Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Ji Ci asked: Are you older than me? ...
Boss Jin left after eating hot pot and gave Ji Ci a red envelope before leaving.
It was made of paper, with a large gold-plated "Fu" in regular script on the front, and a line of small words below: XXX Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
Ji Ci took it as a distraction when he had nowhere to throw away the garbage. Half an hour later, he remembered to open it and found that there were two hundred yuan inside.
Ji Ci was stunned and sent a message to Boss Jin: Are you really going to give me money?
The other party replied quickly: How can I give an empty red envelope?
According to the rules of Ji Ci's side, red envelopes are given from elders to younger ones. She and Boss Jin are not much different in generation, so she shouldn't accept it.
But according to Jin Sen, the older ones can give to the younger ones, regardless of seniority, it’s just a prize, and they can give if they want.
Ji Ci asked: Are you older than me?
Boss Jin replied: Of course.
Ji Ci: How much bigger?
Boss Jin: Do you care a lot?
It seems that someone else is concerned.
The two men started discussing the issue of age. Boss Jin covered his date of birth like he was covering the only pair of pants left on his body, and no matter how he tried, he couldn't get anything out of it.
The inferiority complex of the elderly is reflected in Shui Lingling's feelings.
Ji Ci was lying on the bed with her phone in her hand, beaming with joy. After a while, the other party said that he was busy. It was unclear whether he was really busy or just an excuse.
At midnight, fireworks rose outside the window again. Smoking is prohibited in Yuncheng, and the sound of firecrackers seemed to be 180,000 meters away.
Everyone was sending their blessings in groups, and a few of them slipped through to Ji Ci.
Sister Xu sent out red envelopes in the group. Xiao Zhou was the lucky one and happily sent out a string of emoticons.
Ji Ci thought of Boss Jin's Happy New Year words a few hours ago, buried her face in the quilt, and opened his dialog box.
I wanted to send something, but was afraid that the other party was busy, so I started scrolling through the chat history.
There weren't many chat records between her and Boss Jin, as they had all spoken face to face, and they were quickly scrolled to the top.
My hands were itching to check, so I opened the Moments and the profile picture and looked at them over and over again, as if I was sure of something, but I had no idea what it was.
A friend from high school called and asked her where she was now.
Ji Ci put the phone to her face and said that she was still in Yuncheng, it was warm here and she wanted to stay a little longer.
The chatter was soft and subtle, like the warm glow of a night light.
Outside the quilt, a four-legged beast came over along the edge of the bed. Ji Ci lifted the quilt a little, and Wonton crawled in like a loach, rubbing against her face.
My friend said, "Okay, I'm relieved that you're okay."
Ji Ci closed her eyes, thinking of her grandmother, her mother, Sister Xu and Xiao Zhou, and finally Boss Jin. With a smile on her lips, she buried her face in the wonton belly and had a good sleep.
-
Jin Sen was busy from New Year's Eve to New Year's Day.
When he finally got a good night's sleep, he still remembered Boss Xu's instructions and checked to see if Ji Ci was still breathing.
That's pretty good. She even sent him a photo of the wontons. It seems she's in a good mood.
He replied "Beautiful", threw his phone to the ground and fell asleep.
When he woke up again, it was already night and his coworkers called him to change shifts.
Jin Sen went back to the store first. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year and there were only a few shops open on both sides of the street. The lights in the pet shop were on and the curtain inside was half drawn. He lay on the door like a thief and looked inside, but saw no one.
I lowered my head to take out my cell phone and was about to send a message when I heard some hurried footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw the Husky in a red vest struggling with the leash, wagging its tail wildly, panting, jumping up with its two front paws, and barking.
Ji Ci held the rope with one hand and pulled the scarf covering her eyes back under her chin with the other. She was a little out of breath after running a few steps. After she stood still, she bent down slightly and snorted at the dog's head: "Why are you running..."
It turned out that he had met the Dog Emperor.
Fortunately, she only led one large dog at a time, otherwise, if she had two more, she would not be able to lead them when she met Boss Jin.
Jin Sen came down the stairs and brought the leash to her: "You're still walking the dog so late?"
"There's not many people outside," Ji Ci opened the door with the key, "I haven't finished my walk yet."
Their store actually does not support the dog walking business. Firstly, they don’t have the time, and secondly, it would be difficult to hold anyone responsible if something happens during the walk.
But customers will ask for it, and a lot of them, so they occasionally provide this service to old customers. Today, Ji Ci was simply free, so she took all the dogs in foster care out for a walk.
"How many more are there?" Boss Jin squatted down, untied Erha's harness, patted his butt and drove the dog into the cage.
"Two," Ji Ci walked in, "but they are both large dogs, so I have to walk them separately."
She lowered her head and didn't forget to look behind her when she said this.
