Back to 1979: Sending the Educated Youth’s Wife Back to the City

Chapter 202 Feeling Happy
The Fang family of four adjusted to the time difference at their home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment, with Fang Min taking care of them. After a day or two, they gradually returned to their normal daily routines.

The first person to recover was Changchang, who also had no concept of day or night. His parents and sister were all asleep, so he had no choice but to accept Minjie's 'service'. Gradually, perhaps he regained some memories, or perhaps he rebuilt his feelings. Two days later, he was very close to Minjie again.

School doesn't start for another week or so. Fang Min is handling the cooking and childcare, while Lin Yan, having adjusted to the time difference, is just lazing around at home. Going out for fun is actually quite tiring, only kids don't seem to know how tiring it is. Being a parent taking the kids out is really stressful.

It was a little past four in the afternoon. She was wearing her pajamas, lounging on the living room sofa. The large color TV was on, and she was watching it half-heartedly.

The dog days of summer are over, and with the windows open, there's a draft, so we don't need to turn on the air conditioner. They were traveling during the summer vacation this year, so they didn't even need to use the air conditioner at home.

Lin Yan also realized that she had been somewhat blinded by vanity when she made the purchase. Almost every household here had a full set of imported appliances, and she didn't want to be an exception. Besides, her family already had so much debt; a few thousand more wouldn't make a difference.

When we moved in, we wanted to get everything we needed right away. So we bought imported air conditioners and refrigerators.

As a result, we spent the summer vacation traveling abroad and didn't use either of those items much. They added up to almost ten thousand yuan! I guess my mother-in-law is quite unhappy about this, but she didn't say it directly like her parents.

She herself felt a pang of regret thinking about it while abroad. So when Mingche wanted to get a more advanced camera, she snapped back to reality and reverted to her frugal ways. She'd learned her lesson from that impulsive purchase once.

However, when Mingche said that the travel agency needed video and photography equipment, she didn't stop him from buying more.

"Xiaomin, how was your trip home?" Lin Yan asked Fang Min, who was mopping the floor.

The landlord installed wooden floors, so you can't use a too-wet mop. Fang Min even saw a neighbor's housekeeper squatting or kneeling down to wipe the floor with a towel. However, it dries quickly in the summer, so you can wring the mop a little dry before wiping. This is completely different from the cement floors in ordinary homes.

Hearing Lin Yan's question, she looked up and said, "Ninth Aunt, can I not tell you?"

Fang Min only stayed at home for a week before going to Beijing with the three siblings, Fang Mingfeng's parents, and Fang Minghui.

For the next month and a half, she helped out at the guesthouse in the courtyard house. With Fang's mother there, she was sure she could find odd jobs for her, an unofficial employee, so she wouldn't be paid for nothing.

Fang Min also thought this was fine. Otherwise, if her employer went abroad for nearly two months without paying her extra wages, she wouldn't feel comfortable eating and staying there for free. As long as it didn't interfere with her night school classes, it was fine.

Fang Min had only returned two days before Fang Mingche and the others came back to clean the house, buy groceries, and cook. Now, when Aunt Jiu asked her how it felt to be back home, she looked like she had a lot to say.

Lin Yan waved her hand, "Never mind, never mind, you don't have to say if you don't want to."

It doesn't seem to be going very well; in fact, it could be quite unpleasant.

She and Mingche taught Xiaomin, and she sent ten yuan back home each month. After all, the initial agreement was that she would be a nanny, with room and board included, for thirty yuan a month. That's a significant amount!

Mingche still only gives her ten yuan a month. As for her, she only receives money during holidays. She usually buys food and clothes for her parents and in-laws. Of course, if their parents have major expenses, such as medical bills, they will definitely not be stingy.

Xiaomin's family sent her to Beijing last year, but they only allowed her to bring one set of clothes as a change of clothes; she only had the one she was wearing as an outer garment. This shows what kind of people her parents are. They're probably similar to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, believing that all the money their daughter earns should be handed over. It seems that even after ten months away, her family hasn't changed at all.

