Chapter 223: Jingshu's arrival!

Winters in the border province were truly wintry. Snow would fly everywhere in this world of white. People would always look forward to spring's arrival. Lots of people would slowly pour out of the major cities to return back home.

Zhang Fan was much older than his sister Jingshu, yet the two of them had a really good relationship with each other. Back when Zhang Fan was younger, his father would often chase him to beat him whenever he got in trouble. Jingshu was the only one who could save him in such situations. Zhang Fan wouldn't be able to count on his mother. It would be quite good already if she didn't try to catch him as well! The saying that dads would spoil their daughters was definitely true in Zhang Fan's family's case.

Zhang Fan also really doted on his younger sister. He would always remember to bring delicious foods for her. Their parents supported Jingshu's coming to visit Zhang Fan in the border province. Zhang Fan's parents would feel reassured because Jingshu would be able to tell them how their eldest son was doing.

Jingshu had now finished half a year of college. She no longer seemed to be so young and inexperienced. She was becoming more mature. She knew that her older brother was working hard for the sake of her and the family all the way out here in the border province, and that it wasn't easy for her to have her current life. Over the past half year, Jingshu had constantly been only in the dormitory, cafeteria, classrooms, and library at her college. She was becoming an outstanding student.

Famous colleges like Shanghai University would always gather top students from all over the nation. Jingshu felt significant pressure from this. Although she was already trying her best to study, her current grades were only ranked top 10 in her class. This was already a great improvement over when she'd first entered college, but she still wasn't satisfied with this.

She had many classmates who didn't seem to study much usually, but those classmates would always do excellently on the tests. These were the legendary geniuses!

She was originally going to take a train to the border province, but Shao Hua ended up purchasing plane tickets for Jingshu already. The plane would fly directly to Raptor City, and then she would take a second flight to Chasu City. "Jingshu, you absolutely must remember the flight time. Do you need me and your brother to come help you at Raptor City? If your brother doesn't have the time, then I'll go pick you up myself!"

"No need, Sister-in-law. I'm an adult now. I won't get lost." Jingshu and Shaohua often chatted over the phone like this.

"Sigh! When your brother learned that you were going to take a plane, he started checking the calendar every day. He's quite worried that you won't be able to find the plane to Chasu City, because you have to change gates at the airport!"

"I'm an adult, no need to worry. Sister-in-law, my parents prepared some lilies for you and my brother. Do you need anything else? I'll bring it for you when I arrive."

"No need. You don't need to bring anything with you for such a long trip. Besides, we can buy everything here as well. It's fine as long as you successfully arrive."

Jingshu wouldn't be going home after spending the New Year's with her brother. She would simply go back to school. Her parents were doing well regardless. Their complexions had obviously improved over the past half a year.

Since Jingshu wasn't coming back, her parents were organizing their own luggage for their own vacation. Back when they had been much younger, their workplace had purchased two cars from the south. When Zhang Fan's father went to pick up the cars, he took his wife out around once, but then they never went out of the city again.

Their family didn't have any major expenses at all now. Zhang Fan had purchased a new apartment for them. He also paid for Jingshu's tuition, and would constantly wire money back to his parents. Although he often told Shao Hua that there was no need to wire money, because his parents had their own money, it wasn't of much use. Shao Hua would always wire money quite early whenever there was a holiday or vacation.

Many of the older men and women in Zhang Fan's parents' neighborhood would be going on this vacation to Beijing. Originally, Zhang Fan's parents didn't really want to go. However, they then heard rumors that Zhang Fan's income in the border province wasn't very good, that he was only doing average, that the new apartment he purchased for them had only been purchased with a loan, and that he would slink back defeatedly to his hometown after just a few years.

This really infuriated Zhang Fan's mother. Although she didn't personally hear who said this, she was able to guess. It would be those who were jealous of how Zhang Fan's parents had been able to open up their own little store with Zhang Fan's financial assistance. Thus, Zhang Fan's parent signed up to go on this vacation through the travel agency while the prices were still cheap. This was all for the sake of gaining face for their son.

Zhang Fan's new apartment in the border province was much larger than Shao Hua's parents' old apartment. Originally, Shao Hua's mother had prepared a very expensive one-person bed in the study for him, but right after they moved in, the flu epidemic occurred. Zhang Fan had been incredibly busy during this time. He was always really fatigued after finishing work. He was also worried that he would himself be infected, and then infect Shao Hua's family, which was why he had yet to sleep in this bed a single time as of yet.

Now, Jingshu was coming, so she would be sleeping in this bed. Shao Hua's parents both really loved her as she was obedient and nice. Jingshu brought over a small suitcase of her belongings as well as a carton of lilies as she took a plane to the border province.

