Seeing his family members making and receiving New Year's greetings on the phone, keeping up with the times, Zhang Guodong also replied to Xiang Chunyan's text message, but it was just a New Year's greeting and nothing else.

Zhang Guodong had also considered this woman, but he knew it was just a fleeting affair. Xiang Chunyan had a family; she was married and a woman who craved power. He, on the other hand, was a farmer. Although he had temporarily established himself in the provincial capital, he was still a farmer, one of the lowest rungs of society—that was reality.

Moreover, Zhang Guodong's current life trajectory is vastly different from that of Xiang Chunyan or the fat man who struggled in the officialdom.

Power and money are certainly good things, but Zhang Guodong has an even greater advantage: the existence of Peach Blossom Spring, a unique place in the world. This implies the need to keep a low profile, a secret he strives to protect.

On the other side, Xiang Chunyan held her phone, her feelings complicated.

She couldn't help but text Zhang Guodong, then stayed on the sofa. Her marriage was unhappy; she and her husband had been separated for years in a sexless marriage. A woman who loved power and a serious researcher didn't have much interaction in their lives. On New Year's Eve, He Guoqiang said goodbye to her and went back to his parents' house, leaving Xiang Chunyan alone in the room assigned by the district government.

This made her think of Zhang Guodong, that little man. Was he thinking of her?

A fleeting affair with Zhang Guodong gave Xiang Chunyan a taste of what it's like to be a woman, and the feeling of having an affair made her feel hot all over whenever she thought about it.

The phone suddenly started playing music, and Xiang Chunyan came to her senses. She looked at the screen and saw that it was her younger sister, Li Yun, calling.

"Happy New Year, Sister Xiang! Hehe!" Li Yun's cheerful voice came through the phone.

Xiang Chunyan composed herself and forced a smile, saying, "Happy New Year, little sister!"

"Sister Xiang, are you in a bad mood? You sound a bit off," Li Yun immediately sensed the melancholy in Xiang Chunyan's voice and couldn't help but ask.

The story of Xiang Chunyan and Li Yun's relationship begins with a hunting trip. After their heart-to-heart talk in the cabin, their relationship improved significantly, and they began calling each other sisters upon returning home. Of course, besides life and beauty, their conversations revolved around a man they wanted to avoid talking about: Zhang Guodong.

Xiang Chunyan smiled wryly: "I'm all alone in the room, it's a little strange—"

"Oh, then I'll come and keep you company?" Li Yun immediately said. "How can you be alone during the New Year? No way!"

"How can that be? It's the New Year, and it's one thing to be lonely, but how can I let others have a bad holiday too?" Xiang Chunyan quickly advised, "Little sister, no need, it's already late, your family won't agree to you coming over! I'm going to sleep soon too—"

Li Yun immediately deflated.

Four generations now live together in her family, and the phone rings non-stop after midnight. Her parents, grandparents, older brother, and older sister are all busy, but she's incredibly bored. Outside, firecrackers and fireworks are bursting into dazzling displays, but Li Yun has no interest in watching them; it's just so annoying.

Moreover, she has a task to complete tomorrow: being forced to go on a blind date. Just thinking about it makes Li Yun very annoyed.

"How about Zhang Guodong keeps you company?" Li Yun blurted out after thinking for a moment. But she regretted it as soon as the words left her mouth. Hmph, if the two of them are together, they'll probably end up in bed again, right?

This is a dangerous thing!

"Hehe, I appreciate your kindness, little sister, let bygones be bygones," Xiang Chunyan said with a sweet laugh, her heart skipping a beat. "Is that all? Don't worry about me, I bet you've got a lot of people calling to wish you a Happy New Year!"

The suggestion was tempting, and Xiang Chunyan couldn't resist the urge to make the call, but she quickly restrained herself. She told herself it would just be a one-night stand. Besides, it wasn't realistic so late at night; Zhang Guodong had his family to spend time with. Calling him at this hour would be selfish.

After speaking with Li Yun on the phone, Xiang Chunyan felt much better.

I went into the room, changed into a sheer nightgown, and found a pile of snacks next to me. Then I started watching the show. This year's Spring Festival Gala featured Zhao Benshan's skit "Not Short of Money" as the most精彩 (jingcai - brilliant/wonderful), and the medley of songs by the Super Band was also a highlight. Of course, the other programs were also good. Anyone who can perform on the Spring Festival Gala basically has a special talent.

