Chapter 7 (Part 1)
On Tuesday afternoon, Kong Yu called Gan Ling and asked her out for tea. "Let's go to the one on Qinxue Road, Meiyou Coffee Shop. We haven't been there in ages. Ah! I miss their tiramisu!" "I have coffee in my bookstore, too. Why don't you come over?" When Gan Ling first opened her shop, she had a very Buddhist attitude, leaving business up to chance. But as time passed, she gradually immersed herself in the role of bookstore owner, and no matter what, her focus ultimately shifted to revenue. Kong Yu said, "Your shop isn't working. With those two little ones squatting right next to us, we can't even have a whisper. Come on! Come on! I'll treat you!" In high school, Gan Ling and Kong Yu envisioned their futures with a longing for distant destinations. They vowed to get into the most distant university and stay in their hometown after graduation, never returning home. That was the most tangible romance they could imagine. But reality, however cruel, didn't allow for romance. Gan Ling, a liberal arts student, was deeply traumatized by two campus job fairs. She messaged Kong Yu, "I've been rejected countless times today for not applying to my major. Science students are treated like vegetables, while liberal arts students don't even qualify." Kong Yu, a science major, had easy jobs, but the salary was low. She messaged Gan Ling, "After tax, I make 3,300. After 1,800 rent and 1,000 food, I still have 500 left. 500! What can I do? I can spend it all on a piece of clothing!" In the end, both of them chose to return home. After returning home, they both found jobs easily. Gan Ling joined a foreign company in administration, embarking on a stable career. Kong Yu worked in quality control at a Taiwanese company and later switched to customs brokerage. She also changed jobs twice, finding each job easier. Her current company is small, with few employees. As a customs broker, she only works four or five hours a week. She can find any excuse to go shopping or see a movie, using her customs brokerage identity as a cover. "It's not without its flaws, but the salary is too low," Kong Yu complained. She wasn't under much financial pressure. Her husband, He Linfeng, ran a trading company and made a lot of money. Kong Yu didn't have to work, so she chose to continue working, simply to pass the time. "I don't like those rich wives' clubs. It's always mahjong or beauty treatments, all about comparing faces all day long. It's so boring!" Gan Ling locked her office drawer and instructed Tian Miao, "I'm going out for a while and I don't know when I'll be back. You'll be in charge of the store today. If there are any problems, talk to Xiao Han about it..." "We'll call you if we can't make a decision—got it!" Gan Ling turned to look at Han Xi, "Are you feeling better?" Han Xi had menstrual cramps today, and her face was pale.
On Tuesday afternoon, Kong Yu called Gan Ling and asked her out for tea.
"Let's go to the one on Qinxue Road, Meiyu Cafe. We haven't been there in a while. Ah! I miss their tiramisu so much."
"I also have coffee in my bookstore, why don't you come and drink it with me?"
At the beginning of opening the store, Gan Ling had a very Buddhist mentality, and she believed that whether the business was good or not was entirely up to fate. But as time passed, she gradually got into the role of a bookstore owner, and no matter what happened, her thoughts would eventually turn to revenue.
Kong Yu said, "It's not possible in your shop. The two little ones are squatting next to each other, and we can't even whisper anything. Come on! Come on! It's my treat!"
In high school, Gan Ling and Kong Yu envisioned their futures with a yearning for distant places. They vowed to attend the most distant university and stay in their hometown after graduation, never returning. That was the most tangible romance they had ever imagined.
However, reality is cruel and leaves no room for romance. Gan Ling, a liberal arts student, was deeply traumatized at two campus job fairs. She messaged Kong Yu, "Today, I've been rejected numerous times for not matching my major. Science students are treated like vegetables, while liberal arts students aren't even qualified to be vegetables."
Kong Yu was a science student, so it was easy for her to find a job, but the salary was low. She sent a message to Gan Ling: "After tax, I make 3,300. After deducting 1,800 for rent and 1,000 for food, I still have 500 left. 500! What can I do? I'll spend it all on a piece of clothing!"
In the end, both of them chose to go home.
After returning home, they both found jobs quite easily. Gan Ling joined a foreign company as an administrator, starting a stable career. Kong Yu worked in quality control at a Taiwanese company, and later switched to a customs broker. She also changed jobs twice, and the job became easier with each job change. The company she currently works for is small, with few employees. As a customs broker, she only works four or five hours a week. If she wants to go shopping or see a movie, she can use her identity as a customs broker as a cover and go out with any excuse.
"It's not without flaws, the salary is too low." Kong Yu still complained.
In fact, she doesn't have much financial pressure. Her husband He Linfeng runs a trading company and makes a lot of money. Kong Yu doesn't have to go to work, but she chooses to continue working just to pass the time.
