Chapter Seventy-Five: My Hometown

Chapter Seventy-Five: My Hometown

Zhang Le returned to the living room to find Yang Xin’er on the sofa, fidgeting with a hint of restlessness. As soon as she saw him, she hurriedly asked, “Is Sister Xiaoyun in the kitchen helping out?”

“What’s wrong?” Zhang Le nodded, curiosity in his voice.

“Shouldn’t I be in there helping too?” Yang Xin’er quickly replied. “I read online that when you visit your boyfriend’s home for the first time, helping in the kitchen is the most important thing.”

The moment Zhang Le heard this, he understood why she seemed ill at ease. He smiled and teased, “Are you sure you’d actually be helping?”

“You’re terrible!” Yang Xin’er was taken aback, but upon seeing the mischief in his eyes, she gave his arm a gentle twist in mock annoyance. She’d barely been in a kitchen her entire life, and her previous attempt at learning to cook had ended in chaos.

Clearly, Zhang Le was implying that her presence in the kitchen would only make things harder, not easier.

“Do you think your parents will dislike me because of this? Will they think less of me? Maybe they won’t accept a woman who can’t cook?” Yang Xin’er suddenly asked, her anxiety evident in her tone.

“Not a chance,” Zhang Le said soothingly, smiling. “Can’t you tell how much my parents like you? Honestly, I’m even a little envious.”

“Really?” Yang Xin’er still seemed unsure.

“Of course! Actually, my brother cooks even better than I do. Do you know why both of us are so good in the kitchen?” Zhang Le grinned.

“Why?” she asked, curious. Zhang Le’s cooking had long since won over her appetite.

“Our dad taught us,” he explained. “He always said it was his cooking that won over our mother’s heart. So, from when we were little, he taught us to cook. He said, ‘If you can win over your wife’s stomach, you’ll have her for a lifetime.’”

Yang Xin’er’s mouth fell open, momentarily speechless. Men who could cook were rare enough in the city, let alone in the countryside.

The meal itself wasn’t particularly lavish, but it was delicious, and Yang Xin’er found herself eating more than usual.

“Brother, let’s take a walk around the village tomorrow!” After dinner, on the rooftop terrace, the two brothers gazed into the distance as Zhang Le spoke up.

“Sure. But having grown up here, there’s not much new for me to see,” Zhang Huan chuckled. “You should take Xin’er around instead. Why drag me along? I’ve already shown Xiaoyun every corner around here.”

“There’s something I want to talk to you about,” Zhang Le said with a smile. Seeing his brother’s attention, he continued, “Have you quit your job at the factory?”

Zhang Huan shook his head, then smiled, “Xiaoyun wouldn’t let me. She said I’d just been promoted and quitting now would be a waste. Before we came back, she didn’t believe you were really my brother.”

“She believes it now, doesn’t she?” Zhang Le chuckled.

“She does,” Zhang Huan nodded, then added, “Le, I’m really happy for all you’ve accomplished. But I know nothing about the film industry—I’m not sure I could help. Besides, I don’t really want to quit. It’s not much, but doing what I can makes me feel grounded. You understand what I mean?”

Zhang Le nodded, looking off into the distance. After a moment’s silence, he asked, “Brother, what do you think of the scenery around our village?”

“It’s beautiful, of course. Mountains, rivers… I’ve heard that on holidays, lots of city folks come out here to picnic and camp. We’re not far from downtown. If transportation were better, I bet even more people would come,” Zhang Huan replied, then turned to Zhang Le. “Do you have something in mind?”

“I want to turn our village into a holiday resort,” Zhang Le said earnestly. “We have natural advantages—it would be a waste not to use them. Life here is hard; we both know that. And the villagers have always treated our family kindly. I may not be doing that well yet, but at least I can do something for the village now.”

“Mom and Dad aren’t young anymore. Even if I brought them to the capital, they might not settle in. This is where they’ve lived all their lives, with all their friends and relatives. It’s only natural that they’re more comfortable here,” Zhang Le continued. “Besides, if only one family does well, that’s not true happiness.”

Zhang Huan understood. If only their family prospered, over time, the others might resent them.

Unable to integrate into a place, it’s impossible to feel at home. And to be rejected by the place you’ve called home your whole life—that would be even more heartbreaking.

Of course, Zhang Huan knew his younger brother’s desire to build a holiday resort wasn’t just for this reason. He genuinely wanted to do something for their hometown.

It was a debt he felt he owed the entire village.

“You want me to come home and help you build the resort?” Zhang Huan asked. Such a project would take time, and Zhang Le couldn’t stay here long-term. So he’d need someone trustworthy to oversee things. Plus, coming home meant he could look after their parents.

“Yes,” Zhang Le nodded. “Tomorrow we’ll take a look around, then talk it over with Uncle. I’ll find a professional designer, get an estimate for the costs, and transfer the funds to you directly.”

“If you want to cover the whole village, that’s going to cost quite a bit. Will it affect your own plans? And we’ll have to build access roads, too,” Zhang Huan pointed out.

“It’s fine,” Zhang Le smiled. “We don’t have to spend everything at once. We can invest gradually. Besides, I’m not trying to turn our village into a major tourist attraction for the whole country or the world. I just want to make it a place for relaxation and leisure, mainly for people from our own city. It won’t cost that much.”

“What are you two talking about?” Yang Xin’er and Lin Yun came up to join them, and Lin Yun asked curiously.

Having spent more time together, Lin Yun and Yang Xin’er were much more at ease with Zhang Le and each other, the distance that had once felt insurmountable now gone. It turned out that so-called celebrities weren’t so different in private, nor were they unapproachable.

“Le is thinking about how to share the beauty of our hometown with others,” Zhang Huan explained with a smile.

Yang Xin’er immediately understood Zhang Le’s intentions and smiled. “Beautiful things are meant to be shared. And we’re not far from the city—driving out here doesn’t take long at all.”

After chatting for a while longer, Zhang Huan and Lin Yun returned to their room, leaving Zhang Le and Yang Xin’er sitting close together, gazing out into the night.

“Thank you for supporting me,” Zhang Le said softly.

“And how do you plan to thank me?” Yang Xin’er teased, looking at him.

“How about thanking you with my body?” Zhang Le replied with a mischievous grin.

“I’ve heard of repaying with one’s body, but never ‘thanking’ with it,” Yang Xin’er retorted, rolling her eyes. “Besides, you’re all muscle and bone—nothing tempting about that. You’d better keep it to yourself.”

“Then how about devoting myself to you?” Zhang Le offered.

“You already belong to me. You can’t escape even if you try. Devoting yourself is like using my own money to buy my own things—nice try, but I’m not falling for it!” Yang Xin’er said with a laugh.

“Fine then, I’ll just thank you verbally,” Zhang Le chuckled. Seeing that she wanted to say something else, he quickly added, “Let’s get some rest. Tomorrow I’ll show you around—I told you you’d love it here.”

“Are you sleeping here too?” Yang Xin’er asked as they returned to the room.

“Is there a problem?” Zhang Le looked at her in confusion.

“Won’t your parents mind? I mean… Aunt and Uncle won’t think badly of me, will they?” Yang Xin’er hesitated.

Zhang Le understood what she meant, but he just smiled. “This way, they’ll be more at ease.”