Rebirth after the college entrance examination

Chapter 173 Camellia
Wednesday morning.

Xia An thought her father must have checked the almanac beforehand; the weather was fine.

Last night after get off work, Xia Kangning bought incense, candles, and paper money on his way home, and the three of them went downstairs and headed straight to the suburbs.

Xia An's grandparents' graves are on a desolate mountain near a fort. When he was young, Xia Kangning wouldn't let him come to visit the graves. This is the first time Xia An has seen his family's grave mound.

Wei Xiaofang squatted on the wild road covered with weeds and snow, arranging offerings. Xia Kangning picked the withered grass from the grave and said, "A lifetime of glory is like a dream, returning to the yellow earth." He turned to look at his son, who was yawning.

Xia An: "..."

Last night at the dinner table, Xia Kangning kept bringing up literary references over and over again. He knew his father was trying to give him pointers, but he was still speechless.

Eileen Chang also said that one should become famous as early as possible; if it comes too late, the joy is not as intense.

After clearing away the weeds, Xia Kangning took two steps back and silently examined the tombstone.

Xia An also tiptoed and peeked out, "Are you also looking to see if there's smoke rising from the grave?"

Xia Kangning glanced at him and pointed to the tombstone, saying, "The old monk has died and become a new pagoda; the old inscription can no longer be seen on the broken wall."

"Wow," Xia An exclaimed, "Dad, you've been memorizing 300 Tang poems lately?"

Xia Kangning laughed and scolded, "Stop talking nonsense." He sighed and looked down the mountainside through the desolate forest. "Our family used to live in this village." After looking around for a while, he pointed to a barren area in the distance and said, "That was your grandfather's land. Back then, your father would go to school along this road down the mountain early in the morning, and when I came back, I would help your grandparents cut grass and harvest wheat."

With a sigh, he completed the poem he had just read: "Do you still remember the rugged road of the past? The road was long, the people were weary, and the donkey brayed."

Xia An remained silent and did not respond.

Xia Kangning said, "Your mother and I were different in that era; we didn't have any siblings, so your grandparents and maternal grandparents worked themselves to death early..."

What does this have to do with anything...? Xia An was even more speechless.

Xia Kangning: "There are advantages too. You don't have relatives on either side, so no one will ask you for money."

Good logic, Xia An: "..."

Xia Kangning: "Next year during Qingming Festival, you should pay for the relocation of the graves of the two elderly people to a better location."

Xia An: "Okay, no problem."

Wei Xiaofang piled up the paper money and ingots, and Xia Kangning asked Xia An to light them.

As white smoke curled upwards, Xia An knelt before the tombstone and respectfully kowtowed three times.

The fresh fruit offerings, neatly arranged, were the only bright spot in the entire cemetery. Countless graves lay abandoned nearby, many overgrown with weeds, as many people had forgotten their ancestors.

As dawn broke and Xia An descended the mountain, she heard a noise behind her and turned around to look.

The mountain guardian roared from the summit: "Who the hell is sneaking around burning paper money again?!"

Xia Kangning grabbed his wife and children and ran off, saying as he ran, "Our generation will all be cremated, we won't even have a grave."

Upon hearing this, Xia An finally understood what her parents were struggling with.

The son has become successful, and the parents realize they are getting old, filled with many emotions.

……

"Send this to the factory for me and your mother. You can go do whatever you need to do. Come back early for dinner tonight."

Xia An said last night that she could come back and stay for about a week to find some peace and quiet.

Xia An said, "I have plans tonight, so don't wait for me."

Wei Xiaofang asked who she had made an appointment with, whether it was a man or a woman, etc.

Xia An naturally couldn't mention going to see Le Ning's parents. Before he could even open his mouth, Xia Kangning told his wife, "Don't worry about him." He then told Xia An, "Don't drink and drive."

Xia An paused for a while at the entrance of the machinery factory, staring blankly at her parents' backs as they walked into the factory area.

Last night, Xia Kangning asked him how he planned to spend the 300 million yuan.
He said he would leave 20 million yuan for his family and use the rest to start a business. He also advised his parents to exchange houses with Yuzi's parents.

