Back to the prime of life

Chapter 112 Arrangements for Xu Qiuxue

Xu Qiuxue knew at noon that Lu Changge had come to Jinling, so she made some arrangements for her time and freed up the evening.

When I saw Lu Changge, I found him leaning against the Audi A4 parked at the school gate.

"When did you buy the car?"

"After taking you guys out for a tour, I felt it was inconvenient not to have a car, so I went to pick one up."

"Let me take a look."

Xu Qiuxue's eyes were shining.

Although car consumption has gradually become common in China, many children from rural areas have no experience of driving a family car, let alone such a relatively expensive brand.

In fact, many rural young people have deep feelings for their first car. It is not just a cold machine with four wheels, but more of a result of many years of struggle.

"How much is it?" Xu Qiuxue asked.

"Including insurance and tax, it's 36 yuan."

"That's great! I can even imagine you driving this car to our village during the Chinese New Year. It will definitely attract a lot of onlookers."

Although being older has advantages such as rich experience and a more relaxed attitude towards life, it also means losing some of the joys and sorrows of youth.

Just as Lu Changge had gotten rid of the troubles brought by vanity, he naturally couldn't experience the joy of vain success. He asked, "Girls, do you also feel this way?"

"Returning home in splendor is everyone's desire. What does it have to do with gender? Do you think we girls are inferior to boys?"

Lu Changge said, "Why would I think so? Okay, get in the car, I'll take you somewhere."

"Brother, you said at noon that you were coming to Jinling to meet someone. Did everything go well?"

"Business is just like that. It's going pretty well."

There was no navigation in those days, so Lu Changge drove towards the city center based on his sense of direction. There weren't many cars on the road, and apart from waiting for the traffic lights, the driving experience was quite good.

"Let me ask you a question. You really don't have any feelings for that kid named Wang Honghui, right?"

Xu Qiuxue smiled and said, "You still call him a kid, he's one year older than you."

Lu Changge: “…”

"is it?"

"Yeah, he's one year older than me, which means he's one year older than you."

"Ok."

"He's not a bad person, but I really don't have any feelings for him. Even if I want to say something to him occasionally, he's speechless and annoying. Why are you asking this?"

Lu Changge said: "Nothing, just concerned about your personal life."

"I don't have a boyfriend," she answered bluntly, adding, "I think a lot of them are so childish, especially compared to you."

"I've met his brother several times recently. He has business in Jiangzhou. I told his brother that you don't like his younger brother, and he might go back and tell him. Is that okay?"

Xu Qiuxue shook her head. "It's okay. I already made it clear to him. I still remember you said you should be kind to others who like you, so I didn't say anything hurtful."

"That's fine." Lu Changge just wanted to tell her about these things so that she wouldn't be completely confused.

"Where are you taking me?"

"I'll take you to eat Western food. The more expensive kind."

Xu Qiuxue turned around and asked, "Why?"

Lu Changge said, "There's a theory in society now that girls should be raised in wealth, because once they've experienced good things, they won't be easily swayed by material possessions. While I don't think Western food is inherently better than Chinese food—in fact, some Chinese food is incredibly expensive—there's a general consensus in society that those who use knives and forks and serve wine are classy, so there's nothing I can do about it."

Xu Qiuxue blinked and said, "I'm not attracted by these things."

"Then just think of it as me taking you to experience these more expensive things." The environment in expensive places is generally better, with soft and warm lighting, exquisite and bourgeois decoration, and the waiters are all young, dressed neatly and appropriately.

Xu Qiuxue saw that she was wearing a shirt and a jacket, which seemed rather ordinary. She felt a little embarrassed and leaned closer and whispered, "You should have told me earlier. I was dressed better."

"I'm dressed casually. Remember, you're here to spend money and be served. Don't be overwhelmed by the environment, and don't feel inferior because you're dressed casually."

Lu Changge remembered that in his previous life, after drinking together, Xu Qiuxue recalled her journey and mentioned that she, a poor girl, felt embarrassed to enter a Western restaurant at first.

She said that a store clerk once gave her a sarcastic look, and she remembered it for many years.

"Give me a pair of chopsticks." Lu Changge said to the waiter after sitting down.

The waiter was stunned, but still did as he was told.

Xu Qiuxue's eyes widened in disbelief. "You came to a Western restaurant and actually asked for chopsticks!"

Lu Changge didn't care about that. "We work hard to make money and live a good life so that we can eat steak, not so that we can learn how to use a knife and fork. Don't worry too much about what others think. I'm used to using chopsticks, so what?"

Xu Qiuxue still couldn't get over this psychological barrier, but she didn't know which one was left and which one was right when she held the knife and fork in her hands, so she asked him again.

Lu Changge said, "I don't know either. Just take it however you like. It's not illegal if you take the wrong one."

This could be considered as teaching by example. Anyway, he didn't want Xu Qiuxue to care too much about others, but she was indeed a very caring and strong-willed person, which had brought her a lot of pain.

"Don't worry about that. Just don't grab it with your hands. I want to talk to you about something."

Lu Changge took out the iPhone he carried with him. He used it to listen to music.

"Have you paid attention?"

Xu Qiuxue didn't recognize it right away, so she must have been paying no attention. "What is this?"

"The release of the smartphone by Apple Inc. in the United States, isn't it? You're not a communications engineering major. The emergence of such a revolutionary communication tool didn't even cause a stir in your field."

"A cell phone?" Xu Qiuxue's eyes lit up. She picked it up and played with it for a while. "How do I turn it on?"

"Slide to unlock, the one below."

Xu Qiuxue put down the knife and played with it with both hands. After she made a cut according to Lu Changge's instructions, she was stunned for a moment, "This!"

"Isn't it amazing? Currently, it's only available in the United States and parts of Europe, and it hasn't been introduced to China yet. You should learn some computer knowledge in the future; it will definitely be useful. Of course, don't neglect your major either."

"What is the use?"

"Just trust me. I've already decided to start a business, so you'll definitely help me, right?"

Xu Qiuxue did not hesitate at this point, "Of course."

"So just listen to me. Push off all those part-time jobs, don't leave any behind. Put more time into studying these two majors, and don't fall behind in English. You're a sophomore now, and I'll arrange for you to study abroad in the United States in two years. Maybe in a few years, you'll really be able to help me."

Xu Qiuxue has that ability because she has excellent academic performance and has always been a top student. Her job in her previous life was also in the technical field.

In comparison, Lu Changge spent time on programming just hoping to get started and understand it, so as not to become an ignorant leader who "assigns his men to deal with Tang Monk and his disciples". He didn't really want to become a programming expert.

"Arrange for me to study in the United States?" Xu Qiuxue was really stunned.

"Do you think I'm arranging your life?"

"Not really, it's just a little sudden."

Lu Changge knew it was like this. Only children from rich families would have the worry of not wanting to be arranged by others. Children from poor families dream every day of having a big boss to arrange things for them. It would be best if he could arrange a complete set of things for them, and the smoother the road of life, the better.

There is a saying that goes, "Sleeping on firewood and tasting gall is like Goujian, and eating bitter food is like a lowly dog."

"If not, then do as I say."

He was very much looking forward to Xu Qiuxue's future. After all, she was a powerful person who had achieved financial freedom step by step on her own.

(End of this chapter)