Chapter 6 Feather Duster
As dawn broke, the iron pot bubbled on the coal stove, the spicy soup steamed, and the aroma of fried dough twists and oil tea filled the entire street.
With a "click," the lid of the sesame seed oven opened, and a wave of heat carrying the aroma of sesame seeds wafted out.
Gu Ming waved, and Lin Sicheng ran over at a leisurely pace.
Wearing athletic shorts, with a towel around his neck and a slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, he had clearly just finished running.
Gu Ming admired Lin Sicheng's self-discipline. Unlike him, who had been slacking off since starting university, preferring to sit rather than stand and lie down rather than sit.
Lin Sicheng pointed to the breakfast shop: "Let's go, let's eat first!"
"I'm not going, I'm too late for work!"
"Then why did you come over?"
Gu Ming grinned, "I just want to know, did you get beaten up?"
You bastard, no wonder you came so early, you came here specifically to see us make a fool of ourselves?
Lin Sicheng pulled off the towel and casually swung it at Gu Ming, who dodged far away, looking completely bewildered: "You caused such a big mess, why didn't Uncle Lin hit you?"
How is that possible?
Grandpa and Mom aren't exactly pushovers, are they?
I'm speechless: it's one thing to fool my mom with a cheap item that costs a few dozen yuan, but he actually dared to say that he spent eight thousand yuan to buy a piece of mutton fat jade?
That wasn't eight hundred, it was a full eight thousand, equivalent to three months' salary for him.
"Get out if you're not going to eat!"
Lin Sicheng pointed at Gu Ming and cursed him before crossing the road.
"I don't have time to eat, it's not that I don't have time to bring it."
Gu Ming followed along eagerly, ordering three portions of spicy soup, three portions of meatballs, and five portions of roujiamo (Chinese hamburger).
Then he pointed at Lin Sicheng: "Boss, he's paying!"
"No... this much is enough to feed the pigs?"
"What do you mean feeding pigs? That's your future sister-in-law!"
Lin Sicheng was taken aback, looking at the breakfast in his hand that was more than enough for three people: "You dated two?"
"We haven't talked yet; I'm still hesitating about which one to pursue."
No... Gu Mingwa, you're playing pretty fancy tricks.
Lin Sicheng's heart stirred.
In his previous life, Gu Ming got married about three years later. His wife was a colleague in the same hospital and should be one of the "two" he just mentioned.
It's hard to discuss character, but Gu Minggang's extramarital affair, abandoning his one-year-old child and running away with the property certificate and savings, is truly a complicated matter.
"You're only twenty-two, what's the rush? I'll introduce you to a teacher from our school sometime when there's a chance."
"Take care of yourself first." Gu Ming scoffed. "You're already a senior, and you're not doing well in your studies, you don't even have a girlfriend. What's the point of going to college?"
Hey, what the hell?
As soon as Lin Sicheng got up, Gu Ming ran off with breakfast in hand.
He scoffed: "You're still talking about dating? What a load of crap!"
Sooner or later, they'll ruin Gu Ming's relationship and his job.
Even if we can't change his situation, we have to find a way to get him a different job. Otherwise, if he's stuck with that leaky, broken machine all the time, who else but him will get cancer?
Just as I was muttering to myself, the spicy soup was served.
The broth was thick and rich, with amber-colored oil floating on top. Taking a slurp, the pepper and meaty aroma rolled down my throat, burning my eyes until tears welled up.
Take another bite of the dripping roujiamo (Chinese hamburger), and wow, it smells so good.
After finishing his meal in a few bites and wiping the sweat from his forehead, Lin Sicheng hesitated again.
On weekends, both parents are resting. Should we give them some private space?
Of course, there's a high chance that Comrade Lin will get a beating. But if he doesn't get this beating to appease his mother, there's a good chance he'll get a second and a third.
Tsk, he's got some nerve, he swindled a whole eight thousand yuan. What did he do?
Making wild guesses, Lin Sicheng paid the bill but didn't know where to go.
Let's find a place to wash that iron tile.
However, special solutions are needed, and it's best to find a professional laboratory.
I could ask my grandfather to help me borrow it, but I'm afraid he might get a shock: I fail every semester, but suddenly I can prepare cleaning solutions and even operate experimental instruments independently.
We'll have to figure something out when we get to school.
How about taking a stroll around Xiaodongmen?
Just then, bus number 32 arrived, and Lin Sicheng boarded the bus.
...
On weekends, Xiaodongmen is packed with people. It's bustling with activity, shoulder to shoulder.
The air beneath the city wall was thick with the heat of the crowds, the shouts of vendors and the sounds of haggling mingled together, accompanied by the loud voices characteristic of people from Guanzhong, creating an atmosphere resembling a large-scale brawl.
Lin Sicheng weaved through the crowd, clutching a towel in both hands and tugging at it around his neck.
Occasionally, if I come across a seller I like, I'll ask about the price, but eight out of ten times I'll get a nod.
"Senior sister, look, it's Lin Sicheng from our class?"
Not far away, the girl stood on tiptoe, "What's he doing here?"
Li Zhen looked back and saw Lin Sicheng moving slowly and leisurely.
"I heard that his grandfather often sets up a stall here."
"His grandfather, who?"
"Professor Lin from our college was the vice dean before he retired."
The girl was stunned for a moment, then her face showed shock: "He fails every semester, but I've never seen him retake an exam, so everyone in the class says he's some kind of rich kid... I don't believe it?"
Li Zhen pursed her lips and remained silent.
My advisor told me that Lin Sicheng applied for and was accepted into the university's graduate program last semester. However, for some reason, his application was later revoked.
I suppose they're afraid of having a bad influence.
In a flash, Lin Sicheng walked over to the two of them, glanced at them casually, and was taken aback.
The two girls were graceful and elegant, their faces radiating youthful energy.
One of them was a classmate; I remember his surname was Xiao, but I don't know his full name.
Another person I met just yesterday: she pointed to the porcelain shards on the long table and asked herself if she knew how to put them back together.
He smiled and said, "What a coincidence!"
Li Zhen nodded: "I came to buy some practice materials for Yuzhu. You came to see Professor Lin?"
"Grandpa didn't come today, so I'm just wandering around."
"oh!"
They exchanged a simple greeting and then said goodbye.
Xiao Yuzhu stared at Lin Sicheng's back, a hint of suspicion flashing in her eyes: "He actually took the initiative to greet me?"
"Ah, why?"
"He's an oddball. He always has a cold face and looks at everyone like they owe him a million dollars. His personality is also strange, so his classmates don't like to associate with him."
She must have been isolated.
But to say he has an eccentric personality... he seems quite sunny, doesn't seem like it?
Out of sheer curiosity, Li Zhen began examining the porcelain shards, but after looking at several, none of them seemed suitable.
"Let's take another look ahead!"
Xiao Yuzhu, lacking experience, readily agreed: "Okay!"
As luck would have it, the two ran into Lin Sicheng again as they passed by.
He was paying: "Boss, here you go!"
The stall owner took the bright red banknotes and counted them on his fingers: there were four in total.
Xiao Yuzhu was startled: her monthly living expenses were only four hundred yuan, what did Lin Sicheng buy?
Upon closer inspection, Lin Sicheng was carrying a duster tucked under his arm.
It was quite old, with many feathers shed and the pole covered in a dark, sticky patina. But to her, it looked just like ordinary chicken feathers and an ordinary bamboo pole.
Xiao Yuzhu asked curiously, "Lin Sicheng, what is this?"
"A feather duster? You don't recognize that?"
Of course I know him.
The question is, what kind of feather duster is worth four hundred dollars?
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