Chapter 76: Chapter 72 The Age of Naked Marriage
Chen An'an went back home and started her usual routine.
Digging soil, watering trees, transplanting flowers.
She also gave her favorite Little Grass a sip of her dad's beloved hot tea, and then it would... die on the same day.
She'd dress up the little tree she admired in a floral skirt and hang a small bell on it.
Its survival for seven days depended solely on luck.
If it died, she'd feel sad too, shedding a tiny tear.
Then she'd turn on her computer, which was even bigger than herself, and start online shopping.
The little fellow was indeed quite clever, often buying all sorts of random stuff.
Like a little house for the tree to live in, cat food for dogs.
Utterly useless stuff.
She didn't care about the price; after all, she was using her mom's card.
Her dad had said that girls should be raised in luxury, so how much could she possibly spend on things the trees liked?
Bai Xin knew she had to talk to the parents today and couldn't help but be amused by Chen An'an's reversal of roles, consoling her:
"Teacher Bai, when I grow up, my dad wants me to go to Harvard. Do you think I could rank near the top with my grades there?"
Harvard?
You still dream of ranking near the top?
Bai Xin didn't know what to say to her, only managing to reply:
"That place is even better than Qingbei. If you go there, you'll certainly be among the top performers."
"So everyone there is a big dummy; that's reassuring."
Chen An'an giggled. Among the good students, she stood out like a crane among chickens; among the poor students, she was like a crane in a herd of cows.
She just didn't fit in.
When Song Yanxi called her to eat, Chen An'an ran faster than a dog, her two chubby legs generating a breeze.
Chen Pingsheng was still inside, planning the travel route for the trip home, but tomorrow would be New Year's Day.
The first day of 2014.
He still planned to take Little An'an to buy some things, and while at it, choose something for the grandparents at home too.
"Yanxi, shall we drive the Bospeed when we go home?"
"Sure, but how long do you plan to stay on the road this time?"
"At least a week."
Chen Pingsheng said, "Although we are parents to two kids, we should still have a journey home that we can embark on at a moment's notice. Zhengzhou's Shaolin Temple, Mount Laojun, Shimen Longkou, and the famous Longhu Mountain in Jiangxi — we should see them all."
"Bro, does this count as a mid-life romantic trip?" Chen Qi asked with a laugh.
"Of course not, your brother is always eighteen."
Chen Pingsheng said with a hearty laugh, "Tomorrow, let's go to the big mall together and try to get everything we need."
The next day, New Year's Day.
Chen Pingsheng took his family shopping, from climbing gear to photography gadgets, to barbeque grills.
They bought whatever they saw.
After gathering all these items, he then went to find Gao Hu and Zhou Chun to inform them about being away for a month.
This trip meant they wouldn't return too quickly; the opening of Fei Yangyang and the renovation of Water Cloud Space had to be managed by them.
As for Tengying Entertainment, they could just pull the door shut and close up shop.
Everyone at Tengying was out filming, and with Zhang Tao and Liu Jing running Tengsheng Fruits, there was even less need for his supervision.
Days flew by, and before they knew it, half a month had gone.
Chen An'an finally had her vacation, and Chen Pingsheng specially took out the Bospeed to wash it down.
Originally bought for the journey home, the car was now finally serving its purpose.
After finally getting it clean, just before departing, Song Yanxi managed to get an elaborate nine-shot series of photos.
Along with a caption.
"The six years overdue honeymoon trip"
In 2013, the hottest social media app was undoubtedly WeChat Moments, which burst into popularity as soon as it was launched.
Posting in Moments whenever there was something to share.
As soon as the nine-grid photo was posted, the likes surged.
Song Wu: Have a great time.
Du Juan marveled and, pulling a crowd of colleagues at the water cooler, said, "Look, our Yanxi's off on a honeymoon with her husband again."
"I'm so jealous. I remember when someone said they'd rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a motorbike."
While speaking, she glanced at Yang Dan next to her; those were her words, after all.
"Yanxi's not just in a BMW now, she's usually in a Maybach, and they travel in a top-of-the-line Mercedes bus; talk about dedicated transportation."
"Right? And to think her family's business skyrocketed this year. Not only did they open fruit supermarkets all over Shijingshan, but they also started a hotpot city and Water Cloud Space."
"And that beauty salon of hers, if you haven't been there, you wouldn't understand. You need the courage to step through those doors unless you're making a few hundred thousand a month."
"That's all thanks to her capable husband, seizing the opportunity when it came. Just look at the life Yanxi's living now; any woman would be envious, right?"
Du Juan gossiped with them; a former colleague who left less than a year ago was now making a fortune.
That had become the biggest private topic among them.
To say they weren't envious would be a lie.
But where to find another man like him?
If they could find a man like Chen Pingsheng, even if he was still riding a bicycle, they'd be willing to marry him.
Little did they know the contents of their idle chatter.
Just as Chen Pingsheng was about to set off, the sky suddenly poured heavy rain.
The car's windshield wipers swung left and right, and the first stop was Shijiazhuang.
The whole journey was 280 kilometers long, taking three and a half hours to drive.
Driving alone was too tiring, so he had Chen Qi join him.
This little sister had no intention of being a driver; she joined her sister-in-law in the second row instead.
With a slight recline of the chair and a blanket over her, she began eating big cherries with her mouth agape.
And catching up on "The Naked Wedding Era" with Tong Jiaqian and Liu Yiyang.
In a top-of-the-line Bospeed, of course, there was a big TV.
Chen Pingsheng also liked watching this TV show, where Tong Jiaqian stole the household registration book against all odds to marry Liu Yiyang.