Chen Jin on the other end of the phone was also silent. I could feel that he was even more upset than I was at that moment, being on the front line. This is what entrepreneurship is like. Including Cao Jinbo's 16 shops and the 9 shops owned by this owner in Beijing, we are almost unable to achieve our previous goal. The entire "Jiulongju" only has more than 200 shops, and our goal was to acquire 80% of them.
I finally spoke to Chen Jin and said, "You should come back and recover from your injuries. Don't go to Nanjing. I'll go there myself after I get back from my hometown."
"I think this was a pretty humiliating thing to do!"
"It's not your fault...it's a special case after all."
...
After ending the call with Chen Jin, I felt even more dejected. Matching my mood, the sky darkened completely, and the entire "Jiulongju" was shrouded in darkness, devoid of any sign of life.
To avoid feeling too stressed, I went back to the apartment I rented in "Shanshuijian" and watched a comedy movie. However, my worries were too heavy, and I couldn't get into the movie. So I gave up halfway through.
I turned off all the lights and sat on the chair on the balcony, staring blankly at the vast sky... When the anxiety in my heart became too much to bear, I lit a cigarette, but I never touched my phone again, nor did I care who might send me a message.
...
In a daze, it was already 10 p.m. Thinking about having to get up early to leave the next morning, I forced myself to pull myself out of that anxious state. Then I remembered that I should call Lao Mi, since I was going back tomorrow and they had been waiting to make preparations.
A moment after the call connected, Lao Mi answered.
I smiled and said to him, "Dad, Xiao Ye and I are leaving for our return trip tomorrow morning. We just wanted to let you know in advance."
"By train?"
"Taking the train is too slow, let's drive ourselves... If there are no problems on the road, we should arrive tomorrow night. We're planning to get up very early."
Old Mi scolded, "Look at what you're saying! You just came back to see us, what problems could possibly arise?"
"There are many mountain roads, and the weather in the mountains is very changeable. It becomes difficult to travel when it rains heavily."
"Anyway, don't rush. Your mother and I have been waiting for so long, a day or two won't make a difference."
"knew."
After a brief silence, I said to Lao Mi, "Our house is small, and it's not very convenient for Xiao Ye to stay here. Could you help me book a hotel near our house?"
"Xiao Ye doesn't live with you?"
"We've only been dating for a short time, it's not that serious yet... Book a nice hotel for me, I'll transfer the money to you later."
"Why have you become so calculating, child?"
I smiled and replied, "You guys don't work anymore, so it's not easy for you to save money; I'm a perfectly capable adult, why would I spend your money?"
"We're all family, don't be so formal..."
I remained silent. Old Mi reminded us to be careful on the road, then happily hung up the phone. He didn't seem to care much about me not living with Ye Zhi; he probably thought Ye Zhi was a decent and respectable girl.
...
After a quick wash, I lay down on the bed, my mind still uncontrollably wandering to the shops in "Jiulongju." I was like a man possessed, determined to find a way out.
My phone vibrated slightly again. I picked it up and saw it was a message from Ye Zhi. She asked, "Are you asleep?"
"Not yet? Why aren't you asleep yet either?"
"I'm not sleepy... I need to talk to you about something."
"What's up?"
"When I go back with you this time, could you take me to see the Hope Primary School that Wang Lei donated to during her lifetime?"
Why do we need to go there?
"I really admire her. I think she's a very strong and selfless woman... Can I go see her?"
"If you want to go, of course you can... Actually, that school isn't far from our county, about a two-hour drive... It's built on the site of the earthquake."
"Hmm...do you remember what you were doing on the day of the earthquake?"
"I remember. Back then, I had just started university in another city. Around 2 PM, I was playing World of Warcraft with some old friends when suddenly they disconnected, and I never saw them log back on..."
After sending the message, I lit a cigarette and then recalled that period of my life... I was particularly afraid of hearing news because none of it was good. I had lost a cousin in that devastating earthquake that shocked the world, and Wang Lei was even more unfortunate, losing her own parents.
Later, I went to the earthquake site, and it was like hell on earth. Even our small county town next to Wenchuan was significantly affected... If Ye Zhi hadn't brought it up, I wouldn't have wanted to recall this painful experience at all...
I then asked Ye Zhi, "And you, what were you doing during the earthquake?"
"I'm abroad... but seeing so many of my compatriots suffering from the disaster makes me very sad!"
"Yes... a painful memory, but it's all in the past now... Let the living be strong!"
After a moment, Ye Zhi replied with a message: "I was too young back then and didn't have the ability to do anything for the disaster area... This time, I want to help them."
“Sure, we can buy some stationery and clothes and send them over... The kids really need these things.”
“That’s not what I meant… I wanted to give them more help.”
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