CHAPTER 59: CHAPTER 50: THE STRANGE CELL PHONE

(Hmm, there’s a homepage promotion next week, so let’s do a double release because the performance of the article isn’t so optimistic. The homepage promotion is particularly precious, favorites, votes, reviews, please come over quickly,)

After leaving the City Library, Xia You walked down Library Avenue, unable to borrow a world history book, she had to go buy one. The nearest bookstore from Library Avenue was also a forty to fifty minutes walk away.

In the noon of August, just looking at the sun could make one dizzy. On the avenue of the library, except for the buses and private cars rushing past, very few people passed by.

The occasional passerby would unconsciously glance a few times at this charming young girl; in the greasy summer heat of Bazhou, Xia You walked among clusters of Ginger Flowers without even using a sun umbrella. Under the scorching sun, only she and the flowers stood out, with not a trace of sweat or greasiness on her body.

At the corner of Library Avenue, there was an inconspicuous but eye-catching stall. It was inconspicuous because the stall was nothing more than a disposable tablecloth with a few odd trinkets on it. It caught the eye because the tablecloth was not littered with the usual series of thirst-quenching drinks.

The midday sun at that time could even melt the asphalt road, and even the city supervisors were not in the mood to patrol around.

The owner of the disposable tablecloth usually greeted everyone: "Sir, Miss, want a mobile phone? The latest model from Fruit brand, ultra-thin body, standby for seven nights and seven days." Unfortunately, his prepared lines were useless, only a trash-picking old lady had passed by this morning.

By noon, "Disposable Tablecloth" was already starving, and when he saw Xia You walking by, he immediately smiled broadly, "Miss, want a phone? The Fruit brand phone, the F22 of phones."

Xia You was not enthusiastic about electronic products, and her only requirement for a phone was that it could connect her to people, so what could a phone described as a fighter jet do for her?

"Hey, Miss, don’t leave yet, let me show you a model that hasn’t hit the market yet," "Disposable Tablecloth" quickly fished out a sleek black phone from his pocket. Seeing Xia You continue to walk forward, he got anxious and flung the phone out.

Xia You heard the sound of an object flying behind her and quickly dodged. The phone flew past several clusters of Ginger Flowers and traveled a few meters before dramatically landing on the ground. A bus just happened to speed by.

The phone disappeared under the wheels of the bus, and that’s when Xia You finally stopped walking. What kind of business was this? She made up her mind that even if the vendor insisted she pay, she would definitely refuse. People nowadays really go all out to do business.

"See that, Miss," the voice of "Disposable Tablecloth" carried no trace of heartache, instead, he proudly said, "Shock-resistant, pressure-resistant, waterproof, the key is, it’s also a three-in-one phone."

The black phone still lay on the road, oddly unscathed, without the usual severe damage seen on phones when they violently hit the ground. Its dark shell remained unblemished, and the screen showed no cracks.

Curiosity is human nature. "Disposable Tablecloth" looked very pleased as he watched Xia You walk over and pick up that multifunctional phone.

It had no manufacturer’s mark from any domestic or international phone manufacturer; in terms of appearance, it somewhat resembled the fourth-generation Fruit phone, a knock-off version. The charcoal-black phone case, rimmed with a layer of matte gold—if it weren’t for just witnessing its superior performance functionalities, Xia You would have passed it by like the other pedestrians, seeing it as just an outdated phone.

"It’s a high-tech gadget, I got it from... my friend just developed it," "Disposable Tablecloth" explained loudly as he stepped forward, looking to be in his forties, his face partially covered by hair and eyebrows coated with dust, appearing ghostly white, and he exuded the typical scent associated with vagrants.

"Could you please introduce its functions," Xia You was not picky about the appearance of the phone.

Hearing Xia You’s polite tone, "Disposable Tablecloth" grinned, showing a surprisingly neat set of teeth, "It’s a three-in-one phone, it can connect to computers, mobile phones, and TVs, connected to global satellites, which means you can use it anywhere."

Xia You had also heard that some phones on the market claimed to have such features, but she had never seen anyone actually use them.

"Really, if you don’t believe me, let me demonstrate," the shiny white teeth continued to exert effort.

The interface on the smartphone is very simple, with just a few toggle buttons, and the screen resolution is very high. When a finger swipes across it, even fingerprints appear. A few swipes later, it loaded a webpage marked: Bazhou City Library Database. Following that, with another swipe of his finger, it switched to the Hua Country noon news broadcast at twelve, and then he switched the interface back to phone mode.

It looks like there’s no problem at all, "Disposable Wallpaper" watched Xia You with anticipation.

"I’ll buy it," Xia You showed no particular interest in his stuff.

"Disposable Wallpaper" suddenly perked up, thinking about how to offer a fair price.

"Five thousand." Xia You threw out a number.

"Five thousand, do you know the current market situation? With five thousand, you could at best buy a second-hand phone from Kia company, but this one is..."

"This is also a second-hand phone, and it must have changed hands several times," Xia You said, flipping through the not-too-thin phone body, gesturing at the SIM card slot.

The three-in-one phone looks sturdy on the outside, but inside at the SIM card area, there are numerous scratches, indicative of frequent insertion and removal of cards.

"It’s a test phone, not a second-hand one," the man argued before he fell silent again, carefully watching Xia You.

"Three thousand yuan, I’ll take it," Xia You did not press further, regardless of where this phone came from, she wanted to buy it, "And I won’t tell anyone about the source of this phone."

The last sentence seemed more effective than the first price she quoted.

When three thousand yuan was handed over, the vagrant didn’t count it and just stuffed it into his pocket. He looked like he needed money but not desperately.

Xia You did not linger any longer; although she had access to an electronic database, she still went to buy a book. Paper books, although not convenient to carry, have better security.

After selling the phone, the vagrant-looking man quickly packed up his things, and soon he disappeared. The avenue by the library regained its peace, with Ginger Flower quietly blooming by the roadside.

When Xia You returned home, she already carried a thick book of World History. This was just a condensed version, but it was enough for her to find the general information she needed. While Xia Yun was tidying up the tables and chairs, a regular customer who was settling the bill mentioned to Xia Yun, "I heard that the police station has a new inspector who is going to crack down hard, especially investigating the case of Officer Cai’s death."

Xia Yun, unaware of the incident concerning Simon killing Cai Hai, turned pale upon hearing of Cai Hai’s death and her hands fumbled with the change.

"Mom, let’s move to a new place once my job is stable," Xia You walked over to her, sorting out the extra change.

Xia Yun remained silent, understanding Xia You’s concerns. Although they were accustomed to living on Qianze Street, the area was somewhat chaotic. Moreover, there had been threats from Simon about taking Maggie away. But she did not have extra money.

Xia You gritted her teeth and took out another twelve thousand yuan from what she had left, handing it to Xia Yun. "The company has given a summer bonus. Keep this for now. Don’t open the shop for a few days. Go out and look for a house. If we can’t afford to buy, we can rent one first."

While Xia Yun went to pick up Maggie, Xia You went upstairs and turned on the old computer. She opened the jailbroken USB drive and transferred some simple data including "Military Road" to the newly purchased phone.

Downstairs, Maggie’s voice called out, "Sister You, someone is looking for you."