Chapter 155: You Got Fired by the Factory, Didn't You?

After leaving the mutton restaurant, Zhao Guoyang and Ning Xiaohong chatted as they walked straight west along the small path.

In the dead of the bitter winter, the weather was naturally very cold, and the ground was frozen solid. Occasionally, a motorcycle would speed past the two of them, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Sitting on the back seat of Ning Xiaohong's 26-inch "Golden Lion" bicycle, Zhao Guoyang felt the alcohol gradually rising to his head, and slowly, uncontrollably, he rested his head against Ning Xiaohong's back.

Feeling the fatigue of Zhao Guoyang behind her, Ning Xiaohong smiled knowingly, slowing her pace a bit and riding even more steadily.

Come to think of it, this was already the second time she had escorted this fellow home. The last time was in autumn, and in the blink of an eye, the Chinese New Year was almost here.

In these short few months, Ning Xiaohong's understanding of the man behind her had grown day by day. Now, the two of them had even become close friends and business partners.

In Ning Xiaohong's eyes, Zhao Guoyang was undoubtedly an exceptionally talented individual, far outshining even her own master.

Usually, seeing Zhao Guoyang full of vigor, discussing everything from past to present, it was easy for people to forget his age.

Only at this moment when he was drunk did Ning Xiaohong realize that this fellow was just a young man around her own age.

The journey from the county town to Zhao Guoyang's home was quite long. Riding her bicycle, it took Ning Xiaohong more than half an hour to arrive.

"Guoyang, we're home!" When they were still a few dozen meters away from Zhao Guoyang's house, Ning Xiaohong stopped and gave a soft cough as a reminder.

Zhao Guoyang suddenly sat up straight, got off the bicycle, touched his head, and said, "Ah, sorry, Xiaohong, I was..."

A cold gust of wind blew into his collar, and Zhao Guoyang couldn't help but shiver.

Seeing his appearance, Ning Xiaohong gave a faint smile and said, "All right, no need to be so polite with me. Go on inside quickly, don't catch a cold. It's very late, I should be heading back too."

"Uh, right, right. Ride carefully on your way back, Xiaohong!" Zhao Guoyang waved vigorously at her.

Watching Ning Xiaohong leave, Zhao Guoyang buttoned up his coat tightly and pushed open the door to his family's courtyard.

As soon as Zhao Guoyang stepped inside, the small black dog in the yard started barking.

"Xiaohei, stop barking, it's me!" Zhao Guoyang said, pretending to kick towards Xiaohei, who was tied up in the corner.

Upon catching sight of Zhao Guoyang, Xiaohei indeed wagged its tail and quieted down.

However, its sudden outburst of barking had long since awakened the people inside the house.

After a short while, He Huifen had already draped a large cotton-padded coat over her shoulders and walked out from the west wing room.

"Oh, Guoyang, why are you back?" Seeing Zhao Guoyang leaning against the doorway looking dazed, He Huifen was stunned.

"Mom, you're not asleep yet," Zhao Guoyang said sheepishly.

"What kind of talk is that? Mom is not deaf. Xiaohei has been barking for this long; it would be a miracle if I hadn't woken up," He Huifen scolded playfully.

Zhao Guoyang rubbed the back of his head and entered the house with his mother's support.

"Looking at you like this, you've been drinking again, haven't you? You have to get up early for work tomorrow, what are we going to do about that?" He Huifen said with a hint of reproach.

Hearing the blame in his mother's words, Zhao Guoyang quickly explained, "Mom, I'm on leave tomorrow, don't you worry!"

"Huh? Isn't tomorrow Tuesday? How come you're on leave?" He Huifen was taken aback, looking at Zhao Guoyang with some concern.

"It couldn't be that... Guoyang, you got fired by the factory, did you?"

"Oh, Mom, what are you thinking? I'm doing great at the factory! I was just promoted to a middle-level management position not long ago, and now I'm the head of the factory's technical department! I'm on leave because I just got back from a business trip, and they gave me compensatory time off!" Zhao Guoyang said helplessly.

"What? Head of the technical department?" He Huifen's jaw dropped in shock, and it took her a long time to speak.

"Guoyang, you're not making this up, are you? You've only been working there for a few months, and you're already a department head?"

Not knowing how to explain further, Zhao Guoyang spread his hands and said, "It's true! The leaders at our factory break the mold to recruit talent. Knowing how outstanding your son is and fearing that I'd run away, they promoted me right away!"

"My, then you really need to thank the leaders at your factory properly," He Huifen said, her face beaming with joy as she nodded repeatedly.

"Why don't you invite the leaders over for a meal sometime when they're free? Your father and I should also say a few polite words to them and properly thank them, shouldn't we?"

The more Zhao Guoyang listened, the more his head ached. He stood up and said, "Mom, I have these things under control, so please don't meddle. The alcohol is kicking in, I need to get some sleep, I'll talk to you later..."

"Oh, all right then. You and I can chat more tomorrow morning!" He Huifen paused for a second, not forgetting to remind him, "Guoyang, watch your step!"

"Got it!" Zhao Guoyang didn't turn back, waving his hand to reassure his mother.

Returning to his room, Zhao Guoyang found that his younger brother was already asleep. He climbed onto his bed, stretched comfortably, and turned over.

Once the alcohol surged up, it didn't take long for him to drift off to sleep. In a daze, recalling his mother's questioning earlier, Zhao Guoyang muttered to himself, "Looks like I need to get a phone installed at home. Otherwise, if I stay away for a while, Dad and Mom won't even know about these latest changes in my life..."

Early the next morning, while Zhao Guoyang was still sleeping in, his younger sister, Zhao Xiaojing, chirped as she rushed into the room.

"Yay, Mom, you really weren't lying to me, big brother is back indeed!"

"You girl, shouting so loudly, and you don't even let your brother get a proper sleep!" He Huifen protested indignantly from the living room.

The sound of Zhao Xiaojing and her mother talking shattered Zhao Guoyang's sweet dream.

Half-propping himself up with sleepy eyes, he felt a figure pounce into his arms.

Looking closely, Zhao Guoyang saw his sister's face beaming with excitement.

"Look at you, how old are you now? Why are you still acting like a child?" Although Zhao Guoyang complained on the surface, his hand gently stroked his sister's hair.

"So what? No matter how old I get, I'm still your sister!" Zhao Xiaojing said with a cheeky smile.

"Hey, hey, hey, I say, Sis, aren't you being too clingy! If your classmates saw you clinging onto big brother like this, it would surely blow their minds!" grumbled Zhao Xiaojing, who had been woken up.

"Shut up! If you dare to talk nonsense at school, just wait and see how I deal with you!" Turning her head to face Zhao Xiaoyong, Zhao Xiaojing instantly recovered her fierce and spirited nature.

Disturbed by this commotion from his younger brother and sister, Zhao Guoyang knew he couldn't sleep anymore, so he could only groan and start putting on his clothes to get up.

"Brother, aren't you going to work today?" his sister Zhao Xiaojing asked while handing Zhao Guoyang his socks.

"Yeah, I'm taking a compensatory day off today, not going to work. Tomorrow morning I'll take the first bus back to the factory," Zhao Guoyang accepted the socks and nodded.

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Zhao Xiaojing beamed with joy, clapping her hands hard.

"Brother, our head teacher is coming for a home visit tonight. Dad has to work the night shift, and Mom is definitely no help, so I'm counting entirely on you!"

"Oh, right, of course. You guys are about to go on winter break. The head teacher is doing end-of-term home visits?" Zhao Guoyang said instinctively.

"All right then, I'll just stay home tonight."