"
Seeing that Gao Sheng just smiled and didn't expose her, He Miao became anxious. "Tell me! Tell me! How can I cheat on this... I also want to spend money freely and happily, and then cheat on everything..."
Ding Xiaojuan then laughed and said, "Oh, it's not the kind of debtor who refuses to pay back money. It's more like... all sorts of maneuvering, robbing Peter to pay Paul, begging and pleading for extensions, or desperately taking on cases to make money to fill the hole! It sounds interesting, but back then I was so anxious that my hair was falling out in clumps."
“I went to see that development when it opened,” Yi Yi recalled. “At the time, I thought over 20,000 yuan per square meter was too expensive, so I just passed on it. Now it seems like a steal. Those houses must be worth tens of millions now, right?”
“At the time, I had less than 100,000 yuan in cash on hand.” Ding Xiaojuan held up two fingers and emphasized, “100,000 yuan! I managed to scrape together 100,000 yuan.”
Yi Yi quickly did some mental calculations: "That house must have cost three or four million back then, right? The down payment ratio for a second home is high, how did you manage to do that?"
He Miao also came over, her eyes full of gossip.
“After paying the deposit, I started to ‘drag’ it out.” Ding Xiaojuan’s eyes shone with the same desperate glint they had back then. “I kept haggling with the salesperson, applying for extensions to pay the down payment time and time again. While dragging it out, I borrowed money everywhere, got advances from my company salary, and mortgaged my existing insurance and some assets… When the deadline was almost in the last two months, the salesperson was almost crying, saying, ‘Sister, if you don’t pay soon, the house will be evicted.’”
"And then what? Pay off the debts within six months?" He Miao pressed.
"I'll sort things out within six months," Ding Xiaojuan corrected. "How could I possibly pay it all off? During those six months, I was making money while simultaneously 'decluttering' my life."
Gao Sheng, standing nearby, added with a smile, "She sold all the 'favorites' she had bought before. And surprisingly, many of them appreciated in value."
“That’s right!” Ding Xiaojuan clapped her hands. “It’s great to buy, and even better to sell! A lot of things not only didn’t lose money, but actually made a profit. So,” she looked at Gao Sheng, half-jokingly and half-seriously, “you rarely object to my buying spree now, don’t you think it’s a different kind of investment?”
Gao Sheng smiled and poured her a glass of water: "Yes, yes, my wife is wise."
In a cheerful atmosphere, the meal was very enjoyable. When it came time to pay the bill, Ding Xiaojuan swiped her card without batting an eye, as if the bill had nothing to do with her.
On the way back to the hotel, Gao Sheng and Ding Xiaojuan walked behind. Gao Sheng looked at Yi Yi and Zhuang Jia, who were being pestered by the children to tell stories, and said softly to Ding Xiaojuan, "Actually... since returning to China, my position has been vacant, and I can't help feeling anxious. Sometimes when I see Haha's carefree attitude, I get worried, afraid that in the future... I'm afraid that my ten years of hard work haven't paved the way for the next generation, and instead have become an excuse for him to slack off."
Ding Xiaojuan paused, not looking at him, her gaze fixed on the scattered fishing lights on the distant sea. "I know," she said calmly.
But the path he chooses is his own. What we can offer is support and perspective, not whips and tracks.
The more you pressure him, the more likely he is to go in the opposite direction. Just like you back then, did your parents force you to study? No, you knew yourself that only through education could you get ahead.
Gao Sheng remained silent for a long time. The sea breeze blew by, carrying a salty, cool scent. "I might have been... too hasty. I always wanted to make up for what I missed in the last ten years all at once."
“Take it slow.” Ding Xiaojuan reached out and gently hooked his fingers. “We are both learning how to be parents, just like we were learning how to be husband and wife back then.”
Ahead, Zhuang Jiazheng remarked to Yi Yi, "Ding Xiaojuan is truly courageous. I used to think she was just capable, but I never imagined she was so daring and willing to take risks."
Yi Yi nodded, but felt a little uneasy: "She is bold and confident. Promotion can make money, she has a high income herself, and her family is well-off, so she can afford to lose."
Zhuang Jia, however, seemed thoughtful: "I don't think it's entirely about money. It's about the confidence to believe you can earn money, and the courage to solve problems. He Tian is the same; he seems quiet, but he's decisive when it matters."
These words, when heard by Yi Yi, became another kind of comparison. She didn't reply, but just looked at the deep, dark sea in the distance.
Both are partners, but Ding Xiaojuan can buy a million-dollar property "first and ask questions later," and He Tian can find his wallet at a critical moment, while I... even enrolling my child in an extracurricular class might require repeated consideration, and I might even have to consider Zhuang Jia's mood.
Courage requires confidence, and confidence always seems to be linked to earning power. She recalled the frustration of her resume disappearing without a trace, and a deep sense of powerlessness washed over her.
Back in the room, Kai Kai quickly fell asleep. When Yi Yi came out after taking a shower, she saw Zhuang Jia leaning against the headboard, holding his phone, the screen illuminating his thoughtful face.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked casually.
Zhuang Jia looked up at her earnestly: "I'm thinking, maybe we should make some changes too. Am I... too complacent? If Lao He's company really goes public, the gap will be huge."
Yi Yi was taken aback. She hadn't expected Zhuang Jia to bring this up. She had assumed he was satisfied with her and the current situation.
"You... want to change jobs?" she asked.
"Let's see if there's an opportunity." Zhuang Jia put down his phone. "We can't always let my wife and kids live a life of hardship."
These words, meant to be warm and comforting, stung Yi like a needle. "Tight budget?" She asked herself, never having skimped on his and their child's needs, often even being frugal with herself. Did his "tight budget" mean not being able to buy luxury goods like Ding Xiaojuan, or not being able to enroll in various classes without considering the price like He Miao?
She suddenly felt exhausted and didn't want to say anything anymore. "Let's sleep." She turned off her bedside lamp and lay down with her back to him.
In the darkness, Zhuang Jia seemed to sigh and lay down as well.
The faint sound of waves could be heard outside the window. The two people sharing the bed were experiencing different turmoil in their hearts, but neither could express it to the other.
Yi Yi thought that perhaps Zhuang Jia had finally felt some kind of pressure and wanted to strive forward. This might be a good thing.
But why did she feel no joy, only a deeper emptiness and alienation?
She recalled the glint in Ding Xiaojuan's eyes when she mentioned "two-year installment plan"—a stubbornness and a sense of life that demanded control even in debt. And what about herself? She seemed to have long since lost that impulsive urge to live for herself, regardless of the consequences, amidst the daily grind of "meticulous planning" and "considering the bigger picture."
Loving is a skill, being loved is luck. So, what about "daring"? Is "daring" a talent, or a choice that can be learned?
She had no answer. To the rhythmic sound of the waves, she gradually fell asleep, but in her dream, she found herself in a desolate wilderness, wandering alone, unable to find her way.
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