Chapter 7: I've Got Money

The air froze for a few seconds.

Then Duan Yan saw Rong Jiqiao lift her eyes, tears shimmering in them.

“It’s... it’s a debt collection text. I still owe a little over one thousand on my pay-later account...”

Even Duan Yan had not expected it to be that.

He paused, then sighed and took out his own phone to transfer money to her.

“If you want to buy something, tell me. Don’t use those pay-later apps anymore. How much do you owe in total?”

Rong Jiqiao quickly said, “Just... just fifteen hundred.”

Duan Yan transferred her eighteen hundred.

Seeing that she had managed to fool him, Rong Jiqiao quietly let out a breath of relief.

She stammered, “You don’t... you don’t have to give me that much. You haven’t been paid yet. Do you still have money for food?”

Duan Yan looked at the one hundred and fifty yuan left in his account and figured that if he saved carefully, he should be able to last half a month.

He did not care much about himself.

Rong Jiqiao was a girl. She should be treated more carefully.

Without showing anything, he turned off his screen.

“It’s fine. I have money.”

...

Over the next few days, Rong Jiqiao nearly wore calluses onto her fingers from scrolling through her phone.

She searched through every job app, submitted resumes, refreshed pages, and waited for replies.

In the education section, she had written “vocational secondary school.”

In a place like the capital, where talented people were everywhere, that was far from impressive.

She sent out more than twenty applications, but most of them received no response.

The high-paying jobs were basically all in the entertainment industry.

Rong Jiqiao stared at those positions and bit her lip.

Two days later, only a small chain clinic contacted her about an interview for a reception guide position.

The base salary was three thousand five hundred. Lunch was included. No night shifts.

The pay was low, but Rong Jiqiao only planned to work for half a year and show Duan Yan that she was trying. Besides, it was work she was familiar with, so it would be easier for her.

She pushed all those flashy dresses aside and chose a white shirt with black trousers, simple and neat.

She looked in the mirror, then removed her lipstick and switched to a pale lip balm.

She tied her hair into a low ponytail, revealing her clean forehead.

Standing in front of the mirror for a while, she felt that she finally looked like someone with a proper job.

At two in the afternoon, Rong Jiqiao arrived at the clinic.

The clinic was not large. It was on the second floor of a commercial building, with a sign at the entrance that read “Bo’ai Medical Chain Clinic.”

She pushed the door open and walked in.

A nurse sat at the front desk and looked up at her.

“Hello, I’m here for the reception guide interview.”

The nurse nodded. “Wait a moment. The director is busy.”

Rong Jiqiao stood to the side and looked around.

The clinic was simply decorated. Health education posters were pasted on the walls, and several plastic chairs were arranged in the waiting area.

After about ten minutes, a woman walked out from the inner room.

She looked to be in her fifties, wearing a white coat, her hair combed neatly without a single strand out of place.

“You’re Rong Jiqiao?”

“Yes.” Rong Jiqiao quickly straightened up.

The director looked her up and down.

“Did you bring your documents?”

Rong Jiqiao took out her ID card and nursing qualification certificate from her bag and handed them over with both hands.

The director accepted them, examined them carefully, then looked up at her again.

Rong Jiqiao stood perfectly straight, her hands hanging at her sides.

“Where did you work before?”

“I...” Rong Jiqiao bit her lip. “I only came to the capital this year. Before that, I worked as a nurse at a hospital back home, in Liang County.”

The director frowned slightly.

“A county hospital.”

Rong Jiqiao’s heart tightened. She knew the director looked down on that a little.

She quickly promised, “I learn fast, and I can handle hardship.”

The director did not respond. She flipped through her documents again.

Rong Jiqiao’s palms began to sweat.

“All right.” The director returned the documents to her. She did not seem entirely satisfied, but for a salary of only three thousand five hundred, what more could she expect? “Come to work next Monday. Eight in the morning. Don’t be late.”

Rong Jiqiao froze for a second, then reacted.

“Thank you, Director!”

After walking out of the clinic, she stood at the entrance and took a deep breath.

Sunlight fell warmly over her body.

Rong Jiqiao took out her phone, wanting to call Duan Yan.

Halfway through pressing the dial button, she stopped.

Duan Yan should be doing part-time work at the construction site right now. It would not be convenient for him to answer.

Maybe she should go to the site and find him?

After thinking for a moment, Rong Jiqiao turned and headed toward the subway station.

