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

Chapter 219 Learned a lot
The iron boat reached the gap.

Chen Ruiyu and Chen Xinyue went down first, and then helped the others ashore.

As the group entered the gate, they saw the imposing building and knew without a doubt that the Chen family was a wealthy household.

Upon seeing Lin Qin, who was dressed smartly and beautifully, they had no more doubts.

Lin Qin led Zhou's parents to the guest rooms on the first floor. "There are two rooms on the first floor, and there are also empty rooms upstairs. You can stay upstairs or downstairs if you want."

“No, there’s no need for that. We can just stay at a guesthouse. We wouldn’t have come along if we weren’t worried about the safety of the two children traveling with such a large sum of money,” Zhou’s mother quickly explained.

Lin Qin laughed heartily, "I understand. If it were me, I wouldn't feel at ease either. Our home is different from other places. This is an island. If you stay in a guesthouse, it won't be convenient for you to come over. It's better to stay at home. There are plenty of things to do at our home. Over there is a stadium with all kinds of sports facilities. There are also orchards, vegetable gardens, barbecue and fishing areas. You can do whatever you want. Even if you want to go sea fishing, that's no problem."

It only takes a short time to get to Nangang from our house by tin boat; a round trip in one day is no problem.

Lin Qin rattled off all the advantages of living in Nanyu.

Zhou's parents had no choice but to stay.

Zhou Miaoqing and Tang Jing listened with longing in their eyes.

So, the children led the adults to pick fruit and vegetables, barbecue, fish, and play ball in Nanyu, having a great time. When the weather was nice, Chen Wenjun took the children and Zhou's parents by boat to Nangang, where they went to the beach to collect seashells.

The group had so much fun that they forgot all about home and were still reluctant to leave.

After playing for seven days, Zhou Miaoqing and Tang Jing reluctantly said goodbye to the Chen family when it was time for Zhou's parents to report to their workplaces.

Before leaving, the children gathered together to settle the bill.

The adults weren't involved in this.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou were envious of the Chen family's children, both the older and younger, who were all very opinionated.

"You guys are truly amazing; every child you raise is an outstanding individual," Zhou's father praised sincerely.

Chen Wenjun smiled modestly and said, "Your Miao Qing is also very good. She dared to follow them even though she had never done business before. She has guts! Tang Jing is also a good girl. No matter what her family background is like, she is a good person. They are all excellent."

These words made both adults and children happy.

Before leaving, Lin Qin and Chen Wenjun packed them a lot of fruits and seafood. The seafood was all frozen and placed in a styrofoam insulated box with ice, so it could be taken to the provincial capital.

The four said goodbye and boarded the bus. Zhou's mother said to Zhou Miaoqing and Tang Jing, "This trip was really worthwhile. You saw how wealthy families treat people. You can talk to Xinyue more often in the future. She has a high standard of living, and it will be good for you to have more contact with her."

"Okay, Mom. We had a lot of fun in the dorm, except for Ji Fang, who didn't get along with us." Zhou Miaoqing recounted all the conflicts they had with Ji Fang.

"She's just taking advantage of being a local from the capital! What's so great about her? She acts all high and mighty. When she was caught secretly using Xin Yue's skincare products, she said Xin Yue was stingy. When she asked me to bring her food, she refused to pay and said righteously, 'What's wrong with eating two meals from me?' She treats Tang Jing like her follower and wants to eat Tang Jing's food for free. Tang Jing doesn't have the means to let her take advantage of her. After Tang Jing refused, she started targeting Tang Jing."

Knowing that Tang Jing wanted to stay in the capital for a part-time job during winter break, she didn't say a word. Instead, she turned around and, right in front of us, introduced tutoring jobs to girls from other dorms. This kind of person is simply a troublemaker in our dorm.

Zhou's mother initially tried to persuade her to be more patient, but after hearing the rest, she couldn't hold back any longer and started cursing along with Zhou Miaoqing. This amused Tang Jing so much that she burst into laughter.

After returning to the provincial capital, Tang Jing and Zhou Miaoqing also packed their bags and went back to school.

The two of them set off quite early, arriving in the capital on the thirteenth day of the first lunar month. They were the only two people in the dormitory.

Most of the dormitories along the corridor were locked, with only a few rooms occupied.

They quickly cleaned the dormitory, only to discover that all of Ji Fang's belongings were gone. Everything on her bed had changed, and the colorful things on her desk were gone, replaced by books.

The two looked at each other, both puzzled.

The next afternoon, when Xu Jiahui appeared in the dormitory and greeted Tang Jing and Zhou Miaoqing, they realized that their roommate had changed.

"What's going on?" Zhou Miaoqing asked in surprise.

Xu Jiahui shrugged innocently, “On the day the semester ended last semester, my counselor suddenly notified me to change dorms. The reason was that someone thought I was not sociable and that she was more suitable for my dorm. I did not get along with my roommates before, but they also said that this matter had nothing to do with them.”

I heard Chen Xinyue was also in this dorm, and since we're from the same hometown, I agreed to take her in.

The two suddenly realized that Ji Fang was a local, and they quickly made a guess. They put on friendly smiles, got off the bed, and chatted with Xu Jiahui.

After only a few words, they found that Xu Jiahui was much easier to get along with than Ji Fang. At least Xu Jiahui was warm and generous, with the typical personality of a southern girl. It was her first time in the north, and many of her living habits were different from those of northerners. In addition, she had a strong sense of independence and was unwilling to cater to her roommates, so she had some unpleasantness with everyone and they didn't get along well.

But this doesn't mean that Zhou Miaoqing and Tang Jing can't get along with her.

After all, Zhou Miaoqing is also from the South, they are from the same province and are not much different. Moreover, their family backgrounds are very similar, so they have a lot in common. Tang Jing has a good temper and is easygoing. As long as you are a good person, you can get along with her.

The three of them quickly struck up a conversation.

We went to the cafeteria to eat together happily.

To make matters worse, I ran into Su Wanwan and Ji Fang at the cafeteria.

They rolled their eyes at each other and ignored each other.

They sat very close together while eating.

Ji Fang cleared her throat and deliberately raised her voice to ask Su Wanwan, "You must have had a tough month with tutoring! Your schedule is so full, I haven't had time to go out with you."

Su Wanwan smiled ingratiatingly, "You're a rich girl, you don't need to work part-time and your family supports you. I'm different. I have a younger brother, and my parents give me a limited allowance. I have to work hard so I can buy whatever I want."

"My mom said you earned over two hundred yuan this month just from tutoring, which is more than the salary of someone who gets a government-subsidized food ration!" Ji Fang said loudly on purpose, praising Su Wanwan while secretly being extremely jealous, though she hid it very well.

Su Wanwan was secretly pleased, but she said modestly, "No way! I tutored them day and night, exchanging my knowledge and time for this. Besides, those students were all introduced by you. If you wanted to, I wouldn't be making this money. I should thank you properly!"

Ji Fang felt much better after hearing this, and looked at Tang Jing provocatively.