Chapter 31 There must always be trade-offs; losing both wife and army.

Gu Zhiyuan tried to reason with Lulu, but the little one was having a rare good time and shook her head at him: "No, I want this."

"Let her play first, she'll be fine when she's tired." Ji Wei said, moving aside to gesture for him to sit down. That's how kids are; you have to go along with them, otherwise once they get stubborn, not even ten oxen could pull them back.

This wasn't the first time the two had been this close, but it was the first time they had been so close in this space. Gu Zhiyuan felt his whole body starting to heat up, so he quietly moved a little to the right, slightly increasing the distance between them.

Ji Wei had been watching Lulu in the crib but hadn't noticed his movements. When the little guy was jumping around on the bed, he saw the two of them sitting side by side. She frowned, sensing a sense of crisis. They weren't sleeping now because they wanted to take her crib. Realizing this, Lulu stretched out her little finger and began to command: "Mommy sleep, Daddy sleep too."

"Lulu wants to sleep?" Ji Wei misunderstood her meaning.

"I'll sleep here," Lulu emphasized, patting the bed beneath her.

"Go to sleep." Seeing that the two of them were still sitting in the same position, Lulu was a little anxious. She wished she could just let them fall asleep so she wouldn't have to worry about them fighting with her for the small bed.

Now they both understood what the little one meant. They looked at each other, and Ji Wei's eyes were full of helplessness: "Go to sleep, otherwise she definitely won't calm down."

Ji Wei appeared calm and collected on the surface, but only she knew how nervous she was inside. It had been many years since she had shared a bed with a man. Now, thanks to Lulu, the sweat on her palms made her uncomfortable. She clenched her pants and wiped her hands where Gu Zhiyuan couldn't see.

Gu Zhiyuan was also at a loss. Just as he was hesitating, Ji Wei had already placed Lulu's small blanket on the wire bed and handed him his blanket as well. As he held his blanket, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind: thankfully, everyone had their own blanket.

Seeing them sleeping under their own blankets, Lulu was satisfied. She clapped her hands and nodded contentedly: "Sleep now."

“We’re going to sleep, so you should go to sleep too,” Ji Wei said, seizing the opportunity.

"Oh." Lulu slowly opened her blanket and continued rolling around on the bed. When she heard the bed creak, she would laugh with satisfaction. If she didn't hear any noise, she wouldn't get annoyed and would continue to tossing and turning until she was satisfied.

The two people on the bed were sleeping upright. Ji Wei thought that she had never slept so upright in her past life or this life. There was a chasm between them, which was the line they had spontaneously left between them. Lulu's laughter came, and she lowered her voice and said to the person next to her, "Let's pretend to be asleep first, otherwise she won't sleep."

"Okay." Gu Zhiyuan closed his eyes and pretended to sleep, his hands on his waist pressed straight against his outer thighs. As soon as he closed his eyes, his sense of smell became more acute, and he was surrounded by her unique scent. He couldn't help but wonder if it was perfume. But he didn't think he had ever seen her wear it.

The two adults were dozing off, while Lulu on the small bed was still playing happily. After some time, Ji Wei realized she hadn't heard Lulu's laughter for a while, so she quietly opened her eyes to look at the person on the small bed. Then she saw Lulu's big, dark eyes wide open, and when she saw Ji Wei looking at her, she chuckled. Ji Wei was completely impressed: "Lulu, aren't you sleepy yet?"

Lulu shook her head: "I'm not sleepy."

"You have school tomorrow, don't you want your little red flower anymore?" Ji Wei asked her.

"We have some at home," Lulu answered fluently. Ever since her family got their own little red flower, she hadn't been so interested in it anymore.

Ji Wei was speechless. So, the suggestion to reward Gu Chen'an with a little red flower was this little guy's scheme? The little red flowers at school couldn't control her. After thinking for a moment, Ji Wei could only threaten, "The children who are late will have to stand in the corner as punishment."

