BXBX NOVEL Chapter 31: Kung Pao Chicken
[Ding! Congratulations, you’ve completed the task, saved an injured patient, and acquired the skill: Foreskin Circumcision (Beginner)]
Chen Cang looked contentedly at the basic surgical skill he had acquired.
He felt a little smug inside, as for not having a girlfriend.
Do I not have a girlfriend?
Juzi Lisha, Nanako… there are too many, I switch them every day, but it’s all just online romance, without meeting in person.
Moreover…
I haven’t stolen or robbed, my twenty-plus years of proud singleness is due to a deep consciousness of poverty.
But now that I’m wealthy, I have the chance to find a partner.
Chen Cang checked his Yu’E Bao and found that he had already accumulated over twenty-two thousand.
And with about two thousand in cash, Chen Cang quickly calculated, he had earned a total of around three thousand in just seven or eight days!
What a terrifying number!
The system provided Chen Cang with a rich variety of ways to earn money.
Such as Alipay’s lucky draw, collecting WeChat red packets, even the three thousand RMB worth of stocks Chen Cang bought last year had started to pay off, as it seemed running one’s own system was quite exhausting.
After all, trying every means to rationalize one’s income was alarming for Chen Cang, it seemed he should start buying lottery tickets more often whether or not he had something to do.
Chen Cang patiently took out his calculator and after careful calculation, adding his monthly salary of over two thousand, his monthly income could reach fifteen thousand.
Should I: find a partner?
Slap!
Chen Cang quickly slapped himself awake.
He’s getting ahead of himself, daring to think about finding a girlfriend. What else do you want to do, fly to the heavens?
Chen Cang hastily shook his head, no! no! no!
Focus on progressing slowly, don’t rush things.
If I could have fifteen thousand a month, should I consider renting a new house?
Once the job is secure, I should first save some money, get together a down payment, at least to gain a foothold in this city.
It would be a place to call home at least.
The night passed without incident, and in the late hours, several people came in for bandages, a couple had fought and battered themselves bloody. Unwilling to hit each other, they struck themselves instead, and the farce finally ended with the husband smashing a wine bottle over his own head.
The next day, after his shift ended, Chen Cang went home and caught up on sleep.
When he got up, it was already twelve at noon, and after washing up, Chen Cang went downstairs to eat.
There were many vendors in Dama Village, and the street was lined with small eateries, with various stalls everywhere, unregulated. After all, as one of the few large-scale urban villages in the city center, it had become a bustling place for the lower-class citizens.
But today’s Dama Village was somewhat different from usual, with many shops posting signs for closing down sales.
Probably because the news of the demolition had spread.
Chen Cang went to a small diner he often frequented and ordered a Kung Pao chicken rice bowl.
Wiry Kung Pao chicken?
Because the owner’s knife skills are poor!
The chicken cubes often turn out to be chunks…
Seeing Chen Cang come in, Old He smiled and said, “Oh, Kung Pao chicken?”
Chen Cang nodded and smiled, “Mhm.”
Old He was the owner of this restaurant, the landlord, and the chef. To put it simply, he opened this restaurant mainly to satisfy his passion for cooking, so he wouldn’t lose his skills. His wife and children usually ate here too, making the small restaurant feel just like a dining room at home.
The five-story self-built house with its storefront behind them all belonged to Old He’s family.
The restaurant usually wasn’t busy because Old He’s food was more expensive, but comparatively, the hygiene standards were better.
Those who run restaurants in urban villages usually rely on slim profit margins and high sales volume, and those that are popular are the ones that offer good deals. Old He’s restaurant wasn’t particularly cheap, and the taste was just so- so, passable.
But it had one advantage: the food tasted like homemade, which meant it certainly couldn’t compete with those small restaurants that used a ton of ingredients and seasonings.
However, Old He enjoyed the leisure, spending his days in the restaurant reading novels and cooking, while his wife picked up and dropped off their grandson from school. The whole family lived happily and contentedly.
Soon, Old He’s Kung Pao chicken was served, featuring large chunks of chicken meat.
Chen Cang chuckled, “Uncle Old He, it’s a good thing your restaurant isn’t crowded, or running it would definitely be a loss-making business!”
Old He, washing his hands with a smile and opening a novel, ignored him, “Just eat! The demolition notice has already been issued, who knows how long I’ll be here.”
Chen Cang asked, “Where’s the replacement housing?”
Old He shook his head, “I have to figure it out myself, but I bought two new apartments in the new district. I’ll move there once this place is demolished. You should hurry and find a place to rent too.”
Chen Cang nodded, planning to look for a place in the afternoon.
It would be best to find somewhere close to the hospital, renting a single room would be ideal.
In the afternoon, Chen Cang, with in hand, made an appointment with a real estate agent to go see some apartments.
The houses near Provincial Hospital No. 2 were not cheap, and it would be inconvenient for Chen Cang to take the bus every day to work if he lived too far away.
He spent the afternoon visiting four or five neighborhoods, looking at more than twenty apartments.
Chen Cang took a liking to a loft-style second-floor single room.
The house seemed to have been divided by the agent into four rooms, two upstairs and two downstairs.
The single room upstairs had a balcony, faced south for optimal sunlight, and was not bad at all. The price was 1400 a month or 1300 with an annual payment. After some thought, Chen Cang decided to rent it.
After all, the prices were all more or less the same, and after so much looking, this one was satisfying enough.
The area around Provincial Hospital No. 2 was quite prosperous, one of the city center’s hubs. There were also a private gynecology and obstetrics hospital, the first affiliated hospital of Dongyang Medical University, and the Provincial Reproductive Center nearby, not to mention a key primary school. Thus, the housing in the vicinity was quite expensive.
At 1300 a month, it was acceptable. Chen Cang, after pondering for a long while, decided to rent it.
The place was about a ten-minute walk from the hospital, convenient and quick. The room itself was decent, and what pleased Chen Cang the most was that on the first floor, there was a communal kitchen, which he felt could save him some money.
The young agent was reliable, having run around with Chen Cang all afternoon, they eventually settled on 1300. However, you still had to pay one month’s rent as the agent’s fee, and another month’s rent for the deposit, plus a 500 deposit for water and electricity… all in all, it came to nearly 20,000 yuan in one go!
Chen Cang sighed; thankfully, he had saved a bit of money, otherwise, he’d really be reduced to roaming the streets.
He went to sign the contract the next day, and then he could start slowly moving his stuff over.
Fortunately, Chen Cang didn’t have much to move, but…
The second floor of the loft became an obstacle for Chen Cang.
After all, moving things up the stairs was truly a laborious task; why hadn’t he thought of that before?
Chen Cang resolved to move one item each day… Little by little, by the time the demolition began, he would be done.
Fat Auntie was generous, returning Chen Gang’s excess deposit and rent; he effectively lived the month for free, and the water and electricity were generously waived.