Chapter 21
As soon as I got off the bus, I was greeted by a lively and bustling atmosphere.
This is a small rural town. Although small, it is very clean. The houses built along the street are mostly white-walled and gray-tiled. The shortest of these houses are two stories high, with shops on the ground floor and living quarters on the upper floor. There are also many stalls selling things on both sides of the street, with vendors calling out their wares. Occasionally, passersby will stop to browse, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere. Perhaps because it is located in the south, the roadside trees are tall and lush, and sunlight filters through the leaves, slightly dazzling.
A gust of wind blew through Chen Lan's hair, carrying away the sweat from her body. The temperature here was refreshing, completely unlike the sweltering heat of summer back home.
The wind soothed the irritation from the long bus ride, and Chen Lan soon saw her husband, Ma Yan, who was there to pick her up. He was standing in front of the supermarket where the bus was parked, watching each passenger getting off the bus closely, afraid of missing the mother and daughter.
"Ma Yan, we're here."
Hearing the sound, Ma Yan turned around and ran towards the mother and daughter with a look of surprise on his face. "The car is parked over there? I was wondering why I couldn't see you for so long."
There are no dedicated bus stations in the villages and towns. After arriving at the destination, bus drivers will stop at any roadside on the street to drop off passengers.
Chen Lan didn't speak, but just quietly looked at her husband whom she hadn't seen for many months, and then said with satisfaction.
"You've gained weight, but you look good overall. It's just that your dark circles are worse. Did you not listen to me and stay up late every night to work overtime?"
People look different in videos and in real life. Chen Lan and Ma Yan had a video call last night, but Ma Yan in the video didn't seem to have that spirited and energetic vibe.
"It's probably because I eat too much and sit for long periods of time, so I'm starting my diet today."
Ma Yan chuckled, took the luggage from his wife, and then picked up his daughter from the ground.
"Does Xiaobao miss his dad?"
Children have short memories, and Ma Yan had been away from home for too long, so the little girl no longer remembered him. The child was shy and cried as she tried to break free from Ma Yan's embrace, calling for her mother.
Ma Yan, a grown man, had tears in his eyes when he saw his daughter acting so distant from him.
When he was at home, he took care of his daughter most of the time. His relationship with his daughter was the second best in the family. When he was at work, he would ask his mother many times when his father would come home.
But now, the little girl doesn't recognize him.
Just as Chen Lan was about to comfort her husband, she suddenly heard a horn blaring behind her.
Looking back, I saw a black car parked on the side of the road, the window slightly rolled down, revealing a young face in the passenger seat.
"I came to buy groceries and unexpectedly ran into Manager Ma picking up his wife. It's hard to get a taxi back to the village from town, so you can ride back in my car!"
When Xia Ke is tired from thinking or working, she will try to clear her mind. Methods include, but are not limited to, lying in bed and spacing out, accompanying her mother to buy groceries, or climbing the low hill behind her house.
Today was the day she came to accompany her mother to sell vegetables and relax, but unexpectedly she ran into Ma Yan, who came to pick up his wife and daughter.
"Who is this?" Chen Lan had a guess in her mind, but she wasn't quite sure.
This girl looks so young.
"Alan, this is our company's General Manager Xia."
"Hello, Mr. Xia. I am Ma Yan's wife. I apologize for bothering you today."
After exchanging pleasantries, the family of three got into the car.
Hongqi Village is not far from the town, only a ten-minute drive away.
As soon as they entered the village, they saw a crowd gathered at a fork in the road. The crowd was piled up, and in the middle were brightly colored roll-up banners. Chen Lan could vaguely see that the banners seemed to have the words "recruitment" written on them.
"What are you doing?" she couldn't help but ask her husband in a low voice.
"This is the Hongqipiao factory recruiting workers."
"Is it the factory that makes those flying carpets online?" Since her husband joined Hongqipiao, Chen Lan has been paying more attention to Hongqipiao's activities and has also seen the previous flying carpet videos.
"Yes, that's right." This news was no secret, so he could answer his wife's question openly.
"There are so many people here." If it weren't for her daughter's schooling, she would have liked to come here to work, so that she and her husband wouldn't have to live apart.
Or it would be great if the space ring could be used by two people at the same time, so that she and her daughter could live with her husband in Hongqi Village and send her daughter to school every day through the space ring.
Lost in thought, the car stopped.
Ma Yan got out of the car with his wife and daughter, swiped their cards, and entered the company. As they walked towards the dormitory, he looked down and asked his wife, "What were you thinking about just now? I called you to get out of the car several times, but you didn't respond."
Chen Lan shared her thoughts.
"Alan, have you ever thought about transferring Xiaobao to another school?"
Before she could finish speaking, Chen Lan vehemently refused, "No, Xiaobao can't go to school here. We agreed that after she graduates from kindergarten, we would send her to Yongzhou No. 1 Primary School. The educational resources and environment here are far inferior to those in Yongzhou. If Xiaobao goes to school here, her grades and her life will lag far behind her peers. I can't accept that!"
The couple fell silent.
When Ma Yan first came to Hongqi Village, he felt lost and apprehensive. But now he is very satisfied with his job. The company has given him a high salary and helped him realize his ambitions. However, the only regret is that he cannot balance work and family. Hongqi Village is too far from Yongzhou. If he works here, he may miss many important occasions in his wife's and daughter's lives.
"If only there were a spatial ring that two people could traverse together."
A sigh was heard.
The couple would never dare to let their daughter operate the spatial ring alone, as there were too many unpredictable events involved, and they dared not take any risks at all.
Ma Yan patted his wife on the shoulder to comfort her, "Don't think about it for now, let's go upstairs and see where I live." This matter can't be resolved in a short time, so there's no point in saying more now.
With fewer employees and more dormitory space available, employees can freely choose whichever dormitory they want to live in. Ma Yan prefers quiet and is particularly afraid of hearing footsteps overhead, so he chose a dormitory on the top floor.
The dormitories all have the same fingerprint locks. Accompanied by the door lock's welcome-home notification sound, Ma Yan turned on the light.
Chen Lan and Xiao Bao, who was being led by her, looked inside curiously. They saw a spacious open-plan room with a wooden entryway cabinet at the entrance. Opposite the cabinet was the bathroom, which had a wet and dry separation design.
Further inside is the main room, decorated in a warm beige tone. In addition to the essential bed and wardrobe, it is also equipped with a desk, a soft and comfortable-looking sofa, and an exquisite coffee table, catering to both work and leisure needs.
The kitchen door is located next to the entryway cabinet. Although the kitchen space is compact, it is well-organized and fully equipped. Despite its small size, it has everything you need, including all kinds of kitchen utensils. In addition, a window is provided for ventilation while cooking.
Although a kitchen is provided, no employees choose to cook for themselves now, since the food at the Red Flag Cafeteria is quite delicious.
"Your accommodations are quite nice."
Ma Yan opened the door wider, inviting the two inside while saying, "Apart from the company's remote location, Hongqi Piao is exactly the kind of job I've always dreamed of."
Just as Xia Ke saw Ma Yan's family off, the electronic voice that had been silent for two months suddenly rang in her mind.
"Ding! Side quest triggered: Be a warm company; Mature and reputable companies all do a good job of employee care, which is conducive to improving employee satisfaction, loyalty and long-term sustainable development of the company."
"The first task of the side quest 'Creating a Warm Company' is now available. Solve the problem of employees' families being unable to reunite. The reward for completing the task is 30 points."
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