Rebirth in a Shura Field, but in an Abstract Version

013 Abstract Gift

Wang Zhe was at a lottery shop redeeming his prize when he received Jiang Di's call.

4284 yuan, with both odd and even amounts, I counted it once I received it, and then handed it over to the shop owner.

The boss's expression was complicated.

Wang Zhe answered the phone: "Hello, what's up?"

On the other end of the phone came a lively, expectant voice: "What are you doing now? Are you at the lottery shop?"

Wang Zhe: "Yes, what's the problem?"

Jiang Di: "How about we have lunch at your place again today?"

Wang Zhe: "Okay, I'll make it when I get back. If you don't have any special plans, then come to my house for lunch, just like before."

"Of course there are special arrangements..." the girl chuckled twice, "but the arrangements are for the afternoon, so lunch will still be as usual. I really love your cooking."

"Okay, come over in half an hour, bye-bye."

Wang Zhe hung up the phone and put it away.

At that moment, the lottery shop owner suddenly asked, "Who are you betting on to win this time?"

Wang Zhe, however, said, "Neither of us will win, so we'll bet on a draw."

"Oh, you think it's going to be a penalty shootout..." The shop owner nodded. "Then I have to remind you, with odds of 3.2, if you bet correctly again, that's over ten thousand yuan. Any prizes over ten thousand yuan can't be claimed from me."

These words startled Wang Zhe.

Because he only watched football games in his previous life and never bet on them, he was completely unaware of the intricacies involved. Moreover, with the widespread adoption of mobile payments, many details regarding betting and prize redemption had changed significantly. The current betting practices at this point in time were, in fact, a blind spot for him.

At this moment, the lottery shop owner took out a cigarette and then fumbled for a lighter on his person, but for a moment he didn't know where he had put the lighter.

Wang Zhe, however, immediately noticed the lighter on the table, picked it up, and lit it for his boss.

The shopkeeper chuckled, took a deep drag, and then, with a cigarette between his fingers, said, "For prizes exceeding ten thousand yuan, you need to go to the sports lottery center to claim them. You'll need to submit your ID card and bank card. The prize money will be deposited directly into your bank account."

Wang Zhe: "That sounds complicated. How long does it usually take for the money to arrive?"

If the funds arrive late, it could mean he misses the next betting window, which would be a huge loss for him.

The shop owner said, "I'm not too sure, that's the job of the sports lottery center. But I have to say, if you go to the sports lottery center to claim your prize and the amount exceeds 10,000 yuan, then you'll have to pay taxes. Twenty percent tax."

Wang Zhe immediately understood: "So I can't let the prize money for a single lottery ticket exceed ten thousand, right? Then do I have to go to another store to buy it?"

The shopkeeper shook his head: "That's not necessary. You can still buy tickets here. For example, if you want to bet over four thousand on a draw, with odds of 3.2, the prize money is ten thousand... three or four thousand. You can split it into two tickets, each for just over two thousand. That way, your final prize money will still be over ten thousand, it won't change, but you won't need to pay taxes, and you don't need to go to the sports lottery center. I can pay you directly here."

Wang Zhe nodded, but then another question popped into his head: "Do you have enough cash in your shop?"

The shop owner took a drag of his cigarette, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "The accounts will be handled by the sports lottery center, so I don't need to worry. Besides, you can guess whether more people have made money or lost money betting on the European Cup here these days?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Today's lunch is scrambled eggs with tomatoes and braised pork ribs with potatoes.

Before going to the lottery shop, Wang Zhe had already started cooking rice in the rice cooker and prepared the ribs, which were stewing in the pot. When he got home with the two lottery tickets, the timing was just right. All he had to do was lift the lid, reduce the sauce over high heat, sprinkle in some chopped green onions, and it was ready to serve.

Then make a simple tomato and egg stir-fry, and serve the dish.

Jiang Di was busy serving food and chopsticks.

In a daze, this unspoken understanding made him feel as if the two of them had been living together for a long time.

As soon as he sat down and shook his head, Wang Zhe came to his senses and saw Jiang Di's slightly flushed face.

No, girl, why are you blushing?

"How come every dish you make is so delicious?" Jiang Di devoured the food with her chopsticks. "These ribs are so good, and so is the tomato and egg dish! My parents also make ribs and eggs, but why aren't they as good as yours?"

Wang Zhe: "Because there are techniques involved, would you like to learn them?"

Jiang Di quickly shook her head: "It's good that you can do it. I can wash the dishes!"

Wang Zhe was too lazy to complain and was busy eating.

I vividly remember asking Song Zhiyi in my past life if she wanted to learn cooking skills by watching videos like I did, and my ex-wife gave a similar response—"Isn't it normal for men from Sichuan and Chongqing to cook? You can cook, and I'll do the other housework."

Since both Song Zhiyi and I are architectural designers, we're both equally busy, so if we don't share the housework, one of us really can't manage. Considering the cost of living in Shanghai, the two of us, fresh out of college, can't afford to eat out every day.

Fortunately, Wang Zhe's cooking skills improved, and even ordinary restaurants outside couldn't necessarily cook as well as him, so he stopped eating out altogether.

After finishing lunch today, Jiang Di washed the dishes as usual, and then urged Wang Zhe to leave.

She's going to reveal the gift.

Walking down the street, Wang Zhe couldn't help but ask, "What on earth is it that's making things so mysterious?"

Jiang Di walked ahead with her hands behind her back. She turned around, walking backwards while grinning, and said, "You'll see when we get there! I even asked my cousin the day before yesterday, there definitely won't be any problems this time!"

"Your cousin?" Wang Zhe thought for a moment, "The one who lent you her ID so you could go to the internet cafe?"

"right!"

"What does this gift have to do with your cousin?"

"Hehe, you'll find out soon enough. Look, we're here!"

Following the direction the girl pointed, Wang Zhe saw a shop hidden in the alley. The shop looked rather strange; it didn't sell food or drinks, and obviously didn't offer any regular services. The shop's name was five characters, written in a rather fancy font.

"Xin Xin Studio?" Wang Zhe read out the shop's name.

Jiang Di nodded: "Yes, her name is Huang Xinxin. Like me, she didn't do well in school, but she studied art and went to an art college."

Wang Zhe asked疑惑地问道, "Then what does her studio do? Does she draw for people?"

Jiang Di smiled without saying a word, but grabbed his arm and stopped him from going into the store.

Upon entering the store, I saw no other customers, only a flamboyant female owner.

The studio owner was indeed flamboyant, with his hair dyed in both yellow and red highlights, which reminded Wang Zhe of the scrambled eggs with tomatoes he had made not long ago. He looked quite young, not even thirty, but he had a striking tattoo on his neck.

Looking at the shop's layout, Wang Zhe suddenly realized, "This is a tattoo shop!"

Jiang Di nodded emphatically: "My gift is to have your name tattooed on my body!"

Wang Zhe: "...?!"

No, is it that abstract?

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.