A few days after Jin Qing settled in, she had some free time and decided to plant some vegetables for self-sufficiency. She ordered seeds, learned about vegetable gardening online, and began her endeavor.
It was difficult at first, especially with her back aching from digging. Every day she was so tired that she fell asleep as soon as she hit the pillow. But such days made her feel fulfilled, and she no longer had the energy to dwell on trivial matters and people.
Within a few days, the seeds she had planted began to sprout, which greatly surprised Jin Qing. She never imagined she could grow vegetables herself. She happily watched over her tiny seedlings, hoping they would grow into edible produce.
One day, while watering her plants, a sheep suddenly ran into her vegetable patch and began trampling everything. Jin Qing was stunned, as she had never encountered such a situation. By the time she reacted and tried to shoo the sheep away, it had already left a pile of droppings in her garden and trampled most of the plants.
"I'm so sorry, so sorry! My sheep is very disobedient. I'll take it away right now. Oh, Ms. Jin."
A familiar voice called out. Jin Qing looked over and realized it was Li Jin, her former assistant.
"Li Jin? What are you doing here?" Jin Lan asked, surprised.
"I came looking for the sheep. Ah, I'm so sorry, Ms. Jin. My sheep has trampled all your vegetables. These... are your vegetables?" Li Jin seemed disbelieving.
"Yes, I grew them. Your sheep? Why are you raising sheep here?" Jin Qing looked at him, confused.
"Ms. Jin, I haven't told you, but my family is from around here. Just up that hill is a village, that's my home. However, not many people live there now, only some elderly folks. I originally wanted to bring my grandfather to the city to enjoy his retirement, but he refused to budge, saying he preferred the countryside and found the city too stifling. So, I took advantage of my annual leave to come back and keep my grandfather company. This sheep is my grandfather's treasure," Li Jin quickly explained.
Jin Qing finally understood and nodded.
"Ms. Jin, I'm truly sorry. I will compensate you for the vegetables. This darn sheep, when it grows up, I'll slaughter it and invite you to eat its meat," Li Jin said awkwardly, holding the sheep.
Jin Qing was amused by his flustered state. She replied, "It's alright, it's alright. I was just planting them for fun in my free time. It doesn't matter if they got trampled. As for its droppings, consider it fertilizer; it saved me some trouble."
Jin Qing didn't really care how the vegetables turned out; she was just looking for something to do in her spare time.
"How can that be! I must compensate you for the vegetables. How about this, I'll replant them for you," Li Jin said with a smile.
Jin Qing looked at the傻笑ing young man in front of her and asked with a smile, "How are you doing? How's work?"
"I've been promoted to General Manager by Young Madam Jin and am solely in charge of a department. I think I'm doing alright, but my abilities are limited. I feel this might be the ceiling of my career," Li Jin explained sheepishly, still holding the sheep.
"Don't be discouraged. Everything requires learning. As long as you keep learning, you will surely advance further. If you give up on yourself, then that's a different story. I believe you are not someone who is content with mediocrity." Jin Qing had always thought highly of Li Jin; he was young and promising, his thinking was not too rigid, and he was a young man with a bright future.