Chapter 052: Gazing at the Sea, Listening to the Wind

This story is entirely a work of fiction.

At Duhao Corporation, Lü Jiahui drew a spark of inspiration from a lecture he had attended. He gathered his team to brainstorm and asked for their opinions on venturing into P2P lending. The room buzzed with lively discussion, each person voicing their thoughts with great enthusiasm.

“If we just use our heads a little, we’ll have an endless source of funding. The compliant way is to keep the funds from landing, but so what if we do let them land? We can even evade the banks’ supervision and focus on reaping our own benefits. Now, we can barely keep up with the demand for funds. We must seize this golden opportunity for development and make a fortune,” declared Lü Jiahui’s deputy.

“I agree with everything the deputy just said. Next, we’ll need to recruit someone with IT skills to develop an app. Deputy, please keep an eye out for such a candidate; the rest of us can look forward to striking it rich,” Lü Jiahui concluded.

After school, Wu Zhengzhe picked up Xiyu. Seeing his nephew, now a high schooler, Wu Zhengzhe encouraged him, “The first year of high school lays the foundation. You must study hard and build a solid base.”

“Don’t worry, I will.” Xiyu smiled warmly.

“Let’s head home. Your mom might be back already.” Wu Zhengzhe started the car.

Upon arriving home, Du Juan saw uncle and nephew walk in together, but unlike her usual self, she didn’t greet them with her customary warmth. Instead, she stood aside in silence.

Xiyu put down his schoolbag and noticed her unusual demeanor. He walked over and asked, “Mom, what’s wrong today? You didn’t greet me with a smile. Who upset you this time?” He took the initiative to comfort her.

“No one upset me. It’s just that we don’t have enough money to buy a house—that’s what’s making me unhappy. I want to fulfill your wish, son, but it’s just so difficult. How can I be happy?” Du Juan replied.

“Honestly, it’s not like I absolutely have to have a new house. It’s not essential, you know? I don’t even know if you two are able to pull it off. Everything I’ve said is based on the premise that our standard of living won’t be lowered. If buying a house means changing our life or causing us unnecessary worries, then there’s no need for it. If it’s difficult now, just let it go for a while. Time is on our side—if we can’t buy this year, we can wait a few years. It’s just a matter of time. Mom, don’t be troubled anymore. Just stay happy, no matter what,” Xiyu consoled his mother.

“Truly not disappointed?” Du Juan asked.

“What’s there to be disappointed about? Life is long. There will be plenty of opportunities; as long as we’re happy, that’s all that matters,” Xiyu replied with a smile.

“But what about the ten-thousand yuan deposit I paid? Like I told you before, deposits aren’t refundable,” Du Juan suddenly recalled.

“Have uncle think of a way. Ten thousand yuan is no small sum—it’s nearly a year’s living expenses,” Xiyu reminded her.

“Wu Zhengzhe, I’m asking you—do you know anyone managing things at the place we looked at houses? Our deal may have fallen through, and we need to figure out how to get our deposit back. Can you help?” Du Juan called out to Wu Zhengzhe, who was busy in the kitchen.

“Are you sure you want to back out?” Wu Zhengzhe called back loudly.

“It doesn’t matter anymore if I’m sure or not. Without the money to close the deal, what else can we do?” Du Juan said, her voice tinged with regret.

“I’ll see what I can do at work tomorrow,” Wu Zhengzhe replied, uneasy.

The next day, as soon as he got to work, Wu Zhengzhe asked around the Housing Authority for contacts related to the property developer, but found no one directly connected. He sat at his desk, at a complete loss.

Just then, his phone rang—it was Xiao Jin. He glanced at the screen, reluctant to answer, but picked up anyway. Xiao Jin’s booming voice came through, “Hey, buddy, want to come to the Zhizhen Sports Bar and catch a match with me tonight? You might get lucky!”

“I’m really not in the mood. I don’t want to go,” Wu Zhengzhe refused outright.

“Come on, man, tell me what’s bothering you. Maybe I can help,” Xiao Jin insisted, not wanting Wu Zhengzhe to hang up.

“Cao Ming from the TV station put down a deposit for a property at Yongli Real Estate, but according to the rules, deposits can’t be refunded. Now he’s decided not to buy—can you help him get the deposit back?” Wu Zhengzhe asked.

Xiao Jin thought for a moment, as if inspiration struck. “Is it Yongli Grand Park?”

“Yes, yes, that’s the one. Do you know anyone?” Wu Zhengzhe sounded as if he’d just seen a lifeline.