Lulu thought for a moment, then nodded to her, "I know." She turned over and lay down with her back to her. Ji Wei couldn't help but chuckle. Lulu's temper was getting bigger as she got older, but she didn't feel angry. Instead, she was very happy. In her previous life, Lulu had always been very careful and had a people-pleasing personality. Now that Lulu had her own little temper, she thought it was a good thing.

She stared at Lulu's back, trying to tell when the little one would fall asleep from the rise and fall of her back, but she failed. She stared and fell asleep first. The person inside, separated from her by a 38th parallel, heard her long, even breathing and completely relaxed. They even pulled up the thin blanket that had slipped off her.

Gu Zhiyuan looked up slightly and saw the little one on the small bed. However, the little one was facing away from them, so he couldn't tell if she had fallen asleep. He was also afraid of getting up abruptly and waking up the person next to him. After hesitating for two seconds, he slowly lay back down in his own position, closed his eyes, and began to fall asleep.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Ji Wei groggily reached out to hug Lulu, but when her hand touched Gu Zhiyuan's arm, she suddenly woke up. Perhaps her expression was too surprised, because Gu Zhiyuan, who had been woken up by her, looked at her with sleepy eyes and asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's okay, I was just afraid I'd kick your leg." Ji Wei said and quickly sat up. She's never a restless sleeper, so she wondered if she had really kicked him last night. And how did she even fall asleep last night?

"No, you didn't kick me." Gu Zhiyuan shook his head. He was still a little sleepy. He was not used to having someone else next to him last night. It was more of a physical reaction. He didn't fall asleep until the sky outside was turning light.

"That's good." Ji Wei felt relieved. She glanced at the crib over there, where Lulu was sleeping soundly. She got out of bed and stretched, only to realize that there were still twenty minutes before her usual wake-up time. She decided to go downstairs early to make breakfast. She glanced at the little one sleeping soundly in the crib, then at Gu Zhiyuan, who immediately understood: "I'll wait here for her to wake up."

"Hmm, she'll probably cry when she wakes up and sees no one. We'll let her change her clothes herself later." The temperature has risen, so she can wear two layers at most. Three-year-old Lulu is already completely self-sufficient.

"Okay, I'll keep an eye on things here." Gu Zhiyuan said, then tried to yawn again, but when he glanced at the person in front of him, he forced it back down.

After Ji Wei left, the room quickly quieted down. Gu Zhiyuan glanced at the time and realized he could sleep for at least another half hour. He lay back down, but the sweet fragrance of Ji Wei filled his nostrils. This scent made him somewhat restless, and the teasing his comrades from his time in the army involuntarily surfaced in his mind. His body's reaction made him quickly cut off his thoughts, and he simply got up to check on Gu Chen'an over there.

The light was still on in Gu Chen'an's room. Gu Zhiyuan didn't turn it off immediately. Instead, he sat on the edge of the bed and looked at the sleeping man. Before, when the father and son slept together, he often saw him with a furrowed brow in his sleep. Now, this situation was much better. He gently stroked his face, but the sleeping man was still unaware. When he slowly got up and walked to the door, he hesitated for a moment and then turned off the light. Perhaps this would make him feel that he had bravely passed through the dark night.

When Gu Zhiyuan returned to the original room, Lulu suddenly sat up in bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, but didn't see Ji Wei. She pouted, looking like she was about to cry. Gu Zhiyuan quickly stepped forward and asked, "Lulu, are you awake?"

"Where's Mom?" Lulu's eyes were still brimming with tears.

“Mom went downstairs to cook. Dad can help Lulu with anything she wants to do.” Gu Zhiyuan softened his tone, conveying his goodwill to her.

The little girl, who was initially a bit dazed, gradually cleared her mind. She processed her tears on her own and quickly said in a loud voice, "Daddy, I want to get up."

"Do you know where your clothes are?" Ji Wei had told him when she came downstairs.

"I know." Lulu nodded. Ji Wei would prepare her clothes the night before and put them on the stool over there.

