Xiaomi Heavy Industry, its first entrepreneurial venture!

Chapter 146 It's the Lunar New Year! (Second Update!)

As Lin Yi emerged from the No. 1 Detention Center, he felt refreshed and invigorated, and all the mental stress he had been under during this period vanished without a trace.

I got on the bus and took out my phone.

There are no messages on my phone.

He sighed softly, reached into his pocket, and pulled out a business card.

Meng Hai's business card.

Meng Hai, Professor, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Suzhou University

Lin Yi typed the number on the keypad, but instead of making a call, he sent a message to the other party.

[Professor Meng, could I borrow your lab for the next couple of days during the Chinese New Year holiday? I'm going to buy some materials now.]

After sending the message, Lin Yi opened the system panel, found the raw material suppliers for solid-state batteries in the suppliers list, and dialed the numbers one by one according to the contact information on the list.

Fortunately, these manufacturers are all located in the Yangtze River Delta region, in neighboring cities, but not far apart.

After contacting the manufacturers and marking their locations on the map, I turned the steering wheel and drove the old Santana toward a company in Guangling.

On the other side, the bus that Ji Shuangshuang was riding slowly drove into the urban area of ​​Guangling.

Looking at the familiar scene, she began to slowly adjust her language system.

As a native of Guangling, she always speaks Mandarin when she is away from home.

The saying "the accent remains unchanged but the hair turns gray" did not apply to her.

After all, she was a gentle woman who cared about her reputation.

After getting off the bus, I took a taxi and then transferred to a motorcycle.

She finally arrived at the village entrance.

Before even entering the village, I saw several old women sitting under the archway at the village entrance, holding a handful of sunflower seeds. They didn't seem to mind the cold; they were just sitting there cracking sunflower seeds under the archway, pointing and gossiping at the people returning to the village.

"Is that Old Wang's kid? He came back from work without even saying he needed to change into something nice. That's really too much."

"Is that the youngest in the Chen family? He's over 30 and still not married. If my kid was over 30 and still not married, I'd kick him out."

"Look, isn't that the eldest son of the Ji family? You know what, he looks like he's made a lot of money."

"What big money are you talking about!" The middle-aged woman next to her chimed in, popping a sunflower seed into her mouth.

The teeth cracked against the sunflower seed shells, making a crisp snapping sound.

She then casually spat out the sunflower seed shells, and while doing so, she couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The older woman stopped talking, and the woman next to her immediately chimed in, leaning over and whispering mysteriously, "Money isn't so easy to earn these days. Who knows what they're doing outside?"

Then she quickly glanced around, lowered her head again, and said in an even more enigmatic tone:
"I heard that she's not doing any decent work outside."

Upon hearing this, several middle-aged women nearby immediately widened their eyes in agreement, revealing an expression of "I see."

Then, the next second, a backpack hit the group of middle-aged women directly on the head, followed by Ji Shuangshuang's words:

"Gani's mom is empty!"

"Who said that? Tell her to come and bastard in front of me if she dares, and I'll knock her head open!"

"Stop talking!"

"All you do is talk about is Hu Qiaqia, you lonely mom!"

As the village's intelligence organization, the fighting power of the elderly men and women at the village entrance is mainly manifested in the shadows. If it were a direct confrontation, their fighting power would be almost zero. As for their pitiful fighting experience, it would be so fragile and insignificant in the face of fists, feet, and words.

Seeing Ji Shuangshuang's face flushed red and her murderous expression, the group of middle-aged women quickly fell silent and turned away to pretend to be dead.

After cursing, Ji Shuangshuang rolled her eyes, grabbed her backpack, and headed towards the village.

No sooner had she left than a group of middle-aged women gathered together, pointing and whispering about her in their local Guangling accent:

"Look, this is what it means for someone in their twenties who isn't married. With looks like this, who would want them?"

The other women agreed with what the older woman said. They turned around, sat back down in their seats, and continued eating sunflower seeds and pointing at passersby.

As Ji Shuangshuang approached her home, before she even stepped inside, she saw her mother, Fang Hui, squatting at the doorway, busy with chores and holding a broom.

Even the grime that had been hidden inside the iron gate for who knows how many years was picked out bit by bit by my mother with a skewer, and then wiped clean with a rag.

Ji Shuangshuang walked over, put down her bag, and squatted down next to her with a grin.

When she heard a noise nearby, Ji Shuangshuang's mother finally realized something was wrong. She turned around and saw her daughter, whom she hadn't seen for several months.

The old man smiled kindly, wiped his hands clean on his clothes, and then reached out to pinch his daughter's cheek.

"Not bad, you've gained weight, you look better than before."

