Going to work? Even a dog wouldn't go!

Chapter 32, The Significance of Foot Washing
Zhang Xian left the foot massage parlor three hours later. Because of his good experience, he immediately recharged a VIP membership card worth 20,000 yuan.

Large top-ups like his come with bonuses; a top-up of 20,000 yuan comes with a bonus of 3888 yuan. Since it was the opening day, the store also had a lucky draw activity where you could smash golden eggs. A top-up of 2,000 yuan would give you one chance to smash a golden egg and enter the lucky draw. Zhang Xian topped up 20,000 yuan and got ten chances to enter the lucky draw.

Nine of the prizes were foot massage experience cards worth 39.9 yuan each, and on the other occasion, I was lucky enough to win the first prize, a mountain bike.

So, Zhang Xian happily rode his bicycle home.

"Xiaoxian, you're back!"

At this moment, in addition to Liu Fusheng, Pang Dachun, and Wang Shulan, several more elderly men and women have gathered at the Liu family's door, offering suggestions and advice for Liu Dongxu's wedding.

They've been neighbors for decades. Although there might be some friction between them, they usually help each other out when someone has a major event.

With so many people gathered here, Zhang Xian's "glorious deeds" at the foot massage parlor naturally spread. Now that the person involved had returned, Liu Fusheng immediately called out to Zhang Xian.

Where did this bicycle come from?

Seeing Zhang Xian riding a brand new bicycle, Liu Fusheng asked again.

I won it in a lottery.

Zhang Xian parked his bicycle right next to him.

"Where did you draw this prize?"

"Xiaoxian, you're so lucky!"

Wang Shulan usually likes to take advantage of small things, and she immediately became interested when she heard that she could win a bicycle in the lottery.

"Could it be a prize draw at a foot massage parlor?"

Pang Dachun added that after learning from Zhang Zhaodi that Zhang Xian had gone to the foot massage parlor, he made a special trip to the alley entrance to take a look. The newly opened foot massage parlor was very lively. In addition to rows of flower baskets, there was a table with "golden eggs" on it. It was said that if you recharged your account, you would have the chance to smash the golden eggs and win a prize.

"Uncle Pang, you went to the foot massage parlor too?"

Zhang Xian asked with a smile, which was tantamount to admitting that the bicycle was won in a lottery at the foot massage parlor.

"I'm just passing by!"

Pang Dachun quickly shook his head.

"Just passing by isn't enough; you have to experience it for yourself to know if it's good or not!"

"Uncle Pang, I still have a trial card I won in a lottery. You can use it to try it out for free!"

As Zhang Xian spoke, he took out the 39.9 yuan trial card he had just won in the lottery from his pocket and handed one of them to Pang Dachun.

"what?"

"this??"

Pang Dachun glanced at the trial card in his hand, unsure of what to do next.

"Uncle Pang, don't worry, it won't cost you anything!"

Zhang Xian said with a smile.

Just now, when Pang Dachun passed by the foot massage parlor, he couldn't help but peek inside. At that moment, there was a girl in a cheongsam standing in front of the counter talking to the cashier.

It was obvious without asking that the girl was a masseuse at the foot massage parlor.

Looking at the trial card in his hand, Pang Dachun couldn't help but picture the girl's slender figure in his mind.

If he had to pay for a foot massage parlor himself, his wife would definitely fight him to the death, but Zhang Xian gave him a trial card so he wouldn't have to pay. Maybe there's a chance.

"Xiaoxian, where did you get so many trial cards?"

Looking at the trial card in Pang Dachun's hand, Liu Fusheng couldn't help but feel envious. He also wanted to try the free foot bath.

"I got this from a lottery, Uncle Liu, here's one for you too!"

Zhang Xian handed another trial card to Liu Fusheng.

"Uh, this isn't a good idea."

Liu Fusheng glanced into the house; his wife, Sun Fengyan, was preparing dinner and wasn't at the door.

"It's just a foot massage, it's not a big deal!"

"Aunt Wang, you should take one too. Aunt Sun, why don't you give it a try?"

Zhang Xian had no intention of using the 39.9 yuan trial card at all; it was the most basic foot massage service, which was boring. He might as well use the trial card to "drag everyone down" so that they wouldn't gather together and talk about themselves.

"I've never been to a foot massage parlor before, I'd love to try it out!"

Wang Shulan beamed with joy; she loved getting a good deal, and this free trial card was great.

"Xiaoxian, where did you get so many trial cards? I saw a sign at the foot massage parlor that says you need to recharge 2,000 yuan for one chance to win a prize."

Zhang Xian quickly distributed five or six free trial cards, prompting Pang Dachun to ask.

"I recharged 20,000 yuan. The more you recharge, the more you get as a bonus. It's a good deal!"

"You guys keep chatting, I'm going back now."

After saying that, Zhang Xian pushed his bicycle into his own courtyard.