As the two were talking, the living room phone rang. The phone was on a small table next to the sofa. Lin Yan, being nearby, picked it up easily, "Hello!"

Yes, telephones have been installed in the Overseas Chinese Apartments now. The initial installation fee of over 5000 yuan is nothing to them. Currently, there are two telephones in the courtyard using one number, one for the travel agency and one for the guesthouse. There's another one in the Overseas Chinese Apartments.

Gao Xiang's voice came from the other end of the phone, "Lin Yan, let me ask how your jet lag is going. If it's going well, I'll send over the July account book in a bit."

"Oh, come over here. Bring Xie Ping along too, we'll have dinner here in a bit."

Gao Xiang said, "Okay, if the boss lady says so, I'll have Xiao Ping leave half an hour early too."

He also has a younger sister-in-law at home, so he doesn't need to worry about his mother.

Gao Xiang hung up and then called Lao Zhou's house again, asking his sister-in-law to come out and pick him up. He told her that the two of them wouldn't be home for dinner that night.

"Okay, brother-in-law, I understand. I will take good care of Auntie, don't worry."

After hanging up again, Gao Xiang went to call Xie Ping and they rode their old bicycles to the Overseas Chinese Apartment together.

Xie Ping rides this bike every day now, since Gao Xiang doesn't work regular hours. He only comes when he has something to do. However, now that the office is bigger, he and Lin Yan have their own dedicated finance room.

Since it was Lin Yan who called them over, and they went together to deliver the account books, Han Mei's attendance record would show that they were on a business trip.

Gao Xiang carried Xie Ping, who was holding a bag, and rode through the shaded areas. The trees along Beijing Road were all old trees that had stood for many years, which were quite good at regulating the temperature and blocking the sun.

The bag contained five ledgers from a travel agency, a handicraft shop, two scrap yards, and a vegetable stall. Fang Mingche and Lin Yan's businesses both employed Gao Xiang as their financial manager. Fang Mingfeng also hired him. So Gao Xiang was indeed quite busy all the time. He was only slightly less busy during winter and summer vacations.

However, he would definitely be happy to do so. Having a sick person in his family is like having a bottomless pit. Moreover, he's already planning to have a child with Xie Ping. He's two years older than Fang Mingche, and he's quite envious of Yan Yan and Chang Chang.

Now his family rents three rooms from Grandpa Gu. If he had the chance, he would like to buy a house with a courtyard like Qiu Yin, otherwise his children will have to sleep with their aunt when they get older.

Qiu Yin's courtyard is a perfect 400 square meters, costing 30,000! Even though his income has risen along with the tide, earning him 8,000 to 10,000 a year, and he can earn another 1,000 or so from Xie Ping, it's still no small sum! It would take him three years of not eating or drinking! Therefore, he plans to look for a place further away.

When they went in, Fang Min came out to greet them.

Xie Ping took a closer look and noticed that many of the bicycles parked in the bicycle shed were imported. There were also quite a few private cars parked on the community roads. Many of them were sedans; Lin Yan's secondhand pickup truck didn't even make the list.

Fang Min said, "Teacher Gao, Aunt Xie, you can go upstairs yourselves. I'll go to the children's play area to look for Yan Yan and Chang Chang."

Aunt Jiu has been too lazy to go out these past two days, but Yan Yan, having recovered, went downstairs to play with her friends. Chang Chang followed her into the elevator and went downstairs together.

There are security guards at the entrance, so outsiders can't get in. Therefore, the family feels quite comfortable letting them come downstairs to play on their own.

The children's playground in our community is rather monotonous compared to Disneyland and other playgrounds the siblings just visited. But in China, a community with slides, seesaws, and swings is still top-notch.

In China today, the concept of a residential community environment simply doesn't exist. Large courtyards often house over a dozen families. Some families have many children, with four or five kids sharing a room. As the children grow older, to make room, people resort to using curtains, bunk beds, building lofts, and even illegal structures in the courtyard. They've really come up with every possible solution; where is there any space left to care about a community environment?
Xie Ping nodded, "Okay, you can go ahead, we'll find it."

