Chapter 48: Travel Agency

On the first weekend after officially starting work, Chen Jin had not yet entered the state that Sister Ming described as “just wanting to lie at home on my day off.” The first week went very smoothly; all the onboarding materials had been completed, she had a basic understanding of her future colleagues, and she was familiar with the work content. Chen Jin was currently putting her full enthusiasm into this job.

On her day off, she didn’t stay at home doing nothing but instead went to the famous flower and bird market in Dongcheng District. She picked out several potted plants suitable for placing indoors. The flowers here were cheap, and she chose a variety to take home and put in vases.

As she passed by a small street stall, she saw seven or eight people squatting in a half-circle. Curious, Chen Jin moved closer to take a look and saw a litter of small puppies. A sign next to them read: Free Gift

It seemed that the owner couldn’t afford to keep so many puppies and brought them here to give away.

In Qiaodong Village, some people used to raise cats and dogs. Chen Jin liked little animals like cats and dogs, but her mother wouldn’t let her keep any. So, she often went to play with the cats and dogs of those who had them. However, ever since she was chased up a tree by the village chief’s big black dog, she had become afraid of casually approaching cats and dogs.

Looking at these soft little puppies, a small wish buried deep in her heart began to stir, mischievously wanting to emerge, making her face the reality.

But Chen Jin continued to walk over, thinking she might as well take another look. She had to choose the one she particularly liked to bring home.

In the trunk were a bunch of flowers and plants neatly arranged, secured with the help of the potted plant shop owner. Honestly, when she opened the trunk, it felt like stepping into a small botanical garden, and it looked quite nice. Once she got home, she definitely needed to take some pictures with her camera.

Speaking of the camera, in the days leading up to graduation, Chen Jin had taken photos of Meng Shengnan and Liang Xiaoyu, but before she could develop the film, they had to leave with their luggage. So, Chen Jin sent all the developed photos to the addresses they left her. She wondered if they had received them.

After leaving the flower and bird market, Chen Jin drove to the rose garden.

The previous three days had been the college entrance exam period, and Chen Yongan, the youngest in the family, had finally finished his exams. Yesterday afternoon, her third cousin had gone to pick him up.

She hadn’t forgotten the gift she wanted to give Chen Yongan. This morning, she brought the game console she had brought back from Hong Kong.

After finishing his three days of exams, Chen Yongan had been binge-eating and sleeping, saying he wanted to make up for all the rest he had missed over the past year. God knows how tired he was from waking up early, staying up late to study, and having to attend half a day of tutoring classes during the breaks, but he had persevered and finally finished!

He particularly understood what his third sister meant when she said, “I don’t like studying.” Who does?!

However, their parents couldn’t stand when he used his third sister as an example, because she was always saying she “didn’t like studying” while scoring high marks every time.

He was just moving the computer from his parents’ room back to the study with his brother, and soon no one would restrict him from playing computer games! Hearing the voices of his third sister and his mom, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t received his gift from his third sister yet! He needed to take her to buy the game console immediately!

Before he could say anything, a big box was shoved into his arms. Seeing the picture on the packaging, he raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked expectantly at his third sister. After getting her nod, he quickly unwrapped it, followed by an earth-shattering “Wow!”

His third aunt was startled by him, causing her shoulders to twitch, and the next moment, someone got hit several times, which made Chen Jin laugh out loud.

It was rare for his third cousin to be home instead of out “exploring routes” with his two friends, so Chen Jin ran to the kitchen to find him and ask about the travel agency’s progress.

