Starting a new chapter in life

Zhizhi shook her head: "I don't need to rest. Just give me work. I'll come to the company tomorrow to choose a notebook from you."

He Jin'an sighed, "Alright, I'll wait for you."

After dropping Zhizhi and her husband off at the entrance of their residential compound, He Jin'an stepped on the gas and drove away. Cheng Heng, supporting Zhizhi, was very worried: "Mom's funeral arrangements are now complete. Don't be too sad. How about I go and bring our son back to keep you company?"

Zhizhi shook her head: "No need. My personality isn't suited to raising children myself. I'd spoil them. Your stepmother is a good person. At least she hasn't mistreated you and has been quite kind to you. Your sister is a bit willful and domineering, but she doesn't have any bad intentions. If she takes care of the children, at least they won't be corrupted at their core."

My mom spoiled her kids, so my brother and I were raised by my older cousin, Ci'en. My mom took good care of us. My great-grandmother was still alive then, and the two of them had a lot in common.

You know, although my mom is a bit on the plump side, she has a certain bourgeois taste in everything she does, from her clothes to her lifestyle. That's all thanks to my great-grandmother; she was a very elegant old lady. It's a pity that most of the older generation has passed away, leaving only us..."

Cheng Heng hugged her and comforted her gently, "You still have me."

After dropping Zhizhi off, He Jin'an asked, "Uncle Shen, are you staying with my dad or going home? Let me check the route."

Shen Runze thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to my house first. There's some food left at home that's probably gone bad. We can clean it up thoroughly and get rid of it, otherwise it'll attract rats and cockroaches if it's left out for too long."

While you're at it, pack your clothes and bring them over. You can help with the move. I'm worried about leaving your dad alone in his current state. Actually, it would be best if he lived here with me; it would prevent him from seeing his belongings and being reminded of him.”

He Zhijun shook his head: "I don't want to. I'll stay at home. Jingyan and I set up this house here bit by bit. It's home. I'm not leaving."

Shen Runze said helplessly, "Fine, if you're not leaving, then I'll come and keep you company. But you all have to lend me a hand today. I've lived in your house for more than half a year, and I didn't tidy up properly before I left. I guess there's a lot of stuff to throw away, so you'll have to help me clean it up."

He Zhijun nodded: "Okay."

While waiting at a red light, He Jin'an secretly sent his location to Assistant Liu: "Send two cleaning ladies to this address to help clean up. Hmm, bring cleaning tools, it's probably pretty dirty."

Assistant Liu quickly gave an OK sign. He Jin'an put away his phone and continued driving attentively. Fu Zixu, sitting in the passenger seat, twitched the corner of his mouth but didn't say anything. His mother was right; none of the children in the family liked to do housework. Even for this little bit of work, they had to bring in people from the company.

When they arrived at Shen Runze's house, they opened the door and went inside. Apart from being a bit dusty, it didn't look too bad at first glance. After entering, Shen Runze first opened all the windows in the rooms to let in some fresh air, and then went straight to the kitchen.

I opened the refrigerator, and yes, it really needed a thorough cleaning. Even the sealed food inside was moldy. Eggs, milk, yogurt, drinks, sausages... I didn't even need to check the dates; I just grabbed a garbage bag and stuffed everything in.

Refrigerated and frozen food—He Jin'an clicked his tongue in amazement. "Uncle Shen, I didn't expect you to love life so much! You have more food than I do at home."

Shen Runze glared at him: "Stop making sarcastic remarks and hurry up and help throw them away. I'm a grown man, and my cooking skills aren't even that good, so of course I have to buy instant food. I only thought I would be gone for ten days or half a month, but I didn't expect it to be more than half a year. Now I can't keep them anymore."

The white fungus, black fungus, mushrooms, dried chili peppers, seaweed, and shiitake mushrooms are all dried goods, so they won't spoil. There are nylon bags under the TV cabinet in the living room; I'll grab one, put them in, and bring them to your house to eat. Otherwise, they'll probably all have to be thrown away.

He Jin'an ran out excitedly and quickly returned with the bag. He Zhijun looked around and asked, "Should I clean the living room first?"

Shen Runze instructed, "Go pack my clothes first. There are suitcases in the cabinet on the side of the bedroom hallway. Just find a big one and pack all the clothes in my bedroom closet. This time I'm taking all my clothes with me."

He Zhijun nodded, turned around and left the kitchen.

“Uncle Shen, is it a waste to leave your house empty like this? Why don’t you list it for rent through a real estate agency? You could at least collect some rent.” Fu Zixu was very thrifty and didn’t want to waste money.