I've worked here for a while now, so I'm very familiar with the place. It's just that my access pass has been revoked, which is why Fang Min needs to come down and pick me up.

The two took the elevator upstairs by themselves and then rang the doorbell.

Someone was coming, so Lin Yan definitely couldn't stay lounging on the sofa any longer. She had changed her clothes and was dressed appropriately for entertaining guests. Hearing the doorbell ring, she went to open the door and said, "Come in quickly."

Lin Yan invited them to sit on the sofa and then opened the refrigerator to get some fruit.

Yan Yan went to her friend's house and saw that their refrigerator was still full of popsicles and ice cream. She even thought about buying some in bulk to freeze herself. She could just grab one whenever she wanted, feeling so happy!
Lin Yan disagreed, saying that children have sensitive stomachs. Besides, the hottest days of summer were over. Moreover, ice cream and popsicles are high in sugar, which is not suitable for dance students.

"Mingche went out to deliver gifts and returned soon."

Gao Xiang and Xie Ping both knew that Fang Mingche mostly visited the homes of staff members he knew from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Culture. It took them several tens of minutes to ride their bicycles over, and it was almost time for government offices to close for the day.

Fang Mingche drove there, delivered the things, and came back. He should be back soon indeed; he certainly wouldn't invite them to stay for dinner.

Gao Xiang showed the account book to Lin Yan. After Wang Dexian's publicity, everyone knew that the couple had over 300,000 yuan in debt, both publicly and privately. But that actually happened in March or April. Now, in late August, they had earned money for another four months.

The travel agency's monthly profit sharing is 1200, with the Fang family receiving 800. Several other businesses have earned 30,000 in the past four months. With five months left, repaying the original owner of the courtyard house the 68,000 yuan owed by New Year's Day shouldn't be a problem.

While eating watermelon, Gao Xiang overheard Lin Yan and Xie Ping saying that she regretted spending so much money on appliances on a whim.

"The internal factor played a decisive role, mainly my own vanity and desire to compare myself with others. But Mingche's constant nagging in my ear that money is earned to be spent was also an important external factor. It really is easy to go from frugality to extravagance!"

Gao Xiang said, "What's there to regret about your family's income? Frozen watermelons are just different from those that are stored in a well."

There was an old well in the courtyard, from which a cool breeze emanated. Mr. Fang had a large watermelon hung in it, and when it was hottest in the afternoon, it was cut out and distributed to the guests and tour group staff.

However, Xie Ping didn't eat any. She wasn't eating watermelon either; she was eating other fruits instead. Watermelon is considered cooling and can cause a cold feeling in the uterus. She's trying to conceive!

Lin Yan said, "We haven't turned on the air conditioner even once this year; it's just for show."

I spent too much money in one go this March and April! I hadn't saved enough before, but I ended up with the large courtyard house that Mingche had been longing for, and my office really does need to be expanded.

As a result, in a moment of impulsiveness, she used the 70,000 yuan she had saved from the courtyard house to buy imported home appliances and fine furniture in the large courtyard house and the Overseas Chinese Apartment area. She spent it all! It was also caused by her frequent trips to the Friendship Store.

It's one thing if the courtyard house is going to be open to the public, but there's no need to have the house fully furnished from the start. It would be fine if it were just a few tens of thousands of yuan for the house, but they spent it all on furniture and appliances.

Xie Ping said, "Don't regret it, there's no way to get a refund. Didn't you go to Europe and America? I heard that people there pay in advance. Why would you regret spending money after you went?"

The two had a good relationship, otherwise Lin Yan wouldn't have told them these things. Hearing Xie Ping say this, she said awkwardly, "I just feel bad that I bought it but didn't use it! It's not like a house, where the price goes up."

House prices are really rising. In 1980, a 400-square-meter courtyard house cost around 25,000 to 26,000 yuan per square meter. This year it's 30,000 yuan per square meter! But I don't think I've ever heard of appliances appreciating in value when sold secondhand.

