Starting a new chapter in life

Chapter 174 He Ci'en Returns from the Northwest

Jingyan raised her hand, took the towel, wiped her face, handed it to him, and said, "I'll lie down for a while, and then I'll get up to wash up. Don't worry."

“How much did you earn today? Is it really necessary to be this busy? Maybe we shouldn’t take on these kinds of banquets anymore. We don’t want to exhaust ourselves without making much money,” He Zhijun advised.

At the mention of money, Jingyan immediately perked up, jolting awake from her deathbed. Taking advantage of this moment, He Zhijun pushed her towards the washbasin. As Jingyan washed her face, she said:

"Today's banquet brought in a total of 540 yuan. I gave Sister Wang 100 yuan as a service fee, each employee 10 yuan, and added the cost of the raw materials, leaving me with 150 yuan. The net profit from the drinks was a little over 38 yuan."

"The net profit from this banquet is 190 yuan, which is equivalent to our store's daily profit. You tell me, is that profitable or not? If I weren't so tired, I would want to take on these jobs every day. Unfortunately, we can't keep up, so I won't push myself so hard," Jing Yan said with a sigh. Although she knew rationally that her decision was right, she still felt the pinch.

He Zhijun didn't continue the topic. His wife looked distressed that she couldn't earn money. If they continued talking, she would probably have trouble sleeping tonight. What a money-grubbing woman!

"While you were busy at the shop today, Ci'en's admission notice arrived. It's for Aerospace Engineering at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. I inquired about it, and the admission score for this school isn't low this year, around 530. The number of applicants for this major has surged this year. Fortunately, Ci'en's score was much higher, which is why they were able to get into this major."

I'm planning to call my older brother tomorrow to tell Ci'en the good news and ask when he plans to come back. I think it would be better if he came back sooner rather than later, what do you think?

Jingyan hung the towel on the washstand, turned around and got onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and made the bedding with He Zhijun. She nodded and said, "Okay, now that she's back, let's have a celebration banquet for her graduation. Who else do you think we should invite besides family?"

“Let’s ask Ci’en what he thinks. If he wants to invite his classmates, let him come back and invite them himself. If he doesn’t have any ideas, I’ll invite my close colleagues and Ci’en’s teachers to come over. We don’t need to set up so many tables. It’s exhausting and unnecessary. It’s good enough for everyone to get together. What do you think?” He Zhijun expressed his request.

Jingyan had no objections. In both her past and present lives, this was truly the first time she had ever hosted a graduation banquet for a top student. "Then go to the post office tomorrow and call Ci'en to tell me the date of the banquet. I'll be able to discuss the menu with Sister Wang."

He Zhijun smiled and said, "Just follow the Shen family's menu. There's no need to put in any more effort. If you're in the mood for this, you should think about how long you've neglected your husband. If this continues, I'll really be driven crazy."

Jing Yan was speechless. Did men's skin thicken with age? But before she could react, she was silenced. Oh well, her brain wasn't very sharp to begin with, and this interruption only made it worse. If she couldn't think, she wouldn't think...

When Jingyan opened her eyes the next day, the sun was already quite high. After getting ready, she went out of her room and found the children watching TV in the living room. Two fat cats were sitting next to the children, letting them pet them. Occasionally, the cats would casually flick their tails, looking quite relaxed.

Seeing Jingyan leave the room, He Chaoli reacted the fastest, "Auntie, you're up? Did we wake you up? Uncle told us to keep our voices down before he left. You were busy at the shop all day yesterday and you must be tired. Let you sleep a little longer."

Jing Yan blushed slightly, but remained relatively calm: "I've had enough sleep. Are you watching cartoons?"

He Chaoli nodded, "I plan to finish watching this episode and then go study."

Jingyan smiled and said, "It's okay. Studying requires a balance of work and rest. You're only in middle school; high school will be even more demanding, and you won't have much time to relax. Just manage your time well." After saying this, Jingyan went to the kitchen to get some food.

After taking only two steps, she felt a slight ache in her lower back and couldn't help but press it with her hand. He Chaoli, with his sharp eyes, quickly asked, "Auntie, is your lower back sore? Would you like me to massage it for you? Back in the day, I used to massage my mom's back when she had back pain from doing chores."

Jingyan... How is she going to tell her child that sometimes back pain isn't from working too hard?