"Lulu, you can dress yourself. Daddy will wait for you outside, okay?" Gu Zhiyuan looked at the little girl's obedient appearance and felt his heart melting. He wondered if Chen An was as obedient as Lulu when he was her age.

"Then don't leave, okay?" Lulu looked at him with some concern.

"I'm not leaving. I'll wait for you outside." Gu Zhiyuan said, gently stroking her hair before getting up and going outside.

The ticking sound of the door closing made Lulu turn around and glance back. Then she got out of bed to get the clothes she was going to wear today. Thinking of the bedtime game she played last night, she couldn't help but jump up and down a couple of times after changing her clothes. The familiar creaking sound brought a smile back to her face.

The door blocked out all sounds from inside. Gu Zhiyuan stood outside the door and looked into Gu Chen'an's room. There was still no movement inside. He couldn't help but shake his head. This kid, does he have to be woken up by someone?

Although Lulu can dress herself, she is much slower than when someone helps her. By the time she slowly opened the door, the door to the opposite room had also opened, and they saw Gu Chen'an looking excited, his joy completely undisguised: "Dad, I think I went to sleep without turning on the light last night."

"Really?" Gu Zhiyuan thought. It seemed that he hadn't noticed when he went to his room. On the other hand, he was sleeping quite well.

"I think so. I just woke up and saw the light but didn't check it. I remember I didn't turn it off last night, but if it wasn't turned off, shouldn't it be on in the morning? So I must be mistaken. I'll try sleeping with the light off again tonight. If Dr. Qin finds out, he'll praise me again." Gu Chen'an wished it would get dark immediately so he could try again.

“If you do well, he will naturally praise you. Your mom will give you a little red flower as a reward later. If you continue to sleep with the lights off tonight, you can get another little red flower tomorrow.” Gu Zhiyuan encouraged him carefully.

"What if I could get a little red flower every time I turned off the lights?" Gu Chen'an looked over with a bright smile, as if he had found another way to earn little red flowers.

“It only happens for the first seven days of a month,” Gu Zhi emphasized.

"Okay." Calculating, if he could persist for seven days, he could get seven little red flowers, which is seven-tenths of the small cakes. Thinking about it this way, Gu Zhiyuan felt that he could do it again.

"I want a little red flower too!" Lulu said immediately upon hearing the word "little red flower."

"Let's go downstairs first." Gu Zhiyuan glanced at Lulu without saying anything, guessing that her performance wouldn't earn her a red flower from Ji Wei, so he decided to let her be happy for now.

After the three of them went downstairs, Ji Wei came out of the kitchen. Seeing them, she raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh, you're all up so early today?"

"Mom, I turned off the lights to sleep last night, and Dad said he'd reward me with a little red flower." Gu Chen'an didn't forget to ask for his little red flower.

"I want a little red flower too," Lulu said defiantly.

"Okay, here's a little red flower for Chen'an." Ji Wei smiled and nodded to Gu Chen'an.

Lulu waited for a while but didn't see her say she would be rewarded with a little red flower. She quickly went up to Ji Wei, hugged her leg, and looked up at her, asking, "Mommy, what about me?"

Ji Wei tapped the tip of her nose: "You didn't sleep well last night, so you won't get a little red flower."

Thinking of the creaking sound from the wire bed when she left the room that morning, a fleeting look of guilt crossed Lulu's face.

"If you want a little red flower, you'd better behave well tonight. Hurry up and wash your face, dinner is coming soon," Ji Wei urged them to wash up.

Gu Zhiyuan then led the two to the well. Ji Wei stared at his back for a long time. Today was the second day after his cast was removed, and she wondered how he was doing.

Life after the cast was removed was a little different from what Gu Zhiyuan had imagined. He stared at his leg, sighed, and decided that he would resign from his job no later than next week.

Before he resigned, Ji Wei became busy with the competition. The preliminary round was this week, and she heard that the second round of the re-examination would require going to the city to take the exam. The second round limited the number of participants to each school to ten. When she saw this requirement, Ji Wei couldn't help but laugh. Their school didn't have to worry about this problem at all. There were only six people registered in their entire grade.

