Chapter 5 New Job, New Outlook
It was already night when he returned to the courtyard. Qi Xiaopang, pedaling his tricycle, saw from afar his brother Qing standing at the gate of the courtyard, a golden glow on his head, surrounded by fluttering butterflies and fireflies... oh, moths and giant mosquitoes...
"Brother Qing, what are you doing with that light at the gate? A moth trap?"
"Why don't you answer the phone?"
The two spoke at the same time, but after they finished speaking, Qing Bai did not respond to Qi Xiaopang's joke, not giving him the chance to make a joke and fool him.
Fat Qi was calm. He stretched out his hand and gestured for Qing Bai to move to the side so that he could ride the tricycle into the yard.
The tricycle is the most rudimentary old model, with a hood, chain and seat in the front and a large iron frame at the back that can hold a lot of things. The old-fashioned handbrake sometimes works but sometimes doesn't, and parking is done by an automatic foot brake. The paint has peeled off and you can't even see the original color... It's so shabby that if you ride it out for a spin, people will stop you and ask if they want old mobile phones, old refrigerators, old air conditioners, old computers, old TVs...
Only when the car passed under the lights did Qing Bai see that there were a lot of things loaded in the iron frame at the back of the car. If rice, flour, rapeseed, instant and cooked food were considered normal daily necessities, then Qing Bai didn't quite understand the rest of the branches and leaves that were half covered with soil and half could not be seen in their original appearance. What's more, there were two large cardboard boxes that made slight noises from time to time, and it seemed that there were some living things inside.
Fat Qi carefully parked the car in the yard and then got out with great energy. He stretched out his arms and said passionately, "Clang, clang! Brother Qing, look! This is the kingdom I've conquered today!"
Qi Xiaopang is really full of ambition. Bored young people all over the country must have had daydreams about getting rich overnight or winning 100 million in the lottery, right?
And not only do they think about it secretly, they also talk about this topic with their friends and classmates. Boys want luxury houses, luxury cars, beautiful wives, and girls want luxury houses, luxury cars, jewelry, and handsome boys... They want to make the blank check come true in every detail. Naturally, students of Peking University are no exception, but they are slightly different from young people in other schools. The ambition of girls from other schools is just a conceptual "handsome boy", while the girls of Peking University have a specific target to pursue - Qing Bai.
Without exception.
At least as far as Qi Xiaopang knows, there is no female classmate who doesn't want to support his brother Qing after becoming rich.
Alas, fate is so cruel. Fat Qi was the one who finally accomplished what so many truly rich women failed to do!
He, Qi Xiaopang, is going to turn things around and become the big brother today! He vows to build a new world for Brother Qing!
After feeling proud, Qi Xiaopang didn't wait for Qing Bai to react before recounting his eventful day. "The village gathering was too early, so there weren't many people there when I went. And no one seemed very interested in the flowers and plants. I shouted at the roadside for a long time, but no one came to look. My throat was burning with shouting, and I was about to give up... But then! A miraculous turn of events occurred!"
Qi Xiaopang's eyes lit up as he recounted his experiences like a storyteller. Qing Bai didn't interrupt him but just poured him a glass of water.
After gulping down the water, Fat Qi continued, "An old man who lived on the street quietly instructed me to sell the flowers farther away in a nearby place called Weixiang. There were many businesses there, mostly antique dealers in the past, and it was a mixed bag, quite chaotic... But then they were about to demolish it, and then they discovered there was a mansion of some prince or princess hidden there. It was quite high-ranking and well-preserved, with descendants still living there. So they had no choice but to protect it, and even renovate the surrounding old houses. Now it's considered a cultural relic alley, and many people go there every day to play and check in... I decisively changed the route after hearing that! Guess what happened?"
Qi Xiaopang didn't need any help; he could just go on and on: "They were all sold out in less than an hour!"
"It's such a great place! The houses are nice, the streets are nice, and the people are even better! It has a much more ancient feel than many of the ancient streets and towns I've visited. It's just that it's not well publicized. We studied in Beijing for four years and we've never even heard of it!"
As he spoke, he didn't forget to express his approval of the water Qing Bai poured: "Brother Qing, where did you get this water? It's so cool and refreshing to drink! We don't have a refrigerator at home."
"Water from the well."
That’s right, this house is not only nestled against the mountain and facing the water, but also has its own entrance and courtyard, and there is also an old well in the courtyard.
"Oh, I know! My grandma told me! The water in the well is ice cold, you can use it to cool watermelon! It's just as good as a refrigerator. So it's true!"
Qi Xiaopang looked amazed and believed it without a doubt.
Qing Bai calmly touched the water cup. It was so cold it was freezing... He had clearly boiled the water before leaving it on the table to cool...
After drinking the water, Fat Qi was even happier and brighter: "I made a net profit of 500 after selling the flowers! Our family's funds have increased a hundredfold in an instant!"
