sbdcsierra Chapter 174 Chen Chen's Brother Goes to Shanghai
Chapter 174 Chen Chen's Brother Goes to Shanghai
Li Ju'an didn't go to the bank. He needed to keep the sable he had to make a specimen, which he would later send to Leader Chen of the forest farm, who would offer a separate price for it. So he split the money with Song Desheng and Lu Zhiqiang, valuing the pelt at 1200.
He took out 800 yuan from the 1650 yuan in his hand and gave 400 yuan each to Song Desheng and Lu Zhiqiang.
Song Desheng tried to politely decline, but his smile was so wide it was like a flower in bloom, and he couldn't stop grinning.
Li Ju'an teased him, "Do you have enough savings this time?"
"That's enough, that's definitely enough! If this isn't enough, hurry up and deposit it in the bank."
The two followed Li Ju'an's example, depositing their money at the Postal Savings Bank whenever they had it. Keeping their secret stash at the bank was much better than keeping it at home. At home, relatives would see it and covet it. But if they brought their savings account book home, no one could covet it.
Li Ju'an accompanied the two into the Postal Savings Bank, where they indeed spotted Chen Chen behind the counter, engrossed in counting money.
Chen Chen was still the same as before, with her short, neat hair, and looking quite plump in her bank uniform. She was clearly different from the girls in the village; she was a city girl.
Chen Chen looked up at Li Ju'an, his gaze still as cold and indifferent as before, but the two had met before in the Lu family courtyard, so they were somewhat familiar with each other.
Lu Zhiqiang felt a little awkward when he saw Chen Chen. The two had been on a blind date, but neither of them liked the other.
Chen Chen glanced at him, then took the initiative to speak to Li Ju'an: "This comrade is here to make a deposit again. How much is it this time, to boost our performance?"
Li Ju'an wasn't particularly interested in aloof, strong women. In his previous life, after moving south, he had no shortage of women in his extravagant lifestyle. A man's interest only comes from women who actively pursue him, especially enthusiastic ones. He and Chen Chen had no business dealings; they were merely acquaintances.
He joked, "I'm penniless, how could I possibly save any money? My two brothers have recently struck it rich."
Lu Zhiqiang gritted his teeth, sat down at the counter, deposited 2000 yuan, and kept 50 yuan with him as cash. Song Desheng also deposited 450 yuan of his own money; he would give the rest to his wife to make her happy.
Lu Zhiqiang looked up, trying to glance at Chen Chen, but Chen Chen ignored him completely. His bright almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Li Ju'an, and he teased, "Li Pao'er leads his brothers to get rich, isn't that Li Pao getting rich? Why be so modest?"
Li Ju'an also laughed and said, "We can't accept that. How could we dare to make such a bold statement? That's too arrogant. At most, we can add a little bit before it."
Song Desheng sensed something was wrong: "Brother Li, we've encountered shrews and tigers, and after fighting so many tigers and shrews, you still haven't mentioned 'cannons'? That's too cautious. Besides, how can a man be called 'little'? 'Little Li Cannon' sounds worse than 'Li Cannon'."
After glancing at Li Ju'an, Chen Chen lowered her eyes and quickly counted the money, her short hair neatly tucked behind her ears. She exuded an aloof and cold aura, as if saying "keep away." But her dark almond-shaped eyes looked watery and affectionate, and the curves of her body, encased in her uniform, were quite alluring.
Song Desheng wanted to say something more, but suddenly felt that the atmosphere in front of him was a bit off.
Aunt Zhang, the bank teller behind the counter, was warming herself by the fire when she suddenly asked Chen Chen, "Your brother's long-distance trip is quite far, and it's been more than ten days since we last heard from him."
Chen Chen casually replied, "Brother is going to Shanghai this time. It's a long trip, and it will take more than ten days to go back and forth."
Aunt Zhang behind the counter laughed and said, "It's great to go to Shanghai. It's very fashionable there. Your brother will bring you some fashionable clothes so you can have a good New Year."
Chen Chen smiled.
Li Ju'an noticed that although she usually looked cold and aloof, her smile was actually quite beautiful.
Chen Chen said, "My brother has a sister-in-law now. When he goes to Shanghai, he always prioritizes his sister-in-law when he buys trendy things. He doesn't even care about me, his little sister."
Her brother, Chen Dawei, was a truck driver—a highly sought-after profession—and married Jiang Man, a saleswoman at a supply and marketing cooperative. Both had respectable jobs, and everyone praised their relationship.
Upon hearing the name "Jiang Man," Song Desheng and Lu Zhiqiang both turned to look at Li Ju'an. They suppressed a laugh, watching Li Ju'an's amusement. They knew that Jiang Man and Li Ju'an had exchanged glances in the past, and there was something going on between them. Now that Jiang Man was married to a truck driver and still used fashionable Shanghai gadgets, this was definitely a blow to Li Ju'an's confidence.
Song Desheng sighed, patted Li Ju'an's shoulder earnestly, and comforted him, "We've never dated, so don't envy other couples. You should go on blind dates too, find a good young woman, get married, and make them jealous."
They both looked at Li Ju'an with pity, feeling sorry for him as a virgin. Everyone in the village knew that Li Ju'an had never had a girlfriend, not even held hands. The only person he had ever been romantically involved with, Jiang Man, was from the city, and they were not a good match. She even married the driver; wasn't that just a joke?
Li Ju'an didn't explain, he just smiled helplessly.
While he was mingling with women, these two were probably still playing in the mud somewhere. In his previous life, he spent his days indulging in pleasure with women; what kind of women hadn't he seen? He felt like he was being used as a tool by women, utterly exhausted. There are no fields that are over-cultivated, only oxen that have died from exhaustion. This kind of thing, doing it too often with beautiful strangers you've only met once, becomes utterly boring.
Chen Chen suddenly looked up, her eyes sparkling, and asked him, "You've never had a boyfriend?"
"That's right, Brother Li will be the most eligible bachelor in our village from now on. Right, Lao Lu?"
Aunt Zhang behind the counter loves to play matchmaker for young people. She had met Li Ju'an before and knew that he had a large deposit. She said, "My niece lives in Wangxing Village. She's just turned 20 this year and is worried about not having a boyfriend. I'll try to set you two up."
Before Li Ju'an could speak, Chen Chen looked at him, chuckled, then lowered his head to continue counting the money, saying sarcastically, "Look at him, his girlfriend is here now. With Li Ju'an's looks, he's got no shortage of girls interested in him."
Li Ju'an sensed a hidden meaning in her words and casually replied, "I've been traveling all over the mountains, and I'm got the taste of a mountain animal. Even if you, Auntie, try to match me up with a girl, she might not be interested in a rough guy like me. I'd still need to introduce a driver. Drivers are good at pleasing mothers-in-law."
Aunt Zhang grumbled, "There are only a few drivers, but so many girls are lining up to meet them. They're in high demand. Right, Chen Chen? Your brother was so popular back then."
Chen Chen found the topic rather boring, so he kept his head down and didn't say a word until he finished the deposit business and handed over the current deposit book. Then he said, "I just don't like drivers. They're always running around and never home. They can't take care of their families. It's more practical to go to the mountains and get some mountain products."
Li Ju'an, Song Desheng, and Lu Zhiqiang left the Postal Savings Bank.
Lu Zhiqiang suddenly said to him, "Is that Chen family's daughter interested in you?"