Early the next morning, Wen Jianning went out with Mr. Qi.

The two parted halfway, one went to the magazine as usual, and the other wandered aimlessly on the street looking for work.

Wen Jianning's process of finding a job was not smooth.

Although Shanghai in the thirties seemed to be prosperous, due to internal and external troubles over the years, the economy was really sluggish. It is difficult for ordinary college students to find a job with a diploma after graduation, let alone a girl who has just left home and entered society.

Among them, Wen Jianning's own appearance also brought her great inconvenience.

In this world, it is extremely difficult for an ordinary adult man to make a living, let alone a young girl.

Maybe it was her bad luck, and she met several restaurant owners, male hosts of wealthy families, and even male managers of department stores one after another, and almost all of them showed that disgusting look when they saw Wen Jianning's face. Fortunately, she has always been vigilant, as long as the other party's eyes are slightly wrong, she immediately gets up and leaves.

But after a few days, she didn't find a suitable job.

In the past, when attending a ball in Hong Kong, Wen Jianning always felt that the hypocritical expressions on the faces of those well-dressed sons and wealthy businessmen were disgusting, but once the veil of warmth and affection on the surface was torn off, the world was far more realistic and cruel than she imagined

Mr. Qi could only persuade her not to worry about it first, and then talk about it slowly, after all, she had not yet reached the point where she had to find a job to support her family.

However, after nearly half a month of Wen Jianning's repeated encounters, things finally took a turn for the better.

In the evening of that day, Mr. Qi returned to the apartment, and Wen Jianning had already cooked the meal as usual.

After the two sat down, Wen Jianning was happy to tell her that she had found a job playing the piano.

"It's a very small western restaurant, except for the tonkatsu, which sells well, the rest of the business is just mediocre. The boss is a Cantonese man with rake ears, and his wife has to come to see the business every day, so she shouldn't dare to have any crooked thoughts. He probably thought that my family was good and that I wanted less money, so he agreed very happily. ”

Mr. Qi nodded at this time and said her last concern: "But if you show your face outside like this, I don't know if you will run into the people of the Wen family, in case they do, it will not be good." ”

Wen Jianning was silent after hearing this, which was actually what she was worried about.

The reason why she came all the way to Shanghai was because Mr. Qi was here, but unfortunately, there was also the Wen family here. In case the two sides suddenly bump into each other one day, I am afraid that the scene will be difficult to clean up.

However, she escaped for more than two months, and the Wen family has not found her trace so far, which has given Wen Jianning a little confidence.

After all, Shanghai is so big, and the chance of being suddenly bumped into by the Wen family among millions of people is not too great. The last time she met the Wen family was three years ago, and now standing in front of them, this group of so-called relatives may not be able to recognize her. In addition, the western restaurant where she went to work was not large, and her performance level was only average, so she couldn't alarm anyone.

After Wen Jianning swallowed the last bite of food, he said uncertainly: "Anyway, I probably won't stay in Shanghai for too long, and I shouldn't run into it so soon." And maybe by the time they find me, I'll be gone. ”

Mr. Qi said clearly: "You don't plan to take the university entrance examination in Shanghai?"

Wen Jianning nodded, shook his head again, and replied honestly: "I haven't thought about it yet." ”

She really didn't have a good idea of where she was going.

For many years, there has been no news of the Ming family, and the Wen family does not regard other people as relatives except for Cousin Bai Qing and Jianxiu, only Mr. Qi is the elder she also teachers and friends and relies on wholeheartedly. She has no home, no roots, and if Mr. Qi is not there, it doesn't really make much difference which city she is wandering in.

If the Wen family was not there, she would definitely stay in Shanghai and follow Mr. Qi. But things are so coincidental, she is also hesitating for a while.

Mr. Qi put down his chopsticks and asked her, "Tell me what you think." ”

Wen Jianning thought for a while and said, "If I really want to stay in Shanghai, I definitely won't go to St. John's University." ”

Mr. Qi said curiously: "Why are you so sure?"

Wen Jianning said half-truthfully: "When I was in Hong Kong, I didn't like Western gods, and I couldn't worship sincerely, and I was afraid that people would not accept me as a blasphemer." ”

The two of them looked at each other and smiled, both knowing that she was talking nonsense.