After spending 500 yuan on rice, flour, and rapeseed, there wasn't much left in the car frame... But the question wasn't how much he spent. Qing Bai put down his cup and asked again, "Then why did you come back so late? You didn't even answer the phone."
Fat Qi scratched the back of his sweaty head and lowered his voice almost unnoticeably: "Hey, I didn't mean to ignore the call. There were too many people at the market and my phone accidentally broke!"
After saying this, he quickly brought up something else: "By the way! Brother Qing, I bought this little tricycle! Uncle Li only charged me 50 yuan!"
"Okay," Qing Bai nodded, and the expenditure increased by 50.
Qi Xiaopang was not finished yet. He opened two more cardboard boxes that were constantly moving. The creatures inside instantly became lively when they saw the light. The yard was immediately filled with the chirping of children, occasionally mixed with a few barkings of puppies... It can be seen that animals' phototaxis is engraved in their DNA, no different from the moths fluttering under the light bulb at the door.
"I found this nest of chicks on my way back from the alley. The owner was busy selling them off to go home for dinner. Twenty of them for only 30 yuan!" Qi Xiaopang's chubby face was full of anticipation. "The owner said these chickens are growing really fast. I don't need to buy special feed. Once I let them out, they'll find bugs and grass seeds on their own."
"We'll have eggs to eat soon! And then the chickens will lay eggs, which will make chickens, which will lay eggs, which will make chickens...Brother Qing, won't our yard be big enough for them to run around in?"
Qi Xiaopang started to worry in advance.
Qing Bai looked at the pointed-beaked chick with vertical stripes, which was obviously not a chicken, mixed in with the small custard balls, and did not comment on Qi Xiaopang's unrealistic worries.
Expenditure increased by another 30.
"Where's the dog?"
The black puppy was lying on the edge of the cardboard box like a small coal ball, with a round head, a round belly, and its short tail shaking like a small windmill. It could even play with the air by itself, and didn't look too smart.
"Hehehe~ This is free~" Qi Xiaopang picked up the little black dog and gave it a big kiss, liking it very much. "I found it on the road!"
"Homegrown puppies are hard to sell. The owner just dumped them on the roadside because he couldn't sell them. There was a whole litter of puppies here, and I fell in love with our little Hei the first time I saw him! While the old men were gathered around looking at the other puppies, I snatched him away as fast as the wind and as quick as lightning!"
As if afraid Qing Bai wouldn't agree to keep a dog, Qi Xiaopang kissed the dog and quickly added, "Our family is in need of a gatekeeper! We can also herd...herd chickens in the future!"
Since sheepdogs can herd sheep, it stands to reason that small native dogs can also herd chickens!
Qing Bai did not comment on Qi Xiaopang's fantasy, but just silently added an entry to the account book in his heart - one more mouth to feed.
"What are these soils...?" Only one question remained. Qing Bai still couldn't understand what those broken branches and rotten leaves covered with soil were.
"Ah, these are some flower and tree seedlings. I've already paid the rent, and I won't be able to move anytime soon, so I need to improve my living conditions. If we can't change the hardware, we can start with the software! Planting some flowers and plants in the yard will make it fun!" Fat Qi pointed at a hoe tied to the car frame that came from nowhere and still had soil on it. "I dug these from the roadside! Even though this place is a bit out of the way, the environment is really great. Roses, roses, and many other flowers I don't recognize are blooming wildly on the roadside!"
Qing Bai sighed: "As long as you are happy."
He originally wanted to rent this house because it had a good environment and was not far from the funeral home. He didn't have to work night shifts and didn't have to live in the dormitory during holidays...
At this point, there’s probably not much left of the 500 yuan... At least I’m not in debt, Qing Bai comforted himself.
After moving the food into the kitchen and settling the chickens and puppies, Qi Xiaopang carefully asked Qing Bai about finding a job.
"Brother Qing, how's your job search going?"
Qing Bai didn't say anything, but took out a stack of pink bills from his trouser pocket and put them on the table.
Qi Xiaopang unfolded it and saw—six in total!!!
The fat boy, who had been working all day, was trembling in his voice: "How did this come about?"
Qi Xiaopang, experiencing for the first time the hardships of life and the difficulty of making money, almost suspected that his brother Qing had finally embarked on the road of no return... He couldn't even make that much money from his no-cost business! He was also working in the wind and sun, and he almost wore out his lips trying to bargain with people!
And what about his brother Qing? He was still wearing the same clothes as this morning, not a single drop of sweat on the fabric!
But if it’s…only 600…what a loss!!!
Qing Bai simply explained: "Tutoring, 100 per hour, I taught for seven hours."
There were so many things to say. Fatty Qi spoke like a machine gun, spewing out words in one breath: "Where is the course? How did you get there? 100 for one hour, how can it be 600 for seven hours? Have you eaten yet?"
