Chapter 57

Song Shu came out of the president's office and walked to the door and met the front desk girl she had met before. The girl handed her a cup of milk tea and said sweetly to Song Shu: "You are welcome to drink."

Song Shu took it without rejecting her kindness, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

After talking to the girl for a few words, Song Shu left. She walked outside the building and checked the time. It was just past ten o'clock. After looking around, Song Shu planned to find a hotel to have lunch first, and then deliver lunch to Chen Zonghao. The time was just right.

After lunch, Song Shu rushed to Chen Zonghao's company before they got off work. She bought a lot of food. In addition to lunch for Chen Zonghao, Shitou, Awen, Fatty and a few others, Song Shu also bought milk tea and desserts for other people in their office. Therefore, she had to ask the employees in the store to deliver these foods.

Chen Zonghao was sitting in the office. He could hear the noisy sounds outside and the occasional sound of someone calling "Second Sister-in-law". With an idea in his mind, he stood up from his office chair and walked out. He opened the office door, but before he stepped out of the door, he almost bumped into Song Shu who had just walked over and was about to knock on the door.

"Ah." Song Shu was holding a lunch box and milk tea in her hands. Just as she was about to knock on the door, it opened. She reflexively took a step back, but her body was not stable and she staggered a little, almost falling to the ground.

At this moment, Chen Zonghao quickly reached out and grabbed her arm to prevent her from falling backwards.

Song Shu used the strength of his arm to stand steady, looked up at him, and joked, "It seems like we have a telepathic connection. You opened the door just as I was about to knock."

Chen Zonghao took a look at the things she was carrying and her hands which were a little red from the bags. He took the things and looked at her, "Why are you here?" He thought she had gone home.

Song Shu asked him to take the food, then she took back her hand and rubbed it. Although the store staff had just helped to deliver the food, she also carried a lot of things. "I just went to have lunch, and it was almost time for you to get off work, so I thought of coming over to bring you lunch."

At this time, Shitou came over with a lunch box and said to Chen Zonghao happily: "Brother Hao, Second Sister-in-law is very nice. She even bought lunch for me and Awen. Thank you, Second Sister-in-law."

Song Shu waved her hands, "You're welcome."

Other employees who were also eating nearby expressed their gratitude one after another, "Thank you, boss lady." The boss lady was really nice and kind, and she even brought them afternoon tea.

Chen Zonghao glanced at the piles of food and her red hands. It was obvious that she had bought a lot of things. He took her hand and said, "Let's go into the office."

Song Shu followed his movements and walked inside. Shitou, who was standing next to him, also wanted to follow Hao Ge into the office to have lunch together, but before he could walk in, the door was ruthlessly closed in front of him by Hao Ge. Before it was closed, he could hear the conversation between Hao Ge and his second sister-in-law.

"Won't Shitou let him in?"

"Don't bother with him, let him go and eat with Awen." Chen Zonghao's voice was filled with coldness.

Shitou, who was locked outside the door, listened to what Hao Ge said and took a big bite of the chicken leg. Okay.

＊

Song Shu was led by the man into the office. When she saw him put the food on the table, she wanted to take her hand back, but the man held her hand and rubbed her red fingers. He looked at her with some disapproval in his eyes, "Isn't it heavy to carry so many food?"

Song Shu didn't know whether to laugh or cry when she heard this. Seeing the distress in his eyes, she felt soft in her heart. She knew that he cared about her, so she said, "It's not that heavy. I bought a few more when I bought it for you. I won't do it again next time."

Song Shu saw the man curl his lips after she said this. She didn't know why he was suddenly happy, but Song Shu breathed a sigh of relief and walked over to open the lunch box for him, "Come and have lunch."

Chen Zonghao recalled her words that the others were just buying it on the way, and walked over happily to sit next to her, picked up the lunch box, and looked at her, "Have you eaten?"

Song Shu opened the milk tea next to her and gave him a cup. She also picked up a cup and drank it. She nodded when she heard him say, "Eat it. Eat it yourself."

Chen Zonghao nodded without saying anything else and lowered his head to eat.

