Huayu: I Have a Doraemon

Chapter 14 Aftermath

Make money quickly...

For some reason, there was something strange about these words coming from Lin An's mouth.

Images of someone trafficking drugs, smuggling, robbing, and working as a male prostitute quickly flashed through Haiqing's mind, and he felt an urge to call the police.

Lin An glanced at her and said irritably:

"In your eyes, I see ignorance, I see doubt, I see slander and defamation against my kind junior!"

Haiqing turned her face away awkwardly.

Zhao Nana chuckled, then rolled her eyes in a charmingly seductive manner:

"You always ask Haiqing, why don't you ask me?"

Because I always felt you weren't very reliable... Lin An readily agreed:

"How do I make money?"

Zhao Nana thought about it for a while and realized that there really wasn't a good solution.

Without fame or resources, art school students can only do the most basic manual labor or assistant jobs.

These jobs can be used to build connections, but they can't be used to make money.

Submit articles to magazines? Write columns for newspapers?

It's not very meaningful; at best, it'll only get you enough to eat and wear, and you might not even make it.

Lin An noticed the changes in Zhao Nana's expression and silently made a cross in his mind.

Forgive me, Mom, but I probably won't be able to pay you back.

Haiqing then asked, "Do you play any musical instruments?"

Lin An was taken aback, then shook his head and said, "No."

"And calligraphy?"

"No, not either."

"Dance?"

"Furthermore."

Lin An's expression turned embarrassed, as if he had returned to the workplace of his previous life, when he was being criticized and harassed by his superiors.

At that moment, something occurred to him, and he tentatively asked:

Is drawing useful?

Hai Qing thought about it carefully for a moment and nodded:

"It works. A poster drawn by an art student can easily sell for 10 dollars. If it's good enough, it can even sell for 20 dollars."

Lin An's eyes lit up instantly.

Hey sis, your bro found you a job!

He asked, "How should I draw it? What should I draw? Who is it for?"

Hai Qing waved her hand and said, "I need to go ask. I'm not very familiar with the art department."

"Thanks in advance."

Lin An didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the bowl, finishing the last two mouthfuls of rice.

The three parted ways at the entrance of the cafeteria.

Haiqing and Zhao Nana have a dialogue class in the afternoon, while Lin An has to go to the continuing education center to pick up his class schedule.

Walking along the tree-lined paths on campus, the September sunlight filters through the gaps in the plane tree leaves.

As I passed by the basketball court, I saw several boys playing basketball.

The squeaking of sneakers against the ground, interspersed with occasional shouts, created a lively atmosphere on campus in the afternoon.

"So young..." Lin An paused and gazed at the scene for a while, then sighed softly.

A gentle breeze brushed against my hair, bringing a touch of early autumn coolness.

Lin An looked around.

This is where he will live for the next year.

This is the path he chose.

……

……

Taking the bus from Beijing Film Academy to Dengshikou takes almost an hour, with its swaying and bumpy ride.

Lin An leaned against the car window, his right hand gripping the handrail.

In September, the afternoon sun in Beijing is still scorching.

The carriage was filled with a stuffy, humid air that smelled of sweat, gasoline, and rubber.

Lin An took out his wallet from his pocket, opened it, and glanced at it.

Three ten-yuan notes, two five-yuan notes, and five one-yuan coins.

This is all the wealth he currently possesses.

"well......"

A sigh escaped, drowned out by the roar of the bus engine.

When the train arrived at the station, Lin An jumped off and walked onto the familiar street.

The Dengshikou area is an old city district, with crisscrossing alleys, and gray brick and tile courtyard houses squeezed together with six- or seven-story red brick apartment buildings.

The utility poles are covered with various little "GG" stickers: drain cleaning, high-price recycling of old appliances, document processing...

Lin An turned into a narrow alley and passed a bicycle repair stall. An old man was squatting on the ground patching a tire on a 28-inch bicycle without even looking up.

"Lin An is back?"

A plump aunt carrying a shopping basket walked over from the opposite side and greeted me with a smile.

Hello, Aunt Zhang.

Lin An called out obediently, but didn't stop walking.

He didn't want to be stopped for casual conversation. Last time, this Aunt Zhang had stopped him for half an hour and talked about everything from "What was your score on the college entrance exam?" to "My niece is also going to college this year, would you like to get to know her?"

too frightening.

I quickly walked through the alley and turned into the doorway of Building 14.

The security door opened, and a loud, wailing cry came from inside.

In the living room, Lin Meng sat on the floor, kicking her legs wildly and wailing loudly.

Lin Yi sat cross-legged on the sofa, holding an English textbook in his hand. He turned a page, completely ignoring the noise-generating machine on the floor.

Doraemon was squatting in the corner, covering his head with his round hands, looking utterly hopeless.

When Lin An entered, the blue chubby boy's eyes lit up, as if he had seen a savior.

"You're finally back!"

"What's going on?" Lin An asked as he changed his shoes.

Doraemon, with a pained expression, pointed to the "noise source" on the ground with his round finger and said:

"Her aunt and uncle originally planned to take her to McDonald's, but they just called to say that there are too many people at the clinic and they can't go."

Lin An nodded as if it were commonplace, and paid no further attention.

He said to Lin Yi, "A film crew came to the school today looking for actors, and I went to audition."

Lin Yi paused slightly as he turned the pages of the book, then raised his eyelids to glance at him.

"They chose you?" she asked curiously.

Lin An shook his head and recounted the events of that time.

"Aren't you a literature major?"

Lin Yi put down his English textbook and leaned forward slightly:

"You can get on set just by saying a few words?"

"I'm not quite sure either."

Lin An walked to the coffee table, picked up the half-finished yogurt from Lin Meng, and drank it all in one gulp.

"But I feel like they're quite interested in me."

"snort."

Lin Meng stopped crying at some point, sat on the ground, looked up, tears still clinging to her face, and glared angrily at Lin An.

"That's my yogurt!"

Lin An looked down at the empty box in his hand, then at Lin Meng, and said without changing his expression:

"Let me taste it to see if it's poisoned."

Lin Meng pouted, about to cry again.

"If you cry again, I won't take you to McDonald's." Lin An pinched her little face.

Lin Meng immediately stopped talking, wiped her face haphazardly with her sleeve, and sobbed as she said:

"Then, when are you taking me?"

"Wait until I make a lot of money."

"So when will you make a lot of money?"

"Um...it will take some time."

"Awoooooo..."

The pig-like screams echoed through the living room once again.

……

……

After taking a shower, Lin An changed into a clean white tank top and walked into the bedroom with her hair still half wet.

Doraemon was sitting cross-legged on the bed, holding a metal mooncake box in his round hands, which contained the repair income from the past few days.

The scattered banknotes and coins were neatly stacked.

Seeing Lin An come in, the blue fat man subconsciously hid the box behind his back, but then felt that this action was too petty, so he took it out again awkwardly.

"You just said the police are looking for you?" Doraemon asked.

"yes."

Lin An sat down on the edge of the bed, picked up a towel and wiped the water droplets from the back of his neck. "A fine of two hundred, case closed."

Doraemon breathed a sigh of relief, but his next words were cut off.

But the matter is not over.

Lin An draped the towel over the back of the chair, turned around, and looked more serious than usual.

He calmly analyzed, "The police investigated the recycling center after the bombing, so they naturally discovered your existence. Following the clues, they found out you lived in my house. It was a natural progression."

Doraemon's round eyes slowly opened wide.

"But they didn't mention you at all today."

Lin An said, word by word, "Not a single word was mentioned."

The bedroom fell silent.

The cicadas chirping outside the window suddenly became exceptionally shrill.