The dog leashes were hanging on the wall, each with a number. Ji Ci took one down, but didn't leave in a hurry. Instead, she tidied up the cat leashes next to it.
"Hold them all," Boss Jin's voice approached, "I'll hold one."
Ji Ci said "Oh" and took off both dog leashes.
There are two types of streets in Yuncheng.
One type is outward-looking. Most of the owners are not locals. The shops are decorated in a fancy way inside and outside. They open some pubs or B&Bs. They have business during the day and fun at night.
The other type is inward-looking. For example, the street where Ji Ci lives is full of shops that are owned by the family. People live and eat in the shops. There is no decoration and they are small businesses. They all close at night and there is basically no nightlife.
Ji Ci likes the latter.
The quiet environment is more in line with her definition of "home". She works from sunrise to sunset. When it gets dark, she carries her schoolbag and sneaks in through the back door of the yard like a bird. There is a faint medicinal fragrance in the air. In front of her door is a nursery, surrounded by mint and lemongrass to prevent mosquitoes.
Grandma was a very serious person, but she was very kind to her. When the two of them got along, they were like the regular script written on a Chinese medicine cabinet, straight and neat. Ji Ci knew that her grandma loved her.
"This dog is quite strong," said the one that Boss Jin was holding. The dog was restless and kept trying to run onto the road. The leash was too long, and it was tied around his legs three times to the left and three times to the right. Jin Sen was so annoyed that he wanted to kick the dog's butt. Finally, he wrapped the leash around his hand a few times and asked Ji Ci, "Can you hold it by yourself?"
“Yes,” Ji Ci felt that she was being looked down upon. “Just call its name and it will come to you.”
It was cold, and Ji Ci was wearing a long, fluffy light purple down jacket. She also wore a hat and scarf. A few strands of her long, black hair were exposed, hanging in front of her chest. She was wrapped up like a ball.
She bent down and called the puppy's reduplicated name. Her voice was soft and thin, with an upward ending tone, as if she was smiling. Jin Sen glanced at her and saw that she was indeed smiling.
Both puppies rushed towards her, their tails wagging wildly.
"You are quite popular with small animals." Jin Sen stood aside to avoid one of the animals' thick tails flapping his legs.
"I didn't expect that either." Ji Ci took off her gloves and patted the heads of the two dogs in turn, impartially. "I've never had this kind of contact before."
"What did you do before?" Jin Sen asked, "Doctor?"
"No," Ji Ci's mood suddenly fell, "I only received regular training."
Jin Sen: "Why don't you do it?"
Ji Ci stood up and said, "I don't want to do this anymore."
"So you came to Cloud City?"
"Um."
She showed no interest, and Jin Sen did not ask any further questions. The two of them walked along the road, turned the second intersection, and quickly circled back.
"Boss Jin, what about you?" Ji Ci asked, "Was your right leg injured seriously?"
"It's okay," Jin Sen lifted his foot slightly, "but I can't keep up with the training, so I'll just give up."
Just a casual remark.
Ji Ci turned her eyes away: "What about now?"
Jin Sen lifted his leg: "It won't interfere with walking the dog."
Ji Ci retracted her gaze and asked, "Why did you open your own shop afterwards?"
Jin Sen smiled and said, "I was originally assigned to an administrative position, but the pay was low and I was too lazy to go. The previous owner of the auto repair shop knew me, but he was too old to work anymore, so he let me take over at a low price."
After saying that, he sighed again: "Not long after I finished studying with him, I started promoting new energy, and he said I was unlucky."
Ji Ci also laughed.
The street narrowed and was surrounded by houses. The air was filled with the aroma of food, with occasional crackling sounds of firecrackers. Groundhogs dragged sparks from one end to the other, and the children gathered together ran away laughing.
A low laugh fell into Ji Ci's ears.
She still kept her head down, watching her shadow shorten and lengthen on the ground.
Boss Jin's hair was blown up by the wind, and his shadow looked like a bear with its fur standing on end.
Ji Ci pointed to the ground: "So ugly."
When he returned home in the evening, Jin Sen stopped at the door and looked at the red couplet on the door for a long time.
Ji Ci leaned halfway into the house, took out a paper bag from the shoe cabinet at the entrance, and handed it over.
Jin Sen raised his eyebrows slightly and took it. Inside was a gray scarf with a faint scent of laundry detergent.
"I've washed it." Ji Ci said quickly.
Jin Sen laughed and said, "It's not worth two hundred, is it?"
Ji Ciren had already entered the room, pulling the door handle, leaving only a narrow gap, and answered from inside: "...Probably."
Sister Xu came back on the third day of the New Year, and Xiao Zhou on the fifth.
They all brought local specialties from their homes to Ji Ci, and Ji Ci cooked some angelica, ginger and mutton soup and brought it to the store for everyone to drink together.
Xiao Zhou held the bowl, smiling with his eyes curved: "Would you like to send some to our Boss Jin?"