After praising her daughter, the elderly mother stood up and peered behind Ji Shuangshuang, seemingly searching for something.

After watching for a while, the old mother simply threw down the rag, walked out of the courtyard gate, looked left and right at the alley outside the gate, and even walked to the intersection, squatted down and looked at the marks on the ground.

Ji Shuangshuang naturally noticed her mother's unusual behavior. She went over, squatted down beside her, and stared wide-eyed at the ground: "Mom, what are you doing?"

At this moment, Fang sighed, stood up from the ground, rubbed his knees, and then slowly walked back home.

Reaching the doorway, gazing at the gleaming gate, Fang Hui shook his head with a look of regret. His right hand touched the door, and the regret on his face transformed into remorse.

"I heard from Xiaoya that you seem to have a boyfriend."

"You said you'd be back a few days late, I thought you'd bring your boyfriend back with you."

"It's Chinese New Year, and I've cleaned the whole house thoroughly to welcome my son-in-law. I even wiped this door twice."

"Then you told me you came back alone."

Do you know what this is called?

"That's called a futile effort."

After a long sigh, Fang Hui bent down, picked up the basin of water in front of the iron gate, and with both hands, splashed the water in the basin directly into the alley outside.

She put the basin in the yard and spent a few more minutes cleaning up the towels and mops by the door.

He then helped carry Ji Shuangshuang's luggage into the house.

Reaching the eaves, she took two steps back, retreating into the courtyard, and looked up at the building, shouting:

"Stop busying yourself!"

"It's Chinese New Year, and your daughter didn't bring her son-in-law home."

As soon as the words were spoken, the second-floor window opened, and a head popped out:
"Sis, if you're not bringing your brother-in-law back, you should at least call and let us know."

"Do you know how my mom has treated me these past few days? She's treated me like an animal! She made me wash all the stairs, tables, chairs, benches, and even the rags in the house."

"do you know?"

"Shut your mouth!" Fang Hui glared at his son angrily, then picked up Ji Shuangshuang's luggage and walked into the house.

He put down his luggage, poured his daughter a cup of hot water, and tossed her a piece of bread.
"Honey, is it because you speak Guangling dialect all the time that you haven't found a boyfriend?"

"I've already told you, when you go out, you have to act like a lady, be quiet, and be a lady."

"Young boys are very susceptible to this, regardless of the era."

"That's how I attracted your father back then."

Just then, Ji Shuangshuang's father, Ji Guoping, came downstairs and overheard this. He pursed his lips.
Clutching the rag, she quietly retreated upstairs.

The return of her daughter was a cause for celebration. Fang quickly prepared a meal, pulled Ji Shuangshuang to the table, and then sat down beside her mysteriously. While frantically piling food into her daughter's bowl, she tentatively asked:

"You're not getting any younger, do you have any plans?"

Click click click.

The only answer was the sound of Ji Shuangshuang frantically eating vegetables.

Knowing that the girl was avoiding the situation, Fang Hui wasn't in a hurry. He just sat down next to her and watched his daughter eat with a smile.

One minute, two minutes.

10 minutes, 20 minutes.

Just as Ji Shuangshuang put down her bowl, Fang Hui lightly tapped her fingers on the table in front of her:

"Tell your mother honestly whether you're dating anyone right now."

"If you've talked, then find an opportunity for us to meet. If possible, settle things as soon as possible."

"No!"

Fang Hui suddenly stopped speaking, then raised his left hand and began to count on his fingers:
“Your aunt said there’s someone in their area, 28 years old, a former soldier, who is now supposedly starting a business with his old comrades-in-arms, and she said he’s a very reliable person.”

"On your second aunt's side, the son of your second aunt's husband's cousin's neighbor, just graduated, and is said to be working in Nanjing. I haven't seen a photo of him, but I heard from them that he's a decent person."

"Then there's your aunt's family, there's someone who just graduated."

"In short, matchmakers from all around are asking me about you."

"If you don't want to be rushed, then you need to hurry up yourself."

Not hearing the expected pressure to get married, Ji Shuangshuang turned around in surprise, only to meet her mother's eyes.

Noticing her daughter's surprise, Fang shrugged and calmly said:

“I’m not some old fogey. You just graduated, so you can play around for a couple of years first. When you’re old enough, I’ll slowly urge you to get back to normal.”

So, do you actually have someone you like?

At the dining table, Ji Shuangshuang hesitated for a long time before finally putting down her chopsticks and rushing into her mother's arms, nuzzling her face affectionately and saying in a very low voice:
"There is one."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, Fang Hui suddenly covered his mouth.

