"How about Second Brother, huh?" ZhiXia asked him.
"Still the same, studying during normal times, also took up some foreign language classes, nothing much going on, just going back home to play with the kids when free." An Zhiren's life didn't have many big ups and downs, it was rather stable.
"Didn't Second Brother fight for that chance to study abroad?"
"There's still your sister-in-law and the kids. Once gone, it would be for a few years, leaving them mother and child in the country wouldn't be good either, it's better to give the opportunity to someone more suitable." He felt he was not young anymore, no need to go through all that trouble.
"When Third Brother left, he said it was for a year of advanced studies, he should be able to come back this year right?"
An ZhiXian and An Zhiren were closest, and international calls were also relatively hard to make, so they didn't contact each other frequently.
"He hasn't said anything, but he should be able to come back." An Zhiren also wasn't very certain.
The siblings chatted idly like this, the three little ones gradually losing their initial enthusiasm, becoming drowsy.
ZhiXia and An Zhiren took turns sleeping, after all it was chaotic on the train, they were really afraid the kids would get taken away if the adults fell asleep.
They arrived in Shenzhen at noon, the train station was filled with people coming and going, at a glance it was all heads.
It took great effort just to tug the children out, then they heard Hu Zhou calling out, "Yue Ya...Sister An, over here..."
With his height in the packed crowd, he wasn't very tall, only able to jump up and down waving his hands this way.
Making use of his height advantage, An Zhiren stood tall in the flock of chickens, looking into the distance, asking ZhiXia, "Do you see the waving person up ahead, isn't that Hu Zhou?"
He had seen Hu Zhou once several years ago, at that time he was still a teenager, very different from how he looked now.
ZhiXia looked along where he was pointing, but her view was blocked by people in front, "I can't see either, let's go take a look."
The two of them dragged three children, desperately squeezing that way, Hu Zhou also squeezing over here.
"Yue Ya, my dear daughter, have you missed Dad?" Hu Zhou first took Yue Ya from ZhiXia's arms, and after so many months, it was the first time since his daughter was born that they had been separated for so long.
Yue Ya was clearly somewhat unfamiliar with Hu Zhou, looking at ZhiXia helplessly.
ZhiXia hurriedly patted her back reassuringly, "Yue Ya, this is your dad, we talk on the phone all the time, remember?"
Yue Ya turned and smiled at him, just not saying anything yet.
Hu Zhou instantly felt a little heartache, still forcing himself to stay calm saying to ZhiXia: "Sister An, Second Brother, let's go, let's go to our place first."
But An Zhiren didn't move, "You guys go first, I'll head back, next train isn't far off."
"Second Brother, since you came all this way, stay a few more days, when going back bring some gifts for sister-in-law and the kids, can't have made the trip for nothing." ZhiXia persuaded him.
An Zhiren's resolve to go back didn't seem so firm either, hesitatingly nodding his head, "Fine then, just...giving Little Hu extra trouble."
"Psh, what trouble, Sister An is the big boss at our factory, as long as you don't mind simple accommodations then it's fine." Hu Zhou led the way up front, saying "Don't be fooled by appearances, in just this half year, development here was like riding a rocket, when I came with Brother Wu, it was all empty lots and ponds around here, now it's all been developed into factories, further in, food, drink, entertainment, it's all there. Second Brother stay a few more days, when we have time we'll go to the beach, seafood here is so fatty... "
Carrying Yue Ya, Hu Zhou brought them to the bus station, after a half hour bus ride, they arrived.
The factory housing in front of them was built pretty big, a total of two floors, to save on costs, Hu Zhou and Wu Lei had been living inside the factory housing.
They went in as Wu Lei was cleaning inside.
The factory had just finished construction recently, with construction debris inside not yet cleaned up.
An Zhiren walked around inside, then came out asking them, "You built the factory so big, will you be able to use it all?"
He had seen a thing or two, places that made him feel were big were absolutely not small.
Building the factory was originally Wu Lei's decision, although he had consulted with ZhiXia, now it was his turn to explain, "I was thinking, originally this plot of land wasn't small, and took quite a bit of money, at first I planned to sell half, but with no one here, inevitably it would get lowballed, so I thought, rather than selling cheap to others, why not go big, build the factory first, we use part of it, rent out what we can't use fully, some people already came asking the other day, just haven't settled on rent yet, based on current prices I calculated, land prices here are skyrocketing, renting is definitely stronger than selling."
It was just an empty lot, nothing much worth looking over in detail.
And after such a long time on the train, they were exhausted, now urgently wanting to find a place to rest.
Wu Lei had arranged everything long before ZhiXia decided to come.
Yue Ya and Little Sixth could stay here and sleep with them, with ZhiXia bringing Wanqing it wasn't appropriate for them to squeeze in with the men, and outsiders seeing wouldn't be proper either, but her going to the homestay inn, the lady owner there was acquainted with them, no need to worry about mistreatment.
But now there was the extra person An Zhiren, requiring rearrangement.
Luckily the homestay inn had a room, An Zhiren bringing Little Sixth could get a room.
Only when leaving, Yue Ya unexpectedly didn't want to stay with Hu Zhou, insisting on staring at Wanqing, making Hu Zhou both pained and gratified.
Pain that his daughter was no longer close with him, gratification that from Yue Ya clinging to ZhiXia and Wanqing, she clearly hadn't suffered these months, instead living very well.
The clothes she wore were also brand new, her braided hair though messed up on the train, still showed the intricacy, the fine wrists wearing a strand of pearls, the skin on her face no longer tanned, but fair and tender.
Clearly, much better than when he raised her himself.
"Yue Ya was separated from you for too long, some unfamiliarity is normal, she'll be familiar after a few days." ZhiXia could only comfort Hu Zhou this way.
"I know, thank you Sister An for taking care of Yue Ya this time." Hu Zhou of course understood, everything he did was for his daughter to have a good life, at minimum, the child was better off than staying by his side, nothing to complain about.
When he earned money, he could raise his daughter like a little princess, how great would that be.
The homestay inn wasn't far, nearby there was a hotel under construction, supposedly to be dozens of floors high, but for now only the foundation was laid, estimated that the fastest it could be built was next year.
