Chapter 4 How to Spend Five Dollars in a Month
The rent has been paid and it is already dark. They are in the suburbs, where the village is simple and honest. They don't know whether the other houses around are not occupied at all or have turned off the lights and gone to sleep. In any case, there is no light for a thousand meters and only the barking of dogs can be heard... Even if Qi Xiaopang shouts at the top of his lungs, no one will pay attention to him, so he has to shut up and accept his fate. He lamented in his heart that he should not have believed Brother Qing's words and paid the full amount in a fit of rage.
Fortunately, although the house looks shabby, the landlord is honest and has all the basic furniture... but nothing more.
And you can tell that the room has been cleaned carefully, so they don't have to put down their suitcases and roll up their sleeves to clean the room late at night.
I don't know if it's because the place is too desolate or the weather is going to change, but even with the door closed, I can always hear the whistling of the wind. The voltage is also a bit unstable. The bare, undecorated light bulbs hang lonely on the ceiling, flickering once or twice from time to time, casting dim, distorted and elongated shadows on the mottled wall.
It's a summer night, but I feel cold all over when standing in this house... It doesn't look like a proper house at all.
Qi Xiaopang was almost crying. He squatted at the doorstep, holding his suitcase tightly and looking at Qing Bai with pitiful eyes, trying to persuade him to change his mind.
However, Qing Bai did not sense Qi Xiaopang's mood. He had come to see the house before paying the deposit and thought it was nice and quiet.
"I live upstairs. There are three rooms on the first floor. You can choose any one you like."
The house's structure is a classic rural self-built structure, shaped like a sideways T. The long horizontal ground floor houses three rooms, each with their own primary and secondary functions, and the main hall. The second floor contains only one bedroom and a small bathroom, leaving a spacious rooftop. The shorter vertical section houses the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and toilet. Because it was a self-built structure, the land was ample, so each room was perfectly square and not at all cramped, and there was even a generous front yard.
There is no way back, so it is better to take a step back.
Qi Xiaopang let go of the suitcase and tried to hug Qing Bai's arm.
"Hahahaha, Brother Qing, who are we to each other? We've slept together for four years, and now we're on the same floor, one upstairs and the other downstairs. How strange! Besides, today is the perfect day to sit by candlelight and chat about the glorious past..."
He didn't want to sleep alone in a house that had been abandoned for who knows how long! Who knew if some unspeakable 'good neighbor' would come and share his bed with him in the middle of the night?
"Go to bed early." Qing Bai turned around and went upstairs with his small suitcase, leaving behind a clear rejection of Qi Xiaopang's request to share a room.
“…”
There were no voice-activated sensors in the corridor of the self-built house, so Qi Xiaopang could only watch helplessly as his brother Qing walked up step by step to the dark second floor. His resistance was too obvious, and he was too embarrassed to continue pestering him.
Fortunately, perhaps because the electrical appliances in the room had been turned on for a long time, the voltage had stabilized and the light bulbs stopped flickering. The deserted, empty room was filled with stable warm light, and the inexplicable chill disappeared, replaced by the most common stuffiness of a summer night.
Apart from being in a different place and being without two roommates who were talking about Zaun and clacking away on their keyboards while playing games, it seemed no different from previous summers.
Qi Xiaopang, who was making the bed with great effort, wiped his sweat. In this summer illusion, he became bolder and muttered to himself while working.
"...The weather in summer is really hot and cold..."
…
In contrast to the summer atmosphere on the first floor, the only room on the second floor is particularly deserted.
After Qing Bai entered the room, he did not turn on the lights or close the door. After making the bed by himself in the faint moonlight, Qing Bai sat silently beside the bed, his eyes darker than the night staring unfocused at the wide-open door. His calm and pale face was hidden in the night, and although he had no expression on his face, people inexplicably felt that he was waiting for something... He had been waiting for a very long time.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely, insects chirped outside the window, and the summer heat was isolated outside the room, unable to intrude even a little...
Until the moon was at its highest point in the sky, Qing Bai, who had been sitting motionless for a long time, finally moved. He lowered his eyes and sighed, as if he was a little tired, and also as if... disappointed.
Qing Bai said softly: "...Good night."
A cool breeze swirled through the empty room, and before anyone noticed, everything returned to calm.
