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

"Brother is the best!" Chen Xinyue said coquettishly.

Chen Ruiyu laughed, "Alright, don't be sad. I'll come see you after I'm done with my work here."

"No need, it's almost Chinese New Year, we'll go home together then."

"it is good!"

Chen Xinyue hung up the phone and felt better.

Just as the two were about to take a taxi back, Lao Fang arrived.

"Assistant Tang, Secretary Chen, the boss asked me to take you back. Get in the car quickly."

The two exchanged a surprised glance and quickly thanked him.

The next afternoon, Chen Xinyue specially bought some pastries for Tang Ming. "Assistant Tang, I promised to treat you to some snacks, and I've bought them all. Could you please deliver them to the president and Uncle Fang for me? I'm going to get back to work."

Tang Ming was very satisfied to see that she genuinely didn't want to associate with Xiao Jinlin.

I picked out a piece of bitter tea cake and delivered it to the CEO's office.

Xiao Jinlin glanced at the cake, expressionless. "The sun must have risen in the west! Even the stingiest man knows to give special treatment now!"

Tang Ming chuckled twice, "Boss, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I didn't buy this; Secretary Chen treated us. Thanks for your generosity last night, and there's also a portion for me and Uncle Fang, hehe."

Xiao Jinlin then looked at the cake in front of him properly, "Since it's a thank you gift, why should I ask you to do it for me?"

Tang Ming paused for a moment, then quickly explained, "Secretary Chen didn't want the people in the secretariat to gossip. Giving me the things is the same; the boss will definitely be happy. Am I wrong?"

Xiao Jinlin remained silent, taking a small bite of cake before subtly changing the subject, "How did things go yesterday?"

"Boss, you're questioning my abilities! Don't worry, I'm a professional at dealing with this kind of person. I've already had the legal department sue them in the name of our SY Group. I guarantee they'll be scared out of their wits and won't dare to bother Secretary Chen again."

However, I felt that after all this commotion, it wouldn't be safe for Secretary Chen to live there alone. I already advised her yesterday to wait a year or two before moving, and she agreed.

Tang Ming recounted the events in detail.

Xiao Jinlin's handsome brows relaxed considerably, and he nodded in satisfaction. "I understand. Go ahead and get busy."

Tang Ming hurriedly left. After returning to his office, he saw that there were two more cakes in the bag. He quickly and secretly kept one for himself and used the rest to do favors.

It was assumed that Chen Xinyue would obediently stay in the company dormitory.

Two days later, she contacted Tang Ming to ask for the renovation company's phone number.

Tang Ming was completely shocked. "No, no! Assistant Tang, didn't we agree not to move there for a while? That house is really not safe right now."

“I know, Assistant Tang has already reminded me, so I plan to renovate another one.”

"Ahem, wait a minute, Secretary Chen, you mean you have another house?"

Tang Ming was quite frightened.

Chen Xinyue nodded honestly, "We've successfully taken back that house, and we have the keys. I'm going to schedule a time with the renovation company to go there together."

"Okay, okay, I'll get it to you right away."

Tang Ming was somewhat dazed.

Only after Chen Xinyue left did he rush to the president's office. "Boss, boss, something terrible has happened! That Secretary Chen is incredible! She actually owns another house, and now she's saying she wants to renovate another one! I wonder who Secretary Chen is! If she's so powerful, why is she even working a regular job!"

Xiao Jinlin also found it strange, "Didn't you ask?"

"I..." Tang Ming belatedly realized, slapping his forehead in annoyance, "I forgot!" Xiao Jinlin, "."

"Fine, let her do whatever she wants! As long as it doesn't affect our work, that's fine. Tell Secretary Chen there's a business reception tomorrow night, and tell her to get ready."

"Yes!"

Over the next few days, Chen Xinyue was busy with work while also keeping track of the renovation progress.

The alley where Chen Ruiyu's house is located is not as chaotic as hers. The people living here are obviously more affluent, and it's all one-household-one-family, not a large courtyard. The neighbors are also quite friendly.

The house is about the same size as hers, and the layout is similar, with an antique feel.

Chen Xinyue didn't want to change the layout of the house. She only wanted the decorators to renovate the interior and add some modern equipment. She wanted the windows and doors to be repainted and renovated if possible, and to be rebuilt if not.

The main gate is rather dilapidated and needs to be replaced with a new one.

These tasks were not difficult; the other party was a professional and completed them all in less than a month.

It's already December.

The capital is blanketed in snow and freezing cold.

When Chen Xinyue went to look at the house, she didn't want to leave after the heating was turned on.

It wasn't until now that she called Lin Qin to tell her about the trouble that had happened when she took possession of the house.

Lin Qin was furious. "You child, how could you not tell the family about something so big and handle it all by yourself! If I had known earlier, I would have flown over to support you immediately! What's going on now?"

Feeling a little guilty, Chen Xinyue quickly explained, "My brother gave me this house. It's all renovated and ready to live in."

"Why would you stay here! It's not safe for a girl to live alone. I think you should just stay in the company dormitory. Don't move out for now. I'll have your grandfather do a fortune telling later. Why do you always run into these kinds of messy things when you go out? You're such a worry!"

Lin Qin was furious, and Chen Xinyue dared not disobey her, so she could only obediently nod and regretfully lock her new house.

Oh well, let's just consider it as letting the house get some fresh air.

Since she couldn't move immediately, Chen Xinyue focused all her attention on the upcoming year-end party. Once the party was over, the New Year would be just around the corner.

The secretariat staff were clearly also looking forward to it.

Lin Fei moved closer to Chen Xinyue, tidied her stray hairs, and whispered, "Secretary Chen, when are you planning to go home for the New Year this year?"

Chen Xinyue's eyes lit up. "You can decide this kind of thing yourself?"

Lin Fei nodded vigorously, "That's why we say our company is a big corporation, so humane! In previous years, we usually gave people a week's leave in advance, and some people even took their annual leave at the same time, so they could go back for more than half a month!"

Chen Xinyue started counting on her fingers seriously until a shadow fell over her head, at which point she subconsciously looked up.

"Mr. Xiao!"

Xiao Jinlin glanced at her hands hidden behind her back and said as if nothing had happened, "Come to my office for a moment."

Chen Xinyue quickly followed after him.

As a result, Xiao Jinlin sat there alone with his brows furrowed, looking bitter and resentful, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

This reaction is incredible!
Chen Xinyue kept her eyes down and focused intently on the situation.

Xiao Jinlin hesitated for a while before finally making up his mind. He looked at Chen Xinyue and said, "Secretary Chen, do you have time at the end of the year? I need your help with a private trip. The payment will be separate."

"Hmm?" Chen Xinyue was somewhat surprised. "Is there a specific schedule?" (End of Chapter)