“You still don’t get what kind of person I am. In this city, there’s almost nothing I can’t handle. You’ve come to the right guy—my wife, Jin Yan, is in charge of quality supervision for that very project. It’s just a small favor. I’ll have a word with her, and you don’t need to worry. Just wait for my call.”

About ten minutes later, Xiao Jin called back, “Tell your wife to go to the finance office at Yongli now. It’s all set—she can handle the refund there.”

Du Juan, upon receiving the news from Wu Zhengzhe, headed straight to Yongli’s finance office and smoothly got her ten-thousand yuan deposit back.

Afterwards, she felt a deep sense of loss. She sat for a long time in the plaza in front of the development, gazing at the new building, before returning to work dispirited.

After several hours on the train, Cao Ming and his group arrived in Q City. Following a brief rest, they walked to the Revolving Palace on Mount Lei in the city center, where one could dine while admiring the sweeping vistas of Q City.

Looking out from the Revolving Palace, the city sprawled beneath them, buildings clustered densely in vibrant colors. Not far away, a giant billboard advertised the Q City International Beer Festival.

Seeing the beer festival ad, Cao Ming couldn’t contain his excitement. His love for Q City beer dated back to high school, when he’d stolen a sip of the homemade brew his uncle and colleagues had concocted. The taste had lingered in his memory ever since. Back then, material goods were far less abundant, and there seemed to be no other beer brands—so that unforgettable flavor became a lifelong craving. When Professor Qu Wenkai was still studying at the Military Medical University, Cao Ming had even made a special trip to Q City just for the beer, but time constraints kept him from exploring the city.

Two others accompanied him on this trip. Having long heard of Cao Ming’s passion for beer, the deputy editor noticed his fixation on the billboard and followed his gaze. “Thinking about a cold beer? If so, let’s soak up the atmosphere of the International Beer Festival tonight and enjoy the refreshing world of beer together.”

Cao Ming, seeing the deputy come over, stood up at once. “Thank you, Deputy. Let’s go tonight—let’s not go home till we’re drunk.”

The deputy was equally delighted to have found a kindred spirit. “Eat quickly; our next stop is our first sightseeing spot—the Olympic Sailing Village.”

Although the Olympics were still a year and a half away, the Sailing Village had already been established on the beautiful seaside of Q City. It was the dead of winter, and only a scattering of tourists waited at the harbor to board boats.

The sea stretched out in deep blue, and when the breeze picked up, the mirror-still surface rippled with tiny waves chasing each other ashore. Here and there, a few seagulls frolicked on the water, their calls clear and melodious.

As Cao Ming and his group boarded the boat, a sudden gust of wind swept over them. His jacket, thin for the season, was whipped up by the wind, and he heard it howling in his ears. He wanted to take a photo at the bow, but gave up as the wind picked up.

He felt a chill settle into his bones; those from the south hurried to the lower deck to escape the northern cold, unaccustomed as they were to the outdoor climate.

On the upper deck, tourists laughed and played, undeterred. In the distance, a passenger ship passed, and the faint sounds of people shouting greetings drifted across the water.

He lost track of time as the boat rocked along. Eventually, they docked, and the visit to the Olympic Sailing Village drew to a close.

Back on shore, Cao Ming checked the results of the matches he’d bet on. Out of three, he’d guessed one right and two wrong. Not only did he lose on the incorrect bets, but even the one he won came with a payout penalty. Fortunately, the bets were modest—just a thousand yuan each—but luck continued to elude him. Trying to win a little money felt harder than ever.

His mind was blank, empty as a man without a soul. He didn’t know what to do, nor how to face what lay ahead. Others enjoyed themselves, but he seemed distracted, his gaze distant, lost in thought when in reality he was simply dazed.

The tour guide narrated the sights of Mount L, famed for the saying, “The clouds over T Mountain are high, but not as lofty as Mount DHL.” Visitors were spirited as they explored.

At DQ Temple, tourists discussed their experiences while admiring the scenery. Only Cao Ming seemed apathetic, listless, trailing at the back of the group.

Many tossed coins into the mouth of a turtle statue in the temple pond, believing that sinking a coin would bring great luck.

Cao Ming thought to himself that his recent misfortune warranted a little monetary sacrifice. He exchanged ten yuan for coins and tried his hand, but no matter how carefully he aimed, none of the coins landed in the turtle’s mouth. He was frustrated; during his military days, he’d been both a sharpshooter and a champion pitcher—there was no target he couldn’t hit.

In less than half a minute, his ten yuan in coins were gone, not a single one making it into the turtle’s mouth.

He exchanged another ten yuan for coins and tried again, but again came up empty.

He shook his head in bewilderment. “Could it be that my state of mind is off?” he wondered to himself.

(To be continued)