200: Chapter 200 Going Home for the New Year

Five minutes later, the two of them walked out of the Chanel store.

The bag on Qiao Linlin's shoulder had been replaced by that black Chanel bag worth over ten thousand yuan; the white one was carefully placed in a dust bag and carried in her hand.

"Why aren't you wearing the white one?" Chen Fan asked curiously.

"That one is a bit expensive, I can't bear to use it." Qiao Linlin looked down at the black and gold bag on her shoulder.

"Suit yourself." Chen Fan didn't say more and walked deeper into the mall.

For the rest of the time, the two of them just kept browsing.

It wasn't until after seven in the evening that the two of them, who had been shopping all day, returned home carrying large and small bags.

As soon as the door opened, Qiao Linlin headed straight for the shoe-changing stool by the entryway, sat down with a thud, and bent over to start unlacing her white high-heeled boots.

Despite shopping all day, Qiao Linlin still looked very energetic, her eyes shining as if she had just been recharged, humming an unknown tune while changing her shoes.

On the other hand, even with a body strengthened by the system, Chen Fan found it a bit hard to handle after a day of shopping.

He dropped the bags in his hands on the floor, walked to the sofa, and plopped down, sinking into the soft cushions.

"I'm going to take a shower." Qiao Linlin walked over, holding a change of clothes, and stood by the sofa.

"Mm-hmm," Chen Fan said without looking up.

Qiao Linlin looked down at him, feeling a bit strange.

In the past, whenever she went to shower, Chen Fan would appear very excited, but today he was acting very calm.

Could it be that he lost interest in her?

At this thought, a glint flashed in her eyes, the corners of her mouth curled slightly, and she turned silently toward the bedroom.

Some time passed.

The sound of high heels clicking on the floor came from the other end of the hallway, one step at a time, unhurried, like some kind of rhythm.

Chen Fan looked up.

Then, his gaze instantly froze.

Qiao Linlin stood at the end of the hallway, wearing a pink nurse's uniform.

The hem of the skirt was at mid-thigh, revealing long legs wrapped in white stockings.

On her feet were a pair of white high heels with thin, high heels that boosted her height by several centimeters.

Her current outfit was no different from the female leads in those beautiful movies he had watched in his previous life.

Chen Fan's gaze slid from her face to her shoulders, from her shoulders to her waist, from her waist to her legs, and then slowly back up.

"When... when did you buy this outfit?" His voice was lower than usual, his throat tightening slightly.

Seeing Chen Fan's reaction, a hint of a smile flashed in Qiao Linlin's eyes. It seemed she hadn't lost her charm; Chen Fan was still interested in her.

"I just bought it. Do you like it?" She tilted her head and blinked.

Of course Chen Fan liked it. He was a uniform lover to begin with, a fact Qiao Linlin had figured out long ago.

He didn't say a word, expressing himself directly through action.

He stood up, walked to Qiao Linlin, picked her up in his arms, and headed toward the bedroom.

...

In the blink of an eye, a few days passed.

The date reached February 2nd.

Early in the morning, Chen Fan drove toward the nearest highway entrance of the beltway.

Today was already New Year's Eve; he had to return to his hometown.

These past few days, Wang Mei had been calling to urge him; she didn't understand what Chen Fan was so busy with in Chang'an that he insisted on waiting until the end of the year to come home.

Actually, as the company owner, it wouldn't have mattered if Chen Fan left a few days early, but since it was the first year the company was founded, he felt it was better to stick it out until the last day.

This was his first career, and he wanted to do it well.

Over an hour later, Chen Fan came off the highway at the county exit.

He didn't drive into the county town but continued along the road back to the village.

Wang Mei and Chen Jianjun had already returned to Chenjiapo yesterday, and his uncle's family had also returned early; he was the only one left. Right now, he was rushing to Chenjiapo.

After driving for another forty or fifty minutes, Chen Fan finally saw the row of houses where the old home was located.

The ancients said, "The closer one gets to home, the more timid one feels." Chen Fan felt there was truth in those words now. He hadn't returned to this old home for nearly a year, and returning now, he felt somewhat sentimental.

Soon, the car pulled up to the door of the old house.

Two cars were already parked at the door: one was Chen Jianjun's skoda octavia, and the other was Chen Jianguo's second-hand Dongfeng Citroen.

If they were spending the New Year in the city, they would have had to prepare three parking spaces.

But fortunately, the areas in front of the doors in the countryside were very large, so parking three cars was no problem at all.

Chen Fan parked the car, and just as he turned off the engine, the courtyard gate was pushed open.

A familiar figure walked out.

It was his cousin, Chen Tong. She was wearing a red down jacket, her hair in a low ponytail, and she held an apple in her hand, half-eaten.

Seeing Chen Fan's car, she was stunned for a moment, and then a look of pleasant surprise appeared on her face.

"Xiao Fan?"

She switched the apple to her left hand, turned, and ran back into the courtyard, shouting as she ran, "Xiao Fan is back!"

Before Chen Fan could even get out of the car, he heard a flurry of footsteps and a chorus of voices coming from the courtyard.

The first one out was Wang Mei. She was wearing a scarf, and her hands were still covered in flour; she was clearly busy in the kitchen.

Seeing the black sedan and Chen Fan standing by the car door, her footsteps paused for a moment, and then she walked over quickly, her eyes suddenly turning red.

"You child, why didn't you say something in advance before coming back..."

Before she could finish, Chen Jianjun also walked out of the courtyard.

He was wearing a dark jacket and holding a cigarette; his expression didn't change much when he saw Chen Fan, but his pace was clearly a few degrees faster than usual.

"Dad."

"Was the traffic bad on the road?" Chen Jianjun asked.

"It was okay, no traffic jams," Chen Fan replied, his gaze moving past his father to the people coming out behind him.

It was his uncle Chen Jianguo and his aunt.

Chen Fan quickly stepped forward and called out with a smile, "Uncle, Aunt."

"Hey!" Chen Jianguo patted Chen Fan's shoulder with just the right amount of force. "Hurry inside, it's cold out."

"I still have things in the car." Chen Fan turned toward the back of the car. "I brought some New Year's goods back; let's move them in first."

He opened the trunk, revealing it was packed full—several boxes of fruit, several boxes of tea, a few bottles of exquisitely packaged white liquor, and various snacks and New Year's goods, stuffing the entire trunk tight.

"Whoa, how much stuff did you buy—" Chen Tong poked her head in to look, her eyes instantly lighting up. "Is there anything good to eat?"

"Yes, most of it is food."

Chen Tong took a peek inside—nuts, chocolates, and several kinds of imported snacks with colorful packaging that clearly weren't cheap.

She hugged the bag in her arms with a beaming smile, though she still had to mutter, "At least you have a conscience."

"Alright, hurry up and help your brother move the things," Chen Jianguo couldn't help but speak up, his tone helpless.

This daughter of his was clearly older than Chen Fan, but she wasn't more mature than him at all; she was already a junior in college and still only thought about eating.

Chen Tong stuck out her tongue, set the snack bag aside, and bent over to move the fruit.

Chen Jianjun and Chen Jianguo also lent a hand, each carrying a box of liquor, while Wang Mei and Li Xiulan carried several bags of New Year's goods. The whole family, carrying large and small bags, walked into the courtyard in a grand procession.

Chen Fan finally closed the trunk, locked the car, and followed them with two boxes of tea.

After being busy for ten minutes, they finally moved everything inside, and Chen Fan could finally catch his breath.