Chapter 47: Why Should I?

It was past three in the afternoon, and Ning Weidong was heading home after coming out of the bathhouse.

There was no reason to suffer when he had money in his pocket; just before noon, after leaving the Trust Store, he first went to Tongheju, spent one yuan and sixty cents on a plate of oil-seared meat, and ate four big bowls of rice.

Once full, he walked home along Fuchengmen Street, originally intending to go straight back.

Who would have thought that halfway there, he saw a bathhouse and suddenly felt his whole body wasn't quite right.

Thinking about the money in his pocket—a bathhouse was a place where people were many and hands were busy—if he really lost that much money, Ning Weidong wouldn't even dare to report it, as he couldn't explain the source of the funds.

He simply ran home first, put the money away securely, and only then took his towel, soap, and shampoo to the bathhouse at the entrance of the alley.

This bathhouse wasn't as large as the one he had seen earlier, but as a State-owned bathhouse, it had everything it should.

Bath tickets came in three tiers; for the first tier, you just washed and left, nothing fancy. He went straight for the first tier, went inside to undress, and an attendant gave him a large wicker basket; he stuffed his clothes inside and hung it directly from the ceiling.

If you were carrying a wallet or documents and didn't feel safe leaving them outside, you could spend an extra two cents to get a locker with a lock inside, which was safer and higher-class.

The next tier up was one with beds inside, where you could drink tea after washing and take a nap if you were tired.

Ning Weidong arrived at the bathhouse and directly asked for a bath ticket with a bed, bought a scrubbing token, and added a pot of high-grade tea dust.

This was only how it was now; if it were two years later, into the eighties, Ning Weidong wouldn't have asked for a bed.

A few years later, all sorts of people came to the capital to make a living, a mixed bag of everything, and those who couldn't afford a hotel would squeeze into the bathhouses.

Usually, for thirty or fifty cents, you could sleep from ten o'clock until the next morning.

At first, it was fine, with accommodation vouchers sold alongside bath tickets.

No matter what they did, they all washed clean first before going to bed.

But later on, in order to increase revenue, the bathhouses became increasingly lax.

They let anyone in, no longer requiring them to bathe, and turned the beds in the rest area into a mess.

Before he transmigrated, the original owner hadn't bathed for a while, and these past few days, with one thing after another, Ning Weidong hadn't had the time either. Good heavens, after soaking and getting on the leather bed to be scrubbed, the black grime that came off was a palm's length long.

Fortunately, the old man who did the scrubbing was experienced and didn't make a fuss.

He scrubbed Ning Weidong thoroughly, and after a rinse under the shower head, he felt as if he were two pounds lighter.

After washing, he drank another pot of tea outside and took a nap; by the time he returned home, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Just as he reached the front courtyard, he saw Lu Daye picking up coal cinders under their window.

Ning Weidong greeted him and was about to turn toward the side courtyard when he was stopped by Lu Daye: "Hey, Weidong, you're really something, buying a bicycle all on your own without a word!"

As soon as Ning Weidong heard this, he understood that Ning Wei had delivered the bike.

He smiled and said, "Sigh, commuting to work every day is too much trouble, and besides, the old bike wasn't worth much."

Lu Daye said, "I couldn't tell; I saw it when it was pushed over just now, it was polished up brand new."

Just as they were talking, Lu Dama, with a large red dot pressed onto her forehead, came out of the room and interrupted their conversation.

Ning Weidong called out "Lu Dama" and took the opportunity to step through the Moon Gate.

Lu Dama watched Ning Weidong's back and sighed, "The old saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven; it's truly not false. The eldest of the Ning Family just got promoted to Section Chief, and his younger brother is already riding a new bike..."

Lu Daye glared: "What are you saying! Always wagging your tongue."

Lu Dama curled her lips, only then remembering that her old man had long warned her to talk less about the Ning Family outside, and immediately changed the subject: "You've been outside for half a day, what's the situation over at the Wang Family's?"

