Leisurely mountain village

Ye Huan drove to the bank, where the lobby manager was already waiting for him. The manager breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Ye Huan arrive, and then helped him swipe his card to withdraw 500 million yuan in cash. Ye Huan had to use a large canvas bag to fit it all in.

He put it on the back seat, said goodbye to everyone, and put the canvas bag away in his storage compartment after getting in the car. Following the research he had done yesterday, he drove to several gold shops. The price of gold was still okay, around 500. He bought ten kilograms of gold bars at several shops, worth about 2.5 million, and paid by card directly.

Including the money he had left over, he now had a balance of about 730 million yuan in his account, which was enough for his expenses. He checked the time, turned around, and got on the highway.

I had a boxed lunch at a service area for dinner, then drove a bit further to the next service area. I took a nap in the car for three or four hours. After dawn, I washed my face and entered Jiangsu province.

I arrived in Jinling around 11 a.m. on Saturday. Following the navigation, I went directly to the vicinity of the hotel. I found a small restaurant and ordered two dishes, a soup, and a large bowl of rice. After eating and drinking my fill, I checked in.

After setting the alarm and going to sleep, Ye Huan woke up feeling groggy. "I should give myself more time in the future, I'm too tired," she muttered.

He would take a shower and change into more casual clothes. His clothes were all ordinary, generic brands; he wasn't particular about such things.

Seeing that it was 4:40, Ye Huan set the navigation and drove to Lehe Hotel. It was not yet 5 o'clock, and there were not many cars in the parking lot. After parking the car, Ye Huan did not get out of the car, but picked up the phone in the car and sent a message to Chen Xixi.

"We're almost there, have you arrived yet?"

“Several people have arrived. Room 207208, come up directly,” Chen Xixi replied to him.

"Okay, I'll come find you when I get there." Ye Huan hung up the phone, sat in the car for another seven or eight minutes, and then got out.

Pushing open the door to the private room, Ye Huan saw about ten people chatting together. They hadn't been apart for a few years, so they weren't strangers yet. "Hello everyone, I'm here."

"Haha, Old Ye is here, Xixi, who's missing?" someone laughed.

Those who knew him well would come up and hug him, while those who weren't close would nod to each other as a greeting.

Ye Huan sat down next to his handsome roommate, Xiao Shuai, and asked, "Why are you here too?"

“My hometown is in Zhenjiang, it’s so close, only an hour away,” Xiao Shuai said with a smile.

"One more one, almost there, everyone wait two more minutes," Chen Xixi said, waving her phone.

They've all been in the workforce for several years now, so they've become much more mature. With no one making a fuss, they've formed small groups and are chatting about their own lives or their friends'.

Ye Huan, Xiao Shuai, and a girl with whom they used to have a fairly good relationship chatted together.

"Wasn't Huan doing well in Shenzhen? How come I heard you went back to your hometown in Sichuan and Guizhou?" Lin Li, a girl who had a good relationship with Ye Huan during college, asked.

"Yeah, Xiao Huan, you went back to your hometown?" Xiao Shuai asked.

"Yeah, I wasn't happy at work, so I went back. You know how computers are, they're a new generation every three years. I finally made it to the point where I was supposed to get a raise, but the company said they hired a batch of new people with a monthly salary of 4500. What are you going to do?" Ye Huan laughed.

"Sigh, who can argue with that?" Xiao Shuai nodded. He went back to his hometown, and his family had some connections who arranged a job for him. Although he wouldn't become rich and powerful, he wouldn't have to worry about food and drink in the small city of Zhenjiang.

"What about you, Lin Meimei? You went back to Jinling after graduation. What are you doing now?" Ye Huan asked.

"He followed in his father's footsteps and joined the tobacco company," Lin Li said in a low voice. She only spoke to those she was close to; she wouldn't tell anyone else.

Ye Huan and Xiao Shuai, being sensible, looked around, nodded, and gave her a thumbs up. The three of them smiled at each other, everything understood without words.

"Then what are you going home for? Now?" Lin Li asked.

"Farming? What else can you do in the countryside? My home is at the foot of the Baiwan Mountains. We can't even start a tourism business here. Right now, I'm just researching organic vegetables in the village." Ye Huan didn't hide anything. They're all good buddies, so there was no need to hide anything.

"Damn, bro, can you send me some later? The vegetables outside are expensive and bad these days, they're all soaked in nutrient water," Xiao Shuai said.

"Okay, just let me know whenever you want some, and I'll mail it to you," Ye Huan said with a smile. Talking about money? That would hurt our relationship.

Before anyone could say anything more, the door was pushed open again, and a handsome man walked in, bowing as he said, "I'm sorry I'm late. A contract took up some time. I apologize to everyone."

Chen Xixi got up and said to the waiter, "Let's get the food ready."

Then he said to everyone, "Alright, everyone who made the appointment is here, please sit down."

Ye Huan and his two companions didn't move either. They were sitting at the secondary table, so they didn't go over to join in the fun. The students sitting over there were all students who had achieved some success, and everyone was very self-disciplined.

"Everyone, let's raise our glasses to celebrate our first gathering. There aren't many people, but that's okay. Things are different now than before. Everyone has their own work and life. Let's try to have a gathering at least once a year from now on. Cheers!" Chen Xixi stood up, holding her wine glass, after all the dishes were served.

"Cheers!" All the students stood up and happily raised their glasses to drink together.

Then it was time for everyone to go their own way. Those who were close, like Ye Huan, Xiao Shuai, and Lin Li, would drink and chat by themselves. Those who thought they were doing well would go around toasting people, handing out business cards, and satisfying their vanity by being called "Manager So-and-so" or "Section Chief So-and-so."

Chen Xixi and the young man who arrived last came over to Ye Huan's table with their glasses. "Long time no see, Ye Huan, let's have a good chat later," Chen Xixi said. "Come on, everyone, let's have a toast. I want to thank everyone for letting me organize this gathering."

"Ye Huan, it's been a long time. How have you been?" The young man clinked glasses with Ye Huan.

"Not bad. How about you? Looks like you've struck it rich?" Ye Huan laughed. Li Zifei was a real pro back in college. He started his own company and now I hear he's secured venture capital.

"Hey, don't you know my situation? It's just small-scale stuff. I'm planning to make some connections, then sell everything, and then go travel the world," Li Zifei said with a smile.

"Then I wish you success, good luck." Ye Huan said with a smile. There was no mercenary attitude involved; they were just classmates with a decent relationship, and there was no need to do anything unnecessary.

"Thank you, you too. I wish everyone all the best! Cheers!!" Li Zifei laughed. He learned about Ye Huan's return to his hometown from the classmates' group. He felt a little sorry for him at the time. Ye Huan was known as a big shot in their year, and his computer skills were top-notch.

Unfortunately, after entering society, he just became like everyone else, fading into obscurity.

Please update soon!