Song Shu, who was sitting next to him, saw him eating with great relish. She had just had the same lunch as him. She thought the food in that restaurant was okay, but not as delicious as what Chen Zonghao was eating now. Watching him eat, Song Shu couldn't help but pick up a pineapple bun and started eating.

Chen Zonghao glanced at her while eating and asked about her going to the association this morning, "Did you gain anything from going to the association this morning?"

Song Shu nodded. "Yes, I have gained something. The president gave me some information about designers. I can contact the designers directly from the information. It is much more convenient than recruiting by myself."

Chen Zonghao nodded and said, "That's great." Then he thought of something and continued, "What about recruiting other employees?"

Song Shu shook her head and said, "Not yet."

A studio needs not only designers, but also other employees, but she has no idea about these yet. "I plan to publish some recruitment information in some newspapers, or look for other recruitment companies."

Chen Zonghao finished his lunch. Song Shu took a glance and found that he had eaten all the food without leaving any. She didn't expect that he had such a good appetite.

At this time, the man said, "Don't bother. I'll let Uncle Fatty help you recruit. Uncle Fatty was in charge of recruiting employees for my company before. He is familiar with this."

Song Shu was somewhat tempted after hearing this. It seemed to be much more convenient and quicker, and it would not require too much effort. "But will this be too much trouble for Uncle Fei?" After all, the recruitment work was quite cumbersome.

Chen Zonghao cleaned up the garbage on the table and looked at her. "No, Uncle Fatty has experience in this area. You can pay him some money as a thank you. Uncle Fatty will be happy to earn some extra money."

Song Shu thought for a while and nodded, "Well, I'll go ask Uncle Fatty later."

Chen Zonghao glanced at the time on his watch and said, "Let's go. I'll take you home."

Song Shu waved her hand, "No need, I can take the bus back by myself."

Chen Zonghao stood up and ignored her. "It won't take long to drive back. It's lunch break time. I'll take you there."

Seeing his determined expression, Song Shu could only stand up and walk out with him.

When she went out, she happened to meet Uncle Fatty, so Song Shu told him about the recruitment. "I wonder if Uncle Fatty has time to take this job. I will pay him when the time comes."

As Chen Zonghao expected, Uncle Fat agreed and patted his chest to guarantee, "It's a small matter, Ah Shu, trust me, Uncle Fat will definitely do it for you beautifully."

As he said this, the fat uncle glanced at Chen Zonghao with a smile and continued: "Besides, this is extra income that has been approved by the boss. I couldn't ask for more." Who would give up the opportunity to make money?

Seeing that he was not forcing himself, Song Shu thanked him, "Thank you, Uncle Fatty, for the trouble."

"No trouble." Uncle Fat was telling the truth. He was very skilled at this job and didn't find it troublesome.

After Song Shu finished explaining things to Fatty Uncle, she went downstairs with Chen Zonghao, and the man drove her back.

＊

In the next few days, Song Shu was busy contacting the designer while packing up to return to the mainland with Chen Zonghao.

Song Shu contacted the designers one by one according to the information given by the president. In the past few days, she has contacted more than a dozen designers in total, and now six or seven have agreed to come for an interview.

Song Shu calculated the ratio and was very happy. There were quite a few designers who agreed to come for the interview. She planned to recruit only four or five designers in the early stage.

Afterwards, Song Shu interviewed several designers one by one, and finally signed contracts with four of them, asking them to come to work a week later.

That was exactly the time when Song Shu came back from the mainland, and she was able to open the studio after she came back. This week also gave the designers time to deal with their previous jobs.

At noon that day, Song Shu returned to the store from the studio where she interviewed the designers.

As soon as she walked into the store, she saw an acquaintance sitting on the sofa. When he saw her walk in, he stood up and greeted her, "Designer Song, I haven't seen you for a long time. I hope you don't forget me."

Song Shu looked at the person's face and said, "Shanshan, it's you. What are you talking about? How could I not recognize you?"

The person who came was a designer Song Shu had met at a fashion design competition before, Yang Shanshan, who won the third place in that fashion design competition.

After hearing what she said, Yang Shanshan looked at Song Shu and smiled, "I'm just worried that Designer Song won't recognize me."

