Soul Patch

Chapter 141 I treated him to a meal

The dessert shop was filled with the aroma of milk, and the streets were filled with vintage music.

Wenjie was surprised to see girls on the street dressed in revealing outfits, including jumpsuits and sundresses—fashion items that are still trendy and stylish even a decade or so later.

This is where?

The last time I went back to 2007, facing this country road with its fragrant soil, I couldn't help but recall the time when I went to school with my schoolbag on my back as a child.

This time, as Wenjie left the dessert shop, the sounds of people chattering in the local dialect filled his ears, and he was surrounded by warm, humid air, with a salty sea breeze brushing against his face.

This is...this is a coastal city!

Wenjie smiled at a girl who looked like a student next to him and asked, "Little sister, where is this?"

The girl blinked and looked Wenjie up and down, her eyes filled with barely suppressed curiosity.

This puzzled Wenjie, who looked down at himself. He had just changed into the white shirt when he was discharged from the hospital. He had heard that Jia Nan's sentence had been changed to probation today, so he had specially applied for early discharge and was waiting at Jia Nan's house.

So the clothes, pants, and shoes were all brand new and neat, and there shouldn't be any sense of travel weariness.

As for people, Wenjie touched his freshly shaved beard from the morning. He looked neat and clean, not at all like someone who had experienced many hardships or had a story to tell.

So what is this girl curious about?

As Wenjie lowered his head to ponder, the girl giggled, her voice as clear and melodious as a gentle breeze rustling through a wind chime.

"Brother, where are you from?" A clear voice rang out again.

Wenjie smiled and looked at the little girl for a moment, then his smile faded slightly, a little embarrassed: "You... what did you say?"

He realized that the little girl wasn't curious about his appearance or clothes, but rather his accent.

Upon hearing Wenjie's question, the little girl giggled again, patted her chest with her small hand, gradually calmed down, and slowly repeated, "Brother...brother, you...are...what...barbarian...people?"

I understand, they're asking where he's from.

“M City, a northern city. Judging from your accent, is this Minnan?” Wenjie hadn’t traveled far from home much and knew very little about southern cities. He rubbed his hands together and smiled sheepishly.

"N City, along the Pearl River Delta." The little girl spoke slowly, afraid that Wenjie wouldn't understand, and smiled as she finished.

When the girl smiles, her eyebrows and eyes curve, and she has a pair of cute dimples under her eyes, which is quite adorable.

"Oh, thank you, little sister."

In N City, a map of a rooster appeared in Wenjie's mind.

In the sweltering summer heat, this coastal city welcomed Wenjie with fiery enthusiasm. The bright sun warmed the humid air, and Wenjie's body gradually heated up.

It wasn't even 10 o'clock yet, but the perceived temperature was already over 30 degrees Celsius. Coupled with the humid and muggy weather, Wenjie was covered in a fine layer of sweat.

Meanwhile, the blazing sun was still slowly climbing higher overhead.

Wenjie retreated into the dessert shop, hiding in the air-conditioned space, and immediately felt refreshed.

He went to the bar and ordered the same chocolate mousse ice cream scoop that Andy had just had.

The shopkeeper deftly used a long-handled steel spoon to scoop out the ice cream for 26 yuan and gently placed it on the black egg carton.

I rolled up a tissue with the logo printed on it, sent it to Wenjie, and gave him a price quote.

Wenjie silently accepted it, thinking to himself, "It really is expensive."

Andy's mother always brings her here to eat chocolate mousse, so it seems her family is well-off.

He took out his phone, opened WeChat, and prepared to scan the QR code.

But I can't open WeChat, and the 4G icon on my phone has disappeared, so it seems there's no network.

In N City in 2007, was there still no mobile network coverage?

Oh, it's not that the mobile network didn't have coverage, but that his SIM card didn't have roaming enabled. In 2007, M-Zone still had regional restrictions.

"Sir... is cash the only payment option here?" the shopkeeper reminded him after witnessing Wenjie's series of amazing actions.

cash?

Yes, electronic payments weren't that widespread in 2007.

Wenjie felt a chill run down his spine. Did he bring... did he bring cash?

He reached into his pocket with little hope, and sure enough, it was emptier than his face.

He awkwardly reached for the chocolate ball to hand to the shopkeeper, then lowered his eyes and said helplessly, "I was in a rush and didn't bring any money. Maybe I should just leave it..."

The shopkeeper looked at Wenjie, then at the slowly melting chocolate mousse ice cream, his face filled with disbelief.

Can this be returned?

Unheard of!

Just as she was feeling awkward, a voice came from behind her; it was a familiar male voice.

"One scoop of chocolate mousse ice cream, oh, two!"

"Great!" Wenjie exclaimed with delight.

He turned around, intending to pass the ice cream in his hand to the other person.

Turning around, I bumped into a familiar face.

He was a tall, middle-aged man wearing a well-made shirt with a uniform embossed logo on the buttons, and well-tailored light gray trousers that made him look gentle and refined.

The man was pointing to a tub of chocolate ice cream in the freezer.

When Wenjie turned around, their eyes met across the distance.

The man gasped, his lips parted slightly, his throat bobbed, and three words stuck in his throat.

These three characters are: Wen Tianyi!

Standing behind Wenjie was Jia Lin. Wenjie felt familiar with him because Jia Lin looked so much like Jia Nan twelve years ago.

When Jia Lin saw Wen Jie, he mistook him for a ghost.

This person looks exactly like Wen Tianyi, but Wen Tianyi is already dead. The living person standing in front of me can't possibly be Wen Tianyi.

For a moment, he couldn't think of anyone else who resembled Wen Tianyi so much, except for Wen Tianyi.

Wen Tianyi did have a son named Wen Jie. However, when Wen Tianyi passed away in 2000, Wen Jie was only five or six years old; he would be at most a teenager now.

It couldn't be Wenjie either.

That's like encountering a ghost.

Jia Lin stared intently at Wen Jie in front of him, stunned and unsure of what to do.

Wenjie's astonishment was beyond words.

Just moments ago, I was extremely disappointed in little Andy, thinking it was impossible for her to be involved with Jia Nan and Jia Song.

They were quickly proven wrong.

However, Wenjie's ice cream was about to melt, so he picked it up and said to Jia Lin, "...Sir...this ice cream is for you, a chocolate mousse ice cream scoop. It's exactly the flavor you ordered."

Jia Lin was terrified, imagining Wen Tianyi running over, grabbing his neck, and forcing him to hand over the embezzled property.

Instead, they handed him a scoop of ice cream!

The shopkeeper chimed in, "Hello, sir, this is because he wants to pay by mobile phone, but we don't currently offer that service, and he doesn't have any cash with him. Could you perhaps..."

"Oh!" Upon hearing this, Jia Lin's pale face regained color. He thought to himself, how much could a scoop of chocolate mousse ice cream cost?

He smiled magnanimously and waved his hand: "Treat him to a meal!"

(End of this chapter)