Chapter 9 (Part 1)
Gan Ling goes to the gym every Thursday night, not to build muscle, but just to change her mood. When she was working in the company, she got a gym membership at Kong Yu's invitation, but she often stood Kong Yu up because she had to work overtime. Not anymore. After dinner, before it got dark, Gan Wenkang sat on the balcony and watched the children playing downstairs. Gan Ling made him a pot of tea, put it on a tea tray, brought it to the balcony, and placed it on the small round table next to Gan Wenkang's wheelchair. "Dad, I'm going out!" Gan Wenkang suddenly turned around, "Are you in a hurry?" Gan Ling looked at her watch, "No hurry. Is there anything you want me to do?" Gan Wenkang shook his head and pointed to a small bench on the balcony, "Sit with me for a while." Gan Ling understood that her father wanted to have a private conversation with her. She moved the bench opposite her father and sat down to wait for him to speak. "Someone came to introduce you to someone. He's a small business owner who makes auto parts. The factory isn't big, but he's said to be profitable. I didn't refuse because I wanted to ask what you think. The matchmaker said the other party has also been divorced, has a child, and is a very honest person." Gan Wenkang was a little out of breath after saying this, and then he stared at his daughter with an indescribable look in his eyes, a bit nervous and wary. Gan Ling tried to appear relaxed and said jokingly, "It's unlikely that an honest person would do business, right? And he's doing quite well." Gan Wenkang also smiled, "It's up to you. If you want to see me, then see me. If you don't want to, forget it. I won't force you...but you have to have a place to stay. I won't be at ease if you live alone like this." Gan Ling heard the worry in her father's words and didn't refuse outright. She nodded slowly, "Okay, I'll think about it." "Xiao Ling, Dad was wrong about this matter of marriage. I'm sorry..." "Dad--" "If you look for someone again, Dad hopes it's someone who is truly good to you. Other conditions are not important, but he has to be good to you." Perhaps because of his excitement, Gan Wenkang was panting heavily. Gan Ling quickly handed him the tea, "Drink some water." Gan Wenkang took the teacup, but his eyes were still on his daughter. Gan Ling couldn't bear to disappoint her father, so she nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. I'll take care of it." Wu Juan was washing pots and pans in the kitchen when Gan Ling poked her head in. "Sister Juan, I'm leaving now! If I'm late, don't wait for me. Go to sleep first." "Okay!" Gan Ling walked along the street in the neighborhood, remembering the regret and expectation in her father's eyes just now, and suddenly felt a pang of pain. Her father had sacrificed so much for her, yet they didn't have a happy ending. Was this the source of his current frustration and pain? For...
Gan Ling goes to the gym every Thursday night, not to build muscle, but simply to relax. While working at the company, she signed up for a gym membership at Kong Yu's invitation, but she often stood him up because she had to work overtime.
Not anymore.
After dinner, before it was completely dark, Gan Wenkang sat on the balcony, watching the children playing downstairs. Gan Ling brewed him a pot of tea, placed it on a tea tray, and brought it to the balcony, placing it on the small round table next to Gan Wenkang's wheelchair.
"Dad, I'm going out!"
Gan Wenkang suddenly turned around and asked, "Are you in a hurry?"
Gan Ling looked at his watch. "No hurry. Is there anything you want me to do?"
Gan Wenkang shook his head and pointed to a small bench on the balcony. "Sit with me for a while."
Gan Ling understood that her father wanted to have a private conversation with her. She moved the bench across from her father and sat down to wait for him to speak.
"Someone came to try to match you up. He's a small business owner who makes auto parts. His factory isn't big, but he says it's profitable. I didn't refuse, but wanted to ask what you thought. The matchmaker said he's also divorced, has a child, and is a very honest person."
After Gan Wenkang finished speaking, he was a little out of breath, and then he stared at his daughter with an indescribable expression in his eyes, a little nervous and wary.
Gan Ling tried to appear relaxed and jokingly said, "It's unlikely that an honest person would do business, right? And he's doing pretty well."