Ji Ci took a sip from the rim of the bowl and pretended to be deaf.
It happened that at this moment Jin Sen went out and got on his motorcycle. Just outside the store, Xiao Zhou shouted enthusiastically.
Jin Sen raised his chin and said proudly: "I have drunk it."
The sound was not loud, but several people in the store heard it.
Ji Ci almost choked.
Xiao Zhou's eyes widened and his expression looked like he had won the jackpot.
Doctor Liang covered his lips and coughed.
Sister Xu paused and looked at Ji Ci with a hint of ridicule in her eyes.
"He smelled it in the morning." Ji Ci explained.
But the explanation is very blunt, and it doesn't matter whether it is explained or not.
Ji Ci didn't have the energy to explain, because she seemed to have seen that Boss Jin had a gray scarf tied around his neck, which was very conspicuous.
-
After the third day of the Lunar New Year, surrounding shops began to resume work one after another.
Maybe everyone is busy visiting other people, so the pet shop business is not very good.
In the morning, Xiao Zhou was still asking Ji Ci if she wanted to go somewhere to play while there were many people around. In the afternoon, Boss Jin gave Sister Xu four tickets to the ancient town.
Sister Xu was very happy. She didn't expect that Dr. Liang would also get a copy.
"I didn't expect that. I just said hello and asked Boss Jin to take care of you, but I ended up eating and drinking for free."
Ji Ci was stunned and looked up at Sister Xu: "When...?"
"Before the New Year," Sister Xu smiled and hooked Ji Ci's chin. "How was it? Did Boss Jin contact you?"
Ji Ci was speechless for a moment and didn't know what to say.
Xiao Zhou took two of them and planned to share them with Ji Ci so as not to disturb the couple's world.
Ji Ci hasn't had a real fun time for a long time. Although she has done nothing, she is always worried.
During this time at the pet shop, her finances and spirits stabilized, and she was willing to spend time simply playing.
But when she walked through the bustling streets facing the New Year's lights and saw the smiling faces passing by, she still felt dazed for a moment.
It was like returning to the Spring Festival of previous years. She was wearing a newly made cotton-padded coat, bright red with a furry collar. Her grandma took her hand to see the lanterns. That was one of the few times her grandma was willing to take her out to play, and Ji Ci was very happy.
It’s a pity that so many years have passed and things and people have changed.
She and Xiao Zhou walked around the park and felt dizzy. Xiao Zhou went to watch the candy figurines being blown, and after that she wanted to queue up to have one blown too.
There were always a lot of people crowding in front of the handicraft stall. Ji Ci felt it was too crowded and didn't want to go over, so she stood slowly by the side holding a candied haws, eating while waiting.
To suit the occasion today, she wore a white, dark-patterned, double-breasted shirt with a dark blue, horse-faced skirt underneath. Her hair was half tied up behind her head. It was a more casual outfit, and the plain colors set off her fair skin.
During this time, a man came up to chat with her. Ji Ci waved her hands awkwardly and did not wait for Xiao Zhou, and quickly fled the place.
She sent a message to Xiao Zhou, walked out of the commercial street, and sat down by the lake in a dimly lit area. She ate half of the candied haws and wrapped the rest in a paper bag. Ji Ci lowered her head to open it.
"You know how to find a place."
A voice suddenly came from behind, which scared Ji Ci. She turned around suddenly, but soon realized who the voice came from and relaxed again.
"You scared me." She turned back.
"I've been looking for you for so long," Jin Sen stepped over the stone bench and sat down next to Ji Ci. "There's a lantern show over there, but you're hiding here eating candy instead of going to it?"
He wore an orange vest for staff members over his black leather jacket, and a scarf around his neck, the one Ji Ci gave him.
Jin Sen wore it for a few days after the New Year to keep warm.
"There are too many people," Ji Ci said, glancing down at the crowd. She peeled open the paper bag with her fingers and took out the lower half of the candied haws. "It's so crowded..."
She likes to eat sweets. When she was a child, she was in poor health and often took medicine. After taking the medicine, her grandmother would give her a ball of malt sugar to hold in her mouth.
The candy at that time was soft and warm, like thicker honey. The sweetness spread throughout the mouth from the moment it entered the mouth. It was sticky and could cover up any bitterness.
Her thoughts drifted away, and as the lake reflected the colorful lights, it swayed gently like a small boat. Ji Ci's sight fell on one place, and her memory was pulled far away. When she came to her senses, she found that she didn't know how much time had passed, and Jin Sen had been sitting next to her.
"You..." Ji Ci asked softly, pinching the bamboo stick, "Why aren't you talking?"
"You seem to be lost in thought," Jin Sen stretched out one leg and leaned back on his arm, "I'll sit with you."
The author has something to say:
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Xiao Ji: Report you for slacking off at work!
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