Pang Dachun, Liu Fusheng, and the others looked at each other in shock.

As soon as Zhang Xian opened the door and entered the house, everyone immediately started discussing it.

"Did you hear that? They actually deposited 20,000!"

"With the money Old Zhang earns, how could he possibly afford to spend like that!"

"What good can you do with 20,000 yuan deposited at a foot massage parlor!"

"Xiaoxian used to seem like a very honest kid, how did he turn out like this?"

“We’ve never had such a spendthrift kid in our alley. That’s 20,000 yuan! That’s four months of my retirement pension!”

Everyone chimed in, denouncing Zhang Xian.

At this moment, Liu Dongxu and Wang Jiajia walked over hand in hand. They had gone to the wedding planning company today and had just returned.

"Second Aunt and Uncle Pang are here."

Liu Dongxu greeted everyone with a smile.

"Dongxu, you're back just in time. Your mother's dinner is almost ready." Liu Fusheng pointed into the house.

"I happen to be hungry!"

Liu Dongxu had no intention of chatting with these elderly men and women, and pulled Wang Jiajia into his own yard.

"Shulan, let's go in too, dinner will be served soon."

"Old Pang, let's play a few more rounds tomorrow morning."

Liu Fusheng invited Wang Shulan to his home for dinner. They had only been neighbors before, but now they were in-laws.

Wang Shulan didn't stand on ceremony and followed them into the Liu family's house.

Pang Dachun and the others dispersed.

At the dining table.

The Liu family of three, along with Wang Shulan and Wang Jiajia, sat together.

We've almost finished eating.

"Sister Yan, you weren't outside just now, so you don't know, but that kid Zhang Xian actually recharged 20,000 yuan at the foot massage parlor."

"Isn't this just wasteful spending?"

Wang Shulan told Sun Fengyan about Zhang Xian.

"what?"

"Spent 20,000 yuan at the foot massage parlor??"

Sun Fengyan was shocked, then shook her head repeatedly: "Xiaoxian has gone astray, he really doesn't want to be good at all!"

After saying that, she quickly reminded her son, "Dongxu, you must never follow Xiaoxian's example. No respectable person goes to a foot massage parlor!"

"Besides, none of the women working in foot massage parlors are any good. What decent girl would want to work there!"

Cough
As soon as Sun Fengyan finished speaking, Wang Jiajia, who was eating, choked. "Jiajia, are you alright? Have some water."

Liu Dongxu thoughtfully handed his fiancée a glass of water.

"It's nothing, I just ate a small chili pepper."

Wang Jiajia took a sip of water, pretending to be calm, but inwardly she couldn't help but mutter to herself: Why didn't I ever meet a guy who topped up his card with 20,000 yuan at once when I was working? He would have gotten a lot of commission!

"Second Aunt, Zhang Xianzheng recharged 20,000 yuan at the foot massage parlor?"

Liu Dongxu pressed for more information out of curiosity.

"Of course it's true! You get a chance to win a prize once you recharge 2,000 yuan at the foot massage parlor. Zhang Xianguang won more than ten free trial cards. And look, he even gave one to me and Brother Liu each!"

As Wang Shulan spoke, she took out the trial card that Zhang Xian had given her.

After hearing her words, Sun Fengyan immediately looked at her husband.

Liu Fusheng forced an awkward smile and took out the free trial card from his pocket. He hadn't planned to tell his wife about it and would secretly try it out tomorrow, but Wang Shulan had told her.

I should have known better than to invite that woman over for dinner!
Liu Fusheng silently grumbled to himself.

"Old Liu, I haven't heard you mention this before. Are you planning to go and experience it?"

Sun Fengyan glared fiercely at her husband.

"I haven't had a chance to say it yet!"

With a heavy heart, Liu Fusheng handed the trial card to his wife: "I don't care about this stuff. You and Shulan can go take a look when you have time. It doesn't cost any money anyway."

Sun Fengyan snorted and put the trial card into her pocket.

Wang Shulan realized she might have said something wrong, so she quickly tried to smooth things over with a smile: "Sister Yan, Brother Liu isn't that kind of person. Zhang Xian offered it to him, so he felt bad refusing."

"That's right, everyone gets one, I can't be treated differently!"

Liu Fusheng immediately echoed this sentiment.

Seeing the two say this, Sun Fengyan didn't say anything more, but instead turned her attention to Zhang Xian: "Old Zhang posted on his WeChat Moments today that he was performing out of town. That's great! He's out there making money, while Xiao Xian is at home wasting it. If he spends money like this, no amount of money will be enough!"

Wang Shulan nodded in agreement: "Who says otherwise? I think Old Zhang really needs to find a partner to manage the money, otherwise all the money he's worked so hard to earn will be squandered!"

While saying this, Wang Shulan was thinking to herself that if she became Zhang Xian's stepmother, she would have to keep a close eye on her money.

"Zhang Xian is becoming more and more outrageous!"

