There was a bustling atmosphere in the "Boss Li Consigned Group", filled with congratulations.
Li Shi sent several red envelopes in the group and felt especially happy, overcome with a desire to share his joy with someone.
He first transferred ten thousand yuan to his mother's account, then gave her a call.
While talking to his mother, he kept boasting about how well he was doing now, partnering with others on projects, and starting to make a lot of money.
"Mom, don't save the money I sent you. From now on, the monthly filial piety will only increase, not decrease!"
After hanging up the phone, his face was a bit red.
"I seem to have a talent for lying, as lies just roll off my tongue, I almost believed them myself."
Li Shi mocked himself, thinking that even though he repeatedly urged his mother not to save money, she probably wouldn't listen to him and would likely save the money he sent instead. He then opened the JD.com app on his phone, set the shipping address to his cousin Li Qiang's house at his hometown, and chose two summer outfits and a fall outfit for his mother, along with two pairs of shoes, a bottle of hand cream, and a pack of socks.
After placing the order, he told his cousin Li Qiang about it through WeChat and asked him to deliver the items to their village once they arrived.
It had always been like this when he bought things for his mother - his cousin helped with the delivery.
"I should bring a couple of good cigarettes to my cousin during the New Year."
After sorting all these out, Li Shi scrolled through his contacts and realized that he seemed to not have anyone else to share his joy with. His previous close colleague, Li Gui Ming, had also left Tan Zhou to return to his hometown. His excitement suddenly calmed down, and a sense of isolation and melancholy emerged silently within him.
He had been reading a lot of articles recently and it seemed that he had also picked up some of the sentimentality of a literati.
He suddenly thought of Chen Qiu Ye. They had been in contact for a while, and it had become a habit for them to greet each other daily on WeChat.
Li Shi was very busy with his studies, often forgetting meals and sleep. Most of the time, it was Chen Qiu Ye who initiated the conversation.
Sometimes he wondered why she, whom he had only met briefly, would actively try to chat with him.
She seemed to still be that kind of aloof girl.
However, he didn't ask this.
He chose a "happy" emoji.
He sent it on WeChat, but she didn't reply immediately. Knowing that she was probably busy at work, Li Shi put down his phone and reopened "Selected Annotations of Chinese Literature" Volume 2.
This set of books, composed of four volumes, was organized and edited by the renowned scholar, Yuan Xingpei.
Starting from volume one, he shifted his previous attitude towards studying, and approached it with a heart for research and scholarship, reading meticulously.
The first volume speaks about Pre-Qin literature.
Li Shi carefully studied one piece after another, constantly checking reference books and consulting relevant literature in between, striving to deeply comprehend the connotations of each article from both literary and historical perspectives. He studied in a thorough and tiresome manner.
Reading in such a manner was, of course, not fast.
He spent two full days on the single piece "Mountain Ghost," but still felt that he didn't quite grasp it. However, he accepted that this was the best he could do for now, so he set it aside and continued reading.
...
Now he was at the third part of the second volume, which was about literature during the Wei, Jin, and Northern and Southern Dynasties.
A lot of articles in this volume, for instance, "Short Poem" and "Memorial to the Throne on the Deployment of Troop", also appeared in the textbooks from primary to high school. He did not slack off on these articles but treated them as new ones to learn from, with a research-oriented mentality.
Reviewing the old to understand the new, there would always be some new gains.
"Aspiring to soar, I'm envious of long-distance travel.
The source is clear and does not overflow, how can it carry a boat?"
Before he could finish "Fairy Wandering Poem," a message from WeChat rang.
Chen Qiu Ye: "I just finished a meeting. What good news do you have? Did you make some new progress in your study?"
Li Shi clicked on the input box: "There are always gains in studying, but it's not that — I made money today (smug)."
Chen Qiu Ye: "It seems like you've made a fortune, congratulations! You're amazing (strong emoji) to be able to make money while reading books."
Li Shi: "(grinning) It's just good luck, I'll treat you to dinner if there's a chance."
Chen Qiu Ye: "Sure, where will it be? Yang Cheng or Tan Zhou?"
Huh?
Looking at her reply, Li Shi hesitated for a moment.
He had mentioned treating her to dinner out of courtesy, but she seemed to have taken it seriously.
Was she signaling that they should meet?
Li Shi hesitated because he was afraid of misunderstanding.
"Either is fine by me, wherever is convenient for you," he replied, taking a step back.
Chen Qiu Ye was straightforward: "To be honest, I'm quite curious about you and would like to get to know you better. How about I come to Tan Zhou to see you in a while?"
Li Shi paused for two seconds, then quickly replied: "Sure, you're more than welcome!"
After putting down his phone, he was still thinking about Chen Qiu Ye's phrase "I'm quite curious about you."
After a few seconds, he picked up his phone again and posted a thread on a forum he often used: "What does it mean if a girl says she's very curious about you?"
After a while, there were replies —
...
Third Floor: It means this girl is very curious about everything about you, she's probably interested in you and wants to understand you, to see if you're suitable for her. Also, to see what kind of person you really are.
...
Twelfth Floor: Poster, she wants to flirt with you! If you're outstanding enough, chances are you two might become a couple.
Thirteenth Floor: Where's the photo?
...
While reading, Li Shi noted the replies in the thread. He found the netizens of this era quite interesting, as they spoke in a pleasing way.
Three days later, there was new progress in the "Boss Li Consigned Group". The buyer who had won the bid for his bracelet had already made the payment!
"Boss Li, our finance department is already on it. It shouldn't take long, maybe three to five days at most, and the money will be deposited into your account."
The person who communicated the most with Li Shi from the auction company was still Senior Business Manager Zhou Ya Juan.
She was the first to see Li Shi's email and reply to it. She was also the first to call him, so Li Shi was her client.
To her, this was about financial interest and she had to keep it firm in her hands.
"Okay," Li Shi replied.
At this point, his emotions inevitably fluctuated again.
The saying "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush" was particularly apt - the money was just about to fall into his pocket, and that left him fidgety with anticipation.
Zhou Ya Juan's estimation of three to five days was not wrong. On the afternoon of the fifth day, while Li Shi was sitting under the air conditioner in his bedroom reading "Selected Annotations of Chinese Literature" Volume 4, his phone suddenly received a bank deposit notification.
He quickly unlocked his phone to check -
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (95588): Your bank card with the last number 2588 has a new income (transfer) of 35,236,000 yuan on 15:21, August 16 with a balance of 35,261,000 yuan. The name of the other account: Dejia Auction House, the last number of the other account: 7065 [Industrial and Commercial Bank of China]
He stared at the balance for a full five seconds, his hand trembling. He forcefully controlled his excitement, found the Industrial and Commercial Bank app, logged in, and checked the balance again!