As the weather gradually turned colder, the two children changed into their new school uniforms, wearing thin down jackets over them and little boots, and went downstairs to school with the driver.
The school is indeed good. After the two children went to Nanshan, their speech and behavior changed a lot, making Shuyan even think about enrolling in an etiquette class to learn sometime.
Shuyan goes to work a little later than the children. After her aunt came, she didn't get up as early as before to have breakfast with them. Shuyan would only get ready for school after they started school.
In winter, thermal underwear and winter pajamas sell exceptionally well. The company has now rented an entire floor, but even so, there is still a shortage of manpower.
Shu Yan is planning the next event, and she needs to get the franchisees to transfer some money by the end of this month. It's not that she's short of money, but nobody thinks they have too much money.
"Come in." Hearing the knock, Shu Yan looked up and saw Xia Rou, dressed in a white suit, with her hair tied up high and wearing light makeup, carrying a stack of documents as she entered.
"What is it?" Xia Rou is now the company's chief designer, not a manager, but not much different.
It turned out that she had received several good design drafts, which Xia Rou found very inspiring, so she brought them over to show Shu Yan.
The design was alright, but it didn't really impress Shu Yan. She handed the design back to Xia Rou, asking, "Is it one of our interns?"
Not seeing a satisfied expression on Shu Yan's face, Xia Rou sighed inwardly. Although their boss hadn't studied design, he had a really good eye and an exceptional sense of timing.
"No, it was my friend who recommended them to me. There were four people in total, but I think these three are the best," Xia Rou answered truthfully.
Neither of the company's leaders are easy to fool; telling the truth is the best course of action.
“You should know that our company’s women’s clothing is preparing to go international, and the requirements are very high. These people may be talented, but they may not meet the company’s requirements.” Shu Yan did not make an exception for Xia Rou just because she was now the company’s chief executive officer.
Moreover, this precedent cannot be set. While it is acceptable to recommend virtuous people regardless of personal relationships, the prerequisite is that they must be virtuous. If these people possess Xia Rou's intelligence, she would accept them even if they only have half of it.
Xia Rou's heart tightened. "I understand."
This time, she overstepped her bounds. The company has always only looked at merit, which is one of the things she likes about the company—it's fairer and more just than most companies. Yet, she herself did something unfair.
Seeing that she understood, Shu Yan smiled and said, "If your school really produces someone with great talent and intelligence, feel free to recommend them to the company. The more the merrier."
Ordinary people are fine, their company will only become more and more demanding, and people like Xia Rou are a minority after all.
Yesterday, Shu Yan told Hu Ruixue that she had agreed to have dinner at Fang Zeyu's house, and then left work early.
The eldest aunt was cleaning when she saw Shuyan and was taken aback. "Why didn't you tell me you were coming back? I didn't even make lunch."
Now that her child eats at school, Shu Yan finds it troublesome to come home and eats at the company instead. She eats by herself, and is full after having some leftover porridge, steamed buns, or dumplings from the morning.
“Something came up. Auntie, you’re home alone and cooking all the time. You’re not getting enough to eat.” Shu Yan had said this several times, but her aunt wouldn’t listen.
"If you have enough to eat, you'll never go hungry." In the village, wanting a big meat bun was like celebrating the New Year. If you're still not satisfied now, you'll be struck by lightning.
My aunt made Shuyan a bowl of noodles. She had braised beef yesterday, so it was perfect.
"Auntie, you can cook your own dinner tonight. I'll take the kids to Fang Zeyu's house for dinner," Shu Yan said after finishing her meal.
"Not coming home for dinner tonight?" The aunt hesitated for a moment. "Can I go out to eat with my daughter?"
Having lived in the southern part of the city for a long time, I've come to realize that city girls and country girls are completely different. The little allowance I gave my daughter before was barely enough for her to eat her fill; she couldn't afford to eat well or buy clothes.
The daughter is sensible and has never complained. Her aunt feels even more sorry for her and will take two days off each month to take her out for a treat and some good food to nourish her.
"Of course. You can go out now if you need to, I'll take care of the dishes." Relationships are built over time. Her aunt was very good to her and the children, so Shuyan was naturally good to her too.
"No way." The eldest aunt shook her head firmly. She was hired by Shu Yan to do the laundry and cooking, so how could she neglect her chores just because she had something to do?
Shu Yan couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she didn't say anything more. She packed a box of braised beef and some snacks for her aunt to take to her daughter.
After washing her hands, Shu Yan started making cakes. She could make some simple ones herself, and she had recently gone to learn from someone, so she could make them very successfully.
The cake was ready. Shu Yan took a shower, put on some beautiful makeup, took a box out of the drawer, put it in her bag, and headed to Xiazhuang Village with the cake.
The gate to the house next to the old lady's was open. Shu Yan remembered that Fang Zeyu said he had bought that house.
When I went over, I saw Fang Zeyu plucking chicken feathers.
