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墨書 Inktalez
Hu Ruoyun had made plans to meet Mao Na during the May Day holiday, and on April 30th, which was a Saturday, Wu Mingliang came to see her.
By May, the weather in Jiangbei Province had already warmed up, but Wu Mingliang was still wearing a thin sweater and old half-leather, half-cotton shoes. His hair was messy, and his face bore the pallor of malnutrition.
Hu Ruoyun invited him to have a meal at the cafeteria, specifically choosing dishes that were rich in oil and meat. After they finished eating, she invited him to her dormitory, but Wu Mingliang declined. "Let's just talk outside," he suggested.
They strolled along the Jinshui River in the middle of the liberal arts and sciences area while Wu Mingliang poured out his troubles. "During the New Year, it was chaotic at home. My mother was constantly scolding my older brother Wu Mingyang for not giving her money to spend and for spending too much on his second wife’s dowry. She compared me to Hu Ruoyun and criticized me: 'Look at how others don’t even ask their families for tuition fees; they earn their own living expenses. Why can’t you do that? You’re worse off than them!'"
Originally, he received four hundred yuan every three months for living expenses, but now it had been cut to eighty yuan a month.
Hu Ruoyun recalled her own past: she usually spent fifty cents on two steamed buns for breakfast and another fifty cents on a bowl of Hu Spicy Soup. For lunch, she would have one bun and sixty cents worth of vegetable noodles, and for dinner, two buns with a small bowl of wontons… Even living on such a meager budget, one hundred yuan a month was barely enough.
"You're out of money now, aren't you?" Hu Ruoyun asked Wu Mingliang.
He forced a smile, feeling embarrassed. "If my grandmother hadn’t given me fifty yuan during the New Year, I wouldn’t have made it this far!" He gestured to his thick clothing. "I don’t even have money to buy a single shirt!"
Hu Ruoyun took out two hundred yuan and handed it to him. "Take this for now; you can look for tutoring jobs or something later!"
Wu Mingliang sighed. "I regret enrolling in this school now. In April, I registered for self-study exams in Marxist Basic Principles Overview, Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, and Auditing. I’m not sure I can pass Auditing."
He continued with frustration, "We didn’t do well in high school; how can I tutor others without leading them astray? Besides, there are so many universities in Jiangcheng; why would anyone hire a student from a knockoff university like mine? And I still can’t speak Mandarin well enough to teach anyone!"
Wu Mingliang's concerns were valid. In Jiang City alone, there were Jiangbei University, Jiangcheng University, Jiangbei University of Finance and Economics, Jiangbei Agricultural University, Jiangbei University of Technology… Any one of these institutions far surpassed Jingnan Academy.
"I don’t even want to continue with this school anymore; I’d rather work instead—at least I could earn some money and not go hungry!" he lamented.
Hu Ruoyun tried to comfort him. "You shouldn’t think like that. Since you’re here now, give it your best shot! You don’t have to attend a regular university to be successful! Besides, if you drop out now, your parents will be furious!"
Wu Mingliang replied, "You know how my mother talks nonsense in the village... The pressure is immense; I can’t even sleep peacefully at night... With our situation, how could we possibly become Town Chief after graduation? You’re better off since you came through regular admission; I’m worried I won’t even get my self-study diploma in three years… By then, finding a job will be tough!"
It felt premature to discuss job prospects at this stage. Seeing Wu Mingliang's distressed expression made Hu Ruoyun think for a moment before saying, "Aren't all the student dormitories installing 200-yuan phone cards? I know someone who can get them at an 80% discount; if you're interested, you can buy them from me without paying upfront—just settle up after selling them."
A few days ago while dining with Mao Na and Lai Wen, she learned that Sister Lai Wen’s husband Zhou Zhijie worked at the Jiang City telecommunications company handling phone card distribution.
Lai Wen had said, "Your brother-in-law manages this; he can give you the maximum discount allowed within his authority—should be around 20% off—but according to company policy, payment is required upfront when picking up the cards."
