Chapter 63 Fang Minzhou stayed at home for half...

After Fang Minzhou stayed at home for half a year, Fang Liangping and Zhao Ningying finally couldn't stand it anymore.

By the end of the year, Zhao Ningying had recovered her health. Fang Minzhou no longer had summer and winter vacations after starting work, and in recent years he could only stay at home for a few days during holidays. So they thought they should just let the family have a complete reunion this year. But after the spring, there was still no sign of Fang Minzhou, so the parents couldn't help but worry.

However, Fang Minzhou did not slack off during this period. She took on some projects on her own. When she resigned, it happened to be the new year's application season for studying abroad, so she picked up this side job again and was quite busy. But because it was not her main job, Fang Liangping and Zhao Ningying still considered it "not doing her job properly". As a result, her hair, which had faded to a certain extent, also became very unsightly.

At first, when Fang Minzhou went to the nearby market with her parents, she would always chat with familiar stall owners, laughing and joking for a while.

When asked, "What has your daughter been doing lately?" Zhao Ningying could still recount the whole story with a mix of reproach and pride. She said that she had been sick recently, and her daughter had quit her good job to take care of her. But it didn't matter, "I told her dad that it would be good for her to find a job in Zhangcheng, which is close to home."

"Oh, that's kind of you. You're absolutely right." The other person chimed in, "A child's filial piety is more important than anything else. Otherwise, no matter how much money you earn, it's useless if the person isn't around."

Fang Minzhou was idly peeling oranges on the side.

When she was little, she wondered why the elders could always chat as if no one else was around, even in front of the person in question.

But after the Spring Festival, when Fang Minzhou and her mother ran into an acquaintance on the street, the other person asked about her recent situation during the conversation, and Zhao Ningying became hesitant and stammering.

It seems she's become a daughter who can't be shown to her family again.

Whether a job makes money or not is one thing, whether it's respectable or not is another.

"No matter what, if someone asks you, you still need to be able to explain what you're doing," Fang Liangping tried to speak calmly. "Being a boss is being a boss, and being an employee is being an employee. What kind of person are you?"

Fang Minzhou didn't want to argue with her parents.

Ouyang Qian comforted her, saying, "'Freelancing' might be too abstract for people our parents' age. They can't imagine how work can be so free."

Fang Minzhou laughed uncontrollably.

She would have found it hard to imagine in the past.

The long vacations after graduation and starting work, while offering freedom, are not without their worries.

She finally broke free from her predetermined life path and had to admit that perhaps being confined within the framework of socialization for too long had left indelible marks. Her parents' attitude still brought her some subtle negative emotions. Even though she could calmly process them on her own, if she truly didn't care, she shouldn't let these gossips affect her anymore.

But there's nothing we can do about it. Life is short, and even the universe has an end. We don't know where a derailed train will end up.

She still yearns for success and recognition, but thankfully she's no longer so rigid, nor does she solely seek external validation. Psychologically, it's like she's experienced bungee jumping again: facing the unknown and fear, once she actually jumps, it's not so scary, so she doesn't want to turn back.

Admittedly, her parents' attitude would affect the weather during her voyage. Seeing that their nagging was getting worse, Fang Minzhou decided to change her environment and voluntarily moved out of the safe distance.

She had already terminated her lease on Jiangcheng's house, so she could stay at Ouyang Qian's or Yuan Yue's house, but considering their inconvenience, Fang Minzhou also wanted to find a quieter place to sort out her next plans.

She ran to her maternal grandparents' house.

Her maternal grandparents welcomed her warmly.

In recent years, many towns and villages bordering Zhangcheng and Jiangcheng, including Shuangxi Town, have developed tourism with government support, mainly to provide weekend getaways and fresh air for residents of both areas. As a result, Fang Minzhou's maternal grandparents' house was renovated and used as a guesthouse, but the elderly couple specially reserved a bedroom for Fang Minzhou.

After hearing their daughter and son-in-law's explanation over the phone, the grandparents were also a little worried. Fang Minzhou explained that she could earn money from home. Although it was unbelievable, they had seen too many changes in their lives and were quite accepting of it. They thought it was because their granddaughter was very capable. Zhao Ningying and Fang Liangping were helpless.

Spring is the off-season, and Fang Minzhou had a more leisurely time in the countryside.

Her previous experiences in studying, working, and even tutoring others had given her a lot of connections. After taking on odd jobs here and there, she gradually developed some entrepreneurial ideas. However, compared to the education and training suggested by Ouyang Qian, she preferred to devote her energy to technical work.

She doesn't have any dreams. She used to want to find something she loved and would strive for her whole life, but now she realizes that it's good enough to find something she's good at.

Fang Minzhou has kept in touch with her undergraduate roommates after graduation. Among them, she is closest to Jin Ying. When she switched to coding, Jin Ying helped her a lot. After they started working, they were in the same industry and would exchange ideas from time to time. They even had some similar thoughts. Suddenly, she felt that maybe they could try to cooperate.

