Chapter Fifteen: Determination

An Songyu managed to settle everything in just one morning.

At noon, she used her student card to have a long-awaited meal at the school cafeteria.

Compared to the flavors she remembered, what struck An Songyu more was the current prices.

A meat dish and a vegetable dish, plus a free seaweed and egg drop soup, along with plenty of white rice, all cost only 4.5 yuan.

And as for taste, it was not particularly bad.

Of course, An Songyu had deliberately chosen the third cafeteria, the one she fondly recalled.

However, the spicy diced chicken she so eagerly wanted to eat was nowhere to be found.

She wasn’t sure whether her memory had failed her or if the Sichuan chef had not yet started working at Nanshi University’s cafeteria.

Upon reflection, An Songyu vaguely recalled that this dish was indeed only available before she graduated.

Earlier on, the third cafeteria, which was the last to be built, had caused quite a stir.

Only after the school’s rectification did it become the most popular dining hall among students.

With a slight sense of regret, she finished her meal.

Before the crowds of underclassmen arrived, An Songyu quickly left the campus.

Nanshi University was located in the city center of Nanshi.

Not far from the school was a bustling marketplace.

An Songyu was in no rush to go home.

Besides bringing her friend some favorite snacks, she also brought a portion for Sister Xia and a colleague who had the day off, as a token of gratitude.

She also made sure to bring extra to share with other colleagues later.

Along the way, An Songyu couldn’t help but marvel at how different Nanshi was compared to twenty years later.

In fact, An Songyu knew more about Nanshi than Shuncheng.

After all, according to the original timeline, after a three-month internship, she would have had the fortune to join the Nanshi Grand Hotel through campus recruitment.

Then she would have settled down and started a family in Nanshi.

Thinking this over, An Songyu suddenly realized that since her rebirth, she hadn’t contacted her husband once.

If she recalled correctly, he was currently still undergoing an internship.

Moreover, his internship was in another city.

But after so many years, An Songyu had forgotten exactly where.

Still, that gave her a small sense of relief.

Smiling to herself with a hint of self-mockery, An Songyu thought that with twenty years of life experience, she had long since grown accustomed to such separations.

Ever since Jian Ziyu chose his major, their future lives were destined to be marked by frequent partings.

In those two decades, An Songyu had felt frustrated more than once.

She had even contemplated countless times that if she could start over, she might rather never have met him at all.

But now that she truly had a second chance, she examined her feelings carefully and realized… that thought had completely vanished.

Sitting on the bus back to Shuncheng, An Songyu gazed out at the city, which looked quite underdeveloped compared to twenty years later, and began to think seriously.

Perhaps, if she had another chance, there might be other ways to live their lives without so much separation.

By the time An Songyu returned home, it was nearly dinnertime.

Seeing her return laden with bags, Bi Lizhu, who had been worried about money recently, immediately looked displeased.

An Jianping, however, didn’t give it much thought.

He had just spoken with the village chief, Jiang Wenlin, on the phone.

He had already helped inquire about the loan.

But the amount available for the loan was far from satisfactory.

Such matters had never arisen in the village before.

Even the banks were extremely cautious about handling this type of business.

Jiang Wenlin asked An Jianping whether he wanted to proceed with the application.

If not, they could still inquire at other banks and branches.

He also promised to continue searching for policy benefits and other opportunities.

After all, the abandoned mulberry fields and fish ponds in Jiang Village were a major headache—not only for Jiang Village but also for the entire Rongdi area and many parts of Shuncheng.

If An Jianping could really revitalize them through a contract, he would likely gain considerable support.

The key point was that, besides Jiang Village, very few people in other villages of Shuncheng were willing to take on these remote mulberry fields and fish ponds.

And An Jianping himself was an employee at the silk weaving factory.

In recent years, he had also helped the village with its sericulture business, which probably earned him some extra trust from higher-ups.

This outcome was originally quite favorable for An Jianping.

But those who knew him best understood that when he first planned to return to the village, he hadn’t intended to really develop this endeavor.

Now, however, not only did people place hope on him, but they were also rallying around to support him.

For a moment, An Jianping even felt an urge to refuse Jiang Wenlin’s kindness.

Yet, upon reflection, he wondered if Jiang Wenlin would even accept such a refusal.

More importantly, was he truly willing to refuse now?

Seeing the rare look of worry on his father’s face, An Songyu, having just set down her things, for the first time doubted whether her own actions had been right.

“Then let’s really do it this way from now on!” Bi Lizhu looked seriously at her husband and said.

Everyone was slightly taken aback but quickly understood.

Yes, they had only been thinking about what to do before the demolition.

They had never considered what came after!

No matter what their original plans were, if these few months proved the venture was worthwhile, then after receiving the demolition compensation, they could continue.

They would no longer have to worry about money as they did now.

“That makes sense!” An Jianping looked at his wife with renewed ease.

“If that’s the case, even if the time is short, the mulberry fields and fish ponds in Jiang Village need proper management and operation.”

An Songlin also began to plan seriously.

“If we truly continue this work in the future, we will gain more experience.”

An Songyu and the others nodded in agreement and began asking in detail about the situation in Jiang Village.

Only An Songlin and An Jianping had recently returned to Jiang Village, so they were more familiar with its condition.

Even so, the two sisters silently decided that during their next vacation, they would definitely visit Jiang Village more often.

When the next holiday finally came, An Songyu stood in front of their homestead, unable to believe her eyes as she watched the workers wielding shovels and clearing the land.

“Ah Yu, you’re off today?” Yuan Qionghua from next door hurried over to greet her.

An Songyu quickly responded, “Great Aunt, you’re at home today?”

“Yes! Your family and your uncle’s family have both started building houses, but no one is overseeing your work.”

“I just happened to be free, so I’m helping out.”

“Thank you, Great Aunt!” An Songyu expressed her gratitude swiftly.