After all, apart from the fashion contest, they had only arranged to meet once before, and then they were all busy with their own things and didn't interact with each other much. Yang Shanshan felt a little embarrassed thinking about the purpose of her coming here.

Song Shu asked her to sit on the sofa, poured her a cup of tea, and replied, "How could I not remember you? Aren't we friends? There's no need to be so unfamiliar and call me Designer Song. Just call me Ah Shu. Besides, you helped me out in the competition at that time."

"Okay, Ah Shu." Yang Shanshan felt relieved when she saw that Song Shu was speaking from the heart. She took a sip of tea and explained her purpose. "Yesterday when I went to the Fashion Association, I learned that Ah Shu's studio was recruiting people. I wonder if it's full now, or if you still need people? I plan to apply for a job at your studio."

Yang Shanshan finished speaking in one breath, holding the teacup in her hand, and looked at Song Shu with some trepidation.

Song Shu was a little surprised when she heard her words. After all, Yang Shanshan was the third place in the fashion competition, so she had no problem getting offered an olive branch by clothing brands. And later, Yang Shanshan did join a relatively famous clothing company, so there was no need for her to come to Song Shu's newly established studio.

Thinking of this, Song Shu told Yang Shanshan about her thoughts and asked in confusion, "Shanshan, the clothing company you joined is quite famous in Hong Kong. Why did you want to apply for a job here?"

Yang Shanshan smiled bitterly and said, "Although the company is big, there is no place for me."

Yang Shanshan said this with a bit of bitterness in her heart. She was already well-known before she participated in the fashion competition. She became even more famous after she won the third place. Although she was not the first place, she was also in the top three. Many clothing brand companies and studios also extended olive branches to her. Finally, Yang Shanshan chose to join her current clothing company.

However, after working in the company for a while, Yang Shanshan was completely unable to adapt and did not agree with the working methods there.

Newly hired fashion designers like them are totally unqualified to design clothes independently, but Yang Shanshan can accept this. After all, it is understandable that the company needs to see your achievements before they believe in you.

But apart from this, in the company, these small designers seem to be just assistants to other designers, helping those designers to make samples of the clothes they designed, and from time to time they have to complete some tasks that are not within their job scope. They are completely assistants who come and go at the behest of those big designers.

That’s not all. The clothes they designed themselves would sometimes be embezzled. They would complain to the company, but the company completely sided with the big designers and even secretly supported this practice. They had apparently done this many times, leaving Yang Shanshan and her friends with no evidence and could only swallow the bitter fruit.

Song Shu listened to Yang Shanshan's words, feeling angry and helpless. She had seen a lot of such things in her previous life, and it was not uncommon in the design circle. "It's okay. If you can't stay in this company, just change to another one. My studio still needs designers, you can come to work directly."

Song Shu smiled and said, "After all, you are the third place in the design competition, and I have seen your works in the competition. The designs are very creative, so it is my honor to have you come to my small studio."

Yang Shanshan smiled after hearing this, a little embarrassed, "What's the big deal about being third? Ah Shu, you are still first. The clothes you designed are more creative than mine."

"Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation." Song Shu stretched out her hand and smiled at her.

Yang Shanshan shook her hand back with a happy smile on her face, "It's a pleasure to work with you."

She didn't know that this handshake was the beginning of her future career peak. With Song Shu's help, she slowly stepped onto the big stage of international fashion design. The company that now made her resentful and powerless would disappear in the long river of history in the future, like a speck of dust without leaving a trace.

＊

When Song Shu went to pick Jiahui up from school in the evening, she asked Teacher Li, Jiahui's class teacher, for a few days off.

Teacher Li nodded in agreement. In their kindergarten, there were many children who took a few days off. The teacher was used to it. She waved to Jiahui and said, "Jiahui, my dear, I wish you a happy holiday."

Jiahui and Teacher Li also waved, "Thank you, teacher. Bye."

Zhuzhu, who came out of school with Jiahui, heard that Jiahui would not be attending school for the next few days. She hugged Jiahui tightly, tears welling in her eyes, and said reluctantly: "Sister Jiahui, I will miss you very much. I will miss you so much when I can't see you for a few days... Woohoo, you are so lucky that you don't have to go to school."

