Chapter 7: A Life Without Hurdles

Jiang Yuan laughed gossiping, "Mom, be honest with me. While I was away, did you often cook fish for Uncle Chen? You’re living the good life—career and romance both on the rise. They say online that middle-aged people are hitting the 'Li Fire' luck cycle this year."

Jiang Lanfang rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Don't talk nonsense. Old Chen has only been here for seven or eight days in total. You can count on your fingers how many times I've cooked fish for him—not even five times."

Jiang Yuan made an exaggerated face. "Is five times not enough?"

Jiang Lanfang said, "You’re a Gen Z kid, how are you more feudal than us 80s kids? Then again, we had it so good growing up—Western movies, Japanese manga, cartoons from all over the world, and all sorts of new trends. *Transformers*, *Voltron*, *BraveStarr*, *Ikkyu-san*, *Doraemon*, *The Smurfs*, *Slam Dunk*, *One Piece*, *Dragon Ball*—there were just too many. Everything I’ve watched, Old Chen has watched too. We have endless topics to talk about."

Seeing her mother getting worked up, Jiang Yuan smiled and reached out to hug her shoulders, but Jiang Lanfang dodged. On the road, they ran into another villager who called out from afar, "Fang, is your daughter back?"

Jiang Lanfang responded in a loud voice, "Yes, she came back yesterday!"

Jiang Yuan chimed in sweetly, "Uncle Wang."

Wang Qingguo asked curiously, "Why are you home at this time? It’s not the New Year or a holiday. Did something happen?"

Jiang Yuan said candidly, "I quit my job. I’m done working in the big city. From now on, I’m coming home to work with my mom."

Wang Qingguo, carrying a hoe, looked puzzled. "Working with your mom? Farming? How can a young girl like you handle such hard labor?"

Jiang Lanfang interjected, "How could I bear to let my daughter come home to farm? I’m having her help me manage my Douyin account. Don't you know, Old Wang? My Douyin account has gone viral."

Wang Qingguo thought the mother and daughter had lost their minds. "Isn't your daughter a top graduate from a 211 university? Coming back to play on Douyin with you? Has she gone crazy, or did I hear you wrong? Fang, don't joke about your daughter's future. I think you've really lost your head."

Jiang Lanfang noticed that everyone around her opposed her decision to call her daughter back, which annoyed her, but she still responded with her usual fiery energy: "My daughter studied new media. Professional matters should be handled by professionals. She can do it."

Wang Qingguo shook his head and brushed past them. Even as he walked away, he muttered, "Truly crazy. Not thinking straight. One or two viral videos and she doesn't even know who she is anymore. The internet is a curse. No, I have to tell her father."

Wang Qingguo pulled out his phone and called Jiang Yuan’s father.

Jiang Yuan’s parents divorced the year she graduated from high school. Her mother, Jiang Lanfang, was from Yu Village in Xiuning County, while her father, Luo Zhenyong, was from Chengkan in Huizhou District—the place known as the "Number One Village South of the Yangtze." It had become a popular tourist destination and a major filming location for movie crews. Many celebrities had left their mark there; Yang Zi filmed *Family Business* in Chengkan, Chen Xiao filmed *The Great Businessman* there, Liu Tao and Zhang Hexuan’s Henan Mid-Autumn Festival special was shot there, and Li Xian appeared in a Prada promotional video with Chengkan as the backdrop.

Even the moon-shaped gate from *Joy of Life* had its counterpart in Chengkan. The gate holds the rhythm of the moon; poetry and painting intoxicate the passing years—the ultimate romance of Chinese aesthetics.

There is a saying: "Travel to Chengkan, and you will have no hurdles in life." Chengkan is hailed as the "Number One Village for Feng Shui in China."

Jiang Yuan once heard her mother say, "When I married your father, I was drawn to the beautiful scenery and good feng shui of Chengkan Village, but unfortunately, your father and I couldn't live together."

After marriage, the couple had a disharmonious relationship, filled with constant friction. By the time Jiang Yuan graduated from high school, neither wanted to endure it for her sake anymore, so they went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and divorced, parting ways as amicably as possible.

Once the call connected, Wang Qingguo said with a heavy heart, "Zhenyong, you need to step in. Your daughter has quit her job and come home, saying she’s going to do Douyin with her mother. Can that be considered a proper job? Your daughter is going to be ruined by her mother."

A few minutes later, Jiang Yuan received a call from Luo Zhenyong.

She answered, "Dad."

Luo Zhenyong’s fury came through the phone: "I heard you quit your job in Shanghai and ran home to play on Douyin with your mother? Have you lost your mind? Giving up a good job in a big city to go home and mess around with that nonsense?"