Xiang Chunyan ate snacks to pass the time, watching the young and beautiful female celebrities on the show, all dressed up in their finest attire. A woman's psychology kicked in, and she felt a pang of self-pity for her smooth skin and slender figure. Which lucky man would this body belong to? She was at the age when she was radiating charm and had strong desires, but this night was destined to be spent alone.

The New Year's bells rang.

The new year is fast approaching, and all things are about to usher in the spring of revival.

On the third and fourth days of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Zhengrong and Ye Cuihua led the Zhang family to visit several fellow villagers who had moved to another district, bringing fruit and gifts. It was a much more formal visit than in previous years. Afterwards, they visited their aunt's house. In fact, they only visited this one relative; they weren't as close to the other relatives. Afterwards, they returned home.

Although it's called visiting to offer New Year's greetings, it's really more like a casual visit. Everyone drinks a little wine, has a couple of cold dishes, and chats warmly.

On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, the Zhang family members basically stayed home.

In the provincial capital, the Zhang family didn't have many real relatives, so the New Year's visit was unnecessary. Compared to their former working neighbors from all over the country, some of them were much better off than some relatives.

On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, Zhang Guodong visited the fat man's house with gifts.

Zhang Guodong took notice when he visited the fat man's house; the fat man's family was indeed no ordinary household. They lived in a small villa in the municipal standing committee compound, and Zhang Guodong had to register strictly before being led inside by the fat man.

The government office is located deep within the compound.

Fatty's father, Wang Jun, was rather serious, and his words carried a subtle sense of authority. His mother, Chu Qing, was much more kind and was very warm towards Zhang Guodong.

When Fatty came home last time, he brought vegetables and seafood from Zhang Guodong, as well as a fresh wild ginseng. At that time, Wang Jun scolded his son for taking other people's things without permission, asking if he had received something unclean.

After much persuasion from the fat man, Wang Jun's expression softened. Hearing it was his friend who sold vegetables, he nodded. His mother, Chu Qing, complained that the old man was making a fuss and being a bit unreasonable. Someone offering vegetables as a bribe? Besides, they weren't even in the same system. They were asking for a favor, weren't they?

Their daughter, Wang Lin, also brought back some vegetables and seafood, which they tried and found to be excellent. They completely outclassed similar vegetables and seafood available on the market.

They accepted all the gifts Zhang Guodong brought. But upon closer inspection, they realized Zhang Guodong had brought a lot—it seemed a bit too much.

After paying his respects to the emperor and receiving the red envelope, Zhang Guodong smiled and said, "Wang Kang and I were best friends in school and are still good friends now. This little bit of food is nothing. It's just for us to eat. We don't do takeout!"

Wild black carp, wild eel, three-year-old wild ginseng, wild boar meat, wild rabbit meat, wild pheasant meat, wild grass carp, wild carp, wild river shrimp, wild crab—almost everything was completely natural. Zhang Guodong brought a little of everything. Only Fatty's family had such a large quantity of food.

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wang softened considerably. He was quite pleased that his son had a friend like this, someone he could still befriend. This delighted the fat man!

Finally, after having dinner at the Wang family's house, Zhang Guodong took his leave.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, Li Yun, carrying a small bag, rushed to the Green Treasure Pavilion.

Zhang Guodong had assumed Li Yun had also invited him to dinner. He chuckled at his own assumption. They were just friends, not as close as he was to Fatty.

If Li Yun were to bring Zhang Guodong to the Li family home, they would definitely assume that Li Yun had brought home a boyfriend. This is a serious matter!

"What's wrong? Who upset you?" Zhang Guodong came downstairs to pick up Li Yun, but saw that Li Yun looked depressed and not in a good mood, so he asked with a smile. Li Yun is usually carefree, has a strong personality, and is quite fiery. She is known as a feisty and optimistic person.

But now it looks like a frostbitten eggplant.

Li Yun rolled her eyes at Zhang Guodong, said nothing, and strode upstairs to the second floor. She sat on the sofa, changing positions several times before finally leaning back. Erhei was right next to her. When Li Yun saw Erhei, her eyes lit up, and she hugged and started to rub and tease him, making Erhei's majestic long fur a mess. Dahei watched Erhei's situation with lingering fear, not daring to approach.

Beside them, Lao Qing and Si Xiaoqing stayed quietly on the blanket 'territory' of the radiator. Si Xiaoqing would occasionally look up at Li Yun, then immediately lower her head again, looking a little scared.

