Chapter 106: Going Bankrupt to Fall in Love
Chapter 106: Going Bankrupt to Fall in Love
Construction began quickly in the Fang family's backyard, and for several days in a row, the roar of the cement mixer never stopped.
Every day, Wang Jing was responsible for providing two meals for three or four craftsmen, discussing various matters related to bricks, lime, and soil. In the hot weather, she would prepare refreshing fruits and iced water in the afternoon. She also specially cleaned out the main room, laid out mats, and let the craftsmen rest for a short while at noon.
She was so busy that not a single monk was in the temple, but she was still full of energy. Since the masters were being taken care of so diligently by the mistress of the house, they were extra careful and conscientious in their work, and there was no cunning or theft.
Grandma Fang was very unhappy, and she often came over to lecture Wang Jing while she was cooking.
Why not cook a chicken carcass with some potatoes instead of wasting food? A bowl of vegetables with a little meat is enough to fill you up, isn't it? This water celery is expensive, and we have so many cabbages, eggplants, and tomatoes in our garden, is it really necessary to change the vegetables every day?
Wang Jing puts a lot of effort into cooking, hoping that the chefs will enjoy their meals. She doesn't really pay attention to what her mother-in-law says. When Grandma Fang can't find a response from her, she goes to talk about Fang Yuenian instead.
Fang Yuenian was also very generous. When the workers wanted to drink some beer at noon, he would ride his electric scooter to the convenience store and buy ice by the case. In the afternoon, when it was too hot and heatstroke was a serious matter, he would cut melons quickly and deliver water frequently. The adults were happy to see him.
Grandma Fang was worried about the money, so she pulled him aside and told him not to be so stingy with the cantaloupes and watermelons. She suggested that he could cool them down with some boiled water and put them in the refrigerator to cool them down.
Fang Yuenian said, "There's so much of it in the ground, it'll all get sandy after a while, we might as well take it out and eat it."
Then he handed a piece to his grandmother, saying, "Here, Grandma, you have some too."
The family split into two camps, which outsiders saw but secretly laughed at.
As for Fang Wu, his family refused his request to open a shop last time, and recently he has made some friends somewhere and gone off to do some business with them. He hasn't stayed at home at all.
That evening, after the rain, the summer heat subsided slightly. Fang Yuenian, carrying half a melon, walked under the moonlight to the carpenter's shop. Upon entering, she turned into a small room and found Cheng Bing diligently drawing blueprints under the lamp.
The heat and mosquitoes often make people feel uncomfortable in the summer. For example, Fang Yuenian felt sweat on his forehead after just taking a shower and walking such a short distance. But for some reason, Cheng Bing was always so calm and composed, making people feel refreshed at first glance.
"It's been so many days since I started drawing, isn't it done yet?" Fang Yuenian put down the watermelon with two spoons stuck in it and stood by the air conditioner vent to cool off.
Cheng Bing stopped writing, turned to look at him, and noticed that he seemed to have lost weight and gotten a little tanned these past few days, with a more defined jawline.
"Does this place really have to be this fancy?" Fang Yuenian walked over and lightly touched the hollowed-out pattern with her finger. "This must be very difficult to make."
“It will only take a little time,” Cheng Bing said, gesturing for him to sit down. “How’s everything going at home? I saw during the day that the wall around the yard had been built.”
"Well, the cabin is almost finished. The walls haven't been painted yet. I guess we'll do that once the courtyard wall is done," Fang Yuenian moved the paper, pen, and ruler in front of him and placed a watermelon in front of him. "Have a slice first."
Cheng Bing then scooped out the middle ring, split it in half, and the two of them each ate one piece.
The watermelon was sweet and not too cold; neither of them likes fruit that's too cold.
"Is it sweet? I just cut it this afternoon and chilled it a little. Everyone said it was delicious. I think my mom planted watermelons this year just so we could use them in the next few days."
Cheng Bing nodded: "It's very sweet."
"I'm busy," Fang Yuenian said, chewing on a melon. "Oh, by the way, when the instructors were resting at noon today, they asked me what my estimated score was, and they also asked me what yours was. They're really curious about you."
"What did you say?"
"I don't know," Fang Yuenian said bluntly. "Besides, the results will be out in a few days. What's the point of asking? They'll probably still think it's the same as before, where you have to fill out your college application blindly based on your estimated score."
Cheng Bing smiled and said, "I probably just want to chat with you. Our Niannian is quite a well-known kid in the village now."
Fang Yuenian felt like laughing at the same time, but she also wanted to run away. "But I'm not as famous as you."
The two shared half a melon and chatted for a while. Fang Yuenian was about to go back when she remembered something before leaving. She said mysteriously, "Brother Cheng, in a few days, I'll have something to show you at home."
Cheng Bing didn't seem surprised. "What? Li Peixiang gave you something that day?"
"You'll find out when the time comes," Fang Yuenian didn't deny it, "Just wait two more days."
Cheng Bing smiled and said, "I understand."
Although she appeared calm on the surface, Fang Yuenian's face still felt a little hot as soon as she stepped outside.
So, Fang Yuenian only stopped working after the entire courtyard wall was repaired, painted a neat gray-blue, and even the railings were installed.
The college entrance exam results should be released in a couple of days, and Fang Yuenian will be very busy then, so she decided to take advantage of these two days to resolve the matter.
Cheng Bing had no idea what this person was planning; he was focused solely on making the bookends, selecting wood, drawing plans, and starting work in an orderly manner.
Until this day, Fang Yuenian asked him out, saying she had something to do that evening and had to go out.
Cheng Bing asked, "Is there anything I can't say at the carpenter's shop?"
