Chapter 217: IOU

After Bai Zimu busied himself at school for a few days, he completed the work handover regarding the laboratory, and conveniently submitted another application for further studies.

After finishing these, he went to the dormitory to pack his luggage.

The things left here were already not too many, these had all been taken away in advance by Lei Dongchuan, he just picked up a few frequently flipped books placed on the desk, packed them into his backpack, and additionally took a coat.

The senior in the dormitory had just returned, the two people met once, and when greeting each other they were both especially polite.

The senior scratched his head, saying:

“Junior Bai, having gotten along for this long of a time I still haven’t treated you to a meal, and you are about to skip a grade again, also not knowing when the next time we meet will be, are you going to follow Professor Liang’s graduating class?”

Bai Zimu chuckled, nodding and saying:

“Correct.”

“Professor Liang is famous in our mathematics academy for having a good temper, for you to be able to keep up with his class is truly lucky. [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Right, if you have anything you don’t quite understand regarding the graduation thesis, feel free to come ask me, I can’t help much with other things, but with this I have experience.”

The senior chuckled, patting his chest and recommending himself to him.

“Okay, thank you Senior.”

“No need to be polite, has your new dormitory been settled, let me help you move your things?”

“I’ll temporarily live at home first, a while ago I finished busying with a big project with the teachers and the rest, I can rest for a period of time.”

The roommate senior was instantly envious, saying:

“Truly great, then I won’t disturb you, I just came back to grab some things and will be leaving… Ah, speaking of which I should actually thank you, every time your brother delivers food to you, I’m also able to eat a meal, having freeloaded off your meals for almost a year, truly thank you so much.”

Although he said it like this, but it sounded reluctant to part, that sentence of “thank you so much” sounded more like “too delicious”.

Bai Zimu was amused into laughing.

His brother’s cooking was indeed delicious, half was because of natural talent, the other half was because he was a picky eater.

The best method to temper a cook, is exactly to find a diner with a small and tricky appetite, on these two points, the two of them both did very well.

After Bai Zimu came out of the dormitory, he gave Lei Dongchuan a call, his previous mobile phone had already been handed back, what he was using now was a Nokia that Lei Dongchuan newly bought for him, very compact.

Lei Dongchuan was somewhat busy today, and arranged a car and driver to come pick him up.

After Bai Zimu got in the car, he only then discovered the driver was a newly arrived one, the other party grew quite tall and sturdy, sitting posture straight, speaking with a bit of a northern accent, very politely greeting him.

Bai Zimu asked:

“You are a Jizhou person?”

The other party said:

“Little Boss’s hearing is good, hearing it out at once; I am from Jizhou, previously served as a soldier for a few years, got injured while on a mission and retired, Captain Lei takes care of us veteran soldiers, introducing a new job, and I came over to help drive.”

Bai Zimu knew it was specially arranged by Lei Dongchuan, previously he had heard him mention sending two people to Master He’s side to stand guard, reckoning the situation was about the same as this newly arrived driver.

The newly arrived driver was surnamed Zhou, called Zhou Yan, the things he knew how to do were quite a lot.

When Bai Zimu asked about it, he grinned revealing a mouthful of white teeth while driving:

“Know a little bit of everything I guess, small and medium-sized motorboats, speedboats, and also four-wheeled ones on the road, getting the hang of them isn’t a big problem, if there is a place Little Boss needs to use me just speak up.”

“Okay.”

“Little Boss, shall we return to the residence first?”

Bai Zimu thought for a moment, and gave him an address:

“No rush, first go visit an elder.”

Zhou Yan was relatively familiar with the capital’s terrain, his driving skills were also very steady, very quickly delivering Bai Zimu to the place, which was exactly Master He’s studio in the capital.

Master He frequently came to the capital on business trips, plus after Bai Zimu attended university, the old master thought since it was a long-term stay, he bought a place to serve as a studio. Because the price was cheap when he bought it, he directly bought a whole floor of an office building, but during usual times he also couldn’t use this much, picking a few interconnected rooms with the best locations for his own use, and renting the rest out, every month still having a handsome sum of rent.