Zuo Dashu has been a cook his whole life and has no plans to retire. Xia An tried to persuade him to hire a cook, but he refused. Youzi's mother is going to accompany her daughter to film sets at the beginning of the year, leaving her husband behind.

Xia Kangning and his wife also said that the supermarket is not yet on the right track. Even if they want to expand in the future, they should practice with this small store first.

A mother and son passed by the car. The mother used a tissue to wipe her son's snotty nose as he was eating a candied hawthorn, laughing and scolding him as she spoke, her face full of love.

Perhaps it was just an illusion, but for a fleeting second, Xia An found the feeling that she should have at this age—not immersion, but a leap, a seamless transition from a childhood with a windmill in hand to the soul of someone in their thirties.

In an instant, the feeling strangely disappeared.

It seems that many things have changed, yet it also seems that nothing has changed.

Peaceful and uneventful.
-

Half past nine in the morning.

On his way from the parking lot to the inpatient department, Xia An received a text message from Zhou Yitong, who asked him to meet her tomorrow or the day after.

Xia An thought for a moment and replied: [10:00 AM the day after tomorrow, Marriott lobby bar]

The other party replied instantly: [See you the day after tomorrow]

"Xia An?"

A surprised voice called out, and Xia An looked up, only recognizing the tall man with a tired face and messy hair as Chi Ao after a moment of stunned silence.

"Weren't you studying in Binhai? Why are you back?"

Chi Ao seemed very happy to see Xia An, but his smile still carried a sense of vicissitude that shouldn't belong to someone his age.

“A friend of mine is sick and hospitalized. I happened to be back home for some business, so I thought I'd drop by to visit him,” Xia An said.

The news of my becoming a nouveau riche is still brewing and hasn't yet reached my high school classmates, as evidenced by the quietness of our QQ group.

"What about you? Aren't you in Yanjing? How come... someone in your family is sick?"

Upon hearing this, Chi Ao sighed dejectedly, then forced a smile and briefly recounted his recent situation.

Xia An was deeply saddened after hearing this.

As a result of his influence, Chi Ao's family went bankrupt ahead of schedule. Chi Ao's father suffered a cerebral infarction and just underwent surgery, while his mother also collapsed from exhaustion.

On second thought, it wasn't all bad. At least he didn't take on any subsequent projects from Jintang Real Estate, which saved him from jail time.

"Let's not talk about me anymore. How are you and Le Ning doing?"

Looking at Chi Ao's generous smile, Xia An felt that he was a high-quality young man with great potential. It would be better for him to experience setbacks early on than to be raised in a greenhouse in his previous life. He would also experience more hardships and toughen up his character.

“Very good. What about you and Niu Fangfang?” Xia An asked.

Chi Ao scratched his head shyly, "She also took leave to come back and help me take care of my parents. My parents like her very much."

Xia An smiled, "That's really great." Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he asked, "I can stay in Dongshan until Sunday. I'll treat you two to dinner sometime."

Chi Ao nodded firmly, "Okay! It depends on your schedule. By the way, you don't know my new phone number yet, do you?"

Lately, Chi has been suffering from debt collection and taking care of sick people, leaving him physically and mentally exhausted. He misses the carefree days of studying in the past.

They exchanged phone numbers, but Chi Ao had to go buy food for his mother and left first.

Xia An looked at his hurried steps and thought to himself that it was no big deal to lend a hand, but the main problem was that he really needed a real estate license with all the necessary permits and licenses.

Jintang Real Estate has been suspended due to several murder cases, and has only withdrawn from the property management business ahead of schedule.

This was partly the reason he took the initiative to invite Qin Yu to join the hotel construction team while he was in Hengdian.

It's better to acquire a real estate development qualification than to nurture it. He had originally planned to buy one after the New Year anyway, and it just so happens that the Chi family's legacy isn't too dirty.

