It was almost noon and nearing to the lunch break. Li Qing asked Dong Xuebing to go to the cafeteria with him. “Xuebing, do you have a girlfriend?”
Huh? This question again? Since the day Dong Xuebing entered the bureau, at least 4 people had asked the same question. He did not want to discuss this question. It was because he had never dated anyone before in his life…… This was not something to be proud of. But he must answer whatever his superior asked. Dong Xuebing smiled awkwardly and replied: “Not yet. I need to focus on my work first. Girlfriends can wait. I’m not in a rush.” This was obviously a lie!
As both of them walked out of the grey building, Li Qing laughed: “I have to scold you for that.”
Dong Xuebing laughed.
“Work is work, and you cannot use it as an excuse to not look for a partner.” Li Qing felt slightly guilty for misunderstanding Dong Xuebing earlier, and he wanted to advise him. “You are very young and have been promoted to the Deputy Chief of the General Affairs Office. People will talk behind your back and unhappy with your promotion. I know you are capable, but your age is still an issue. That’s why you should get a girlfriend and get married soon. Don’t delay.”
“……. Married?”
They reached the cafeteria, and Li Qing patted Dong Xuebing’s back. “Think about it yourself.”
If Li Qing did not give Dong Xuebing this advice, Dong Xuebing will still not think about this problem. Indeed, if he were married and had a family, he would give others the impression that he was more mature than now. It will overcome his age issue, and it will be good for his career. But Dong Xuebing did not know whether to laugh or cry. Where can he find someone to get married? Who should he get married with? But when he thought about his future wife, two women appeared in his mind. One was Qu Yunxuan, and the other was…… the woman whom he used BACK to help her get back her catch the pickpocket. The woman who said she will call him to treat him to dinner. That gorgeous and sexy woman!
Damn. How come I am thinking about her?
Dong Xuebing shook his head to remove the image of that woman from his head. She had not called him after so long and should have forgotten about him. He should have no chance to meet her again in the future. Thus, his only choice left was Qu Yunxuan. If he could date Qu Yunxuan, then it should be a happy ending. Sighed….. But what was Qu Yunxuan thinking now? Damn. This was not the time to be thinking about this. Dong Xuebing must still save up 1 million RMB to set up a company for Qu Yunxuan first. In the meanwhile, he must think of ways to capture her heart. With these two methods, Dong Xuebing vow to get Qu Yunxuan within two months!
That’s right! Make money first! Even if wasn’t for Aunt Xuan, Dong Xuebing also want to have more money for himself!
Cars, gifts, a house, etc. Everything needs money.
The two most important tasks now were making money and capturing her heart.
……
Next morning.
The air was dry and cold. Dried leaves were all over the footpaths.
Dong Xuebing, in a jacket, alighted from the bus. He went to his office first. At around 10 am, he walked out of Xu Yan’s office with a stack of documents and a digital camera. He went over to Li Qing’s office to report to him and went back to the General Affairs Office. He gave some instructions to his staffs and then walked out of the Bureau to get a taxi to Youanmen.
Western District Branch Bureau’s ‘Guesthouse’ was located at Youanmen. The surrounding low-level houses and several buildings had to be relocated. The ‘Guesthouse’ which was used to receive reports from intelligence officers, was located right in the middle of this place. This ‘Guesthouse’ had to be shifted. The Party Committee had discussed and decided to let Chief Xu be in charge of this. A proposal was needed, and the pictures of the present location were required by the City Bureau. If the City Bureau approved this proposal, then the Branch Bureau can start the shifting of the ‘Guesthouse.’ Dong Xuebing’s job today was to write a report.
After walking along the City river towards the west, Dong Xuebing arrived at his destination.
Bang, bang, bang, ding, ding, ding, dong, dong…… Dust was flying everywhere. About a dozen construction workers were demolishing the houses.
Dong Xuebing cough due to the dust. He covered his nose and walked to the back of a Hutong. He looked around and started to make notes of the surroundings. He also took out his camera to take a few pictures. There were still a few people who refused to move. There were 3 old men and one old lady. They were sitting in a courtyard, chatting. When they saw Dong Xuebing taking pictures, they immediately surrounded him.
“Young man, are you a reporter?” The old lady looked at Dong Xuebing’s camera.
One of the old men said excitedly: “Mr. Reporter, you must expose them. They are all hooligans. They even threw bricks at our house in the middle of the night. Even our windows and doors are damaged. They even threaten s that if we still do not move out, they will go bad things to us. This…… This is against the law.”