Song Shu and Liu Ying beside her didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing what she said. At first they thought it was just the child's reluctance to leave, but until the end they realized that not having to go to school was the real reason why Zhuzhu was sad.

Liu Ying took out a tissue and wiped Zhuzhu's face in a bad mood, and said, "I see that you are crying so sadly, not because you are reluctant to leave Jiahui, but because you don't want to go to school."

Zhuzhu blew her nose with a tissue and said aggrievedly after hearing what her mother said, "I really can't bear to leave Jiahui, and..."

She pointed two fingers together and said shyly, "I'm jealous of Jiahui because she doesn't have to go to school. Mommy, can I also take a few days off like Jiahui?"

As she spoke, Zhuzhu blinked her big watery eyes at her mother, and Liu Ying rolled her eyes at her mercilessly, "You wish, it will only happen in your dreams."

Song Shu watched the interesting conversation between the mother and daughter for a while, said goodbye to them, and left holding Jiahui's hand.

During the course, I also went to Jiahui's painting studio and asked for leave from her teacher.

＊

Back at the store, Song Shu and Rong Xiaohua also talked about this matter. "Tomorrow, Jiahui, Chen Zonghao and I will go to the mainland for a few days. I'll trouble you to look after the store. I'll give you a raise when we come back."

Rong Xiaohua was very happy to hear about the salary increase, and nodded repeatedly to assure, "Don't worry, Sister Shu, I will definitely take good care of the store."

Seeing her determined expression, Song Shu was almost ready to issue a military warrant to express her position, and said helplessly: "Of course I believe you, but you don't have to close the store so late at night, you can close it earlier, otherwise it will be unsafe for you to be alone."

Rong Xiaohua felt warm at heart after hearing this, and nodded happily, "Yes, Sister Shu, I will close the store early. If it is really not possible, I will ask my father to come and pick me up. Anyway, he usually sells pork only in the morning and noon, so he has plenty of time to come and pick me up."

Song Shu felt relieved after hearing this. "Okay, I'll feel more relieved if your dad comes to pick you up."

After explaining everything to Rong Xiaohua, Song Shu went over to say hello to Uncle Fu and Sister Liang. After all, she would be away for a few days and she was usually very close to them, so if she didn't tell them, they wouldn't be able to find her and would think something had happened.

Liangsao nodded after hearing her words and said, "Okay, let's go back to the mainland. I haven't been back to the mainland for many years."

Liang's wife spoke with some sadness. She and her husband had come to Hong Kong more than 20 years ago and had never been back. Before that, they could not go back because there was no customs clearance between mainland China and Hong Kong. Now that they can cross the border, they don't know where to go.

After all, Liang's wife only has an older brother in her family. The older brother disowned her after she rejected the marriage he arranged for her and married Lao Liang. It's okay for her to disown her. Liang's wife doesn't want to recognize that older brother either. How can a biological older brother push his sister into the fire pit?

As for Laoliang's family, Laoliang is the fourth child in the family. He has two older sisters and an older brother, and two younger brothers and a younger sister. He is not favored among them, and he had to work hard to earn the money for his marriage.

During that era, when there was a famine, it was not Lao Liang and his wife's turn to have food at home. Finally, after discussing it, they gritted their teeth and left their hometown to develop in Hong Kong. They stayed here for more than 20 years, and their three girls were also born here.

Although Liang's wife sometimes misses her hometown and wants to go back, she does not regret leaving her hometown with Lao Liang.

Thinking back to the past, Liang Sao remembered that Ah Shu had also smuggled here before, and that she must have encountered difficulties to have someone smuggled here from her home, so she asked worriedly, "Ah Shu, are you planning to go home when you return to the mainland this time?"

Song Shu was startled when she heard what Liang Sao said. She didn't realize which home she was talking about until she remembered that she was talking about the original owner's home. But when she thought of the family that forced the original owner's uncle, Song Shu shook her head and said, "I won't go back."

She had no plans to have any dealings with that family in the future and treated them as complete strangers.

