Starting a new chapter in life

Jingyan nodded and sighed: "She didn't understand, but she still listened to advice. She said that she couldn't help but take care of the child here, so she plans to go back to Haishi. She will get together with the child during holidays and festivals, and then they will live their own lives. Sigh, this is a helpless move."

He Zhijun also sighed, "The hearts of parents are full of love and worry."

After Lu Xiaoxiao finished work and returned home, Chen Ping had a detailed talk with her, explaining her thoughts. Although Lu Xiaoxiao did not agree, she was touched by her mother's concern and worry for her.

After learning that Chen Ping was going to return to Haishi to live for a long time, she was very reluctant to let her go and even thought of trying to persuade her to stay. However, one sentence from Chen Ping made her give up the idea:

"Xiaoxiao, I don't want to be so far away from you either, but if I keep living with you, I'm afraid I'll keep nagging about whether you're getting married or not."

Sometimes, even when I know it's wrong, I can't help myself. After all, my thinking hasn't changed; I'm just listening to your Aunt Zhang and trying not to interfere with your ideas.

But that's not a genuine sense of agreement from my heart. What if I couldn't control myself? Our hard-won mother-daughter relationship would be strained again, which is something I don't want to see, and I think it's not what you want to see either.

Lu Xiaoxiao was speechless. Indeed, she wanted her parents to be by her side, to have the warmth of home, but she didn't want them to pressure her to get married and have children. It turns out that it's hard to have both in life, and this becomes a common choice in adulthood. The price of growing up is really high.

Later, Chen Ping and her husband left Beijing, but they weren't in a hurry to return to Haishi. Having heard Jing Yan talk about the scenery and food in various parts of the country, they thought they could experience it for themselves and then return to Haishi. Anyway, they didn't have much to do now, and with money and free time, it was perfect for traveling.

The couple's spontaneous trip was quite fashionable and carefree. After learning about her parents' plans, Lu Xiaoxiao felt much less guilty. After seeing her parents off, she threw herself back into her busy work.

He Zhijun and Jing Yan would occasionally visit Zhizhi on set, but they spent most of their time at home researching recipes. Of course, they could also often be seen strolling hand in hand in the garden near their apartment complex at dusk.

Occasionally, they would take the little boy for a walk. At first, a young couple or a cheerful woman would accompany them, but as the child grew older, it became more common for the two of them to take the little boy for walks together.

Kids are naturally active and restless, running around and calling out to their grandparents in a clear and cheerful voice, which makes you feel relaxed just listening to them. The two of them responded to each other, but their walking speed didn't change at all. They were basically doing their own thing, which made the little boy so anxious that he kept jumping up and down.

Time flies, and it was soon 2013. Ten years after graduating, Zhizhi finally won the Best Director Award at the Hundred Flowers Awards for a TV series she directed. Although the award was not a big one, it was still an important milestone for a young director.

Lu Xiaoxiao won both the Best Actress award in the TV series and the Best Actress award in the two years between. In an interview, she couldn't help but lament, "My appearance is too glamorous. Back then, everyone said I could only play seductive roles. It seemed like my acting career was limited, and I couldn't break out of that mold."

Of course, I won't get many leading roles, since most of the main characters are either pure and innocent or mature and sophisticated, which don't seem to suit me. Only my director friend keeps saying I'm a good fit.

I can't change my appearance, so I'll make up for it with my acting skills. As it turns out, hard work always pays off, and in recent years I've used my talent to break free from the shackles of limited acting roles.

Having played an empress, a naive young demon, and a noble lady burdened with bitterness and resentment, I've faced countless criticisms before filming began. That's how much effort I had to put in. Now, I can finally stand here confidently and proudly say: I dare to try any role now.

In the background of her interview program, He Anzhi sat quietly in the front row, her eyes sparkling, looking proudly at her friend shining on stage. The bold words they made in their youth were finally beginning to bear fruit after fourteen years.

Ping An Media, besides new directors like He Anzhi, Chu Han, and Chen Bin, also has several experienced directors who have a great deal of autonomy in selecting scripts.

Meanwhile, the actors under its umbrella have also risen through the ranks, from unknown extras to leading and supporting roles in hit dramas, thanks to their hard work and good reputation in the industry.

When He Jin'an attends the industry banquet of yesteryear, he is no longer an unknown figure, nor a CEO who has to rely on his youth to secure a seat. Instead, he is a rising star in the industry and a young CEO worthy of everyone's attention.