"I don't like those rich ladies' parties. They're either playing mahjong or getting beauty treatments. They're just comparing themselves to each other all day long. It's so boring!"
Gan Ling locked the office drawer and told Tian Miao, "I'm going out for a while and I don't know when I'll be back. You'll be in charge of the store today. If you have any problems, discuss them with Xiao Han..."
"We both couldn't make up our minds so we called you—got it!"
Gan Ling turned to look at Han Xi, "Are you feeling better?"
Han Xi had menstrual cramps today, looking pale and listless. She couldn't even do her handicrafts, so she hunched over the table, reading in her little purple book. Han Xi was so angry about this that she even bought herself an ice cream cone that morning, much to Gan Ling's surprise.
"Aren't you having menstrual cramps?"
"I want it to know who is the real owner of this body!"
This "it" naturally refers to a special part of her.
An hour later, Han Xi felt even more pain. "Now I know who the master is."
Tian Miao said on the side: "People are most afraid of committing suicide."
When Han Xi heard the question, he replied weakly, "Same old as always."
"Would you like to go home and lie down? I won't deduct your salary."
"Need not!"
This girl seldom talked about her family, and she never even mentioned the word "parents". Gan Ling vaguely felt that she hated her family.
"Sanshui! Keep an eye on Xiaohan!" Because everyone around called Tian Miao like that, Gan Ling started calling him that too.
Tian Miao walked out from behind the bar, holding a cup of longan and red date tea, and placed it on Han Xi's table. "It's hot! It warms your stomach."
Han Xi tried to straighten his back, pulled the cup of tea in front of him, put his mouth to the straw and took a deep sip.
Gan Ling left with peace of mind.
She took the subway to Qinxue Road Station, and after getting out of the station, she walked for three minutes to Meiyu Coffee Shop. Kong Yu was waiting for her at the door.
The two share a similar look: fair and slender, with delicate features. They're not striking, yet endearing, exuding a refreshing and comfortable beauty. In their first year of high school, they sat at desks opposite each other. At the start of the school year, their teacher often confused them, marking the beginning of their friendship. However, their personalities are completely different: Gan Ling is quiet and reserved, while Kong Yu is lively and outgoing. After getting to know each other, Kong Yu even asked Gan Ling to go to the bathroom with him.
Kong Yu talks a lot, and once she starts talking, she won't stop. It takes external force to make her shut up.
Sometimes she would stop talking happily, with a look of vigilance in her eyes, "Gan Ling, am I talking too much? Many people say I talk too much, even my mother dislikes me."
"No! I like to hear it. Go on."
"Wow, Gan Ling, you are so kind! I am so moved that I am crying!"
Gan Ling was telling the truth. She really liked Kong Yu, and she had endless chatter to share. It was the most colorful and lively thing in the world, enough to fill Gan Ling's own pale and boring life.
After the class division in the second year of high school, they could no longer be inseparable, but whenever they met on the way to school, Kong Yu would still talk to her endlessly until the bell rang to separate them.
Four years of university followed, each of them going their separate ways. They maintained their friendship through WeChat. Kong Yu would greet Gan Ling daily and share everything, good or bad, with her. Gan Ling didn't have many friends, so she cherished Kong Yu especially. A day without a few words between them felt like something was missing. After they both graduated and returned home, their online friendship reverted to a physical one.
"Why don't you go in and wait for me? Aren't you afraid of the heat?"
Kong Yu opened his arms and hugged Gan Ling first, "I missed you, and I can't wait to see you!"
Gan Ling smiled and took her arm, and walked into the cafe together. After nearly twenty years of friendship, the two of them became irreplaceable in each other's hearts. Only in front of Kong Yu could Gan Ling completely relax and have no worries.
Kong Yu ordered a mocha and a Napoleon, and Gan Ling ordered a cappuccino and a milk roll.
"You love milk rolls so much! You eat this every time you come here, don't you get tired of it?" Kong Yu stared at the milk roll in front of Gan Ling and curled his lips.
"No, I just love the taste. The milk rolls here are the closest to what I've had before... Didn't you say you missed the tiramisu here?"
"Hey! You know I'm always changing." Kong Yu said with a smile, "Being changeable is a woman's privilege! I didn't say that, He Linfeng said that."
Gan Ling took a sip of coffee, scooped a piece of milk curl with a stainless steel spoon and put it into her mouth. The rich and mellow taste spread in her mouth, evoking a vague and distant memory...
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Are you listening to me?"
Kong Yu waved his palm in front of Gan Ling, summoning her soul back. She smiled sheepishly, "It's so delicious, I'm intoxicated. What did you say?"
"Hey! You always go into a trance every time you eat milk rolls. I have to check to see if they put any drugs in there—I said Aunt Li quit her job."
Aunt Li has been Kong Yu’s domestic nanny for many years, and she has always been very satisfied with her.