Liang Sao heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this. She knew that the family that forced a young girl to sneak over here obviously didn't treat her well. Liang Sao was afraid that Song Shu would be soft-hearted and contact that family. You know, Liang Sao is well-informed and some blood-sucking leeches can't be shaken off once they get on her. "It's better not to contact them."

＊

When Chen Zonghao came back in the evening, Song Shu had already packed her and Jiahui's things and put them all in a large suitcase. This suitcase was bought by Chen Zonghao a few days ago in preparation for the trip.

Song Shu packed her things and came out, looking at him and asked, "Have you packed your things?"

The man pointed to the backpack on the sofa and said, "Well, it's ready."

Song Shu took a look at the backpack. The bag was not small, but it looked small compared to her big suitcase. It could only hold three or four sets of clothes. However, considering the man's usual simple and neat style, she was not surprised.

"What time is the boat ticket for tomorrow?" Song Shu asked. He was in charge of buying tickets. Now the most convenient way to get from Hong Kong to the mainland is to take a boat, which takes about 1 to 2 hours.

Of course, there are flight flights now, but there are not many flights and the time is not fixed. It is far less convenient than taking a boat.

Chen Zonghao took out three tickets and handed them to her. "Tickets for the 8 o'clock ferry tomorrow morning. I'll ask Ah Wenming to drive us to the pier today."

Song Shu took the ticket, looked at it, and nodded, "Yes."

After reading it, Song Shu handed the boat ticket back to him for safekeeping, but when she met the man's gaze, she found that he was looking at her, as if he wanted to say something to her.

Song Shu looked at him and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Chen Zonghao took the boat ticket and looked down at her, "Do you want to go home and visit when you return to the mainland this time?"

This was the second person who asked her this question today. Song Shu looked at Chen Zonghao and remembered that she seemed to have never told him about her family affairs. He only knew that she came here illegally, but he knew nothing about her past.

Song Shu was stunned for a moment. This man had no idea about her past and took her in without fear that she was a murderer who had smuggled in.

Song Shu let her thoughts wander for a while, then looked at him and said, "I don't plan to go home. I don't think I told you why I came here illegally. My parents died a long time ago, and I live with my uncle's family..."

Song Shu told him about her original life, explained her relationship with her family, and stated the reason why she did not go back.

Chen Zonghao watched her talking, but her face looked too calm, as if she was talking about something that happened to someone else and had nothing to do with her.

Song Shu talked to him about her original body and thought of her home in her previous life. However, apart from the house she bought, there were no relatives waiting for her there. After her mother and father divorced, she rarely saw her father's relatives, so the relationship could only be said to be slightly closer than that of strangers.

As for her mother, her grandfather passed away when her mother was very young, and her grandmother raised her mother alone. When Song Shu was twelve years old, her grandmother also passed away. When Song Shu traveled through time, she had just finished her mother's funeral. It can be said that in that world, Song Shu had no one close to her.

Chen Zonghao looked at her and saw a look of confusion and melancholy on her face. That empty look made Chen Zonghao's heart twitch. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch her face to interrupt her thoughts. "What are you thinking about? Come back to your senses."

Song Shu felt his movements on her face, came back to her senses, and shook her head, "I didn't think anything."

Chen Zonghao originally wanted to continue questioning her, but when he saw her expression, he didn't say anything more.

At night, Song Shu tossed and turned in bed several times but couldn't fall asleep. Besides thinking about how her relatives in the previous life were affected, she was more worried about going back to the mainland tomorrow, and the homesickness that surged in her heart.

She will be able to return to the mainland tomorrow. That was her hometown in her past life and this life. She grew up there. Although she didn't say it, she always missed it in her heart. She was also a little excited. After all, she had never seen the appearance of the mainland at this time.

With a mess in her mind, Song Shu didn't know when she fell asleep. She only knew that she was awakened by Chen Zonghao knocking on the door in the morning.

After replying "I'm up", Song Shu got up and cleaned up for Jiahui and herself. After washing up, she sat at the dining table and had breakfast with Chen Zonghao.

After breakfast, the man walked out the door carrying a backpack and a suitcase, and Song Shu followed behind him holding Jiahui.