Lu Daye straightened his back and glanced at Wang Kai's house: "What other situation could there be? Old Wang Laopozi put on such a show, lying on the ground, twitching for ages; what else could Shi Xiaonan say?"

Lu Dama 'snorted': "If you ask me, the second son of the Wang Family is a fool. Shi is such a good person, yet he insists on driving her away. The day they really get divorced, let's see where he goes to cry."...

On Ning Weidong's side, upon returning to the side courtyard, he saw the bicycle parked next to his earthquake shelter at a glance.

A black 26-inch Forever brand, the chrome handlebars polished to a shine, the leather saddle also new; at first glance, it didn't look like an old bike at all.

Ning Weidong walked over and reached out to pat the saddle; this bike probably wasn't cheap.

Originally, he had tossed fifty Ocean Coins to Ning Wei, partly as a pretext to give Ning Wei some benefits while buying the bike.

If you want a horse to run, you have to feed it grass; this is an eternal truth.

He hadn't expected Ning Wei to be so sincere.

Just then, the door to the west wing opened, and Bai Fengyu stood at the entrance with a resentful look on her face.

When Ning Wei came over to deliver the bike earlier and said it was bought by Ning Weidong, she hadn't believed it.

Others might not know, but she knew best whether Ning Weidong had any money on hand.

Last year when he started working, Ning Weidong had saved a total of one hundred yuan, and he had used it all to help her pay off her debts last time.

Later, that two hundred yuan was raised by joining a Black Signature Society at his workplace.

Although she had acted coy last time and the money was taken back by Ning Weidong, Bai Fengyu didn't believe Ning Weidong would use that money to buy a bicycle without caring whether she lived or died.

She didn't know that in just these few days, the two hundred yuan that had been crushing her until she couldn't breathe was no longer a big deal to Ning Weidong.

He had over eighteen hundred in cash on hand alone; he could take it out anytime if he really wanted to help her, but why should he? Just because you can manipulate people and treat them like fools? Just because you are pretty, tall, and have a big butt?

Ning Weidong smiled and called out "Sister," ignoring Bai Fengyu's silent protest, and continued to examine the bicycle in front of him.

You can't spoil people at times like this.

Bai Fengyu felt bitter inside; if she had been angry before, this brat would have already run over to fuss over her, but now...

Although she had long noticed that Ning Weidong had changed, she still held onto a fantasy that perhaps he was just acting out and would be fine in a few days.

Seeing that Ning Weidong wasn't falling for it, Bai Fengyu had no choice and said softly, "Weidong, come here, I have something to tell you."

Ning Weidong continued to examine the bicycle: "You can just say it right here~"

Bai Fengyu was almost moved to tears; some things couldn't be said outside.

She wanted to flick her sleeves and walk away, but thinking that a creditor would be coming in three days, she had to restrain her temper.

Originally, she had another path, but she didn't want to take that step unless it was a last resort.

Firstly, it would be a stretch for that person to come up with two hundred yuan at once; secondly, that person was no saint, and if she really went to beg him, she would definitely be walking into a wolf's den.

If it really came to that point, she would rather give it to Ning Weidong.

At least Ning Weidong had been truly good to her before, and more importantly, Ning Weidong looked spirited, over one meter eighty, with thick eyebrows and big eyes; he was much more pleasing to the eye than that person.

Bai Fengyu softened her tone and said pitifully, "Weidong~ can't you just do this for your sister!"

Ning Weidong had no expression; he stopped looking at the bicycle and met Bai Fengyu's gaze.

At this moment, Bai Fengyu could not tell what emotions he had at all; the person before her made her feel like a stranger.

But immediately after, Ning Weidong beamed, as if he had instantly turned back into that big boy from before, and said with a smile, "Oh, you are my own sister! If you want to talk inside, then we'll talk inside; what a small matter this is~"

(End of this chapter)