She remembered Duan Yan saying that he had been doing odd jobs at a construction site recently. She also knew the specific location.

After more than an hour on the subway and another twenty-minute walk, she finally arrived at the construction site.

The entrance was surrounded by metal fencing. From inside came the roar of machinery and the shouts of workers.

Rong Jiqiao stood at the entrance and looked around, but she did not see Duan Yan.

Just as she was hesitating over whether to go inside, a group of workers came out.

They were covered in dust, their clothes full of dirt.

She scanned the group but did not find Duan Yan.

After waiting a little longer, a second group of workers came out.

This time, she saw him.

Duan Yan walked at the very back, holding a white plastic lunch box.

Inside the box was only plain white rice.

Bare and empty.

He walked to an open space beside the construction site and sat down on a stone.

He opened the lunch box, then took a small packet of pickled vegetables from his pocket.

He tore it open and poured the pickles over the rice.

Rong Jiqiao stood in the distance, completely frozen.

Duan Yan picked up his chopsticks, mixed some pickles with rice, and put it into his mouth.

A coworker walked over beside him, also holding a lunch box.

“Xiao Duan, you’re only eating that?”

Duan Yan looked up. “Yeah. It’s enough.”

The coworker shook his head, then picked two pieces of braised pork from his own lunch box and placed them into Duan Yan’s bowl.

“Eat some meat. You can’t do this kind of work without strength.”

Duan Yan wanted to push them back, but the coworker waved him off.

“Don’t be polite. My wife made too much.”

Duan Yan paused.

“Thanks.”

The coworker smiled and walked away.

Duan Yan lowered his head and slowly ate the two pieces of meat.

Rong Jiqiao’s throat tightened.

She remembered how Duan Yan had transferred her eighteen hundred last time and said he still had money.

If he still had money, how could he not even afford a proper dish?

She turned and quickly walked toward the street stalls near the construction site entrance.

“Boss, how much is this boxed meal?”

“Fifteen yuan each. Which one do you want?”

“This one, and this one.” Rong Jiqiao pointed at the dishes in the display. “Give me more meat.”

The owner packed it up neatly and handed it to her.

Rong Jiqiao paid, then carried the lunch box back.

Duan Yan was still sitting on that stone, head lowered as he ate.

She walked over and stopped in front of him.

Duan Yan looked up.

When he saw her, he froze.

She wore a white shirt and black trousers. Her hair was tied into a low ponytail, and a few loose strands around her forehead had been tousled by the wind. Her makeup was very light, with only a thin layer of pale lip balm, making her look much cleaner than her usual heavily made-up appearance.

She held a lunch box in her hands and stood amid the dust rising from the construction site. There was a little dirt on the cuff of her white shirt, but it did nothing to dim the freshness of her face.

Her features were still the same: almond-shaped eyes, delicate brows, a small nose, and skin as white as porcelain.

Duan Yan’s gaze moved downward and landed on her fingers gripping the lunch box.

She stood in front of him like that.

Around her were workers in dirty uniforms, roaring machines, and dust filling the air.

Yet standing there, she looked like something that had accidentally wandered into the mortal world, out of place, but impossible to look away from.

Duan Yan put down his chopsticks and instinctively wiped his hands.

“Why are you here?”

Rong Jiqiao pushed the lunch box into his hands.

“I bought you some food.”

Duan Yan looked at her, then at the lunch box in his hands.

The workers around them all turned to look.

“Hey, Xiao Duan, is that your girlfriend?”

“She’s really pretty.”

“You’re a lucky guy.”

Rong Jiqiao’s face turned red. She lowered her head and said nothing.

For once, Duan Yan smiled in front of them, and there was a rare sense of peace on his face.

He opened the meal she had bought.

Braised pork, scrambled eggs with green peppers, and a serving of greens.

He picked up his chopsticks but did not eat.

“Have you eaten?”

“I have,” Rong Jiqiao said. “Hurry and eat.”

Duan Yan picked up a piece of meat and put it into his mouth.

Rong Jiqiao sat down beside him and watched him eat.

“I found a job.”

“What job?”

“A reception guide at a clinic,” Rong Jiqiao said. “Base salary of three thousand five hundred, lunch included, no night shifts.”

Duan Yan looked at her.

“I can start next week.” Rong Jiqiao smiled. “I can earn money myself now. So don’t be so frugal anymore.”