After that, the proprietress never sent her to that private room again, but instead had her serve dishes to guests in the living room or wash dishes in the kitchen and do some simple work.

Soon it got dark. Xu Xinchen finished washing the last dish and came out of the kitchen. The proprietress stood by the counter, smiling at her, and handed her a ten-yuan note.

Xu Xinchen was startled, "This..."

"We originally agreed on 5 yuan, but you did a great job. Business is good today." The proprietress patted her on the shoulder approvingly. "The guests in the private room complimented our waitresses on their looks and gave them a generous tip. Keep the rest for yourself and come back next time."

Xu Xinchen took it, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, "Who praised me for being pretty?"

The proprietress thought carefully and described him, "He was quite handsome, the one wearing a white suit."

"oh."

Her voice lowered.

Xu Xinchen turned her head and walked into the night. The restaurant owner had kindly cooked her a bowl of noodles, so she wasn't so hungry anymore.

She went to a shoe store on the street and tried on a pair of patent leather white sneakers. They looked delicate and unique on her feet, and she decided to buy them on the spot. But when she walked out wearing the new shoes, she found that she had no money left.

Qingyuan County is a small place after all. It was only eight o'clock, and there were already few people on the street. The streetlights cast long, slanted shadows on the street. Xu Xinchen looked at the darkness in the distance and shivered.

She hadn't made an appointment with Uncle Wang when she got off the bus, and she didn't know how long she would stay. Afraid of taking up Uncle Wang's time, she didn't bring it up. She thought there would always be a bus from the county to the town, but at this time, it was hard to say whether there would be a bus.

She could only try walking towards the city gate to see if she could meet a kind person who would give her a ride.

Just as she expected, she didn't see a soul or even a ghost along the way. When she arrived at the city gate, the market, which had been bustling and crowded during the day, was now deserted. She sighed, lowered her head, and walked back dejectedly, intending to find a hotel to spend the night.

“Hey, Min Shi.”

A roar suddenly came from afar.

Xu Xinchen suddenly stopped and turned around, only to see Uncle Wang leaning against the car that had brought her there during the day.

She was startled, then realized what was happening and ran over quickly, her face beaming with undisguised joy. "Uncle Wang, you're still here?"

Uncle Wang responded softly and instructed, "Get in the car quickly."

As soon as Xu Xinchen opened the car door, she climbed inside. The car was warm and cozy, dispelling the chill outside. Just as she got in and closed the door, she realized something was wrong. She turned her head and met a pair of dark eyes.

The other person's gaze lingered on her, and it's unclear how long they stared at her.

The car shook, and Uncle Wang closed the door and got in.

Laughter came from behind, "Uncle Wang, so the person you were waiting for was her..."

Xu Xinchen looked up and saw a man in a white suit staring at her intently in the rearview mirror, a smile on his face.

Uncle Wang started the car, observed the road conditions, and casually replied, "You brat, you don't even recognize her? I remember you two grew up playing together since you were little kids?"

The man was taken aback, then his face lit up with joy, and he asked eagerly, "Are you Lu Minshi?"

She responded.

Hearing her affirmative answer, the man's smile slowly widened, and he couldn't stop it. "Haha, don't you remember me? The mayor's son, Xu Yujie. The one who used to pull your braids when we were kids."

Xu Xinchen nodded. "Hello."

The person sitting in the middle of the back seat covered his mouth with his hand and couldn't help but chuckle, "Ah Jie, who was it that was complaining just now, getting impatient while waiting?"

He suddenly groaned, having taken a hit from Xu Yujie, but he kept laughing. When Xu Xinchen looked over, he said, "Shi Chuying."

Xu Xinchen nodded and looked away.

Xu Yujie walked past Shi Chuying and patted the person by the window. "Asheng, wake up! Look who's here. I mentioned Lu Minshi to you when we were abroad. Say hello to her."

The man was sitting directly behind her, clearly asleep. He was woken up by being patted on the back, and groggily reached out his hand from in front of her, speaking in a hoarse voice, "Chen Ningsheng."

Xu Xinchen shook hands.

The man immediately pulled his hand back and fell asleep again.

The journey continued in this lively manner. Xu Yujie would occasionally exchange a few words with her, so it didn't feel lonely. Soon they arrived at Qingyuan Town, where Uncle Wang first escorted her to her doorstep.

As soon as she got out of the car, she saw Lu Shuangshuang standing at the door.

Where did you go today?

Standing under the dim yellow light at the front door, Lu Shuangshuang looked radiant, her face beaming with pride. Her gaze slowly slid down to the girl's feet, and she paused, noticing the pair of patent leather shoes on her feet. "Where did you buy those shoes?" she asked.

"My own money."

"Your own?" Lu Shuangshuang looked puzzled, then smiled after a moment's thought. "By the way, Lu Minshi, don't think I can't do anything just because you don't hand over your salary. I'm going to marry Brother Baifei. Brother Baifei is doing well at school, and the county is thinking of promoting him. His salary will also increase, and then we might have to live in the county town."