Four more were eliminated in the first round of the preliminary round, leaving only Gu Chen'an and one girl to go to the city for the rematch. Gu Chen'an, who was originally a little nervous, was dumbfounded: "Does that mean that only Wenjing and I will participate in the rematch?"

"Yes, it's just the two of you." Ji Wei was in a pretty good mood. After all, rural schools rarely focus on these things. She felt that he and Wen Jing had only missed one question each, which had exceeded her expectations. For the second round of retests, Ji Wei was prepared to focus on participation. Their preparation this year was indeed insufficient, so she decided to let them experience the atmosphere and get a feel for the math prodigies from other schools.

"I wonder how many people are left from the other schools. If we pass the second round of exams, will it be the official competition?" Gu Chen'an asked curiously.

"Yes, the third round is the official competition, a unified exam for all students who pass the national exam." Ji Wei felt that the chances of the two of them making it to the final competition were slim, but there was no need to tell them about it in advance.

"Where will we take the exam?" Gu Chen'an, who was participating in such a competition for the first time, turned into a curious child.

“It’s different every time; this year it seems like we’re going to Beijing,” Ji Wei explained to him.

"Wow, if I pass this time, I can go to Beijing to take the exam. Mom, will you come with me then?" Gu Chen'an suddenly became interested.

"That shouldn't be the case. A teacher will take you there." Ji Wei shook her head.

"Alright then." Although Gu Chen'an was a little disappointed, he quickly felt relieved when he thought that others had also made the same arrangements.

The time spent going to the city for the exam took up his badminton exam. Gu Chen'an, who was already somewhat unhappy, burst into tears as soon as he came out of the exam room. Before Gu Zhiyuan could even ask his question, Gu Chen'an blurted out, "Why were the questions so difficult? I didn't even have time to answer the last question."

Gu Chen'an thought he was quite impressive to stand out from the six people. Only today did he realize that there are always people better than him and there is always something beyond his reach. He had been too happy before. Fortunately, he was not the only one who was frustrated. Most of the children who came out of the exam room looked not good, including Wenjing. Wenjing had no idea how to solve the last two questions, but she had a good memory and wrote down the questions. When she saw Ji Wei, she couldn't wait to ask her what method was the optimal solution.

"Are you sure you want to talk about this here?" Ji Wei asked them with a smile, meeting their eager eyes.

In the end, Ji Wei didn't answer their questions in front of the exam hall. Instead, she took them to a park bench. Upon hearing this, both of them looked like they suddenly understood, and then they regretted it. In the half hour that followed, the expressions on their faces were quite interesting.

Ji Wei felt that she should be the type of teacher who encourages others. Seeing their dejected looks, she couldn't help but comfort them, saying, "You've only been exposed to this for a short time. It's already amazing that you can participate in the second round of retests. Many of the people you see today have been exposed to math since they were young, so one failure is nothing. We can try again next time."

"Can we participate again next time?" Wenjing asked cautiously.

"Of course, why not?" Ji Wei didn't understand what they were worried about.

"Our results this time are probably not good, and I'm afraid there won't be a next time," Wenjing explained softly.

"Don't worry, it won't happen," Ji Wei said, patting the two of them on the shoulders to encourage them.

"Teacher Ji, can I ask you questions if I don't understand something later?" Wenjing is a student in Class 3.

"Of course, you're welcome to come to my office anytime." Ji Wei nodded in welcome, and Wen Jing quickly left with her parents.

Gu Chen'an then remembered the badminton lesson he had missed and couldn't help but sigh, "I really lost everything today."

Ji Wei was amused by him, and then corrected him, "That's not how you use that sentence."

"Isn't that right? I skipped my badminton class to take this exam, and I did terribly on it, so I missed my badminton class too." Gu Chen'an sighed heavily after saying that. You have to understand that he had been looking forward to the badminton class for a whole week.