When they reached the door, they found that in addition to Awen and Shitou who came to send them to the pier, Liangsao, Fu, Bo, Rong, and Xiaohua also came and stood at the door waiting for them.

Song Shu walked over and said, "Sister Liang, Uncle Fu... why are you here?"

Liang's wife handed her a red egg in a red bag and said, "We came here to see you off. These red eggs represent prosperity when you go out."

Aunt Fu also handed her a bag of fruit. "Here are some oranges. If you get seasick, you can eat some. They are very useful."

Song Shu's hands were immediately stuffed with things, including several packaged pig's trotters handed over by Uncle Rong.

Uncle Rong handed her the brined pig's trotters that he had prepared last night, and said honestly, "These are the best pig's trotters that I carefully selected, and I have already brined them. You can eat them on the boat if you are hungry."

Rong Xiaohua also echoed, "Sister Shu, my father's pig's trotters are delicious, you must try them."

Song Shu looked at the various things stuffed into her hands. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment, but she felt more warm. Seeing the concerned expressions of Liang Sao and the others, she didn't refuse their things. "Thank you very much, everyone. We accepted the things. Thank you so much."

"What are you talking about, Ah Shu? No need to thank me."

"That's right. Be careful on the road, Haozi. Keep an eye on Ah Shu and Jia Hui."

…

Finally, Song Shu said goodbye to them with difficulty before getting in the car and leaving. Watching everyone's figures gradually disappearing in the rearview mirror, Song Shu felt warm in her heart.

＊

When they arrived at the pier, Song Shu realized that the boat they were on was quite large. Song Shu thought they would take some small boats, but Chen Zonghao bought a ticket for a cruise ship. As if he knew what she was thinking, he said, "It's safer to take a cruise ship."

Song Shu nodded after hearing this. If they took a small boat, they would still need to deal with the inspection of the water police.

After saying goodbye to Shitou Awen and the others, Song Shu took Jiahui and followed Chen Zonghao to the boat.

There were many people on board, most of them were big bosses and employees dressed in fancy clothes. After all, at that time many bosses went to the mainland to build factories and start companies, and many factories in Hong Kong were also moved to the mainland.

Song Shu and the other two went to the second floor, turned a few corridors and stopped in front of a room. Chen Zonghao opened the door and walked in, and Song Shu also walked in, holding Jiahui's hand.

It was a small room with two beds. Chen Zonghao put his things aside, turned around and said, "If you feel sleepy, you can take a nap."

Song Shu walked over and carried Jiahui to the bed and asked her to sit down. She also sat on the bed and shook her head at him, saying, "It's okay. I'm not sleepy yet."

Putting the food Liangsao and the others had just stuffed on the table next to them, Song Shu picked up an orange, peeled it, gave some to Jiahui, and broke off half for Chen Zonghao, "Do you want to eat?"

Chen Zonghao walked over and sat on the other bed. The distance between the two beds was very small. As soon as he sat down on the opposite side, their legs were only a finger's length away from touching.

Song Shu could feel the hem of his trousers brushing against the hem of her skirt when he sat down.

Chen Zonghao sat down and took the orange she handed over, "Thank you."

Song Shu ate an orange and looked at Jia Hui who was sitting next to her. "Jia Hui, do you feel dizzy?"

Now that the boat has started moving, Song Shu is observing Jiahui's condition, worried that she might get seasick.

Jiahui shook her head and said obediently, "Sister Shu, I'm not dizzy."

It was the first time for the little guy to go out far away. He had an unusually excited expression on his face. He looked around the room and saw the small window near the bed. He was a little eager to try. He couldn't help but look up and said to Song Shu, "Sister Shu, can I lie on the bedside and look at the window?"

Song Shu glanced at the closed transparent window through which she could see the sea, and nodded, "Of course."

Jiahui excitedly took off her shoes and stepped on the bed. She put her hands on the headboard and looked out through the window. "Wow, it's the sea."

There was great surprise in her voice. Although Jiahui had seen the coastline before, it was the first time she sat on a boat and looked at the sea below. Her big eyes were filled with wonder at the sea in front of her.

