Hello, Jie Fen – CH33

Chapter 33: Unemployed Before Starting the Job

Chi Wang had promised to knit something for both Xiaomi and Xie Siheng, but for now, it was just an unfulfilled promise. He discovered that last year’s yarn had become damp and musty, so he went on Taobao to buy new yarn.

Knitting was a skill he had learned back in middle school. He would buy colorful yarn and, while listening to classes, knit small items under the desk. After class, in an hour, he could weave seven or eight basic red string bracelets and would sell them in the park once a week.

He was good-looking, sweet-talking, and always smiling, which made many older sisters and aunties happy to buy from him. He could earn three to four hundred yuan a week—no small amount for a middle school student—and this wasn’t his only source of income, but it was his most cost-effective small business.

Crocheting small rabbits, kittens, puppies, sunflowers, or little flower dolls and attaching them to keychains could sell for 25 yuan each in the park. He could make two in an hour, so his hourly wage was about 50 yuan. A beaded bracelet, if he worked quickly, could be made three to four pieces per hour. The beads were bought wholesale, and depending on the style, they could sell for ten to twenty yuan each. Calculated, he could earn fifty to sixty yuan per hour—making it his most cost-effective small business!

He attended a very good high school with high tuition fees, which he paid for himself.

He never forgot the skills that could support him and pay for his education. Every year, he would find time to knit some items—not only to keep his skills sharp but also to save money on buying sweaters and scarves.

He was also skilled at more complex knitting. Last year, he knitted five or six sweaters for himself, each with colorful patterns on the chest.

He was willing to spend money on quality yarn, and the items he crocheted were both high-quality and stylish.

Since he was making something for Xie Siheng, he thought Luo Lianyun and Shu Tingyu should have something too. It wouldn’t take much time, so he made some for them as well.

In a few days, it would be New Year’s Day. His “grunt work”… well, it couldn’t be called grunt work anymore. Now, the workload was less, and the cost-effectiveness had improved. Chi Wang felt fortunate that he hadn’t quit this job. He hadn’t expected that the promises made by capitalists could actually come true one day.

He checked Tianyancha (a business information platform) and saw that the number of insured employees had increased, indicating that the company had indeed upgraded and was expanding its recruitment. Maybe in a few years, it would even go public.

Chi Wang felt that this job still had prospects, with room for growth—although he didn’t plan to stay with the company forever. It was a startup, and to be honest, he joined because of the “startup” label, wanting to see how others started and grew their businesses.

He had some ideas, but saying them out loud seemed too far-fetched, so he decided to take it slowly. After all, he was only a sophomore; learning more experience and skills wouldn’t hurt.

Even if, worst-case scenario, he had the idea and the opportunity to put it into practice but didn’t succeed and ended up in debt, with so many skills in hand, he would still have a way out, wouldn’t he?

Chi Wang knew he was still quite inexperienced, but people grow over time.

“On one day, the great bird rises with the wind and soars up to ninety thousand miles.”

Chi Wang was full of fighting spirit.

During the New Year’s holiday, Xie wanted to take Chi Wang for a medical check-up.

He had mentioned it a few days ago, and now it was time to take Chi Wang to the hospital.

The weather was cold, and Chi Wang wore thick clothes. His waist and abdomen were slim, so even though he was pregnant, it wasn’t very noticeable when he was dressed.

But when he took a bath, he would observe that his belly was indeed getting bigger. When he touched it, because his abdominal muscles were weak, it was still quite elastic and firm.

Chi Wang hadn’t felt any so-called fetal movement, but perhaps it was a misconception—when he calmed down and touched his belly, he could feel a small heart beating inside.

It was a very strange feeling.

Chi Wang felt that he was quite indifferent, having little affection for the baby in his belly. But as his belly grew bigger and the characteristics of life became more apparent, his feelings began to change.

He remembered a long time ago, when he was cooking at home, he cracked open a fresh egg and saw a bit of red pulsating in the yolk. He realized it was the developing heart of a chick—a fertilized egg.

He was inexplicably moved and used plastic wrap to replace the eggshell, hoping to hatch the chick.

Over a few days, through the plastic wrap, he could see that the chick had developed the outline of eyes, with a spider-like beating heart sinking into the yolk, starting to develop claws and wings. The eyes showed bluish eyelids, and through the small window, he could see a life struggling to grow.

Chi Wang carefully took care of it, trying to prevent bacteria from entering, but he still failed. The chick under the plastic wrap didn’t develop fully and began to be invaded by bacteria, growing white spots—it couldn’t survive.

Chi Wang realized that participating in the process of life formation could be a terrifying thing because he actually started to feel some affection for the baby in his belly.

He began to care a little, to feel a bit of love for the baby inside him.

This was a frightening thing.

He didn’t tell Xie about it. Although he could talk to Xie peacefully most of the time, like friends, whenever it involved the baby in his belly, he would suddenly become alert, repeatedly realizing one thing:

This was actually his and Xie’s child.

His belly was made bigger by Xie.

They seemed to be getting along like roommates, but in fact, they had already slept together and even had a child.

Connecting all this, Chi Wang felt like he was dreaming—it didn’t feel real.

When they arrived at the hospital, because it was a holiday, there were many people.