Dong Xuebing closes his notebook. “I’m sorry, Sir, I am not a reporter.”
The old man asked curiously: “Then why are you taking pictures?”
Dong Xuebing explained: “I am an art student. These pictures are for me to bring back as reference.”
The old men and woman heard this and walked back disappointedly.
Dong Xuebing just smile and continue walking around, taking notes. Because he was not writing the formal report, the only jolts down points. He wanted to finish his job and make a trip to Panjiayuen or Shilihe’s antique markets. He wants to see if he could get any lucky finds there. Now, Dong Xuebing total wealth was only slightly more than 100,000 RMB. It was still far from his 1 million RMB target.
Noon, Dong Xuebing went to a small restaurant opposite to have his lunch.
He thought if he should follow an expert later at Panjiayuen. He could use BACK to be one step faster than the expert. Sighed……. But there were not many experts around. Furthermore, the items picked by the experts might not be an authentic antique too. What should he do? Walnuts gamble again? But he will not be so lucky every time. If he only waited for someone to open a walnut fruit and use BACK to snatch it, it will be a waste. Even if he could use BACK twice and got a pair of 45 mm Lion Head, he can only sell it for a few thousand RMB. How long will he take to reach 1 million? Also, there should not be many walnut fruits this season. Even if he wants to gamble, he will have to wait until next year!
Dong Xuebing had a headache. Even with the power BACK, it was also tough to make money!
Dong Xuebing returned to the residential estate and looked at the half-demolished building. Dong Xuebing was thinking about how to make money and taking pictures at the same time. Where should he go to make money? He was not hoping to find a Yuen dynasty porcelain vase or a Xuande Burner. He only wants something that will let him earn 100,000 RMB! Sighed…… Where can I find treasures?
Just when Dong Xuebing was still daydreaming, he heard someone shouting at him from behind.
“Hey, hey! What are you doing?” Dong Xuebing turned and saw a middle age man.
Dong Xuebing took a picture and frowned: “What’s the matter?”
“What do you think? Stop taking pictures!”
“I am taking my pictures, did I bother you?”
There were some workers carrying bricks behind the middle age man. From his attitude, he should be the supervisor of the workers. The middle age man stepped forward and tried to snatch Dong Xuebing’s camera. “This is our work site. Have you asked for our permission?” The man thought Dong Xuebign was a reporter. He had received orders from his higher-ups to not let reporters report on their work site and have negative news. This was why this man was so insistent.
Dong Xuebing dodged and asked with a long face. “This land belongs to the nation. Since when did this place belong to you?”
The man stared at Dong Xuebing furiously. “Shut up! Give me that camera!”
“I need to be clear to you first. I am not a reporter. I am taking pictures for me to draw.” Dong Xuebing argued and quickly keep the camera. He looked at him in his eyes. “Why did you try to snatch my things without asking first? Are you a thief? I can’t be bothered with you! Where is the person in charge? Ask the person in charge to come out!” Dong Xuebing was used to ordering people around these two days and had no problems saying all those words.
The middle age man laughed. “Oh? You sure can talk big. You want to find the leader? I am the leader here!” He said and moved forward to try to snatch Dong Xuebing’s bag. “Give me the camera!”
“Stop it!”
At this moment, a few workers who were working beside a collapsed wall and bricks suddenly shouted. One of them threw his spade and kneel on the floor to dig the ground with his hands. He dug out a battered wooden box cover.
The middle age supervisor asked: “What’s wrong?”
A worker with northeast accent shouted: “It’s a box. Just now, I dug out a piece of tile, and it was buried underneath. I think there is a treasure in it!”
The supervisor was surprised. “Treasure?!”
Dong Xuebing was also stunned. He stretched his neck to try to see what the treasure was. But he could not see it clearly.
Another northeast accented worker, who was kneeling there said. “There is a big metal chest in the box. I am not sure what it contains!”
Box? Metal chest?
The middle age man brightens up. He had been in this line for many years, and he knew that sometimes people will find treasures buried underground. This was not uncommon in the industry. Last year, when he was at a work site in Changchun street, he found two jade pendants buried under a house. He sold the pendants for a large sum of money. The middle age man was overjoyed. Hahaha. It’s my lucky day today. He turned around and stared at Dong Xuebing. He was no longer interested in getting Dong Xuebing’s camera. He shoved Dong Xuebing: “Ok, ok! Hurry up and get lost!”
You want to chase me away now?
Fat hopes!
After Dong Xuebing saw the wooden box, his eyes also brighten up. “BACK!!!”