When Bai Zimu found his way over, Master He was currently rolling beads in the studio, a string of coral was rubbed to a waxy smoothness all over, red as ox blood, a magnifying glass was also placed on the side, the old man picking it up to take a look from time to time, exceptionally focused.

Bai Zimu pushed the door open a little bit, when seeing him he was slightly hesitant, but before the gap of the partition door had closed, he heard Master He sitting by the window call out to him:

“Ah, how come you’re leaving right after coming!”

Bai Zimu only then went in, standing at the doorway and smiling, saying:

“Grandpa, I thought you were busy.”

Master He put down that string of coral beads in his hand, waving his hand to let him come over, chuckling and saying:

“What could I possibly be busy with, isn’t it just those few uncles of yours, finding a few strings of beads for me, to relieve boredom!”

He let Bai Zimu sit on the chair next to himself, and asked again,

“How come you have free time to come out today? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] That whatever Professor Tang of yours, isn’t managing you anymore?”

Bai Zimu:

“Mn, the previous project is finished, Professor Tang is also busy, needing to write a report.”

Master He: “Then you are considered on vacation now?”

Bai Zimu:

“Well, not exactly considered either; in a few days I need to go out for a trip with the professor and the rest, after coming back I will be on vacation, I can probably rest for a month.”

He was afraid the old man would worry, and didn’t mention the matter of entering Tibet to look for a person, only stating a usually used reason.

Master He didn’t hear it out, quite happily patting his hand and saying:

“It is time to rest, you’ve attended two years of university, haven’t rested a single time during the winter and summer vacations, compensating you with a month is also as it should be.”

When the old man was happy he wanted to gift things, not having anything handy on hand, he just stuffed that string of coral beads to Bai Zimu.

“Grandpa hasn’t crafted anything recently either, the quality of this string of coral is still considered not bad, take it.”

Bai Zimu wasn’t paying attention, only feeling it was heavy when receiving it in his hand, heavy like a stone.

He lowered his head to take a look, the color of that string of coral beads looked tenderly red, unable to tell that it had this heavy of a weight.

Master He said:

“Coral is like this, wait until you come again in a couple days, there’s also a pink-white string, although it isn’t worth much money, but it’s like the flowers blooming on the small apricot tree at home, you will like that color the moment you look at it!”

Bai Zimu also smiled, nodding and saying okay.

He accompanied the old man here for a while longer, during which he received a phone call from Lei Dongchuan, listening to the sound which was somewhat noisy, like it was on a construction site, the sound transmitting over intermittently:

“…You accompany Grandpa there for a while longer, I will be as quick as possible on my end, once I finish busying in the afternoon I’ll go over and pick you up.”

Bai Zimu said:

“No need, Brother, I still need to go out for a trip in the afternoon, want to go buy some things.”

Lei Dongchuan said:

“Alright, you tell Zhou Yan, wherever you’re going let him drive you there.”

Bai Zimu agreed with a sound, raising his head to take a look outside, Zhou Yan was not the same as other drivers, he didn’t wait downstairs, instead following every step to stand in the reception hall outside the studio. Several apprentices of Baohua Silver Building were warmly telling him to sit down, and even sent tea over, Zhou Yan was slightly somewhat restrained, but also took the opportunity to sit down, looking like he did not have plans to leave.

The words that reached the edge of Bai Zimu’s mouth, after thinking about it, still changed to a different sentence:

“Brother, I will buy some groceries tonight, wait until you come back, let’s eat at home.”

Lei Dongchuan’s side chuckled once, saying in a low voice:

“Alright, don’t start the fire, wait until I go back to cook.”

“Mn.”

Bai Zimu’s temper was good, but it didn’t mean Master He’s temper was also good, there were already enough people inside the old man’s studio, normally when people from Baohua Silver Building came he would find it annoying, let alone at this moment Lei Dongchuan’s people standing guard outside numbered exactly three.

After Master He caught sight of Zhou Yan, he came back and puffed up with anger, asking Bai Zimu:

“That was found for you by your brother right, following that tightly, is it a driver ah or a bodyguard? [Read on RanaTranslations🌸] Not that big of a matter, but the fuss caused isn’t light, turn around and tell Dongchuan a sentence, tell him to hurry up and take the people away, last time the bracelet was already finished, what are the people still staying here for?”

