Chapter 42 Scenery in Ruili
Liu Mei is the only one who is happy for Lin Luoran’s promotion from a salesgirl to the purchasing consultant. The other salesgirls are all jealous and they keep spreading rumors that Lin Luoran is going to become the wife of their boss.
Lin Luoran has no mood to care about them. She officially starts doing her new job after inviting Liu Mei and Manager Zhou to dinner as a goodbye.
Purchasing is a flexible job. In the busy time, she has to go on business trips one after another, but she is usually quite free. Lin Luoran stays at home and keeps Luodong companied and goes shopping with her parents for several days so they can get acquainted with the new living environment.
Luodong is over ten years old and it is the age for him to go to elementary school. However, his autism is not cured and the whole family feels worried about leaving him alone at school. Mr. and Mrs. Lin look after Luodong for now and they have to teach him lessons at home in case he falls behind his peers. Mr. and Mrs. Lin have only finished junior high school. Now that they don’t have to do any heavy farm work, they will first learn by themselves every day from textbooks and then teach Luodong.
Lin Luoran used to think about hiring a home tutor for Luodong. However, seeing that her parents have been learning with effort, Lin Luoran doesn’t bring this up. She has told her parents about her cultivation and the mysterious space. Without second thoughts, they agree to cultivate with Lin Luoran so that they can accompany each other.
Still, without Master Jia’s interpretation, the simplest breathing method becomes obscure. Let alone Mr. and Mrs. Lin, Lin Luoran herself actually has little knowledge of cultivation. Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Lin will read books in their leisure time, hoping not to hold Lin Luoran back.
Seeing her parents who are struggling to study breathing formulas and trying to return tranquility, Lin Luoran picks some cheap jade stones and forces the bead to infuse Reiki to them. She gives these homemade “spirit stones” to her parents and gets on the plane to Tengchong.
Speaking of jade, Burma is what most people will think of. Also, Burma is where people go to gamble on stones. Compared with the boring public auction, stone gambling in Tengchong is clearly wilder.
The team of Fatty Cui has left two days ago. Lin Luoran and Liu Zheng, who is delayed by some private business, fall behind. An old man who seems to be a distant uncle of Liu Zheng goes with them. The three of them fly directly to Tengchong and get on a bus the minute they arrive.
Their destination this time is not Tengchong, but Ruili in Yunnan Province, which is closer to Burma.
Compared with Tengchong, Ruili is definitely much lesser mentioned in novels and TV shows.
Ruili is located in the westernmost part of Yunnan Province. It borders on Burma in the northwest, southwest and southeast. Muse and Nam Kham of Burma adjoin villages in Ruili. “A city or a village of two countries” is commonly seen, and there are even “a yard, a field, a house or a well of two countries” in this area. Although the boundary line is clearly drawn on the map, it may be right across a house, a well or a village on the spot. Therefore, the elder brother of the family lives in Burma and the younger brother may live in China. People can enjoy sun bathe in their yard in Burma and eat lunch in the living room in China. A hen walks out of its nest in China in the morning and lays an egg in Burma in the afternoon. This kind of situation cannot be found elsewhere in China. Ruili probably has the highest exit and entry rate in the world, which may have the chance to apply for a Guinness World Record.
Though Ruili is far from the inner land, Liu Zheng’s company has an office here because it is so close to Burma. Yet, the office is not as fancy as the company building in R City.
Hearing that the young boss is here, Manager Liu drives an old Benz to pick them up. Lin Luoran’s bead can keep the gray smoke away, but it can’t block the dust. As a result, Lin Luoran is travel-stained just like Liu Zheng and everyone else.
In the evening, Manager Liu offers to take the three guests to the night market in Ruili. Liu Zheng refuses politely and explains to Lin Luoran, “I have been to the night market several times, and we have to get up early tomorrow morning and get on the road. How about I show you around after we get the business done?”
Lin Luoran doesn’t mean to ask everyone to suit her needs and agrees pleasantly.
In fact, Liu Zheng’s uncle is stealthily unhappy that a pretty girl like Lin Luoran is the purchasing consultant of the company. In his view, a person can only gain a little experience in the judgement of raw stones in a lifetime. There is no chance that a young girl can know anything about raw stones.
Liu Zheng’s uncle suspects that Lin Luoran may be Liu Zheng’s girlfriend and Liu Zheng just gives her a title of purchasing consultant to bring her on the business trip. He secretly blames Liu Zheng for not distinguishing private affairs from public interests.
Lin Luoran never understands why this old man keeps staring at her along the road. She hurries back to her room and cleans up. Lin Luoran sleeps early, hoping to store up some energy for the next day.
…
The next day, Liu Zheng comes to knock at Lin Luoran’s door at dawn.
Seeing that Lin Luoran is already dressed up and waiting to go, Liu Zheng’s uncle finally relaxes his grave face. He is satisfied that at least Lin Luoran doesn’t drag them down in important things and she is quite thoughtful.
The three of them finish eating the local breakfast and drive to the destination without Manager Liu.
Lin Luoran has been to Xishuangbanna in Yunnan Province, which is a beautiful memory of hers. The Dai people believe in Hinayana Buddhism so just like Xishuangbanna, there are lots of pagodas and Buddhist temples in Ruili.
Along the road, there are field plots planted with watermelon seedlings, subtropical thick jungles and groups of Dai women on bikes… All of these are unique scenery in Ruili.
“Did you sleep tight last night?” Looking at Lin Luoran’s quiet and pretty side face, Liu Zheng doesn’t know why he asks the question. His words make his uncle who sits on the back seat start to whisper in his heart again.
Lin Luoran draws back her drifting eyesight and notices the dark circle under Liu Zheng’s eyes. She asks, “General manager, didn’t you rest well last night?” Lin Luoran has to call Liu Zheng “general manager” when an outsider is around.
Liu Zheng pushes his glasses up and says calmly, “I was unused to the bed.” They stop talking and the atmosphere inside the car is weirdly silent.
Liu Zheng is actually a bit of displeased by Lin Luoran’s refreshment. He can’t be sure if Manager Liu deliberately gives the room next to Lin Luoran’s to him. Last night, thinking that Lin Luoran is sleeping right in the next room, Liu Zheng, who is always calm, was sleepless…
The entire night, Liu Zheng tossed and turned on the bed, which was a situation he never encountered in his life. This kind of anomaly surprises him.
Liu Zheng remembers that Baojia said he “likes the girl”. Now, the “girl” he likes is right next to him. Is this feeling called like?
Lin Luoran also detects Liu Zheng’s weirdness today. She can’t tell where exactly he is weird though, so she can’t help observing him. In the eyes of Liu Zheng’s uncle, the two of them are “flirting”. With the three of them thinking about three different things, the old Benz finally arrives at the destination.
It is a village with an awkward-sounding name, Dadenghan.