But she remained calm and composed, replying, "No need, Xiaoli. I'm much better now. I'm going to get some breakfast and then go to the shop. If I'm still sore when I get back tonight, can you massage me for me?"

He Chaoli nodded seriously and agreed: "Okay, Auntie. If you are too tired, just tell me what you need to do. I am a big boy now and I can help you with chores."

Jingyan was truly touched; her child was growing up and becoming more sensible. "Yes, I won't hesitate to ask you for anything if I need anything."

Jingyan had just finished eating when He Zhijun returned. Not seeing anyone, he went to the living room and asked, "Xiaoli, where's your aunt? Did she go to the shop?"

He Chaoli pointed to the kitchen: "Auntie's back is sore today, she must have been tired yesterday. She went to the kitchen for breakfast. Uncle, if Auntie is too tired, you can go and help her since you have the day off today."

He Zhijun's expression remained unchanged, but his ears were burning. He coughed lightly and said, "Well, I'll go find your aunt first. There are some things we need to discuss."

"Jingyan, your older brother and sister-in-law are quite busy. The border situation has been unstable lately. They know Ci'en's notification has arrived, and they said they'll buy him a train ticket in the next couple of days so he can come home early. He should be able to get home in late August."

After we hold our graduation banquet, we'll be heading to Beijing. Getting there a few days earlier will give us time to show you all around. Do you think we should bring the three kids along this time? Going to Beijing would be like broadening their horizons. Actually, I was thinking of bringing Grandma along, but it's such a long journey, and I'm worried about her health.”

Jingyan pondered for a moment: "Why don't you ask Grandma? All three children will start school in early September. I'm not worried about our two. Even if they start school a few days later, it won't cause any problems. But Xiaoli will be in the second year of junior high school. If he misses three to five days, he will fall behind in his studies."

"Let's ask first. If everyone wants to go, then we'll go. I've accumulated quite a few vacation days over the years. I usually don't have much to do, so I just let them all sit there. I calculated that if we invite them all at once, I can take almost a month off. Including weekends, it'll definitely be a month. Let's stay in Beijing for a few more days. I'll take you to climb the Great Wall and see the Forbidden City. You probably haven't been there before, have you?" He Zhijun was in high spirits.

Jing Yan nodded: "I haven't been there before. The first time I went on a long trip was with you to the Great Northern Wilderness, and then we came to Haishi. I really haven't been to other places."

"How about I take you out every year from now on? I heard from a colleague that there are coconuts in Hainan that you can drink like water, and the hot pot in Sichuan is also delicious, though it's spicy. But you like spicy food, so let's go there sometime."

Oh, and Dali too. I heard it's spring-like there all year round, with beautiful flowers everywhere. Even though you can't grow a single flower that survives, I know you really like it, so we can go check it out. In Inner Mongolia, you can ride horses; I heard people there learn to gallop on horseback from a young age. We can go and broaden our horizons…”

As He Zhijun spoke eloquently about the local customs and culture he had heard about, Jingyan watched him intently. Having lived two lives, she had never been to any of the places he described. Imagining exploring the vast and beautiful landscapes of their homeland together in the future filled her with excitement.

So this is what it feels like to be pampered? My chest felt tight, my eyes were a little sore, but I couldn't suppress the smile on my face.

Jingyan didn't go to the shop today. She stayed home to decide on the date for the banquet, finally settling on the day of the Autumnal Equinox, which falls on a weekend. Her parents, brother, and sister-in-law from Yangzhou could come, as could her uncle and his family, so at least the whole family would be there.

He Zhijun took care of inviting his close colleagues, but as for He Ci'en, he didn't plan to invite his classmates. Instead, He Zhijun invited his teachers. Thus, before He Ci'en even returned, all the guests had been invited, and they were just waiting for the main character to return.

He Ci'en returned quite quickly, arriving home on the day of the Ghost Festival. Jing Yan was unsure whether the day was auspicious or not. However, the years of eliminating the Four Olds still had a profound impact. There was no paper money flying around in the streets and alleys, so Jing Yan wasn't so scared. She had always believed in ghosts and gods, and with her own experience, she was even more respectful of them. She returned home before dark that night, which was rare for her, and obediently watched TV with everyone to pass the time.

The first thing He Ci'en did upon entering the house was to examine his university acceptance letter. He looked at it carefully, over and over again, his meticulous manner making everyone in the room laugh. Once his excitement subsided, He Zhijun brought up the matter of the banquet. He Ci'en readily admitted he wasn't good at such things and would simply follow his family's arrangements, but then asked about the timing of his trip to Beijing.