“…”

Bai Zimu’s ears grew hot, vaguely responding with a sound.

Right now he couldn’t bear to hear the word ‘bracelet’, after that day, Lei Dongchuan had indeed generously given the gold bracelet to him, but he didn’t want to see it, and had long pressed it to the bottom of his trunk.

Bai Zimu stayed here to accompany Master He in simply eating lunch, when preparing to leave, he suddenly heard sounds of an argument from the reception hall side.

Bai Zimu supported the old man out to take a look, somewhat unexpectedly seeing Luo Jiaqing in the reception hall.

Luo Jiaqing came over bringing his assistant, obviously blocked by the people at the doorway, Zhou Yan and the two bodyguards left behind previously also stood up, they took a glance at Bai Zimu, as long as the other party gave a single command, they could go forward and pin the person down.

Bai Zimu shook his head slightly, and Zhou Yan and those few people merely stood there, not making a move.

Master He saw the other party, quite somewhat unhappy:

“What have you come to do again? Didn’t I tell you, the matter of cooperating with Jinyuan Jewelry Store is absolutely impossible, don’t come bother me in the future.”

Luo Jiaqing stepped forward, the clothes on his body were somewhat wrinkled from the grabbing and pulling just now, looking a bit wretched, his tone also a bit anxious:

“Grandpa He, no, Master He, this is not a difficult matter for you, as long as you old gentleman move your fingers, you can save Jinyuan…”

Master He was angered into laughing:

“What do I save Jinyuan for?”

“This, are all domestic jewelry stores—”

“Domestic jewelry stores are far too many, could it be whichever one has difficulties, I have to risk my life to give a saving hand?”

Master He shook his head and said,

“You go back, tell the elders in your family, no matter who comes, it’s of no use.”

Luo Jiaqing wanted to come visit Master He time and time again, being blocked during the previous few times, this time it was borrowing another person’s calling card to be able to enter the studio, he knew that he himself also only had this final opportunity to visit, trying to rummage for something from his pocket.

Bai Zimu’s eyes stared at him, shouting a sound:

“Zhou Yan!”

Zhou Yan had been paying attention to Luo Jiaqing’s actions the whole time, the moment Bai Zimu made a sound, he immediately rushed over, snatching the lead to pin Luo Jiaqing onto the ground!

The matter happened too fast, when the assistant beside Luo Jiaqing reacted, his boss’s face was already stuck to the floor. The assistant hurriedly wanted to step forward, but the two bodyguards standing guard outside the studio weren’t vegetarians either, blocking him outside from the front and back, the assistant could only stamp his feet helplessly:

“Master He, Old Gentleman He! It’s not like what you think, our Manager Luo doesn’t have the intention to offend you, he just wants to take some things out to show you—”

Master He stepped forward, lowering his head to look at him.

Luo Jiaqing was pinned there, his heart resentful, but he also couldn’t move the slightest bit, and could only try hard to raise his eyes and say:

“Grandpa He, I, the elders in my family said to let me hand this over to you.”

The bodyguard pressing him slightly released one side’s arm, Luo Jiaqing reluctantly stretched his hand to take out an envelope from his clothing pocket, raising it up and handing it to Master He.

Master He received it, and after tearing it open, inside was an IOU with yellowing paper.

A portion of the handwriting on the IOU was already somewhat blurred, but it could still be discerned that it was a slip for borrowing grain, the words “Today borrowing ONE HUNDRED jin of coarse grain from Luo Deyao” could be seen clearly, the signature was He Yanchun, Master He himself.

“My grandfather said, in the year 61 the IOU you gave him, this one hundred jin of grain, had saved the lives of half the people in Baohua Silver Building!”

Luo Jiaqing said, “My grandfather said, said he and you are old friends…”

Master He crushed that IOU, looking at him and saying coldly:

“Then did he ever mention to you, that golden Buddha statue I forged for him to pay off the debt?”