Yonghe Road

Chapter 40 Departure
Lei Sheng was holding a lot of bags in his arms, all of which were food and daily necessities for pregnant women. Since there were no other pregnant women in the house, these gifts were naturally for Lin Yingying. Lin Yingying came over with some embarrassment, not understanding why Lei Sheng suddenly gave her so many gifts. She thanked him while accepting them.

"Sister-in-law, you are pregnant, and these things are heavy. I can do it." Lei Sheng said, and personally put the pile of things in his arms on the eight-immortal table in the living room.

He called her sister-in-law. Lin Yingying understood that Lei Sheng had given her the gift because of Chunshui. Perhaps he had even hired Ziqi as a private tutor to supplement their family's livelihood. Now, Chunshui's whereabouts were unknown. Even if she returned in the future, she might not necessarily marry Lei Sheng, because she ran away from home because she didn't want to marry him, and Lei Sheng's efforts for their family might not be rewarded...

Lin Yingying felt worse and worse, and said to Lei Sheng with deep regret: "Lei Sheng, please don't spend money like this next time. I don't know how I can repay you."

"Sister-in-law, you misunderstood. These gifts were not bought by me. I heard that these gifts are all from big brands and cost a lot of money. I'm not that generous. These gifts were bought by that writer Xie."

Zhong Ziqi was thanking Xie Anmin outside the Zhong family's door.

"Don't spend money like this next time." Zhong Ziqi was uneasy and didn't dare to look Xie Anmin in the eye. In Zhong Ziqi's cognition, only men gave money to women, not women to men. "How much did you spend in total? Write it down on the IOU. After the New Year, when the tea factory distributes dividends, I will pay you back."

"This is a gift from me to Yingying. It has nothing to do with you." Xie Anmin said with a smile.

How could it be unrelated? There were so many pregnant women in the world, why didn't she give it to other pregnant women, but only to Lin Yingying? Wasn't it because Lin Yingying was his sister-in-law? Zhong Ziqi knew the answer clearly.

"She is my sister-in-law." Zhong Ziqi lowered his head and looked at the surface of his shoes.

How could Xie Anmin not understand what Zhong Ziqi was thinking? He was a man, and he had self-respect, but his family situation did not allow him to show his self-respect openly, so he could only feel inferior in his heart.

"Zhong Ziqi, don't let your imagination run wild. I have money, and I'm happy to spend it on you."

Zhong Ziqi looked up at Xie Anmin. What a beautiful flower! Her smile was more dazzling than the sunset. Her life was as vibrant as a peony, which made him look even more humble like the dogtail grass by the country road.

"You're a rich woman, but I don't want to be kept by a rich woman..."

Before Zhong Ziqi finished speaking, Xie Anmin burst into laughter, laughing so hard that he couldn't straighten his back, and Zhong Ziqi's face turned red.

"Zhong Ziqi, you're so twisted. What rich woman? What keeping? Are you sick? Am I your girlfriend? Are you my boyfriend? Who says women have to spend men's money? Men and women are equal, and all beings are equal. I have the ability, and I'm more capable than you. I just want the person I love to live a good life. Do you understand, Zhong Ziqi, don't stigmatize our relationship."

Zhong Ziqi saw that Xie Anmin's smile was bright and upright under the setting sun, which made him look even smaller and humbler.

"I'm going to be very busy right now, so I won't be able to see you often." Xie Anmin had already accompanied Director Mei Wending to meet with Secretary Song Qinglai. They had already reached an agreement to write a novel about the white tea industry, and next he would be busy visiting various tea factories and tea gardens to conduct research. "But when you play in a game, I will definitely be there to witness your style. You look very handsome playing basketball."

“Your book is also very well written.”

Zhong Ziqi's words startled Xie Anmin, "Did you read it?"

"Yeah." Zhong Ziqi nodded, feeling a little embarrassed.

"What's a good idea?"

"I'll tell you after I finish my basketball game." Zhong Ziqi wasn't good at expressing himself, so Xie Anmin didn't bother him anymore. She walked over, stood on tiptoe, kissed Zhong Ziqi on the cheek, waved, and walked away with a smile.

Watching Xie Anmin's back as he walked away on Chang'an Avenue, Zhong Ziqi suddenly came to her senses. She said that she wanted the person she loved to live a good life. She meant the person she liked, not the person she loved...

……

……

To select teams for the National Village Basketball Competition, the province held a Hemei Village Basketball Competition. This competition was hosted by the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, the Provincial Sports Bureau, and other relevant departments, and organized by the Provincial Basketball and Volleyball Management Center and the Provincial Basketball Association. Participating municipalities selected and recommended teams from their respective townships and towns, ultimately submitting no more than two teams for the provincial competition. The champion and runner-up of the provincial competition will represent their province in the National Village Basketball Competition.

The provincial competition is scheduled for October.

Before this, each county and city will compete in one round, and then submit no more than two of the strongest teams to compete in a basketball tournament in the prefecture-level city.

Secretary Wang Kai's expectation for the Baile Village basketball team is that they don't want to be eliminated in the first round. They don't even dare to dream of winning and qualifying for the prefecture-level city basketball tournament. After all, they are facing basketball teams from more than a dozen towns and street offices. There must be more basketball masters in their village than in one village because the population size is different.

But there must still be a sense of ceremony.

September arrived, and autumn deepened. The sky over Baile Village was a brilliant blue, its clouds white as cotton wool. The mountains and forests seemed like nature's overturned palette, some brilliant golden, others fiery red. In the fields, the rice was ripe, its heavy ears swaying gently in the wind, creating waves of golden color and conveying the joy of a bountiful harvest.

In the Baile Village conference room, twelve players, along with Luo Chuxiu, Luo Youcai, and others, sat at their ready positions. Secretary Wang Kai personally presided over the mobilization meeting. Standing on the podium, his gaze piercing, his resonant voice beaming from the microphone: "Young men, this competition is a battle of honor for our village! I've seen how hard you fight on the training ground every day. Your hard work will not be in vain. It's time to showcase our strength. We must perform at our best, achieve excellent results, maintain our second place and strive for first place, strive to reach the Village Baseball, and win glory for Baile Village! You are the most handsome men in Baile Village!"

Secretary Wang Kai's voice was sonorous and powerful, which greatly boosted the morale of the players. However, the last witty remark, which no one knew where he learned from, suddenly broke the morale of the players who had straightened their backs and were full of fighting spirit. There was a burst of laughter in the meeting room, and even Luo Chuxiu and Luo Youcai couldn't hold back.

Only Secretary Lao Wang was still immersed in his own high and excited emotions. He clenched his right fist and raised it above his head: "Let's go!"

The farewell scene at the village entrance was quite spectacular. Villagers gathered early, spontaneously holding small red flags and banners that read, "Go village team, return home with honor."

The basketball team's bus was waiting on the roadside. The players of the Baile Village basketball team lined up in an orderly manner and got on the bus one after another amid the cheers of their fellow villagers.

As the team leader, Luo Youcai walked at the end of the team. Before getting on the car, he shook hands with Secretary Wang Kai who was standing by the car.

"Secretary Wang Kai, don't worry." Luo Youcai said.

What is he worried about?
"It's okay to be eliminated in the first round. Don't put too much pressure on yourself," said Secretary Wang Kai.

This made Luo Youcai unhappy.

The doors closed, firecrackers rang out, children cheered, and the villagers watched as the bus slowly drove away, speeding up and heading towards the city...