Lu Jia clearly wanted to steer the conversation away smoothly, but Chen Jin didn't think so. He added, "Although Chengdu is doing well now, it's still quite a bit behind Shanghai, a first-tier international city."
After a moment of silence, Lu Jia replied softly, "People change. You left Shanghai and came to Dali too... Besides, it's fate that I met a company that values me so much at the fashion festival... Before, in Shanghai, no company was willing to give me such a high salary and such trust..."
At this point, Lu Jia turned to me and said, "Michael, no one knows my situation better than you. Do you think this job I got in Chengdu is a significant improvement compared to my previous job in Shanghai?"
"There has been a lot of progress."
"That's right, a city is a city, and a job is a job. Why conflate them? ... Besides, I've only ever heard of people living for their jobs, but I've never heard of anyone living for a city. Is there any need to argue about which is more important, a job or a city?"
Chen Jin put his hands behind his head, striking a very relaxed pose, and replied with a smile, "Not necessarily. At least since I came to Dali, I feel like I'm living for this city... It's so free and comfortable here!... Even if you set up a street stall every day, no one will laugh at you or gossip about you... People will just think you've seen through life; they'll think of you as a very noble person... Try doing that in other cities... Just the fact that you lack ambition would be enough to get you roasted to death!"
"Hehe... Is Dali really as magical as you say?"
"Our dining place isn't particularly impressive... If you have time, you can explore the smaller communities around here; wealthy people, big directors, and minor celebrities are all chatting animatedly with the waiters in the coffee shops... On a spiritual level, there's not so much of a class distinction here..." After a slight pause, Chen Jin added, "However, materially... the wealthy definitely live more comfortably here, which is why the large villas are the most expensive—that's quite realistic!... It's inevitable... Otherwise, wouldn't it truly be a paradise on earth!"
Lu Jia smiled noncommittally, then changed the subject, chatting with us about some trivial matters, and then we ended the meal... But throughout, we didn't mention Ye Zhi's name, and even the unaware Lu Jia didn't wonder what kind of relationship Ye Zhi and I were in.
...
Three days later, Lao Jin brought over the keys to Chen Yi's six shops from Nanjing; in addition, there was a contract that I had sent him before, which had been signed by Chen Yi's mother on his behalf... At first, I was worried that such a contract signed on behalf of someone else might cause disputes, but Lao Jin told me that Chen Yi's mental state had deteriorated to a very serious degree and she was no longer able to bear civil liability, so it would be more appropriate for her mother to sign the contract on her behalf.
Two days later, the clothing company where Lu Jia worked transferred the rent to our studio's account. According to the rental agreement we signed with the landlord, we did not need to pay rent to them in the first year, so the entire 200,000 yuan rental profit went to our studio.
Chen Jin, as if injected with adrenaline, withdrew all 200,000 yuan in cash from the bank and placed it on our conference table. He said to me with great emotion, "Michael, looking at so much money, do you feel any pleasure?... 200,000 yuan! If this were in Shanghai, how long would we have to work to earn that much money?... But now, we did it in a single day!!"
I remained silent, and I didn't experience the pleasure Chen Jin described; I even felt a sense of loss...
I know this state is terrible, because even money can no longer excite me... These days, I only want to talk to Coach Ma about life and Buddhism, and only when I encounter some enlightening truths do I get a little excitement.
Compared to Chen Jin, I seem to have become an outcast.
Just as the atmosphere became awkward because of the two extremes between me and Chen Jin, Yang Sisi suddenly pushed open the door to our meeting room. She first looked at me, then at Chen Jin, and finally fixed her gaze on the 200,000 yuan in cash on the table...
She was the third person besides Chen Jin and me to see the money, but I don't know if she could share Chen Jin's happiness, or if she could sense my unwavering peace of mind. To chat about "My Tenant Miss" with more like-minded people, follow "or" on WeChat to discuss your favorite books with other book lovers.
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