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Published at 20th of July 2018 09:21:52 PM


Chapter 2

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2

 

At 10:20 that night, Xiang Changkong returned home and gently opened the door. It was quiet inside and his mother had already gone to sleep. He closed the door but didn’t turn on the lights, and then he re-chained the lock.

There were a few plates and bowls on the table. Xiang Changkong stacked up the dishes and carried them over to the kitchen sink. After cleaning up, he pulled out a new plastic bag, planning on changing the trash bag out.

When he bent over, Xiang Changkong suddenly hesitated. On top of the trash was a ripped-up letter. The color and style of the envelope was very familiar to him.

He pursed his lips and picked out the letter.

And indeed, it was from the First Aeronautics Institute.

The sender’s information was neatly printed, but the recipient’s name, ‘Xiang Changkong,’ was written very boldly.

He stood still awhile, his lips pressed together. Then he turned off the kitchen light and walked to his room with his letter.

He turned on his desk lamp and pulled the letter out, piecing it together.

“Changkong, registration for FAI will start shortly. There are two spots open for flight design. I’m not sure if you’ve been following the news, so I’ve included the enrollment form. I’m aware of your difficulties and situation, and I understand your position, but you’re young and you have a talent and passion that doesn’t lose out to your father’s. I’ve always thought that you shouldn’t give it up like this.

“I’ve included my letter of recommendation, and I hope to see you at FAI next year. Uncle Hou.”

Uncle Hou’s letter was short, but Xiang Changkong looked over it for a long time. He pulled out the enrollment checklist and found the registration time frame.

October 21st to the 31st.

Xiang Changkong’s eye sparkled. And then he sat there quietly, the sparkle slowly fading.

He put away the letter at the bottom of his desk drawer.

 

The next day, Xiang Changkong was working the day shift, which meant he wouldn’t be taking orders until after 10. At 8:30, he finished preparing breakfast and knocked on Wen Shuli’s door. “Mom, get up and come eat.”

No response came, but a short moment later, the door opened. Wen Shuli walked over to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Then she walked over and sat down across from Xiang Changkong. A plate of pan-fried mantou sat on the table. Xiang Changkong served her a bowl of congee and warned her to be careful when eating.

Wen Shuli picked up the bowl and took small sips, her gaze landing on the trash bin beside the table.

Xiang Changkong had already cleared it out yesterday and there was a clean bag inside.

She looked away and put down her bowl. Then she picked up a mantou.

It was very quiet at the table, neither person speaking. Only the sounds of clinking tableware and chewing broke the silence. After they finished their meal, Xiang Changkong brought over Wen Shuli’s medicine. After he watched her take it, he started cleaning up and then headed out.

When he got to work, Xiang Changkong clocked in and went to change into his uniform. Two of his colleagues were chatting in the changing room. As Xiang Changkong passed by, he greeted them, “Good morning, Wang, Wu.”

“Little Xiang, you’re early.” Wang was a slightly pudgy middle-aged man who looked very fortuitous. He smiled at Xiang Changkong and said, “Wu and I were just talking about you.”

Xiang Changkong’s lips pulled up in a smile. As he opened his locker, he asked, “What about me?”

“Your ranking. You’re first in delivery volume and customer satisfaction. Haven’t you noticed that Little Zhang’s been looking at you more hostilly recently?”

Little Zhang had held the record for top delivery person before Xiang Changkong arrived.

Xiang Changkong laughed and said, “You guys are reading too much into it. Everyone’s just working to get by.”

Wang said, “Even if we work to get by, we can’t work too hard, especially us guys making deliveries, running around all day. We have to watch out for our health.”

“I know. Thanks for the reminder, Wang.”

“But it really is curious. You’ve only been here for two months. How did you climb the ranks so quickly? Usually it takes a month for people to learn the delivery routes, and they don’t fulfill many orders that month. You only really had low delivery numbers the first few days.”

When Wu heard, he jumped in to add, “Really. I caught a glimpse of his delivery route once. Damn, this kid. The route was packed full and more complicated than the rail map. A newbie would cry seeing it.”

Xiang Changkong pulled out his uniform and closed his locker. “I’ve always had a good memory. After running the route a few days, I got it down. I only really check my map when the orders are slow, otherwise I don’t even bother.”

Wu blinked his eyes curiously. “You memorized it all?”

“Yeah. I can calculate the distance and travel time and pick out the most efficient path.”

Wu and Wang stared at each other a moment. Wu sighed and then said, “No wonder you’re a university student. Much smarter than us. To use a popular phrase, you’re a ‘high-end player’?”

Wang scoffed. “Please. It’s not like every university student is that smart. My older nephew’s in university too, but he ain’t much smarter than me.”

Xiang Changkong put on his jacket and laughed. “Wang, Wu, I’ll head out first.”

“All right. It’s windy today. Make sure you have a mask.”

“Yeah, got it.”

