Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Lu Yiyun put down the drawing board, took Jasmine out of her bag, and picked up a rag to start sanitizing the checkout counter.
“Good morning, Xiao Yun. This is an Egyptian product for you.” Zhang Zian handed the gift box to her along with a tote bag. The gift box had custom-made jewelry from Lazart inside. The bag contained date palms he’d bought before boarding the plane.
Considering that customs might check what he carried, the jewelry ordered from Lazart only had a box, without gift wraps and ribbons. After waiting for the store to be closed last night, he’d specially gone to the gift shop to wrap it. By spending some spare change, he could make the gifts look more expensive. It was a cost-effective strategy.
Lu Yiyun was shocked by the exquisite gift and asked, “For me?”
“Well, everyone is getting something. You are the earliest in today. Open it and see if you like it… Even if you don’t, I can’t return it anyway,” Zhang Zian said as he picked up the key to the aquarium next door. He planned to quietly find an empty tank for the long-legged lungfish.
This was the first time Lu Yiyun had received such a beautifully wrapped gift. The shiny ribbons and colored paper made the gift look like a piece of art. She was reluctant to open it.
The packaging was so beautiful—the gifts inside would definitely not be too bad.
She wanted to know what was inside but was worried that the gift was too expensive. After a while, she took her phone and snapped a photo to remember it. Only then did she pull the ribbon apart gently.
The ribbon slipped off, and she carefully removed the colored wrapping paper. She saw a long, transparent plastic box with a long strip and a palm. A glittering gold plate lay inside, engraved with strange words. She did not recognize them.
Although she did not go out often, she could still tell the difference between copper and gold.
At this time, Zhang Zian had also placed the lungfish in a tank and returned to the pet store. This lungfish was highly durable and could be raised easily without too much hassle.
“Mr. Manager! Did you make a mistake? This…this… Is this for me?” Lu Yiyun tried to sort out her thoughts. How could she get such a valuable gold plate as a gift?
“Don’t panic. It’s not pure gold—it’s only eighteen-karat gold. It’s not worth much.” When Zhang Zian saw her unease, he explained further. “The text is Egyptian hieroglyphics—a transliteration of your name, which is an Egyptian tradition. This is their traditional amulet. Although we don’t believe in this, it is nevertheless very meaningful as a souvenir.”
Hearing that it was not pure gold, Lu Yiyun was somewhat relieved. She would cherish this gift. She placed it in her bag and said, “Thank you, Mr. Manager. I will keep it well.”
With that, Wang Qian, Li Kun, and Jiang Feifei also came in together. They all went to school at Binhai University and always walked together.
“Wow! Something delicious!” Wang Qian saw the date palm immediately and was just about to grab one when Zhang Zian slapped his hand away.
“You will have your own share! Don’t take someone else’s!” Zhang Zian stared at him before proceeding to give them the gifts.
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s eat together,” Lu Yiyun offered generously.
Zhang Zian pushed her date back and said plainly, “You can send some to your family. Let them taste fresh Egyptian dates.”
He knew that she had dropped out of college because of painting, and that had caused her to fall out with her family. However, it had been some time ago, and blood was thicker than water. It might be time to mend the relationship.
Lu Yiyun looked awkwardly at him and nodded silently. She took the date back.
Wang Qian and the gang gave no thought to the beautiful packaging. Once the gifts were in their hands, they tore the ribbons and wrappings off in mere seconds. What a wasted effort.
They were amazed at the amulet. Of course, the most amazing thing was that Zhang Zian had been willing to spend such money. They kew that although 18K gold was not expensive, the part that was expensive was the handicraft done on it. In addition, he’d bought a few pieces, it must have cost him an arm and a leg.
Wang Qian and Li Kun took out the gold plate and respectfully held it in front of Zhang Zian. “Thank you for the gift, Master! Can you give this gift another light?”
“Open your light! You are not a lost woman! To hell with light!” Zhang Zian said. “Hurry up! Keep the gift and get to your job! Are you waiting for me to kick you?”
Jiang Feifei was the rare one who believed normally in the store. She happily accepted the gift.
“Right—there is a new member in the aquarium,” Zhang Zian said to her.
Jiang Feifei was highly interested in aquarium pets. She asked excitedly, “What is it? Forget it—let me see it myself!”
She quickly ran next door, and Zhang Zian reminded her from behind, “Be careful! That thing is grumpy and may bite!”
Wang Qian and Li Kun didn’t care much about hygiene. While cleaning, they kept stuffing dates into their mouths.
Zhang Zian stood at the door and looked around for a while. He greeted a few passing acquaintances, but strangely, he did not bump into Little Celery.
Was it currently summer vacation? So early? No, it couldn’t be summer vacation.
He thought about it for a moment and looked at his mobile phone again. It was only after some thinking that he realized that it was the weekend, and that primary school students did not attend classes on weekends.
Of course, there was also a gift for LIttle Celery. It was not too expensive. It was a bag of dates, which she could take to school to share with the students. She could use this to boost her relationship with her fellow students, although their relationship was already good to begin with.
Zhang Zian remembered that when he was a child, if he brought something delicious to school, he would soon have a few of his friends asking to share.
He decided to go back to the store to help clean. He temporarily placed Little Celery’s date in the refrigerator. Then he heard a savage yet tender child’s voice. “What reason do you have for not letting me play with my phone?”
It was a short and fat boy. He looked like a primary school student, and his face was round and red. He looked radiant. He wore a short-sleeved shirt and shorts, though the short-sleeved shirt was a little small. His belly button was visible.
Zhang Zian had this boy before and knew he lived nearby. He might also be attending Zhonghua Road Primary School. However, he had never spoken to him before.
“Based on what? Based on the knowledge that once you start, you cannot stop! Your eyes must be so damaged! Your mother has already spoken to you about it. How dare you talk back to me? Let me tell you, young man, no more mobile games today! Don’t you even dare touch the phone! Go out, go out, and find your friends to play!”
An adult man nearby rebutted the short, fat boy.
The boy shouted out indignantly, “My classmates are all playing the game! They are opening a room for everyone! If you don’t give me the phone, I will be looked down upon by them!”
Zhang Zian was dumbfounded. Primary school students were crazy about mobile games. He could understand the parents’ feelings—as a child, one shouldn’t be addicted to playing games all day.
