They sat at Xiao Yin's house until 8 p.m., when Xiao Youliang came over and told them to go back to the hotel to rest. 9 p.m. was Zheng Lanxiang's bedtime, which she never missed.

Xiao Yin and her husband only stopped after seeing them into the hotel lobby.

"I'll leave you here. Go upstairs and go to sleep." Xiao Youliang knew what she was thinking, and patted his daughter's hand. "You can leave after lunch tomorrow. Pick up the kids after get off work and come straight to the restaurant. It's Xiao Yin's treat for her promotion."

Xiao Yin's eyes welled up with tears, and she felt like crying, but she couldn't speak.

She used to think she was capable and always found fault with this and that, but looking at her life now, it seems to be getting worse and worse.

On the way back, Wei Xin asked her, "Do you regret it?"

Xiao Yin understood the seemingly random sentence.

Suddenly relieved: "I have no regrets. You were the best person of the opposite sex I ever met."

Wei Xin smiled and took her hand, leading her home.

When I got home, the children were still watching cartoons, and a pile of gifts were still left at the door.

"These are all good things. My dad really loves me." Wei Xin said with emotion, holding the tea box.

He glanced at the cigarettes and alcohol as well; he could easily give away any bottle as a gift. But his father-in-law bringing these over made him feel like he was living off his wife.

Xiao Yin put everything into the locked cabinet, only opening a bag of pork floss cakes for the children to enjoy, and said to Wei Xin:

"You can take the tea and give it away. Apart from the tea my father brought, we don't have any distinguished guests in our family who are worthy of this tea."

Wei Xin was happy.

The next day at work, I ran into my boss, threw the things into his car without saying what they were, and then dragged him to the cafeteria for lunch.

When I was at work, I saw my boss say that he had gone out for a while.

Before noon, he called Wei Xin back: "Go and follow up on that matter with the education department. If you do it well, you'll be praised by the higher-ups."

Wei Xin was confident; this was a job that could yield results, and there was no one else willing to compete for it.

I was supposed to have lunch at the hotel with Xiao Yin at noon, but now I have to strike while the iron is hot and consolidate the relationship built up through tea diplomacy.

Now that government agencies don't allow employees to eat out, we can only treat our superiors to meals in the company cafeteria.

......

"Mom, the food at the hotel is delicious. Let's come here often in the future."

Xiao Yin smiled when she heard the child's silly words.

Doesn't she know that food outside is delicious?

Cooking for yourself is tiring and thankless, and it's all to save money so you can buy your child a couple more clothes and a pair of shoes. These three fish on the table alone cost as much as her grocery shopping yesterday. Even if you love fish, you can't order three fish, can you?

In the end, not a single one of the three fish was wasted; Baoping finished them all. Luckily, Chunhua didn't come, otherwise even six fish might not have been enough.

After lunch, everyone sat down to digest and chat for a while before getting on the bus to return to Anshi. Xiao Yin also had to go to work in the afternoon. The banquet ended around 1:30 p.m., and everyone went home.

Jiang Shuyin went to the embassy apartment to pick up Chunhua first, and sent a message to urge them on the way.

The high priest saw the message on his phone and knew there wasn't much time left for catching up. His expression turned serious, and he took Chunhua's hand and placed it between his palms.

"They'll be here soon. I'll finally be able to relax once I see you. I'll come find you after I finish the task the clan leader assigned me."

Chunhua remained unmoved: "I don't know if I'll ever get to see it."

The high priest's hands clenched tightly: "What do you mean?"

"Actually, I've kept something from you: I'm a hundred years older than you, and I only have less than fifty years left to live."

For merfolk, whose life spans thousands of years, fifty years is a very short time.

The high priest paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes in thought, before suddenly speaking:

"I've got it! I'll groom Zixin as my successor. He can study here and also work in Changji. This kid is smart; I'll be able to come find you in less than three years!"

Chunhua finally smiled. Even though she only had a few decades left to live, her beauty as a mermaid remained, and her smile could naturally make her lover's heart flutter.

Jiang Shuyin drove the car downstairs, and the high priest gestured for her to get out of the car. The two then went to the side to talk alone.

The high priest transferred all the money he had collected during this period to her, which Jiang Shuyin accepted without hesitation. She heard the high priest lower his voice and say, "This is the rent for the fishpond. As for the rest of the money, you can buy her whatever she wants. If it's not enough, just tell me."

Jiang Shuyin smiled and said, "The boss is very generous."

The high priest chuckled and waved his hand: That's all.

The group came in a hurry and left in a hurry. It was a pity that they didn't get to see Zixin, who was also studying at the central base.

Jiang Shuyin didn't say she was coming. Last night she asked him: What are you doing?

Zixin replied when it was time to eat: "I'm reading. There are so many books here, like the sea."

Thinking that he was still reading in the library during his weekend break, Jiang Shuyin decided not to delay his studies and simply didn't tell him about her visit to the central base. She wasn't going to stay long anyway, and they could meet up again on her next business trip.

Baoping was the same. Last night, he went out for a stroll with Qingwu. The two found Zixin's spot. It was nine o'clock at night, and the library was still half an hour away from closing. The people reading were as still as if in meditation. He stood outside for a while and then left.

My younger brother loves reading and doesn't like to be disturbed when he's engrossed in it.

In the afternoon, under the not-too-hot early summer sun, two elderly people fell asleep by the car window, the car quiet and warm.

Looking at the undulating road ahead, Chunhua suddenly asked the person beside her, "Will I be able to return to my clan's territory?"

Jiang Shuyin: "...Maybe in a few decades."

Chunhua understood; all she wanted was for her soul to return to the Hall of Heroes and be buried with her ancestors.

After meeting with her lover, Chunhua was able to resolve her inner conflict.

Because the fish and shrimp she raised grew exceptionally well with a low mortality rate, and the fish were frequently available for sale, over time, everyone came to her to buy fish, and her business became increasingly successful. Chunhua gradually earned the title of "Fish King of Anshi".

This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!