The temperature was cool, the environment was quiet, and Qing Bai hadn't rested well for several days. He didn't lie in bed for long before his mind wandered. In his daze, he vaguely heard the sound of a door closing, like the sound of wind blowing...
*
The next morning, Qing Bai was awakened by Qi Xiaopang's pitiful wails. Sleeping as still and silent as a corpse, the first thing Qing Bai did after opening his eyes was to turn his head. The pillow was fluffy and soft, the sheets were smooth as new. The sun shone through the glass window onto the unoccupied half of the two-meter-wide bed. The dust in the light was more dazzling than gold flakes, stinging his eyes.
Qing Bai covered his eyes with his hands, lay on the bed to relax for a while before getting up and going downstairs.
But in just one night, the originally simple and shabby house was transformed. Flowers lined the windowsills and aisles in colorful colors. The weeds in the yard and the moss at the foot of the wall piled up into a small hill in the middle of the yard. Under the sunlight that was not very strong, the fragrant scent of flowers and fresh scent of grass were intertwined, which was very pleasant.
Qi Xiaopang, wearing an apron and gloves, squatted at the edge of a pile of weeds, howling extremely sadly.
"...What's wrong?" Qing Bai asked.
I don’t know if it was because he was sad or because he did too much exercise under the sun, but Qi Xiaopangpang’s face turned red and was covered in water, I don’t know if it was sweat or tears.
Upon hearing Qing Bai's concerned voice, Fatty Qi howled even more vigorously, not stopping at his words: "Wuwuwuwuwuwu, Brother Qing, do you think that after graduation, the fate of modern college students is to return to their hometowns to go on blind dates and take civil service exams?"
"..." Qing Bai paused, and his brain, which had just woken up, struggled to extract the key words. After thinking for a moment, he understood what Qi Xiaopang had not said.
"Your family asked you to go home for a blind date and take the civil service exam?"
Qi Xiaopang nodded vigorously, and the sweat running down his cheeks fell silently into the newly turned soil that had just been weeded.
Fat Qi was born with a delightful appearance. Although he gained weight no matter what he ate, his weight was well-proportioned and refreshing. His large, bright eyes meant that no one had ever called him "fatty" since he was a child... but rather "little fatty." He was the kind of lovable person that the older generation couldn't help but hold his hand, pinch his face, rub his head, and praise, "What a spirited child!" He even received two more red envelopes for Chinese New Year than his peers.
Even at this moment, when he is squatting on the ground in a dirty state and sweating profusely, his exaggerated fake crying will not be annoying, but will only make people feel childish.
Qing Bai had shared a dormitory with him for four years, so he could tell that his wailing was more of a performance. So he thoughtfully addressed his worries: "If you want to go back to your hometown, I'll transfer the rent to you later."
Qi Xiaopang: “???” This is different from what he imagined! Shouldn’t his brother Qing hug his thigh and beg him not to leave?
"Am I the kind of person who cares about rent?!"
"If you don't leave, we'll split the rent."
"I already said the rent isn't the point!!!"
Qi Xiaopang was furious, and Qing Bai also understood what Qi Xiaopang meant, but they just had to make things clear. It was precisely because they had a good relationship that some things had to be made clear, otherwise, over time, there would always be estrangement.
"Alas," Qi Xiaopang knew from Qing Bai's expression that he had already made up his mind. He couldn't change his mind, but he clearly wanted to help his brother Qing...
"Actually, my family does have a bit of money... Can you tell?"
Qing Bai nodded, this was naturally obvious.
Shangjing not only boasts some of the nation's best universities, but also boasts some of the highest prices in the country. Students who land in this city, while those struggling to make it, spend their days either studying or working part-time, learn to budget prudently, only occasionally indulging in small luxuries when they can afford to. As for Qi Xiaopang, as far as Qing Bai can remember, he's never worried about living expenses. While he doesn't pursue luxury goods or indulge in extravagant eating, drinking, and partying, he's always paying the bill at parties, spending money relentlessly, and regularly contributing to dorm room improvements... Just looking at the pile of "nice stuff" he packed out of his dorm after graduation, it's clear he couldn't have afforded it without some financial resources.
"My parents said I've already graduated from college and am already a mature member of society. There's no reason for them to give me living expenses every month." Qi Xiaopang looked sad and sighed deeply, "Unless I go home and, under their wings... start a family and a career."
Qing Bai nodded first, then asked, "Do you not want to establish a career, or do you not want to start a family?"
