Zhang Hongmei picked up the jade pendant, somewhat conflicted. Putting aside the value of the jade pendant, its significance alone was too precious.

"Grandpa, I'm afraid I won't be able to preserve it properly."

"It's okay. Even if it breaks, gets lost, or whatever, that's fate. Just wear it with peace of mind."

"But this is so meaningful."

"Even if it has meaning, it's still an inanimate object, you know? This was found on my older brother. I hope you won't find it offensive."

"How could that be? I didn't mean that. Which old object isn't from a dead person? I just think it's very meaningful. It's better for you to wear it than for me to carry it."

"It's alright, I'll keep it for you. Giving it to you is meaningful too."

"Yes, Hongmei, you should wear it. Old Master Gu is just worried that you might not come back, and he's reminding you all the time."

"Yes, Xiao Wang's explanation makes sense. Girl, things are different outside than at home, I'm really worried about you."

"Grandpa, you should have faith in me. I've brought everything you gave me. Although I don't have any fighting skills, I can still catch you off guard."

"You're right no matter what you say. Come on, let's have another round, you and me."

Watching the two exchange moves, Wang Xinyi, an expert in the field, could see the nuances in their chess style. Their moves were expansive and bold, displaying remarkable composure. Despite being a girl, Zhang Hongmei's chess style revealed her to be a woman of great vision and composure; no wonder Elder Gu and Zhang Shouyi valued her so highly.

Looking at the beautiful young girl from the side, Wang Xinyi felt extremely gratified, as if the girl were her own daughter, and felt incredibly proud.

After a fierce back-and-forth battle, Gu Chuanming ultimately lost by one move.

"Xiao Wang, don't you think the student has surpassed the teacher?"

"Of course, I'm starting to struggle now."

"Hehe, then give this girl all your other best-kept secrets as well."

"I'd love to. But she doesn't like it, and she's really clueless when it comes to music, so there's nothing I can do."

"Hehe, when it comes to music, I'm hopeless. Even the most skilled craftsmen can't do anything about it."

"If you're not good at music, you can try drawing!"

"Hehe, Grandpa, I'm sure I can turn the Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix into a picture of chicks pecking at rice. I don't have any talent for that."

"Girl, you were born into the wrong family. You should have been born a boy."

"No, you see, throughout history, famous painters and musicians have all been men, so this has little to do with gender."

“You always have a point. Let’s go for a walk outside. Make sure you take warm clothes with you when you leave; it’s quite cold at the beach. Also, I had Chengzi buy fifty big buckets and fill them with water. We absolutely can’t go without water to drink.”

The food supplies included five bags of rice, five bags of wheat flour, and a bag of noodles. The only vegetables were potatoes. They also provided a basket of pickled vegetables, 100 jin of soybean oil, a basket of eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, and 100 jin of salt.

Cooking on the ship is very inconvenient. I wanted to bring you more noodles, but I thought it would be too uncomfortable to eat that all the time, so I brought more rice and noodles.

Wang Xinyi was called away by Aunt Li, leaving only the father and son. "Shouyi will bring you food every day, so you just need to pretend to eat. I'm just worried that the food on the boat might not be cooked properly."

"It's okay, there's no need to bring me food. It's just a small place, and I can't avoid people. I'll just behave myself."

"So you'll suffer along with me?"

"What's so hard about this? It's all refined grains, eggs, and oil. How can you call this a hardship?"

The father and son strolled around the yard. The temperature was a bit low in the mornings and evenings; it was most comfortable after nine o'clock in the morning.

It was already past eight o'clock when Aunt Li brought Yu Hongxia over.

Zhang Hongmei introduced the two of them, saying, "Grandpa, I have to go now."

"Go ahead, I'll go read the newspaper. We'll leave at 10:30."

"Okay. Aunt Li, go and call Wang Ying over. Senior Yu, let's talk in the study."

"Hongmei, your house is so grand. This is the first time I've ever seen a house like this."

"Hehe." There was no way to answer.

"Senior Yu, have you changed your mind?"

"No."

What do your uncles and aunts think?

“They are all very supportive of me. Although I have saved some money from the dividends from the clothing business, it is still not enough. My mom took the day off this morning to get me some money. Do you think they support me?”

"That would be best. You must have your family's support so you won't have any worries. If you encounter any difficulties in the future, your family can be your strong support."

The two entered the study, and Yu Hongxia sighed again.

"Hongmei, you were looking for me?"

"Well, let me introduce you. This is Yu Hongxia, whom you will be serving in the future. This is Senior Yu. This is Wang Ying, who hopes that the two of you can get along well and move forward side by side."

The two girls shook hands and greeted each other, both harboring feelings for one another. Actually, when girls fall in love, it's mainly about first impressions and gut feelings.

"Alright, I don't have much time right now, but you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later. Here's our contract in duplicate. We can sign it and that's it. It would be best if you could find an accountant later. Friendship is friendship, and work is work."

"I've already handed over my shares to Wang Ying. You two can discuss who will temporarily hold them."

"Leave it to Wang Ying. My work schedule will be finalized soon. I don't have enough time, so I can only use my off-get off work hours. I'll have to work harder for Wang Ying from now on."

"No problem, leave it to me. I may not be as smart as you, but I'm obedient and will do whatever you tell me to do."

All three of them laughed. Yu Hongxia had already reviewed the contract yesterday, so the two of them signed it, pressed their fingerprints, and each received a copy.

"Then I wish us success. Everything depends on the two of you. You are both cheerful people, so if you have any different opinions, you should speak up. Don't keep them to yourself, otherwise this kind of relationship is prone to problems."

"Don't worry, we will work together. You can go abroad with peace of mind."

The three exchanged some more jokes, and Yu Hongxia made an appointment with Wang Ying to meet at Shuren Hutong the next morning before bidding farewell and leaving.

I'm going to see Zhou Shixiong in an hour, and honestly, I really don't want to go. It's not for any other reason; I just feel depressed and tired.

There was nothing left to pack; Wang Xinyi had already prepared everything that needed to be taken, so he didn't need to worry about it.

In the rush of life, there wasn't time to process the emotions of parting. Perhaps it's just my innate indifference? After all, my family members were all somewhat reluctant to see me go. But I felt surprisingly calm. There was reluctance, but not to the point of pain.