Song Shu sat aside and looked at the little guy with a curled mouth. At this time, Chen Zonghao handed half an orange to her. It seemed that this man had just peeled and cleaned the orange at some point.

Song Shu took it and started eating. The three of them, one leaned against the window looking at the sea, one lowered his head to eat the orange, and one peeled the orange. There was an indescribable warmth.

Finally, when Chen Zonghao carried Jiahui to the bathroom to wash his hands, he came out and saw Song Shu already sleeping on the bed with a quilt covering her.

Chen Zonghao took a look, then looked down at Jiahui and said softly, "Jiahui, are you sleepy? Do you want to sleep?"

Jiahui shook her head and saw Sister Shu who had fallen asleep. She whispered, "I'm not sleepy."

Chen Zonghao put her on a sofa, took out a picture book that she liked to read from his bag, and said, "Then Jiahui, can you read the picture book by yourself?"

Jiahui took it obediently and nodded, "Okay."

＊

Song Shu originally just wanted to close her eyes and take a rest, but she fell asleep unexpectedly after a while. She was finally awakened by the sound of a melodious whistle.

When he opened his eyes, his expression was still a little hazy. He turned his head and saw Chen Zonghao sitting on the other bed. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Well, what time is it? Are we there yet?"

Chen Zonghao looked at the person on the bed with his dazed eyes, like a deer lost in the forest. Perhaps because he had just woken up, a physiological tear oozed from the corner of his eye.

Her hair was a little messy due to her sleeping movements, with a few strands of hair falling on her rosy face, which looked like a ripe peach about to ooze juice.

Chen Zonghao rubbed his fingertips to suppress the urge to touch her face, "Well, we're here and approaching the shore."

Song Shu woke up after hearing his words. She looked at the man who was looking at her. She didn't know if he had been sitting here watching her sleep. This made her a little embarrassed. She nodded blankly and said, "Oh, I see."

Chen Zonghao took one last look at her and stood up. "I'll go see Jiahui." Then he walked towards the sofa.

Song Shu breathed a sigh of relief as she looked at his back facing away from her and sat up. If he was still looking at her, she would have felt embarrassed to get up.

Song Shu thought the boat was about to dock, so she didn't delay any longer. She got up, put on her shoes, went to the bathroom to wash her face, tidied up her hair and clothes that were messed up from sleeping, and came out and said to him, "Let's go out now."

"Yeah." Chen Zonghao nodded.

＊

When Song Shu and the other two walked onto the deck, many passengers also walked out of their rooms and stood on the deck.

Song Shu walked over and leaned against the railing, feeling the sea breeze and looking at the pier getting closer and closer in the distance, her heart filled with unusual emotions.

The Shenzhen Stock Exchange at that time had just begun to develop, and the wharf was not very prosperous, but there were many ships coming and going, and the sound of the whistles seemed to be blowing the horn of progress.

Chen Zonghao held Jiahui's hand and stood beside her, looking at the pier together.

He had been to this pier several times, but this time his mood was very different. He glanced at the woman next to him and felt that this difference was brought to him by her.

As the last whistle sounded, the boat docked steadily at the pier. Song Shu and the other two waited until most of the people in front had left before going down.

Chen Zonghao held Jiahui in one hand and carried a suitcase in the other, with his backpack on his back. He turned to Song Shu and said, "Follow me closely."

Song Shu looked at his expression, as if he was afraid that she would get lost, "Okay, I'll follow you."

The three of them got off the boat and stood on the shore. Song Shu was still thinking about whether to take the bus or a taxi to her place. Chen Zonghao tilted his head and said to her, "I've asked someone to pick us up."

As soon as the words fell, a cheerful voice was heard, "Brother Hao."

Song Shu looked up towards the source of the voice and saw a young man who looked to be in his twenties walking towards them. He stood in front of Chen Zonghao and said, "Brother Hao, I finally saw you."

As he spoke, the young man looked towards Song Shu and Jia Hui and said warmly, "This must be my second sister-in-law and niece, hello. I'm Hao's brother, A-Po."

Chen Zonghao said to Song Shu: "Just call him A-Bo."

Song Shu nodded and smiled at the man, "Hello, Apo."