Gan Wenkang also smiled. "It's up to you. If you want to see me, then see me. If you don't want to, forget it. I won't force you... But you have to have a place to stay. If you live alone like this, I won't be at ease if I leave."
Gan Ling heard the worry in his father's words, but did not refuse outright. He nodded slowly and said, "Okay, I'll think about it."
"Xiao Ling, Dad was wrong about this marriage. I'm sorry..."
"dad--"
"If you look for someone else, Dad hopes it's someone who is truly good to you. Other conditions are not important, but he must be good to you."
Perhaps due to his excitement, Gan Wenkang was breathing heavily. Gan Ling quickly handed him the tea and said, "Have a drink."
Gan Wenkang took the teacup, but his eyes were still fixed on his daughter.
Gan Ling couldn't bear to disappoint his father, so he nodded and said, "I understand, Dad. I will take it to heart."
Wu Juan was washing pots and pans in the kitchen. Gan Ling poked her head in and said, "Sister Juan, I'm leaving now! If you come back late, don't wait for me. Go to sleep first."
"Oh, okay!"
As Gan Ling walked through the neighborhood, she recalled the regret and expectation in her father's eyes, and suddenly felt a pang of sadness. Her father had sacrificed so much for her, yet they didn't have a happy ending. Was this the source of his current frustration and pain?
Gan Ling has absolutely no confidence in remarriage. She thinks that living alone like she is now is good, comfortable and stress-free. But her father doesn't think so. The traditional concepts of the elders are deeply rooted and cannot be persuaded with just a few words of explanation.
Her phone rang twice. It was Kong Yu sending her a WeChat message, reminding her not to be late. She replied that she was already at the platform.
The bus to the city center arrived. Gan Ling put aside her worries and set off in a happy mood.
Kong Yu is more diligent at the gym than Gan Ling, hitting the gym two or three times a week. She also does more workouts than Gan Ling does, including yoga, aerobics, and strength training. Gan Ling, for now, sticks to just one: running. It's easy and simple, and there's no need for awkward conversation with a trainer. After a 30-minute run, she showers off the sweat, changes into clean clothes, and then heads off to watch Kong Yu train.
Kong Yu was stretching under the guidance of his personal trainer Qiqi, with one leg in front and the other leg behind, making extremely twisted movements. Gan Ling felt a dull pain in both legs when she saw it.
"Hold on a little longer! Good! One more time! Very Good!"
After Kong Yu finished all the movements with a grin on his face, he stood up, looking as if he had been beaten up, with a listless look on his face.
"Every time it's over, I can't understand why I put myself through this torture. But after two or three days, my body becomes addicted. My bones itch uncontrollably, and I just want to be tortured again. I hate this contradictory mentality!"
As they spoke, they were already sitting in the light snack bar across from the gym, each enjoying a tuna and vegetable salad and a sugar-free drink. The sofas were so soft and comfortable, it felt like you were practically sinking into them. Next to them was a floor-to-ceiling glass wall, offering a clear view of the gym across the way.
"Let me tell you something," Kong Yu continued, "if I weren't so lazy, I might open a gym."
Gan Ling laughed, "You just said you hated this kind of torture."
"I didn't say I hated fitness. I said I hated the ambivalence!"
“Where does the ambivalence come from?”
"Me, hi! Okay. I admit, I just can't stand hardship. But running a gym is a different story! You can torture others!"
Gan Ling shook his head, "I can't understand."
"So you just choose to run?"
"My goal is to sweat anyway, and running is the easiest, right?"
Kong Yu chewed the various salads like a rodent. His complexion had returned to normal and he became cheerful again.
"Do you know how I first got into fitness?"
"You watched a workout video."
"Yes! It's that UP host named Sister Mumu. She has an amazing body, and what surprised me the most is that she actually has some abdominal muscles. Oh my god! They look so good. It completely changed my aesthetic. I used to think that muscles only grew on men and would look ugly on women, but it turns out that's not the case at all!"
