Chapter 40: Jia Dongxu's Blind Date
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“There’s also Teacher Yan...” Lin Shaowen’s gaze shifted, and he sneered. “Getting you fired would be too much, after all—you have a whole family to support. But I hear your son Yan Jiecheng is currently trying to pull strings for a job, isn’t he? Don’t waste the money. You can support him until he’s forty.”
“You...” Yan Bugui nearly spat blood.
Dealing with Liu Haizhong had been somewhat difficult, but Yan Jiecheng was as easy to handle as turning over one’s hand. Yan Bugui had no powerful connections, and although Yan Jiecheng had a high-school education, without someone to pull strings for him, the best he could get was temporary work.
With temporary workers, all it took was a letter of complaint.
Work units had always preferred to dismiss the wrong person rather than let a guilty one slip through. They could fire him without the slightest hesitation.
The clinic fell into deathly silence.
After a long while, Yi Zhonghai spoke. “Lin Shaowen, what exactly do you want?”
“Now that’s the right attitude toward solving a problem.” Lin Shaowen smiled. “First, help me wash the main gate clean. If I still smell anything when I get back, then we’ll keep playing.”
“Second, Yi Zhonghai, go to the neighborhood office and apply for a separate electricity meter for me.”
“A separate electricity meter? What are you planning?” Yi Zhonghai asked with a frown.
At present, the entire compound shared one electricity meter, and everyone split the electricity bill equally.
It was not much—less than one yuan a month.
To Lin Shaowen, that amount was insignificant.
But applying for a separate meter would be troublesome. He would have to fill out forms and go to the power bureau to submit the application. Just running through the procedures would take an entire afternoon, not to mention waiting for them to come and install the meter. He would have to endure all sorts of dismissive treatment.
“You don’t want Jia Dongxu to spend his whole life sweeping toilets, do you?” Lin Shaowen’s single sentence struck Yi Zhonghai right where it hurt.
“It’s only an electricity meter. Old Yi, go get it done for him,” Liu Haizhong said hurriedly.
“Exactly. Old Yi, if you go now, one afternoon should be enough,” Yan Bugui added.
“You’ll have to lend me your bicycle,” Yi Zhonghai said, naming his condition.
“Do it or don’t. If you won’t, we’ll keep playing.”
After tossing out that sentence, Lin Shaowen picked up his lunchbox and sauntered off to the canteen.
“Third Uncle, I’m helping you settle this matter,” Yi Zhonghai said, looking at Yan Bugui.
“You...” Yan Bugui grew anxious. He knew perfectly well that Yi Zhonghai had his eye on his bicycle.
“It doesn’t matter if you won’t lend it to me. Lin Shaowen said it himself—support your son Jiecheng until he’s forty.” Yi Zhonghai looked completely unconcerned.
“I’ll lend it to you.”
Yan Bugui forced the words out through clenched teeth.
It was true that he valued every three cents, but being taken advantage of for nothing was even more unbearable.
Yi Zhonghai was obviously going to take advantage of him without paying a cent.
Five-thirty that evening.
Lin Shaowen and Qin Huairu rode back one after another. Quite a few people were gathered in the courtyard. The looks they gave Lin Shaowen were filled with fear; none of them had the defiant air they had shown that morning.
“Brother Lin.”
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“Doctor Lin.”
“Little Lin.”
...
Many people greeted Lin Shaowen with ingratiating smiles.
“The paperwork’s been taken care of, and the meter has been installed too,” Yi Zhonghai said as he came over.
“Where was it installed?” Lin Shaowen asked.
“In the corner of the wall inside Qin Huairu’s room. Your two meters are together.” Seeing his expression, Yi Zhonghai hurriedly explained, “It wasn’t my idea. The people from the power bureau came while you weren’t home. They couldn’t exactly climb over the wall into your courtyard, could they? And if anything went missing, who would be held responsible?”
That was what he said, but he had done it deliberately.
Lin Shaowen clearly wanted to separate himself from the rest of the compound so he would not have to argue with everyone over every little thing. The boy had extensive connections and had obviously managed to acquire some valuable electrical appliances. But Yi Zhonghai had linked Qin Huairu’s meter with Lin Shaowen’s. There would be plenty to argue about in the future.