She then added for Hu Ruoyun's benefit: "If you want to do this business venture, I have over three thousand yuan saved up that I can lend you."
Hu Ruoyun poured Lai Wen a glass of beer. "Sister, as long as your brother-in-law can give me that big discount, I won’t need to use your money! Don’t worry; I have my own funds!"
After discussing the phone card business, Lai Wen lamented about an article Hu Ruoyun had written: "The director edited my piece until it was unrecognizable and said 'this matter ends here,' forbidding any further reporting! It nearly drove me crazy! Your article was like a bombshell—it not only vented my frustrations but also caused quite a stir!"
Graduation was still more than two years away, and while work could wait, making money could not. This was the window of opportunity for the IC Phone Card, and it was a chance that could not be missed! Without hesitation, the next day, Hu Ruoyun, under Lai Wen's guidance, approached her husband Zhou Zhijie and handed over twenty-four thousand yuan to acquire thirty thousand yuan worth of Phone Cards.
Lai Wen and her husband were somewhat incredulous. After all, IC cards were still a new phenomenon; even larger distributors typically only handled orders of three to five thousand yuan at a time. Hu Ruoyun's bold investment was no longer them helping her; it was Hu Ruoyun helping Lai Wen's husband boost his sales!
Once they had the Phone Cards in hand, he instructed Cui Shuigen, “Get in touch with the classmates you used to work well with. Install 200 phone cards in that dormitory, and you can sell them there. We'll offer them at a ten percent discount and leave the selling to everyone!”
With the success of the previous two ventures behind him, Cui Shuigen was brimming with confidence. “Don’t worry, Brother San. I have some acquaintances at other universities in Jiangcheng; I’ll distribute some cards to them as well. We’ll go all out!”
Wu Mingliang listened to Hu Ruoyun's introduction and decided to take away 500 yuan worth of cards for himself.
On May 1st, Hu Ruoyun and Mao Na visited Forest Park, a place they had planned to go to last year but had been unable to due to General Qi's interference. They first took the cable car up. When Mao Na reached the top and looked down, she screamed in fright and froze. A few elementary school students zipped past her, laughing and teasing her.
Next, they insisted on horseback riding. However, as soon as Mao Na got on the horse, she cried out, “I can’t do this! I’m scared!” The owner of the riding school didn’t want to lose her as a customer and allowed Hu Ruoyun to ride alongside her. Hu Ruoyun wrapped one arm around Mao Na’s waist while holding the reins with the other as they completed a lap.
Rowing on the Artificial Lake was much more calming. Once her nerves settled, Mao Na turned to Hu Ruoyun and said, “I need to tell you something, but you must promise not to get mad!”
“Okay, go ahead!” Hu Ruoyun replied.
Mao Na hesitated before saying, “Lu Meixin is pregnant. She doesn’t even know if it’s Zhao Gang’s or that guy from Class Two’s…”
Hu Ruoyun responded nonchalantly, “It’s not you who’s pregnant; why would I be mad?”
Mao Na shifted in her seat slightly, causing the boat to rock violently in the water. Startled, she quickly sat back down before weakly adding, “Meixin wants me to accompany her to the hospital…”
“Then go with her,” Hu Ruoyun advised. “In situations like this, having someone there is essential!”
After May Day, IC phone cards were being installed enthusiastically across various universities. In less than a month, Cui Shuigen and his team sold all thirty thousand yuan worth of Phone Cards. Hu Ruoyun then asked Lai Wen’s husband for another restock.
Wu Mingliang sold his 500 yuan worth of cards and made a profit of 100 yuan. Feeling encouraged by his success, he decided to take away 1,000 yuan worth next.
Not only Hu Ruoyun and Cui Shuigen but even Mao Na managed to sell 2,000 yuan worth at their school and earned around 400 yuan—a moment of joy akin to receiving their first paycheck.
She excitedly declared that she would treat Hu Ruoyun to a nice meal.
P.S.: I have incorporated a few lines from Mr. Cang Fusheng's works into my writing simply because those lines were exceptionally well-written; there is no intention of offense or infringement!
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