Shen Runze looked around and shook his head: "Don't underestimate this house of mine. It cost a lot to renovate it. I would be heartbroken if it got ruined if I rented it out. It's better to just leave it here. It won't break down anyway."

“Then I’ll keep an eye out for you. If I find a reliable place, I’ll let you know, and then we can rent it out. Your house is very close to the film studio. Several of our company’s junior staff are practically living there, and they’re also planning to rent an apartment nearby. It’s more cost-effective than staying in a hotel, and it also protects their privacy better,” He Jin’an interjected.

Shen Runze thought for a moment and nodded: "I want to choose someone who is clean and tidy, so they don't ruin my house. The rent is fine as long as it's about the same. Just think of it as them helping me find a place."

After packing up, the doorbell rang. Shen Runze was taken aback: "Who would come at this hour?"

He Jin'an immediately walked towards the door: "The cleaning lady I transferred here helps with the cleaning."

Shen Runze looked at his back and said helplessly, "There's only so much work to do, how can this kid be so lazy? Is he this lazy at home too?" He turned to ask Fu Zixu.

Fu Zixu smiled and said, "I'm not actually very hardworking. Sometimes my parents come over to clean the house, but more often we hire hourly workers. We're both quite busy with work, so we really don't want to do anything when we get home."

As soon as he finished speaking, He Jin'an brought his men in. The two cleaners weren't very old, only in their forties, and they were quite efficient at their work.

Shen Runze scolded He Jin'an somewhat reproachfully: "It's already dark, why did you bring him here? Are you going to deliver him later?"

He Jin'an shook his head: "The company car is waiting outside. Sister Zhang has a driver's license, so she drove here. She'll drive back after she's done. We'll grab our things and leave now. She can give me the room key tomorrow."

Shen Runze nodded in agreement, telling the young couple to throw away what they needed to throw away in the community trash can and put what they needed to take in the trunk of the car. He then went to the bedroom to find He Zhijun.

Upon entering the room, He Zhijun sat on the bed in a daze, staring at the two suitcases he had packed. He only looked up when he heard the door open. Seeing that it was Shen Runze, he didn't move, but simply said softly, "When I used to go out with Jingyan, I was the one who packed her luggage when she didn't want to move."

Shen Runze shook his head: "I'm just making things unnecessary for you. You two have been together for over thirty years and are familiar with all the big and small things in life. If you don't want to move on, then you'll be trapped in your memories. Do you think your sister-in-law would want to see you like this?"

"You're so heartbroken, but the person who's gone can't see it. You treated her well enough while she was alive, so you have no regrets. Is it necessary to make things so difficult for yourself?"

He Zhijun shook his head: "I'm not making things difficult for myself, I just can't let go for a while. I've gotten used to having her in my life, but now I'm glad I'm following behind her. Otherwise, if she were all alone, it would be so sad."

Shen Runze thought to himself, "That's not necessarily true. I think she's more open-minded than you." But he didn't dare say it aloud, afraid of making her cry again. An old man, so easily hurt...

When He Jin'an and his wife returned, I helped them carry their suitcases as they entered the door. The two old men followed behind them as they left. Before leaving, He Jin'an instructed the cleaning lady: "Once you've cleaned it up, drive back. I'll give you both a paid day off tomorrow. Just come to the company the day after tomorrow and give me the keys. Return the car to the company the day after tomorrow."

The two women were very happy. They had originally thought they would be going to work as usual tomorrow. Although it was doing side jobs for the boss, Ping An Media's treatment was very good in the industry. Even the cleaning staff were paid well. Moreover, the employees in the company were very polite to them. They were happy working there and never expected to have a holiday.

They happily agreed, and after watching the group leave, the two of them didn't linger any longer. After dividing up the tasks, they began to get to work.

After taking the two elderly people home, Shen Runze declined He Jin'an's offer to help pack their clothes, saying, "You two should go home now. It's so late, drive carefully on the road, and call to let me know you're safe when you get home."

He Jin'an agreed and was about to leave when he received a call from He Ci'en. Knowing that everyone had arrived home safely, he was no longer worried. After the children left, the two old men looked at each other. Shen Runze asked, "Are you hungry? I'll go cook some noodles?"

He Zhijun shook his head: "With your cooking skills, you can only cook things until they're done. Let me do it. How about Zhajiangmian (noodles with soybean paste)?"

Shen Runze nodded quickly: "Sure, I'm not picky."

