78: Bringing his wife and children to Harbin Institute of Technology

Chapter 154 Mortgage

After finishing his meal, Ye Bingwen walked home alone.

He didn't take the bus anymore; on the other hand, he wanted to walk around by himself.

When Ye Bingwen was halfway there, he stopped in front of a small shop by the roadside.

There weren't many people in the shop. An old man was sitting behind the counter, wearing round glasses and doing arithmetic.

The shop sign reads: Pawnshop Recycling.

Ye Bingwen stared at those four characters for a while.

Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"Is anything of value missing from your home?"

He thought about it.

The radio was bought when we got married; it's a Red Lantern brand.

The sewing machine belongs to Zheng Shuyun; she uses it to make clothes for An'an.

He rode his bicycle, a Forever brand, to work at the factory every day.

What else?

Suddenly, Ye Bingwen thought of the watch on Zheng Shuyun's wrist.

That watch was bought by Ye Bingwen for Zheng Shuyun; it was a Shanghai brand, all-steel, and cost 320 yuan.

They saved up the money for more than half a year before buying it.

Zheng Shuyun has been wearing that watch for about five years.

Ye Bingwen stood at the shop entrance and hesitated for a long time.

In the end, he still didn't go in.

Ye Bingwen patted his face and hurried home.

When Ye Bingwen arrived home, Zheng Shuyun had already put An'an to sleep.

She sat under the living room light, knitting a sweater.

The yarn is yellow; she said she wanted to knit a little wool vest for An'an.

Ye Bingwen changed his shoes and sat down opposite Zheng Shuyun.

At this moment, Zheng Shuyun spoke up.

"How's the factory today?"

"An apprentice has left."

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Upon hearing this, Zheng Shuyun paused in her knitting, then asked, "Why are you leaving?"

"His father was hospitalized with a stomach hemorrhage."

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"There's nothing we can do about it."

"Um.

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Zheng Shuyun continued knitting a sweater.

Ye Bingwen kept staring at Zheng Shuyun's wrist.

She doesn't usually wear that watch when she's doing housework, and she didn't wear it tonight either; it must be in the drawer of her dressing table in the bedroom.

At that moment, Zheng Shuyun caught Ye Bingwen's gaze.

"What are you looking at?"

"I didn't see anything."

Zheng Shuyun put down the needle.

"Bingwen, is there something you want to tell me?"

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"It's nothing."

"There's something wrong with your eyes."

Ye Bingwen remained silent for a while.

He thought of several ways to start, but he just couldn't bring himself to say it.

Finally, he picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip, and mustered his courage to speak: "Shuyun, that watch—"

'

Zheng Shuyun looked at him.

"What's wrong?"

"Are you still wearing it?"

Zheng Shuyun's gaze towards Ye Bingwen changed.

"Ye Bingwen, do you need to get your watch?"

Ye Bingwen remained silent.

Zheng Shuyun put down the yarn and went into the bedroom.

After a while, she came out carrying a small red velvet box.

She placed the box on the table and pushed it in front of Ye Bingwen.

"Take it."

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Ye Bingwen looked at her and suddenly didn't know what to say.

"The Charm of Books —"

"No need to explain, just use it if you want. This is all the stuff we have that can be exchanged for money. Take it."

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Ye Bingwen felt a little sore.

"I was thinking of mortgaging it first, and then redeeming it once the loan came through."

"If you can redeem it, you can redeem it; if you can't redeem it, you can't redeem it. It's okay."

"The Charm of Books"

"Ye Bingwen, listen to me."

Zheng Shuyun sat down and looked at Ye Bingwen.

"You bought this watch for me. Back then, you said you'd never let me suffer, and I believed you. In all these years, when have you ever let me suffer a loss?"

"Now that something's happened at the factory, you need to figure out a solution for the dozens of people working there. What does a watch on your wife's wrist matter?"

"Take it, pawn it tomorrow."

Ye Bingwen lowered his head and remained silent, wanting to cry but holding back.

"There's still over two thousand in that passbook. You can use it if you need it."

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"That's for emergencies."