"I'll go ask him what he's really thinking!"

Liu Dongxu slammed his fist on the table indignation, then got up and left the house.

Since he was already full, he might as well go out for a walk to digest his food.

Of course, digestion was secondary; his main purpose was to give his good friend Zhang Xian a good "criticism".

As he entered the Zhang family's courtyard, he called out, "Brother Xian, are you there?"

Have you finished eating?

Woof woof woof.
Before Zhang Xian could respond, a small yellow dog rushed out of the house and barked wildly at Liu Dongxu.

"Vell, come back!"

Zhang Zhaodi followed him out of the house: "Weir, don't bite!"

She kept calling him "Weir," which made Liu Dongxu extremely annoyed.

At that moment, Zhang Xian also came out of the house: "Dongxu, is something the matter?"

"It's nothing serious. I just finished eating and was thinking of chatting with you for a bit."

"Alright, let's go out for a walk then."

Zhang Xian had just finished eating. He had ordered hotpot delivery and he and Zhang Zhaodi had shared four pounds of meat, enjoying their meal immensely.

"Zhaodi, take Will inside. I'll bring you ice cream later."

As they reached the courtyard gate, Zhang Xian gave Zhang Zhaodi another piece of advice.

"Brother Xian, could you please change the name of your dog?"

As Liu Dongxu left the Zhang family's courtyard, he said with a mournful face.

Zhang Xian shrugged: "It already knows its name is Will, so it's too difficult to change it now. Why don't you change your name to an English name? Anyway, you basically won't need an English name in China."

"Okay, then I'll change my English name!"

Liu Dongxu sighed helplessly. Just as Zhang Xian said, even the little yellow dog knew its name was Will. Changing it would be quite difficult, since even the smartest dog has limited intelligence.

So if you don't want to have the same name as someone else, the only option is for him to give up his name.

"Brother Xian, I heard you recharged 20,000 yuan at the foot massage parlor, is that true?"

Liu Dongxu adjusted his mood and changed the subject.

"Wow, you knew all along."

Zhang Xian wasn't surprised at all that Liu Dongxu knew about this. What secrets could there be in this alley, especially with so many people at Liu's door just now?

"Looks like you really did spend that much money."

"Was the technician's service good?"

Liu Dongxu asked curiously. The reason he went out to find Zhang Xian with "righteous indignation" was not to criticize him, but to learn from his experience.

While studying in the United States, he heard from other international students that some foot massage parlors in China had particularly good services. However, he went to study in the United States after graduating from high school, and because airfare was expensive, he rarely returned to China during his years of study abroad.

So going to a foot massage parlor was already on his must-do list when he returned to China, and now Zhang Xian has taken the lead in experiencing it.

"If you want to talk to me about technicians, we could talk for a whole pack of cigarettes."

Zhang Xian knew exactly what this guy was thinking, and immediately pointed to the supermarket at the entrance of the alley.

"Okay, I'll go buy it right away."

In order to seek the true knowledge, Liu Dongxu headed towards the supermarket without hesitation.

"I want Hua Zi cigarettes; I cough if I smoke anything else."

Zhang Xian shouted something at Liu Dongxu's retreating figure.

"understood!"

Liu Dongxu paused slightly, but still waved in response.

A moment later, he walked out of the supermarket with a bag of cigarettes and two bottles of water.

Then he solicitously lit one for Zhang Xian, and after the other exhaled a puff of smoke, he spoke again: "Brother Xian, can you talk now?"

Where would you like to start listening?

Zhang Xian asked.

"I've never been to a foot massage parlor in China. Can you tell me about it from the beginning?"

Liu Dongxu's eyes were filled with a thirst for knowledge.

"Okay, then I'll start from the beginning. There are actually many kinds of foot massage parlors. Some are purely vegetarian, some are half-vegetarian and half-meat, and some are all-meat. The foot massage parlor at the entrance of our alley seems to be half-vegetarian and half-meat. They have handwritten questions and oral questions."

"Of course, you know I'm a decent guy, I don't get involved in any shady stuff. I go to the foot massage parlor just to relax my tired body."

"Fishing is physically demanding. You can sit by the river all day long, and it's normal to have a sore back and aching muscles. So I thought I'd go for a massage after fishing to relax. This is also a way of responding to the national call to spend more money!"

"Although the amount of money I spend is insignificant, it adds up. If you don't wash your feet and I don't wash my feet, the foot massage parlor will go out of business. If the foot massage parlor goes out of business, so many young women will lose their jobs. Do you think they are individuals?"

"No, behind them are broken families: gambling fathers, sick mothers, and younger brothers who are still in school. Once she loses her job, the family is finished."

"So, you thought I was washing feet?"

"No, what I'm washing is the hope of those broken families!"

At this point, Zhang Xian squinted and exhaled a puff of smoke: "Dongxu, do you still think 20,000 is a lot?"

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(End of this chapter)