Maximize Interest, My Money Grows Infinitely-Chapter 12 - The Picky Egret

Zhongguancun, Jifa Line Business Hall.

Chen Cheng got up early but ended up being late for the gathering.

Despite the doors having been open for just over ten minutes, the number he obtained from the ticket machine was already lined up as the seventieth-plus.

Looking around, the waiting area was bustling with people.

Everyone was holding the required documents, anxiously waiting for their opportunity to process a loan.

"Please D0001 proceed to window number 3 for service." The mechanical voice calling numbers echoed in his ears.

Chen Cheng carefully observed and realized there was only one window handling corporate loans.

Even if each customer took an average of ten minutes, it would be 13 hours before his turn.

"Without eating or drinking, it still wouldn't be my turn!"

Chen Cheng muttered to himself, his gaze weaving through the crowd. Simply waiting wasn't going to cut it; he needed to find a shortcut.

He glanced at the number in his hand again.

Switching to another bank would definitely not be as fast in disbursing funds as this one.

Because, according to the information bought from the system, all the transactions for this company had been through this bank - they knew it inside out.

Chen Cheng then took out his phone, scrolled through his contacts to see if he could find an acquaintance or two to help submit his documents.

At that moment, the hall suddenly became noisy.

A young girl emerged from the staff entrance and was immediately surrounded by a crowd seeking loans.

"Xiao Tong! Xiao Tong! Has the leader looked at my documents?"

Chen Cheng looked up to see her, just twenty-three or twenty-four years of age.

Like a persimmon on a branch in July, pretty yet sour.

Her tailored grey suit jacket hugged her slender waist, the third button on her white shirt looked like it was about to pop, and she even managed to make plain-looking trousers look high-waisted.

Chen Cheng noticed the name tag on her chest—Tong Jialu.

"Your documents are already in the approval stage. Once they pass the review, a specialist will call you to come in and sign," Tong Jialu said with an urgent tone, but still patiently.

After speaking, she quickly walked out of the hall.

Seeing Tong Jialu leave, Chen Cheng took the opportunity to mingle and started chatting with a middle-aged man nearby.

"Hey brother, who is that girl?" Chen Cheng probed.

The man gave Chen Cheng a look, noticing the document bag in his hand, "You're here to apply for a loan as well, aren't you?"

"Exactly! Otherwise, who would want to queue up early in the morning like this!" Chen Cheng laughed and asked again, "So, who is she?"

"She's the assistant to Director Xia Yubing of the credit department, Tong Jialu." The man explained and sighed, "After we hand over our documents at the counter, she consolidates them and then submits them to Director Xia."

Chen Cheng raised his eyebrows, "Yo, she's got quite a bit of power then!"

"You can say that again! Or else, why would I, a full-grown man, go begging to this little miss?"

Chen Cheng glanced down at the man's sparse Mediterranean hairline, "Thanks, brother."

"No worries! We're all in the same boat!" The man rubbed his gleaming forehead.

Having learned this critical piece of information, Chen Cheng didn't hesitate to crumple up his queue ticket and toss it into the trash bin before striding out.

Standing at the entrance to Jifa Line, Chen Cheng scanned his surroundings for Tong Jialu.

Looking to the left, he saw her tall figure heading towards the back alley of Jifa Line.

Chen Cheng felt a twinge of excitement and promptly quickened his pace to catch up.

He made his way through the bustling crowd, quietly entering the alley, not wanting to alarm Tong Jialu ahead.

Not far in, he heard Tong Jialu's complaints.

"Eat eat eat! I also have to pick out the shells for you! I haven't even had my own breakfast yet!"

Chen Cheng lightened his steps, looking towards the voice, only to see Tong Jialu cradling a can of bird food, carefully picking out the empty shells.

Her eyebrows were furrowed, clearly somewhat impatient with this task.

Chen Cheng finally realized what she was complaining about.

Anyone tasked with this early in the morning would be uncomfortable.

But Chen Cheng felt secretly fortunate; it seemed that his luck was good and he'd chosen the right moment.

"Ahem." He cleared his throat to attract Tong Jialu's attention.

Tong Jialu turned around and saw Chen Cheng standing not far away.

With just a glance at what was in his hand, she turned back and said, "Go to the service hall and take a number."

Chen Cheng approached with a genuine smile, "I'm not here to apply for a loan."

"I've heard that line many times. Our bank doesn't do backdoor deals."

Chen Cheng stood next to Tong Jialu, still smiling and looking at her.

The corner of Tong Jialu's eyes caught a glimpse of her polished leather shoes, and she looked up again with a wary expression and asked, "What are you up to?"

"This isn't how you do it." Chen Cheng said with a laugh, "You hold this for me, I have a method."

As he spoke, he handed the company documents over to Tong Jialu.

"What's your method?"

They exchanged naturally, and Chen Cheng took the blue and white porcelain bird feeder canister. He glanced at the maker's mark on the bottom, "Oh, it's new from Yang Hai!"

Tong Jialu raised her eyebrows slightly, "You're quite knowledgeable."

"I've loved researching this stuff since I was little. That, Manager Tong, please step back." Chen Cheng waved his hand to have her move back, "The dust and husks will fly onto your suit and make a mess."

"Be careful! Don't crack it!"

"No worries, I've got a steady hand."

Chen Cheng held the porcelain jar, looked at the various grains inside, shook it, and began to blow across the top.

Sure enough, the empty husks left by the birds flew out all at once.

"Ah? You can do it like this?!" Tong Jialu was as if she'd discovered a new world, incredulously saying, "I've always just picked them out by hand."

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"As a matter of fact, you could also use a finer sieve," said Chen Cheng while still fiddling with the canister.

"I didn't realize you were an expert!"

"Hey! My grandpa loves keeping birds and always fusses with these things," Chen Cheng explained earnestly, "I've been watching him since I was young."

What was initially over half a can of husks was reduced to a small fraction after Chen Cheng's handling.

He handed the little canister back, "This canister is somewhat heavy, the porcelain base is fine, and the painting is beautiful; it's authentic."

"Could there be a fake? This is my master's treasure!"

Chen Cheng thought of Xia Yubing, and he said with a smile, "So you must be rearing a red-whiskered bulbul?"

Tong Jialu was even more surprised, "You guessed it without even seeing the bird?"

"It's not a guess, it's from the food."

Chen Cheng spilled the contents of the canister into his hand, "Look, broad beans, peas, mung beans, and peanut kernels - these are what red-whiskered bulbuls eat in autumn to fatten up."

"The birds have special requirements?"

Chen Cheng nodded with a smile, "You can also feed them some lard."

"They eat oil too?!" Tong Jialu had been helping Xia Yubing feed the birds for so long and had never heard of this feeding method.

However, the method provided by this stranger seemed factual.

"Of course." Chen Cheng put the contents back into the canister and returned it, "Alright, that's about it."

"Thank you..."

Chen Cheng pointed to the kraft paper bag Tong Jialu was holding, "That's mine."

"Oh!" Tong Jialu responded quickly, "Sorry for holding you up."

"No problem, your bank just has too many people, and I needed some fresh air. I'm also thinking about trying a different bank," Chen Cheng lied.

"You're not looking for a loan with us anymore?" Tong Jialu asked in return.