Chapter 1

April 5, 2020, Spring.

The weather was fine, with a clear blue sky.

Li Fang, who was sound asleep on the hotel bed, was woken up by the ringing of his phone.

"Xiao Fang, when are you coming? I'm at your room door, hurry back, I'm waiting for you."

"Okay, Uncle, I'll be right back."

After hanging up the phone, Li Fang opened his eyes, looked at the ceiling, and rubbed his head.

He remembered that he had drunk too much with some friends last night and had stayed at a hotel, forgetting about the appointment with the landlord to return the key in the morning. Drinking really caused trouble.

As a major metropolis, countless young talents flock to Shanghai, the most modern and fashionable commercial city. Many people yearn to have a light of their own in the city's night, to own a house of their own, only then can they prove that they belong to the city and become a true Shanghainese.

Li Fang was no different. He graduated from a top university in Shanghai, and with his sharp mind, he made his first fortune by developing a small program during his college years. He even found a beautiful girlfriend.

One might say this was the configuration of a life winner, but Li Fang was not satisfied. After graduation, he started his own company, but due to lack of experience, his core code was stolen by another company, which then replicated his program. Because he lacked the funds to promote it, his company was suppressed and could not develop. Eventually, his company was acquired, and soon after, his girlfriend broke up with him.

After getting up and washing up, he took a Didi to the company, verified all the items with the landlord, and returned the key.

"What do you plan to do next?" the landlord asked.

"I plan to go home for a while, spend some time with my parents, and see how things go."

"How are you going back?"

"I'll take the high-speed train in the afternoon, it takes less than two hours, pretty fast."

"Alright, I actually had high hopes for you, thinking you would succeed, but life is full of twists and turns, sigh."

"It's okay, Uncle, it's all in the past. Who knows, maybe I'll come back someday, and I'll visit you then."

"Sure, if you come back, come see me, I'll give you a discount on the rent."

"Thanks, Uncle. I'll close the door for you when I leave, take your time."

"Alright, take your time, I'll be off."

Li Fang sat on the sofa, gazing out the window, and the scenes of the past five years in Shanghai flashed before his eyes. He had devoted his youth to this city, and now that he was leaving, he felt no regret, just a bit of regret for not leaving any mark of his own in the city.

The knocking on the door interrupted his thoughts. He opened the door to find Qin Ming, the senior of his dormitory, who was a local Shanghainese and one of the earliest beneficiaries of the city's redevelopment. His parents had the foresight to use the compensation money to buy many properties, which they then rented out, making him a landlord. However, his family was strict, and he studied well, getting into a top university. As the oldest in the dorm, he was the senior, and he had organized the gathering last night as a farewell for Li Fang.

"Let's go, have lunch together, and I'll take you to the station in the afternoon."

"Sure, I have this box, and I've sent the rest back. You coming saved me from having to call a car."

"Alright, let's go. Put the stuff in my car first, and we'll pick up the second senior and then go for lunch."

"Why is the second senior coming, to see me off?"

"Don't get too full of yourself. Do you think you're so important that he would come specially to see you off? He's here to take care of some business and will see you off on the way."

"Ha, I thought he was coming specially to see me off, the failure, let's go."

Following the senior, they picked up the second senior at the train station. They greeted each other with a big hug. The second senior, Chu Le, was a capable second-generation rich kid whose family owned a catering company with several chain hotels.

"Are you sure you don't want our help, just giving up like this?" Chu Le asked.

"Let it go, I've been busy for so long and am a bit tired. It's a good time to rest and spend some time with my parents. By the way, what brings you to Shanghai?"

"Nothing much, there's a hotel here that's not doing well. My dad sent me to see if there's a chance to take it over and plant a flag in Shanghai."

"Good for you, Chu Le, you're expanding more and more in Shanghai." Qin Ming joked.

"You have it easy, always eating, drinking, and playing, all you have to do is collect rent, living a carefree life, unlike us who are busy all the time." Chu Le said with a hint of envy.

"Haha, that's something you can't envy."

After finishing lunch, Qin Ming drove Li Fang to the train station.

"Let us know when you get home, and if you need anything, contact us."

"Sure, I'll go in now, and I'll contact you when I decide what to do."

