"Hey Su, the love god, where are you?" came Nangong Yan's voice over the phone.
"Love god? Since when did I become a love god, calling me a beast would be more like it," Suming chuckled, knowing full well that with his ability to communicate with animals, he indeed had the potential to become quite the animal himself one day.
"Right, couldn't agree more! You big beast, alluring cats and teasing dogs!" Nangong Yan said with a serious tone.
"Huh?" Suming was completely baffled, what cats was he alluring and what dogs was he teasing?
"Never mind, I saw some job postings online that might be suitable for you, I've sent them to your email, take a look for yourself."
"Oh, thanks. But I've found a job," Suming smiled. This girl Nangong was not one to mince words, seeming quite brash at times, but she was genuinely nice to him.
Nangong Yan was taken aback, "What, you found a job? You were still worrying about it yesterday and today you've got one? You're not joking, are you?"
"For real, they've even sorted out my staff accommodation, I'm just about to head back to the school to pick up my luggage," Suming glanced at the sky, and said, "It's a bit much to explain over the phone, I'll treat you to a meal some day and give you the details."
"Okay, then I'll really have to take advantage of you then," Nangong Yan said with a laugh.
"Absolutely!"
Having ended the call and with the sun almost set, Suming grabbed his shopping list and bank card, then left the zoo.
The zoo, although located in a remote area, was still quite accessible due to being a tourist site, with a bus heading downtown right from the main gate, coming every fifteen minutes or so.
More than half an hour later, Suming had already returned to school, first stopping at the supermarket at the school gate to buy the life essentials listed, then heading back to the dorm to get his quilt, clothes, computer, and other stuff. After busying himself until after 8 o'clock, he had packed three huge bags almost as tall as a person, and then went to the security guard to process his dormitory checkout.
After expending a great deal of effort, he finally managed to drag and haul the packages to the school gate, where Suming realized a critical problem: How would he take all this back to the zoo?
Taking the bus was clearly out of the question, as any one of the three bags was nearly half a person tall, and he could at most manage two at the same time, which would be very inconvenient. As for taking a taxi, the drivers shook their heads repeatedly upon seeing the amount of stuff he had; it wasn't that they were afraid of the trouble, it simply wouldn't fit.
After some thought, he dialed Wang Hao's number.
"Fatty, I need a favor. Bring your SUV to the school to help me move my luggage," Suming didn't beat around the bush with Wang Hao. They had both gotten their driving licenses in university. The only difference was that Wang Hao had a car at home, whereas Suming hadn't even touched a steering wheel for more than a year after getting his license.
Soon enough, they reached the end of the road. Suming's place was surrounded by woods, and the car couldn't go any further, so they had to walk.
Wang Hao parked the car, turned off the engine, and they both got out to take their luggage from the trunk.
"Having a car is convenient." Suming closed the trunk of the Ford Maverick and thought about asking Mrs. Tong next time if the animal park had any cargo vehicles. Otherwise, borrowing Wang Hao's car every time for bulk purchases was too much of a hassle.
"Speaking of cars, it's frustrating. With my family's resources, I could afford a Land Rover, but my old man insisted on buying a Ford Maverick for just 200,000. Every time I go out clubbing and picking up chicks, it depresses me. Think about it, who gets more attention: the guy driving a Land Rover or the one in a Ford Maverick? Driving this Ford Maverick, I'm almost too embarrassed to say hi to girls. Once I do, they might even mistake me for a rideshare driver. If I had a Land Rover, leggy girls would be climbing into my car like crazy..." Wang Hao, carrying a big bag, griped as they walked.
"Oh, give it a rest. I can't even afford a second-hand QQ, so be content!" Suming rolled his eyes. Dissatisfied with a 200,000 joint-venture car, many professors at the school drove only domestic cars worth around 100,000.
After about fifteen minutes of walking, they finally made it out of the forest. Wang Hao, drenched in sweat, dropped his heavy luggage onto the ground, and immediately plopped down beside it, gasping for air.
"Yeesh, Su, the place you live is so remote, it's practically the middle of nowhere! You're killing me..."
"You need some exercise, kid. You don't want to end up with the three highs at such a young age," Suming said, also slightly sweaty but not as exaggerated as Wang Hao.
"Enough, let's keep moving. Rest up once we get to my quarters..." Suming urged, but Wang Hao didn't respond.
Not only did he not respond, but the gasping sounds also stopped altogether.
Had the guy passed out from exhaustion?
Looking down, Suming saw Wang Hao sitting on the ground with his fat legs crossed, mouth agape like a giant toad, staring blankly at the small lake and Fengshui Pavilion in front of him, completely petrified.
"Wang... Fatty... you okay? What's gotten into you..."
"You live... here?" Wang Hao asked with wide eyes, stuttering.
"Yeah, the place is a bit remote, and the house is somewhat old, but the environment's not bad, right?" Suming scratched his head.
"Damn! 'Not bad'?!"
Wang Hao suddenly jumped to his feet with agility that belied his size, grabbed Suming with one hand and pointed emphatically towards the pavilion with the other, rambling incoherently: "You're not kidding me, right? Just 'not bad'? I'll be damned, man, you're practically living like a celestial being here!"