lovenovelstory 025 Make a fortune quietly
025 Make a fortune quietly
On the morning of July 1st, when Wang Zhe woke up, he only saw a gloomy sky.
In Chengdu, this kind of weather is not surprising at all; otherwise, there wouldn't be an idiom like "Sichuan dogs barking at the sun."
However, Wang Zhe's mood was much brighter than the weather.
The European Championship final ended at 4:00 AM this morning.
Just as he predicted, Sibaía defeated Itdelli to retain his European Championship title.
He invested all of his 14 yuan from the previous game into this one, splitting it into 34 tickets. With odds of 1.9, he ultimately won over 33 yuan. He visited four sports lottery shops before finally packing all the cash into his backpack.
Then I went to the bank and deposited 33 yuan in cash into the card I had just opened the day before yesterday.
I went to the driving school again and used the remaining money to pay for the course. After passing the medical examination, I passed the theory test on the same day.
On his way home, Wang Zhe sat on the bus, looking at the gloomy sky outside the window, unable to stop smiling.
Everything went smoothly, and I earned my first pot of gold, 330,000 yuan.
What should we do next?
Just then, my phone vibrated in my pocket.
As soon as Wang Zhe answered the phone, he heard Jiang Di's father's voice:
"Where are you? Come to Haiyue Grand Restaurant quickly! Uncle has booked a private room; we have to celebrate for you today!"
"Haiyue? That's a bit expensive."
Uncle Jiang said generously, "What's so expensive about it! We're happy today! Order whatever you want, I can afford abalone and shark fin! Come on, come on, I've already told Xiao Di to come over with her tutor."
"Tutor? Oh, you know about him too."
Wang Zhe felt a little embarrassed. After all, he had promised to tutor Jiang Di, but he had outsourced the job.
But Uncle Jiang's tone clearly showed no displeasure: "Let's celebrate together! We're happy today, let's have a good time!"
"Okay, I'll be right there."
After hanging up the phone, Wang Zhe got off at the next stop, hailed a taxi, and headed straight for the Haiyue Grand Hotel.
Upon arriving at the restaurant entrance, the huge golden signboard appeared particularly tacky and garish in the overcast weather.
It's been confirmed; it's a style that young people don't like, but the older generation loves.
As soon as Wang Zhe entered the hall, he saw Jiang Di standing there looking around.
Jiang Di was clearly dressed up today, or rather, forced to be dressed up by her mother. Usually preferring loose T-shirts and short skirts, she wore a pink dress today, with her hair down, looking less like a rebellious girl and more like a well-behaved girl.
However, her restless posture and occasional pouting revealed her inner unease.
Standing next to Jiang Di was another figure.
Song Zhiyi.
She remained as calm and composed as ever, dressed in a simple white shirt and jeans. In the opulent, bustling lobby of the restaurant, she was as quiet as a solitary orchid.
"Wang Zhe!"
When Jiang Di saw Wang Zhe come in, her eyes lit up, and she lifted her skirt and ran over as if she had seen a savior.
"You've finally arrived. I'm so embarrassed," Jiang Di complained softly.
"What's there to be embarrassed about? You're dressed so beautifully, like a little princess," Wang Zhe teased.
Jiang Di blushed and glared at him: "It's all because of my mom, she insisted I wear this, it's suffocating me. By the way, why are you so late? Song Zhiyi has been waiting for ages."
Wang Zhe looked at Song Zhiyi who was walking over and raised an eyebrow: "Why were you called here too?"
Song Zhiyi closed her vocabulary book and smiled, "Jiang Di's dad called me to thank me for tutoring Jiang Di these past few days and insisted on treating me to a meal. I'm quite curious too, what delicious food will the uncle who won so much money treat us to?"
"Let's go, let's go upstairs, don't keep your uncle waiting."
Amidst laughter and conversation, the three of them went upstairs together to the door of the private room.
Pushing open the heavy, carved wooden door of the private room, a blast of cool air mixed with a faint scent of aromatherapy hit you.
Sitting around the round table were Uncle Jiang and Jiang Di's mother.
