Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

The next morning, Yang Fan was awakened by the bright light streaming in through the window.

He picked up his phone and glanced at the time; it was almost ten o'clock.

He immediately sat up in bed.

I have important business to attend to today.

He found the WeChat account he had just added yesterday, the pink-haired girl who looked intimidating—Zhou Yao.

Instead of typing, he made a direct WeChat voice call.

The phone rang for a long time, and just when Yang Fan thought the other party wouldn't answer and was about to hang up, it was finally slowly connected.

"Who is it...feeding so early in the morning..."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou Yao's muffled voice, thick with a nasal tone, came through. She had clearly been forcibly dragged out of a deep sleep, and her tone was full of displeasure at being disturbed.

Yang Fan cleared his throat: "It's me, Yang Fan."

"Yang Fan?" Zhou Yao seemed stunned for two seconds before she reacted:

"Oh...it's you, big brother...what's up so early?"

For a young person accustomed to nightlife, 10 a.m. is indeed no different from the early hours of the morning.

Yang Fan found it somewhat amusing, but still got straight to the point: "Sorry, did I wake you up?"

"It's about what I told you yesterday. I'd like to go check out the shop today, and I was wondering if your uncle is free? I'd like to trouble you to ask him for me."

"The shop..." Zhou Yao's voice became a little more clear-headed, "Oh, right, I remember now!"

There was a rustling sound coming from her side, like someone turning over in bed.

"Dude, if someone else called me at this hour, you believe me? I'd block them right away!"

Her voice carried a hint of lazy complaint, but then she changed her tone and became cheerful.

"But I definitely did what I promised you yesterday! Wait for me a moment, I'll get up right away and come find you! I'll just take you to my uncle!"

Yang Fan was surprised by her loyalty, and his feelings for her grew even stronger.

"Okay, then pack your things and come over. I'll ask my mom to make extra breakfast, so you can eat together when you come over."

"Huh?" Zhou Yao on the other end of the phone perked up:

"Is there still food to eat?"

"Brother, that's more like it! This meal made it worth getting up early!"

"Okay, wait for me. I'll wash up and be there soon!"

Yang Fan was in a good mood after hanging up the phone.

He walked out of his room and found that his parents, uncle, and aunt were already up and were tidying up the things they had bought yesterday in the living room.

"Mom," he said as he walked into the kitchen, "make a lot of breakfast, a guest is coming over for lunch later."

Wang Xiuying, who was cooking porridge, paused for a moment, then turned around in surprise: "Guests? We just arrived, where did these guests come from?"

"My new neighbor whom I met yesterday lives right next door," Yang Fan explained. "She's a local, and I asked her for a favor today, so I invited her over for breakfast."

"Oh, neighbor? Okay then." Wang Xiuying didn't ask any more questions and quickly took out flour from the cupboard.

About half an hour later, someone knocked on the gate of the courtyard.

"I'll go open the door!" Yang Fan replied and quickly walked over.

As soon as the door opened, Zhou Yao was seen standing prettily outside.

Today, she changed her outfit.

Although still fashionable, it was more understated than what I saw at the internet cafe yesterday.

A short white down jacket paired with skinny jeans perfectly accentuated her tall and well-proportioned figure.

Her long pink hair was tied in a high ponytail, and she wore light makeup, making her look youthful and beautiful.

Even so, this outfit still seemed too "outstanding" in the eyes of the elders who had just come from the village.

When Yang Fan led Zhou Yao into the living room, the atmosphere inside instantly froze.

Wang Xiuying and her third aunt, Li Cuihua, were wiping the table with rags when they saw Zhou Yao. They stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with undisguised surprise and scrutiny.

Yang Jianguo and Yang Jianmin also stopped what they were doing, their eyes darting back and forth between Zhou Yao and their son, a hint of confusion in their expressions.

Yang Hao, Yang's younger cousin, was completely stunned. His cheeks turned red at a visible speed, and he quickly lowered his head, not daring to look anymore.

"Hello, uncles and aunts!" Zhou Yao was not at all shy and greeted everyone in a generous manner with a bright smile on her face.

"Hey...hey, hello, hello..." Wang Xiuying was the first to react, forcing out a somewhat stiff smile, and quickly pulled Yang Fan aside, dragging him to a corner.

"Fanfan, come here for a second." She lowered her voice, asking in a volume only the two of them could hear:

"This...this is the neighbor you were talking about?"

"Yes, Mom, what's wrong?"

"How did you get to know a girl like this...?" Wang Xiuying's brows were furrowed tightly.

"Look at her hair, her clothes... Is this girl reliable?"

Yang Fan listened to his mother's worries and felt both amused and exasperated.

"Mom, what are you thinking?" he explained patiently.

"She lives right next door to us; she's a local. And don't underestimate her. Remember when I said I was going to check out the market stalls? The person in charge of that market is her uncle."

"Huh?" Wang Xiuying was stunned. "Really?"

"Of course it's true," Yang Fan said. "Mom, don't judge a book by its cover."

"That young lady is just dressed a bit fashionably, but she's a very nice person and extremely loyal. Whether we can successfully take over the stall today depends entirely on her."

Hearing her son say this, Wang Xiuying's doubts dissipated somewhat.

Although she still doesn't quite understand the aesthetics of today's young people, she trusts her son's judgment.

"Alright, then... let's eat first."