Back to 1984: Earning Money, Raising Kids, and Keeping the Household Busy

Yang Caifeng hurriedly took the gift out of the trunk, secretly relieved. The gift was specially bought to impress her son and was quite valuable. The Chen family didn't seem like an ordinary family, so she shouldn't embarrass them.

The group followed Chen Ruiyu to the stream.

They were all a bit bewildered to see a metal boat moored over there.

Chen Ruiyu went up first and called everyone to board the boat, saying, "My home is in Nanyu, so we need to take a boat there."

When Qu Zhiyang saw Chen Ruiyu piloting the boat for the first time, his eyes lit up with admiration. "Dude! You're so handsome! Tsk tsk tsk, all the girls at school should watch you pilot the boat, I guarantee they'll be head over heels for you!"

Yang Caifeng glared at her son who had a loose tongue, then looked at Chen Ruiyu and had to admit that the child was really good-looking!
The only drawback is that he seems to have some health problems, and he's different from ordinary people.

Chen Ruiyu glanced at him sideways and asked, "Want to give it a try?"

"Is that okay?" Qu Zhiyang stood up immediately.

The boat rocked a couple of times, and Yang Caifeng cursed at it.

He ultimately didn't manage to drive the boat, but he touched the steering wheel and got his kicks.

Do you take a boat every day when you go out?

Chen Ruiyu nodded. "This is our essential mode of transportation when we go out. My family also has an even bigger boat, which my dad uses to go to the dock to do business."

"Are you from the Tanka people?" Qu Junshan, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked.

Chen Ruiyu openly admitted, "When I was little, I was indeed a Tanka people living in Nanxi. Later, we moved to Nanyu, and my father changed the household registration information."

Everyone understands.

I was curious about Nanyu, which Chen Ruiyu mentioned.

Soon the iron boat stopped outside the Nanyu breach.

The Qu family members were all astonished.

Qu Zhiyang kept exclaiming in amazement, "This island is actually your home?"

Chen Ruiyu nodded, "My parents specially bought this island to build a house. My family also built a stadium. We'll go play ball there in a bit."

The adults looked at each other in bewilderment, then followed them ashore.

Stepping through the gate, the most striking thing is this three-and-a-half-story villa, followed by various flowers, trees and crops on both sides of the cement road.

Old Man Qu watched with envy, "How wonderful! They have fields and land, and can be self-sufficient!"

He had thought about living like that after he retired, but the city couldn't provide the conditions. The countryside did have such options, but if he went back, he would be all alone, which would be too lonely.

Qu Junshan nodded repeatedly. Upon arriving here and seeing the scenery on the island, his mood calmed down considerably.

Once we reached the top of the steps...

Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun came out to greet them.

The two women looked at each other, then burst into laughter and walked towards each other.

"Oh my god! I never expected it to be you!" Lin Qin almost laughed until she cried, thinking to herself that Anshi was really small.

Yang Caifeng was so excited that she stomped her feet. "If I had known we were coming to your house, I wouldn't have been so nervous! Oh my! What are we doing!"

Both of them were wearing newly bought clothes.

Thinking of this, Yang Caifeng almost laughed so hard she couldn't stand up straight.

The men were all stunned.

After recovering, Lin Qin quickly introduced Yang Caifeng to Chen Wenjun and his son, saying, "She's my colleague, from the same department!"

The father and son suddenly realized.

The three members of the Qu family also realized what was happening and, thinking of all the preparations Yang Caifeng had made for this visit, they all laughed. Chen Wenjun quickly invited them inside.

Just then, Lin Yi returned from the field carrying a basket of freshly picked vegetables.

Upon seeing this, Old Man Qu immediately ran over and shouted, "Do you still remember me?"

Lin Yi stared at the other person for a few moments, then suddenly realized, "Old Qu who loves fishing?"

"That's right, that's right!" Old Qu was overjoyed and said, "Since my daughter-in-law and your daughter are colleagues, we're practically family. Come on, come on, take me fishing!"

Lin Yi shook his head without hesitation, "I still have to cook! I've only picked some vegetables, and I haven't collected the chicken, duck, and goose eggs yet. Oh, right, the watermelons in the field can be picked. I'll go pick two first, soak them in the well for an hour, and they'll taste especially delicious when they're ice-cold!"

Upon hearing this, Qu Junshan and his wife were eager to try it out and expressed their desire to participate as well.

Qu Zhiyang was even more insistent on hurrying over to pick watermelons.

The group had no choice but to change their destination.

When they reached the back of the field, Yang Caifeng saw two busy figures and quickly asked, "Are those two yours too?"

Lin Qin shook her head and explained, "That's my daughter, and the other one is my nephew. He lives in Pingxi Town and has been studying in the city since he was a child. He also attends No. 1 Middle School and is in the same grade as my son and daughter, but he is a sports specialist and not on the same path."

Yang Caifeng suddenly realized, her face full of envy, "How did you teach them? All three of your children are in No. 1 Middle School! After seeing your children, I have this illusion that No. 1 Middle School is so easy to get into!"

Qu Junshan nodded in agreement.

Lin Qin smiled modestly, "It's not that exaggerated. But I've put a lot of effort into their studies since they were little, and I've spent so much money on it. They themselves feel ashamed if they don't get into No. 1 Middle School."

Yang Caifeng agrees with this point.

As they spoke, the group approached the watermelon patch.

Wearing a straw hat, Chen Xinyue looked up, smiled and waved to Lin Qin and the others, and walked over carrying a large watermelon.

A breeze from the river lifted the hem of her white skirt, and a youthful aura wafted over.

Yang Caifeng's eyes lit up, and she exclaimed, "Wow, Lin Qin! Your daughter is so beautiful, no wonder you've been keeping her hidden away from your workplace!"

"Didn't you also not bring your son?" Lin Qin said reproachfully.

Yang Caifeng rolled her eyes. "How can a brat be the same as a sweet girl? My son is so naughty and unruly. If I take him to work, my colleagues will complain to death! A daughter is different. If I had a daughter, I would definitely show her off to my workplace all the time."

Qu Zhiyang only came to his senses when Chen Xinyue got closer. He lowered his eyes in a panic and looked at his mother with annoyance, "Am I that unpresentable?"

Seeing her son gritting his teeth, Yang Caifeng immediately changed her tune, "No, my son is handsome, dashing, and very good!"

She casually offered a couple of words of comfort, then continued to adore Chen Xinyue, helping her take the watermelon, her voice softening considerably as she asked, "What's your name?"

Chen Xinyue smiled sweetly and replied gracefully, "Auntie, my name is Chen Xinyue."

"Xinyue! You sound so beautiful! Auntie is so happy to see you." Yang Caifeng chatted with Chen Xinyue.

Lin Qin ignored her and chose another watermelon.

When they saw Chen Wenjun leading Qu Junshan and the others to the breeding area, they simply called Yang Caifeng, Chen Xinyue, and Xu Kang to pick mangoes and lychees on the hillside. When they passed by the papaya forest...

Lin Qin noticed that several papayas were ripe and ready to be picked, so she immediately told the children to get the tools.

Yang Caifeng was eager to try.

Lin Qin simply taught her how to pick them.

A group of people walked around the field, working until the sun was high in the sky before returning to the villa.

The four members of the Qu family saw the striking piano as soon as they entered and guessed it belonged to Chen Xinyue. (End of Chapter)