Chapter 34: Bids, Family and an Unexpected Meeting

Father Xu Zhiquan, Fourth Uncle, and Maternal Uncle were still huddled together discussing strategies.

Xu Chen had just sneaked a glance and saw they were planning next month’s seedling bid on the South City highway.

Besides taking advice, Father Xu Zhiquan was known for his exceptional execution.

In just over a week, he’d secured two plots on Beishan along with a batch of mature seedlings.

With Fourth Uncle and Maternal Uncle on board and their connections in place, they’d already started preparing the bid—it was astonishingly fast.

Xu Chen washed some fruit and carried the tray over to the three of them.

Come to think of it, the fruit and that 60,000 yuan had come from Third Uncle.

Father Xu Zhiquan chuckled and said,

“Xu Chen, come over and guide us on our bid plan.”

Xu Chen replied, “Dad, I really don’t know anything about this.”

Fourth Uncle laughed, “Little Chen, your father told us all about the nursery company’s direction and layout—that knowledge came straight from your lectures.”

Xu Chen imitated his father’s expression and gave an awkward chuckle.

Then he turned to Maternal Uncle and said,

“Thank you, Uncle, for coming to help out at our place!”

Young Maternal Uncle adjusted his glasses and smiled shyly,

“I should be the one thanking Mr. Xu and you, Chen. After graduation I couldn’t find a suitable job and didn’t want to give up my field of study.

I’m truly grateful you took me in.”

Xu Zhiquan spoke up,

“What nonsense is that? This isn’t taking you in.

With you here, our seedling company actually looks professional—you’re our teacher!”

Xu Zhiquan’s words were spot on: as an Agricultural and Forestry College graduate, Maternal Uncle really was their mentor in seedling cultivation.

With him on board, they gained a professional edge in growing and nurturing seedlings.

Ordinary farmers just couldn’t compare.

Maternal Uncle smiled sheepishly,

—actually, he and Xu Chen were distant relatives.

He was Xu Chen’s mother’s cousin’s youngest son. Since Xu Chen’s mother had passed away early, their side of the family rarely kept in touch.

When planning Father Xu’s seedling business, they’d remembered this graduate from the Agricultural and Forestry College—whom they’d only met once at a hometown wedding.

Fourth Uncle said with a laugh,

“Our sand casting plant was losing money and we lost an order from the Mechanical Factory. I was worried, but it turns out every cloud has a silver lining.”

Xu Zhiquan nodded thoughtfully, “It really was a blessing in disguise.”

He laughed, picked the biggest, reddest apple from the fruit tray, and handed it to Xu Chen.

……

Monday at noon.

The end-of-class bell rang. Xu Chen packed up his exam papers and rubbed his tired eyes.

This Thursday and Friday were the mock exams.

The students felt immense pressure but were eager to test their real level.

Overall, though, the stress outweighed the excitement.

No matter how well they performed normally, every exam brought fresh setbacks and tough questions—exposing gaps in their revision. It was a real mental torment.

“Where are we eating, guys?” Chen Dahai yawned and asked lazily.

“The cafeteria, right? Where else?”

“I’m tired of cafeteria food. We study so hard—can’t we treat ourselves?”

“Let’s hit the Back Street for some stir-fry. We can order more dishes there—

fish-fragrant pork, spicy sliced pork, twice-cooked pork… it’s mouthwatering!”

“What about you, Xu? Where should we go?”

Xu Chen stretched his stiff neck and said,

“Stir-fry sounds perfect—I’m craving it too!”

……

“Liu Fanxiang Stir-Fry” offered only rice bowls by default but also made stir-fry dishes.

Seven or eight of them pooled their orders; it only cost about five or six yuan each—barely pricier than the cafeteria.

The 2006 prices in a small county town really brought back memories.

Xu Chen and Chen Dahai squeezed in at a long table by the street.

They grabbed rice from the self-serve counter and waited for the dishes.

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed. He checked and saw a message from NetAffairsLikeSmoke.

He almost forgot—there was fifteen thousand in cash involved!

【Hello Mr. Xu, I’ve arrived near your school. I’m grabbing a bite on the snack street behind the school and will come find you soon.】

Xu Chen replied,

【What a coincidence—I’m eating on the snack street too. Where are you exactly? I’ll come straight over when I finish.】

【I’m at Liu Fanxiang Stir-Fry.】

Xu Chen rolled his eyes—couldn’t believe they were at the same place.

He looked around. The street was crowded, and he couldn’t spot him.

He replied again,

【I’m here too but I can’t find you. I’m sitting at this table by the street.】

Moments later, a broad-shouldered man in a loose black suit, carrying a backpack and with a dark complexion, stepped out.

He stood by the street scanning the crowd.

He spotted Xu Chen’s table but glanced away when he saw a group of high schoolers.

Xu Chen stood and said to the man,

“Are you NetAffairsLikeSmoke? I’m Xu Chen.”

The man turned and froze in place.

He wore an expression of utter bewilderment and couldn’t speak.

After a long pause he finally blurted,

“Nalan…”

Xu Chen smiled, “Nalan Qingchuan.”

The man grinned and extended his hand to shake Xu Chen’s earnestly,

“I’m so sorry—I thought you were a teacher from the high school next door.

I never expected…

I really never expected…”

He fished a business card out of his pocket and handed it forward.

Xu Chen took it with both hands and glanced at it:

Huiren Pharmaceuticals, Tiānchéng General Distributor, General Manager Guo Liang.

“Hello Mr. Guo—just call me Xu Chen!”

Guo Liang kept sizing Xu Chen up, still in disbelief.

He recalled the ad proposal and couldn’t believe a high school student had written it.

“Kidney overwork…”

“It’s like your body’s been drained…”

“Give her stable happiness…”

“If he’s good, I’m good too…”

The ad copy struck deep into the soul of a middle-aged man.

It was so real!

So alive with authenticity!

How could such a heartfelt, insightful ad have been penned by a high schooler?!

When Guo Liang first read that proposal, he was similarly moved.

As a middle-aged man who often stayed up late and drank, he’d felt his energy slipping and had faced complaints at home.

Reading Nalan Qingchuan’s ad, he deeply empathized.

He’d assumed “Mr. Xu” was a middle-aged teacher worn down by work and family.

Torn between lessons and home life, he must’ve been an overworked, middle-aged uncle losing his figure.

Challenged by students by day and nagged by his wife at night—

that’s how he’d come up with “If he’s good, I’m good too.”

He never imagined that the person before him was an energetic eighteen-year-old high school student.