China truly was so large. Just its northwestern portion was already incomparably large. It would take three hours to fly from Zhang Fan's hometown Lan City to Raptor City, even though both cities were in northwestern China. There would be plenty of clouds and mist as you looked outside the plane's window while flying towards the beautiful border province.

You would have to pass through the Qilian Mountains and enter the Tianshan Mountains before the plane would slowly descend.

After passing through the Tianshan Mountains and river valleys, you would then arrive at Chasu City. Zhang Fan drove his car and brought Shao Hua along so that the two of them could pick up Jingshu from the airport. Since Chasu City was a relatively smaller city by China's standards, the airport didn't have multiple terminals. There was only one.

"Jingshu!" Shao Hua immediately spotted Jingshu the moment that the latter got off the plane.

"Sister-in-law!" Jingshu jumped into Shao Hua's arms. "Yeah! You're growing ever more beautiful!"

"Not at all!"

"Cough! Cough! Cough!" This time, Zhang Fan copied Shao Hua's father's tactic of pretending like he was about to cough to death.

"Brother!" Jingshu immediately then jumped onto Zhang Fan.

"Hurry and get off. How old are you already?" When Zhang Fan's parents weren't around, Zhang Fan would be just like a parent to Jingshu. He had gotten accustomed to being a parental figure for her.

"Did you miss me!?" Jingshu didn't care about getting off from her brother. She missed him too much.

"I did! You must be tired from the flight. Let's go home together. Shao Hua's mother cooked lots and lots of delicious things. It's all food that you love to eat." Zhang Fan lovingly hugged his own sister. She had now grown up. Her past baby fat had now completely disappeared. Her large eyes shone with the light of intelligence.

"I'm not tired at all. It was just rather boring. Sister-in-law, the flight attendants here are so beautiful. I'm so envious of their figures. I think I should go on a diet." After Jingshu finished cuddling with her brother, she held onto Shao Hua's hand with one hand, and held onto Zhang Fan's hand with her other hand as they walked out of the airport together.

"You're still so young. You're still growing up. Why are you being ridiculous and going on a diet? Now's the time for you to eat and drink and run as much as you want. Properly eat your food."

"Heavens! Sister-in-law, what happened to my brother? How come he's become just like my father in the half a year that I didn't see him? I don't think he was like this before!"

"What, you're not used to it? That's because our little Jingshu has grown up, so a certain someone now feels that he's getting old! He's trying to act like an elder!" The two women instantly banded together against Zhang Fan.

Zhang Fan's Toyota Cruiser was quite practical in the border province. Even the taxis would stop providing service when there was large snowfall here, yet Zhang Fan's car didn't have a single problem.

Shao Hua's parents had long since prepared lots and lots of delicious food. Originally, they had planned on going out to a restaurant, but there was too much snowfall for that today, which made things inconvenient. Thus, they simply brought out the delicious food they'd wanted to save for New Year's to treat Zhang Jingshu with it.

Everyone sat around the table. The atmosphere was passionate and joyous. Since Jingshu had visited once before, she was already acquainted with Shao Hua's parents. Even though Jingshu had just shouted about dieting, when she began to eat, the matter of the diet was instantly tossed aside to somewhere unknown.

There were an incredible number of expensive dishes on the table tonight, even if everyone's living standards had improved due to Zhang Fan. Both Zhang Fan and Shao Hua weren't big meat eaters, but Jingshu was a major meat eater.

Her little mouth could keep eating endlessly. "Here, have some horse intestines. This one is venison. I broiled it using the fatty meat. Here, try some wind-dried beef. Hurry and try this one as well. This is a rare meat that you usually can't even buy."

Shao Hua's mother gave an entire coldwater fish head to Jingshu. Shao Hua was the type who normally ate as much as a cat would, which made her mother really nag. Shao Hua's mother was quite delighted to see Jingshu having such a great appetite!

There was only one coldwater fish to begin with at the dinner. The main meat of the coldwater fish would be on the fish head. "Sister-in-law, you're so fortunate. Your mother's cooking is so delicious!" Jingshu didn't forget to praise others while she ate. Compared to Zhang Fan, she was far smarter and flexible. Zhang Fan had been forced to become flexible by his circumstances, not because he was naturally like that. Jingshu was naturally more flexible and extroverted than Zhang Fan was.

Winter was now here. Spring wouldn't be far behind!

The light inside the home reflected off of the snowflakes outside the window which were observing the happy people inside. The snowflakes then slowly drifted off into the distance.

A fall of seasonable snow was a promise of a fruitful year. The next year would surely be a good year!