"I don't want to start a family right under their noses!" Fat Qi's face puffed up with anger, turning from a red dumpling into a red balloon. "They thought I didn't know! They told me there was no rush, but they've secretly saved up three boxes of photos of blind dates! My grandma even told me!"
...The little fat boy really pleased the old man, and he was able to help him overcome his dream of having a great-grandson and inform him of the news.
"I don't want to take the civil service exam! I don't want to inherit the family business! And I don't want to go on blind dates!" Qi Xiaopang stood up, clenched his fists, and shouted to the sky, "I want a dream! I want love!!!"
The words are clear, sonorous, powerful, and thought-provoking, and very powerful.
Then, the next second after shouting, he turned to Qing Bai and said, "So my living allowance was cut off."
"Brother Qing, please support me, sob."
After a friendly exchange with his parents this morning, Qi Xiaopang couldn't help but feel lucky that he didn't go to a five-star hotel last night. Instead, he listened to Brother Qing and rented this house that was "near the mountain and the water, with its own door and courtyard".
It's a bit shabby, but the rent is cheap! It's a bit out of the way, but it's still within the city limits of Upper Beijing. The surrounding self-built houses are so quiet they stretch like three streets. The neighbors, both near and far, are easy to get along with. He even borrowed a neighbor's rickshaw when he had too many packages to pick up in the morning. Plus, there's a market every two weeks, and a 24-hour convenience store just three or four kilometers away... This place is truly wonderful!
Qing Bai's expression remained unchanged. He just took out his mobile phone, which he hadn't changed in four years, and showed Qi Xiaopang the account balance - two dollars and thirty-five cents.
Qi Xiaopang suddenly became like a balloon that had been deflated by a needle, his voice shriller than the cicadas perched on the tree outside: "Brother, have you been working at the funeral home for four years for nothing?!"
Qing Bai: "..." It's not that bad for Bai Gong. Although the funeral home boss and his family don't work, their salary is actually not low. It's just that he used all his money to pay compensation to the families of the victims whose bodies were transplanted... and whose ashes were scattered.
Qi Xiaopang also took out his cell phone, and the balance in his account was two dollars and sixty-five cents, which added up to exactly five dollars.
The sun was high in the sky, cicadas were chirping, and the courtyard was dead silent.
The two of them squatted under the eaves, each holding a steamed bun, chewing it with great care.
These two steamed buns were leftovers from Qing Bai's meal in the school cafeteria yesterday. Luckily, he was able to take them with him.
Even steamed bread eventually runs out, and life must go on. Fat Qi, facing this predicament for the first time, remained positive. Within a short time, he figured out his next move and said, "It's a double market today! I'll borrow a neighbor's tricycle and drive our school's flea market into Weiming New Village!"
Qing Bai didn't say whether it was good or not, he just asked, "What are you selling?"
"There are so many flowers! Our junior students are all very honest. The flowers and plants they sent are all in great condition. I looked through them and found some in pots! This can be considered as contributing to your first entrepreneurial venture!" Fat Qi said with a bit of pride, "Luckily, I didn't mind the trouble yesterday and paid extra to contact a local courier to deliver all of them before dawn! Now they're really useful!"
"..." Qing Bai, "Leave the bellflower behind."
No wonder this person disappeared mysteriously for a while before leaving school yesterday.
Qing Bai considerately didn't ask how much the shipping cost, he just hoped that he could still smile after returning from the flea market.
Thinking of this, Qing Bai took out his mobile phone and started operating it.
"I've put the bluebells on the windowsill for you... What are you searching for?" After packing up his 'goods', Fat Qi changed his clothes and prepared to go out.
Qing Bai exited the latest 'Funeral Parlor Case' follow-up report page and casually replied, "How can I spend five dollars for a month?"
"Why one month?" Qi Xiaopang was puzzled.
"Because people can live for about a month without eating and only drinking water." Qing Bai casually explained the science.
Qi Xiaopang: "..."
Qing Bai: “…”
"I'm sure I can make money!" Qi Xiaopang acted like an incompetent husband who was looked down upon by his new wife and swore angrily. "Just wait for a good life of luxury!"
"Well, come on." Qing Bai continued to flip through his phone.
"…What are you searching for?"
"Looking for a job."
"...Just wait and see! The family will soon have some income!!!"
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