Ji Wei thought about it and realized that what he said made sense. She glanced at the time and then suggested, "If you go back now, you might be able to find some of your friends to play badminton with."

"Let's go back now." Gu Chen'an was a little impatient. He missed his badminton lesson today, so he could go back and play a game with someone for a while.

"Okay, let's go back." Ji Wei nodded.

"Dad, when will your leg get better?" Although Gu Chen'an had only attended a few classes, he had a good talent for sports, so he was a little reluctant to play ball with the other children. Every time he played with them, he was only concerned with picking up the ball.

"It'll probably be next year before we can get back to playing badminton together," Gu Zhiyuan said, knowing his intentions, and politely declined.

"Does it really take that long?" Gu Chen'an was genuinely surprised.

"Yes, although I can walk now, the doctor said that this leg still can't bear weight." Gu Zhiyuan wasn't exactly lying to him.

"That's been too long. Mom, do you play badminton?" Gu Chen'an asked, shifting the focus of his attention.

"I'm not very good at it, and I probably don't have the time." She needs to carefully summarize the problems exposed in this competition, and then combine these problems to teach according to students' aptitudes in preparation for future competitions. After that, she needs to collect various types of questions for students to practice.

"Alright then." Gu Chen'an was truly at a loss this time. After all, he couldn't rely on Lulu. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but sigh, hoping that his friends around him could quickly improve their ball skills.

Seeing him sigh and frown, Ji Wei couldn't help but smile and shake her head. Sure enough, the benefits of taking extracurricular classes were coming in; they distracted him and improved his physical fitness. Thinking about it this way, Ji Wei felt that the extracurricular classes were well worth it.

＊

Since that night, Lulu has been fixated on the wire bed, so it became the norm for the two of them to sleep in the same bed. Gu Zhiyuan also gradually got used to it, from being nervous and tense at the beginning. Of course, the "38th parallel" that crossed between the two of them that day is still there.

Ji Wei didn't know why Lulu suddenly loved this wire bed, but considering that it was one of the few things her father Xie Fei had left her, she decided to let her continue sleeping on it if she liked it. That way, she wouldn't have too many regrets later. So, Ji Wei stopped stopping her from sleeping on the bed and even planned to move it to her room so that she could have something to remember it by.

As time went by, she gradually changed from the most standard sleeping position to a more casual one. As for sleeping in separate rooms, neither of them mentioned it. After all, Gu Chen'an was a sensitive person, and if they didn't explain things properly, all their previous efforts would be in vain. Gu Chen'an had seen a psychologist five or six times now, and his condition had truly improved each time. For example, after Gu Zhiyuan turned off the lights for him beforehand, he started trying to sleep alone at night without the lights on. Now, he can completely sleep with the lights off, and even the doctor praised their good cooperation. The doctor also emphasized that in cases like Gu Chen'an's, there are many areas where family support and cooperation are needed, and their cooperation can effectively alleviate psychological problems. Therefore, the two of them stopped dwelling on sleeping in separate rooms; after all, in the context of Gu Chen'an's psychological issues, it was a trivial matter.

Their sleeping positions became more casual, and by the next morning, Ji Wei noticed that the dividing line between them had completely disappeared. She looked at her own spot and then moved away somewhat guiltily. She had almost pushed him against the wall. What a sin!

Noticing her little movements, the person with their eyes still closed gently raised the corners of their lips, waiting for her to get up before slowly opening their eyes. As for Lulu in the crib, Ji Wei no longer needed to ask him to help every day; the little one was used to it now. One day, even without an adult in the room, she didn't cry, but calmly changed her clothes and came downstairs by herself. It was at this time that Ji Wei began to seriously consider the matter of separate rooms. Seeing that the weather was getting warmer, and without worrying about her kicking off the covers, it was a good time for separate beds. However, before that, she needed to have a good discussion with Lulu first.

Life went on in an orderly fashion. One day, Lü Shuangcai brought over another bag of watermelons, and Ji Wei casually asked, "Is it the same route as last time?"

