CHAPTER 93: 091 PHONE, JIANG JINGHUAI

Tian Sangsang painfully pulled out her last fifty cents from her pocket and handed it to him: "This is my final savings. You better use it wisely."

Zhao Chun clenched the fifty cents tightly in his hand, realizing for the first time how tough farm life could be. Fifty cents was actually her last bit of savings. He hesitated and said, "If there’s no money, how are we supposed to eat?"

"Don’t worry, there’s still reserve grain at home." Tian Sangsang grinned at him and pointed at the basket in her hand. "Besides, this stuff can sell today. Worst case, I’ll just sell you instead, haha O(∩_∩)O!"

Zhao Chun was stunned: "No way, I’m just a cripple. No one would want me even if you tried to sell me."

"Not true." Tian Sangsang sized him up with a smile. "You’re quite the eye candy!"

Zhao Chun suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

"Chun Zisu, I’ll be waiting for you to come back~" Meng Shuyan waved her little hand at him.

Zhao Chun nodded, a wave of reluctance washing over him. Weakly, he glanced to the side, "Tian Sangsang, I’m leaving now, okay."

Tian Sangsang couldn’t handle his overly delicate behavior, waving her dark arm dismissively: "Yeah, yeah, I know. Stop dragging it out—it’s not like this is some life-and-death goodbye."

Zhao Chun: "..." Damn. Made an effort to be emotional for once, huh. This woman has absolutely zero regard for his dignity.

Moving absurdly slowly, Zhao Chun finally made his way to the supply and marketing cooperative. This shop was much smaller compared to the ones in the city. Behind the counter stood two women, and he cleared his throat, looking at them arrogantly: "I want to make a phone call. Give me the phone."

In front of Tian Sangsang, he couldn’t muster up any authority, but in front of others, poof—his true self emerged again.

Oh my, what a fine young man! Even though his face was pale and his legs weren’t exactly nimble, just standing there, he lit up the entire shop. The women thought for a moment they might be looking at some kind of celebrity at the door.

The plump shop assistant, not used to seeing such a dashing young man, spoke with a hint of flirtation in her eyes: "Comrade, please wait a moment."

As she spoke, she pushed the telephone toward him.

"By the way, how does the phone charge work here?" Zhao Chun asked the moment he recalled Tian Sangsang’s lecture. His usual free-spending self couldn’t bring himself to act so carelessly this time—this was his very last bit of money!

"Where do you want to call? Here we only allow local calls. Long-distance ones have to go through the post office."

"Local then," Zhao Chun replied.

"For local calls, it’s four cents per use."

Four cents per call—huh, not that expensive. Zhao Chun calculated. He had fifty cents in his hand, so there’d still be over forty cents left. That’s so much change!

He remembered hearing from his grandfather just before he left home that Jiang Jinghuai was on vacation around this time. His usual gang of friends lived closer, so if he sought their help, his grandfather would quickly hunt him down. University was on a break too, so calling a classmate wasn’t an option. That left Jiang Jinghuai—the only person he could think of. Anyway, no one would ever imagine he’d end up in some remote, closed-off village.

Zhao Chun still remembered Jiang Jinghuai’s assigned barracks phone number. The first time he dialed, though, he got it wrong; it wasn’t until his second try that it connected properly.

After a long silence, the call was picked up. Hearing the deep, familiar voice on the other end, Zhao Chun spoke softly: "Jing... Jinghuai, it’s me, Zhao Chun."

"Zhao Chun," the person on the other end emphasized heavily, then followed with, "Where the hell are you hiding? Your grandpa’s practically torn East Sea apart looking for you."

Zhao Chun felt a bit uncomfortable. Something had clearly happened to Jiang Jinghuai a few years ago; in the past, he had been a refined, elegant gentleman, but these days he’d turned into a blunt soldier—a sharp tongue to match his iron fists.

Accompanied by an awkward laugh, Zhao Chun said, "I, uh... I’m somewhere, just not ready to come back yet."

"I don’t care."

"So, uh, bro, could you lend me some cash? A little emergency rescue, you know? I... owe someone money."

"Out of money? Isn’t that what you’re famous for, being dirt poor but always loaded with cash?" The person on the other end paused, his voice dripping with mockery. "Got scammed, didn’t you?"

Zhao Chun swallowed hard. "No, bro, how..." How did you figure it out? How is your insight so damn sharp? Why are you poking at my sore spots?!

"Honestly, with your IQ, I can’t think of another explanation," came the cold response. "How much do you need?"

"Three hundred yuan," Zhao Chun said weakly. "I’ll pay you back when I get back home." He was factoring in the two hundred plus he owed Brother Biao, along with the rent and food costs he needed to pay Tian Sangsang—yep, three hundred sounded about right.

Back in those days, three hundred yuan was a pretty significant amount for ordinary folks. But Zhao Chun knew Jiang Jinghuai hadn’t settled down with a family yet and, as a military captain, had undertaken some dangerous, high-profile missions—so he’d surely been able to tuck away a decent bit of savings.

"Zhao Chun, aren’t you something? Three hundred yuan. Just don’t do anything stupid—finish whatever mess this is and get your ass back ASAP."

Zhao Chun didn’t dare mention that three hundred wasn’t even the full amount—his savings were completely wiped clean earlier. "So, uh, bro, don’t tell my grandpa, okay, I..."

A snort came through the line. "Save the nonsense. Why would I bother ratting you out? Regardless, your grandpa will find you sooner or later. Where are you? I’ll send the money by mail."

"Let me think—address is East Sea Province, Nanyang City, Sangren County... Uh, what’s this town called again? Oh, Xiakou Town. Xiakou Town Post Office."

"Xiakou Town..." The other side fell silent as if deep in thought. "How the hell did you end up there... Never mind, I’ll bring the money to you in person tomorrow."

Zhao Chun’s eyes widened, completely stunned. Jiang Jinghuai coming in person? Did he suddenly grow a heart? "Then we can..."

"Meet at the post office," the other side cut him off coldly, mood seemingly less than great, before abruptly slamming down the phone.

"Hey, hey—Jinghuai! What’s his deal, such a quick temper," Zhao Chun grumbled, hanging up the phone and paying the bill. He was about to head back to find Tian Sangsang.

Tian Sangsang had set up her stall again. By now, she was quite well-known along this street—mainly because of her unusual complexion and the delicious treats she sold. She’d even accumulated a loyal base of regular customers, many of whom came back every so often to buy her assorted pastries. Especially her braised food—the recipe was more flavorful than what most households could replicate. Plus, the prices matched those of pork. Between buying pork or her ready-to-eat braised food, it was a no-brainer for her customers.

"Sangsang, ever since eating your braised food, my son’s put on a whole extra layer of weight!" joked a familiar auntie, one of Tian Sangsang’s regulars.

"Being able to eat is a blessing. Boys should be robust—it’s a sign of good fortune." Tian Sangsang laughed as she handed back the woman’s change, watching her leave.

Just as she was about to sit down and take a sip of water to rest, a commotion erupted further down the street. A gang of men in security uniforms marched aggressively toward her, with their leader addressing her: "You—new here?"

"Yes."

"Give her the paperwork."

One of his cronies handed Tian Sangsang a form with a smug expression and said, "If you want to set up a stall around here, you have to pay a fee. Fill out this form and bring it to the street office in town tomorrow to pay up. If you want to keep selling, pay the fee. Otherwise, every time we see you, we’ll kick you out."