As soon as she finished speaking, all her friends around the table opened their eyes wide.
"No way! We joined the show, got free food and drinks, learned so many skills from our captain, and now we even have the chance to work in a big corporation?"
"Yes, yes! I'll definitely submit my resume when the time comes!!!"
"Me too, me too! I've always wanted to learn in a big restaurant!!!"
...
Seeing everyone's enthusiasm, Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "Alright then, please get yourselves ready in the meantime. When we start recruiting, I'll notify everyone in the group chat!"
"Got it!!!"
...
Seeing that breakfast was over, everyone reluctantly said their goodbyes one by one and embarked on their journeys home.
Because Xiaozhen was anxious to go home and see her baby, she had left last night. Since Xu Yanxia still needed to escort her grandparents back to their hometown in Qingcheng, Ye Shu would be returning to Rong City by herself later.
Taking advantage of the moment without anyone else around, Xu Yanxia said to her, "Shushu, I want to discuss something with you."
Ye Shu quickly nodded. "I'm all ears."
Xu Yanxia looked at her with a smile. "After we return to Rong City, the equity of our catering company will be handed over. At that time, I will be in full charge of the catering investment sector. I'd like to hire you as my general assistant now. Would you be interested?"
"General assistant?"
Ye Shu was stunned, her mouth dropping wide open. "Wouldn't that mean I'm getting promoted five levels at once?!! Me, me, me... Xiaxia, can I really do it???"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "I think you can. You've traveled all over with me these past two months. Even with such a tight schedule, you completed every task exceptionally well, allowing me to focus entirely on the competition. Your professional capabilities are beyond doubt. Besides, you graduated from a prestigious university; your hard and soft skills make you perfectly qualified for the general assistant position. It's just..."
She paused, and Ye Shu immediately asked, "Just what?"
Xu Yanxia smiled. "It's just that as a general assistant, your workload will definitely be heavier than before, and you'll have to worry about a lot more things."
"Come on, the salary will be higher too, won't it!"
Ye Shu agreed readily, beaming with joy. "I have absolutely no problem with that. Bring it on, President Xia! I will definitely work hard to be a great general assistant for you!!!"
...
After bidding farewell to Ye Shu, Xu Yanxia packed her luggage, checked out of her room, and took her husband and family to say goodbye to Elder Li and Aunt Xiaohua.
Elder Li was quite reluctant to let them go, asking Grandpa Xu, "The grandchildren have grown up, and you don't have much to do back in Qingcheng. Why not stay in Jingbei for a few more days? Is the place Xiaohua arranged for you uncomfortable?"
"Eh? How could it be uncomfortable? It's extremely comfortable!"
Grandpa Xu quickly smiled and explained to his old leader, "The main thing is that my grandson and granddaughter are both getting married before the end of the year. We have to hurry back and prepare for them!"
"Yes,"
Mrs. He also smiled and said to her elderly father, "If it weren't for the happy occasions in Uncle Xu's family, I wouldn't bear to let them go back either. Don't worry, once Zhanpeng and Xiaoxia's big events are done, Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu will be free. I'll definitely bring them over again to chat with you."
"Alright, you must keep your word,"
Elder Li smiled and waved at them. "Remember to send me wedding candies. I'll be waiting for you."
...
Jingbei and Qingcheng weren't too far apart. The large family set off at noon and arrived back in their hometown after less than three hours on the high-speed train.
From the Mid-Autumn Festival until now, it had been nearly two months since they left, and Qingcheng had transitioned from autumn to winter.
Fortunately, everything was fine at their new home. The elders had cleaned the house thoroughly before leaving, so they could move right back in.
Xu Yanxia put down her luggage, and the first thing she did was go to the yard to look for her two little cats.
During the days when no one was home, the property management staff had been helping to feed them. After all, they couldn't stay cooped up in the house anyway; they would only come back to eat and sleep after playing enough outside. There were also custom-made cat beds for them in the yard.
Xu Yanxia also frequently checked on the two little guys through the security cameras.
"Big Orange... Little Tabby..."
Standing in the yard, she called out a few times. A moment later, the two little guys returned one after another.
Round and chubby, perfectly safe and sound.
And perhaps because their fur had thickened for winter, the two little cats looked even more solid, like two big trucks.
As soon as they saw Xu Yanxia, they immediately meowed and came up to rub against her.
They also conveniently rubbed against Lu Jingming, who was standing to the side.
Xu Yanxia laughed happily. "You two still remember me!!!"
Lu Jingming let out an oh and said, "It seems they've gotten fatter again!"
"It's an illusion, it's just fur. If you don't believe me, try picking them up."
As Xu Yanxia spoke, she pulled him down into a squat, petting and hugging the two cats.
The two little guys kept meowing at them, as if questioning why they were only coming back now.
After petting them for a while, the couple took out their phones and asked her brother and sister-in-law to take a few photos of them with the two cats, which they then changed to their social media profile pictures together.
Tonight's dinner was cooked by Lu Jingming and his brother-in-law Xu Zhanpeng. Xu Zhanpeng acted as the head chef, while the brother-in-law, aside from assisting, contributed a dish of steamed eggs with minced meat, which won unanimous approval from the whole family.
The winter night fell quickly.
By the time they finished dinner, it was completely dark. Xu Yanxia and Lu Jingming fed Big Orange and Little Tabby, and then took a short walk around the neighborhood.
It was rare for Xu Zhanpeng and Luo Jiajia to come back, so after dinner, they went together to Luo Jiajia's parents' home to visit them and would stay there for the night.
The grandparents and aunt were tired after a long day and had already gone to bed. When the young couple returned home, it was completely quiet.
They took turns showering, and after returning to their room, they lay down in bed.
The bed in Xu Yanxia's room was only 1.5 meters wide, not as spacious as the one in the Jingbei hotel, nor as large as the one in their small two-bedroom apartment in Rong City.
She said to Lu Jingming somewhat apologetically, "You'll have to make do for tonight. Next time we come back, we'll change to a bigger bed."
After all, he was quite tall, so lying on it seemed a bit cramped for him.
"It's fine,"
Lu Jingming had already pulled her into his arms, smiling as he said, "A small bed has its perks. It's warmer when we hold each other."
With that, he turned off the night light, and they both closed their eyes.
Ahem, the reason there was no pre-sleep workout wasn't that Lu Jingming didn't want to.
It was because Xu Yanxia felt too embarrassed with all the elders at home, so she had agreed with him on this in advance.
...
Just then, Xu Yanxia's phone vibrated.
She reached for it and took a look, finding a message from her biological mother far away in Germany—
"Xiaoxia, I heard you won the grand championship in your competition. Mom is very happy for you. Congratulations."
Xu Yanxia held the phone and paused.
Lu Jingming caught a glimpse of this and was considering whether he should say something.
But then he saw her typing a reply—
"Thank you."
Then she locked the screen, rested her head back against his chest, and closed her eyes.
"Let's sleep."
She said.
Lu Jingming murmured softly, gently stroking her head before closing his eyes once more.
It was alright. He was here.
He would stay by her side forever.
