Dong Yajun was twenty-eight, a year older than Wu Jun and Huang Zili. She was their senior in college and had been an officer in the student union.
When Huang Zili arrived at college as a freshman, Dong Yajun was at the gate to welcome new students. She was the one who greeted him.
No one knew what the two of them talked about for that day and night, but by the next day, they were officially a couple.
Huang Zili was no longer single by his second day of college, much to the envy of all the single guys in his dorm.
They had been together since college, and now they were married with a child, having weathered many storms together over the years.
They had their share of rough patches and even broke up a few times. During the worst of it, they both started dating other people.
Just when everyone thought their story had come to an end, they both broke up with their new partners and got back together.
After graduation, when they started talking about marriage, they hit a roadblock with Dong Yajun’s parents.
Dong Yajun was from out of province, and her parents were dead set against her marrying so far away, especially to a man who had no car, no apartment, and no stable job. He had nothing to his name.
In the end, when Dong Yajun went home for Chinese New Year, she stole her family’s household registration book and married Huang Zili without a second thought.
On their wedding day, not a single relative from her side of the family showed up. It was her best friends who were there to support her.
Even when she gave birth, her cruel parents didn’t come. What was done was done, but Huang Zili still hadn’t earned the approval of his in-laws.
Wu Jun had witnessed their breakups and makeups, attended their small wedding, and been to Huang Jiayi’s first-month celebration. He truly admired his friend’s wife, Dong Yajun, from the bottom of his heart.
"You need to get Huang Zili in line," Wu Jun complained as he set the things he was carrying on the cabinet by the hospital bed. "That son of a gun is really getting out of hand. I can’t believe I only just found out you were in the hospital."
"Huang Zili went to you for money, didn’t he? Thank you, Wu Jun." A smile touched Dong Yajun’s pale, sickly face. "If it weren’t for Yiyi, I wouldn’t even bother with the treatment."
Huang Zili mumbled, "There you go, talking nonsense again. We have a long life ahead of us. This little setback is nothing. We have the money for the surgery. I’ll go talk to the doctor and get it scheduled in a bit."
"You have the money for the surgery?" Instead of making her happy, the news made Dong Yajun frown anxiously. "How much did you borrow from Wu Jun? He’s at the age where he should be getting married; he needs money. When are we ever going to pay him back?"
Wu Jun ran a small convenience store that didn’t make much money. He was getting older and was still single. In another couple of years, he’d be over thirty, and it would probably be even harder for him to find someone.
Over the past two years, Dong Yajun had tried to set him up with a couple of women, but as soon as they heard he didn’t have a car or an apartment and that his job wasn’t very impressive, they refused to even meet him. She felt anxious on his behalf.
"Hey, you’re underestimating me," Wu Jun said with a smile. "Don’t you worry about a thing. Just focus on getting better. A hundred or two hundred thousand is nothing to your daughter’s Uncle Wu these days. It’s not a big deal at all."
To ease her worries, Wu Jun showed her the transaction record from a recent transfer he’d received from someone named Lao Luo, telling her he now made at least that much every month.
He also pulled up his other recent payment records. Only after seeing them did Dong Yajun finally relax.
They chatted for a little while longer, but seeing that Dong Yajun’s energy was fading and her eyelids were growing heavy, Wu Jun decided to take his leave. Huang Zili walked him out of the room.
While they waited for the elevator, Huang Zili asked, "Thanks, man. Where did you get those transaction records? You completely floored her."
Wu Jun laughed. "What do you mean, ’get them’? What kind of a question is that? They’re all real. Dude, I’m not hurting for that little bit of cash. Don’t worry about paying me back right away."
"They’re all real?" Huang Zili looked astonished. ’Running a little convenience store is that profitable these days?’
Huang Zili said, "Hey, Wu Jun, once she’s better, I’m quitting this surveillance gig and coming to work at the store with you! You’ll have to show a rookie like me the ropes."
Wu Jun: "..."
Wu Jun couldn’t be bothered to correct Huang Zili’s misunderstanding. "Just focus on your wife for now," he said.
The elevator arrived. Wu Jun said his goodbyes, rode it downstairs, and left the hospital.
’So much for borrowing money from Huang Zili. Not only did I not get any, I ended up giving him 100,000. I was already 100,000 short for repairing the main city. Now, thanks to my own ’hard work,’ I’m 200,000 short.’
Outside the provincial hospital, Wu Jun swiped his card and boarded the bus to the Tianyuan Neighborhood. It was packed, so he had no choice but to stand and hold onto a handrail.
’He had been thinking that once the 1.25 million yuan payment from the Industrial and Commercial Bank cleared, the first thing he’d do was buy a car—a BMW, Benz, or Audi, something that cost at least several hundred thousand.’
’A luxury car is an outward symbol of success. It makes you more persuasive when you’re out chasing business.’
’And now here I am, back on the multi-million-yuan public bus. The contrast is just...’
[DING! Payment received via Alipay: Nine hundred sixty-seven thousand yuan.]
Suddenly, the loud notification of a money transfer rang out inside the bus.
Everyone nearby turned to look in Wu Jun’s direction.
The sound had clearly come from him.
’It must be his ringtone. Who gets a transfer that big and still rides the bus with the rest of us?’
The sound startled Wu Jun as well. He knew that wasn’t his ringtone; someone had actually sent him money.
He pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it with his thumb, and was completely surprised when he saw the sender’s name.
The bus pulled into a station, and Wu Jun swiped his card to get off. He immediately found the number for "Drama Queen" and called it.
The call connected almost instantly.
Wu Jun demanded, "What is this? Where did you get this kind of money?"
Ma Siyu replied, "None of your business. Didn’t you say the more, the better? Is that enough for you or not?"
Wu Jun’s voice was sharp. "Ma Simai, I’m not joking around. Where did this money come from? You’re broke, so how could you get your hands on this much cash? If you don’t tell me where it’s from, I’m not taking it."
Pushed by Wu Jun’s relentless questions, Ma Siyu, afraid he would get the wrong idea, finally told him where the money came from.
Two months ago, when Wu Guangkun was transferred from the county hospital to the Shimen First Municipal Hospital, Ma Siyu had been at work. She had rushed over immediately, without even taking the time to request leave.
She was there and had heard every word the doctor said about the enormous costs of the surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation therapy.
She also knew that her third sister’s family would never be able to afford such a burden.
Afterward, she had quietly sold her car and remortgaged the apartment she’d bought with a loan.
Housing prices in Shimen City had skyrocketed in the last two years. When she first bought her place, it was just over 7,000 yuan per square meter. Now, prices had climbed to well over 10,000. By remortgaging, she was able to cash out a significant amount, even after paying the fees.
The whole remortgaging process took over two months, but it was finally complete, and the money had just come through.
Originally, Ma Siyu had intended to use the money for Wu Guangkun’s rehabilitation.
"I get it. That’s all for now." After hearing Ma Siyu’s explanation, Wu Jun felt a complex mix of emotions. Without a single word of thanks, he hung up the phone.
’At that moment, he decided he wouldn’t just buy Ma Siyu a top-of-the-line BMW. He was going to buy her a mansion, too!’