Li Kai helped her choose a Chinese supermarket.
With some connection to the owner, he sat at the entrance chatting with him, while she went to pick out items herself: toothpaste, toothbrush, towels, a washbasin, a mat, a tatami, a blanket, a mosquito net, mosquito repellent, and the like.
It had been a long time since a young and beautiful Chinese woman had visited, so the owner was very interested.
When it was time to pay, he asked Tong An'an if she had a boyfriend.
Tong An'an said she did.
"You have a boyfriend, yet you come to a place like this? Is he willing, or did he come with you?"
"He's in China. I wanted to come by myself."
"Heh. Educated, young, and beautiful, why wouldn't you choose an economically developed place? You came to this godforsaken place. Don't you think it's a waste of your youth? Your boyfriend truly doesn't know how to cherish a gem."
Tong An'an didn't want to explain her relationship with Jiang Jingyu. She smiled and said, "This godforsaken place pays more."
It was indeed the truth, and the owner laughed, amused by her. "Come by often if you need anything."
The two returned, and Tong An'an thanked Li Kai before starting to tidy up the house.
The company had developed portable Wi-Fi, so she made a voice call to Jiang Jingyu.
Jiang Jingyu asked why she wasn't using video.
"I'm afraid it'll lag. Even with video, I won't have time to stand in front of the camera, so let's just chat like this."
"Alright. Have you settled in?"
"Yes. I bought a tatami and laid it out. With the sheets and blankets, I'm about to start my solitary life."
"How is it? Is the place for your solitary life satisfactory?"
"It's very good. Plenty of sunshine, excellent view, a luxurious large single room."
Jiang Jingyu laughed. "Mm, I'm a fool, make it up more."
Tong An'an said, "I'm not making it up. I'm telling the truth."
Jiang Jingyu laughed again. "Ms. Tong An'an, from before you departed until where you are now, every step was arranged by me."
"Even though I haven't been there, I know the conditions of the place better than you do. A luxurious large single room, it's already good if they give you a broken room to stay in alone. Tricking me? Hmph."
Tong An'an was instantly speechless. "If you know, why did you ask?"
Jiang Jingyu said, "To see if you'd tell the truth, to see if you'd complain to me, to see if you'd regret it. You're quite optimistic."
Tong An'an, looking at him through the screen, wanted to hit him. "Of course, I'm optimistic. I'm already here. Besides, I wouldn't dare disgrace you, my elder."
Jiang Jingyu said again, "Then work hard. After you've tidied up the room, video call me so I can see your taste."
Just as she was busy, Li Kai's wife came up with their child to visit.
Worried she hadn't eaten enough for lunch, she brought her a few steamed buns.
Tong An'an chatted with Mrs. Li while she worked.
She learned that Mrs. Li was also an employee of the Zhan Corporation and had worked in their overseas offices in another country for several years before becoming a full-time homemaker for her child.
Her son was already seven years old, robust and resembling his father. Tong An'an liked him very much.
After some tidying, the concrete box began to resemble a home.
Looking at the simple yet warm little home, Mrs. Li sighed.
"The conditions are so much better than when we first came. Talking about the old days, it was utterly miserable."
"When Li Kai and I first arrived, the office wasn't even built. The people here were so lazy, they wouldn't work overtime even with overtime pay. We had no choice but to sleep on the streets at night."
"As you know, it's hot here all year round, and there are many insects. Sleeping at night, being bitten, made it impossible to rest."
"That wasn't even the scariest part. The terrifying thing was, if your immunity was low, being bitten could lead to skin diseases. Or, if you weren't careful with your food, you could contract malaria. I almost didn't make it through malaria back then. It nearly scared Li Kai to death."
Tong An'an had only read the word "malaria" in books. Hearing it for the first time in reality, she couldn't help but be curious and asked Mrs. Li for more details.
Mrs. Li said, "When you have malaria, your whole body heats up, like a severe cold. But you have vomiting and diarrhea, which is somewhat similar to gastroenteritis. In short, if you don't get timely help or if the medical conditions aren't good enough, it's very easy for a person to dehydrate and die."
"This place is very poor. Although many have lost their lives because of it, people still don't take it seriously. Be more careful in the future, and tell me immediately if you feel unwell. You absolutely cannot endure it or delay."
Jiang Jingyu didn't want Tong An'an to be labeled as the boss's wife like she was in China, with everyone keeping their distance from her, preventing her from getting genuine experience.
Therefore, no one knew about her relationship with Jiang Jingyu.
To be honest, Li Kai and his wife were quite worried when the company sent such a delicate and inexperienced person.
On one hand, they feared she couldn't endure the hardship, and on the other hand, they worried about her business capabilities.
Unexpectedly, after a month, Tong An'an's performance completely won them over.
In the beginning, she would stall the car several times before she could drive out, but now she was as proficient as riding a bicycle, starting off with just one press of the pedal.
Taking on business, going out for after-sales service, communicating with locals, and communicating with high-end clients.
Whether it was in English or by using a combination of speaking and gestures to learn the broken local language, she managed to communicate.
Even when personnel transfers caused shortages, she could drive alone to distant locations to troubleshoot and provide after-sales service, and she could endure it, completely earning her salary.
Tong An'an didn't think she was doing anything extraordinary.
It was no different from her childhood life.
Except now she was working for others, earning a salary, whereas as a child she was running errands for her mother.
She never spared herself when working since childhood; she had plenty of energy, so what was there to save it for?
She greatly enjoyed this busy and fulfilling life.
Working from sunrise to sunset, without messy interpersonal relationships or messy things to think about, it was simply the perfect state she desired.
Outside of work, during this past month, she had added many things to her home.
Learning from online tutorials on upcycling old items, she found discarded dining tables, sofas, and cabinets, repainted them in her favorite colors, drew her favorite patterns, and placed them in corners.
She also wallpapered the walls, carpeted the entire house, and assembled uniquely shaped table lamps.
The entire house was tidied up by her to be very warm and beautiful.
Li太太's son was so attached to her that he wanted to stay with her every day; he called it the "fairy sister's little nest."
Every time Jiang Jingyu video called her, she was busy, and he couldn't help but call her a workaholic.
In fact, he also understood Tong An'an very well.
With no entertainment activities and no entertainment facilities, what else could she do but keep herself busy?
The two had a time difference, and although Jiang Jingyu really enjoyed receiving her messages and was happy to chat with her, he was also busy with his work.
Often, it would take at least one or two hours for him to reply to a message or a picture she sent.
Although their relationship was fine, long-distance relationships where they could only see but not touch were quite difficult.