After the New Year, like Dahei and Erhei, the Four Little Greens also gained a lot of weight. Their original bodies actually became much fatter. Their size was the same as Dahei and Erhei's, changing a little every day and a lot every week. However, unlike the mighty Dahei and Erhei, the Four Little Greens gave people a dangerous feeling. They had already begun to show their sharpness, and their wild beast pupils were very frightening.

"Guodong, what am I supposed to do? They can't even let people have a peaceful New Year! Ugh, I'm going crazy!" Li Yun shook Erhei, who struggled fiercely.

Being treated like this is clearly beneath the dignity of the king of dogs. Fortunately, Dahei and Erhei have gained some intelligence and show no hostility towards Li Yun. Otherwise, they would have bitten her!

Zhang Guodong ignored Erhei's pitiful look and thought to himself, "Erhei, you'll suffer a little, but it will pass in a while."

Seeing Li Yun's agitation, Zhang Guodong dared not joke around anymore: "What exactly happened that drove you, Miss, to this state?"

"When my grandparents, parents, and I visit them for the New Year, they actually set me up on blind dates, one every day!" Li Yun said bitterly. "Today is the seventh one!"

"Ah!" Zhang Guodong's mouth dropped open, and he scratched his head, unsure how to answer. "Well, I don't know what to do either!"

He shrugged, "This is a difficult matter."

When someone is choosing a son-in-law, he's an outsider; he can't very well stop them from choosing, can he?

"Never mind, I'm not going back today, I'm staying here!" Li Yun said suddenly as soon as she let go of Erhei.

Erhei seized the opportunity to escape and never dared to go there again.

Zhang Guodong was dumbfounded: "You're staying here?"

The telecommunications company's family compound has three bedrooms, and now the eldest brother and sister-in-law, along with the third brother Zhang Guohao, are all there, filling all the rooms. The eldest brother, Zhang Guozheng, and his sister-in-law will not go to Sichuan until after the Lantern Festival. The third brother, Zhang Guohao, plans to wait until after Ye Wan's death before also setting off for Hebei on the Lantern Festival. Zhang Guodong will have to sleep at the Green Treasure Pavilion.

Li Yun arrived here as if fleeing a disaster, and Zhang Guodong was stunned. He thought to himself, "There's a bedroom here, but does this count as a man and woman sharing a room? Could it be considered cohabitation? Heh."

"Yeah, what? Not welcome? You'll cover all the food and lodging, hehe!" Li Yun glanced at Zhang Guodong, then suddenly smiled charmingly, instantly bewitching him.

"Okay, well... right, I forgot there's another bedroom here, you can stay in that one!" Zhang Guodong readily agreed, realizing he'd been tricked.

The bedroom where the fat man used to live.

But Li Yun wouldn't have it. She took over Zhang Guodong's bedroom and kicked him into the fat man's room: "I'm not staying in the place that fat man used to live in. I'll stay in yours. Of course, the bedding and sheets have to be new!"

So Li Yun temporarily stayed at the Green Treasure Pavilion to escape her family's arrangements.

To be honest, she's not young anymore, she's already twenty-six. Most women her age have boyfriends, and some are even married with children.

But Li Yun, who loves freedom, doesn't want to enter the grave of marriage so early. Besides, she runs a beauty salon and is financially independent enough not to rely on a man!

That afternoon, after making a phone call home, Li Yun simply turned off her phone, jumped onto the bed triumphantly, and even let out a comfortable groan.

Zhang Guodong was the most frustrated.

Li Yun had taken over his bedroom. He was even expected to buy her slippers, pajamas, toiletries, and even sanitary napkins. When Zhang Guodong came upstairs, Li Yun was fast asleep, undressed. Once she quieted down, Zhang Guodong was stunned. This energetic girl was indeed quite pretty.

She had been complaining about needing her bedding changed, but now she was already inside, breathing evenly. It was clear that Li Yun hadn't been getting enough rest these past few days.

Zhang Guodong placed the pajamas he had bought by the bedside, then closed the door and quietly slipped out.

As soon as I fell asleep, night fell, the city lights came on, and the vibrant nightlife began. The streets were ablaze with colorful lights, and people came out to enjoy the beautiful night view.

In the afternoon, Zhang Guodong took some time to drive to the seafood market and buy a batch of fish and shrimp, just to make a show of it, otherwise people would doubt the origin of the wild fish and shrimp. Then, until evening, when all the vegetables and seafood were sold out, Zhang Guodong closed the shop and started cooking for himself.

With Li Yun moving in, Zhang Guodong could no longer leave her behind to go home for dinner.