But her grandfather accidentally twisted his back, and even though there were no guests at the guesthouse, there were still chores to do at home. Worried that her grandmother would be too tired by herself, Fang Minzhou stayed behind. She could communicate online first about her own matters, which weren't urgent.

Summer arrived again, and the number of tourists visiting the village gradually increased. A new child joined the family, named Guan Yang, the grandson of his maternal grandfather's old friend, who was not yet nineteen years old. He used to be an athlete, but he retired due to an injury. He went to a vocational school to study hotel management, but after graduation, he was idle. His family urged him to take the adult college entrance examination in the second half of the year, but he didn't take it seriously. His parents had something to do, so they brought him over, saying it would be troublesome to give him something to do and help him get some experience.

The boy is actually quite efficient, but he doesn't talk much and is rather stubborn. He usually enjoys messing around with the family's old car.

My grandfather has a driver's license, but he's getting old and doesn't drive often. During the time Fang Minzhou was there, he used this car to pick up and drop off guests. When Guan Yang came, he took over the job.

Although the village has been frequently repaired in recent years, it is still located in a remote area. It takes at least half an hour to get there by taxi from the nearest train station, and the transportation in the village is inconvenient. Therefore, tourists usually travel by car, and some homestays also include pick-up and drop-off services.

The guests that day arrived by car; there were two men and two women. When Fang Minzhou and He Wenlun saw each other, they were both taken aback for a moment, and then smiled and greeted each other.

"What a coincidence," He Wenlun said.

"Yes." Fang Minzhou was indeed surprised.

"What's wrong?"

He Wenlun gave Fang Minzhou a look, "A friend I know."

Everyone was surprised.

He Wenlun introduced Fang Minzhou, who was met with curious glances. She smiled and said, "This is my maternal grandparents' house. You can come to me if you need anything."

After a brief chat, I learned that He Wenlun wasn't working in his original field. His company mainly did event planning, and with summer vacation approaching, the town was launching some activities to attract visitors. He Wenlun had brought his employees on this trip for leisure, but also took the opportunity to do some research.

When handing over the room keys, Fang Minzhou noticed that they had booked two double rooms and one single room. After asking, He Wenlun said that there was one more person who hadn't come with them. "Let's leave the single room empty for now. I don't know if he'll come tonight."

“Okay,” Fang Minzhou said. “We can check in before 10 o’clock.”

"I'll ask later."

While it was still light, Fang Minzhou took them for a short walk around the area before returning to the guesthouse to sit down and have dinner.

In fact, the nearby mountain villages are all quite similar: green hills, clear waters, rice paddies, and typical two-story courtyard houses with wooden structures and stone walls, simple and sturdy. After renovation, they have been transformed into modern detached houses. Shuangxi Town is particularly special because of its reservoir. Initially, the town's development relied on reservoir management and surrounding tourism, which gradually attracted some industries to settle there.

There was a large fish on the table, caught from the reservoir. Its meat was delicious, and Zhao Qingyou's cooking skills won praise from everyone. Zhao Qingyou became proud and took out his homemade rice wine to entertain the guests.

Others mentioned that another boss of the company would occasionally come to Shuangxi Reservoir to fish. He Wenlun was He Wenlun's partner, and He Wenlun jokingly referred to him as "General Manager Wang."

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, He Wenlun took out his phone and saw that he had received a message that he was going to the train station to pick someone up.

The situation became awkward, as most of the people present had drunk some alcohol, leaving only Guan Yang. Because of his young age and the high alcohol content of the rice wine, Zhang Xiufen stopped him from drinking.

Guan Yang was happy to pick them up, but the others were worried about the danger of him driving at night. In the end, He Wenlun accompanied him in the passenger seat, which made Guan Yang unhappy, feeling that he was being looked down upon. After spending these days together, Zhao Qingyou treated him like his grandson and couldn't help but point out that he shouldn't act like a child in front of guests. Zhang Xiufen also said to him, "Who are you trying to impress with that pout?"

Guan Yang then reluctantly agreed.

With the boss gone, the remaining three employees chatted more relaxedly, no longer avoiding Fang Minzhou and her grandparents, and even directly asked Fang Minzhou how she knew their boss, Mr. He.

Fang Minzhou brushed it off, saying that he had met her once before at a mutual friend's birthday party.

This was a good point. Fang Minzhou could tell that they all believed it and had no intention of continuing to gossip. However, she reminded herself to remember to say something to He Wenlun afterwards, so as not to give him away.

As Fang Minzhou listened to their conversation, it seemed that they didn't really want their CEO, Mr. Wang, to come over.

The reason is that this General Manager Wang is usually stern and a workaholic. They had all returned to the company to retrieve things they had left behind, only to find him still there. Although they later discovered that General Manager Wang simply didn't leave work and didn't care about them, his presence still made his subordinates feel uneasy.

Fang Minzhou breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this. This Mr. Wang sounded completely different from the worldly-wise He Wenlun. Their partnership might be complementary, and he was even less like the Wang Kan she remembered.

So, she's probably overthinking it.

After taking the fruit platter over, Fang Minzhou returned to her room. She had an interview coaching class to teach later.

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Author's note: P.S., I changed the town's name.