Chapter 185

Upon hearing his daughter's voice, Ji Xingguo quickly put down his scissors and went out to greet her.

"Oh, Meimei, my darling, we're finally home!"

Ji Xingguo chuckled as he pushed open the courtyard gate. Seeing Ji Wanmei carrying large and small bags, he frowned and said disapprovingly, "Oh dear, you're back, that's fine. Just come back to spend time with Dad during your vacation. Why did you buy so much stuff from all this way? It's so heavy. I've already bought whatever you want to eat!"

"You have high blood pressure, so I brought you some supplements from the pharmacy, and a box of mooncakes too," Ji Wanmei said with a smile. "The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner."

The mooncakes were actually bought by Lei Tingjun, but Ji Wanmei didn't dare tell her father.

Ji Xingguo took the things and placed them on the stone table in the yard. Then he pulled his daughter up and down and looked her over carefully, saying, "Let Dad take a look. Have you lost weight? Have you been eating well?"

Ji Wanmei obediently twirled around in front of her father and said, "I think I've gained a little weight."

"Nonsense, your face and hands are still so thin. School food is nowhere near as good as home food." Ji Xingguo said, putting away his gardening tools. "Tonight, Dad will cook for you himself. I'll make braised pork, sweet and sour fish, and dry-fried ribs—all your favorite dishes!"

Ji Wanmei took her father's hand and said sweetly, "Okay, I love Dad's cooking the most."

The father and daughter entered the house chatting and laughing.

Before entering the house, Ji Wanmei subconsciously turned her head and glanced outside.

Lei Tingjun should have already left.

If only her father could accept Lei Tingjun, she could bring him back with her now, have dinner with her father tonight, and enjoy the atmosphere of family reunion.

Now he has left alone, feeling lonely and desolate, with nowhere to stay in Pingquan County.

Ji Wanmei felt heartbroken just thinking about it.

"What are you looking at?" Ji Xingguo asked.

Ji Wanmei turned her head, concealing her emotions, and smiled, "It's nothing. By the way, Dad, I'll go to the shop later to check on things. I wonder how Chunyan is doing running the shop by herself lately."

“She does come to visit every few days, but I rarely go to the shop. Your customers are mostly women, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to go. Since you trust your friend, your father will naturally trust her too,” Ji Xingguo said.

“No rush. You just got back, rest for a day and go tomorrow,” Ji Xingguo said. “I think Chunyan is doing a pretty good job guarding the shop.”

Ji Wanmei thought about it and agreed. It was a three- or four-hour drive this afternoon, and it was getting late. She decided to have a nice meal with her father tonight and go to the shop tomorrow.

Ji Xingguo talked with Ji Wanmei for a while, asking about her school. Seeing that it was past five o'clock and getting late, he got up and went to the kitchen to cook.

Ji Wanmei turned on the TV and left it on while she went inside to tidy up.

Her bedroom was always kept very clean; there wasn't a speck of dust on the windowsill or desk, which showed that Ji Xingguo cleaned it regularly.

Ji Xingguo usually lives alone, so he is quite casual about his meals and spends more time tending to the flowers and plants in his yard.

He usually cleans the house, knowing that his daughter would come back during holidays, so he cleans her room.

Ji Wanmei brought back a few clothes. The clothes she had at home were from her high school days. They were still wearable, but Ji Wanmei felt that the styles were outdated and looked too student-like, so she didn't like wearing them much.

Many of her current clothes were recently purchased in East China.

Back home, comfort and relaxation are the priorities. Ji Wanmei changed into a set of pure cotton loungewear and slippers. When she came out and smelled the aroma wafting from the kitchen, she ran to the kitchen to watch her father cook.

Ji Xingguo was stewing braised pork. The pork was bubbling away in the pot, and the aroma of spices filled the whole house.

"It smells so good." Ji Wanmei hadn't felt hungry before, but now that she smelled it, she actually felt a little hungry.

Ji Xingguo picked up a piece of leaner meat with his chopsticks and handed it to Ji Wanmei: "Try it and see if it suits your taste?"

"Be careful, it's hot." Ji Wanmei blew on the hot water from the hand her father handed her, then took a bite, her eyes immediately lighting up.

She gave her father two thumbs up and praised him enthusiastically, saying, "It's so delicious! Dad's cooking is unbeatable!"

Seeing that his daughter was enjoying her meal, Ji Xingguo was overjoyed and said, "Let's watch TV for a while, and then Dad will make two more dishes, and then we can eat!"

Ji Wanmei poured herself a glass of water and sat on the sofa. She kicked off her slippers and sat barefoot with her legs crossed in the most comfortable position.

It's still most comfortable to be at home.

***

On the other side, after leaving the factory workers' compound, Lei Tingjun went to find his old gang of brothers.

After he left the Dongfang Factory, no one was allowed to move into the four-person dormitory where Sun Xiaojun, Lao Xiao, and Zhou Peng lived.

It was as if that spot on the bed was still reserved for Lei Tingjun.

Once, the dormitory manager and logistics staff saw that there was an empty bed in their dormitory and were about to arrange for a factory worker to move in, but the three of them managed to kick him out.

They absolutely refused to let anyone move in, and eventually the dormitory manager and logistics staff had no choice but to leave one bed vacant in their room.

When they learned that Lei Tingjun had returned to Pingquan County, the brothers were overjoyed.

The group of factory thugs who used to be led by Lei Tingjun have become leaderless and lost their backbone since Lei Tingjun left.

Without a leader, no matter how much they misbehave or disobey, they will just fall apart.

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