Just then, taking advantage of the opportunity, He Zhijun said he wanted the whole family to go to Beijing to see He Ci'en off, and the family could also do some sightseeing there. The children were naturally overjoyed, happy to be able to travel so far. Grandma hesitated a bit:

“There are so many of us, and the train will definitely be crowded. We also have four children with us. If we have to sit in hard seats on the train, we’ll suffer for over thirty hours. I’m a little worried.”

He Zhijun pondered for a moment: "We only need to buy tickets for six people. An'an and Zhizhi are too young to need tickets. I'll see if I can get sleeper tickets. If I can, we'll take Grandma with us."

"Um, the admission notice from Ci'en University should qualify for a half-price ticket. I wonder if the sleeper ticket discount applies as well?" Jing Yan suddenly remembered and reminded her.

He Zhijun shook his head: "The half-price tickets with the admission notice and student ID are only for hard seats, not sleeper tickets. It's okay, the chances of us being able to buy six sleeper tickets are slim. We'll try to buy as many as possible, and if we don't have enough, we'll buy hard seats. We must at least guarantee Grandma a sleeper ticket."

"It's good that you know what's going on." Jing Yan nodded.

He Ci'en waited until they had finished talking before interjecting, "Auntie, the graduation banquet is on August 23rd? When do we leave? I'll pack my luggage first."

He Zhijun thought for a moment and said, "I'll go to the factory's logistics department first and ask if they can help me book tickets. It will be easier for them to buy tickets than for us. If the logistics department doesn't agree to help, I'll go to the station to buy them."

Jing Yan rolled her eyes: "How many people are in your logistics department?"

"Six people? What happened?" He Zhijun asked curiously.

"Since we're asking for a favor, we need to be respectful. How many of the six people in logistics are men and women? And how old are they?"

"I remember there were two women and four men. I don't know their exact ages, and I don't go there much. I only know how many people there are thanks to the know-it-all in our department. Otherwise, I would be the most out of the loop. I rarely gossip with people."

He Zhijun's tone became somewhat aggrieved as he spoke. He was a man who strictly adhered to traditional male virtues. Apart from necessary communication at work, he never had any contact with women. Other male colleagues' wives would not only ask about him every few days, but would also come to the factory under the pretext of bringing him meals to check up on him. It was only because his wife was carefree that she never asked him about people or things at work. He didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed by this trust.

Jingyan didn't get his point; she was only focused on finding a shortcut: "Is that know-it-all in your department someone who gets along well with everyone?"

Seeing He Zhijun nod, Jing Yan smiled and said, "Tomorrow morning I'll bring you two lunchboxes of braised pork and braised ribs to the factory. Find that know-it-all in your department and ask him to invite the logistics staff to lunch together. Make the braised pork and ribs a treat for them."

It's best to make it clear to that know-it-all beforehand that you want the logistics department to help you book tickets, and ask him to put in a good word for you during the meal. As the saying goes, those who eat another's food are bound to be loyal to them; as long as it's not against the rules, I think there shouldn't be a big problem.

The main problem is that you guys don't really have a relationship, so even if we need someone now, it's a bit late to build a connection. Luckily, we have a know-it-all who can help smooth things over. Anyway, we're just giving it a try. If it works out, great; if not, we'll just buy the tickets ourselves. Don't worry about the food; consider it a chance to build a relationship with a colleague. Don't put too much pressure on yourself.

He Zhijun sighed: "Jingyan, where did you learn this from? You always have to give gifts and pull strings before you can do anything? Actually, I could have gotten the factory to help me with this. There was no need to pull strings like this. Your approach used to be capitalist, a sugar-coated bullet."

Jing Yan glanced at him sideways: "Then tell me, did the people you gave gifts to accept them? Did it have any effect? ​​What era are we living in? It's long past the Cultural Revolution. Besides, interpersonal relationships have always been very important. I'm just more open about it than others."

He Zhijun sighed: "I can't argue with you. I know you mean well. Although I don't agree, I will listen to you. I will work harder and get a higher position so that you won't have to worry about my interpersonal relationships in the future. I know that you don't like to be subservient to people either. It's just that I can't give you the confidence to stand up straight."

Jingyan looked shocked: "Where did you get the idea that I was being submissive? I've always stood tall enough. I've never been mistreated since I married you."