"Is this room ready? Will you be staying here from now on?"
Upon seeing that it was Shu Yan, Fang Zeyu smiled broadly. "This place has always been cleaned, so I'll just tidy it up and make it my own place. I'll open a door in the yard later, and taking care of Grandma won't be a problem."
Grandma insisted that Fang Zeyu live here. She felt that Fang Zeyu had a girlfriend and might get married soon. She wasn't his biological grandmother, so it wouldn't be right for them to live together.
He had to take care of his comrade's grandmother, and Shu Yan had no relation to her. He had no reason to ask Shu Yan to share this responsibility with him. Fortunately, his own house was right next door, so he could take care of his grandmother, and Shu Yan... if they got married, she could stay here by herself.
"What are you holding?" Fang Zeyu took the items and put them away.
Shu Yan chuckled softly, took out a box she had prepared beforehand from her bag, and handed it to him. "Happy birthday."
"How did you know?" He hadn't told anyone about his birthday; he just wanted to have a meal with Shu Yan today and hadn't planned to mention it.
Shu Yan glanced at him sideways, "I saw your ID card when we went out last time. I wasn't sure if you were celebrating your birthday before, but I knew after you called and said that yesterday."
Fang Zeyu couldn't help but smile. He remembered what he saw; that showed he was thoughtful.
“Where my mom lives, they only use the lunar calendar. When I registered my household, they just used the lunar calendar, so my ID card shows my lunar birthday. Back in my hometown, she would celebrate my birthday for me.”
Fang Zeyu couldn't help but recall his childhood birthdays, when his mother would always fry an egg and serve him a bowl of hand-pulled noodles. It was the best meal he had all year, and he still vividly remembered the taste. After moving to Nancheng, his grandmother would celebrate his birthdays. Since his grandparents passed away, no one has remembered his birthday anymore.
"I also celebrate my lunar birthday." Shu Yan smiled. "What groceries did you buy? I'll cook them."
"No need, I'll cook. I promised to treat you to dinner." Fang Zeyu shook his head.
"Today is your birthday, what are we cooking? Hurry up and sit down."
Despite being told not to help, Fang Zeyu took care of all the washing and preparing of the vegetables, which made Shu Yan much faster.
Shu Yan called the driver and asked him to take the child directly to Xiazhuang.
The food was almost ready, so Shuyan went to call her neighbor's grandma to come over and eat together.
The old lady was overjoyed to see Shu Yan. “I’ve already eaten. You all have a good meal tonight. Ah Yu, you didn’t even tell me it was your birthday. Otherwise, I would have celebrated it for you before. Go back now, I really have eaten.”
The old man has lost his teeth and can't eat, so he values Shuyan's kindness.
"Why don't you come and eat some more with us? It's nice for the whole family to sit together and enjoy each other's company," Shu Yan said sincerely.
The old lady firmly disagreed, so Shu Yan had no choice but to go back and ask Fang Zeyu to come and invite her.
"I'm old, I eat early and go to bed early, so I won't join in your fun. Go back now and treat them well." The old lady smiled and urged Fang Zeyu to go away.
When the two children came back, Jingjing was still calling him "uncle," but Tianbao was already calling him "dad."
"Dad, I got a little red flower today." Tianbao showed the little red flower to Fang Zeyu.
"Why did the teacher reward you?" Fang Zeyu asked gently as he helped him take off his schoolbag.
"Because I was the most obedient, all the other children were talking, but I was the only one who listened quietly and didn't talk. So the teacher gave me a little red flower. Only three people got one, and I was one of them." Tianbao was very proud.
"Our Tianbao is getting more and more amazing. There's almost no room left to cover all the little red flowers on the wall at home," Shu Yan said as she brought out the dishes.
Everyone sat together, and Shu Yan picked up her cup. "Let's raise a glass together and wish Uncle Fang a happy birthday."
"Thank you." Fang Zeyu was deeply moved.
Halfway through the meal, Shu Yan went into the kitchen to cook noodles, one noodle per bowl, saying, "Since we're all eating longevity noodles, please don't bite them off!"
After a lively dinner, Shu Yan and Fang Zeyu cleaned up the dining room and kitchen together. Fang Zeyu would occasionally glance at Shu Yan, feeling incredibly happy.
"What are you looking at?" Shu Yan glanced at him sideways.
After taking Shu Yan and the others home, Fang Zeyu couldn't wait to get home and open the gift Shu Yan had given him. Inside, he found a watch.
If he wasn't mistaken, Shu Yan was wearing a different watch on her wrist—it was a pair. Although he didn't know the exact price, it looked very expensive. Of course, at their level, the amount of money really didn't matter; what mattered was the sentiment behind the gift.
"A pair of watches? It's just a pair, isn't it?" Fang Zeyu chuckled foolishly, touching the watch on his wrist.
"Hello, is this... Shu Yan?"
That day, Shu Yan received an unexpected phone call.
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