Fang Yuenian said it might be inconvenient.
Even the carpenter's shop felt inconvenient to him, which made Cheng Bing very curious, since the carpenter's shop was basically handed over to him by his grandfather, and no one usually came.
But perhaps after thinking it over, and finding no better option, Fang Yuenian finally compromised.
Well, a carpenter's shop is fine, it's not like it's without a door or lock.
Cheng Bing had guessed that Fang Yuenian had prepared something, and he was half right.
So when Fang Yuenian took out the two phones, he was slightly surprised, but he quickly understood. While politely unpacking the outer packaging, he smiled and said, "I was wondering why it was so mysterious. It turns out you wanted to give me a phone."
Fang Yuenian said, "Although we couldn't buy that ridiculously expensive brand, a lot of classmates are using this. I think it'll be enough for us since we're just starting college. We can change it later if we really need it. Do you like it? Look, our phone cases are a couple's set."
This phone has a simple design. While its memory and other specifications aren't top-of-the-line, it doesn't have any major weaknesses either, making it quite suitable for college students.
The two phone cases were just ordinary transparent edging styles. Li Peixiang claimed they were a couple's set because he specifically found two with similar cartoon characters on the back to make a pair.
Cheng Bing glanced at the two little men, then looked up at him with a gentle gaze, "Where did you get the money?"
“This is all my own money,” Fang Yuenian quickly explained, “That’s why I could only afford to buy this for the two of us. After all the calculations, this was the only amount I could afford. I took out all the New Year’s money I’ve saved over the years. I’m really poor now.”
Cheng Bing estimated for a moment, smiled faintly, and asked, "You've taken out all the New Year's money you've received since you were ten years old, right?"
Fang Yuenian was a little smug. "There's no need for that. I spent all my New Year's money on snacks when I was little. Besides, it wasn't much. I only started thinking about saving some when I entered junior high school. I didn't spend any of it during my high school years. Moreover, Li Peixiang bought it from his cousin's store, so there was a discount. I benefited from his discount. Anyway, all things considered, it was less than two thousand in total."
"My apologies," Cheng Bing said, expressing her admiration. "I didn't realize you had saved up so much money without making a sound."
Fang Yuenian reached out and pinched his cheek: "Tell me, is your boyfriend good to you?"
Cheng Bing didn't dodge, and nodded with a smile: "Yes, yes, that's great, you're going to spend all your money to buy me things."
"Haha," Fang Yuenian was very satisfied with this answer, let go, and raised her eyebrows at him happily, "It's okay, I'll buy you more in the future, and I'll buy you even better ones when I make money."
Cheng Bing was a little dizzy from the sweet words. She finally managed to suppress the happy smile on her face, but then she noticed that there seemed to be something else in the paper bag. She frowned and asked, "Besides the phone, you bought something else? Did you really spend all your money?"
"Uh, no." Fang Yuenian immediately denied it, then her expression turned a little strange.
Seeing his expression, Cheng Bing sat up straight and said seriously, "I really like the new phone you bought me, but I can't spend money recklessly. What else did you buy?"
"Those things..." Fang Yuenian tried to cover up the truth, "Anyway, it didn't cost much money."
Li Peixiang spent a lot of time and effort to find them; it did take a lot of time, but he didn't spend much money.
"What exactly is that?"
Fang Yuenian pursed her lips, and at the last minute she really chickened out, "It's a disc."
"Disc? What disc?"
"Just, just movie DVDs."
Cheng Bing was silent for a moment, then keenly sensed something was wrong. "What movie?"
Fang Yuenian kept her head down, humming and hawing, "It's just... the movie I want to watch with you," she said, quickly pulling out one of the two discs she had brought and holding it up in front of him, "This one!"
Cheng Bing glanced at the CD cover that was shoved in front of him. It was an artistic, warm-toned style, with two boys gazing tenderly at each other under a tree, surrounded by dappled light and shadow.
"This is……"
Although he seemed to be asking a question, he already understood completely.
Fang Yuenian peeked half her face out from behind the disc, "It's a foreign movie. I looked it up and heard it's really good. Actually, I originally wanted to find some domestic films, but..."
"But none of them ended well," Cheng Bing said calmly. He reached out and took the disc, glancing down at the synopsis on the back.
Fang Yuenian swayed her upper body and said in a drawn-out voice, "Sometimes movies are about pursuing a kind of tragic beauty. We can watch all the classics together later, but how about we watch this one together today?"
Cheng Bing lifted her eyelids to look at him, but didn't answer immediately. Instead, her gaze shifted to the paper bag beside her. "What are you using to look at it?"
Fang Yuenian took out the small DVD player. "Look, doesn't it look like a laptop? I've studied it, and it seems to work quite well. I don't know where Li Peixiang found it; I've never seen it before."
"I've never seen this before either. You just put the disc in?"
“Yes,” Fang Yuenian seized the opportunity and quickly took the disc out. “Just put it in like this, press start, and you can also fast forward and pause.”
As the disc was being read, Fang Yue began selecting the best position and angle. Cheng Bing watched him adjust it with her arms crossed, while she sat in a chair, leaning against the wall and backrest, casually propping her long legs up.
It's also because this small room was prepared entirely for work and study, with only a set table and chairs and no cinema-level facilities. After trying several arrangements, Fang Yuenian finally picked up the small DVD player and declared, "I'll take it."
Then his eyes darted around, as if he were plotting something.
Cheng Bing pulled another chair to her side and said, "Is it okay to sit like this? The movie seems to be about to start."
Not intimate enough, Fang Yuenian thought, and then he came up with a solution: "Get up first." (Author's note:)
Thank you for reading. This book
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