“Pretty good. We have a preliminary plan, and we’re working on perfecting it. We plan to buy two small vans together to run two groups. Jiang Weijun and I will each lead a group, and Huang Hao will handle logistics and administration. For now, we won’t be running out of the province; the roads aren’t that safe. At most, we’ll run to a few nearby cities. Let me tell you about the two travel routes we’re tentatively considering…”

After listening, Chen Jin summarized, “So your initial major investments are: renting an office space and buying two vans. You don’t need a fancy storefront, but it should be in a good location, conveniently located near hotels. Let’s say around two hundred a month. Typically, storefronts are rented for at least six months, so that’s twelve hundred. The two vans combined will cost around one hundred thousand. Then there are miscellaneous expenses, let’s estimate a thousand, and we should keep one or two thousand on hand for cash flow.”

“So, how much can you guys raise?”

Chen Yongfei smiled awkwardly, “Twenty thousand each.”

“… That adds up to sixty thousand. How do you dare to think about buying two vans at once?”

“We’ll borrow a bit from family and friends; we plan to raise enough capital to make it to one hundred twenty thousand. So, isn’t this asking you to invest? You’d pitch in forty thousand, and you won’t have to worry about the preparations and management. We’ll each hold 25%. Are you in?”

“Just forty thousand? Can’t you just borrow it from Uncle and Aunt?”

Chen Yongfei joked, “I was thinking of how close we are, and we had agreed to cooperate with you before, so it feels a bit awkward to leave you out now.”

Chen Jin chuckled; her third cousin wouldn’t feel awkward about such a small matter. He had a thicker skin than a city wall.

Chen Yongfei put away his jokes and said seriously, “Jiang Weijun, Huang Hao, and I are already in business together. If I put in most of the money, I’d have all the say in the travel agency, and they wouldn’t be very happy about it. They suggested we start by buying just one van for one group. But that’s too slow. So I told them to let you join in, and they agreed.”

“If I join in, how is that different from you putting in money directly? I’m on your side, after all. If something happens, am I really going to side with them?”

Hearing this, Chen Yongfei felt warm inside. She was indeed his little sister; she always leaned inward.

“Well, it’s still different. You’d be putting in money without getting involved, and you’d be taking a bit of a loss since you’re contributing more than we are. If I took your share too, they’d each end up with less than 25%.”

“Besides, Jiang Weijun and Huang Hao have a good impression of you. They think you’re quite clear-headed, so if we have any disagreements in the future, we could ask you to cool everyone down.”

Wow, she hadn’t expected to have such a high evaluation from her third cousin’s friends. Given that trust, she felt this forty thousand investment was worthwhile.

Chen Jin thought about it seriously for a moment and confirmed with him, “So I really only need to put in forty thousand? There won’t be any additional costs later?”

Chen Yongfei replied, “One hundred twenty thousand is enough to set up two groups. Once we’re up and running, we’ll have income. You don’t know how many people in Rong City want to travel to nearby cities; starting a travel agency is definitely profitable. But I have to say upfront, if we increase our investments later and you don’t add in, you’ll have to give up some of your shares.”

If it really proved to be profitable and reliable, Chen Jin would definitely want to invest more.

“Then once you finalize the details and the contract, I’ll come back to sign it.” She could still come up with forty thousand; the monthly rent for beautiful Community and Qiaoxi Village alone was over eight thousand. Once the house in Splendid Community was rented out, she could also get about ten thousand. She could quickly recoup this investment from other sources, but if her third cousin’s travel agency really took off, this investment would be a small amount leveraging a larger one—very cost-effective!

She quickly finalized things on her end, and Chen Yongfei said, “Alright, once it’s set, I’ll ask you to come over and sign the contract together.”

The cooperation was thus tentatively settled. Chen Yongan looked at them and said, “Finished chatting? If you’re done, let’s play some games together?”

In the end, it turned into her and her cousin playing a duo game, while Chen Yongan sulked on the floor, glaring at them. But they didn’t care if he was angry; anyway, someone had already finished their college entrance exams, so there wouldn’t be anyone to indulge him anymore.

While playing the game, her cousin asked, “Aren’t you going to check on your supermarket? The stock has almost arrived.”