"Yes, it's the same guests as last time. Now that the weather is hot, we don't dare to bring too many watermelons, just enough for us to eat. How is Zhiyuan's leg recovery going?" Lu Shuangcai asked with concern.

"The recovery is going well. I plan to resign tomorrow, but I don't know how long the procedures will take," Gu Zhiyuan explained to him.

"Brother Lü, he won't be able to drive for at least a hundred days, so even if he resigns, he probably won't be able to do much," Ji Wei said hurriedly. It wouldn't be good if he suffered any long-term effects if he didn't fully recover from his injury.

“Sister-in-law is concerned about Zhiyuan. Don’t worry, I’m not a miser. Zhiyuan will be in charge of the warehouse in the early stages. I remember he has good handwriting.” Lu Shuangcai came to talk to them about building the garage and warehouse.

“I’ve already found a piece of land. It’s a bit out of the way, but it’s cheap. Besides, we need a lot of land, so the places we can choose from are all quite remote. There are some plots closer to the city, but we don’t have enough.” Lu Shuangcai said, making a counting motion with his hands. Of course, another reason was that he had just bought two new cars, and he didn’t dare to take too big a step. In short, it’s always good to be cautious.

“I agree with what Brother Lü said. Places near the city center are too expensive. It doesn’t matter if it’s a little out of the way now, since the city is constantly developing.” Ji Wei agreed. In later generations, in order to save costs, these large warehouses are located in the suburbs. They are just making this decision ahead of time.

“I knew my sister-in-law had a good eye. When I drove around to other places, I found that they were all in the suburbs and the area was very large. This is also a way for us to leave ourselves a way out. If we don’t want to do this business in the future, we can rent it out to others as a warehouse and collect rent or something.” Lu Shuangcai said about his plan.

"Brother Lü, you've thought things through perfectly." Lü Shuangcai's thoughts coincided with Gu Zhiyuan's; only what you hold in your own hands is true asset.

"Once I've earned enough money for my child's schooling and marriage, I can consider retiring. At that time, this warehouse can also serve as a tool for me to make money." As he spoke, Lü Shuangcai mentioned the hardships of driving a sports car and his desire to retire early. His lifelong dream is to have a wife, children, and a warm bed.

A smile flashed in Ji Wei's eyes: "In two years, Brother Lü, you won't think the same way anymore."

"Who knows?" Lu Shuangcai couldn't help but laugh after saying that. Who would complain about having too much money? The reason she wants to retire early is because she feels it's too hard. If she ever finds making money to be an easy thing, she probably won't want to leave.

“If you find it too tiring, you can reduce the number of times you drive, or Brother Lü, have you considered letting your wife run a small supermarket? After all, it’s very convenient for her to source goods since she drives herself,” Ji Wei suggested.

“I had considered it before, but the store location wasn’t suitable, and with other miscellaneous things, the project was shelved. Right now, all the funds I have are tied up in the warehouse and garage, so I probably don’t have any spare money to buy a store. But we could try setting up a stall. Anyway, your sister-in-law stays at home all the time, so she could give it a try.” As Lü Shuangcai spoke, he felt the idea was more and more feasible, so he began to seriously consider setting up a stall.

“Brother Lü, you’re wrong about that. Your wife takes care of all your meals and all the big and small things at home. She’s really putting in a lot of effort, and you can’t ignore it.” Ji Wei thought to herself, “Sure enough, no matter what era, men can take it for granted that housewives make a difference.”

"That's true. Without your sister-in-law stabilizing my home front, I wouldn't be where I am today. So, sister-in-law, what did you mean by asking me to take over the shop earlier?" Lu Shuangcai felt that her words were somewhat contradictory.

“If we take over the shop, we can hire someone to look after it. My sister-in-law can handle the most important part, the finances. I’m thinking of running our own freight business, moving goods back and forth. Although we won’t earn much, it’s still better than letting others make the money,” Ji Wei said sincerely.

