White Olive Tree

Chapter 9

Chapter 9
For the next two days, Song Ran was too busy and worked overtime on Saturday, so she didn't have time to return the rope.  And Li Zan didn't call to remind him, maybe he was more busy.
On Sunday morning, Song Ran suddenly remembered this while sorting out the books at home, and turned out the little note.  She leaned against the wooden window on the second floor, hesitated a little: after returning the rope.
But she couldn't think of any other way, so she could only take out her mobile phone, and when the wind blew, she let go without noticing.  The little white note rose in the wind, whirled in the air like a white butterfly, and fell on the gardenia tree and hid itself as a flower.
Song Ran immediately ran downstairs and looked up under the tree with her neck up. There were green leaves and white flowers, and there was no trace of the note.
There was the sound of a car outside.  A van parked outside the gate of the courtyard, and two or three workers got off, they were the construction team who had made an appointment to add a moisture-proof layer to the house.
It was agreed to arrive at nine o'clock, not even a minute away.
Lao Li worked as a construction quality inspector before retiring. He has been exposed to the wind and sun for a long time, and his skin color is darker than ordinary people.  But with a good appearance, it can be vaguely seen that he was a handsome man when he was young.
He was quick and experienced. He went into the house to look around, touched the floor and corners, and quickly came up with several construction plans.  Time-consuming, pros and cons are clearly analyzed.  In the end, I recommend a more cost-effective option to Song Ran, who can get things done in one day.
After Song Ran took it, Lao Li led three workers to move the furniture away and use machines to pry the concrete floor.
Soon the floor was completely lifted, exposing the damp brick soil underneath.  They work very fast and are not lazy at all.  Song Ran had a good impression of them.The construction noise was loud, and she couldn't read a book, so she simply sat aside and watched them stir the gravel.
"Uncle, what is that?" She pointed to a black roll and asked him.
"Waterproof membrane." Lao Li didn't talk much, but when it came to work, he started talking, "The terrain on Beimen Street is low and the humidity is heavy. The cement mortar may not be enough, so add another layer of membrane.

I will also do double moisture-proof for the feet of the outer wall and inner wall, so that it will not be wet next time during the rainy season.  "
"Oh." Song Ran sat on the steps and asked with his chin in his hands, "Uncle, Grandma Wang said you are from Jiangcheng, why did you come to Liangcheng?"
Lao Li wiped the sweat off his brow and said with a smile, "My son is here."
At this moment, a worker interjected: "Old Uncle Li's son is really good. Miss Song, you can't guess what he does."
Song Ran became interested: "What do you do?"
"Elite elements in the army who dispose of bombs and EOD. The state focuses on cultivating them. The Dicheng Military Region has always wanted to dig them out, but the Jiangcheng Military Region refused to let them go."
Song Ran: "So powerful?!"
"That's right. I'm only twenty-three, and I've made several second-class merits. I'll be a high-ranking official in the army in the future. Tsk, Lao Li is going to enjoy himself."
Old Li smiled so much that his eyes curled up, and he waved his hands: "There are so many young people who are powerful now, don't let Miss Song see the joke."
"Uncle, you are too modest." Song Ran said, "You must be very good at educating children."
"That's not taught much, it's all innate."
After five o'clock in the afternoon, the moisture-proof layer was completed, and the floor was re-paved. It was smooth and flawless.
Lao Li said that the cement floor will be completely dry in five or six hours.  In the evening, his workers will come over to polish and maintain it, and it will be fine for a few days in a row.
It was only after the construction team left that Song Ran thought about looking for the note. He searched for it for a long time but to no avail.  She couldn't help but suspect that the note might have been buried in the cement.
I have no choice but to wait for Li Zan to contact her for a rope.
The next day is Monday.
Two months after Liangcheng Satellite TV's "Frontline of War" aired, it temporarily went offline.
After more than 60 days of war, the war in the Eastern Kingdom has entered a stalemate, and social attention has dropped significantly.  A battle is fought endlessly. If there is any energy, the audience will turn their attention to the stock market.  The stock market is going well recently, and the money you throw in it doubles, and even the aunts who sell vegetables in the streets and alleys are talking about finance and economics.
All David TVs set up special columns to broadcast stock market analysis one after another, and Liangcheng Satellite TV was no exception, adding a special section on finance and economics.  After "War War" was offline, the attached "East War" also finished its last episode.
On the day the broadcast ended, colleagues gathered in the office to discuss stocks, and Song Ran sat in front of the computer to check the official Weibo account of "East War".
In today's last issue, netizens left a lot of messages, praising the hard work of the behind-the-scenes staff and thanking the reporters for their true presentation.
Song Ran flipped through them one by one.
"Ran Ran, do you want to buy stocks?" Xiaodong called her.
Song Ran raised his head and smiled: "I don't understand."
"You don't need to understand. Recently everything you buy has gone up, and many people have made money."
"Really. I invested 5,000 and earned 800." Xiaochun said, "Shen Bei's 300,000 has now risen to 380,000."
Song Ran has only been working for two years, has no savings, and does not expect a windfall. He said, "The stock market is risky, so forget it."
Shen Bei stirred the coffee with a straw: "If you want to make money, you have to take risks. There is no such thing as a sure profit."
Song Ran didn't speak, Xiao Qiu joked, "Stop talking, you little rich woman who can easily get hundreds of thousands from home."
Shen Bei laughed. At this time, the supervisor Liu Yufei called everyone to have a meeting.
The outstanding reporters in the first half of the year have been judged.  In addition to the commendation award recorded in the file, there is also a bonus of tens of thousands.
On the way to the meeting room, Xiao Xia whispered to Song Ran: "Ran Ran, it's a bull market now, and the stocks are reliable. You took a small part of the bonus to test the waters, and use it as a financial management. You only earn dead wages, where can you save money?"  Live money?"
Song Ran was amused, and said, "It might not be me...but if it's true, then I'll listen to you."
At the meeting, Liu Yufei mentioned the suspension of the broadcast of "The Frontline of War".
The station plans to create a new military news program, which will be broadcast weekly, and the content of each episode will be deeply excavated.  While paying attention to international wars, it also promotes the heroic posture of Chinese soldiers overseas.
Liu Yufei said: "The former batch of journalists in Dongguo will be back soon. Those here who voluntarily go to Dongguo should submit their registration forms before Friday, and we will organize training in a unified way."
Everyone didn't express their opinions immediately, and each had their own calculations in their hearts.
After Liu Yufei finished speaking, the meeting entered the key link.  He announced the winner of the Outstanding Journalist Award for the first half of the year - Shen Bei.
Everyone was surprised, but not completely surprised.  This kind of award, if you think about it with your toes, is for the tough people in the backstage.
Song Ran silently accepted the reality.  After all, Shen Bei also did a good job in China.
The colleagues felt a little sympathy for Song Ran, but they didn't say anything unnecessary after the meeting ended.  They are all colleagues, and gossip in the workplace is not good for anyone if it gets out.  As an adult, I still understand the truth.  Only Xiao Qiu sent Song Ran a hugging and comforting expression.  Song Ran returned a big smile, indicating that it was all right.
Shen Beixu knew it well, and invited everyone to eat hot pot, saying that everyone took good care of her, and expressed her gratitude by eating.  Naturally, everyone was happy to participate in such good deeds, and praised Shen Bei's generosity one after another.
Shen Bei chose a high-end hot pot restaurant, which is at the level that TV stations usually entertain guests.  Colleagues were even happier and repeatedly said "it was a waste of money".
Xiao Xia said: "I'm afraid you will eat half of your bonus."
Shen Bei smiled: "It should be. It was everyone's help, otherwise the work would not be so smooth."
The private room divided by the glass wall is spacious and stylish, covered with long red and black tassels.  More than ten people sat around a table, with a small pot in front of each person.
There was an empty seat beside Shen Bei.