……

Zhou Zhou was alone in the private hospital room, leaning against the headboard reading a magazine. When Xia An knocked and entered, carrying a fruit basket clearly bought from the supermarket downstairs, she was startled and asked:
"How did you come?"

"I was just passing by and thought I'd drop by. How's your recovery going?"

The fruit basket was placed on the coffee table. Xia An looked her over and saw that her sickly appearance was almost invisible. On the contrary, she seemed to have gained some weight, and her face was rounder and fair with a rosy glow. She was obviously taking good care of herself.

"It's alright. The doctor said I can be discharged at the end of the month and go home to recuperate."

When she said the word "home," she paused noticeably, then added, "Su Yi will come over to deliver lunch at noon."

Xia An sat down on the sofa next to the hospital bed, and waved her hand with a smile when she heard this, "I'm not looking for her, I really just came to visit the patient. It's good that he can go home to recuperate, it's more convenient to go home, the hospital is not a good place."

Zhou Zhou smiled faintly and hummed in agreement.

Then, neither of them had anything to say, and the atmosphere became strange and awkward.

Do you want some water?

"Want some fruit?"

They asked at the same time.

Zhou Zhou tilted her head and blinked, feeling a little annoyed.

Xia An scoffed, "It's not like we don't know each other, it's just weird." Zhou Zhou chuckled, then frowned.

Xia An noticed that gauze was sticking out from under her hospital gown around her neck, which seemed to be aggravating her wound.

He then asked, "Isn't it minimally invasive?"

Zhou Zhou shook his head, gesturing through his clothes to his right chest and collarbone, "The wound is this long."

"Wow, it'll leave a scar, won't it?"

"Yes, we should keep them."

"It's okay. There are medical aesthetic scar removal clinics now. As long as you don't have a tendency to form keloids, most scars can be removed."

"..."

"..."

Even more embarrassing.

Zhou Zhou lowered his eyes and said, "By the way, about the security team you asked me to assemble, I have some ideas. I've also contacted two friends who were abroad before, and they're willing to help. They'll be back in China during the Spring Festival, so we can meet them. It's just a matter of the price..."

"You should focus on getting better first. We should do it next spring at the earliest. Once it's done, we can discuss the price. Spring Festival... Okay, you can make an appointment with them, I can meet them."

“Su Yi told me that you made a lot of money.”

Xia An laughed and said, "It's alright, I can't compare to your Sister Tang."

Zhou Zhou played with his fingers for a while, as if making up his mind, then suddenly turned his head and asked, "If I give you a job, how long will it take me to be able to afford a house?"

"..."

Xia An pondered for a long time before realizing that she desperately needed a nest, a home of her own, something she had never had before.

"How big is the house?"

“Fifty or sixty square meters, not a very nice house,” Zhou Zhou replied after thinking for a moment.

Xia An said, "It should be soon, sooner than you think."

Zhou Zhou nodded and smiled sincerely, her smile innocent and childlike.

To stop Zhou Zhou from getting out of bed, Xia An poured herself a glass of water, walked to the opposite side of the hospital bed, and sat down at the coffee table.

"You go do what you need to do, I'll rest here for a while."

I threw up half the night last night, and went to the suburbs to visit graves as soon as it was light. Xia An and Xiao Youzi exchanged two messages before Xia An fell asleep on the sofa.

Zhou Zhou, facing the sole of his shoe, curiously propped herself up and sat up, examining his face from several meters away.

Earning hundreds of millions at such a young age... I can't believe it.

As noon approached, a nurse pushed a trolley in, and Zhou Zhou subconsciously put his finger to his lips and shushed her.

The nurse tilted her head and saw someone sleeping on the sofa. She lowered her voice and asked Zhou Zhou, "Is it a man? Your boyfriend?"

Zhou Zhou quickly shook her head, "My sister's boyfriend."

"Oh, brother-in-law."

The young nurse had already become quite familiar with Zhou Zhou, and she smiled and winked at him.

Zhou Zhou asked in a low voice, "Is it okay to change the dressing later today?"

The nurse said, "It's best to change it on time. I'll cover you up a bit, since he's asleep anyway."