Jiang Yuan muttered, "Who told you that? I’m still in Shanghai."

Luo Zhenyong wasn't easily fooled. "You dare lie to me? Your Uncle Wang just called me. I worked hard to put you through university so you could get out of the mountains and live a good life in the big city, not to suffer like we laborers do. You were always diligent and never disappointed me. What’s going on now? You have an office to sit in and air conditioning to keep you cool; why would you choose to come back and suffer? Anyone with a brain knows what to choose. You get back to Shanghai immediately!"

Jiang Yuan, feeling battered, tried to explain, "It wasn't a good life in Shanghai either. Everywhere is just a rat race..."

Luo Zhenyong interrupted, "Anything is better than coming back to the countryside to be a peasant!"

Jiang Yuan said, "I’m not planning to be a peasant. I’m still working in new media operations—it’s my specialty. It’s just more flexible than it was in Shanghai."

Luo Zhenyong didn't want to hear it. "Are you going to listen to me or not?"

Jiang Yuan looked at her mother for help, distressed. "Dad wants me to go back to Shanghai."

Jiang Lanfang snatched the phone from Jiang Yuan and spoke to her ex-husband: "Go back to what? I’m the one who called Yuan back. You haven't seen how miserable she was in Shanghai. It’s not like the child was living in luxury in a big city. She made 15,000 before tax, but after social security and taxes, she only took home 9,600. Rent cost 4,500, leaving 5,100 for food, utilities, internet, phone bills, transportation, clothes, and skincare. If she had a few more meals out with colleagues, she wouldn't have enough for the month. You don't know how expensive clothes and eating out are. You only think about your daughter working in a big city so you have something to brag about. Have you ever considered her actual living conditions?"

Luo Zhenyong was furious. "When have I ever treated my child as a status symbol?"

Jiang Lanfang retorted, "You know if you are. Every time you talk to relatives and friends, don't you use Yuan as a trophy? I don't object to that; after all, I’m also proud to have such an excellent daughter. But why is it 'ruining her' for me to call her home to live a good life while she’s suffering out there? I’m paying her a salary of 20,000 a month, and I mean it. I’ll transfer it to her tonight. What have you ever given her?"

Luo Zhenyong said, "Stop bragging. Isn't it just because your Douyin gained some followers? There are plenty of flash-in-the-pan influencers; it’s completely unreliable. I don't care what you do, but I absolutely will not allow you to drag my daughter into this and ruin her future!"

Jiang Lanfang replied, "She isn't just your child; she’s mine too!"

Jiang Yuan instinctively covered her ears. They were arguing again. She had grown up listening to her parents fight, and she was terrified of it. Her ears couldn't take it. She grabbed the phone back and said to her father, "Dad, Mom and I are busy now. I’ll call you when I’m free. That’s it, I’m hanging up."

Luo Zhenyong insisted, "Don't you dare hang up! Yuan, you have to listen to your father. I would never hurt you. I’m coming to Yu Village as soon as I get off work."

Jiang Yuan had already pressed the end call button, just to find a moment of peace.

Jiang Lanfang was also in a foul mood, and for a while, neither spoke.

Eventually, Jiang Lanfang regained her spirits and said, "Yuan, we must prove them wrong. Let’s run this Douyin properly. I’ll show those people throwing cold water behind my back that I, Jiang Lanfang, can succeed at anything. This isn't just a three-minute fad, and it isn't a flash in the pan."

Jiang Yuan perked up. "Mom, let’s do it together. Once we achieve something, we’ll prove it with results."

Jiang Lanfang said, "Good. Take more footage of me."

Jiang Yuan opened her phone and continued filming her mother, not forgetting to capture the mountain scenery.

The path they were walking on was built along the reservoir, winding and twisting. On one side were lush, green mountains, and on the other, the rippling, turquoise water of the reservoir. Hidden halfway up the mountain, the reservoir looked like a treasure mirror guarded by the mountain god, reflecting the blue sky, white clouds, and dense pine forests. With its shimmering waves and gentle ripples, it was truly a paradise for anglers, which explained why fishing enthusiasts from the city loved driving out here.

Even Cheng Qingyan, when he first watched Jiang Lanfang’s Douyin, was attracted by the environment of the reservoir. Having spent decades in the bustling city, living a busy life, Cheng Qingyan finally reached his forties and decided to pursue a pastoral lifestyle. He enjoyed the leisurely time fishing there, often sitting by the water with his rod for an entire day.

Cheng Yubai also liked fishing and found it quite peaceful sitting beside his uncle.

