Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 391 - 366: Back to Work
The following days were a bit tough to get through. Even though New Year’s was only two days away, it was uncertain whether Qin Xi could wrap things up smoothly and come back early.
But unexpectedly, on the afternoon of the 29th day of the lunar year, everyone returned.
Qin Xi, Li Jianqing, Hu Zi, and Leng Qing, all four of them came back together. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺
The consolation work on Qin Xi’s end went very smoothly. With last year’s experience as a reference, it was done with ease this year. Moreover, many roads had been built which allowed vehicles to reach their destinations without having to walk too much, so the work was completed quite smoothly. Li Jianqing had been on leave for four days and wanted to accompany Leng Qing, which is why he returned with everyone else.
On the day they returned, Li Jianqing took a bunch of stuff for eating and use from the courtyard, drove Xu Wu’s car back to his and Leng Qing’s home, and made plans to come over for dinner together on the 30th.
That evening, Qin Xi helped Li Xianglu wipe her feet and only after lying down with her did he go to wash up.
When Qin Xi came back from washing up, he saw Li Xianglu looking at the camera, so he lay down next to her, took her into his arms, and they looked at the photos together.
The photos were taken recently. They captured the children playing in the snow, their rosy cheeks and bright teeth making them look particularly lively and cute against the white snow.
Qin Xi couldn’t help but hug the person in his arms tighter: "Thank you, my dear, thank you for coming!"
Li Xianglu was stunned. It was the first time Qin Xi had expressed himself this way about her crossing over to this world. She casually placed the camera in the Storage Ring before asking, "Do my third brother and Leng Qing seem a lot better?"
Qin Xi nodded and said, "Yes, your third brother has made great progress and has been quite good to Leng Qing. Today, on the helicopter, he even specially brought a military overcoat for Leng Qing to cover with."
Li Xianglu smiled and nodded. That was not bad, there was still hope for them.
Qin Xi patted Li Xianglu’s leg and asked with some concern, "Does it still hurt?"
Li Xianglu shook her head and said, "It doesn’t hurt anymore, I’m just afraid to exert too much force. It still needs time to recover."
Qin Xi nodded and said, "After knowing about Minmin’s situation, I called Qin Zhen. I told him that if he doesn’t want to take care of his wife properly, I will come back and settle things with him!"
Li Xianglu’s eyes went wide with disbelief. What happened to growing up and becoming stable? How could things end up like this?
Seeing Li Xianglu’s odd expression, Qin Xi asked what was wrong. Li Xianglu helplessly shared how Qin Zhen had brought his family of four to apologize. It turns out she had misunderstood—Qin Zhen was probably just afraid of getting beaten up by his own brother, and even declared righteously that it was Lu Anna who was disrupting harmony and unity. Ridiculous!
When Qin Xi heard that Qin Zhen was moving to the small Western-style building, he nodded in agreement: "It’s about time to move back in. He’s not living with his in-laws, so why cram into someone else’s home?"
Li Xianglu punched Qin Xi’s chest somewhat annoyed and said, "What are you talking about, aren’t you living with your in-laws too?"
Qin Xi, with a bit of a rogue’s gesture, slipped his hand into Li Xianglu’s nightwear, caressed it up and down before pressing himself on top of her, mumbling, "I just love being ’the one who visits’!"
What happened on this spring-like night goes without saying.
This New Year was much more lively than before. There were no more annoying visits from the uncle, and no more awkward tension between Li Jianqing and Leng Qing. The two were like they had just fallen in love, so sticky and sweet, exchanging affectionate looks from time to time, which made Li Xianglu exclaim that it was too much for her eyes.
The house was bustling with many visitors coming and going. The family also went out to pay New Year calls until things finally quieted down on the eighth day of the first lunar month. Li Xianglu had injured her leg and couldn’t move around much, so she had barely stepped into the kitchen. Not being active and eating well caused her to gain a whole five jin, and the two kids’ cheeks were looking rounder from all the good food.
Li Xianglu’s leg wasn’t fully healed yet, so the old man and Su Yan adamantly refused to let her go to work. Therefore, on the thirteenth day after New Year’s, Qin Xi and the others, including Leng Qing, Li Jianqing, and Hu Zi, left first.
Li Xianglu then took another week off from work after going back on the 16th, which meant she wouldn’t return until the middle of March.
By March, the weather would be warmer. It would be convenient for her to take the whole family with her.
The twins were three years and three months old now, reaching the age to start kindergarten. It would be better for children to interact with peers at this age. Although Su Yan taught them a lot at home, play should still be the main focus of life at this stage for children.
Su Yan sneered at Li Xianglu’s opinion. Having been exposed to some British nobility abroad, Su Yan knew that the curriculum for training successors would never include playtime. Even if there was play, it needed to be meaningful and structured, such as Taekwondo—where you learn to earn a black belt—or piano, where if you learn, you must win awards.
Yet, Li Xianglu felt that her children should have a memorable childhood before the age of six, without the burden of the fame and fortune that adults care about. Children should be children, embracing pure playtime without learning hobbies out of self-serving interests.
Su Yan, being open-minded, although she did not fully agree, compromised and promised that after the age of six, she would step in to take charge. Otherwise, it wouldn’t do to delay any longer, as the children would lose their malleability.
In the middle of March, Li Xianglu and her family took a minibus back to Huai County.
By early spring, although Huai County wasn’t full of blooming flowers yet, willow trees were budding, and the snow was melting.
Li Xianglu called Chairman Xu immediately after returning to the compound and learned that the bank was under reconstruction. Their current workplace had been set up in an office within the County Committee compound. They would work there temporarily and move back once the new building was ready.
However, they didn’t need to go in every day. People came to save money on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and loans were handled on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with everyone taking shifts to manage the centralized office.
In the new year, the number of people applying for loans had increased. Since demand exceeded supply in the first year of sales, Leng Qing planned to expand the business in the second year, requiring more raw materials. As a result, not only was a cultivation task issued to Huai County, but also to three neighboring counties.
Suddenly, the bank became busy. People who had gone through the process the previous year handled it with familiarity, and although newcomers were slower, guided support ensured everything ran smoothly.
However, Li Xianglu realized that despite the factory’s increased tasks, the loans for the year did not increase but remained on par with the previous year.
Qin Xi chuckled as he analyzed, saying many people had earned money last year and didn’t need to take out loans. So even with newcomers accounted for, the number wouldn’t increase by much. Only then did Li Xianglu understand; no wonder people from neighboring counties had been flocking to the factory for inquiries.
Also, Leng Qing was planning to build a new factory. Construction had already begun, and she had Xu Wu help import a set of equipment from Hong Kong since the current ones were not enough.
Soon after returning, Li Xianglu received her first dividend—a whole 230,000 yuan! This astonished her as she gaped at the impressive sum. Wow, that much!