"So you want abs too?"
"I want abs too, that's right! To be a cool woman."
"Then practice hard."
Kong Yu suddenly pointed at the gym and asked Gan Ling to look, "That's Qiqi's husband! The one in the dark blue sportswear!"
Gan Ling was nearsighted, and after squinting her eyes for a long time, she couldn't find the key. She wasn't interested anyway, so she glanced at it a few times and nodded, "Oh."
"When I open a fitness club, I'll recruit both of them. They're both very responsible."
"So you mean you have your own way of torturing students?"
"How can you be called responsible if you're not ruthless? Even though they're ruthless, they charge a lot..."
"Although what you said is not good, it is also quite bad."
"Ah? Hahaha! But isn't the purpose of running a club to make money?"
"Are you really going to open it?"
Kong Yu shrugged. "I just love daydreaming. I don't have the energy or ability. I haven't even found a babysitter yet! Now I've asked my mom to come over and help with the chores. She's already complained to me several times."
"What's wrong?"
"It's keeping her from playing mahjong!"
"What about Youyou's grandparents? Aren't they retired?"
"They won't come to take care of it! Grandpa is busy socializing with old classmates, and Grandma only knows how to cook one thing: porridge, and then she puts all the ingredients together and cooks it. I ate this kind of thing when I got married, and I never want to touch it again!"
By the time they were discussing their next topic, they were already at the shopping mall. Summer was approaching, and Kong Yu wanted to buy a new dress, so Gan Ling accompanied her. They wandered from the luxury stores on the first floor to the young women's clothing section on the second floor, trying on anything they liked.
There were two pieces of clothing that Gan Ling thought were good and suitable for Kong Yu, but Kong Yu was not very interested. Gan Ling felt that her mind did not seem to be on the clothes.
In a women's clothing store on the second floor, Kong Yu took a fancy to an apple green long skirt. She picked it up and tried it on Gan Ling.
"This one suits you, the color sets off the white, why don't you try it on?"
Gan Ling also liked it and tried it seriously. The effect was very good, so Kong Yu decided on the spot, "I'll buy it and give it to you!"
Gan Ling frowned, "What are you doing? It's not a festival. I'll pay for it myself."
The two argued for a while, Kong Yu was defeated, and Gan Ling paid the money himself.
When they came out, Kong Yu asked, "Tell me the truth, what happened with Cheng Zhao?"
"Nothing's wrong!"
"Then I'll tell you. I recently met a friend who's really nice..."
"Wait! You asked me to buy this dress, aren't you for a blind date?"
"answer!"
Gan Ling rolled her eyes, "I feel bad for the 800 yuan I just spent!"
"Honey, believe me! This guy really suits you, even better than the apple green shirt you're wearing!"
Next, Kong Yu gave a detailed introduction to the background of this blind date candidate. He was three years older than Gan Ling, a middle-level manager in the company, had a house and a car, was on his second marriage, and had a daughter in junior high school.
"But my daughter's stay won't interfere with your new life. I've met this guy before; he's quite kind and good-looking, not particularly handsome, but pleasant to the eye. He's also very down-to-earth, unlike some men who make a lot of elaborate demands. He says as long as the woman is nice and they get along, anything's fine. I think this guy is tailor-made for you. Oh, by the way, I have a photo of him in his daily life; let me show you!"
The man in the photo was standing by the sea, facing the camera. His features were bright and his smile was warm. There was a hint of familiarity in his eyes, which reminded Gan Ling of Zhou Zhenchuan, and her heart suddenly moved.
"This photo is definitely not photoshopped! How about it? Doesn't it look good?" Kong Yu stared at Gan Ling. "You're attracted to it, aren't you? Isn't it?"
But when Gan Ling thought about dealing with strangers, it was as if a towering mountain suddenly stood in front of her, giving her a headache.
"Let's talk about it later."
"What do you mean? Are you going to meet him or not?"
"Wait a minute, I haven't thought about it yet."
Kong Yu pouted, "Just keep running away!"
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