Chen Jin shook her head. “I’ll just go check it out on the opening day. Aren’t all supermarkets pretty much the same? With Miao Miao there, I’m very relaxed.” Chen Jin then asked, “Did Miao Miao’s dad and stepmom come looking for her, wanting to ask for money?”

“They said that since Miao Miao lives at my place, she should get a share of the items from the house demolition, and that her share should be half given to her brother. These people eat without thinking, so I just called the police and had them taken away. They want child support, but even if they go to court, it won’t work; she’s not of age yet and doesn’t need to pay anything. In the future, giving her a bit of basic living expenses is enough. If they want to cause trouble at my parents’ store, I had Jiang Weijun find a few people to deal with them, and I haven’t heard from them since.”

“No wonder Miao Miao doesn’t want the house you’re splitting. Once she goes over there to manage the store, I’ll take care of her accommodation. There’s a unit that’s been separately renovated, and I bought furniture for it; it’s just right for Miao Miao to live in.”

“Let her be. My parents said to let her decide where she wants to live later, either in the Jinxiu (splendid) Community or the Xiuli (beautiful) Community. She can choose a unit herself, and once she saves up enough money, she can buy it back at the purchase price, so she’ll have her own house in the future.”

From ancient times to the present, most people, once they have money, think about buying property. The mindset of Chinese smallholder farmers runs deep, leading to a kind of obsession with land. Now, as it’s difficult to purchase land to build buildings in cities, this obsession has shifted to houses.

Having one’s own home is different; every time she returns to the small western-style building or the Hanlin Garden, it feels like a weary bird returning to its nest. In other words, a house is a girl’s greatest source of confidence. Because her parents’ home may not necessarily have a place for her, and her in-laws may not consider her part of the family, only in her own house can she proudly and firmly say: “This is my home!”

Chen Jin played games at her third uncle’s house for an entire afternoon and only left after having dinner. When she returned to the small western-style building, she saw Shen Baichuan’s car parked at her door.

This time, he had a new car, a cobalt blue one that matched his silent demeanor. Like the ocean, it was deep and inscrutable. But when he spoke more, he seemed like a piece of warm jade.

Chen Jin boldly reached out to touch the car, but it felt no different from an ordinary vehicle. Losing interest, she turned around to open her car’s trunk and moved a potted plant inside.

Professor Song and Dean Xi were still traveling and hadn’t returned, so she decided to wait until they got back to deliver it.

With the addition of a vibrant potted plant in the corner, on the table, on the cabinet, and on the windowsill, the house became a bit brighter. She then cut the flowers she had bought haphazardly and arranged them in vases, placing some bright, eclectic bouquets in various spots across the two floors.

When her mind was empty and she casually looked up, she suddenly spotted a potted plant or a bouquet that could draw back the rationality she had when running away from home.

Chen Jin didn’t think of herself as someone with a flair for life; she just liked to mess around. One moment it was doll decorations, the next it was flowers and plants; by the next time, who knows what it would be.

She went upstairs to find some clothes to freshen up, discovering that her closet was already filled to about 80% capacity. Some clothes were still folded, making it seem like she had even more.

Half of the clothes in her wardrobe were bought from minimalist stores.

She pushed things aside and dug out a silk pajama set she had bought last time while shopping with Yang Qian and Lin Xinran. Standing in the middle of the walk-in closet, she glanced left and right, deciding to find time later to reorganize her clothes.

Next week, she would take her friends to support her aunt’s clothing store opening.

She had almost overslept that morning. She didn’t know how it happened; going to bed at ten-thirty and waking up at seven-thirty still left her feeling sleepy. She had slept for a full nine hours! She planned to take an hour-long nap when she returned at noon…

Heavens, out of twenty-four hours in a day, she had spent ten hours sleeping!

As she lamented and joyfully wasted time, she received a notice as soon as she arrived at school that there was a meeting in the Mingde Conference Hall, which all the counselors had to attend. But Teacher Mo didn’t go with them.