"Isn't this just an emergency measure?"

Ye Bingwen looked up at Zheng Shuyun.

Zheng Shuyun's face looked paler than usual under the light.

She might not have been sleeping well lately because she's been worrying about herself.

Ye Bingwen took the red velvet box over.

"I'll redeem it the day after tomorrow, and it should be ready in three days at most."

"Um."

"The loan application is already under review, and we should hear back in a couple of days."

"Um.

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Zheng Shuyun picked up her knitting needles again and continued knitting.

Ye Bingwen sat there for a while longer before getting up and going to the kitchen.

Ye Bingwen didn't know why he had come into the kitchen, but he just couldn't sit still.

The stove was still a little warm, probably left over from when Zheng Shuyun heated up the food.

He washed his face by the water tank; the cold water made him feel a little more refreshed.

He walked back to the living room, where Zheng Shuyun was still knitting and didn't look up.

Ye Bingwen walked over and squatted down next to her.

"The Charm of Books"

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry."

Zheng Shuyun paused again while holding the needle.

She turned her head to look at Ye Bingwen.

"Ye Bingwen, we're so sorry, we're both so sorry."

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"When I married you, I was determined to give you a good life."

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"I didn't think that much when I married you."

"And now?"

Zheng Shuyun smiled.

"Now that we have An'an, this family, and your factory, tell me, am I at a disadvantage?"

"deficit."

"So what are you planning to do? Get a divorce and find someone new?"

Ye Bingwen also smiled.

"That's not possible."

"That'll do."

Zheng Shuyun put the needle down.

"Go to sleep, you need to get up early tomorrow."

"Um."

Ye Bingwen stood up and put the red velvet box into his pocket.

The next morning, Ye Bingwen rode his bicycle to the pawnshop in Daoli.

The pawnshops in Daoli have a very good reputation; he'd heard that they offer higher prices than other small shops.

Ye Bingwen walked in, and there were already several people queuing at the front desk when he entered.

Ye Bingwen quietly stood at the end of the line.

When it was Ye Bingwen's turn, he opened the box and placed it on the counter.

The shop owner behind the counter looked to be in his forties. He was wearing magnifying glasses and an eye mask. He took the watch and examined it for a long time, turning it over and over in his eyes.

"Shanghai brand, all-steel, 70% new."

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"right."

"Where are the receipts?"

"The receipts are missing."

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The boss just grunted in response.

"The price will be lower if there is no receipt."

"How many?"

"One hundred and eighty."

Ye Bingwen frowned involuntarily when he heard the price.

"I bought this watch for 320 back then. It's been five years. Now, even if it's 70% new, it should be worth more than 200. Boss, add a little more."

.

"Can't add it."

"Two hundred, two hundred, I'll take it."

The boss put the watch down and flipped through it again.

"One hundred and eighty-five, the highest."

Ye Bingwen hesitated for a moment.

"Alright, 185 it is."

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The boss took out the pawn ticket and started writing.

After finishing writing, he handed Ye Bingwen a pawn ticket and a wad of cash.

"Come to redeem within three months, or you will not be able to do so."

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"Know."

Ye Bingwen took the pawn ticket and put the money in his pocket.

As he walked out of the pawnshop, he stood on the street and glanced at the watch shop across the street.

A new watch was displayed in the shop window, a similar model to Zheng Shuyun's, priced at 420.

Ye Bingwen stood there for a while, then turned around and rode away on his bicycle.

He stopped halfway through his ride and counted the money in his pocket.

185.

Adding to the two thousand in Zheng Shuyun's savings account yesterday.

Adding the four hundred or so in the account.

A total of over two thousand five hundred.

The electricity bill is 3,200 yuan, and I'm still short by more than 600 yuan.

Ye Bingwen rode for a while longer.

He stopped when he reached the entrance of the power supply bureau.

Ye Bingwen wanted to go down and ask if he could pay part of it first and the rest a few days later.

But Ye Bingwen did not get out of the car.

Ye Bingwen knew that asking others for help in this kind of situation was pointless.

They were just following the rules.

Ye Bingwen rode back to the factory.