Jin Yuanyuan's Top-Tier Life

Jin Yuanyuan wasn't screaming in agony; she was shouting in panic.

According to Jin Yuanyuan, she only panicked at twenty, but now she is very calm at thirty, and perhaps when she enters forty, she will become confident.

But now, Jin Yuanyuan is very flustered.

Cao Xiaoyu, who was about to light a cigarette, had to put it away and quickly walked into the workshop. He could tell that Jin Yuanyuan was genuinely panicked. The two were very familiar with each other; their mothers were classmates and best friends, and they got married, became pregnant, and had children around the same time. He and Jin Yuanyuan were only one day apart in birthdays. Fortunately, he was one day older than her, otherwise he would have been suppressed by this "young lady" for the rest of his life.

Jin Yuanyuan pointed to the black thread and was talking to an employee, "That should be placed below the first needle. I was a little slow just now. I saw the needle coming and got nervous, so I put it in the wrong place... What should I do? Can it be stopped? Will stopping it affect the whole result? Will the socks be ruined? Will we have to knit them again? Will the whole process have to be changed?"

"Yuanyuan, take your time," the person said with a smile. "If you make a mistake, just start over. It's no big deal. Pick out this black thread and remove it. You see, the machine can sense your hand here, so it doesn't work, right?"

"Oh, oh, oh, is that so?" Jin Yuanyuan's appearance reminded Cao Xiaoyu of their childhood. Wearing small glasses, Jin Yuanyuan stood next to the teacher, asking how to solve math problems more easily, while he and Jin Feiyan stood to the side, laughing and discussing going home after school to get money to buy soda.

Nothing is insurmountable; even amidst stumbles and falls, they have all grown up.

Jin Yuanyuan has a strong learning ability; after making a mistake once, she never had another problem. Since she was a beginner, she was only put in charge of three sock knitting machines, while the other workers received more attention. Cao Xiaoyu also joined in; he was also a skilled worker with fast hands.

Time flies. We even had a late-night snack during a shift break, and then it was dawn!

Jin Yuanyuan's phone alarm still rings at six o'clock every morning, just like it did during her school days, playing the familiar song "Little Duck": "There was a group of ducklings in the production team. Every morning I herded them to the pond. The ducklings quacked at me. Goodbye, little duck, I'm going to school. Goodbye, little duck, I'm going to school."

"Yuanyuan, off to school!" Cao Xiaoyu stretched and shouted loudly to Jin Yuanyuan across from him, just like they did every morning when they were kids.

At 6:30 a.m., people were already arriving at the Jinjiacun Economic and Technological Development Zone for their early shifts.

When Jin Yuanyuan and Cao Xiaoyu left the factory after get off work, the sun had just risen, and the sun was shining brightly.

"The school is over there. It was renovated this year and expanded quite a bit. The road in front of the school has also been repaired, paved with new asphalt..." Cao Xiaoyu pointed to the middle school they used to attend and said with a grin, "Do you remember? Back then, to avoid being late, I wanted to ride my bike with you, but you insisted on riding with me too. Then we both fell into a ditch on this dirt road..."

"I remember, I remember, Fei Yan was so scared she cried."

"Of course, when you climbed up like a mud monkey, wasn't that scary?"

"You're not much better off," Jin Yuanyuan said with a bright smile. "Do you remember? We were both called in for a meeting because of this. In the end, only your mother went. My mother said she was too busy. She was so arrogant."

"That's right, I think she was going to Shanghai to discuss a big business deal..."

At this moment, students also rode their bicycles past quickly on the road. Those children, whose faces were full of anxiety but still youthful and innocent, always reminded people of their own childhood.

"Oh, right, I'll take you somewhere." Cao Xiaoyu tugged at her cotton-padded coat and ran against the direction of the group of students, turning left and right, and soon arrived in front of a group of old houses.

"This is..." Jin Yuanyuan said, already visibly excited as she walked. "These houses haven't been demolished yet? I always thought they were gone, which is why my mom bought a new house."

"No, no, we bought the new house so that everyone can live closer together and be more comfortable. Look at you, you don't care about Jinjia Village at all. The old houses here haven't been touched. Besides, this area has been designated as a wetland reserve this year, so it will probably be renovated, restored to its original state, and turned into an ancient town or something, so large-scale demolition is unlikely. Moreover, your house is a genuine ancient building, so it certainly won't be demolished."

"So?" Jin Yuanyuan's eyes lit up.

"So!" Cao Xiaoyu's smile deepened.

"So?" Jin Yuanyuan ran over to her old house, which she knew very well. "Ahhhhhh! Cao Xiaoyu!"

Yes, the sign for Jin Yaya's Little Restaurant is still there.

Jinjia Village was considered a large village in ancient times. The people here made a living by construction, silk reeling, and tea cultivation, and the old houses had their own unique scenery. Later, with the development of the economy, in order to improve the quality of life of the people, new houses began to be built on the outskirts of Jinjia Village, and the old market town gradually fell into disrepair.