"What's going on?"
"Going back to hug her grandson!" Kong Yu said unhappily, "Actually, it's not worth it for her to go back. She can earn five or six thousand yuan a month doing the same job as me, but she won't get a penny if she goes back to take care of her grandson. She might even have to pay out of her own pocket."
"That's not the case. After all, it's just a favor for your own children, so the elderly won't mind it."
"I know! I was just grumbling. He You was really reluctant to let her go when she left. When Aunt Li came to my house, You You was only two years old. Now You You is six years old. He has been calling her grandma for four years. He never thought that grandma would run away. He still can't figure it out."
"Then do you have to find someone new?"
"I've found it! But it's not easy to find a satisfactory one!"
Gan Ling understood this deeply, but thinking of Wu Juan, she still comforted Kong Yu, "Don't worry, just look for it slowly. You will find it eventually. This kind of thing is just like getting married, it all depends on fate."
A mischievous look immediately appeared on Kong Yu's face. "Speaking of marriage, what are your plans? Don't tell me you don't want to get married again in your lifetime!"
“No plans.”
Kong Yu pouted, "I knew you would say that! You're not still obsessed with Wei Chi, are you?"
Gan Ling frowned, "What nonsense!"
Kong Yu was relieved. "Then I'm relieved! I'm not afraid to tell you the truth. I hate that scumbag to death. If I meet him, I'm sure I won't kill him with a pair of scissors!"
"Don't be so violent. You'll end up in jail. Is it worth it for a scumbag?"
Kong Yu laughed and said, "It's not worth it! Guess what the best way of revenge I can think of is?"
Gan Ling didn't say anything, but he had guessed it long ago.
"Find someone better than him and make him mad!"
Gan Ling also laughed, "Making him mad? What if he still thinks he's invincible?"
"So you have to find a man who's far better than him in every way! Even if the jerk is blind, he won't be able to find any fault with him!"
"Where can I find such a good man? In a wax museum?"
Kong Yu's eyes sparkled. "He Linfeng recently met a successful person, an executive at Company X. Note, he's a real executive, not a fake executive like Wei Chi who tries to boost his own status! He lives in the Lake West Villa, not the Ginkgo Garden, which is just pretending to be a Western-style house."
"Is he handsome?"
"Handsome! I have a photo, do you want to see it?"
Kong Yu eagerly picked up the phone, but was stopped by Gan Ling, "Wait! The situation hasn't been explained yet!"
"I've met him in person. He Linfeng took me to a drinking party and introduced us. He's very handsome, has a good figure, and has good taste in clothes. In short, he looks very elegant and profound. Oh, and he's also a PhD from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands—look how difficult that name is to pronounce, I only remembered it for you."
Gan Ling raised an eyebrow, "How could such an outstanding talent be interested in me?"
"What's wrong with you?" Kong Yu was filled with indignation. "Stop belittling yourself all the time, okay? Besides, Mr. Tao said himself that he likes quiet and bookish girls."
"Is he married?"
"Married, divorced."
"What's the reason?"
"Well, he didn't say that, and I'm embarrassed to ask."
"Any children?"
"No."
Gan Ling spread his hands and said, "Let's stop here. There's nothing more to discuss."
Kong Yu was anxious. "I asked him about the child. He doesn't care about the child. Compared to the child, he hopes to find a wife who is in tune with him."
"This kind of request is even more difficult than having children. What does it mean to be spiritually connected? What's the standard? Besides, what if a man says he doesn't want children now, but decides to have them again in a few years? Will he get divorced again?"
Kong Yu choked, "But, but I think it's better for you to meet her before you draw any conclusions. Maybe you two will get along well?"
Gan Ling shook her head. "I can already see the end. Why humiliate myself?"
They both fell silent, and the coffee tasted a bit less delicious. Kong Yu reached out and took Gan Ning's hand.
"Don't be discouraged. There's always a way to solve the child's problem. Medical technology is so advanced now."
Gan Ling didn't respond, but ate her milk rolls slowly. There were almost no secrets between her and Kong Yu, but she had lied about this matter.
Because Gan Ling couldn't conceive, the relationship between her and the Wei family became increasingly tense. At the urging of Wei Chi's parents, Wei Chi went to the hospital for a check-up. When he came back, he threw the test results in front of Gan Ling, saying that he was fine.
"When is your turn to do it?"
When Wei Chi pressed her again, Gan Ling simply and bluntly admitted it was her fault. She confessed it not only to Wei Chi but also to everyone who cared about her, including her father and her best friend. For her, lying in a hospital bed undergoing fertility tests was humiliating enough, not to mention the high probability of receiving harsh news. Rather than that, she preferred to remain in the dark about the truth.
There’s nothing wrong with living alone without children. It’s peaceful.
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