Sure enough—
“First Uncle, that’s not right. My meter is connected to his. How are we supposed to calculate my electricity bill from now on?” Qin Huairu, who had come out to watch the commotion, immediately objected.
“Wasn’t it Lin Shaowen who demanded a separate electricity meter?” Yi Zhonghai said aggrievedly, extending his hand toward Lin Shaowen. “The meter cost eighty yuan, and the workers’ fee was twenty... a total of one hundred yuan.”
As he spoke, he handed over the receipt.
“What kind of electricity meter costs one hundred yuan?” Yan Bugui cried out.
“A Zunyi brand,” Yi Zhonghai replied. “I was worried something might go wrong in the compound, so I had a good one installed.”
Yan Bugui fell silent.
He could clearly tell that Yi Zhonghai was cheating Lin Shaowen. A cheap meter cost only forty yuan. This one had been marked up to twice the price.
Lin Shaowen did not argue with him. He took out one hundred yuan and handed it to Yi Zhonghai, but said to Qin Huairu, “Qin Huairu, you have a share in this meter too. Since you’re a woman, I’ll let you pay forty yuan.”
“In your dreams. I never asked you to take my meter apart. Now that you’ve separated my electricity, I’m still going to pay according to the current arrangement, aren’t I?” Qin Huairu shouted back.
“No, Qin Huairu, that’s not how this works...”
The two of them soon began arguing.
Silly Zhu wanted to step forward and support her, but Yi Zhonghai stopped him.
After arguing for a long time, they still could not reach an agreement. Both of them left angrily.
As soon as Lin Shaowen returned to the courtyard, Qin Huairu slipped over, put her arms around him, and smacked a kiss on his cheek.
“I acted pretty well, didn’t I?”
“Not bad.”
“Then how about giving me a little reward?”
“Qin Huairu, are you some kind of female hooligan?”
“Hee-hee!”
Without caring whether Lin Shaowen agreed, Qin Huairu pulled him into the room.
The sky was gradually darkening.
The three older women who had promised the day before to come plant flowers for Lin Shaowen never showed up. They had probably been stopped by their husbands.
With no other choice, Lin Shaowen had to do it himself.
“What are you doing?” Qin Huairu asked curiously.
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“Planting flowers.” Lin Shaowen sounded somewhat helpless.
“That’s not work for you. I’ll do it.”
Without another word, Qin Huairu drove Lin Shaowen back into the house and began loosening the soil and watering the plants with complete concentration.
Seeing that she would not be coming inside anytime soon, Lin Shaowen turned around and entered the island.
“First cast.”
“Obtained one electric-fan coupon.”
“Wow, what a good omen.”
Lin Shaowen was overjoyed. He had been thinking of using his connections to find a fan coupon over the past couple of days, but he had never expected to draw one here.
“Second cast.”
“Obtained one electric-fan coupon.”
“...”
Lin Shaowen felt miserable. He did not sell fans. What was he supposed to do with so many fan coupons?
“Third cast.”
“Obtained one electric-fan coupon.”
Lin Shaowen stared at the three electric-fan coupons with tears in his eyes, unsure whether he ought to laugh or cry.
After casually picking two coconuts, he left the island.
Qin Huairu was still concentrating on planting flowers when a coconut suddenly appeared beside her, a tiny metal straw stuck into it.
She turned toward Lin Shaowen with a smile and took a small sip.
It was very sweet.
Bang, bang!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the main gate.
“Who is it?” Lin Shaowen called out.
Qin Huairu immediately put down her hoe and returned to her own home.
“Little Lin, open up!”
Xu Damao’s voice came from outside.
“What’s the matter?” Lin Shaowen asked as he opened the gate.
“Come on, let’s go watch the fun. Jia Dongxu’s on another blind date.”
Xu Damao slung an arm around Lin Shaowen’s shoulder and led him outside.
Lin Shaowen went along willingly. After spending so many days here, the part of him that loved a good spectacle had already awakened.
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