In the middle of the night, the two of them were eating noodles with soybean paste and drinking yellow wine, which completely bewildered Shen Runze. "I know you want to drink something to help you fall asleep, but isn't this combination a bit strange? Have you ever seen anyone drink alcohol with staple food?"

"I'll make some more fried peanuts tomorrow, and we can have them with our drinks from now on, okay? Let's just make do today, it's not good to drink on an empty stomach." He Zhijun made a very half-hearted promise.

There's no way around it; our brotherhood of many years shouldn't be ruined over a meal with drinks. So... I'll just have to put up with it.

He Zhijun kept his word. The next day, he went into the kitchen and fried peanuts, and also made spiced soybeans. Shen Runze looked at the soybeans and hesitated, but ultimately didn't say anything.

After finishing, He Zhijun packed the two snacks into glass jars and said with great pride, "These snacks will last us at least four months."

Shen Runze... "Actually, I'd prefer to have meat dishes with my drinks."

With Shen Runze by his side, although they still bickered occasionally, He Zhijun's condition improved day by day. The lingering effects of the pandemic were still present, but people no longer feared it. It was as if it had become a kind of viral flu, and people were getting used to it.

Of course, wearing masks when going out has quickly become a habit. In any case, older people will consciously protect themselves, and as for young people... they are healthy and resilient.

After a break of more than half a year, He Zhijun would always go to Songheyuan whenever he encountered a problem. Zhizhi's TV series had been released and received a good response, so he wanted to share the news with Jingyan. An'an's company had also received another generous sponsorship from a brand, so he would make a trip there as well.

He'd put too much salt in his cooking, and he and Shen Runze had drunk a lot of water. They even had to share the toilet one night. But after that, his life returned to normal. He'd often wander around the film studio, watching the young people film.

Sometimes when I see kissing scenes being filmed, I'll click my tongue and comment, "They're using a bit too much force, aren't they afraid of chipping their teeth?" It's just that the person next to me has changed from my wife to my brother.

Shen Runze was truly impressed. After all, he was practically part of the film and television industry. To be squatting here with an outsider, just watching the drama unfold, and sometimes when he ran into acquaintances, he felt so ashamed that he wanted to bury his face in the dirt.

Others would go to great lengths for their brothers, but he risked his reputation for his brothers; he really went all out.

Perhaps because the two frequented these places, they became familiar with many film crews. Occasionally, when a film crew needed extras, they would immediately invite these people to make a cameo appearance, which made the prospective extras who often waited in the vicinity extremely envious.

There's no way around it; the two old men have such good bearing and upright posture that they don't look like they're in their sixties or seventies at all. You could easily believe they were in their fifties, especially since their hair is dyed jet black, which makes them look much younger.

Seeing their father regain his energy, Zhizhi and An'an finally felt relieved and adjusted their mindset to get back to their busy work.

At the end of 2021, He Anzhi's palace drama was nominated for the Golden Flower Award, and the lead actress won the Best Actress award. Zhizhi also won the Best Director award. This is the most prestigious event in the TV drama industry. When Zhizhi stood on the stage to receive the award, it felt like a dream.

She never thought she would win an award; she just focused on making good TV dramas, all for the sake of ratings, since that directly impacted how many scripts she would receive in the future. Her biggest wish was simply to always have work and never be unemployed.

Another example is Ping An Media, which can operate peacefully and steadily. But sometimes fate is so strange. Without striving for success, various opportunities come unexpectedly. Could this be considered an unexpected joy?

That very evening, Zhizhi took the trophy to He Zhijun after receiving the award. As expected, the next day He Zhijun went to Songheyuan with the trophy to share the good news with Jingyan. Everyone was used to it.

At first, Shen Runze would accompany him, but now... let him do as he pleases, as long as he remembers to come back and cook before meals.

Lu Xiaoxiao would occasionally come to visit He Zhijun. When she returned from filming in other places, she would bring local specialties to send over. Although she was over forty years old, her appearance had not declined, but she had gained a mature charm. In the past two years, she had played many career-oriented older sister roles, making her fans forget that she was already married and had a happy marriage.

Needless to say, He Ci'en would come sometimes, and sometimes his parents would come to see their youngest brother. The sight of several elderly people squatting together in the film studio, eating melons, was quite a unique scene.

Occasionally, He Zhijun's grandson and granddaughter would come to keep him company, but he didn't like it, finding the children too noisy. Indeed, his grandson had just graduated from elementary school, and besides his good grades, his personality was quite unruly.

My grandson is not yet old enough to start elementary school. He is very curious and often turns into a walking encyclopedia of questions, which has driven He Zhijun to the point of losing his temper.