Teacher He told the two new teachers who knew nothing, “Teacher Mo has already been confirmed to be transferred to the Administrative South Building. The leaders called him in for a talk this morning; he’ll probably be handing over the student situation to Xiao Zhou in the afternoon.”

“Be mindful; you must check and verify the handover materials before signing, especially the students’ file information.”

In the afternoon, because Zhou Ding took too long to check the handover materials, Teacher Mo exploded at Zhou Ding in the office, saying Zhou Ding was wasting his time.

Zhou Ding’s face turned awkward, but he remained unaffected, meticulously checking all the materials, only to discover that some student files were indeed missing. Zhou Ding didn’t sign the handover slip, while Teacher Mo was there cursing and swearing, ultimately attracting the vice dean of the college over. They both got taken away to his office for a discussion.

Chen Jin sighed; good people get bullied, and good horses get ridden. What a damn world.

Just seeing Teacher Mo’s irritating face made her wish she could turn into the sixth baby of the Calabash Brothers, becoming invisible to throw left jabs and right hooks at him.

The reality was, once this person walked out of the office, he could still go to a better office.

Teacher Chang laughed at her, “What worries do young people have that are worth sighing over repeatedly?”

Young people may have many worries, but he believed that Chen Jin, this young person, wouldn’t have any troubles.

Chen Jin looked at her empty desk and finally realized that she had forgotten to bring something when she left. She smiled, “A young person forgot to bring the potted plant over. I’m very troubled.”

The next day, when she arrived at the office, Teacher Mo’s desk had already been cleared. Zhou Ding walked in, looking refreshed. “Good morning, Teacher Chen.”

This was the first time Chen Jin had seen Zhou Ding smile so happily since she officially started working.

With Teacher Mo gone, only the four of them remained in the office, and three positions were now empty, making the office feel spacious and the air fresher.

Their office was on the first floor, and the leaves outside blocked most of the sunlight streaming in. Standing by the window, one could see the lotus leaves and flowers blooming in the nearby pond.

When Teacher Chang arrived and saw the dramatic transformation of Chen Jin’s desk—with the potted plants, vases, and ornaments all placed just right—she couldn’t help but smile inwardly: young graduates always have such a flair for decoration.

This week, the students who were going home had all left, with only a small number of students remaining on campus for the summer. There was still work to be done for the end-of-term summaries and organizing some materials.

Although Chen Jin seemed the most relaxed now, when she returned from vacation in a month, while other teachers were busy with the start-of-term reporting, she would have her hands full. Not to mention the new student counselor training courses, she would also need to arrange dorms for the new students, help them get acquainted with the school, conduct various meetings, and oversee military training…

Although in previous years, apart from the counselors, each major would have two upperclassmen to act as class leaders for the freshmen, taking care of some basic tasks, there was still quite a bit for the counselor to handle.

Chen Jin shook her head: “I’ll deal with that when the time comes.”

Another week passed easily, and she welcomed her first summer vacation since starting her job, a full month off.

She and Zhou Ding were the last to leave, checking the water, electricity, and windows before locking up.

Zhou Ding mentioned that he planned to stay on campus during the summer and didn’t intend to go home. His family lived in the neighboring city, which wasn’t far, but he wanted to take advantage of the summer to do other things. He casually asked, “Are you staying near the school during the break?”

“Not necessarily; it depends on the situation.” To be honest, with a sudden month-long vacation, Chen Jin felt like she had plenty of time. As long as the supermarket in the Jinxiu (splendid) community opened, she could leave the renting and opening of shops to Tian Miao, so she would indeed have some free time. She was also considering the travel suggestions that Yang Qian and Lin Xinran had mentioned before…

When she got home, Chen Jin immediately called Yang Qian and Lin Xinran to inform them: “See you at Wanmin Square in West District at nine tomorrow morning. It’s time for you to help boost sales.”