Capítulo 79: The Spring of the Chubby Guy
"Alright, gentlemen, it's time to select your numbers. We have some excellent ending digits available..." After San Pao completed the payment, Manager Zhang placed the number book on the counter.
"Fang Yi, you go ahead and choose..."
Both Fatty and San Pao instinctively placed the book in front of Fang Yi, knowing that when it came to selecting a number deemed auspicious, he would undoubtedly make a better choice than they could.
"These two will suffice—one ends in 688, the other in 788, and both have memorable prefixes..." Fang Yi perused the book and selected two mobile numbers starting with 135, committing them to memory after a brief glance.
"Hey, let me call Man Ge first..." As soon as he inserted the SIM card into his phone, Fatty eagerly dialed Man Jun's number, exuberantly announcing that he had just acquired a new phone.
"Fatty, are you asking for a beating?" Fang Yi glared at Fatty, saying, "Just fifty meters to the left is Man Ge's house; how much swagger do you have to flaunt like that?"
"I'm just happy, isn't that allowed?"
Initially, Fatty intended to call Lao Ma and others in the village, but upon seeing Fang Yi's expression, he quickly reconsidered, carefully stowing the phone away. He planned to buy a cheap phone case at the market tomorrow to hang the phone from his waist.
"Let's go; you can strut your stuff at home later..." Fang Yi shook his head in exasperation. With the clock nearing six, he needed to rush home to prepare dinner—he had no time to watch Fatty show off.
"Alright, let's head out; isn't San Pao still here...?"
Just as Fatty was about to exit, he noticed some people in the shop beginning to tidy up and his penchant for banter resurfaced. Turning to Meng Shuangshuang, who was seeing them off, he said, "Hey, Shuangshuang, are you finishing up soon? How about we treat you to dinner?"
"We finish at six. If anyone should treat, it should be me treating you..."
Meng Shuangshuang smiled at his words. Having worked in sales for two years, she prided herself on her ability to read people. These three, around her age, did not seem like bad individuals, especially Fatty, whose smile gave her a sense of security.
Moreover, Meng Shuangshuang genuinely wished to invite Fang Yi and the others to dinner, as her base salary was quite low, but she earned a five percent commission on each phone sold. Having already sold three phones that day, with the addition of the two expensive ones Fang Yi and the others were purchasing, she stood to earn five to six hundred yuan that day.
"However, I can't afford anything extravagant; I can only treat you to duck blood vermicelli soup..."
Meng Shuangshuang spoke up, revealing her background from the Yimeng Mountains. As the eldest in her family, with a younger brother and two sisters, her family's financial situation was not ideal. She saved only a small portion of her earnings, sending the rest home.
"There's no need for you to treat; I'll take you out for salted duck instead..."
Upon hearing that Meng Shuangshuang was willing to join them for dinner, Fatty was overjoyed. He had merely jested, not expecting her to agree. This time, he didn't consult Fang Yi, deciding instead to pay for the meal himself, without spending anyone else's money.
"Fatty, I need to go home to cook; you and San Pao can go with Miss Shuangshuang..."
Fang Yi glanced at Meng Shuangshuang, then turned to Fatty, unable to suppress a smile. It must be said, Meng Shuangshuang had a round face that lit up beautifully when she smiled, giving her a resemblance to Fatty.
"Fatty, I have plans with Qianqian tonight; I won't be joining you..."
Before Fang Yi could finish his sentence, San Pao interjected. It wasn't that he was averse to being a third wheel; rather, he was eager to show off his new phone to his girlfriend.
"What? San Pao, you're not going either?" Fatty was taken aback, exclaiming, "San Pao, can't you reschedule? Can't we just have dinner together today? Order whatever you like..."
Despite Fatty's claims of being a ladies' man, the truth was that last year, he had been coaxed into a hair salon by an older worker on the construction site. Overwhelmed with nerves, he had barely managed to perform; as for whether he succeeded, he himself remained uncertain.
Thus, Fatty was a giant in words when it came to women, but in action, he was still as inexperienced as a three-year-old child. Now, the thought of dining alone with Meng Shuangshuang left him bewildered, unsure of which foot to lead with.
"Not today; I genuinely have plans. You and Shuangshuang go ahead..." San Pao was too eager to impress his girlfriend to waste time with Fatty, swiftly following Fang Yi out the door, leaving Fatty feeling lost.
"Shuang... Shuang... Miss Shuangshuang, shall we..." For reasons unknown, the typically loquacious Fatty found himself at a loss for words, his cheeks flushing crimson.
"What's wrong? Are you reluctant to treat us?"
Seeing Fatty's stammering, Meng Shuangshuang couldn't help but laugh. She sensed his earnest nature, a refreshing contrast to the smooth-talking customers she usually encountered. Such clients, she would never consider dining with.
"I... I would love to!" Fatty managed to blurt out through gritted teeth, turning on his heel and walking away with a determined air, reminiscent of a hero departing on a perilous journey.
"Hey, I just got off work and haven't changed yet..." Meng Shuangshuang called out with a smile.
"Oh, then... I'll wait for you outside..." Feeling the curious gazes directed at him from inside the store, Fatty hurriedly escaped to the street, oblivious to the sweltering heat outside.
"By the way, my surname is Meng, and I'm called Meng Shuangshuang. Everyone calls you Fatty, but I don't know your real name..." As she emerged after changing, Meng Shuangshuang playfully tapped Fatty on the shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise.
"My surname is Wei, and I'm called Wei Jinhua, as in 'Jinhua of the Beautiful China.' Those two are my childhood friends—one is Fang Yi, and the other is Peng Sanjun. We grew up together..."
Fatty dutifully shared his name, and the moral deity could attest that he had never been this honest in answering questions, even under his father's stern discipline. Without needing further prompting from Meng Shuangshuang, he divulged his and his friends' names as if registering for a household.
"I can see that you share a strong bond..."
Meng Shuangshuang smiled sweetly, walking beside Fatty. Aside from classmates, she had few friends in Jinling. For reasons she couldn't quite fathom, witnessing the camaraderie between Fang Yi and Fatty today ignited her desire to make a few friends of her own.
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