 

As Xiang Changkong left, Xu Lian was also heading out from home. She opened up shop every morning at 10 sharp. After she got up, she jogged around the neighborhood for half an hour. She didn’t live far from Starlight Plaza, so if the streets were mostly clear, it was only a 20 minute drive.

Her employee arrived just on time. When she saw the boss drive past, she waved in greeting. Xu Lian parked her car and opened up the doors as she returned the greeting.

“Boss, was the shop busy yesterday?”

“It was fine.”

“What did you eat yesterday? Not chicken and rice again, right?” Zhang Guo’er nudged the boss with her elbow. “Be honest. You just wanted to see the delivery guy, right? That’s why you keep ordering the chicken.”

Xu Lian paused a moment and turned to the girl. “Has it been the same person delivering the food?”

Zhang Guo’er was rendered speechless.

OK, let’s just pretend she didn’t ask.

“They all dress the same, and they even wear hats. How would I recognize them?” Xu Lian seemed unconcerned.

Zhang Guo’er begged to differ. “That delivery guy is paler than most people! I wanted to ask what kind of suncream he uses!”

“OK.”

“And he’s really good looking. Don’t you think his eyes are really melancholic and deep?”

“I didn’t notice.” Xu Lian finally stopped and looked over the girl’s face. “So, you like him?”

Zhang Guo’er chuckled. She pulled out a small, black notebook from her bag and waved it in front of Xu Lian. “Actually, I’ve already marked him as my 123rd target of observation.”

Xu Lian glanced at the small notebook she held up. The words ‘One Thousand Faces’ was written on the cover. It was very eye-catching. Xu Lian turned and headed upstairs without another comment.

Zhang Guo’er pulled back her hands, a bit embarrassed. She flipped the book open, and at the bottom of the page for target #0121, she wrote, “The boss is cool as ever today.”

Then she drew a frowning face.

 

Zhang Guo’er was a fourth-year theater and film studies student at the Film Institute. She had a great dream that she wished to accomplish in her life, which was to collect material about one thousand distinct people. She would record their characteristics in her little book and keep it as a character reference.

Xu Lian was one of her observation targets.

She’d already discussed the situation with Xu Lian at her interview for the job, and Xu Lian had no issues with it.

Because the shop didn’t open until 10 o’clock, the morning at work passed by very quickly. After a short while, Zhang Guo’er ran up to the second floor and asked Xu Lian what she’d like to eat for lunch. Xu Lian was pouring wax into a mold. She glanced up at Zhang Guo’er and asked, “What are you eating?”

“I want to have maocai,” Zhang Guo’er replied cheerfully. “Why don’t we both have maocai? Then we can order more side dishes.”

“Sure.”

“Then, what else do you want to eat?” Zhang Guo’er passed the phone over.

After they picked out their menu, Zhang Guo’er dashed downstairs and waited for the delivery guy. Xu Lian remained in her studio with her work. If the melted wax wasn’t poured into the mold promptly, it would re-solidify, which meant her work would have been wasted.

After cleaning up the molds, she headed downstairs and washed her hands. Zhang Guo’er was opening the meal boxes as she told Xu Lian, “It was a different delivery guy. When that pale, melancholic delivery guy comes, I’ll make sure to call you down.”

“…I’m not really that interested.”

Zhang Guo’er narrowed her eyes. “You snuck a glance at him earlier. I saw.”

Xu Lian picked up a pair of chopsticks and dropped out of the conversation.

The phone on the table vibrated. Xu Lian’s chopsticks were in her mouth as she picked up the phone.

High school class rep: Xu Lian, everyone’s talking about a class reunion? You up for it?

Xu Lian typed out, “Not interested,” without a second thought. Before sending the message though, she deleted it and sent, “I don’t have the time.”

High school class rep: Busy with work? We haven’t picked a time yet. When it’s a sure thing, I’ll let you know. It’ll be great if you could make it. It’s been a long time since everyone got together.

Xu Lian: We’ll see when the time comes then.

High school class rep: OK. By the way, why aren’t you in the class chat group?

Xu Lian: I wasn’t? I must have accidentally left the group.

High school class rep: Then I’ll add you back.

Xu Lian didn’t reply, but she thought to herself that she may have to ‘accidentally’ leave the group again then.

“Boss, who is it?” Zhang Gou’er looked at her curiously. Xu Lian looked away and put her phone back on the table. “My high school class representative, asking if I was interested in a class reunion.”

“Oh. I’d guess you weren’t interested.” From her observation of Xu Lian the past few months, the boss didn’t really participate in any events. And she’d never seen any friends visiting.

Aside from target #0122.

Zhang Guo’er shook her head. “Boss, this isn’t good. A few days ago, I saw an official WeChat account criticizing that young people nowadays don’t go out or interact with society. How will they be able to find a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“That’s absurd,” Xu Lian scoffed. “Since I’m not going out or interacting, it shows that rather than wanting a boyfriend or girlfriend, I’d rather spend my time by myself.”





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