Chapter 446 - "Yeah, no." (4)
Wen Rugui had proven his innocence 3 times today.
After three times, his lips were swollen from all the proofing.
That afternoon, when the members of the Commerce Department returned, they were shocked when they saw Wen Rugui.
“Comrade Wan, your illness seemed to have gotten worse. Had you visited a doctor?”
It made sense why they thought that. Wen Rugui’s cheeks and ears were red, as though he was running a high fever. His lips were swollen, as though he was having an allergic reaction. It looked quite worrisome.
Wen Rugui nodded nonchalantly. “Yes, I did. The doctor said there is nothing to worry about.”
Looking at how his cheeks looked like cooked shrimp, the others were quite suspicious of is statement.
The group took the train back to Capital City the next day.
Wen Rugui, too, returned with them, using his being sick and that he needed to go back to Capital City to get some rest as an excuse.
Seeing how his cheeks and ears were red the day before, nobody doubted his words.
When they had arrived back at the Capital City, Jie Chengzhou father and son were about to return to the US as well.
Jie Chengzhou thanked Tong Xuelu genuinely. “Comrade Tong, thank you so much for what you have done. Your cooking not only reminded me of my mother, they were always surprising and delightful.”
Having said that, he pulled out a gift box and handed it over with both hands. “Please, here’s a token of my appreciation.”
Tong Xuelu tried to turn him down but he insisted. “You didn’t have to, Comrade Jie. Thank you so much for the gift.”
Before he took off, Jackson looked for Tong Xuelu privately. “Comrade Tong, would I have stood a chance had you not have a boyfriend?”
Tong Xuelu shook her head and smiled, “No.”
Jackson asked quizzically, “Can you tell me why?”
Tong Xuelu smiled but didn’t elaborate.
It was until Wen Rugui asked when she told him, “I wouldn’t choose Jackson because of his Chinese name.”
Wen Rugui, “What is wrong with his name?”
Tong Xuelu’s lips twitched. “Because his name is Jie Guangkun.”
That name would always remind her of Jie Guangkun and his dancing in Country Love.
Em, no.
***
Before she opened the gift, Tong Xuelu wondered if it would be necklace, perfume, or something along that line.
She even contemplated the possibility of it being a brick of gold. When she opened it up, it turned out to be a piece of yellow stone.
The stone was the size of a thumb. It was warm and delicate, bright with a heavy feel to it. One could just tell it was fancy.
Tong Xuelu asked quizzically, “Big Sister, why would someone give you a piece of stone?” Even though the piece of stone looked quite pretty.
Tong Xuelu said, “This is not just a piece of stone, it is a very high quality piece of field-yellow stone. And it was the very expensive orange color field-yellow stone.”
Before her transmigration, a gram of field-yellow stone could go for 20 ~ 30,000 yuan. This piece of field-yellow stone was roughly 100 g. This would be worth 2 ~ 3 million in modern time.
It was a very expensive gift!
Tong Jiaxin rubbed his nose. He could not quite comprehend how a piece of stone the size of a thumb could worth a lot of money.
Tong Xuelu did not elaborate any more on it. She put the piece of field-yellow stone away nicely inside her bedroom.
When she returned, she noticed that Tong Jiaming looked like he was something to say to her. “Is there something that you want to tell me?”
Tong Jiaming paused, then nodded. “I am going to be in 5th grade when school starts. I would like to skip directly to junior high school.”
At the beginning of 1970, the board of education proposed “we have to revolutionize education and shorten the length of education”. As such, grade school went from 6 years to 5 and both junior and senior high school went from 3 to 2 years. This would last all the way until 1979 before it was reverted back.
By modern day’s standard, Tong Jiaming started school fairly late. But it wasn’t so late in this current day and age.
He started school when he was 8 years old and he was 12 this year. Just the right age for 5th grade.