Chapter 45: Why Didn’t You Call Me?

For several days, an especially peculiar phenomenon had been occurring in the office of the Yuanli County Rice Flower Distillery.

Namely, their factory director’s secretary—who was also the office manager—had not gone home during this period.

She’d set up a small bed in the office, telling everyone it was because the factory was too busy and she needed to work overtime.

But in reality?

Every night, when the world outside had quieted, she would drag her little bed as close to the telephone as possible.

Then she would simply gaze at the phone, lost in thought.

On this particular night, it was eleven o’clock again. Wang Xiaoli huddled under her quilt, her delicate, oval face puffed up in frustration as she stared at the silent telephone.

At last, she sighed. “He probably won’t call again tonight.”

Every night she waited until eleven before sleeping, not daring to stay up any later, as she needed to be up before the other staff arrived in the morning to tidy up.

Outside, the night was a bit noisy; beyond the glass, the moon hung bright and clear, spilling silver light across the leaves. A breeze swept by, making the scene all the more enchanting.

But her mood was impossible to lift. “That guy… How could he leave for days without a single phone call?”

“Maybe he wrote a letter instead? That’s why he hasn’t called?”

“Oh, how infuriating!”

Wang Xiaoli pulled the quilt over her head, doing her best not to let her thoughts run wild.

Just as she was mired in frustration, the phone outside the quilt began to ring.

“Is that Chai Jin?” Wang Xiaoli quickly tossed the quilt aside and jumped up.

Her snug autumn leggings outlined her graceful, youthful figure in the most captivating way.

In Chai Jin’s previous life, he’d have said that if she walked on a runway in that figure, she’d be no less stunning than any supermodel in the world.

She dashed to the desk and snatched up the receiver. “Hello, Yuanli County Rice Flower Distillery.”

On the other end, Chai Jin paused for a moment. “Xiaoli?”

Hearing his voice, all the tangled emotions of the girl who’d been fretting under her quilt vanished in an instant.

“Hmph!”

“What’s wrong?”

“Why are you only calling now? Don’t you miss Fangfang? Don’t you miss Xiaoshan?”

“Don’t you miss Uncle Minguo?”

Wang Xiaoli leaned on the desk, her small, rounded bottom encased in her leggings, jutting out.

Bathed in moonlight, her beautifully contoured figure radiated an untamed grace.

She listed everyone, grumbling, but conspicuously avoided asking if Chai Jin missed her.

Chai Jin chuckled. “I miss you all very much.”

“Sorry, I’ve just been too busy these past few days and forgot to call home. How are you all doing?”

“Hmph!” Wang Xiaoli’s small nose flared slightly, full of playful mischief.

Then she said, “We’re eating well and sleeping well—nothing to complain about.”

“And you? Where are you staying in Zhonghai?”

“Is anyone cooking for you?”

She peppered him with questions.

Having never left Yuanli County in her life, Wang Xiaoli was deeply curious about the outside world.

Chai Jin didn’t show the slightest impatience.

Though she was two months older than him and had always played with Chai Fang, treating him as a little brother, at this moment Wang Xiaoli sounded just like a curious younger sister.

She chattered on, unwilling to hang up.

Little did Chai Jin know that Wang Xiaoli had waited night after night for this call, barely eating or sleeping.

Their conversation lasted over an hour.

At last, they agreed that once Chai Jin finished his business in Zhonghai and settled in Shenshi, he would call home immediately.

Wang Xiaoli nodded with a little smile in her voice. “Alright.”

“Take care of yourself. If it’s cold there, you can wear the sweater I knitted for you.”

Chai Jin laughed. “I know. You shouldn’t sleep at the factory anymore.”

“It’s too empty in the office.”

“Mm-hmm, alright.”

Then they hung up.

Afterwards, Wang Xiaoli could hardly contain her happiness.

She danced a few steps in the office, her graceful silhouette under the moonlight as enchanting as a goddess herself.

In truth, neither Chai Jin nor the others knew that this girl had once been the lead dancer of the county’s performing troupe.

But since coming to the distillery, she hadn’t returned to the troupe.

She sat quietly on her small bed for a long time before slipping her beautiful form back under the covers.

On his end, Chai Jin smiled.

An hour-long call—it left the shopkeeper’s eyes wide in disbelief.

Afraid the young man would vanish without paying, the owner had kept a nervous eye on him the whole time.

This was several dozen yuan—how much did his little shop earn in a month?

It was, without a doubt, the biggest transaction this phone had seen in its five or six years here.

But when Chai Jin, like a true gentleman, slapped a hundred-yuan bill on the counter, the shopkeeper’s wariness melted away.

He held the note up to the tungsten lamp, scrutinizing it from every angle.

The final step in verifying its authenticity was a flick of his finger against the bill.

“Yes, that’s the right sound.”

He tossed it into the drawer, making change as he spoke. “Young man, you’re not a local, are you?”

“No,” Chai Jin smiled, “I’m here from Jiangnan Province for work.”

“Working? What sort of work? You should try the stock market!”

“Let me tell you, there’s a fellow from the south in this very building who’s made a fortune.”

“I see all you outsiders coming to play the market—you ought to give it a shot.”

Chai Jin glanced upstairs, intrigued. “There’s a stock trader in this building?”

“Of course! The lad’s clever, has an eye for things. We all gave him our money to invest, and he’s helped us earn quite a bit!”

“I’ve already decided—once I’ve made enough, I’ll buy a house in Fudong. They say there’s going to be massive development there!”

Perhaps because he had nothing else to do that evening, the shopkeeper rambled on endlessly.

Chai Jin listened with only half an ear.

He lifted his gaze to the building, suddenly interested in the young man the owner mentioned.

The securities exchange center had been established less than two years ago. Coming from a planned economy, the newly opened stock market was gravely lacking in regulation.

This short period of lawlessness had sent the market into a frenzy.

Amid the chaos, all kinds of financial predators had begun to emerge.

Taking the neighbors’ money to speculate in stocks—wasn’t this the earliest form of private equity in China’s capital markets?

If the man’s character was sound, Chai Jin considered approaching him; after making a killing here, he could bring him along to Shenshi.

After bidding the shopkeeper farewell, Chai Jin returned to the guesthouse.

Passing by Liu Qingwen’s room, he heard the unmistakable sounds of Xiong Dan’s wild cries inside.

He assumed the two were quarreling.

But as he paused at the door, he heard Liu Qingwen’s own animalistic shouts.

He immediately realized what was happening and smacked his own forehead.

“At my age, how could I not understand something so obvious?”

Smiling wryly, he shook his head and went back to his room.

Lying in bed, the image of his farewell with Wang Xiaoli at the station suddenly came to mind.

His fingers touched his lips unconsciously.

And with a smile, he drifted into a peaceful sleep.