In reality, these old houses are all ancient buildings, possessing significant historical value. Especially the old house where Jin Yuanyuan lives, which is said to have been built during the Qing Dynasty and inherited from her father's ancestors. Its monetary value is hard to say. However, its main advantage lies in its large size, particularly the front courtyard with its skylight. On rainy days, one can watch the raindrops fall; on sunny days, one can watch the sun shine. Many people enjoy sitting and chatting here.

After discussing it, Jin Yuanbao and Zhu Hongying decided to turn this place into a small restaurant, serving simple home-style dishes. If they were too busy, the neighbors could come here to cook for themselves.

"Actually, I wanted to give Yuanyuan and the other kids a place to do their homework and have something to eat after school." Jin Yuanbao smiled as he waited for Jin Yuanyuan to come home from school so he could cook her something delicious.

"Yuanyuan, what would you like to eat? Now, I'm the head chef at Jin Yaya's Little Restaurant." Cao Xiaoyu had already put on her apron and was about to start making breakfast.

"Little wontons!" Jin Yuanyuan called out happily.

The television was still that old Hitachi, albeit only 18 inches. The tape recorder was still cassette; all the tapes Jin Yuanyuan had collected as a child—those of Teresa Teng, Alan Tam, the Four Heavenly Kings, and Jay Chou—were neatly arranged. Opening the door panel and flipping it over against the wall, Jin Yuanyuan was surprised to find that the large celebrity posters she had received as freebies when she bought magazines years ago were also there, pasted on the back of the door panel and carefully wrapped in plastic wrap.

"It's been fifteen years since we moved, hasn't it? The year I went abroad." Jin Yuanyuan touched the poster of her favorite idol from back then and couldn't help but sigh, "It feels like it was just yesterday."

"Of course, it feels like yesterday, but I've actually spent half my life here." Cao Xiaoyu smiled warmly. "I and Feiyan wrapped those posters up one by one and put them up. Back then, your mother said that this house couldn't be sold, and that the Jin Yaya Restaurant should be kept so that everyone could have a place to eat and sing. That would be good too."

"Jin Yuanyuan, let me tell you, this is our main canteen now. But you'll find out tonight that this is the Jin Yaya Dance Hall, and it hasn't changed in all these years."

"So, you still have that karaoke equipment?"

"Oh, I've replaced that one. It's too old; it can't connect to Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. This one has to be replaced."

"If we do some renovations, or even the whole Jinjia Village area, it should become a nice tourist town, and we could organize some activities there."

"Look at you, that occupational hazard of yours is at it again. Remember, you're not the PR director anymore."

"I still have to go back eventually and find a new job." Jin Yuanyuan still felt a little regretful.

"Are you really not considering coming back to Jinjia Village?" Cao Xiaoyu suddenly asked.

"What do you mean?"

"What I mean is..." Cao Xiaoyu paused again, "Let me put it this way, when your mother fainted that day, I was really panicked. Don't think I'm being harsh, but ten years ago, when my father passed away, I thought that I should spend my whole life by my family's side, protecting that peace of mind. So, what I wanted to ask was..."

"She... is in good health." Jin Yuanyuan understood what Cao Xiaoyu meant. "I like the outside world, and I want to explore it again."

"Jinjia Village is doing quite well now. With the internet being so powerful, we've been doing business globally. I've even been to many countries before..."

"It's different." Jin Yuanyuan disliked this topic. "It's just that feeling..."

"But Yuanyuan, you're chasing that feeling. You know your mother suffered a mini-stroke this time, which is very dangerous. That's why everyone wants her to be hospitalized—they're afraid something else might happen." Cao Xiaoyu put down the vegetables in her hand and said very seriously, "The Jinjiaya order was the trigger, but you should have seen that the entire industry is under severe pressure right now. Your mother is under a lot of pressure, not just for the order, but also for the livelihood of more than two hundred people in the company. To put it bluntly, if Jinjiaya goes bankrupt, it's not just your family and my family's lives that will decline; everyone will be in trouble..."

This was the first time Jin Yuanyuan had seen Cao Xiaoyu so serious, and she didn't know how to respond. Reality was indeed cruel, but it was something she had to face.

After 10 o'clock, Jin Yaya's small restaurant became lively. Former neighbors and old employees of Jin Yaya's sock factory came to eat one after another. Cao Xiaoyu, who had now taken over Jin Yaya's small restaurant, had even hired a few kitchen helpers. Of course, they were not outsiders, but retired old employees of the sock factory, allowing everyone to "stay at home even after leaving their posts."

The cubicles in this big city are different; even your seatmate might not know your identity or age. But here, the relationships between everyone are extremely close—whether they are relatives or longtime friends—they look after each other, live peaceful and contented lives.

Jin Yuanyuan retreated to a corner where she used to do her homework when she was a child, watching everyone eat and drink, while her mind kept replaying what Cao Xiaoyu had just said.