Xie Ping said, "We've already bought it! Just looking at it makes me feel relieved. Let's not talk about it anymore, or we'll just be showing off."

Gao Xiang chuckled twice, saying that spending money can sometimes be a bit overwhelming.

Lin Yan nodded, "Especially when a poor person suddenly becomes rich."

Gao Xiang and Xie Ping both burst into laughter, saying, "Only you could say something like that."

Gao Xiang patted the ledger. "Boss lady, take a look. Take a look and you won't have any regrets!"

Lin Yan opened the book; the first one was about handicraft shops. There were seven such shops already. Two were in the capital, one in Dashilan and the other in a department store counter in Xidan. One was in Shanghai, near the City God Temple. Four were abroad, in New York, London, Paris, and Tokyo.

The total monthly profit was 30,000. This was purely buying and selling for profit, which used to be called speculation. The crime of speculation has not yet been abolished.

However, because of the protection afforded by export-oriented enterprises, they can get away with anything even if someone reports them. These export-oriented enterprises enjoy certain privileges!

Lin Yan thoroughly enjoyed watching. She only got carried away like that once in a while, and unlike foreigners, she wouldn't throw away her old clothes just because she got the latest model. Never again! Never again!
Then each travel agency earns around 30,000 yuan. Because summer vacation is the peak season, July's net profit is even higher than usual. This is just what two travel agencies in the capital and Shanghai earned. Hmm, the Shanghai travel agency already has four vehicles, and both locations are planning a fifth!

The travel agency also had around 100,000 yuan in cash on hand. The loan secured by mortgaging six commercial vehicles wasn't so daunting anymore.

Fang Mingche returned with his two children and Fang Min. Fang Min had already started cooking rice in an electric rice cooker. This was much easier than using a bamboo steamer in the countryside, where someone had to constantly monitor the rice and drain it.

Now that Changchang is older, she doesn't need someone to watch over her all the time, and cooking with a rice cooker is also more convenient. So Fang Min has started cooking rice more often now.

Eating out near the Overseas Chinese Apartment is expensive, and it's not as reassuring as dining out at the Cui family's place.

There's a catering service at the main courtyard, so there's no need to eat out anymore. As for the small side courtyard, Fang's mother wouldn't dare to eat out there. Every day, Zhu Dahai and Hu Yong would pick the best and freshest vegetables and meat and deliver them to her.

Lin Yan looked at the ledger, feeling more and more at ease. This was the ledger for July; more than twenty days of August had already passed. In about ten days, she would be looking at the August ledger.

Gao Xiang said, "As long as these industries continue to make money, it doesn't matter if the money is really spent wrongly. Besides, you just missed the time to use the air conditioner because you were traveling during the summer vacation."

Fang Mingche opened the door with his key. Fang Min greeted the two children and then led them to the washroom to wash their hands and faces. Changchang would need a new bib after coming back all dirty from playing.

Fang Mingche came over and looked at the ledger. "Hmm, not bad. The store in the US actually made a profit in July. People in Chinatown really like old things."

After tidying up the two children and bringing them over, Fang Min went to the kitchen to prepare the dishes. The two children sat on the sofa, one next to their father and the other next to their mother.

Lin Yan asked Xie Ping in a low voice, "Have you made any moves yet?" "Not yet," Xie Ping shook her head.

However, the doctor said that both he and his wife are fine. They haven't been using contraception for more than a few months, so they can be patient.

Looking at Fang Min, she thought the nanny that Teacher Lin had hired was really good. She was diligent and conscientious, much better than her sister Xie Ting.

Xie Ting started to become less obedient. But in front of Gao Xiang and her mother-in-law, she acted all sensible and hardworking. Didn't she realize that without her older sister, could she have gotten out of the countryside and earned even a few dozen yuan a month?
Fang Min's cooking skills were quite good; the five dishes and one soup she made were all eaten up. Gao Xiang and Xie Ping then said their goodbyes after dinner.

Fang Mingche and Lin Yan led the child downstairs to see the guests off. After dropping them off at the entrance of the residential area, the family of four took a walk in the community.

