Chapter 44: 043 Bai Ou, True to Her Name

Fang Qingye wrote his leave application, got it signed by his superior Director Wu, then took the form to Xia He for her signature.

Xia He naturally didn’t refuse, picked up her pen and signed her name with a swift “swish-swish,” then smiled and asked Fang Qingye: “Xiao Fang, where are you planning to go on vacation?”

“It’s too hot to go anywhere—I’ll just stay home.”

“Oh… good. Don’t forget to play ball this Friday.”

He remembered so clearly.

Fang Qingye mentally grumbled.

But playing ball with Xia He wasn’t bad—she had good skills and was pretty, making the game a pleasure to watch, unlike that mute Du Juan.

The next day, Fang Qingye began his vacation.

He slept until over ten in the morning, browsed the internet, played games, napped again after lunch, read books, went out for strolls in the evening, sometimes hung out with Song Dahai and others, or drove to the main channel of Jiaogang to fish—life was comfortable.

But this morning he didn’t sleep in; he got up at nine, dressed and washed up, then ate a bowl of tofu pudding and an egg pancake at a snack stall by the neighborhood gate, before driving straight northeast toward the county— he was going to visit his grandparents.

Last night his mother had said: “You’re busy with work, but even on vacation you won’t visit your grandparents? All that love when you were little was wasted.” So Fang Qingye decided to head over early this morning while the weather was cool.

His grandfather Fang Guisheng’s nursery was in the northern part of town, not far from the Tongyang Canal. Fang Qingye drove there and saw a fence made of bamboo, with a simple wooden gate facing the road, bearing four brush-written characters: “Four Seasons Nursery.”

The characters were bold and fluid—his father’s handwriting.

Fang Qingye parked the car at the gate and walked in; a yellow dog immediately ran over, wagging its tail—it was the family’s local dog, Wang Cai.

Fang Qingye affectionately patted the dog’s head, and the two of them walked deeper into the nursery.

The nursery was large; though called a nursery, it mainly featured indoor potted evergreen plants such as the Dragon’s Blood Tree, Fortune Tree, Peace Tree, Happiness Tree, bamboo cage with lucky bamboo, and Wealth Tree, primarily rented out to government offices and enterprises in the county for indoor decoration.

Nowadays, all offices valued their work environment, and placing green potted plants in offices had become a trend, but many didn’t know how to care for them—so renting potted plants naturally emerged.

This way, people could sit in their offices, not have to tend to the plants themselves, yet still enjoy different greenery—simple and effective.

Fang Guisheng’s nursery mainly did this business.

Of course, there were also flowers—roses, camellias, red-leaf plums, crabapples—and orchids. Fang Guisheng adored orchids and grew many varieties: Hui Lan, Duo Hua Lan, Chun Lan, Han Lan, Mo Lan, and even rare ones like Ghost Orchid and Su Guan He Ding.

Fang Guisheng had built a special greenhouse for cultivating precious orchids, but it wasn’t needed yet—it was still summer.

As Fang Qingye walked along the nursery’s path, passing the orchid planting area, he noticed a short-haired girl in a black T-shirt and denim shorts crouching among the flowers, her back to him, tending to an orchid pot.

“Bai Ou.” Fang Qingye called out.

The girl heard her name, stood up, turned around, and smiled at him, her eyes crinkling into lovely crescents: “Ye Zi, why are you here today? Visiting your grandparents?”

“I’m on public leave. Are you off too? When did you get back?” Fang Qingye asked.

“Yesterday. I had nothing to do today, so I came over to check,” Bai Ou said.

Fang Qingye knew Bai Ou loved orchids—she’d often visited his grandfather’s nursery since middle school. Seeing her face flushed from the sun, he said: “It’s so hot—why aren’t you wearing a straw hat? Don’t you worry about getting tanned?”

“It’s fine. You know I don’t tan.”

Indeed, Bai Ou lived up to her name—unlike some girls who were thin with stick-like legs, she was pleasantly plump, and her skin was very fair.

She also didn’t tan easily; even if the sun occasionally darkened her skin a little, it would return to its usual fairness within days—making many girls who slathered on sunscreen every summer envious.

“Are my grandparents home?” Fang Qingye asked again.

