Rebirth 1983: Building My Business Empire-Chapter 154 - 145: Installing the Phone
Chapter 154 -145: Installing the Phone
Around nine o’clock, Lu Jiaxin was chatting with Qian Xiaoxiao when suddenly someone knocked on the door. Qian Xiaoxiao went to open it and found several strangers standing outside.
The visitors said they were from the telephone company and had come to install a telephone for them.
Upon seeing the tools they carried, Qian Xiaoxiao joyfully shouted, “Sister Xin, Sister Xin, come quick! The telephone company people are here to install your phone.”
She knew that Lu Jiaxin had long wanted a telephone but was waiting due to the large volume of applications. Later, after discovering that Fatty Aunt was regularly tipping off Lu Hongjun, Lu Jiaxin had to use the telephone company’s phone for urgent matters, and she also told Su Heming and the others not to call her without good reason.
Lu Jiaxin eyed the several men outside with a skeptical look and said, “Could you show me your work IDs, please?”
The man leading them politely took out his work ID, and after Lu Jiaxin checked it, he said with a smile, “Rest assured, anyone bold enough to impersonate us from the telephone company would be sent to prison at the drop of a hat.”
Lu Jiaxin handed the work ID back and spoke with a hint of embarrassment, “I went to the telephone company a couple of days ago, and the staff there told me there were over one hundred households ahead of me and asked me to wait patiently.”
Three years earlier, the state had liberalized policies on telephone installations for ordinary families, but the cost of installation and the call charges were so expensive that only a very few with good financial circumstances had one. However, in the past two years, many people who made money in business wanted the convenience of having a telephone; even some like Fatty Aunt, who felt it was worth the investment, had one installed. The number of requestors had grown, but with limited manpower, the telephone company could only proceed slowly.
The man in charge mentioned that he received a call from his supervisor yesterday afternoon instructing them to install a telephone for her today, though he was also unclear about why.
Lu Jiaxin figured that it must have been Lu Jiaguang who pulled some strings, thus allowing her to jump ahead in the queue. Talk about efficiency!
Since Fatty Aunt already had a telephone installed, and their homes were not far apart, it saved a lot of time. By three o’clock in the afternoon, the installation was complete, including the time the workers took for lunch.
Lu Jiaxin picked up the phone directory, dialed one of the numbers, and upon hearing a familiar voice, she happily said, “Big Brother, my phone is installed.”
Lu Jiaguang sounded surprised, asking, “Didn’t you say there were over a hundred other families ahead of you? How come your phone is installed already?”
“Ah, wasn’t it someone you found?”
Lu Jiaguang explained, “I’ve been busy for the past couple of days, planning to finish my work before inviting my friend to dinner. No, didn’t you ask someone else to help you?”
Lu Jiaxin was about to say no when she suddenly thought of Aunt Hong. But Aunt Hong had just arrived, unfamiliar with the locality—where could she have found someone to install the telephone for her?
Seeing her silence, Lu Jiaguang asked, “Do you know who helped you? Was it the Xie Family or the Su brothers?”
He knew that Lu Jiaxin was quite close to the Su brothers. Lu Hongjun had even worried about Su Heming harboring intentions towards Lu Jiaxin, but he personally felt it was impossible. First, Su Heming treated Lu Jiaxin like a sister, with no inappropriate behavior; second, Lu Jiaxin was young and not yet worldly wise, currently focused solely on making money and getting into college.
Lu Jiaxin chuckled, “Neither, I know who helped me now. Big Brother, I have something else to deal with, so we’ll talk later.”
“Okay.”
Still concerned, Lu Jiaguang called a friend at the telephone company, “Yes, my sister went to the telephone company a few days ago, and they told her there were still over one hundred households waiting, asking her to wait patiently. Today they’ve sent people to install it; do you know what’s going on?”
“No, my sister didn’t ask anyone for help.”
A few minutes later his friend called back, and the news left him puzzled, “Old Lu, the manager of Friendship Hotel called the telephone company’s leadership yesterday and asked them to install your sister’s phone as soon as possible. The company’s leadership issued an order today, and your sister’s telephone was given top priority.”
After explaining, he joked, “Old Lu, you have such connections and you didn’t even know?”
The manager of Friendship Hotel dealt primarily with foreign guests, and their connections were not something they could match.
Lu Jiaguang was genuinely unaware, and he was certain that Lu Hongjun had no relationship with the manager of Friendship Hotel. He thanked his friend with a laugh and made plans to have dinner together on Sunday.
Still uneasy, he went to Radiance Road on his lunch break. Entering the yard, he found Qian Xiaoxiao and the others watching TV and asked with astonishment, “When did you buy a television?”
They hadn’t bought a television at his home, not because they couldn’t afford it, but because both he and his wife were busy. Worried that their children lacked self-discipline and would spend all day watching TV instead of studying, they decided not to purchase one.
Lu Jiaxin did not hide it from him—as hiding was no longer an option since the whole alley knew—”It was delivered yesterday.”
A smile appeared on Lu Jiaguang’s face, “That’s more like it. What lasting grudge could there be between father and daughter? If you lack anything else, just tell your dad to buy it for you.”
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“It wasn’t from him, but from my Aunt, who is my grandmother’s sister. However, it’s not confirmed yet; we’ll only know if she really is my Aunt after some time.”
Lu Jiaguang was confused, “What Aunt? Didn’t your grandmother’s family all pass away? Where did this relative suddenly appear from? Jiaxin, there are a lot of scammers out there; you have to be careful.”
Lu Jiaxin chuckled, “She’s not a scammer. Yesterday, she bought me a color TV and a refrigerator, and today she arranged for my phone installation, paying for all the expenses.”
Lu Jiaguang was astounded—the total costs must amount to five or six thousand yuan. With such generous spending, she definitely wasn’t a scammer, “Did she come by yesterday?”
Lu Jiaxin replied, “No, she has health issues that make travel difficult, so she sent her personal maid and private doctor instead.”
Lu Jiaguang’s heart skipped a beat; the terms ‘personal maid’ and ‘private doctor’ were practically unheard of in the country, “Where… where is your Aunt now?”
“In Hong Kong. Su Heyuan mentioned she’s a wealthy woman. However, she has no children, and a few months back, she was nearly killed by medicine her adopted daughter gave her. It’s quite a tragic story.”
Lu Jiaguang was quick to perceive, “How does Su Heyuan know about this?”
Lu Jiaxin gave him a brief rundown of the events, “My grandmother always thought my Aunt was dead, so she never mentioned her to my mom. Unexpectedly, she’s alive and went to Hong Kong.”
Lu Jiaguang found the coincidence a bit too perfect, yet at that point, he had no reason for skepticism. Someone with such a well-known reputation in Hong Kong couldn’t be a scammer.
“Xinxin, what are your plans?”
Lu Jiaxin did not mention her intention to go to Hong Kong, “Right now, I’m not even sure if she’s my Aunt. Just looking like her could be a coincidence, right?”
Lu Jiaguang felt that there was a ninety percent chance it was true, shaking his head, “Everything matches up, and you look like her. There’s no such thing as so many coincidences in this world. Jiaxin, Madam Gu seems to really be your grandmother’s sister.”
Seeing Lu Jiaxin stay quiet, he asked carefully, “Xinxin, if Madam Gu wants to take you to Hong Kong, would you go with her?”
Lu Jiaxin shook her head, “Before my health improves, I won’t be going anywhere.”
“And after your health improves?”
Lu Jiaxin spoke casually, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Big Brother, let’s keep this to ourselves for now. It could be a mistake.”
Lu Jiaguang agreed.
