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墨書 Inktalez
Hu Ruoyun had made plans to meet Mao Na during the May Day holiday, but on April 30th, which was a Saturday, Wu Mingliang came to see her.
By May, the weather in Jiangbei Province had already warmed up, yet 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 finishing their meal, Hu Ruoyun suggested they sit in her dormitory, but Wu Mingliang declined. "Let's just talk outside," he said.
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 chaos 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 others, saying that they didn’t ask their families for tuition or living expenses because they earned it themselves. Why can’t you do that? Your situation is worse than theirs!"
It turned out that the monthly living allowance of four hundred yuan had suddenly dropped to eighty yuan.
Hu Ruoyun recalled her own past: she would usually spend fifty cents on two steamed buns for breakfast and another fifty cents for a bowl of Hu Spicy Soup. For lunch, she would have one bun with sixty cents worth of vegetarian noodles, and for dinner, two buns with a small bowl of wontons… Even with such minimal standards, one hundred yuan a month was barely enough.
"You're running low on money, aren't you?" Hu Ruoyun asked Wu Mingliang.
He forced a smile. "If it weren't for my grandmother giving me fifty yuan during the New Year, I wouldn't have made it this far!" He showed her his thick clothes. "I can't even afford a single shirt right now!"
Hu Ruoyun took out two hundred yuan and handed it to him. "Take this for now; you can look for tutoring jobs later!"
Wu Mingliang sighed. "I regret enrolling in this school now. In April, I signed up for self-study exams in Marxist Basic Principles Overview, Probability Theory and Mathematical Statistics, and Auditing. I’m really struggling with Auditing."
He continued, "We didn’t do well in high school; how can I tutor others without messing them up? Besides, there are so many universities in Jiangcheng; why would anyone hire a student from a school like Jingnan Academy? And I still can’t speak Mandarin well; how can I teach anyone?"
What he said made sense. 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 them was far superior to Jingnan Academy.
"I don’t even want to continue studying anymore; I might as well work instead—at least I could earn some money and not go hungry!" Wu Mingliang lamented.
Hu Ruoyun tried to comfort him. "You can't think like that. Since you're here, you should give it your all! It's not just about attending a regular university to be successful! Plus, if you drop out now, your parents will be furious!"
Wu Mingliang replied, "You know how my mother talks nonsense around the village... The pressure is immense; I can't even sleep peacefully at night... With our situation, how could I ever 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!"
Talking about jobs felt premature at this point. Seeing Wu Mingliang's distressed expression, Hu Ruoyun thought for a moment and said, "Aren't all the student dormitories installing 200-yuan phone cards now? I know someone who can get them at an 80% discount. If you're interested, you can get them from me without paying upfront; you can settle up after selling them."
Just a few days ago, while having dinner with Mao Na and Lai Wen, she learned that Lai Wen's husband Zhou Zhijie worked at the Jiang City telecommunications company that issued phone cards.
Lai Wen said, "Your brother-in-law manages this; he can give you the biggest discount allowed within his authority—should be around 20% off—but according to company policy, payment must be made upfront when picking up the goods."
She then added to Hu Ruoyun, "If you want to do this business venture, I have over three thousand yuan saved up as private funds; you can borrow all of it."
Hu Ruoyun poured Lai Wen a glass of beer. "Sister, as long as your brother-in-law can give me that big discount, there's no need for me to use your money! Don't worry; I've got my own funds!"
After discussing the phone card business, Lai Wen began complaining about an article Hu Ruoyun had written: "The director completely butchered what I wrote and said 'this matter ends here,' forbidding any further reporting! It nearly drove me mad! Your piece 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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