Four or five boys and girls ran and cheered excitedly along the ridges of the field, followed by a green figure.
The postman, dressed in a green uniform, rode a green bicycle behind a group of children, smiling as he watched them run through the fields, cheering and calling out the names of Secretary Ji and Ji Zhijun.
Before long, Secretary Ji arrived at the scene and intercepted the postman's truck on the way.
"Secretary Ji, this is Ji Xia's admission notice. Is Ji Xia here? Could you have her sign for it?"
Secretary Ji chuckled and offered her a cigarette, then took the notice from her hand: "Ji Xia isn't home, so I'll sign for it on her behalf. I'll give it to her when she gets back."
"Okay, no problem, please sign for it."
The postman recognized Secretary Ji, and readily handed him the notice.
Upon receiving the notification, Secretary Ji thanked the group of children with a smile, then looked at the notification in his hand with a wry smile.
Captain Chen rushed over upon hearing the commotion: "Old Ji, did you receive the admission notice? Which school is it from?"
"Received it. It's from the Beijing Academy of Fine Arts. She managed to get it."
Secretary Ji was in a good mood and readily showed the notice to Captain Chen and the curious villagers around him before happily taking it home.
A group of villagers congratulated the Ji and Chen families, and Secretary Ji and Captain Chen waved happily to the villagers.
"Alright, get to work, get to work. We'll have another feast in a couple of days when their kids come back."
"Good, Captain, you're so generous, that's what I mean by straightforward."
A group of villagers carried their farm tools and walked away excitedly, laughing. Lin's mother watched their backs stiffly, and spat in resentment behind them.
Suddenly noticing the strange looks on the faces of the women who had been gossiping earlier, she couldn't help but sneer.
"What are you looking at? Didn't you hear the brigade leader and the party secretary telling us to get to work?"
Several village women glanced at her with giggles and whispered among themselves, "The brigade leader is so generous. Secretary Ji hasn't even mentioned treating us yet, and the brigade leader is already planning to treat us."
"What do you know? It's right that Secretary Ji didn't invite us. You all know that Ji Xia married Chen Jing last year, and she's a member of the Chen family now."
"That's true. I wonder what delicious food we'll have at the banquet in a few days? I remember last year when the Chen family held their banquet, they prepared several impressive dishes, which were very delicious."
"Yes, they've made money, so they're very generous with their banquets and don't even ask for gifts. I expect it will be the same this year."
"Speaking of which, the third son of the Chen family is quite lucky. He married a woman who got into university, and his brother-in-law is also capable, arranging a job for him in the city. The Chen family has really gotten a great deal in this marriage."
Several people spoke enviously of the Chen family, and Lin's mother grew increasingly resentful as she listened.
The reasoning that Ji Xia was bragging about failing the exam was no longer valid. She sneered repeatedly, her wrinkles showing a hint of meanness.
"You'll see, getting into university isn't necessarily a good thing."
"This woman is capable of going far away to study, while the man stays in the countryside to work. Can the two of them last? Definitely not."
"I'm afraid that in less than a year or two, the little girl will get too ambitious and find someone better outside. I bet the Chen family boy will be hiding somewhere crying!"
The village women looked at each other, not daring to say a word.
Although Lin's mother's words were tinged with jealousy, given the power imbalance between the woman and the man, her words were not without merit.
When Chen's mother heard the gossip among the village women, the rumors had spread throughout the entire brigade.
She returned home with a dark expression, carrying half a basket of pig feed and vegetables, and threw things around in a huff.
Captain Chen was sitting in the yard smoking a hookah when he saw this and couldn't help but laugh, "What's wrong? You went out happily, but came back all gloomy. Who offended you?"
"Who offended me? All the women in the brigade are saying that A-Jing is a gigolo and that he'll be divorced in a couple of years."
Chen's mother angrily threw the basket into the yard, picked up the cold tea that Captain Chen had just poured and drank it in one gulp before sitting down under the shade of a tree to cool off.
"No, I need to talk to A-Jing when he gets back and tell him to be more alert. By the way, what has Ji Xia been up to these past few days?"
"Mom, don't believe everything you hear. My sister-in-law has been helping Afen with the shop in the city these past few days, making sure it's all set up before she leaves home!"
Chen Zhang spoke up for the fair side, and Captain Chen chuckled and shook his head.
"Those words were spread by Lin Haodong's mother, right? You know her personality. She's just spreading rumors because she saw that A Jing got a lot of benefits while his family got nothing."
“That’s right, Father is right. My second brother also said that he will accompany Ji Xia to the capital.”
Chen Jing briefly mentioned his plans to his father and older brother, but didn't tell his mother, which made her secretly resentful.
"What? He's going to the capital too? What's he going to do there? It's not like Xia is studying in the capital for four years while he's just playing around, is it?"
"How do you know he's been playing around for four years with nothing to do?"
Captain Chen exhaled a smoke ring before chuckling leisurely, "He's not only going to the capital with me, but he also plans to bring a few of his brothers along to start a small business there."
"Don't worry, your son cares about Xia more than anyone else. Would he let Xia study outside while he stays in the countryside?"
"Make good preparations. When they come back in a couple of days, we'll hold a celebration banquet at home to let the villagers have a good meal and be happy."
After comforting the father and son, Chen's mother's panic subsided, but she became worried again.
What can my son do after he goes to Beijing, where he is unfamiliar with the place and the people?
Although Ji Zhijun is capable, I've never heard of him having any connections in Beijing. How could he possibly help his son? And why is he bringing several of his brothers with him to Beijing?
The villagers went to the fields in an orderly manner to prepare for the autumn harvest, and Ji Xia and Chen Jing have been extremely busy lately.
After Chen Jing went to Huacheng, he returned to the commune and held a meeting with several managers from the workshop to discuss setting up a wholesale stall in Huacheng.
While preparing new designs for autumn and winter, Ji Xia also helped Xu Yufen prepare for opening her shop.
After much consideration, Xu Yufen finally decided to buy a storefront near the commune middle school to run a catering business.
Breakfast consists of rice noodle rolls and tea eggs, while lunch and dinner are fast food.
Ji Xia was busy drawing up plans for the renovation, ordering ovens and steaming trays for rice noodle rolls, and designing menus.
The store is only seventy or eighty square meters, not big. There is a chef and Xu Yufen in the store.
In the morning, I steamed rice noodle rolls, added boiled tea eggs, and made soy milk in advance.
For lunch, a dozen or so dishes are stir-fried in a large pot, then placed in large basins in a glass cabinet. There are four prices: two vegetarian dishes and one meat dish, two meat dishes and one vegetarian dish, two meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes, and three meat dishes and two vegetarian dishes. People can choose their own dishes.
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