“They are. Your grandmother’s inside, your grandfather’s repotting,” Bai Ou said.

At that moment, Fang Qingye saw his grandfather wearing a straw hat, riding a three-wheeled cart with a canopy emerging from behind the house. He hurried over to greet him.

“Grandpa, where are you going?”

“I’m delivering potted plants to the County Party Committee Office, then heading to the Organization Department to check if any pots need watering,” Grandpa said, stopping the cart.

Sure enough, Fang Qingye saw the cart’s bed filled with pots.

“Where’s Xiao Qiang? Why isn’t he going?” Fang Qingye asked.

Xiao Qiang, whose real name was Zhang Xiaoqiang, was a worker hired by Grandpa to help manage the nursery—especially handling flower and pot transportation.

“Xiao Qiang has family business—he took a day off,” Grandpa replied.

“I’ll deliver them. It’s too hot—you rest.” Fang Qingye said.

“Can you handle it?”

“No problem. I’ve delivered before,” Fang Qingye chuckled.

“Alright.” Grandpa stepped down from the seat, fished a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket, and handed it to Fang Qingye: “This is the list of offices at the County Party Committee Office that need pots. Don’t deliver the wrong ones! And collect the old ones back… Also, you know who to ask for?”

“Yes. Director Chen at the County Party Committee Office.” Fang Qingye glanced at it and replied casually.

He slipped the paper into his pant pocket, took the straw hat Grandpa handed him, jumped onto the cart, and prepared to drive off.

At that moment, Bai Ou suddenly said: “Ye Zi, I’ll come with you.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be cultivating orchids?” Fang Qingye asked.

“I was just messing around. I’ve got nothing else to do,” the girl replied.

“Alright then, hop in!”

The girl leapt lightly onto the cart and sat in the passenger seat.

“Hold on! Let’s go!” Fang Qingye said, starting the engine. The three-wheeler rumbled with a “tut-tut-tut” and rolled forward.

“Xiao Ye, drive slowly, be careful!” came Grandpa’s voice from behind.

“Don’t worry, Grandpa—I’m watching him,” Bai Ou called back loudly.

The County Party Committee and County Government were both in a single building in the new district. Fang Qingye didn’t enter town but drove west along the North Ring Road. The morning breeze felt cool and refreshing.

Bai Ou sat beside Fang Qingye, her mood clearly good; she softly hummed a tune.

I write poems for you, I stand still for you,

I do the impossible for you,

I learn to play the qin and write lyrics for you,

I lose my mind for you,

I write poems for you, I stand still for you.

“Bai Ou, you’re in a good mood today,” Fang Qingye said, smiling as he drove.

“I’m always in a good mood,” the girl replied, then asked: “I saw a new car parked at the nursery gate—is that yours?”

“Yeah. I made some money from stocks, and Dad gave me some more, so I bought it—convenient for traveling,” Fang Qingye answered honestly.

“Then when you’re free, let’s go out together!”

“Sure thing. I’ll invite Dahai and Liu Dong and the others.”

“I heard Liu Dong was transferred to the Propaganda Department?” Bai Ou asked.

“Yeah. I bet he’ll stay there,” Fang Qingye said, telling her how Liu Dong often worked overtime, stayed up late writing articles, and even trained in badminton just to be a practice partner for his superiors.

Bai Ou burst into giggles.

“I never expected Liu Dong to change so much in just one year of work—but it’s good. Since he’s in a government office, he’s learning to adapt to their rules. I bet he’ll become a leader someday.”

“I agree with you!” Fang Qingye said loudly. “He’s got a real knack for social graces—that’s a huge advantage in any workplace.”

“What about you? I heard Dahai say your senior sister, the bank manager, really appreciates you,” Bai Ou said with a mischievous smile.

“Yes. I helped her solve several tough problems,” Fang Qingye didn’t hide it.

With his childhood friend, there was no need to pretend.

“So you’ll become a leader too?” Bai Ou asked again.

“I have no interest in that. I don’t want it.”

“Then what do you want?”

“To live freely, lazily, peacefully,” Fang Qingye replied slowly.

“That’s fine too… As the old poem says: ‘White clouds drift, green mountains remain; I raise my cup and laugh.’ Hahaha,” the girl laughed happily.