Xiaodong asked, "Who else is coming?"
"My boyfriend." With a smile all over her face, Shen Bei ordered a spicy pot for him.
Everyone was in an uproar: "You have a boyfriend?! Why didn't we know?!"
"You didn't ask, did I take the initiative to catch someone to talk about it?"
Xiao Xia began to gossip: "What are you doing?"
"A soldier."
Xiaochun: "So cool?!"
Xiaoqiu: "No wonder you went to the Jiangcheng Military Region last time, did you secretly meet the male ticket through work?"
Shen Bei: "No."
Xiaodong: "Is the soldier handsome?"
"Like a machine gun, I can't stand you anymore." Shen Bei giggled and got up, "You guys order the bottom of the pot, I'll go to the bathroom first."
Song Ran also happened to be going.
On the way, Shen Bei took her arm affectionately, and leaned his head on her shoulder.  Song Ran understood what she meant and pursed her lips into a smile. 
Shen Bei is a pampered young lady who usually spends money lavishly, so she really doesn't care about this little bonus.  But the stage looked at her background, and if she wanted to give her benefits, it was impossible for her to go to the leader and say no.
Society is inherently unfair.  Work hard yourself.
In the bathroom, Shen Bei looked in the mirror, applied powder and lipstick, fixed her makeup, and after washing her hands, she found that she had run out of paper towels.
She scooped it up twice: "There's no paper?"
   "I have."
Song Ran took out a tissue from her bag, accidentally brought out a red string and dropped it on the sink.
Shen Bei picked it up, handed it to her, and said casually, "Your rope is the same as my boyfriend's."
Song Ran's heart skipped a beat, and he faintly panicked, but he felt that it would not be such a coincidence.
Back in the private room, the small hot pot and all kinds of dishes are on the table, waiting for Shen Bei's boyfriend to arrive.
Song Ran sat there, feeling more and more uneasy.
Before the hot pot boiled, Shen Bei stretched her neck suddenly, her eyes lit up, she straightened up, and waved towards the door of the box: "Here!"
Song Ran turned back with the crowd, and the moment she saw him, her heart was so cold, it was like being poured a bucket of ice water over her head.
Li Zan walked in, the corners of his mouth curled into a slightly curved polite arc, he nodded at everyone, and said, "Sorry, I'm late."
He walked to Shen Bei and sat down,
Shen Bei smiled and said, "It's not too late. The time is just right." She said and handed him the hot towel.
Li Zan took the towel and wiped his hands, still pursing his lips lightly, and seemed a little silent because he was not used to a table full of strangers.  He wiped his fingers, scanned the people on the table, and then saw Song Ran who was sitting diagonally opposite.
He slightly bent his lips at her, nodded slightly to greet her, and then looked away.