Gu’er and Marina had agreed that Marina would send soone to find Gu’er with any news.
After leaving Marina’s house and returning to their place, Sun Jiaming, Li Zhi, and Dingzi all stared at Gu’er.
"I’m sorry."
Gu’er apologized to the three of them first.
"What’s wrong? Did it not work out? Is Marina unwilling to help, or is it her father?"
Li Zhi asked anxiously. The three of them had been waiting out front, so they didn’t know what Gu’er and Marina had discussed.
Sun Jiaming and Dingzi also looked at Gu’er.
"I told Marina the truth. You don’t understand, when she looked at with those eyes and asked with such concern what was wrong and if I needed her help... I just couldn’t bring myself to use her. So I told her the whole story. I feel better for telling her the truth, but in doing so, I basically gave up on our interests. That’s why I have to apologize to you all."
Gu’er spoke earnestly. Even though she had earned Marina’s understanding and things hadn’t turned sour, she still owed Li Zhi and the others an apology.
"Don’t say that."
Li Zhi waved his hand dismissively.
"Seriously, why are you apologizing to us? If you feel bad about it, how do you think that makes us feel? We’re actually relieved that you told Marina the truth. So what if we can’t get a good stall? We’ll just get one in a more remote spot. As long as we have the goods, we won’t have to worry about sales. Besides, we can sell our stuff even without a stall, right? We’re a team. Don’t you dare say you’re sorry again, or we’ll all give you the cold shoulder."
Li Zhi’s words were firm.
Dingzi nodded at Gu’er.
"It was my idea..."
Sun Jiaming looked guilty.
"No, Brother Jia Ming, if you hadn’t suggested it, we’d still be completely lost. Your idea was for to beco her friend. I know you didn’t an anything else by it. Without your idea, we wouldn’t have had any leads at all. And without your idea, how would I have made a new friend?"
Gu’er said quickly, afraid that Sun Jiaming would read too much into it.
"Besides, Marina said she appreciated my honesty. She promised she’d talk to her father for and help us get a good stall. She said she’ll let know when she has news."
At this, a smile returned to Gu’er’s face.
"Really? Marina is still willing to help us? Man, you gave a scare. I thought the whole thing was a bust."
Li Zhi looked skeptical.
"It’s true. Marina is very kind. She’s a good person."
Gu’er nodded emphatically.
"Not bad at all. That foreign broad is really sothing else."
Li Zhi gave a big thumbs-up in praise.
A glint appeared in Dingzi’s eyes, and he shot Li Zhi a look of disapproval.
"Li Zhi, what are you saying? She’s not even married. ’Broad’? That sounds awful."
Gu’er shot Li Zhi a glare.
"It was a slip of the tongue! I didn’t an it, I didn’t an it."
Li Zhi quickly held up his hands in surrender.
Sun Jiaming chuckled.
Gu’er couldn’t stay mad at Li Zhi. She knew he spoke without thinking. It was true that where they ca from, people often used coarse terms for won. It was just a figure of speech, not ant to be discriminatory.
With that matter settled, they went back to selling their goods. On the third day, soone downstairs shouted up that Gu’er and the others had a visitor.
Gu’er, Sun Jiaming, and the others hurried downstairs.
"Marina, what are you doing here?"
Gu’er was overjoyed to see Marina standing on the ground floor. She ran over and took her hands.
"Oh, Lin, it’s so good to see you! Is this where you’re staying?"
Marina asked, giving Gu’er a hug.
"It is. Co on, let’s go upstairs to talk."
Gu’er noticed people walking by were staring at them, so she pulled Marina upstairs.
Marina surveyed the room where Gu’er was staying. It wasn’t large and was very spartan. Aside from the bare necessities like a bed, there was nothing but piles of rchandise.
"Oh, Lin, this is where you live?"
Marina was a little surprised. She had assud that while Gu’er’s living quarters might not be as nice as her own, they wouldn’t be too different. She never expected them to be this poor.
"It’s good enough just to have a roof over your head when you’re on the road. You have no idea. Back when I was in the village, where I lived was much, much worse than this. I just slept on a few planks of wood pushed together, without even a decent blanket. Since coming here to sell things, our lives have improved a lot. This place is a huge step up from what we’re used to."
Gu’er wasn’t bothered by it. She had endured so much hardship in the past that she wasn’t particular about such things.
"Lin, you’re truly remarkable."
Marina said in admiration. ’So people who climb their way up from the bottom lose their way and will do anything to achieve their goals. But you’re still so kind. I really admire you for that.’
"Oh, stop."
Gu’er felt a little embarrassed.
Li Zhi and the others watched Marina. They had only exchanged greetings with her and then listened quietly as she and Gu’er spoke, not wanting to interrupt.
"Oh, right! Lin, I ca today because I have good news for you. My father wants to invite all of you to our house for dinner tonight to discuss the matter of the stall."
Marina told Gu’er the purpose of her visit.
"That’s wonderful! Thank you, Marina, that’s fantastic news! You could have just sent soone to tell us, you didn’t have to co all this way yourself."
Gu’er was overjoyed and deeply grateful to Marina.
Sun Jiaming and Li Zhi also broke into smiles and thanked Marina. Dingzi, his face as stoic as ever, simply nodded at her.
"We’re friends, aren’t we? When I had good news, I wanted to be the one to tell you myself."
Marina smiled. She was young and beautiful, with an exotic charm that could make one’s heart flutter.
"What do you think we should bring your father as a gift? Could you help us pick sothing out?"
Gu’er pulled Marina over to their rchandise. They had sold almost everything they’d brought, but Gu’er had set aside a little of each item, just in case they needed them for gifts.
"Oh, this one! Lin, my father likes this. He says this Chinese liquor really has a kick."
Marina was pointing to the Beidahuang baijiu that Gu’er and her group had brought.
There were three bottles left. Gu’er packed them, along with everything else Marina pointed out.
Once everything was packed, they all took a car with Marina to her house.
Marina introduced them to her father.
Marina’s father was a middle-aged man who looked much like the other people they had seen in the Soviet Union, though his gaze was a bit more severe.
Gu’er and her friends presented their gifts. Marina’s father expressed his thanks and then invited them to sit down.
The al was sowhat bland. Marina’s father had forbidden any talk of business during dinner, and Gu’er’s group had little else to say to him, so everyone ate in relative silence.
After dinner, Marina’s father, Inspector Ivan, sent Marina to her room. He had the four of them stay behind to talk.
Sipping their tea, Gu’er and her companions sat in silence, waiting for Inspector Ivan to speak. ’He invited us here,’ she thought, ’so he’ll definitely say what’s on his mind. Right now, he’s just sizing us up, observing us.’
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Thank you to Dian Dian, Shuyou160422081326123, and Mi’er~ for the monthly tickets. Thank you all for your support.
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