Fang Mingche said, "How about we go to the courtyard house tomorrow and then invite both sets of parents to have lunch at Donglaishun Restaurant?"

I only went to the small courtyard the day before yesterday for a quick look and then came back. I spent most of my time asking the Zhou and Qiu families all sorts of questions. I didn't even have a chance to say much to my own parents. And then there are my parents-in-law; I guess they have a lot to ask me too.

Lin Yan said, "I think my in-laws might not really like Donglaishun. There's a Sichuan hot pot restaurant nearby that has a half-and-half pot. How about we go there? Let my parents try authentic Sichuan hot pot. If they can't handle spicy food, they can have the clear broth."

Fang Mingche also didn't like eating mutton hotpot and preferred Sichuan-style hotpot. He thought for a moment, "That's fine too."

Han Mei works at the first shop, so picking up her father-in-law would also allow her to pick up Lin Yi. She invited the young couple along as well. Also, her second uncle and aunt had been in the capital for a month and a half, so she invited them to come along with Mingfeng's family.

That way, we'll have enough people for two tables. We can then put the two tables together.

That evening, Lin Yan nestled in Fang Mingche's arms, "Mingche, when I first returned to the city, I really didn't expect that I would be living such a good life in just two and a half years. Luckily, you were insightful and bold."

Gao Xiang is right. As long as those industries continue to generate profits, she really doesn't need to worry about ten thousand yuan. As for treating everyone to dinner tomorrow, even if she goes all out, it'll only cost around two hundred yuan at most. That's even less of a problem!
Fang Mingche put his arm around her and said, "We've met a good time."

Lin Yan said, "Mingche, I feel very happy. As long as you don't turn bad because you have money, my children and I can continue to be happy."

Fang Mingche chuckled twice and pulled the blanket over them both. "Believe it or not, I can make you even happier!"

The couple stayed up a bit late last night, so naturally they slept in the next day. It's summer vacation after all, and they don't need to rush to clock in for their own business. Plus, Fang Min is there to look after the two kids.

Yan Yan has already gotten herself ready. She's almost six years old and will be starting preschool next semester. She already sees herself as a big girl. Today, she's going back to classes at the Children's Palace. And since she hasn't practiced in three days, she'll probably need to review a lot.

Yan Yan just stepped off the scale; she's gained weight again. There's nothing she can do; there's plenty of delicious food abroad. Since she rarely gets to go abroad, she doesn't want to suffer. Now, she can only hope to grow taller.

She went to the wall and stood against it, then held her palm horizontally above her head to measure her height. She kept her hand there and turned around to check her height.

Sigh, I haven't gained any weight in over a month! Looks like I really need to lose some weight.

Changchang had just been taken care of by Sister Min. He also went to have his weight and height measured. Yan Yan read the numbers to him and taught him to recognize the numbers on the height chart.

Fang Min went inside to get her backpack, which was mostly filled with Changchang's belongings. She was going to take the two siblings downstairs for breakfast to avoid making a racket in the kitchen.

Then we'll take Yan Yan to the Children's Palace. But since Uncle and Aunt Jiu haven't gotten up yet, we'll have to bring Chang Chang along too. These days, we use diapers when we go out. But if he gets dirty, we'll need a small towel and basin to wash his bottom. We'll also need to bring food, bottles, and formula. We can get hot water at the Children's Palace, though.

Yan Yan glanced back at her parents' closed bedroom door. "Hmph, the adults are still sleeping in!"

Fang Min said, "It's nothing! I'd love for Changchang to sleep in." After saying that, she picked up Fang Chang and let Yan Yan walk ahead.

Once inside the elevator, Yan Yan asked, "Where's my little car?"

Minjie can ride a bicycle to take her younger brother, and she's even thinking about riding a little car herself.

"Kang Kang and the others are riding in the small courtyard."

"Oh, then I'll go get it today. I want to ride it myself."

The three of them went to a nicely decorated and clean breakfast shop near the entrance to have breakfast.

