I couldn't take it anymore; when I went home for Chinese New Year, the family genealogy book ha

On the sixth day of the first lunar month, the festive atmosphere seemed to have been dampened by the cold morning wind, losing its last trace of warmth.

On the muddy path at the village entrance, groups of two or three people began to appear, dragging suitcases.

"Dog Egg, take good care of yourself out there, don't skimp on food and clothing!"

"Okay, Mom, you should go back now, it's cold outside."

"Xiaofang, remember to call home often..."

Familiar scenes of parting unfold year after year in Jiangjia Village.

Those young people who had just enjoyed a few days of "emperor-like" life at home took off their new clothes, put on old, filthy coats, and with faces full of confusion about the future and reluctance to leave their hometown, embarked on their journey to the assembly lines of distant factories.

Wang Xiuying hummed a little tune as she sat in the courtyard, slowly peeling a Fuji apple with a knife, preparing to give her husband, who had just finished physiotherapy, some vitamins.

Jiang Jianjun leaned back in his recliner, covered with a blanket, basking in the sun, looking completely at ease and content.

After returning from the county hospital, the elderly couple's spirits improved day by day.

Wang Xiuying watched the figures receding into the distance at the village entrance and couldn't help but sigh.

"Sigh, once the New Year is over, the village will be empty again."

She turned her head and looked at her son Jiang Chen, who was sitting next to her, leisurely drinking tea, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Chen'er, when are you...when are you planning to go back to Shanghai? Have you bought your ticket?"

This question, like a small pebble, was gently thrown into the tranquil surface of this lake.

Jiang Jianjun's ears also quietly perked up.

These past few days, they have deliberately avoided the topic, enjoying every moment with their son by their side.

But they both knew in their hearts that their son would eventually leave.

Shanghai was the foundation of his career.

Jiang Chen put down his teacup, looked at his parents' complex expressions of both expectation and fear of hearing the answer, and smiled slightly.

Instead of answering directly, he picked up the teapot and refilled his father's empty teacup with hot water.

"Dad, Mom."

Jiang Chen's voice was calm, yet it carried a solemn strength.

"I'm not going back to Shanghai."

"Clang—"

The apple in Wang Xiuying's hand fell to the ground with a thud, rolled several times, and stopped at her feet.

She was stunned, as if she hadn't heard her son's words clearly, or as if she couldn't believe her ears.

"What? You... what did you say?" Wang Xiuying's voice trembled slightly. "You... you're not going back? Then... you're giving up your job in Shanghai?"

That's a golden opportunity with an annual salary of a million and the chance to get company stock!

Jiang Jianjun also suddenly sat up from the recliner, his brows furrowed.

He was more rational than his wife and more worried that his son was acting on impulse.

"Chen'er, don't be willful!" Jiang Jianjun's tone was somewhat serious. "Although our family isn't short of money now, a man needs to have his own career! You're still young; you can't be thinking about living off our savings at such a young age!"

In the older generation's view, having money and having a career are two completely different concepts.

Seeing his parents' anxious and concerned expressions, Jiang Chen felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He smiled.

His smile revealed an unprecedented confidence and composure.

He stepped forward and took his parents' hands, one on each side, which had become cold from excitement and nervousness.

"Dad, Mom, what are you thinking?"

"Who said I'm not pursuing a career?"

Jiang Chen's gaze went over his parents' shoulders and towards the bustling land outside the window.

In the distance, the rumbling sound of excavators working on the road construction site filled the air, brimming with vitality and hope.

At the village entrance, the sign for "Jiangchen Logistics" gleamed in the sunlight, and several Jinbei vans were ready to depart.

"My career is right here."

Jiang Chen's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and resounding.

"Dad, Mom, think about it. This road repair is just the first step. Our village has beautiful mountains and clear waters, and the air is fresh. The grains and vegetables we grow, and the pigs we raise, taste better than those from outside. Before, we couldn't get anything out because the road was impassable."

"Now that the roads are open and logistics companies are up and running, we can sell all these good products in the city and get a good price!"

"Also, that barren mountain behind our village has such beautiful scenery. If it were developed into a farm stay or a fruit picking garden, wouldn't city people be lining up to come on weekends?"

"These projects—road construction, logistics, tourism development—aren't they all major undertakings? Which one doesn't require management and attention?"

Jiang Chen looked at his parents' increasingly bright eyes, his voice filled with infectious emotion.

"I plan to stay in the village."

"Let's lead everyone and get these things done one by one! Let's make Jiangjia Village the richest and most enviable village in the whole county!"

"So that the young people in the village will no longer have to pack their bags and travel far away after the New Year. They can earn big money and have their own businesses right at their doorstep!"

They never imagined that their son would be thinking about something so big!

This is no longer simply about being "successful".

He's going to be the "guide" of the entire Jiangjia Village!

The couple exchanged a glance, and in each other's eyes, they saw an undisguised, immense shock and ecstasy.

"Really...really?" Wang Xiuying still couldn't believe it. She grabbed her son's hand and squeezed it tightly to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "You...you're really not leaving?"

Jiang Chen looked at his mother's bloodshot eyes and nodded heavily.

"I'm not leaving."

"I'm really not leaving."

He let go of his parents' hands and instead gently hugged them.

"From now on, I'll stay with you every day. I'll eat Mom's braised pork every day and play chess and drink tea with Dad."

"I'm never leaving again."

These words were like the last straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering Wang Xiuying's carefully constructed emotional defenses.

Her tears welled up instantly.

But this time, it wasn't worry, it wasn't sadness.

It is joy, it is happiness, it is the immense satisfaction of finally getting what you've been waiting for all your life!

"Fine! Fine! Don't leave!"

While wiping away her tears, Wang Xiuying patted her son's back forcefully, repeating only these two words over and over in her mouth.

She shoved her son aside and ran to the kitchen.

"Mom...Mom will go kill a chicken for you right now! I'll make your favorite braised chicken in a clay pot!"

Her steps were so light and quick, she didn't look like a woman in her fifties at all, but rather like a little girl who had received her favorite candy!

In the courtyard, only Jiang Chen and his father Jiang Jianjun remained.

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment.