Liu Xiuling returned to her room, dejected. She couldn't help feeling resentful; how could someone say that about her?

She was simply captivated by the man's looks. She glanced at him a few more times—was it really necessary to react like that?

Hu Aifen returned to her room and ignored Liu Aimin's greeting.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"Honey, I feel terrible, I can't breathe."

"What's wrong?" Liu Aimin quickly helped his wife rub her chest.

"Grandma kept Xiuling behind and scolded her."

"What's wrong with Xiuling?"

"From the moment Shouyi came in, Xiuling stared at him and tried to get closer to him."

Liu Aimin, a grown man, hadn't noticed this at all. He was so angry after hearing his wife's words that he trembled. How could she be so useless?

“Honey, Grandma said we’ll all go back to our hometown at the end of the year. Only Jingxiang and his wife, and Jingze will stay.”

"Okay, let's go back."

Liu Jingxiang and his wife were lying in bed. "Jingxiang, Hongmei and her husband are both very capable people."

"Yes, if Second Uncle and Second Aunt knew about this relationship in the family, they would have come back long ago."

“My eldest sister was acting very strangely today,” Ma Li told Liu Jingxiang about Liu Xiuling’s outburst that day.

"We just need to mind our own business. Grandma kept my eldest sister with her because of this."

"Ma Li, your hair looks great."

"Right? Hongmei cut it for me."

"Okay, you can stay like this from now on."

The next morning, Liu Changhe's family saw that their daughter-in-law had a mouth full of large blisters.

"Aifen, what's wrong with you?"

"Mom, I'm fine." In the end, Hu Aifen still told her mother-in-law about what happened yesterday.

"Mom, my grandma said we should move back at the end of the year and send Jingxiang back when he's a bit older."

"Yes, it's fine for your dad and me to be anywhere."

Liu Xiuling came out to wash up and went into the kitchen to get hot water, when she overheard the conversation between her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law.

He slunk back to his room. He was too ashamed to even stay at home, but where could he go? Should he really go back to Haishi? He figured if he left, he would have nothing left.

After breakfast, Liu Jingze called. He chatted with the old lady for a while and told Liu Jingxiang and his wife that they could go to the bank for the exam next Monday, which is the day after tomorrow.

"Brother, how about we go back to our hometown to work?"

"No need. Even if your family goes back, you should stay. The area is developing rapidly, and there are many opportunities for you. There's no need to go back."

"But my family all want to go back."

Today, the old lady announced at the dinner table that in October, the whole family would be returning to Liujiatun, bringing the children with them.

"As people get older, they still miss their hometown. My arrangements for you two are different; you both need to work hard. The capital is a good place for development. Also, I'll be going back in August, and I'll probably be staying in the capital for a while afterward. While I have the time, I'll help you pave a smoother path ahead."

"You can't bear to part with your child, can you? It'll only be two or three years before he's sent back to the capital. He can spend that time with his great-grandmother."

Liu Jingxiang listened to his older brother's words and didn't argue anymore. But he really couldn't bear to part with his child.

Liu Jingze talked with the old lady for a while longer, but he didn't know that it was because of Liu Xiuling that the family had to go back.

In the afternoon, the old lady called Liu Jingxiang and his wife over.

"Your exam is on Monday, the day after tomorrow. If you really can't bear to leave your child, you can ask Hongmei for a nanny to take care of the child."

"Grandma, no need. It's good to have the child with you. We both have jobs in the future, and we don't feel comfortable leaving the child with outsiders. It's just that you're going to have to go through all this trouble."

“We’re not related. It’s okay. The nannies are reliable people. We can make a decision before we leave.”

Ma Li and Liu Jingxiang both went back to their room to read. They hadn't been involved in accounting for a while, and in order not to embarrass their family or their older brother, they both picked up books.

Liu Xiuling lay in bed, inwardly grumbling about her family for making a mountain out of a molehill. She was just looking, and although she secretly wished there were men like that, she knew there was absolutely no chance.

Zhang Hongmei's appearance speaks for itself; she's well aware of her own limitations. Today, everyone in the family is looking at her strangely.

The thought of going back to Liujiatun fills me with dread. But how can I avoid going back without offending my family?

On Monday, Liu Jingxiang rode his bicycle with Ma Li as a passenger, and the two went to the bank. His father had taken him there the day before to familiarize himself with the way, so they arrived fifteen minutes early.

The bank manager personally received the two, looked at their graduation certificates, and asked the director to bring out two sets of questions for them to do.

An hour later, Zhou Xiaochun looked at the two students' exam papers and developed a certain liking for them. Both their Chinese characters and numbers were very beautiful. Moreover, both of them had a solid foundation.

The exam papers were handed to Vice President Liang Wenchao and Director Qiu Tianming.

The three held a brief meeting and all agreed that Liu Jingxiang and Ma Li could come to work.

"Comrade Liu Jingxiang, Comrade Ma Li, congratulations on being hired. Come over tomorrow to complete the formalities, and you can start work the day after tomorrow. You are our formally hired staff, but your salary for the first three months is only 24.5 yuan. After you are officially hired, your salary will be 36 yuan per month, and you will have normal holidays off. The benefits at the bank are very high."

"Thank you, bank manager." The two stood up and bowed.

"No need to thank me. It's because you are capable. You need to undergo training for the first month. You can't be late or leave early, and you can't take leave."

The two happily returned home and shared the good news with their families.

Liu Xiuling suddenly wondered if she could stop going back to Liujiatun if she had a job.

"Grandma, I also want to go out and find a job," Liu Xiuling finally mustered up the courage to speak.

"You? What kind of job do you want?"

"Grandma, I graduated from high school."

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to go to the bank too?"

"Then why don't you go and give it a try tomorrow?" How could the old lady not know what her eldest granddaughter was thinking?

Liu Xiuling was overjoyed to receive a positive answer, thinking how wonderful it would be if she could really stay.

No one in the family is stupid; how could they not know what she was thinking? But they also couldn't figure out what the old lady was doing.

"Aimin, you go with her tomorrow. Don't delay Jingxiang and his wife."

"Grandma, I understand."

The next day, Liu Jingxiang and his wife rode their bicycles to the bank. The onboarding process was easy and completed in no time. They each paid twenty yuan and received two sets of work clothes.

Liu Aimin found the manager here and explained that his daughter had graduated from high school and wanted to apply for a job at the bank. He asked if they could give her a chance.