At this moment, Uncle Jiang was beaming, wearing a brand new polo shirt with the collar turned up high, holding a Zhonghua cigarette in his hand, and pointing at the waiter while ordering food.
"Oh my! The person we're here! Come in, come in and have a seat!"
Upon seeing Wang Zhe, Uncle Jiang immediately put down the menu, stood up, and came over to greet him with such enthusiasm that anyone who didn't know better would think he was welcoming a provincial leader.
"Hello, Auntie. Hello, Uncle." Wang Zhe greeted them politely.
Jiang Di's mother also stood up, her face beaming with smiles. Previously, her impression of Wang Zhe was simply that of a good student from next door; later, he became a helpful classmate who tutored her daughter; but now, after her husband won a huge sum of money, Wang Zhe had become, in her eyes, a spendthrift.
"Xiao Wang, come sit down, come sit down!" The auntie held Wang Zhe's hand affectionately.
Wang Zhe subtly withdrew his hand, pointed to Song Zhiyi behind him, and introduced her: "Uncle and Aunt, this is Song Zhiyi, she's also from our school, and her college entrance exam scores are similar to mine. These past few days, she's mainly been tutoring Jiang Di in science subjects, while I've been responsible for English."
Jiang Di chimed in, "Yes, yes, she explained it so well, much more detailed than Wang Zhe!"
Song Zhiyi bowed politely: "Hello, uncles and aunts, I am Song Zhiyi."
Uncle Jiang laughed, "I'd heard from Xiao Di before that she had a pretty older sister tutoring her, and sure enough, haha! Come, come, everyone, sit down! Don't be shy today!"
After we were seated, the waiter began serving cold dishes.
Uncle Jiang seemed to have prepared something in advance; he mysteriously took out three red envelopes.
Those were the kind of big red envelopes specifically used to hold New Year's money; they looked bulging and full.
"I've invited everyone here today, firstly to celebrate, and secondly to express my gratitude. Xiao Song, I heard from Xiao Di that you've been coming to tutor her every day in this sweltering heat these past few days. Thank you for your hard work. Please accept this small token of my appreciation."
As he spoke, he handed a red envelope to Song Zhiyi.
Song Zhiyi hesitated for a moment, then subconsciously declined, "Uncle, no need. Jiang Di and I are friends, so tutoring is the right thing to do..."
"Take it! You must take it!" Uncle Jiang said sternly.
Since things had come to this point, Song Zhiyi accepted the red envelope with both hands and politely said, "Thank you very much, Uncle."
Then, Uncle Jiang took out another red envelope and handed it to Jiang Di.
"Xiaodi, this is for you. Although you're usually disobedient and your grades aren't good, you did a good job this time. Use this six hundred yuan to buy some good food or some review materials. Don't waste it, understand?"
Jiang Di accepted the red envelope. Although he had been scolded, he nodded happily for the sake of the money, saying, "Okay, Dad!"
In the end, Uncle Jiang only had the thickest red envelope left in his hand.
All eyes were on the red envelope.
Uncle Jiang stood up, walked up to Wang Zhe, and solemnly handed over the red envelope with both hands.
"Xiao Wang, this is for you."
Wang Zhe didn't stand on ceremony and stood up to accept the gift with both hands: "Thank you, Uncle."
It felt heavy in his hand, and he knew from the feel that it must contain a four-figure sum.
"No need to thank me! I'm the one who should be thanking you!" Uncle Jiang patted Wang Zhe on the shoulder, filled with emotion. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to turn things around this time; I probably would have lost everything. This European Cup has taught me a lesson: I don't believe in gods or Buddhas, I only believe in you, Little Wang!"
Wang Zhe said modestly, "Uncle, you flatter me. It was all luck, just luck..."
The atmosphere inside the private room was warm and harmonious.
Uncle Jiang looked radiant, Jiang Di grinned foolishly while holding the money, and Auntie looked at the group of children with a kind expression.
Only Song Zhiyi, clutching the unexpected red envelope, looked at Wang Zhe, who was being fawned over by the whole family, and a playful smile appeared on her lips.
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.