Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Discovering the Telephone_1
Chapter 173: Chapter 173: Discovering the Telephone_1
Summer days are long and nights are short.
Around five or six in the morning, every household starts its day. Jiang Dechun and Zhang Fengmei make tofu products and start early, well before dawn. By the time the light starts to show, they are already heading to the town with their tractor.
Nan Fei was really busy yesterday and went to bed early. She woke up to the sound of the tractor’s engine in the yard.
She sat up in her bed and rubbed her eyes. Her vision was a bit blurry in the morning as it unintentionally swept over the bedside table.
It wasn’t really a bedside table. She shared a room with Zhuanzhuan. They had two single beds, separated by a desk she used in primary school.
On the desk now, there was a red telephone.
It was strikingly red and common – typical of the aesthetic of the era.
Nan Fei thought she was seeing things. She blinked, but the red landline was still there.
The sleepiness instantly vanished.
She got out of bed, nudged Zhuanzhuan who was still asleep, and asked, “Zhuanzhuan, where did this phone come from? How could our family afford to install a phone?”
It costs more than a thousand bucks! With mom and dad’s thrifty habits, they wouldn’t install it even if they had the money.
Zhuanzhuan was already awake. Hearing her sister’s question, she laughed and said, “It’s not our family who installed it. I asked the installation guy. He said some man from the county arranged it for us.”
“Who could it be? Do you know?” Nan Fei already had Huo Beijiang’s name vaguely appearing in her mind due to her speculations. She remembered when they said goodbye, he had repeatedly asked her to call him.
So he paid for the phone installation?
The moment this idea sprouted in her mind, she couldn’t help but think it was true. Her just-woken-up cheeks gradually turned a little rosy.
Ever since they separated in the provincial city, she didn’t know what was happening to her. She couldn’t help but think about him, his gaze on her.
It was so warm and bright.
Zhuanzhuan laughed and mysteriously said, “I guess it’s my brother-in-law!”
“Sis, you used to get upset when we called him our brother-in-law, but you seem okay with it now.”
This little girl was always sharp. Nan Fei knew she couldn’t hide from her, so she reluctantly changed the subject. “I’m asking a serious question! If you don’t know, don’t speculate.”
“It’s a man named Ying Jiuming,” Zhuanzhuan quickly confessed, “Although it’s not my brother-in-law’s name, I bet he’s a friend of his. He’s out of town, after all!”
As soon as Nan Fei heard the name Ying Jiuming, there was nothing she didn’t know!
Zhuanzhuan was spot on with her guess. Thinking about what this guy said before he left, she couldn’t help gritting her teeth.
He had a phone installed and didn’t even tell her. Was he afraid she would refuse? She wouldn’t! Even if a phone was installed, it only benefits him.
Nan Fei was stunned by her own logic. After breakfast, she and Zhuanzhuan helped their parents prepare the soybeans they would need in the afternoon, soaking them in cold water. She also cleaned items such as the bamboo basket and gauze they’d need.
The business at home was getting better and better. Having only mom and dad to make and sell things wouldn’t be enough.
By the time everything was done, it was already noon.
She sat alone in front of the telephone, hesitating whether to make a call or not.
Should she tell him about Granny Huo’s matter?
What if he’s busy, will telling him affect him?
Nan Fei felt pathetic. Every time something involved Huo Beijiang, she would become indecisive and weird. Despite not wanting to make a call, she felt like there was still something left undone after a busy morning.