Li Fang picked up his luggage and boarded the train home. The high-speed train sped along, and Li Fang leaned back in his seat, looking out the window. He couldn't help but think about the first time he came to Shanghai five years ago, but now he was leaving.

He retracted his gaze, leaned back, and closed his eyes to rest. The high-speed train was fast, and before he knew it, the announcement came.

"Next stop, Xinhe Station. Please prepare to disembark..."

Li Fang gathered his things, got off the train, and followed the crowd out of the station, boarding a bus for the final leg of his journey home.

Wolong Village was a small, unremarkable village with fields, ponds, and a large reservoir. Li Fang's home was in the village. After getting off the bus, he saw the last five-story building in the village, which was his home. The first money he made after starting his company was used to build their small house into a five-story building.

Li Fang, carrying his luggage, walked through the village, greeting familiar faces.

"Grandpa Li, Aunt Wang..."

"Xiao Fang, you're back! Did you bring your girlfriend?" Aunt Wang asked with a smile.

"Not yet!" Li Fang replied, embarrassed.

"You should hurry, don't let your parents wait too long." Aunt Wang urged.

"Sure, I know." Li Fang replied, and quickly headed home.

It was almost dinner time, and his grandmother was preparing vegetables in the yard. Seeing her grandson Li Fang walk in, she couldn't help but smile.

"Xiao Fang, why are you back without telling us? I didn't even prepare dinner for you." she said with a smile.

"Grandma, I missed you, so I came back. It's okay, I'll just eat something simple. Where are Dad and Grandpa?" Li Fang said, running into the house and holding his grandmother's hand affectionately.

"Your mom is chatting at your aunt's house. Your grandpa and dad are still in the fields."

"Alright, I'll put my stuff upstairs and come down to keep you company."

"Sure, go ahead. Don't just lay the sheets and blankets down, shake them out first. You should have told me, I would have aired them out for you."

"It's okay, it's summer, I'll just brush the mat and it will dry quickly." Li Fang said as he went upstairs.

Grandpa and Grandma lived on the second floor, his parents on the third, and Li Fang's room was on the fourth floor. After living in an elevator building, Li Fang was out of breath from carrying his things upstairs. He opened the door to his familiar room, which was spotless, clearly cleaned by his mother. He put down his things, took out the mat, washed it, and hung it out to dry with the blankets. After tidying up, he went downstairs and saw his grandpa and dad walking into the yard.

"Grandpa, Dad, you're back." Li Fang called out.

"Why did you come back without telling us? I could have picked you up from the station." his father asked.

"I'm a grown man, I don't need you to pick me up." Li Fang replied.

"Right, you're a grown man, you won't get lost. Isn't it more convenient to pick you up so you don't have to walk? Does your mom know you're back?"

"Not yet, I just finished tidying up, I'll call her now." Li Fang said and called his mother, Chen Qian.

"Mom, you haven't come home yet? I'm home."

"What? You're back? Why didn't you tell us? I'm at your aunt's house, I'll be right back." His mother hung up and drove her electric scooter home.

In the evening, the family sat around the dinner table, listening to Li Fang's recent experiences.

"Closing the company is for the best, we don't have the capital to compete with them. What do you plan to do next?" his father asked.

"I haven't decided yet. I still have some money, so I'll stay home for a while and spend time with you. I haven't spent much time with you in the past few years."

"Good, good, spend time with your grandma, we miss you." his grandmother said happily.

"Right, spend time with your grandparents. Your mom can also arrange some blind dates for you. You've fooled us before, but this time you should find a satisfactory one and bring her home. You're not young anymore." his mother added, thinking about arranging blind dates for Li Fang.

"Mom, you're at it again. I'm only 26, you're too anxious." Li Fang said with a bitter smile. He had never told his family about his previous girlfriend, so he always had excuses to avoid the blind dates. But because he didn't tell them, his breakup was less of a worry for his family.

"You're not young. If you start dating now, you can get married in a year or two, just right. Your classmate from junior high got married last year and already has a child this year."

"We'll see. Let's eat. Grandpa, Dad, let's have a couple of drinks. It's summer, beer is the best." He poured a glass for his grandpa and father.

The three generations sat together, drinking and chatting, a warm and happy scene.

"Home is the most comfortable place." Li Fang thought as he went to bed, realizing that all his efforts in the city were for a home.