Chapter 34: Three Small Gigs

Translator: Lan Editor: Efydatia

The next morning, Qin Guan stood on the stage of the outdoor square in a thin suit, the chilling northwest wind blowing through him.

The manager of the real estate agency was delivering his speech on the stage in excitement, froth forming on his mouth. The guests below were also in warm clothes. Qin Guan snorted his nose. Making money is hard.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Qin Guan and another male model carried the lottery box and went around the crowd. The guests would draw ten numbers, each number equaling 10,000 Yuan for purchasing houses.

After the lottery, the staff led the guests to the sales office to take a look at the sample houses, concluding Qin Guan’s work for the day.

When he got off, Qin Guan immediately got his coat from Sister Xue and the two of them went to have a glass of hot water in the lounge area of the sales office. Qin Guan took a sip fast.

The hot water travelled down his throat as a warm steam rose from his stomach. Qin Guan instantly felt better.

Looking slightly concerned, Sister Xue asked, “Are you cold? This line of work is not easy. It’s common for models to get frozen. ”

Qin Guan was a little doubtful. Sister Xue was always energetic. This did not sound like her at all.

Sister Xue clapped Qin Guan on the back. “Are you still feeling cold? That’s all for today. Go back early if you’ve got nothing to do. We’ve got work again tomorrow. ”

Qin Guan saw Sister Xue off at the conference room, but he was not in a rush to leave.

The ceremony venue was in Fangzhuang, where a large community was currently under construction. There were new buildings everywhere.

Going around the exhibition hall, Qin Guan found that the price of the houses was not that high. It’s a pity that I’m a poor wretch right now. I have to put off investing in a house.

Qin Guan had to leave in disappointment and go to his second ad shoot.

This advertisement was much easier for Qin Guan. All he needed to do was take one specific pose.

I wonder if anybody has read old magazines like “Readers” or “Youth’s Digest”. There were advertisement pages in those magazines, some of them advertising study machines or promoting fast English lessons.

There was an introduction of the products that took up the whole page, and a photo of a student holding the products or books on the lower right corner.

The student in the photo would express his need for the product, which strengthened the reliability of the product and raised the public purchasing desire.

Qin Guan was that student. A series of photos were taken in one simple pose. He looked a lot like a bookworm in those black-framed glasses.

The director of the school was so satisfied with the photos that he decided to offer Qin Guan several French courses as a gift. Qin Guan thought this was a sneaky move on his part.

You’re offering me only several hours of courses. How about the following courses? Do I have to pay for those or not?

Sister Xue wasn’t talking much to him, either. When she got paid for the shoot, she led Qin Guan out and left without hesitation.

Qin Guan was a potential money tree in her hands. The boy had originally focused a lot on his courses. If he went to cram school, he would be too busy to take a part-time job, and it would be a great loss for her.

Sister Xue was still trying to persuade him as they went out of the building, “Qin Guan, take it easy. Don’t exhaust yourself. Find a proper balance between work and rest.”

Qin Guan wanted to tell her that the courses couldn’t be simpler for him, but he still had to attend them. That was mandatory in college.

Qin Guan was studying at the Capital University of Finance and Economics, which was famous for its strictness, unlike some colleges for film or television studies.

Less than a day later, Qin Guan received another call from Sister Xue. She drove a small LADA car under Qin Guan’s dormitory to pick him up.

Fortunately, all college students were still on vacation, or there would be several stories to tell about the charming college boy and the middle-aged woman.

It was night when they arrived at the Chang’an Club. The colorful lights on the ballroom were lit up gradually while elegant dishes were placed on separate small tables.

The DJ in charge of the ballroom was playing slow music from backstage. Some people in casual but detailed clothes were gathering in groups of two or three, making leisurely conversation.

Qin Guan was waiting with a group of models backstage. Everyone was already in their formal wear.

The male models’ suits were relatively normal, with black jackets and bows, while the female models looked quite sexy.

They wore one-piece dresses strung with tiny silver sequins. The dresses were as short as underwear. The girls’ shiny white legs made Qin Guan dizzy.

Sister Xue coughed twice to remind Qin Guan not to look like a hillbilly. Qin Guan looked back at her with pursed lips, giving her a reassuring glance.

They waited until their employer, the host of the party, asked his assistant to inform them to take their positions. At the assistant’s request, Qin Guan got up on the exhibition stage in the conference hall holding a display platter covered by red velvet satin.

The stage was quite bright under the strong lights, but the rest of the hall was dimly lit.

Models in silver short dresses walked among the crowd leisurely. They were holding trays with glasses of champagne and shaking their slender waists under the swaying lights to show off their beautiful figure.

The atmosphere of the party suddenly changed. From the bright stage, Qin Guan couldn’t see what was going on below. All he felt was the surging atmosphere.

Occasionally, people interested in the products would idle up to Qin Guan’s display platter. They would pick up the products to have a look, shake their heads and leave.

Qin Guan stood on the stage for more than an hour before the assistant signaled for him to get down.

Massaging his sore legs, Qin Guan glanced at the crowd in the hall unconsciously before he returned to the backstage area.

Some female models came along with him, taking a break from serving champagne. They leaned on each other’s shoulders, or rested their long legs beside somebody else.

Beautiful lips, white legs and innocent charming smiles; everything looked so glamorous.

Qin Guan wasn’t sure what he was feeling. He was still lost in thought while they changed clothes backstage.

Lighting a slim lady cigarette, Sister Xue told Qin Guan in a low voice, “None of them are professional models. You’re doing this job for money, and so are they. The only difference is that they make more money in a more convenient way.”

Qin Guan remained silent while he changed his clothes. Casting a cutting look at Sister Xue, he said, “I like my money to be clean.”

Sister Xue chuckled, “That’s what I thought. That’s why I want to introduce you to the circle. If you get corrupted, you won’t go far. It’s late, I should take you home.”

The corner of Qin Guan’s mouth rose. “I trust you. All the jobs you’ve picked for me have been pretty good.”

Sister Xue drove Qin Guan to campus. Qin Guan waved at her before he entered his dormitory building.

Leaning back against the driver’s seat, Sister Xue watched his retreating back as she murmured to herself quietly, “I hope you’ll remember what you said today and you won’t ever change.”

The Capital University of Finance and Economics opened on March 5th, 1999, the Day of Lei Feng [1].

The university campus swarmed with the tide of returning students. All of Qin Guan’s roommates were back, embracing each other warmly. Everyone was busy taking out local specialties from their suitcases to share with the others, whom they had not seen for a long time.

The luckiest person in the dormitory was Liu Xiaoyang. As a local boy, most of the specialties had been brought for him.

Liu Xiaoyang was holding an air-dried gigot brought by Mu Lijiang. Yes, it was a whole gigot, carried from Mu Lejiang’s hometown a thousand miles away. All along the journey Mu Lejiang had been surrounded by onlookers staring at it.

Translator’s Thoughts

Lan Lan

【1】Lei Feng （Jan. 18th, 1940-Aug. 15th, 1962） was a soldier of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army who was renowned for his spirit of selfless contribution.