After her younger brother graduated, Fu Qiusheng put him in charge of the company's management. After two years of training, she forced him to retire, leaving the young master, who wanted to relax for another two years, with no choice but to obediently take over the management of Hongyu Group.

Fu Qiusheng had no attachment to her rights at Hongyu Group. She gracefully submitted her resignation, retaining only her shares in the group. She did not participate in daily decision-making, only caring about receiving year-end bonuses. She then went to Ping An Media to report for duty as vice president.

He Jin'an and she worked together, with He Jin'an in charge of the company's administration and management, while she managed all the actors and agents in the company. She had a wide network of connections and received many commercial endorsements even without using the name of Hongyu Group.

After her younger brother found out what she was busy with, he helped promote Ping An Media on Hongyu Group's official account and even gave Fu Qiusheng the opportunity to be the spokesperson for Hongyu Group for the next five years. Suddenly, Ping An Media's value increased significantly.

Uncle Fu was very grateful to Fu Qiusheng. His daughter was able to marry He Jin'an, this dark horse, thanks to the help of his niece. The relationship between the uncle and niece became even closer than before.

After Ping An Media got on track, Shen Runze took on a sinecure. As he got older, he preferred to travel around and try to recruit promising talents to Ping An Media. In just two or three years, several makeup artists and fashion stylists at Ping An Media were signed because of him.

The company is doing better and better, and the children's careers are also developing smoothly. However, the parents are gradually getting old. Master Zhou called to discuss buying Jingyan's shop.

For this matter, Jingyan even made a special trip back to Haishi. In recent years, she and her husband have lived in Beijing for a long time, and the rent from the shops in Haishi is regularly deposited into her account every month. Now that Master Zhou wants to buy, she agreed without much thought.

When he rented the shop, the price was only 9,000 yuan per square meter. In just seven or eight years, it has risen to 30,000 yuan per square meter. Jing Yan was also amazed when she learned about the increase in housing prices. "This is much faster than making money in business."

The shop, measuring 230 square meters, was priced at a staggering 6.9 million yuan. Mr. Zhou was quite bold to be able to afford the down payment of 2 million yuan and take out a bank loan to buy the property.

He was very grateful that Jingyan was willing to sell to him. The rent for Jingyan's shop had skyrocketed, and the fact that she hadn't raised the rent for him in the past two years was already a sign of their past relationship.

There are only two such shops on Changxing Island. Even after the commercial area was expanded, there are no shops with such large independent courtyards. The potential for appreciation is huge. So when the real estate agent was helping with the paperwork, he advised Jingyan that the house could actually be sold for a higher price.

Jing Yan shook her head: "The source of my success is a recipe that Chef Lin gave me back then. Although he said that giving me a house would be considered a settlement for the past,..."

But he and Chef Zhou still help me run Xiangmanyuan. These days, I haven't actually lowered the prices; they're all based on market value. Chef Lin is also willing to leave some assets for the younger generation, so this is my way of showing my appreciation. Let's stick to this price; I haven't skimped on profits yet.”

Seeing that she had made up her mind, the agent didn't say anything more and started helping her with the transfer of ownership and loan matters. After the shop transfer was completed, Jingyan carried a fruit basket to see Chef Lin.

Chef Lin is 81 years old, his hair is completely white, and his voice is still very powerful, but his hearing is not very good. You have to get close to his ear and speak loudly for him to hear you.

Upon seeing Jingyan, he grasped her hand, repeatedly saying, "Look at you, back then it was just a prescription, but you were able to earn money because you were willing to endure hardship."

You bought me a house, and you gave me and Zhou'er stable jobs. Now, you've even sold your shop. Zhou told me you sold it to him at market price, but you could have gotten a higher price for a commercial property. You got ripped off again.

Jing Yan laughed and whispered in his ear, "Chef Lin, you only talked about my contributions. But the money I've earned over the years, the business I've built, isn't it all because you gave me the recipe out of pity?"

Later, when my restaurant Xiangmanyuan wanted to make money, I needed good chefs. You and Chef Zhou were there to help me in the kitchen, which helped me build the restaurant's reputation. All the money I made was thanks to you.

I didn't lose money selling this shop. Even though I didn't sell it at the original shop price, look how much I made. Money is enough as long as it's sufficient. The most important thing is still maintaining good relationships, right?