"Oh." Xu Xinchen listened patiently to her finish speaking and nodded without much expression.

Just as she was about to enter, Lu Shuangshuang blocked her way, standing on the door frame, a full head taller than her, looking down at her with a smirk, "Lu Minshi, I'm getting married next month, and Bai Fei and I have agreed that you will be my bridesmaid."

Next month? So soon?

Xu Xinchen was slightly surprised.

Seeing her expression, Lu Shuangshuang couldn't help but feel smug. She sighed and said, "I advise you to give up on your feelings for Brother Baifei. Brother Baifei will be my husband soon, so you should start calling him brother-in-law."

"casual."

Lu Shuangshuang carefully observed her expression, not missing a single detail. "So you've agreed to be a bridesmaid?"

"OK."

Xu Xinchen answered easily.

Lu Shuangshuang's face was strange, and she couldn't figure out what she was thinking. She thought she would strongly resist, but she didn't expect her to agree so easily. She was slightly dissatisfied, but then she thought that if she appeared in front of everyone as a bridesmaid, wouldn't that be a kind of humiliation?

Feeling relieved, she glanced at Xu Xinchen before leaving and said, "By the way, there are special bridesmaid dresses for the wedding day, so you don't need to wear this."

The car slowly came to a stop in front of a two-story building at the southernmost part of the town. Xu Yujie jumped out of the car and leaned through the window to thank Uncle Wang, "Uncle Wang, thank you."

Shi Chuying and Chen Ningsheng, who had just woken up and was rubbing his glasses, followed closely behind. Chen Ningsheng suddenly laughed and joked, "Yujie, is this a villa?"

Xu Yujie laughed and punched him lightly, and the group walked in chatting and laughing.

Mayor Xu Kang was reading a book in the dim light of his bedroom when he suddenly heard the sound of a car stopping outside. A moment later, there was a knocking on the door. In the middle of the night, he couldn't figure out who was visiting. He and his wife on the bed exchanged a glance and went to the hall to open the door.

As soon as the door opened, Xu Yujie rushed over and hugged him tightly, "Dad, your son is back."

Xu Kang was knocked back a few steps and didn't react in a daze. Xu Yujie noticed something out of the corner of his eye. When he looked up, he saw his mother standing in front of the bedroom door, staring at him without blinking, her eyes slightly moist.

After welcoming the group into the house, Xu Yujie introduced them one by one. Then, Madam Xu led the two upstairs to an empty guest room, changed the sheets and blankets, and brought out some fruit and milk. After settling them in, she went downstairs.

In the study, Xu Kang calmly looked at his son. He had grown taller. When he was sent away to study, he was a shy little boy who was not yet 16 years old. Now he had broad shoulders and was a grown man who could shoulder responsibilities.

"Now that you're back, you're not leaving again, are you?" Xu Kang asked.

Xu Yujie's smile faded upon hearing this. "We're delivering a shipment. We're just passing through and thought we'd drop by to see you and Mom for a few days."

Xu Kang was clearly displeased upon hearing this. "Stay for a few days? Then you'll have to leave again."

"Um."

“You’re 24 already. I used all my savings to send you abroad to study. Now that you’ve graduated, you’re still not settled. You’re at the age to get married and have kids. Haven’t you had enough fun?”

The word "play" touched a nerve with Xu Yujie, and his face darkened. "Dad, we're not playing around. We're doing business legitimately."

“How much money can you make doing business?” Xu Kang snorted. “I’ve been the town mayor for half my life. All those businessmen in town who went out to do business have lost everything. What’s wrong with settling down, getting married, and living a peaceful life?”

Xu Yujie sighed inwardly. He knew that persuading his uneducated and old-fashioned father to give up a stable life was harder than climbing to heaven. So he simply didn't argue with him, changed the subject, and joked, "Dad, nobody wants to marry me anyway. Where am I going to find a wife?"

?

"Hey, Chen Baifei, the one from Aunt Wang's family, he used to grow up playing with you and Lu Minshi, the daughter of the Lu family. He's getting married in a few days."

Xu Yujie was eating a date from the plate when he heard this, and the date pit almost went down his throat. His heart jumped, "With whom?"

Xu Kang glanced at him, sighed, and shook his head. "And your Uncle Lu's family..."

Cough, class, Xu Yujie coughed until his face turned red.

"Second daughter, Lu Shuangshuang."

Whew, Xu Yujie finally caught his breath and felt relieved. He picked up a glass of water from the table and took a sip.

"You should settle down soon too. There aren't many good girls left in town. I've found some good ones for you: Uncle Wang's youngest daughter next door, Aunt Li's niece, and Uncle Lu's eldest daughter..."

Xu Yujie suddenly interrupted, muttering, "Well, that's only if they like me first..."

Seeing his spineless appearance, Xu Kang was furious and asked again, "Didn't you say you started a company? Where did the money come from?"

Xu Yujie didn't want to bring up the issue and just gave a vague answer, saying, "It was pooled together by me and a few of my classmates."