"Hmph, this kid is truly ungrateful," Chen Lishu snorted, pinching her nose in dissatisfaction at Xiao Chengzi.
Gu Xingdong, seeing her sulky expression, put his arm around her shoulder and chuckled, "Perhaps our son is just giving me face because I'm finally back."
With the world and food being paramount, Xiao Chengzi ignored everyone else's presence once he knew the grain supply had returned. His cries grew urgent, tears falling in large drops from the corners of his closed eyes.
His crying didn't stop there; hearing the commotion from upstairs, Xiao Bai also joined in the crying, seeking attention.
Gu Xingdong quickly picked up Xiao Chengzi and asked, tilting his head, "Are you hungry?"
Chen Lishu suddenly remembered. The two little ones had been asleep when she left, so she hadn't fed them. It had been nearly four hours since their last feeding.
She then took Xiao Chengzi from Gu Xingdong's arms and went upstairs to breastfeed him.
Chen Lishu was now a walking food bag. The two children were almost inseparable from her; she couldn't leave them for long. Nights were particularly tough, requiring her to get up at least four or five times, especially with both children waking each other up when one cried.
Now that the children were over two months old, even people with good hair quality began to experience significant hair loss. The weight she had gained during pregnancy also rapidly fell off due to breastfeeding.
Despite the hardship, seeing the little one in her arms, eyes closed, grunting and eating with such gusto like a little pig, she felt all her efforts were worthwhile.
"I'm thinking of transferring Lin Qi to the processing plant as its director. What do you think?"
Gu Xingdong propped a pillow behind Chen Lishu's lower back and then recounted the events of the past period.
"Lin Qi is steady and capable in his work, so I naturally have no objections. However,"
Chen Lishu hesitated, "He was only recently transferred to the provincial capital. Now, sending him to another province so soon... it's fine in the short term, but Uncle Lin's health isn't very good. Will he be able to manage for a long time?"
This was indeed something Gu Xingdong hadn't fully considered. He nodded and said, "I'll make time to ask his opinion. If he wants to come back, I'll arrange for someone else to go once things stabilize there."
Meanwhile, Lin Qi and Liu Yang had familiarized themselves with the general situation of the plant. Workers who wished to return were re-signed with new employment contracts. Raw material supply and other aspects also needed to be re-evaluated. Previously, Zhu Changgui wasn't a legitimate businessman and paid little attention to the source of raw materials as long as they were cheap, with no guarantee of quality.
However, Gu Xingdong had left Xu Zhisheng's contact information with him before he left. Since they lacked experience working in a factory, to get up to speed quickly, Lin Qi and Liu Yang decided to visit the Baiqiang Steel Plant for two days of observation and learning to draw on their management experience.
Before leaving, Lin Qi called Chen Liyuan.
"Why are you calling me at this hour? Are you not busy?"
Hearing Lin Qi's voice, Chen Liyuan couldn't help but smile. Noticing the new cashier looking at her, she shifted slightly, feeling a bit shy.
"No matter how busy I am, it doesn't stop me from calling you," Lin Qi's clear voice came through the receiver. "I'm just letting you know my plans. I might be busy for the next couple of days and unable to call you promptly. Everything here is fine, don't worry."
"What's there for me to worry about," Chen Liyuan mumbled softly.
"Good, you don't worry about me, but I miss you."
Chen Liyuan's face turned red. She quickly covered the mouthpiece more tightly. Honestly, how could he say such things?
However, despite feeling a bit embarrassed, her heart felt as sweet as honey.
"I'll visit Uncle Lin and Aunt Yuan often, so you don't have to worry. My brother-in-law trusts you; you must not fail him."
After giving her instructions, Chen Liyuan hung up the phone.
"Accountant Chen, is that your boyfriend?" the cashier next to her asked with a smile.
"Yes."
...
Li Xiulan was overjoyed to see her son return. She had recovered well after her surgery. Although Chen Lishu told her to rest and do nothing, she was accustomed to a life of hard work and couldn't stand still. Seeing Zhao Qiuyue busy in the kitchen, she went to help with picking vegetables.
Dinner was quite a spread, with a total of four dishes. Gu Xingye and Gu Xingping were also present, and the family enjoyed a lively meal.
"Three buildings of Jiangpan Garden have already topped out. I heard they'll start selling next month at seventy yuan per square meter," Gu Xingye suddenly said.
Li Xiulan: "Seventy yuan? How much would a set cost then?"
Chen Lishu: "A normal small two-bedroom would be around thirty-six to thirty-seven square meters, so a set would be about two thousand five hundred."
"So expensive?" Li Liulan had never realized that housing prices in the city were so high. Building a three-room brick house in the countryside didn't cost that much.
The country had raised salaries again this year, but the average wage was still not high. However, with the increase in private businesses, the term "ten-thousand-yuan household" had gradually become popular, so there were quite a few people who could afford to buy a house.
Gu Xingye: "Including the rent from the market stall, Xiao Ju and I have saved some this year. If we pool our resources, we can afford a set."
Gu Xingdong looked up, "You want to buy a house?"
Gu Xingye nodded. "Panpan will be starting primary school soon, and education in the city is better than in the countryside. Xiao Ju and I discussed it, and living apart for so long isn't ideal. We won't rent the stall next year, and she can continue selling goods when she moves here."
He and Zhang Xiaoju were not highly educated, and they only had one child, Panpan, so there was little pressure. They just hoped for a better future for their child.
Li Xiulan nodded, "It's fine to move over. Living apart for too long ultimately affects a couple's relationship, and besides, you brothers can look out for each other."
Chen Lishu and Gu Xingdong also strongly supported Gu Xingye's decision, and the plan to buy a house was tentatively settled.
After dinner, Chen Lishu went upstairs to accompany the children. Gu Xingdong didn't want to follow her directly, so he patiently sat with Li Xiulan and Gu Xingye downstairs for a while.
A mother knows her son best. Seeing him glancing towards the staircase repeatedly, Li Xiulan understood his intentions. She said, "I feel sleepy after eating. I'm going out for a walk. Lishu is with the children, and you shouldn't just sit there idly. Go up and help keep an eye on them."
My dear mother!
Gu Xingdong immediately got up. "Fourth, you sit here by yourself. I'm going up first."
The two little ones were still asleep. Chen Lishu was in Ruirui's room, guiding him in learning English.
'Da Wang' was lazily curled up by the desk, dozing with his eyes half-closed, occasionally emitting a rumbling purr from his throat.
Seeing his wife busy, Gu Xingdong didn't disturb her and instead went to the study to read.
Now that he was managing the company, he mostly read books on economics and management. At first, Gu Xingdong found it difficult to get into, finding it dry and tedious, but gradually he began to appreciate it.
As he was engrossed in his reading, Chen Lishu pushed the door open and entered.
In mid-October, the temperature outside had already dropped to several degrees below zero at night. However, the indoors were heated by the boiler, and with elders and children in the house, heating had started a few days earlier.
The room was quite warm. Chen Lishu had changed out of her daytime outerwear and was now wearing a button-up pajama set.
Gu Xingdong looked up and only then realized that it had gotten completely dark outside without him noticing.