Although St. John's University was founded by American missionaries to preach the teachings of Christ in the country, it has experienced several student movements and new ideas in recent years, and the religious color in its daily curriculum has been greatly weakened, and even a few years ago, St. John's seminary was forced to close due to insufficient enrollment.

The teacher and student laughed for a while, and then they started talking seriously.

Although St. John's University has become less religious in recent years, its place in the local business community has been unmatched as the focus of its teaching has gradually shifted to finance and business.

Most of St. John's students come from wealthy families in Shanghai and the surrounding provinces, and most of them come here to study to make social connections and prepare for the future takeover of the family business. Under this premise, St. John's students have forged an intricate network of relationships through their alumni associations. Their influence is not only all over Shanghai, but also has branches in Ningbo, Hankou, Tianjin, Beiping, and even Western Europe and the United States.

At that time, the Wen family originally planned to send a few men abroad to be gilded, but after careful consideration, they still sent their eldest grandson, Wen Songnian, to St. John's University, where they expanded their contacts for the Wen family and prepared for taking over the family business in the future.

If Wen Jianning dared to go to St. John's University, it would be a matter of time before he was discovered by the Wen family.

Wen Jianning counted the shortcomings of several other schools one by one, the principal of Nanyang College believed in the old way of Cheng Zhu Lixue, and in Fudan and several other schools, the students were either busy making sports, or the nature of their majors gradually biased towards some practical subjects, which was not suitable for her who wanted to study literature. In addition, there are schools such as Shanghai Art College, the atmosphere is too loose, students do not attend classes all day long, run around, and it is not a place where people can study with peace of mind.

Coupled with the existence of the Wen family, Wen Jianning finally jumped out of Shanghai and threw his eyes on the north.

Before leaving Hong Kong, Zhong Hui had agreed with her to see her in Peking next year.

Although Wen Jianning was reluctant to let Mr. Qi still be in Shanghai, he still had some interest there.

Beiping is the ancient city of the imperial capital, with profound heritage, and in recent years, it is the center of the intersection of wind and clouds. As one of the highest universities in China, Peking University, which Zhong Hui aspires to, attracts students from all over the country to make a pilgrimage. In particular, many scholars and professors in the Department of Chinese at Peking University are leaders in the minds of young students who love literature.

Even if Zhong Hui hadn't mentioned it at the beginning, Wen Jianning would have set his sights on it sooner or later.

After hearing this, Mr. Qi nodded approvingly: "Since you have this plan, I'm afraid you have to prepare as soon as possible." I have friends in Peiping, and I wrote a letter to ask them about the situation. ”

"Actually, I haven't thought about it yet," Wen Jianning changed his words again, got up and said while cleaning up the dishes and chopsticks on the table, "It's so hard to find a job nowadays, and after graduating from college, I just want to be a primary school teacher." Those who learn Chinese are not as good as those who learn foreign languages, and those who learn foreign languages are not as good as those who study economics. I don't really have to study literature, and it's good to have to read masterpieces by myself once in a while. Maybe I'll learn some practical subjects and find a job to support myself in the future. ”

Mr. Qi watched her send the dishes and chopsticks into the kitchen, and said disapprovingly: "You study not only to earn those oceans, but also to depend on your own interests and hobbies, otherwise what is the purpose of studying hard for four years?" ”

This time, Wen Jianning didn't reply, but only answered a few words vaguely.

She knew in her heart that in fact, she was not worried that she would not be able to find a job after graduation, so she could not make up her mind to go to Beiping, she was just reluctant to Mr. Qi, thinking that if she could stay in Shanghai for one more day, it would be one day, and everything else could only wait until then.

Mr. Qi didn't know about Wen Jianning's careful thoughts. She has always respected Wen Jianning's personal wishes, and it is not good to urge her to make a choice as soon as possible, but when the time comes, the child will slowly figure it out.

Wen Jianning went to the small western restaurant first and started her first job in life.

Although it was originally agreed that she would just sit there and play the piano, in fact the fat boss did not miss the slightest opportunity to squeeze her surplus value. In addition to playing the piano, Wen Jianning occasionally has to help with the work of the waitress. As a young and beautiful girl, she will inevitably attract some strange eyes.

Fortunately, although this western restaurant is small, the people who come and go are somewhat decent, but so far, no one has made it difficult for her.