Zhou Zhou said, "Or should we go outside to change?"

The nurse said, "Didn't you dislike those two male doctors?"

Zhou Zhou hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Then let's do it here."

Xia An vaguely heard rustling sounds, turned over, and continued sleeping. Then she suddenly heard Su Yi's voice say, "I'll stew some pork hock for you... Hmm? What's wrong?" and then stopped abruptly.

Open your eyes.

The midday sun shone on the hospital bed, and two bright lamps shone.

……

After waiting for Su Yi downstairs for twenty minutes, Xia An decided that this was the last time she would visit Zhou Zhou, or better yet, she would never see him again before the end of the year.

All the way to the parking lot and into the car, Su Yi remained calm and showed no embarrassment, never mentioning what had just happened. She was an extremely rational girl.

Su conscripted him to transport winter plum blossoms from the flower market.

Planting five wintersweet trees in the yard was something Tang Wan and she had agreed upon before Tang Wan went to Yanjing.

Su Yi contacted the order the next day, and coincidentally, the goods arrived today. She originally planned to trouble Zhang Tiancheng, whom she had met a few times, to make a trip, but unexpectedly, she caught a wild big pervert.

Dongshan has the largest flower trading market in the three northeastern provinces. It is located in the southern suburbs, near the Olympic Sports Center, where there are large construction sites.

Xia An tried to make conversation, "Do you watch football?"

Su Yi tilted her head and looked at him, not understanding why he asked that, and simply said, "I won't look."

Xia An pointed to the construction site to the east: "In two years, there will be many Olympic football matches on this field."

"Oh." Su Yi brushed a strand of hair aside. "You like playing soccer?"

"They're not very good at playing, but all the boys love soccer."

"why?"

"Exciting and thrilling."

Why is playing football so passionate?

"in the country, football and Sanda can basically be considered the same sport."

With a gentle smile, Su Yi said, "I like watching Sanda and boxing."

Xia An wasn't quite sure how to do it, so she thought for a moment and said, "Wait until Zhou Zhou is discharged from the hospital and let her teach you."

Su Yi nodded: "I told her."

"No, are you serious?"

"Why would I lie to you?" Su Yi sneered.

Xia An joked, "I heard Tang Xiaowan say she wanted you to help her after graduation. I thought you were her secretary, but it turns out you're her bodyguard."

Su Yi didn't respond to that question. Tang Wan had indeed talked to her about work, but she hadn't replied. In fact, Su Yi knew that Tang Wan wouldn't be the chairperson for long, or at least wouldn't get bogged down in work. So, her so-called appointment was just working for Xia An.
Based on her understanding of Xia, she felt it was very dangerous.

"So that's what you call her in private."

Su Yi suddenly said this, and Xia An was stunned for a moment before turning off the main road.

"Tang Xiaowan?"

"Ah."

"Otherwise what? Baby? Wife? Darling?"

Su Yi bit her lip, glared at him, and remained silent.

When they arrived at their destination, the two of them were dumbfounded.

"This is what you call a sapling?"

Xia An exclaimed in surprise as he looked at the five tall wintersweet trees that could be considered a small grove.

Su Yi's fair forehead also furrowed.

The shop owner explained that they didn't have any that were too small, and that the flowers wouldn't look good anyway.

Su Yi was in a dilemma; Xia An's Range Rover clearly couldn't fit even half a grain of rice in it.

Finally, Xia An asked the boss to help her hire a truck outside the market and provided the address.

Su Yi got into the car carrying a large flowerpot, the beautiful bouquet of flowers on her chest resembling both roses and peonies, a creamy yellow color, extremely beautiful.

"what is this flower?"

“Camellia.”

"This thing isn't cold-resistant. Can it be kept locally?"

Su nodded: "Keep it in the room."

After thinking for a moment, Xia An asked, "This kind of flower is very delicate, isn't it? It needs to be carefully tended. You go back to Binhai every few days, can you keep it alive?"

Su Yi said, "Yes, she is very delicate and needs to be treated with care."

(End of this chapter)