Peng Fei found himself in a group of women for the first time in his life.
They were all beautiful, fragrant, and sophisticated.
He didn't know who to look at or what to say, sitting stiffly.
Sister Tang, seeing his nervousness, handed him a glass of wine. "Do you know how to drink?"
Peng Fei did, but he dared not at the moment. "I haven't."
"Good boy. It's fine if you don't."
Sister Tang put the glass back down and watched him patiently.
"Tell us about yourself. You're so young, why did you get married so early?"
"And since you are married, why are you here doing this?"
Peng Fei: "..."
After a moment of stunned silence, he replied, "Many people have asked me this question, and I'm not very willing to talk about it. Can I not say?"
The wealthy women: "..."
Peng Fei continued, "I want to earn money, but I didn't think things through before coming. Please don't blame Jian Ge; it's all my fault. As long as you're not angry, I'm willing to do anything else."
They could tell he was a very honest person. Hadn't they all been young and inexperienced once?
Especially since he was handsome, the older women felt particularly sympathetic.
They weren't strictly looking for male escorts, so no one was picking a fight with him.
"You child... Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
"But there's no work for you here. If you can't get past that hurdle in your heart, you won't earn any money today."
As long as they weren't angry, Peng Fei quickly shook his head.
"It's okay, I can start earning tomorrow. I'm sorry, Sister Tang, thank you."
Sister Tang leaned back on the sofa with a smile. Chen Jiaojiao looked him over and suddenly thought of her husband, Xiang Yang, when he was young.
He was poor then, a bit foolish, and very upright. In the blink of an eye, so many years of their youth had passed.
"Since you got married early, your education level must not be high. If you don't want to do this, what do you plan to do tomorrow?"
Especially with the Lunar New Year approaching.
Peng Fei was surprised that the wealthy women cared so much about him and answered earnestly.
"I haven't thought it through yet. I used to work as a grinder in a factory. If that doesn't work out, I'll go back and ask them if they need temporary workers. If not, I'll pack boxes or deliver food. I know how to use navigation now, so delivering food should be fine."
"..."
Heaven had given him a face made for leisure, yet he was going to do manual labor?
Estimating that this naive young man new to the big city wouldn't have many other avenues to earn money, and seeing his honesty and loyalty to his partner, Chen Jiaojiao patted his shoulder.
"Why deliver food? Besides delivering food and serving others, there are many other jobs you can do in this world."
"Because you're honest, I'll introduce you to something. Can you trust me?"
Peng Fei couldn't believe his luck. Such a beautiful and wealthy woman wanted to introduce him to a job?
"Of course, I trust you! But, will it be too much trouble for you, Sister?"
Chen Jiaojiao shook her head generously. "If I thought it would be trouble, I wouldn't have asked. Can you drive?"
Without waiting for Peng Fei's answer, she realized herself.
"Looking at you, you probably can't. Never mind, I won't ask you to be a driver... Can you look after children?"
Chen Jiaojiao and Xiang Yang had two children after marriage, a boy and a girl.
Their son was now eighteen. Because they were usually busy with work and lacked time to accompany him, he had become quite mischievous.
Furthermore, a life of privilege from a young age had fostered in him a tendency to cry easily, be pampered, and lack patience.
Xiang Yang couldn't stand it, and he often disciplined their son at home, leading to a strained father-son relationship.
Chen Jiaojiao had been through her own rebellious phase and knew that if it wasn't corrected now, it would cause problems later. She had been quite troubled by this recently.
Her ideal son was like Peng Fei: self-possessed, resilient, and manly. That's why she was exceptionally tolerant towards him.
Peng Fei hadn't expected to be offered a job looking after children.
He had played with children in his village before; he wasn't sure if that counted.
"I... think so."
When children were mentioned, the other two wealthy women also had their complaints, and they began discussing their own children's problems with Chen Jiaojiao.
Addiction to electronics, love of gaming, aversion to studying, mischievousness, rudeness, strained father-son relationships – the issues were universal.
"I was struggling at home during the winter break because of extracurricular classes, and he kept arguing with me. Jiaojiao really has a good idea, thinking of having him look after them."
"I think it's a good idea. Let's send them to their ancestral village, make them do all the hard physical labor. Once they taste the hardships of life, they'll behave."
"How do you plan to arrange it? My son will go too. You're going to have a lot of work, Jiaojiao."
And so, Peng Fei single-handedly transformed the ambiguous atmosphere into a large-scale parenting session.
They chatted for a long time, and finally, Chen Jiaojiao finalized the plan.
Sending them to a rural village was not practical. Firstly, it was too far, and the children might not cope with the sudden change. Secondly, it wasn't safe; if anything happened, they would regret it too late.
As long as Peng Fei could accompany them, ensure they finished their homework diligently, reduced their screen time, engaged in more outdoor activities, and passed the winter break peacefully, that would be enough.
She would provide the location: a villa in the suburbs, with 24-hour security. Internet access would be provided on schedule, and their parents would visit every couple of days.
Everyone agreed unanimously and entrusted this important task to Peng Fei, whom they had just met.
Upon returning to the Zhan family residence, Zhan Jingchun first rested for half a month, and then picked up her paintbrush to resume her work.
She didn't want her parents or siblings to worry too much about her, nor did she want to dwell in the past and be unable to move on.
Her education from childhood had taught her to be a person with social value and a positive outlook.
She pushed herself, forcing herself to smile every day and setting strict work schedules to keep herself busy.
However, only she knew in her heart that the past was like a scar etched onto her soul, something that would never truly heal.
Before going to that place, her artistic inspiration came entirely from books, literary works, and her travels.
Her paintings depicted elegant, sunny, and romantic subjects.
But now, she only wanted to paint specific, concrete objects.
Perhaps it was a grasshopper Peng Fei was working in the fields, which she observed while sitting on the grass.
Perhaps it was a pine tree standing by the roadside, enduring the scorching heat, remaining stationary for an entire day.
Perhaps it was a worn-out straw basket placed in a corner, or a dirty child sitting with a dog, eating from a bowl.
In any case, she was no longer interested in her old subjects; her aesthetic had completely transformed.
She painted every day, but she dared not show her work to anyone.
These pieces were all filled with her memories of that village and of Peng Fei.
She was terrified that her parents would see them, terrified they would know what she had gone through during that time.
In front of everyone, she was cheerful every day, as if the time she spent there had caused her no harm.
But when she was alone, she was consumed by self-loathing, insomnia, and endless memories of the past.
She painted again and again, only to tear the paintings up in silence.
She tried to tell herself to stop thinking about it, but her mind was out of her control.
She knew she was sick.
A condition she had once considered very distant, depression, was starting to affect her.
She knew she couldn't continue like this; it would worry her parents, and she needed to save herself.