The next second, Ji Guoping naturally reached out and grabbed his son, dragging the half-grown boy who was eating towards the kitchen.

While dragging the person out, he kept muttering:
"These things are not suitable for children, you shouldn't listen to them."

Sensing his father's worry, Ji An struggled frantically with his bowl in hand, shouting, "I want to eat! Who listens to her inappropriate nonsense? How can we get full? I want to eat! I want to eat!"

Ji Guoping didn't say anything, he just dragged the person out.

After a while, he reappeared in the living room, carrying two plates of food as he walked out.

The door closed again, and only then did Fang Hui hold his daughter in his arms:
"go on!"

"He's my boss!"

"You're a mistress to an old man?" Fang Hui shouted, and the next second, her hand was on Ji Shuangshuang's neck, though not with much force.

“I’ve lived for over 40 years, and my reputation is entirely earned by myself. If you make me lose my good reputation when I’m out in the world, Ji Shuangshuang, I’ll show you what a mother’s love is.”

"Your old man will also show you how terrifying a Chinese man who grows up in adversity can be."

Feeling her mother's love, Ji Shuangshuang rolled her eyes in perfect cooperation and stuck out her tongue in protest: "No!"

“He was only two years older than me and was the only son in his family. His parents died in a car accident while on business.”

"Then I single-handedly built up the company, and now it's getting bigger and bigger."

"He's rich and handsome, and treats me very well. He's much better than those unreliable guys at school."

"Personally, I feel that there's a significant gap between us."

"So what are your thoughts?" The elderly mother's love deepened.

This time, Ji Shuangshuang was truly pinched until her eyes rolled back.

Ji Shuangshuang rolled her eyes and managed to utter a sentence with difficulty: "My thought is that the gap between us is a bit too big!"

"So do you like it?"

"like!"

"If you like someone, go after them. If you can't get them, then we'll talk about it." The old mother finally put down her hand and put away her maternal love.

After stretching her neck, Ji Shuangshuang picked up her bowl and continued eating.

Hearing that there was no more movement in the room, the father and son in the kitchen finally opened the door and reappeared in the living room with bowls in their hands.

Ji Guoping looked at his wife, his eyes asking a question.

Ji Anfei pounced on the dining table, quickly poured the braised pork into a bowl, and then ran back to the kitchen to continue his hearty meal.

Around 8 o'clock, the family had just finished eating and were about to chat for a while.

There was a knock on the courtyard gate from the outside. Ji Guoping opened the gate out of curiosity and saw the matchmaker from the same village standing outside with a smile.

Seeing Ji Guoping open the door, he asked with a smile:

"I heard your eldest son is back."

"Boss!" Ji Guoping scratched his head, shrugged, and said angrily:

"She came back in the afternoon, had a few words with her mother, and then left with her things."

"You just left; you're a step too late."

"Ah?" The matchmaker looked quite surprised, paused for a moment, and then let out a sigh.
"Never mind, let's talk about it next time we meet."

With a wave of her hand, the matchmaker left with a face full of regret. Ji Guoping closed the door, returned to the living room, and shrugged:
"Look! They promote late marriage and late childbirth every day, and advocate fewer births and better births."

"As soon as I came back, a whole bunch of people came up."

After his reflection, he noticed his wife giving him a wink. He understood the meaning behind it, suddenly slapped his forehead, and cautiously leaned closer to Ji Shuangshuang, tentatively asking:

"Why don't you take your luggage back tonight? That way you'll save yourself trouble, and we'll save ourselves trouble too."

Beside him, Fang Hui also sighed and dragged Ji Shuangshuang upstairs:
“Daughter, your dad is right.”

"The Lunar New Year is supposed to be a lively time, but if annoying people come to the door every day, it won't be fun."

"For your parents to have a peaceful New Year, and for you to have a peaceful New Year, pack your things and go to Guangling City for the night."

"Then I'll head back to Suzhou first thing tomorrow morning."

"That way everyone is better off."

As she spoke, she took out another red envelope from her pocket and slapped it into her daughter's hand:
"This is a New Year's red envelope from your mom. Remember to take it to the boy you like, and also tell him not to think it's too small."

In no time at all, the base vehicle that Ji Shuangshuang had just deployed was completely cleaned up.

It transformed back into a suitcase.

Then, Ji Guoping and Ji An, one on each side, like two door gods, dragged the luggage and saw Ji Shuangshuang out.

Half an hour later, at Guangling Railway Station, Ji Shuangshuang stared blankly at the train ticket in her hand, and at her departing parents and younger brother.

She still couldn't believe that she had just arrived home today, hadn't even climbed into her own bed, and was already being sent out again.

(End of this chapter)