He called home to say he was with friends and wouldn't be coming home for dinner, then went to wash vegetables, rinse rice, and scale fish. He's become quite skilled at these tasks now. He rarely cooked before, but since moving here, he's been cooking much more often. He can't stand eating out anymore; his palate has become too picky. As for restaurant food, his cooking skills are really lacking. But luckily, he eats alone most of the time, and with this practice, his cooking skills have improved rapidly, now rivaling those of most people.

The aroma of rice woke Li Yun from her sleep. She blinked, still groggy, and looked around, unable to remember where she was.

Li Yun sat up in a daze, the blanket slipped off her upper body, revealing her breasts bulging out with her black bra, her skin was fair and tender, and her waist was slender. She herself was completely unaware that she had just exposed herself!

It took her a while to come to her senses and finally realize where she was. Listening to Zhang Guodong's busy voice outside, Li Yun suddenly felt very happy; it was a wonderful feeling.

"Ah!" She suddenly noticed that the bedroom door was open, with a crack in it. "That perverted bastard, how dare he do this to me! You're dead!"

She threw off the covers and got up, revealing that she was wearing only black underwear.

Her legs were long and slender, and her abdomen was flat. It was very tempting to commit a crime.

The wild young lady hurriedly looked for clothes, but found the pajamas by the bed. She snorted, opened them, looked at them, and then tried them on. They seemed to fit her quite well!

White silk pajamas.

Li Yun suddenly looked like a princess, except her hair was disheveled. She had just woken up and walked into the living room, then barged into the kitchen.

"You're up?" Zhang Guodong heard footsteps, glanced at her, paused for a moment in surprise, then resisted the temptation and looked away before laughing. She really wasn't on guard, was she? She came out in her pajamas, which were semi-transparent; she hadn't paid much attention when she bought them, and now her black bra and panties were clearly visible.

"Mmm, I'm hungry. The rice smells so good!" Li Yun smelled the fresh aroma of the rice and looked at the steaming rice cooker. She felt that the rice tasted very different from ordinary rice.

This is a technique that Zhang Guodong recently learned.

Slice the white radish, stir-fry it in oil, and then steam it with rice. The rice grains will be infused with its delicate aroma, making it very fragrant and delicious without being greasy. Another way to prepare it is to steam seasoned cooked pork ribs and white radish chunks with rice, which will give it a meaty flavor. Both vegetarian and meat-based options are quite good.

"Oh!" Li Yun gave a vague "oh," then watched Zhang Guodong cook. She completely forgot that she was there to cause trouble for Zhang Guodong.

Four dishes and a soup, accompanied by fragrant rice, and Zhang Guodong also opened a bottle of wine.

Dongpo fish, braised river shrimp, stir-fried lettuce with eggs, cold lotus root slices and enoki mushrooms. A light tomato and fern soup is also included. The colorful dishes are very appetizing.

Li Yun was indeed hungry, but she ate very carefully and slowly. She shared a glass of wine with Zhang Guodong, then ate slowly and deliberately. Zhang Guodong remained silent, focusing only on eating his rice and vegetables. The two were silent for a moment, mainly because Li Yun's pajamas were too alluring, and Zhang Guodong dared not look at her for too long.

"Let's go shopping later!" Li Yun suddenly said.

"Okay!" Zhang Guodong nodded, his mouth full of food.

"The night view is so beautiful, much better than during the day!" After dinner, as she stepped out of the restaurant, the cool air felt refreshing, and Li Yun said happily.

Zhang Guodong led Lao Qing and the others into Taoyuan, then drove his van, carrying Li Yun, towards the Great Wild Goose Pagoda, a complex of ancient Tang Dynasty buildings.

As soon as Zhang Guodong and Li Yun left, a white van stopped in front of Green Treasure Pavilion. Five or six young men, wearing hats and masks and carrying iron bars, got out of the van and rushed up to pry open the door of Green Treasure Pavilion without saying a word. They then smashed the first floor to pieces.

With a whistle, the group quickly left, grumbling and cursing. It all happened in just a few minutes!

The police arrived about ten minutes later.

"These people are completely lawless!" an eyewitness told the police.

P.S.: Second update, a 5,000-word long chapter. I've already updated 9,000 words today. I'm calling for more recommendation votes; I'm still a bit far from making it onto the weekly urban fiction recommendation list, and I'm a little unwilling to give up.

Also, thank you to 'Jiyang Qilin' and 'Dai Yu' for the generous donations. I estimate that the second 'apprentice' and the first 'disciple' will appear soon. I look forward to it.

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