By noon the next day, Xu Lin received a ssage from Liu Changhua, saying that the school enrollnt issue for Suisui and An’an had been resolved.
They just needed to register directly in September.
With everything settled, Xu Lin ntioned this to Ning Haifeng and his wife during lunch.
To Xu Lin, it was no big deal; just a very simple matter.
But for Ning Haifeng and his wife, it was a major event.
In the afternoon, Ning Haifeng drove to the city for work. Today, he had to visit four households to install so equipnt.
Ning Haifeng was a skilled worker, honest and reliable, and his reputation spread. The residents recomnded him to each other, so much so that he had more job offers than he could handle, and business was booming. In fact, last month alone, Ning Haifeng earned over twenty thousand. In this small county town, even respectable high school teachers only take ho two or three thousand a month after deductions.
However, Ning Haifeng didn’t let it go to his head. Only Wu Xiulin knew about his inco; he didn’t tell anyone else.
Besides, the two kids still needed to go to school, which cost money.
Although Ning Haifeng wasn’t highly educated, he understood the importance of education.
There would be many expenses in the future.
Moreover, when Ning Yuhuan gets married, she’ll need a dowry, right?
In the Guangdong and Guangxi areas, the bride price is either symbolic or absent; the groom’s family gives one or two thousand to the bride’s side, but it needs to be returned to help the young couple manage their new ho. Selling a daughter is rare and would draw serious criticism from the community if it happened.
Ning Haifeng intended to provide a proper dowry, so that Ning Yuhuan would be respected by her in-laws.
Therefore, there were many expenses ahead.
Ning Haifeng returned ho quite late that day.
He didn’t leave the last household until after seven.
On a whim, he drove past Decheng Primary School and lingered at the gate for a long ti.
He thought about how Suisui and An’an would start their education there, expecting they would have a bright future.
In his excitent, Ning Haifeng felt like he was driving on air.
"Lin, you’ve been so good to our family, I don’t even know how to thank you," he said upon returning ho.
"It’s nothing," Xu Lin replied, focused on playing with the two kids.
"Uncle, let’s stay in the village for a few days tomorrow."
"Sure, sure, it’s cooler in the village. But you should have co last month when our lychee trees were full."
"It’s August now, isn’t lychee season over?"
"Yes, it’s over."
"But we still have guavas. When we go back tomorrow, you can have Hanhan take you to pick them. It’s just the right season, and these are the red heart guavas, which taste delicious."
"Sounds great, I’ll definitely try them."
That evening, the father-in-law and son-in-law chatted for quite a while.
The next day arrived.
After packing up a few things, Xu Lin drove Ning Yuhuan, Suisui, and An’an back to the village, leaving Wu Xiulin in the county to help Ning Haifeng. With Ning Yuhuan and the others watching the kids, Wu Xiulin felt at ease.
"Off to ho!"
Both Suisui and An’an were overjoyed, playing in the back seat of the car.
Ning Yuhuan kept an eye on them from the back seat.
"Almost forgot, we need to buy sothing," Xu Lin said, stopping at a small marketplace.
"What do we need to buy?" Ning Yuhuan asked, puzzled.
"Cigarettes. When you go to the village, you hand out cigarettes to the n at the small shop. It’s a way to fit in."
"Oh."
Ning Yuhuan didn’t say anything further.
Xu Lin got out and bought two packs of cigarettes.
Driving from the county to the village took just over an hour, passing winding roads at the foot of the mountains. Xu Lin finally reached the area where Ning Yuhuan’s village was located.
In early August, the rice paddies were full, not dry, even with plenty of water, and surrounded by lush mountains, creating a picturesque and refreshing scene.
With the car windows down, the breeze blew through, and the air felt extraordinarily fresh, unlike the city’s air quality.
Xu Lin felt completely relaxed.
After a few more minutes, Xu Lin drove into the village.
With the rice planted, the busy farming season had already passed.
At this ti of day, the small shop was bustling with people inside who were escaping the heat with fans, so playing mahjong, and others just watching or chatting.
Behind the shop was a basketball court, now used as a parking area.
In August, most young adults worked elsewhere, leaving only a few cars here.
Ning Haifeng ntioned that during the New Year and Qingming Festival, the place would be packed with cars, as most families owned cars now.
In one corner of the basketball court stood a tall bamboo grove, naturally providing shade.
Villagers placed many chairs there, and quite a few sat there chatting and cooling off.
Suddenly, people saw a car arrive and park.
No one recognized the car model, but everyone had to admit it looked impressive and high-class.
Soone recognized the car, pointing it out, "Isn’t that car from Haifeng’s son-in-law?"
"Haifeng’s son-in-law, the tall, handso, and rich young man?"
"Yes, that’s him—tall, strong, handso, and wealthy. This car costs over two million!"
"Haifeng’s family is truly blessed to have such a wealthy and good-looking son-in-law!"
Everyone expressed their envy.
They also thought of the Ning Haifeng family, known as the most attractive in the village, even by a significant margin.
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