The residents of the Overseas Chinese Apartments area are willing to spend money. They have a wide range of options, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation, and naturally, many people come to serve them. They have more choices than when they lived in smaller, secluded courtyards. There are also several unlicensed taxis parked at the entrance of the complex, always ready to pick up passengers.

The steamed buns were enough for three people, so Changchang can eat them too.

Seeing Yan Yan's hesitation, Fang Min said, "Eating less this time won't affect your weight. You should exercise more!"

Yan Yan had tried before, and even skipping a meal wouldn't make her lose the extra two or three pounds, let alone eating less. So she nodded, deciding to eat until she was about 70% full first, and then dance more to lose the weight.

Changchang happily ate the small half of the steamed bun that Sister Min had given him; it had a slightly sweet taste.

After they finished eating, the three of them took a taxi to the Children's Palace.

First, I took Yan Yan to her dance class. After she changed into her dance clothes, the teacher stared at Yan Yan and said, "Stand on the scale."

She frowned after looking at the numbers. "I'll add 10 minutes of practice today."

Yesterday, Fang Shuyan's parents came to the Children's Palace and brought her some foreign souvenirs, asking her to take good care of them. They also said they would send another niece with no prior experience to the Children's Palace when the new semester starts.

"Yes," Yan Yan replied.

Changchang was being held by Minjie and looking out the window. He wanted to go in, but Minjie said the teacher wouldn't allow it. Seeing that the teacher seemed rather stern with his sister, he stopped trying to go in.

But he quite liked the Children's Palace, so he insisted on going to see other places. As long as he didn't make a fuss, Fang Min carried him to look outside other classrooms.

Fang Mingche and Lin Yan slept in until around 10 a.m. Seeing the note Fang Min left, she took the two children to the Children's Palace. She planned to wait for Yan Yan to finish class and then head straight to the courtyard house.

Lin Yan glared at Fang Mingche, "Luckily, Xiaomin is reliable."

"She's unreliable, why bother hiring her? What do you want to eat? I'll make it." Having had a good time last night, Fang Mingche was unusually easy to talk to now.

Lin Yan said, "It's already this late, and we're still going out for hot pot for lunch. Let's just boil an egg for each of us. Mom brought these eggs over yesterday. She's raising a flock of chickens in the little courtyard now, and she collects several eggs every day."

Since we don't live together anyway, it doesn't matter. As long as the old lady is happy! Now that resources are plentiful, the old lady has finally stopped being stingy with Fang Fang. She even lets the little girl eat an egg every day. Hearing that a person can only digest and absorb the nutrients from one egg a day, she doesn't let her two grandsons eat more. She saves some and sends it to them, and gives the rest to Hu Yong and the others to sell.

"Okay, would you like a poached egg or a boiled egg?"

"It's all right."

After they finished eating and tidied up, they went downstairs and hailed a taxi to the courtyard house. The small truck was parked there; Mr. Fang was holding the keys. Travel agencies and scrap yards would contact him when they needed a vehicle.

Fang Mingche pondered that the scrap yard had some money in its account again, so why not buy a truck specifically for the handicrafts shop? It should be fine to put it in their own name now. They definitely needed a truck; he'd go ask them about it later.

When they arrived, Yan Yan and the other two were already there. The mini bicycle had also been brought over from the small side courtyard. At this moment, Fang Fang was riding Chang Chang around the yard. Chang Chang was still holding onto the hem of her older sister's clothes with both hands.

Mr. and Mrs. Fang said that Yan Yan was still too young, so they would not let her carry Chang Chang after removing the training wheels.

As for Fang Jian, he went to help out at the tea stall. Kang Kang went with him. Kang Kang was pretty with red lips and white teeth, and had a sweet tongue; he was quite good at attracting customers.

All five children in the family are quite good-looking, with Kang Kang being the most outstanding. Fang Jian noticed that business was better whenever he brought Kang Kang along, so he tried to bring him every time.

Han Ping, who was minding the stall, agreed to give Kang Kang an extra two cents from his own wages each day. After all, he was on commission. As for Fang Jian, the old rule still applied: one yuan a day, which Han Ping didn't have to pay.