Qing Bai answered them one by one: "Next door, walk there, the trial lasts for an hour, and meals are provided."
"Next door? Which next door?" Qi Xiaopang didn't react. All the houses here were self-built. There was no strict unified construction standard and no street planning. As long as they had their own land, they could build it however they wanted. Although everyone would consciously gather together and it looked quite large, their house was isolated from the collective and its location was particularly tricky. From the perspective of distance, anyone could be next door, but no one could be considered a truly close neighbor.
"The family whose car you borrowed from has a child who's about to enter their senior year of high school. They're anxious, so when they sent the child back to their grandfather's house for the summer, they posted a post on the local forum looking for a tutor. But this place is remote, so no one's willing to come."
What a coincidence.
Uncle Li's house... When Qi Xiaopang heard this, he remembered that he did hear the sound of someone practicing English listening when he went to borrow a car this morning, but...
"... Just teach like this? Just succeed like this? Just earn 600 like this?" Tutoring has always been taught by in-service special-grade teachers, and Qi Xiaopang, who has no part-time experience, is still a little bit unbelievable.
Qing Bai: "I showed my parents my graduation certificate and my college entrance examination results."
Yes, they're freshly minted students from one of the top universities in China! If nothing else, they're more than capable of teaching a high school student! Especially his brother Qing, who can even lead college students!
Moreover, his brother Qing has an advantage that others don’t have, that is - he can present double college entrance examination results!
That's right, Qing Bai had repeated a year, and this was an unsolved mystery in Peking University. After all, Qing Bai's performance in the first college entrance examination was not bad, and it was very consistent with his status as the most handsome boy in the liberal arts school - the third place. Although he was in science, it did not prevent Peking University and the neighboring school from competing for admission to him.
However, what was surprising was that Qing Bai did not go to any of them. After that, he remained silent for a year, and finally won the title of the top scorer in liberal arts and was admitted to the Peking University College of Arts.
Peking University has never lacked top scorers or third place winners, but Qing Bai is the first one who switched from liberal arts to science and is proficient in both arts and science.
In recent years, countless professors at Kyoto University have publicly used Qing Bai's name to attack those ignorant freshmen, and even the top scorers of the past three sessions have been overshadowed by Qing Bai's brilliance.
Qi Xiaopang was also curious and asked Qing Bai why he wanted to repeat a grade and why he wanted to give up science to study liberal arts, but no matter how hard he tried, his brother Qing remained unmoved.
"This is the power of knowledge..." Qi Xiaopang sighed. "I can earn money just by reading books and doing exercises, and I even get food... Wow, we're both Peking University graduates, but how come I've become a manual laborer? I feel so sorry for all the tutors who used to tutor me!"
"You go to class tomorrow." Qing Bai said suddenly.
"Me?!" Qi Xiaopang didn't know why Qing Bai said that, but he still refused subconsciously, "I can't do it, I can't do it!"
Qing Bai's expression was serious: "We went to the same school, studied the same major, and graduated successfully in the same class. Why can't you do the same?"
Qi Xiaopang was a little embarrassed: "That's what I said, but they're interested in you, Brother Qing. Substituting someone at the last minute is just... passing off inferior goods as superior ones..."
He was neither the top scorer nor the third place in the college entrance examination, he was just an ordinary student.
"Besides, I just made some money, and I still have quite a bit left..." Well, this was a bit guilty, and Fatty Qi said stubbornly, "Don't worry, don't worry."
Qing Bai believed this. After all, his 'broken' phone was a custom-made limited edition, and many people bought it at a high price in the second-hand market.
Qing Bai didn't say much, only saying, "I've already negotiated with the student's parents. From now on, you'll be teaching for two hours a day, and your salary will still be 100 yuan per hour, paid daily."
Qi Xiaopang, who was silently digesting his own mediocrity, was tongue-tied: "Well, what about you?"
This is the job that his brother Qing found. What should he do if he intercepts him halfway?
"I've found another job." Qing Bai said.
Is this how efficient a talented person who almost turned a part-time job into a full-time job during his four years of college is at finding a job? Love it.
Qi Xiaopang asked with concern: "What kind of job?" Is it okay to have a tutor? If not, he wouldn't...
Qing Bai: "Delivery man."
Qi Xiaopang felt like there was something wrong with his ears: "What?"
Qing Bai: "Delivery man."
Qi Xiaopang didn't give up: "What's the matter?"
Qing Bai: "Delivery man."
Qi Xiaopang still didn't give up: "What are you selling?"
Qing Bai lost his patience and said word by word: "It's the takeaway boy."
Qi Xiaopang: "..."
Qi Xiaopang's eyes went dark, and he wailed in his heart: Brother Qing, do you really not want to interact with people?
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