Chapter 97 Heading South Again
When Wen Xiaoxiao woke up in the morning, she opened her eyes and saw that Zhao Fei was no longer in bed.
She lay there for a few seconds before slowly sitting up.
The words spoken last night were like a startled awakening from a dream, yet they are vividly etched in my memory.
She got out of bed, walked to the window, and gently pulled back the curtains.
In the courtyard, Zhao Fei was pumping up tires on his bicycle, his movements as unhurried and deliberate as ever.
Yi Zhen and Yi Bao squatted down beside them, watching and asking each other questions.
Everything remains the same.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at it for a few seconds, then turned around and went to wash up.
When she came downstairs, breakfast was already on the table.
"Good morning, Auntie." Wen Xiaoxiao sat down opposite Zhou Lanying.
"Good morning." Zhou Lanying pushed the peeled salted duck egg in front of her.
Wen Xiaoxiao took the duck egg and took a bite.
She looked up and saw Zhao Fei carrying a bowl out of the kitchen; their eyes met.
A very calm glance.
No one mentioned last night.
Zhao Fei sat down next to her and casually picked up a slice of fried mantou for her.
And so, life went on as if nothing had happened.
Summer vacation arrived in the blink of an eye.
On the day the transcripts came out, Zhao Yidi placed the admission notice on the dining table.
A top-tier high school, the best school in the city.
Zhou Lanying put on her reading glasses, looked at the paper again and again, touched the red stamp on it with her fingers, and her eyes were a little wet: "Great, great... Our family is about to have a college student."
Zhao Fei didn't say anything, but patted his daughter's shoulder hard.
Wen Xiaoxiao prepared a sumptuous dinner, putting all of Zhao Yidi's favorite dishes on the table.
The next day, Xiao Junkai rode his bicycle over in a flurry of activity, shouting before he had even stopped, "Zhao Yidi! I passed the exam too!"
He hopped into the room, slammed his acceptance letter on the table, placing it next to Zhao Yidi's—both from the same high school.
“You…” Zhao Yidi hesitated for a moment.
"...Hehe...My dad pulled some strings." Xiao Junkai scratched his head, a little embarrassed. "My score is still a little short, but the principal said I can transfer to another school. Anyway...anyway, I can go to the same school as you!"
His eyes shone as he said this; the joy of youth was undeniable.
But this joy didn't last long.
At the Xiao family dinner table that evening, Director Xiao put down his chopsticks and said in a serious tone, "Jun Kai, high school is not a game. You need to settle down and stop associating too closely with that Zhao Yidi. Male and female classmates should be mindful of their influence."
Xiao Junkai's smile froze: "Dad, what do you mean?"
"What I mean is, your main task right now is to study," Director Xiao said, tapping the table. "Stop thinking about treating people to meals and giving them gifts all the time. What kind of behavior is that!"
"What's wrong with me?" Xiao Junkai stood up, his voice rising. "Zhao Yidi tutored me, so I'm treating her to a meal to thank her. What's wrong with that?"
"Is that just simple gratitude?" Director Xiao also got angry. "I've been through this before, do you think I can't see through your little scheme?"
"What did you see?! We're just classmates, it's your own heart!"
With a loud "bang," Director Xiao slammed his hand on the table: "You've gone too far! Let me tell you, Xiao Junkai, for the next three years of high school, you'd better study diligently and stop messing around with that useless stuff! Otherwise—"
"Or what? Cut off my allowance? Prevent me from going to school?" Xiao Junkai retorted, "Try it!"
The father and son were arguing fiercely.
Fu Yunrou tried to persuade her, but no one would listen.
Finally, Xiao Junkai slammed the door and went back to his room. Director Xiao paced back and forth in the living room, furious: "Look at the good son you've spoiled!"
Fu Yunrou didn't reply. After her husband calmed down and went upstairs, she quietly pushed open her son's bedroom door.
Xiao Junkai lay face down on the bed, burying his face in the pillow.
"Xiao Kai." Fu Yunrou sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted his back.
"Mom, my dad..." Xiao Junkai's voice was muffled.
“Your dad has old-fashioned ideas and is worried that you’ll fall behind in your studies,” Fu Yunrou sighed. “But he said some harsh things.”
She took two hundred-yuan bills out of her pocket and stuffed them into her son's hand: "Take Yidi out to dinner tomorrow. Don't go to anything too expensive, so as not to burden her. Find a clean little restaurant. Remember... to take her home."