Xie registered him, and they went to the obstetrics and gynecology department to wait in line. There were many pregnant women, but only a few were accompanied by their husbands. Most were alone or with female elders or friends.

There were few seats available. Xie found a seat for him, but before he could warm the seat, Chi Wang stood up and gave his seat to a pregnant woman with a large belly.

After the pregnant woman sat down, she struck up a conversation with Chi Wang, “What are you here for?”

Chi Wang replied, “Obstetrics and gynecology.”

The pregnant woman looked at him, “You’re so tall.”

Chi Wang’s appearance was somewhat androgynous, and he looked young, with a round face and no prominent male bone structure, so the pregnant woman thought he was a girl. “Is that your husband? He’s so handsome.”

Chi Wang: “…”

Xie, beside them, said, “No.”

The pregnant woman exclaimed, “Oh, sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Chi Wang looked at her belly, feeling amazed, “Isn’t your belly too big? Doesn’t it feel uncomfortable?”

The pregnant woman sighed, “Of course it’s uncomfortable. At night, I always want to go to the bathroom and can only sleep on my side. My waist also aches a lot.”

Afraid of scaring him, she comforted, “But I’m carrying twins, so my belly is a bit bigger. With just one baby, it’s better—it won’t be so big.”

She offered proactively, “Do you want to touch it? You can feel the babies’ hands and feet now.”

Chi Wang was tempted, “Can I?”

The pregnant woman smiled, “Of course.”

She opened her coat, revealing a thin woolen dress underneath. Chi Wang placed his hand on her belly, and soon, his palm was kicked—a fairly strong kick.

Chi Wang showed a shocked expression, “Are they practicing boxing in there?”

The pregnant woman smiled gently, her eyes soft, “They’re quite strong, aren’t they?”

Chi Wang asked, “Does it hurt when they kick like that?”

She said, “No, but it can be startling, and they move around at night too.”

She then asked Chi Wang, “How many months along are you?”

Chi Wang counted, “About 12 weeks.”

She understood, “Still early, so it’s not showing much.”

Chi Wang stared at her belly in a daze. The experience of trying to hatch a chick flashed back in his mind like a slideshow.

He couldn’t quite grasp what it felt like to be a parent.

Pregnancy for ten months was so difficult. Even someone as tough as him couldn’t help but soften. Did his biological parents also look forward to his birth with such feelings?

Chi Wang frowned slightly but quickly relaxed his brows, smiling warmly, “But the belly gets so big, and you have to get cut on the belly when giving birth. It’s really troublesome.”

The pregnant woman was surprised, “You’re planning a cesarean at such a young age? If you can have a natural birth, you should. Recovery is better, and babies born naturally are smarter.”

Chi Wang’s eyes widened, “Why? Is there some reasoning behind that?”

She also widened her eyes, “You don’t know? It’s common knowledge. Babies born naturally are smarter, just like how babies who are breastfed have better immunity.”

Chi Wang pondered for a moment, “If it’s a cesarean, and they manually squeeze the baby afterward, wouldn’t it have the same effect? By the way, where do they squeeze? The forehead? Wouldn’t that flatten it? Won’t it make the head shape unattractive?”

The pregnant woman: “…”

She said, “You don’t understand anything, did you get pregnant without knowing what’s going on? You can buy a ‘Mother and Baby Handbook’ online. It’s very comprehensive. You must read and learn carefully. It’s about the baby; learning more won’t hurt.”

Chi Wang said, “Thanks for the recommendation. I’ll buy one when I get back.”

When her number was called, she got up and went into the consultation room.

After she left, Xie finally spoke, “I was born by cesarean section.”

Chi Wang: “Huh?”

Xie said, “I didn’t have my head squeezed, and I’m still smart.”

Chi Wang: “Pfft.”

Seeing him unable to control his laughter, Xie also curled his lips slightly, the icy expression in his eyes completely melting.

After the check-up, it was already noon.

They didn’t eat outside; Xie took Chi Wang back home.

Chi Wang seemed a bit low in spirits, but when Xie took out a camera and said he wanted to teach him photography, Chi Wang became interested.

He felt that the more he got to know Xie, the more he discovered. “What else can you do? Tell me.” He wondered if he could learn more skills from him.

Xie remained mysterious and didn’t tell Chi Wang—if he said everything at once, it wouldn’t be interesting.

Chi Wang got the camera and found it was a Sony, a famous model—the A9 Mark III. A great camera!

Chi Wang couldn’t put it down, but he didn’t want Xie to teach him. Why waste time? There were tutorials online; borrowing the camera was enough.

Xie: “…”

Indeed, you could find tutorials online for anything you wanted to learn.

Not even on the job yet and already unemployed—great.

But at least the camera was in Chi Wang’s hands. It would be best if, after borrowing it, he forgot to return it.

In the afternoon, the test results came back. The doctor with the wig called Xie, saying that the Down’s screening and NT results were all good—a very healthy baby.

Xie told Chi Wang the results. Chi Wang wasn’t very enthusiastic, playing with the camera absentmindedly, “That’s normal, right? With our physical conditions, it would be hard to have an unhealthy baby.”

Xie: “…”

He really liked hearing Chi Wang say “the two of us.”