Three days later, Ji Shuqin, clutching 280 yuan with a silly grin, was happy that not only had he recovered his initial investment in the radios, but he had also made a profit of 80 yuan.
Ji Shuqin was reluctant to take the 80 yuan, but Xu Nian’an directly stuffed it into his hand, and Ji Shuqin could only accept it, thinking silently to himself that, once he made money in the future, he would have to repay his cousin Nian’an properly and remember the kindness Nian’an had shown him.
With plans to go to Yangcheng, Ji Shuqin was naturally unwilling to spend a single cent of this money. He was hoping that this money would generate more money, allowing him to repay his debts.
Once back home, Ji Shuqin, having sold all the radios, didn’t go to his shop. He began to consider saving up more initial funds to take to Yangcheng so that he could purchase more inventory when the time came.
Ji Shuqin then set his sights on those haphazardly arranged CDs. Although messy, if sold well, they could bring in quite a bit, definitely enough to cover the bus fare.
Having waited in the shop, Ji Shuqin ran over the moment he saw Xu Nian’an come by after class, speaking with a mysterious air, "What’s the background of Nianhua’s boyfriend, and that... Ling Dong?"
"What’s up?" Xu Nianhua looked at Ji Shuqin, puzzled, not understanding why his cousin, who was preparing to go to Yangcheng, came to him again.
"Brother Niu, the guy I borrowed high-interest money from before, his people, they took my CDs today and left behind 200 yuan before running off."
Ji Shuqin handed over a bag of money as if it were a hot potato, saying, "I thought it over and over, they must be afraid of Ling Dong, right?"
"Ling Dong?" Xu Nian’an, upon hearing this, became curious and asked Ji Shuqin for more details about the day’s events. He had an idea in his mind, and the very next morning, he called Pei Yicheng at the post office.
Xu Nian’an had already returned the 200 yuan to Pei Yicheng, who, of course, didn’t want to accept it, but Xu Nian’an’s words were very blunt, "If you still want to be with my sister, then take this money."
Pei Yicheng didn’t reply and handed the money over to Ling Dong.
Ling Dong glanced at it and, without saying much, just took it. Yicheng was wealthy after all, and this money could go towards his personal savings.
Pei Yicheng, receiving the call, chuckled in response to Xu Nian’an’s words, saying, "Since those people have given the money to your cousin, he should keep it with peace of mind as compensation for the scare he got the other time."
"Ling Dong, he..." Xu Nian’an hesitated as he began to speak.
Pei Yicheng seemed to understand his concerns and reassured him with certainty, "Nian’an, don’t worry, everything Ling Dong does is legitimate and lawful. He’s definitely not one of those shady characters. He sometimes even helps catch criminals. It’s likely that Brother Niu ran into him by chance and got scared of Ling Dong."
"So that’s how it is." Understanding Pei Yicheng’s explanation, Xu Nian’an asked, "But won’t this money put Ling Dong in a difficult position? Shouldn’t we give this money to Ling Dong, since it’s rightfully his?"
"Ling Dong is well-off. He won’t care much about this 200 yuan. On the other hand, your cousin was quite scared that day," Pei Yicheng said reassuringly, chatted with Xu Nian’an a bit more, and then added, "I need to go out to check on the construction site. Let your cousin keep the money with peace of mind."
With that, Pei Yicheng hung up the phone.
Xu Nian’an looked at the phone receiver, then at Ji Shuqin beside him, and said, "Keep this money as compensation for the fright you almost got."
"Can I really keep this?" Ji Shuqin felt like he had hit the jackpot.