Xiao Junkai looked up, his eyes red: "Mom..."
“Go ahead.” Fu Yunrou patted his head. “But Xiao Kai, Mom has to say something—high school is really important, you can’t let it interfere with your studies. Yi Di is a promising kid, you have to be good enough for him in the future.”
Xiao Junkai clenched the money in his hand and nodded emphatically: "I know. I will definitely study hard."
At home, Wen Xiaogai is facing the first important milestone in her life—she's starting first grade.
Zhou Lanying found a small desk at a flea market and placed it in the corner of the living room. Yizhen volunteered to teach her younger brother pinyin and addition and subtraction.
“a——o——e——” Yizhen pointed to the pinyin chart on the wall with a small stick.
Wen Xiaogai sat on a small stool, swinging her legs back and forth, her eyes fixed on the sparrows in the trees outside the window.
"Wen Xiaogai!" Yizhen tapped the table. "Get serious!"
"Sis, I'm thirsty." Wen Xiaogai blinked.
Yizhen glared at him: "I just finished drinking water!"
"Are you thirsty again...?"
After much coaxing, they finally learned a few pinyin syllables; now it's time for math problems.
Yizhen gave three addition and subtraction problems within five: 2+3, 4-1, and 1+2.
Wen Xiaogai bit the pencil stub, unable to write a single word for a long time.
"You can't even do this?" Yi Bao peeked over from the side. "Idiot!"
"You're the idiot!" Wen Xiaogai retorted.
"Then tell me, what does 2 + 3 equal?"
Wen Xiaogai counted on her fingers for a long time: "...5?"
"Then hurry up and write it!" Yizhen urged him.
Wen Xiaogai slowly wrote down the numbers, and after finishing, she shouted, "Sister, I need to pee."
Yizhen stomped her feet in anger: "Can't you just finish it all at once?!"
Yi Bao couldn't stand it anymore, so she rushed over and gave Wen Xiaogai a smack on the butt: "If you keep dawdling! If you keep dawdling, I'll hit you again!"
Wen Xiaogai burst into tears.
Zhou Lanying poked her head out from the kitchen: "What's wrong? What's wrong? Yibao! Don't hit your little brother!"
The summer vacation, which was chaotic and lively, passed by just like that.
Zhao Fei's cannery was finally completed.
The factory buildings stand on the outskirts of the city, gleaming in the summer sun.
The production line has been installed and debugged. Now we've reached the most crucial step: recruiting workers.
The job postings were displayed at the factory gate and also in several nearby residential areas.
The requirements are clearly stated: open to both men and women, aged 18-45, in good health, and able to endure hardship. Salary is paid monthly, with bonuses and one lunch provided.
More people signed up than I expected.
In the late 1990s, the aftermath of the layoffs was still lingering, and a stable job was extremely precious.
Zhao Fei conducted interviews one by one in a temporary office partitioned off from the factory building.
Wenbin also came and helped with registration and maintaining order.
"What did you do before?" Zhao Fei asked the man in front of him who looked to be in his early forties.
"I worked in a textile factory for twenty years, but the factory went bankrupt last year." The man rubbed his hands together, a cautious expectation in his eyes. "Boss, I can do anything, I'm not afraid of getting tired."
Zhao Fei looked at his rough hands and nodded: "Okay, come for a trial run tomorrow. Let's go to the bottle washing workshop first."
"Thank you, boss! Thank you!"
The next woman was in her thirties, with short hair and a neat appearance: "I used to work in a food factory doing packaging, so I'm quick and efficient."
"Why didn't you work there anymore?"
"The factory isn't doing well, and we can't pay wages," the woman said honestly. "I heard this is a new factory, so I came here."
Zhao Fei asked a few questions and put a checkmark next to her name.
The recruitment lasted for three days, and all fifty positions were filled.
Zhao Fei looked at the order form and said to Wenbin, "The first three months are the probationary period. Those who do well will stay, and those who don't will leave. Our factory is just starting out, and we can't afford to keep idle people."
"Understood." Wenbin nodded. "The production line should be able to officially start operation next Monday, right?"
“Yes.” Zhao Fei looked out the window at the brand-new factory buildings, his eyes shining. “Once the first batch of canned goods comes out, we’ll go find a market for them.”
At this moment, the southbound train is traveling through the green fields.
In the hard sleeper carriage, Wen Xiaoxiao and Han Manjuan sat facing each other on the lower bunk.