However, the good times did not last long, and after such a few days of easy days, Wen Jianning finally ran into trouble.

She looked like she was being followed.

After leaving the restaurant that evening, she walked alone on the road as usual, and a few ruffian-looking people sneakily scattered behind her. Every time Wen Jianning stopped, they also followed in circles, either asking the price of the roadside vendor, or stopping on the side of the road to smoke a cigarette. There are always a few faces back and forth, and no one can help but be suspicious.

It wasn't until the third time she saw from the window pane of the bakery that the few people in black clothes and black hats were looking at her not far away, that Wen Jianning was sure that she was probably being targeted by someone.

Wen Jianning did not panic.

She walked quietly on the street, and when she saw the shop on the side of the road, she went in and looked at it for a long time, but she didn't buy anything, and every time she came out empty-handed, as if she were just strolling around. After doing this two or three times, after she entered the shop again, she simply hid under the wall on the corner and smoked as a pastime.

This time, however, they waited for a long time and no one came out.

When they finally noticed that something was wrong, they hurriedly broke into the store, but were told by the people in the store that the people who had just come in had already left, so they hurriedly ran out to chase them.

After a while, when Wen Jianning was sure that the group of people should not be nearby, he tidied up his dress, came out of the corner where he was hiding, and after thanking the kind guys in the store, he took a long detour home while observing the surroundings with his peripheral vision.

She was a little delayed on the road today, but when she returned home, Mr. Qi hadn't come back yet.

Wen Jianning had no choice but to tie an apron first and prepare dinner for the two.

She didn't have many opportunities to cook by herself when she was in Hong Kong, but most of her skills are learned little by little by following Mr. Qi after coming to Shanghai this time. However, Mr. Qi's cooking skills can only fool his stomach at best, but Wen Jianning, a student, is better than the blue, so she is almost alone in charge of dinner recently.

After the meal was ready, Wen Jianning put it in the pot and sat in the living room and waited for a while, and when it was completely dark and she had to turn on the dim electric light, Mr. Qi still had no sign of returning.

Wen Jianning fidgeted at this time.

Today, she is being targeted for some reason, could Mr. Qi also encounter the same situation?

She walked back and forth in the living room anxiously for a long time, and when she finally made up her mind to go out to report the crime to the people who patrolled the house, there was a sudden sound of the key stabbing into the door lock.

Mr. Qi is finally back.

Wen Jianning breathed a sigh of relief.

Mr. Qi put down the oil-paper bag he was carrying, took off the snow-blue velvet jacket on his body, and explained with a smile: "I took a long detour today and bought you a bag of puff pastry snacks that you love." ”

Wen Jianning took the velvet sweater in her hand and helped hang it on the wall, complaining: "Who likes to eat puff pastry, it's so late, you are still wandering outside alone." The food is cold, you wait for me to go and heat it up. ”

After she had heated the meal, the teacher and student sat down at the table.

Halfway through the meal, Mr. Qi suddenly said: "You have been fine on the way to get off work these days, but now it is very chaotic outside, you must be careful when you are a girl walking, and do not drill into the remote alley." If you come across a sneaky person on the road, go to a patrol or a bank or something. ”

She had told her this a few days ago, and today she emphasized it again for some reason, and her tone was a little strange.

Wen Jianning lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you also feel that someone is following you?"

The teacher and student glanced at each other solemnly, and immediately understood that the other party had the same experience today.

Mr. Qi said: "I will go out tomorrow to find another place to live, you help pack up your things at home, and we will move out as soon as possible." ”

Wen Jianning was about to reply, but suddenly heard a knock on the door outside.

"Tuk-tuk-"

For a moment, the teacher and student looked at each other, and neither of them spoke.

The knock on the door was rhythmic, pausing three times in succession, as if patiently waiting for them to respond.

The visitor had already arrived at the door, and now it was too late for them to turn off the lights and pretend that there was no one in the house.

The two teachers and students quietly exchanged glances, and Mr. Qi walked behind the door panel, raised his voice and asked, "Who is it?" ”

A familiar voice came from behind the door: "Can you please call back Miss Wen San." ”

Wen Jianning was stunned and his eyes widened in disbelief.

This voice is actually Chen Hongwang. How the hell did this man find here?

(End of chapter)