Fang Mingche said that he would pay the 600 yuan annual school selection fee for his nephew and niece.

Mr. Fang has been receiving 100 yuan a month for three months now. His expenses on food, clothing, and shelter are minimal. So, although he won't see the cash until October in the countryside, he won't have to pay the registration fee for September.

Lin Yan came over and saw Fang Fang wearing new clothes, so she came over to take a look. She saw that the stitching was very good and the style was also quite nice, so she nodded in satisfaction.

This was made by Yuan Dama's daughter-in-law before she went to the United States. Yuan's daughter-in-law has a Butterfly brand sewing machine, and now that self-employment is encouraged, she takes on jobs after get off work.

Lin Yan commissioned her to make four sets of summer clothes for each of Fang Jian's three siblings. Now that she'd brought her nephew and niece here, she definitely needed to take good care of them in every way. Otherwise, it would have been better not to bring them at all!

So when the three children arrived, Sister-in-law Yuan came to their house with a tape measure and a notebook to measure their dimensions.

"The seasons will be changing soon, so let Aunt Yuan make four more sets of autumn clothes for each of you."

Let's go with four new outfits per quarter. Kids grow so fast, it's good to get new ones every year. When the kids are dressed well, it makes their uncles and aunts proud.

Otherwise, the neighbors in that small courtyard would say that they are so rich, dressing their children very well and even having money to travel abroad, yet they don't take good care of their nephews and nieces.

The clothes for the two elderly people, for all four seasons, were also entrusted to Sister Yuan for making. However, since they've stopped growing, she doesn't need to make so many every year. That way, no one can gossip about her and Mingche anymore.

Fang Fang knew that whether they dressed well or not affected her uncle and aunt's reputation. Moreover, they had benefited greatly from this, and since they couldn't repay them now, they could only keep it in their hearts.

"Thank you, Auntie and Uncle."

Lin Yan said, "Don't be so polite, we're family, it's only right. When your parents have some spare cash, they'll definitely send some money over. Besides, you've always been supported by your grandfather."

Han Mei was asked to leave work half an hour early at noon to drive back and pick up Lin's father, mother, and Lin Yi. They hailed a black cab.

Fang Mingfeng's family also came to the city in an unlicensed taxi. There were many people, so they took two taxis. His cousin-in-law, with her two children and her mother, took one. Fang Mingfeng, Fang Minghui, and their parents took another.

Fang Mingfeng had been trying his best to persuade his parents to stay in the capital these past few days. After all, they had his seventh uncle and aunt to keep them company. His mother-in-law was preparing to go back home. It was more reassuring to have their own elderly relatives than a caregiver.

My second aunt was somewhat tempted, but my second uncle was fixated on the video arcade in the county town. If he left, the people below him probably wouldn't behave so well.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Fang Mingfeng turned his head and said, "We know exactly how much income we should have each month. We don't need to keep an eye on it every day! As long as the business license is issued and it's in my name, that's fine."

The second uncle looked at his daughter and said, "I'm a little worried about her going back alone."

"Then why don't we bring her to the capital as well?" We hadn't thought it would be so far, so we arranged for this girl to come from nearby.

"If you come to the capital, you won't be able to find her a stable job."

Fang Mingfeng shrugged. "If she's ambitious, she can at least get into a vocational school. There's still room for negotiation then. With just a junior high school diploma, I really can't arrange anything for her in the capital! I see Mingche's business is doing well, how about we have her work for Mingche? She could work there for a year or two, and maybe she could go abroad."

Second Uncle hesitated and said, "After all, it's a private enterprise."

Fang Mingfeng said, "Don't look down on her! Mingche's hiring threshold is high school, or even a teacher's college or vocational school. They have requirements for foreign language proficiency. If she weren't a relative, they wouldn't hire her at all! She can't lift a finger, and she doesn't care about her studies."

Fang Minghui whispered, "Brother, you can just call me a boiled egg."

"You've been to the capital twice now, do you want to stay here?"

Fang Minghui nodded, "Of course the capital is better than the countryside."

(End of this chapter)