“That’s true. The traders used to make a lot of money. We can’t compare to them now.” Lu Shuangcai talked about this topic for almost half an hour before finally remembering the real reason he came here: “By the way, do you want to go check on the progress over there?”

"With Brother Lü here, we definitely trust you," Ji Wei said with a smile, though she was very busy every week.

"It would be better if you came to see for yourselves. I heard you go to the city every week. Is there something going on?" Lü Shuangcai asked curiously.

"It's nothing major. I just enrolled the two kids in badminton and dance classes at the Children's Palace. Kids in the city are so talented these days, we can't fall too far behind," Ji Wei explained to him. As for Gu Chen'an's mental health issues, only the four of them knew about them.

"As expected, teachers have foresight. Sister-in-law, what kind of classes do you think Xiaosong can take now?" Lü Shuangcai humbly asked for advice. They worked so hard for their child, and they couldn't let their child fall too far behind others.

"That depends on Xiaosong's interests and hobbies. Perhaps we can give him some extra help with the subjects he's not good at, based on his grades," Ji Wei said, offering her suggestion without knowing much about Lü Song's grades.

"You mean tutoring? I heard from Xiaosong that some kids in his class also get tutoring, and he seems to understand everything." Lü Shuangcai was busy with work outside, and Qiao Xiaoxue took care of everything at home. He only occasionally asked about the children's grades, so he didn't know the specifics.

“Yes, many students are taking extra classes, especially those in the higher grades.” Ji Wei knew that this was the beginning of the rise of the tutoring industry and the start of students taking all sorts of practice tests.

"I'll ask his mother when I get back." As he spoke, Lü Shuangcai brought up the topic of the educational environment again, trying to "lure" the two of them to Rong County.

“Anyway, you haven’t been in Rong County for very long. Zhiyuan can drive you to and from get off work every day,” Lü Shuangcai tried to persuade her.

"Brother Lü, please don't try to persuade us. We'd rather go to the city center than Rong County. We plan to go directly there when the time comes." Because of the joint freight business, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the two families will be in close contact for the next two years, so Ji Wei didn't intend to hide this from him.

"Go to the city center?" A flash of surprise crossed Lü Shuangcai's eyes.

“Yes, the city center is one of the places with the best resources in our province,” Ji Wei said, stopping there.

"That's true, going straight to the top. Hey, you've reminded me. I'll work hard then, and maybe we can even become neighbors. But what about your job, sister-in-law?" Lu Shuangcai said, glancing at her. The couple were both bold people; would they also quit their jobs?

"I'll try my best to get a transfer first, and if that doesn't work, I'll resign," Ji Wei told him about her plan.

"You two really are a couple; this kind of courage is not something ordinary people have." Now Lu Shuang was truly convinced.

"There have to be trade-offs." Ji Wei smiled and didn't say anything else. It was already July, and her summer tutoring class would be opening next month. As long as the tutoring class could make a name for itself, she wouldn't have to worry about work.

“Most people can’t do what you do. Since you’re busy, you can leave the warehouse and garage matters to me. I’ll definitely handle it perfectly.” Knowing they were busy, Lü Shuangcai didn’t insist that they go to the site.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Brother Lü." Gu Zhiyuan looked at him apologetically.

"This is nothing, we're family, no need for formalities. You guys go ahead with your work, I'll go back and ask about your sister-in-law Xiaosong's situation." Seeing how much they valued the child, Lü Shuangcai felt a rare pang of guilt.

After Lü Shuangcai left, Gu Zhiyuan said to Ji Wei, "I'll resign tomorrow. This matter can't be delayed any longer."

"Yes, is there anything I can do for you?" Ji Wei nodded.

"Your support is enough." As if thinking of something, a smile flashed in Gu Zhiyuan's eyes. It was a rare moment of tranquility and beauty between the two of them.

Originally, everyone thought that Gu Zhiyuan's resignation was just a matter for their small family, but no one expected that Zhou Xiuzhen would jump out and say that they disagreed.