After several people introduced themselves, A-Po took the suitcase from Chen Zonghao and said, "Brother Hao, Second Sister-in-law, come with me. The car is parked over there."

Song Shu and Chen Zonghao were a few steps behind him. Chen Zonghao lowered his head and explained to Song Shu: "Abo used to sell video recorders to me. He is a native of Shenzhen. Now he is also responsible for some things in the factory here."

Song Shu nodded after listening to him. From what he said, this Apo should be a brother like Shitou Awen.

When they reached the car, A-po opened the door for them. Song Shu thanked him politely and got in. She and Jia-hui sat in the back seat, while Chen Zong-hao sat in the passenger seat.

Seeing that they were seated, A-Po drove them to the hotel and introduced them enthusiastically on the way, "Brother Hao, I have booked a suite in the newly opened five-star hotel in the city as you requested... Second sister-in-law, if you want to go to Shenzhen for fun these few days, just look for me. Apart from anything else, I am very familiar with Shenzhen..."

Song Shu nodded and said, "That's troublesome."

"No trouble."

Apo accompanied them to the hotel and only said goodbye and left after seeing them check in.

＊

Song Shu, Chen Zonghao and Jiahui walked towards the suite they had booked. There were two rooms in the suite. Song Shu and Jiahui slept in one room, and Chen Zonghao slept alone in the next room.

Song Shu walked into the suite and sat down on the sofa first. Although the boat ride was not long, she was inevitably a little tired after leaving in the morning.

Chen Zonghao saw that she looked a little listless, so he said, "Why don't you go take a hot bath? I'll see what food is available at the hotel, and take Jiahui down to buy lunch."

Song Shu also wanted to take a hot bath, so she nodded. Seeing Jia Hui's energetic look, she asked her to follow Chen Zonghao downstairs. "Well, I'll go take a bath first."

Seeing them close the door and walk out, Song Shu found clothes from the suitcase and went to the bathroom to take a shower. As the hot water poured over her body, Song Shu immediately felt that all her fatigue had disappeared.

When she walked out of the bathroom refreshed, Chen Zonghao and Jiahui had already returned. Song Shu walked over and sat next to them, "What delicious food did you buy?"

Jiahui pointed with her finger and said, "I bought chicken legs, meatballs... lots of delicious food."

Song Shu felt hungry as she listened to her name the dishes one by one. "Then let's start. Oh, and there's the pig's trotters that Uncle Rong gave us."

Fortunately, the pig's trotters were only a few hours old, and they were still delicious. Song Shu put on gloves and took a pig's trotter for each of them, and then took one for herself, "Eat quickly, this pig's trotter is a gift from Uncle Rong."

Song Shu said as she took a bite of the pig's trotter. The trotter was soft, sticky and tasty, so fragrant that it could eat your tongue. "Xiaohua was right. Uncle Rong's halogen pig's trotter is really delicious."

Jiahui also ate with gusto. Although the pig's trotter looked bigger than her face, the little girl ate it with great effort. After listening to Song Shu's words, she nodded and said, "It's delicious."

Song Shu ate two in a row, and if she wasn't afraid of being too sick, she would have eaten one more.

After finishing the pig's trotters, she opened the lunch box next to her and started eating. However, she and Jiahui didn't eat much, and in the end most of the dishes were finished by Chen Zonghao.

After eating, Song Shu and Jia Hui collapsed in their chairs in sync and burped.

Chen Zonghao looked at the two of them with amusement, "You eat so much."

Song Shu touched her nose a little embarrassedly and muttered, "It's all because Uncle Rong's pig's trotters are so delicious."

Chen Zonghao glanced at her and shook his head. He cleared the garbage on the table, turned back and looked at her and discussed, "Let's take a break today. I'll go over to see the factory tomorrow. I'll let A-Bo take you and Jia-hui to play in Shenzhen City for a while, and then I'll take you to see the factory."

Song Shu shook her head and said, "Let me go to your factory with you tomorrow." She was very familiar with the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and there was nothing fun to do there now, so it would be better to go and see Chen Zonghao's factory.

Chen Zonghao thought about it and didn't refuse, "Okay."