Ye Manman had never used a telephone before, and she found herself a bit intrigued when she first saw the old-fashioned landline.
With the teacher manning the telephone room giving her a hint, she managed to dial the number successfully.
The call connected quickly.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
"Hello, could you please find Jiang Yuan at xx Street xx Number for me?"
The postal and telecommunication bureau is specifically responsible for communication, and their town hasn’t installed public telephones yet. Only the bureau and some large units have phones, and even though calling is convenient, most people still opt to write letters.
This is because phone calls are incredibly expensive and not worth it.
An intra-city call costs twenty cents a minute, and long-distance calls are even more, so the telephone room at the town’s bureau usually has few people making calls.
But because of this, the staff at the bureau work efficiently, and they quickly summoned Jiang Yuan.
Since the phone charges by the minute, once she calls, she has to pay for at least a minute. The bureau staff advised her to call back after ten minutes to avoid unnecessary expenses.
Ye Manman dialed on time, and this time it was Jiang Yuan who picked up.
"Hello? Is that Manman?"
Jiang Yuan’s voice sounded very excited.
Ye Manman was instantly infected by her excitement, "Yes, it’s me!"
"Looks like you received the letter I sent! How was it? Did you find Comrade Liu’s handwriting quite decent? Much nicer than mine. I really want to visit you guys. Manman, do you have time? Are you feeling well? You’re almost five months along, right? I feel like I’m only four months and I’ve gained so much weight already, getting uglier."
"Wow, I didn’t expect us to send letters on the same day, what a coincidence. I was worried the previous letter wouldn’t reach you because I didn’t fill the address in detail, so I was thinking of writing you another one. But it’s good, I haven’t started writing yet, hahaha."
"By the way, is your school close to Yuanyuan’s? Do you guys have time recently? I’m all set to come and visit you～"
Jiang Yuan sounded like a happy little bird, chirping away, leaving Ye Manman with no chance to speak.
She chuckled to herself, "Of course, I have time. As for Cheng Yuan, I’m not so sure. I’ll call her after we finish talking and ask. You should just buy a ticket and come over."
After saying this, she suddenly remembered the absurd thing she saw the last time she took the train and hurriedly reminded her.
"Let Liu Jitong come with you. You’re four months pregnant now, and the train ride is long and tiring; you need someone to take care of you along the way."
Jiang Yuan giggled, "Of course I’ll go with him. I don’t dare to travel far alone; he’s already agreed."
"Alright then, I’m relieved. Call me when you’ve got the tickets, and I’ll pick you guys up at the station."
"Okay～ that’s settled then. I’ll get the tickets and call you at noon. Be sure to wait by the phone at this time tomorrow."
"Okay～"
Long-distance calls are expensive, so Jiang Yuan was aware and didn’t chat too long. She hung up the phone as soon as two minutes were up.
Ye Manman asked the teacher in the telephone room to check Cheng Yuan’s school’s telephone number and dialed.
The process was the same, but finding someone at school was even quicker.
She hadn’t even waited three minutes before the call was returned.
"Hello, is that Manman?"
Cheng Yuan’s voice sounded a bit hurried, like she had jogged over to the phone.
Yet she seemed quite happy.
Ye Manman smiled and replied with a "Yes," "Yes, who else could it be? I just spoke with Jiang Yuan, and she wants to visit us. Do you have time to spare?"
When it comes to studies, she always has time. After all, she’s busy learning for fun and reinforcing old knowledge, and slacking off sometimes doesn’t have much impact.
But Cheng Yuan doesn’t have as strong a foundation, and it’s only been a month since the semester started, so she might be busier, meaning she should check with her first.
Cheng Yuan thought for a moment but quickly responded, "I should have time. And even if I don’t, I can make time. Jiang Yuan, a little pregnant woman, is coming all that way for us. If I don’t have time, that would be too much."
She chuckled twice, and just as Ye Manman was about to speak, someone walked in from the doorway.
Lin Zhishu visibly relaxed when he saw Ye Manman was still there.
"Go ahead and finish your call first."
He must have hurried over, as he spoke softly and then bent over, hands on thighs, trying to catch his breath.
Ye Manman’s first instinct upon seeing him was to cover the receiver, but she didn’t manage it in time.
Cheng Yuan still heard his voice.
There was a few seconds of silence on the line, her tone seemed somewhat uncertain yet with a hint of joy and nervousness, as she softly asked.
"Manman, was that Lin Zhishu just now?"
She knew it was Lin Zhishu who had come to pick up Ye Manman at the school start and that they were in the same school, possibly interacting at times, which she didn’t mind and had already decided to keep her feelings to herself.
But she never expected to hear his voice so suddenly.
Since entering Qing University, Lin Zhishu hadn’t returned to their small town, seemingly avoiding or escaping something. By his second year, he had moved his parents to Jing City, and he hasn’t been back in four years.
She hadn’t seen him or heard his voice in four years.
She thought she had long forgotten his appearance and voice, but upon hearing him speak, even through the phone, his image clearly reappeared in her mind.
Ye Manman sensed from her voice that Cheng Yuan might not be feeling well again.
She felt a bit uneasy, "He probably has something to discuss with me. Why don’t we hang up for now?"
Last time they met, Cheng Yuan mentioned that she didn’t want to disturb Lin Zhishu anymore, planning to gradually forget these feelings. Though she appeared delicate and gentle, she was quite stubborn at heart, and it was obvious she hadn’t let go as easily as she claimed.
After all, if she couldn’t let go for so many years, how could she let go in just a month?
Ye Manman figured that ignoring it might help her feel better.
But Cheng Yuan quickly stopped her, "No... don’t hang up..."
"Could you... could you say a few more words to him, I..."
Cheng Yuan was at a loss for words.
She felt a bit pathetic, but she couldn’t control her emotions.
Her heart and mind, every cell in her body, screamed to hear his voice.
Ye Manman pressed her lips together, looked at Lin Zhishu, and calmly asked, "Senior, is there something you need to discuss with me?"
She was still holding onto the phone and hadn’t hung up.
Lin Zhishu glanced over, slightly hesitant, as if considering suggesting she finish her call.
Ye Manman gave him a reassuring look, "Don’t worry, it’s alright, it’s just my friend on the other end."
Having said that, it meant she didn’t mind if their conversation was overheard.
Lin Zhishu no longer hesitated, as he wasn’t there to discuss anything inappropriate.
"Alright, I can tell you’re a straightforward person, Ye, so I’ll get straight to the point."
Lin Zhishu looked at her with a gaze full of appreciation and anticipation.
"Actually, you probably already guessed why I came to find you?"