I consider you an elder like my father, and this is just my way of showing filial piety. Please don't flatter me like that; I can't accept it.

Chef Lin was overjoyed and insisted on cooking a meal for her himself. Chef Zhou quickly followed him into the kitchen to help. Chef Lin was getting old and still liked to do everything himself, which made Chef Zhou follow him around every day, worried that he might bump into something.

Seeing their father-son-like relationship, Jingyan grinned. Meeting Chef Lin was the beginning of her good fortune in this life.

After the meal, Jingyan said goodbye, and Chef Lin escorted her all the way to the entrance of her residential compound, watching her until she disappeared before turning to go home. Neither of them expected that this meeting would be the last time they would ever meet, but fortunately, they had no regrets.

After selling the shop, Jingyan wondered if she should sell the house as well. She asked He Zhijun, but he didn't have any ideas and let her decide. However, An'an and Zhizhi stopped her.

The two children had good reason to keep it: this was their home since they were little, a place that held traces of their grandmother's life and memories of the whole family. They would keep it, even if someone had to take care of it.

So, in the end, the house was given to the third sister, Jingxian, to take care of. Her two sons had already moved into their home in the community. She originally lived at Rongqiang's house, but that place was still a bit remote, and medical care and daily life were not particularly convenient.

It's different here. The hospital on the island is of a high standard, it's close to home, and we're familiar with the surrounding area. Since Jingyan and her husband don't come back often, after discussing it, Jingxian agreed to stay and help take care of the house.

After He Zhijun and Jing Yan finished settling things off here, they returned to Beijing. Their eldest grandson was about to start elementary school, and although the couple didn't personally take care of him, they had a very good relationship with the child.

The little guy is very particular about rituals; he insisted that his grandparents and maternal grandparents be present at his school entrance ceremony. Everyone dotes on him, and on that day, not only the four grandparents, but even his parents and aunt were there.

It's safe to say that this school had the most parents among all the children. Apparently, this large group made their child the envy of the school, and the child made several friends right after starting school.

Well, it might also be related to his overly extroverted personality. Children who are surrounded by love from a young age are always willing to share their warmth, making it easier for them to attract attention and goodwill from others.

In the latter half of 2014, Jingyan received a call from Chef Zhou. Chef Lin had passed away peacefully in his sleep. He had been in good health before, and the funeral had already been held. He was just calling to let her know.

Jingyan was somewhat dazed upon hearing the news. After thinking for a moment, she rushed back with He Zhijun. Upon arrival, Master Zhou was quite surprised that they had come, but he still took them to the cemetery to visit Chef Lin.

After returning from the cemetery, Jingyan felt the impermanence of life. When chatting with her third sister, she talked about things from her childhood, and it seemed that the older she got, the more she thought about the past.

Finally, the third sister and she decided to take advantage of their relatively young age and go back to their hometown to visit their brothers and sisters.

He Zhijun did not accompany the two sisters on their trip this time, but stayed in Haishi to wait for them to return.

However, the two later couldn't help but feel grateful for their last-minute decision, because after they arrived in Liaoning Province, they learned that their older brother had already been resuscitated two or three times in the hospital, and the doctor said that he might not have much time left.

My brother seemed to be in good condition when I called him before, so why is he suddenly not doing well?

“I was taking my grandson to school, and he insisted on riding his bike. If he had walked, nothing would have happened. But on the way back after dropping him off, he rode into a ditch and fell. That's how he died.” The woman wiped away her tears, her voice choked with sobs.

Jingyan frowned: "He's over seventy years old, why are you still letting him ride a bike?"

The older sister-in-law sobbed, "He insisted on riding it, and I couldn't stop him. I really didn't expect something like this to happen."

Jingxian held his sister-in-law's hand and comforted her, "This is something none of us wanted. Have you informed your sister and two brothers?"

The eldest nephew, Jianjun, quickly stepped forward to reply, "My brother and I have already called to inform them, but they might be a little late in arriving, though they should all be here today."

Jingxian nodded: "That's good, at least all of us brothers and sisters are together now."

In the evening, all seven sisters were gathered in the hospital corridor. The doctor pushed open the door to the special care ward and said, "Zhang Jingtian's family, please come in and take a look. Please keep your voices down so as not to disturb the other patients."