Chapter 0521 The Journey Home

The next day, as he sat on the plane, Zhao Fusheng actually felt a sense of relief.

That's right, after shopping for a full four hours, he had finally escaped the clutches of Fan Baobao and Zhou Yun and boarded the plane.

"I didn't expect you to hate shopping so much." Fan Baobao, satisfied, hugged the gift she had chosen for Zhao's mother, glanced at Zhao Fusheng, and said with a smile.

Zhao Fusheng rolled his eyes, wanting to retort but lacking the energy, so he just pursed his lips in silent protest.

Shopping might be a physical activity, but the problem was, carrying two large suitcases and following two girls around for four hours—even for someone with Zhao Fusheng's physique, it was exhausting, okay?

"But will Auntie like this gift?" Fan Baobao asked Zhao Fusheng with some hesitation.

She and Zhou Yun had shopped for a long time before finally choosing this silk scarf, said to be hand-woven.

Zhao Fusheng nodded: "No matter what you bought, my mom will like it."

He was telling the truth. The family wasn't short of money now, and Zhao's mother wasn't the type to care about material things. As long as Fan Baobao had the thought, she would happily accept the gift from her "daughter-in-law."

Of course, she would inevitably show it off—that was a given.

As for his mother's hobby, Zhao Fusheng expressed that he was also at a loss.

Seeing Fan Baobao still fretting, Zhao Fusheng smiled and waved his hand: "Alright, stop thinking about it. You've been shopping all morning, you must be exhausted. Get some sleep, and when you open your eyes, we'll be home."

No matter how well they did in Beijing, Ninghai was still their home.

……

……

Flying is actually a very boring thing. You're confined to a very small space, just sitting there, and even if you get up to stroll, a flight attendant will come over and ask, "Is there anything you need?" Even though you really want to tell her you're just standing up to walk around.

But fortunately, flying from Beijing to Ninghai takes less than three hours. Just like Zhao Fusheng said, when you wake up from a nap, the landing announcement is already playing.

"Finally home."

Fan Baobao woke up from her nap refreshed and cheerful.

Zhao Fusheng looked at her speechlessly: "Are you that happy?"

"You wouldn't understand." Waving her hand, Fan Baobao excitedly looked out the window at the barren suburbs, which in her eyes were quite beautiful.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged and said no more. Since Fan Baobao liked it, let her be.

Everyone has their moments of being artsy. Though we may say a good-looking soul costs three thousand a night, and an interesting soul writes you into their public account, when faced with temptation, how many can really control themselves?

Fortunately, Fan Baobao's homesickness only lasted a moment. She soon returned to normal, instructing Zhao Fusheng to gather their things. They got off the plane, picked up their luggage from the baggage claim, and walked out of Ninghai Airport together.

"Ninghai is great, never any traffic jams." Sitting in the taxi, Fan Baobao said happily.

The biggest problem with living in Beijing is that it's too big and often congested, with traffic jams lasting an hour or two.

"Don't worry, sooner or later Ninghai will have traffic jams too." Zhao Fusheng said with a smile.

He was telling the truth. Fifteen years later, though Ninghai's roads would be wider, there would be more cars. Traffic jams wouldn't be as severe as in big cities—lasting an hour or two—but occasionally you'd be stuck for half an hour, the kind where no matter how you detour, you just have to wait in line.

Fan Baobao shot Zhao Fusheng a glare and ignored him.

He always talked like that, sometimes infuriating, sometimes making you laugh or cry.

Ninghai Airport was not far from the city. Perhaps because the city was small, the drive from the airport to downtown took less than twenty minutes. Compared to other cities where it often took over an hour, it was almost unbelievably close.

Back in the familiar neighborhood, Fan Baobao was overjoyed. She got out of the car and ran upstairs without giving Zhao Fusheng a chance to speak.

Shaking his head, Zhao Fusheng paid the fare and walked behind alone, dragging two suitcases, silently vowing to get back at her.

But when he got upstairs, he found the house already bustling. Zhao's mother and Li Yuan were pulling Fan Baobao this way and that, asking questions and showing concern, while his father looked on kindly.

Even Fan Beibei was leaning contentedly in Fan Baobao's arms, holding a toy.

"You girl, coming back is enough, why buy things?" Zhao's mother happily held the scarf, overjoyed, practically beaming with happiness.

"Oh, just take it. The child knew your birthday was coming and bought it for you. Isn't that nice?" Li Yuan was also happy. Fan Baobao had naturally brought a gift for her own mother too, but she was even prouder that her daughter knew to repay kindness.

"Uncle, this is for you." As she spoke, Fan Baobao naturally stood up, walked over to Zhao Fusheng, took the suitcase, pulled out a tie, and handed it to Zhao's father.

Zhao's father's face lit up like a blooming flower, grinning from ear to ear, repeatedly praising Fan Baobao.

"Good child, good child."

Zhao Fusheng almost cried. Couldn't any of these people see that he had come back too?

"Fusheng, what are you standing there for? Come in quickly."

At least Li Yuan had some kindness, seeing Zhao Fusheng standing there and calling him in.

Zhao Fusheng nodded repeatedly, hurriedly walked inside, and said to his parents, "Mom, Dad, I'm back."

"Mm, we know."

"Back, huh? Sit down, dinner will be ready soon."

The treatment was worlds apart from Fan Baobao's. For a moment, Zhao Fusheng even wondered if these were his real parents. Was he really just a freebie from a phone recharge?

But he could understand his parents' thinking. On one hand, Fan Baobao only came home once every six months or so; on the other, a son and a daughter-in-law were different.

You could scold or hit your own son, but you had to be more polite to your daughter-in-law, even if Fan Baobao was a child they had watched grow up.

That was the truth. No matter how good the relationship between Zhao's parents and Fan Baobao, they couldn't avoid this common human sentiment.

But regardless, Fan Baobao was home, and the family was together again. That joy was beyond words.

Zhao Fusheng picked up Fan Beibei, kissed her cheek, and said with a grin, "Beibei, did you miss me?"

Fan Beibei tilted her head, looked at Zhao Fusheng, and said, "Brother, where's my gift?"

Zhao Fusheng smiled: "Here, it's all in the suitcase."

"Okay, I missed you, brother!" Upon hearing this, the little princess squinted her eyes and smiled.

Ah, kids these days, too clever.

Zhao Fusheng sighed inwardly.