114: Chapter 114 Persuading Parents to Travel

After eating breakfast, Chen Fan was about to wash the dishes, but Lin Xi held him back.

"I'll do it."

She turned on the faucet, washed the bowls one by one until they were clean, and wiped down the stove with a rag.

Her movements weren't very nimble, but she was very thorough; she rinsed every plate three times and wiped every nook and cranny.

After washing the dishes, she wiped the kitchen counter clean, wrung out the rag, hung it on the faucet, and then turned and went to the bedroom.

Chen Fan followed her to the bedroom doorway and watched as she bent over to fold the quilt neatly, fluffed up the pillows, and placed them back in their original spots.

She then walked to the window and pulled the curtains open with a "whoosh," letting the sunlight pour in and brightening up the entire room.

Watching her busy herself back and forth, Chen Fan really got the feeling of a virtuous wife and good mother.

After she finished tidying up, it was almost nine o'clock. Chen Fan stood at the entryway and put on his shoes.

"Let's go." He looked at Lin Xi.

"Mm."

Five minutes later, Chen Fan drove the Porsche out of the residential complex and headed toward the nearest entrance to the beltway expressway.

After more than an hour of driving, he finally saw the familiar four big characters "Welcome to Pu County"—they had arrived within the county's borders.

Chen Fan glanced at Lin Xi in the passenger seat, who was fast asleep. He didn't wake her and continued driving toward the Zijin Garden residential complex.

When they arrived at the underground garage of the complex and parked the car, Chen Fan shook the sleeping Lin Xi.

"Are we there?" Lin Xi said groggily.

"We're here."

Lin Xi stretched and asked, "...What time is it?"

"A little past ten."

Lin Xi was stunned for a moment, sat up straight, and rubbed her eyes. "I slept for that long?"

"Not long, just a little while." Chen Fan unbuckled his seatbelt and pushed open the car door. "Let's go."

After dropping Lin Xi off at the elevator of her building, Chen Fan carried his bag and walked toward the elevator of Building 5.

When he got home, only Wang Mei was there.

Seeing her son return, a happy smile immediately appeared on her face. She put down the remote control in her hand and stood up from the sofa.

"You're back? Have you eaten?"

"I have." Chen Fan put down his backpack, changed his shoes, and sat down on the sofa. "Where's Dad?"

"Your dad is walking around the complex; he gets bored staying at home." Wang Mei sat back on the sofa and picked up the remote to turn down the TV volume.

Hearing his mother's words, Chen Fan suddenly realized a problem.

Although money wasn't an issue for the family now, and there was no need for Chen Jianjun and Wang Mei to go out and earn money, they were only in their forties, in the prime of their lives. Spending every day at home watching TV or strolling in the park was comfortable, but it was indeed a bit boring.

"Mom, since you and Dad don't have anything to do right now, why don't you go out and travel?" Traveling was the best method Chen Fan could think of.

He had also thought about opening a shop or something for them to keep them occupied, but since they had worked hard their whole lives in his previous life, he really didn't want them to continue suffering.

Wang Mei subconsciously refused: "Why spend that money? Your dad and I are doing just fine right now."

"Mom, this isn't called spending money; it's called an investment." Chen Fan purposely spoke lightly. "Only when you and Dad are healthy and in a good mood can I be at ease when I'm away. If you get sick from being bored at home, it would be a greater loss for me to take time off to take care of you."

Wang Mei was stunned by what he said, then immediately laughed and scolded: "You child, you have all sorts of twisted logic."

However, she also knew that Chen Fan was doing this for their own good and was saying it on purpose.

Chen Fan smiled and continued: "Actually, traveling doesn't cost much. If you two go out for a week, it'll cost less than ten thousand yuan. Your son can earn that much in half a day of writing novels."

Wang Mei opened her mouth, wanting to say something else.

But she also understood that what Chen Fan said was the truth.

With her son earning hundreds of thousands to a million a month, the little bit of money spent on her and Chen Jianjun going on a trip really didn't amount to much.

Just then, the sound of a door opening came from not far away. Immediately after, Chen Jianjun's figure walked in from outside.

"Dad." Chen Fan stood up.

"You're back?" Chen Jianjun changed his shoes, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. He glanced at Wang Mei and then at Chen Fan. "What are you two discussing?"

"I was telling Mom that if you two are bored, you should go travel and see the beautiful landscapes of our country." Chen Fan also sat down on the sofa.

"Travel?" Chen Jianjun was stunned for a moment.

"Yeah, didn't you want to go see Jiuzhaigou?" Chen Fan remembered his father mentioning it several times, saying that the water in Jiuzhaigou looked so beautiful on TV and that he definitely wanted to see it if he had the chance.

But he had never been.

Chen Jianjun was somewhat moved upon hearing this, but ultimately shook his head: "Forget it, why spend that money? It's not easy for you to save money, keep it for the future."

"Dad, it doesn't cost much for you to go on a trip; I can earn that money back in a day." Chen Fan leaned back on the sofa, his tone casual. "Besides, this money is well spent. Having you and Mom go out and have fun is much more meaningful than leaving it in the bank."

Chen Jianjun was still hesitant. Wang Mei listened from the side without interrupting, but her eyes held a hint of anticipation.

She had never traveled far in her life; the farthest she had been was to the provincial capital, Chang'an, once, and she came back after staying for a few days. To say she didn't want to go out and see the world would be a lie.

Seeing this, Chen Fan added more fuel to the fire: "If you two don't go now, when you get older and your legs and feet aren't as mobile, you won't be able to go even if you want to. By then, it'll be too late to regret it."

Chen Jianjun was silent for a moment and looked at Wang Mei.

Wang Mei didn't say anything, but the corner of her mouth twitched, and Chen Jianjun understood her thoughts.

"Alright then, we'll go for a trip." Chen Jianjun finally relented.

Seeing them agree, Chen Fan also smiled.

As long as he could get them to experience the joy of traveling, he believed it would be much easier to persuade them to go on trips in the future.

At noon, shortly after finishing lunch.

Chen Fan was lying on the sofa resting, the sunlight shining through the gaps in the curtains onto his body, feeling warm and making him drowsy.

His phone chimed with a message notification.

He opened it to see a QQ message from Lin Xi, the content was very brief—"Waiting for you at the old spot, come quickly."

Chen Fan was a bit puzzled; they had just parted in the morning, why did this girl want to meet him again? However, he immediately changed his shoes, picked up his phone, and headed downstairs.

He arrived at the pavilion where the two of them often met.

Lin Xi was already waiting there.

She was still wearing the same white short-sleeved T-shirt from the morning, paired with light blue jeans. Her ponytail was tied high, making her look fresh and neat.

She stood there gracefully, her hands behind her back, as if she were hiding something.

Seeing Chen Fan walk over, a smile appeared on her exquisite face, and her eyes curved into crescent shapes.

Chen Fan walked up and couldn't help but smile too: "Why did you suddenly call me down? Didn't we just see each other in the morning?"

"What, you don't want to see me?" Lin Xi tilted her head.

"How could that be?" Chen Fan shook his head quickly. "I'm just curious, what's so mysterious?"

Lin Xi pursed her lips, and the expression on her face became a bit embarrassed. She took a half-step back, and the hands hidden behind her back finally moved.

"Close your eyes."

"Why should I close my eyes?"

"Don't ask so many questions, just close your eyes first."

"Alright, alright, I'll close them." Chen Fan laughed and surrendered, obediently closing his eyes.