Jiang Yuan and her mother ventured deeper into the reservoir area, where hidden paths led to various wild fruits. Jiang Lanfang feared neither hardship nor fatigue, nor the dense, thorny thickets. Even where there was no path, she could carve one out. When she spotted a wild kiwi tree, she climbed up and skillfully picked them one by one. Jiang Yuan, the younger generation, didn't dare to enter the thicket for fear of snakes and insects, so she could only stand below with her camera, filming.

In just four hours, their bamboo basket was full.

On their way back, passing by the reservoir, Cheng Qingyan stood by the water and called out to her, "Xiaofang, I caught a bass of at least three pounds. Wait for me."

Jiang Lanfang waited by the road while Cheng Qingyan packed up his rod and bucket.

Jiang Yuan, lively by nature, ignored Cheng Yubai once the uncle and nephew climbed up from the water. She leaned in to look into the bucket Cheng Qingyan was carrying, excited. "Wow, Uncle Cheng, you caught three fish? Both crucian carp and bass! I’m going to have a feast tonight. My mom’s steamed bass is a masterpiece. The braised crucian carp is delicious too!"

Cheng Qingyan smiled elegantly. "Then I’ll leave it to your mother to cook. Xiaofang, you have a dead leaf in your hair."

Jiang Lanfang fumbled with her hair. "Where? Is it still there?"

Cheng Qingyan reached out and plucked the leaf from her head. "It's gone now. Where did you crawl through? Your hair is a mess. And in the basket... are those kiwis?"

Jiang Lanfang showed off her harvest. "Yes, I picked them all afternoon."

Cheng Qingyan took one from the basket and asked, "May I try one?"

"You have to look for the soft, ripe ones. The one in your hand is too hard to eat yet. You have to take it home and leave it in the rice jar for a few days. I’ll find you a ripe one."

Jiang Lanfang squeezed through the basket, found a few that felt soft, and gave three to Cheng Qingyan and two to Cheng Yubai. "Nephew, you try our village’s wild fruit too."

Cheng Yubai said politely, "Thank you."

He peeled it and took a bite. It was sweet with a hint of tartness, filled with a rich kiwi fragrance. It was surprisingly good.

Cheng Qingyan nodded repeatedly. "The flavor is great. Delicious. It has a richer fruit aroma than the kiwis sold in supermarkets, though it's a bit tarter."

Jiang Lanfang said, "I’ll make you some kiwi juice tonight. The blender my daughter bought me is fantastic. I used to have to buy juice at shops, but now I make it myself. It’s much safer."

Cheng Qingyan said candidly, "Then I’m in for a treat."

Jiang Lanfang told Cheng Yubai, "Nephew, you should stay for dinner too and try my cooking."

Cheng Yubai was about to refuse but changed his mind. "Then I won't be polite. Thank you, Aunt Jiang."

He thought to himself that this was a good opportunity to try to persuade Jiang Yuan again. He noticed that even Jiang Yuan’s mother was exceptionally enthusiastic toward his uncle. Was she not at all worried about her daughter dating a man in his forties? This was a tricky problem. It seemed the mother and daughter were determined to win his uncle over.

He observed Jiang Yuan secretly, but she noticed, giving him a glare.

She held a grudge and was still thinking about his rude remarks from the night before. She sped up her pace, walking in front of him to avoid the sight of him.

Wanting to vent but not knowing who to tell, she opened the WeChat chat with her gaming partner, "Lone Island": [So unlucky, ran into that weirdo from last night again. He looks at me strangely, I have no idea what's going on in his head.]

Cheng Yubai heard his phone ping. He opened WeChat and replied: [I’m still stressed about my elder being obsessed with a young influencer. I don't know how to talk him out of it. My elder is currently working hard to please his future mother-in-law.]

Jiang Yuan: [We are both in the same boat. Want to play a game to blow off some steam?]

Cheng Yubai: [Sure.]

Both of them held their phones, playing the game as they walked down the mountain.

When they reached the reservoir parking lot, Cheng Qingyan offered, "Xiaofang, ride in my car. It fits four people."

Jiang Lanfang didn't refuse and sat in the back with Jiang Yuan.

Cheng Yubai sat in the passenger seat, playing his game, while Cheng Qingyan drove. He had been to Jiang Yuan’s house several times and knew the way well. Soon, they drove into the village and parked in front of Jiang Yuan’s courtyard.

After getting out, he even volunteered to clean the fish.

Cheng Yubai and Jiang Yuan found seats in the yard. After finishing a few rounds of their game, Cheng Yubai exited and sent a WeChat to Jiang Yuan: [Gotta stop playing for now. I’m going to go talk to that influencer again.]

Jiang Yuan also exited the game and replied: [Okay... actually no, that weirdo is walking toward me. I wonder what he wants?]