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Chapter 275: Chapter 275: Buying a Color TV
Si Chen, being the doctor personally hired by Professor Qu, started his career from a remote countryside. Many people didn’t understand Professor Qu’s decision. There were, after all, plenty of capable doctors in Kyoto. They couldn’t comprehend why Professor Qu favoured Si Chen so specially, sparking envy behind their backs. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Although Si Chen and Tong Yao were both introverts, not prone to flaunting, their stunning appearances were anything but low-key. Such a handsome man and beautiful woman paired together were rare, hence everything they did was viewed as showing off by others.
Si Chen lacked a prominent background and Tong Yao’s job wasn’t prestigious, so discussions about them did not offend anyone. Naturally, the gossip about them was quite enthusiastic.
Liu Qing, living next to Tong Yao and having more interactions with her, tended to know more. She’d often chat about little things Tong Yao added to her household. Everyone clung to Liu Qing’s every word about Tong Yao.
Liu Qing enjoyed the attention showered by her gossips, and she hardly suppressed her loquaciousness, "Let me tell you, despite their low salaries, Tong Yao spends without restraint. She buys whatever she wants for her home, eating a varied diet of fish and meat daily, never wearing the same clothing twice. All of them are fine clothes; they spend their salaries as if money were no object."
"I heard that some doctor at our hospital recently accepted red envelopes from a patient’s family. The hospital is investigating the case." Dr. Zhao, an orthopedic surgeon’s spouse, hinted.
"I don’t know about that. I just spoke about Tong Yao’s luxurious life and nothing more." Liu Qing quickly clarified. She knew what should and shouldn’t be spoken about.
Casual gossip was one thing, but matters concerning professional ethics could lead to an investigation, especially if it came from her. If it was untrue, who would bear the responsibility?
"Look at how scared you are! We are just chatting casually here, who would let it slip?" Dr. Zhao’s spouse laughed with hand over mouth.
"What am I scared of! I didn’t say anything, I was just saying they have a good life and know how to enjoy it." Liu Qing wasn’t a fool, she knew what was happening. Everyone seemed like sisters on the surface, but who knew what they’d say behind her back.
If someone is not cautious while socializing with these people, they might suffer without knowing why.
"Ah! Those two are back again."
The spouse of the director of the gynecology department exclaimed upon noticing two people entering the courtyard.
"Who are these two?" Dr. Zhao quickly become curious, wondering why Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun returned empty-handed but came back with a large box that appeared to be an appliance.
As the couple approached, the women were stunned by the sight of Yaohui carrying what indeed appeared to be an 18-inch color TV. Only affluent households had colored TVs at that time.
Inside their residential compound, there were only two color TVs; others might have black and white TVs or no TVs at all.
An 18-inch color TV cost over 1500 yuan. Most people couldn’t afford that, as it was equal to a man’s wage from a year and a half of not eating or drinking.
Everyone wondered who these affluent relatives were, their jealousy palpable.
Once Tong Yaohui and Wen Yun got closer, Liu Qing greeted them with laughter, "Where are you two headed with this?"
Tong Yaohui grunted coldly and went straight upstairs. Wen Yun glanced at Liu Qing without uttering a word. The couple had overheard the gossip, and being old, they had their eccentricities.
They didn’t want to waste even a second on the people they didn’t wish to see.
Liu Qing felt awkward as she’d been given the cold shoulder, her face beet-red. However, a remark from Dr. Zhao’s spouse drew everyone’s attention.
"I feel like they look a bit like Tong Yao! Aren’t they her parents?"
Liu Qing’s heart thudded. She hadn’t paid much attention to their appearances, but now, she thought they indeed looked alike.
The Director of Gynecology’s spouse chimed in: "Right, Tong Yao’s dad’s demeanor is indeed of a factory director caliber." She was almost convinced these were Tong Yao’s parents.
Leaders usually carry a natural presence of authority, which was clearly evident in Tong Yaohui.
"Do you think they heard our conversation when they came the first time? Why else would they leave and suddenly come back with a big TV? I feel like they deliberately made a show of carrying it," said Dr. Zhao’s spouse.
"..."
The ladies looked at each other, all feeling a bit guilty, as they tried to recall every word exchanged. Anyone would feel uneasy if caught gossiping, as if having done something wrong.
The most uneasy of all was Liu Qing. Without even trying to recall, she knew she’d said the most, while others had chipped in here and there.
Now, Liu Qing was hoping they had mistaken the couple for Tong Yao’s parents.
*
Knowing her parents were coming, Tong Yao didn’t go to work that day. She stayed at home, making meal and waiting. It was unexpected that they’d come so late, and even more surprising was they brought an 18-inch color TV.
Because of her busy schedule, Tong Yao didn’t have time to watch TV and hence hadn’t bought one. As she saw the big color TV in the living room, she felt moved and told her parents, "Don’t use all your savings on us. Keep it for yourselves."
"Your dad is trying to prove a point to the people downstairs," Wen Yun replied, recounting the incident that happened earlier. She was pretty upset about the nasty remarks.
What sort of people were these?
They preferred to gossip behind backs whenever they had nothing to do.
"Just tell us if you need anything. We will not let anyone demean the daughter and son-in-law of Tong Yaohui." Tong Yaohui said, his face stern.
Tong Yao blinked her eyes, hugged Wen Yun on one side while holding Tong Yaohui on the other, putting on an act of being coquettish, "No wonder they say parents are the best in the world. I love you both so much."
Si Chen had a surgery at noon and didn’t come home for lunch, so the family of three ate lunch. After the meal, Tong Yaohui asked about Si Chen and Si Weimin.
"We haven’t had the chance to talk with Xiaochen lately due to his busy schedule. What are your thoughts on his uncle?"
This month, Si Wei Min had come three to four times hoping to have dinner with Si Chen, but Tong Yaohui had made many excuses to avoid these occasions. However, this was not a long-term solution; they could not keep putting off the matter.
"Xiaochen doesn’t seem willing to see his uncle, and we didn’t tell our family that we found his uncle."
After the new year, Tong Yao and Si Chen rarely phoned Lin Fengying. They usually called Boyi instead, asking him to relay the message. Si Chen didn’t mention his uncle, so Tong Yao didn’t interfere either.
After all, this was a matter concerning the Si family.