On the small table were tea, fruit, and a photo that Han Manjuan had brought for her child, Han Jing, who was just over six months old. She was chubby and had eyes like her mother.
"I really miss her." Han Manjuan looked at the photo, her eyes a little red. "This is the first time I've been away from her for so long."
"It's okay, my aunt and brother are watching over things." Wen Xiaoxiao handed her an orange. "Once we get the wholesale channels sorted out this time, you can do it from home and won't have to keep going out."
Han Manjuan peeled an orange and nodded: "Xiaoxiao, thank you for taking me under your wing. To be honest, I've been cooped up at home every day for the past six months since giving birth, and I'm almost going crazy. Now that I can come out and do something, I feel at ease."
“We women still need to have our own things to do.” Wen Xiaoxiao looked at the scenery rushing past the car window. “With money in hand, we won’t panic.”
Just then, Wen Xiaoxiao's phone rang—it was Zhao Fei calling.
Have we arrived?
"Not yet, we just passed Xuzhou." Wen Xiaoxiao laughed. "You've made three phone calls today."
"Can't I just ask?" Zhao Fei snorted on the other end. "Be careful on the road."
"I know, I know, Director Zhao," Wen Xiaoxiao said deliberately, drawing out the sound.
After hanging up the phone, Han Manjuan laughed: "Zhao Fei is just worried about you."
"He's just worrying for no reason," Wen Xiaoxiao said, but her eyes were filled with a smile.
The car arrived in Guangzhou the afternoon of the next day.
Zheng Shangyu came to pick him up from the station in a brand-new black sedan.
"Boss Wen! Long time no see!" Zheng Shangyu got out of the car and greeted him warmly, then looked at Han Manjuan, "And this is?"
“My sister-in-law, Han Manjuan,” Wen Xiaoxiao introduced. “She will work with me on this wholesale business from now on.”
"Welcome, welcome!" Zheng Shangyu helped put the luggage in the car. "Let's go, let's go to the factory first, and I'll treat you to a welcome dinner tonight."
Zheng Shangyu's garment factory has expanded.
Two new buildings have been erected next to the original small factory, and the roar of the machines can be heard from a great distance.
Inside the workshop, female workers sat in front of the assembly line, their hands and feet moving nimbly, and finished clothes came off the line one by one, being packaged and boxed.
"We mainly do OEM manufacturing now, and we also supply goods to several wholesale markets." Zheng Shangyu led them on a tour. "If you want to do wholesale, you can get your goods from me. The price is negotiable."
Wen Xiaoxiao carefully examined the workmanship and fabric of the clothes, silently calculating the styles and prices in her mind.
After the visit, Zheng Shangyu invited them to a nearby teahouse for dinner.
Just as she sat down, Wen Xiaoxiao's phone rang again.
"Have you eaten?" Zhao Fei's voice asked.
"We were just about to eat," Wen Xiaoxiao said, glancing at Zheng Shangyu across from her who was smiling at her. "With Mr. Zheng."
"Oh." Zhao Fei paused. "Drink less alcohol."
"Okay." Wen Xiaoxiao suppressed a laugh and hung up the phone.
Zheng Shangyu poured her tea and said with a smile, "After all these years, Zhao Fei still considers me his rival?"
Wen Xiaoxiao was a little embarrassed: "He's just like that..."
“I know.” Zheng Shangyu waved his hand, his eyes showing a worldly wisdom. “We made it clear back then that I didn’t have those feelings for you, and I was just a friend and business partner. But Zhao Fei is a man who really cares about you, that’s why he’s so nervous.”
He raised his teacup: "But this is good too. It's a blessing to have someone in this world who cares about you so much. Come, let's drink tea instead of wine, wishing you all the best in your business, and also wishing Director Zhao will soon let down his guard against me."
All three of them laughed.
As Wen Xiaoxiao sipped her tea, she thought about her home in the north, about Zhao Fei working busily at the factory, and about her noisy but adorable children at home.
Halfway through the meal, Wen Xiaoxiao received another phone call. This time it was from Yidi.
"Mom, Xiao Junkai invited me to dinner, can I go?"
Wen Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and said, "Go ahead. Come back soon and be careful."
"Yes. Mom, is everything going well on your end?"
"Going well." Wen Xiaoxiao's voice was gentle. "Listen to Grandma at home and take good care of your younger brother and sister."
"Okay."
(Greetings to all the gentlemen, may you be blessed~ Are you satisfied with Wang Juan's ending~)
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