Chapter 195 The Turning Point That Changed Fate

Chapter 195: A Fate-Changing Turning Point

Around noon, the Fu family were all back from the mountains.

Fu Dajun and Wu Yanhua had gone to pick durians for the first time today, and now they saw just how tough it was.

You had to climb trees, someone below had to catch them, and they had to be extra careful to avoid getting hit.

By the time they reached Su He’s house, the meal was already prepared, ready to eat.

The aroma of the delicious food filled the house, making everyone’s stomachs growl.

They hadn’t been that hungry on their way down the mountain earlier.

"Everyone’s here, so let’s eat," Su He said, and everyone rushed to the kitchen.

Some grabbed stools, others dished out rice.

At the table, Fu Dajun said to Su He, "We got over eighty durians this morning. Should we pick more this afternoon? You’re going to the city today?"

"Yes, we’re going back today. Ting Hua has surgery tomorrow," Su He replied, remembering Ting Hua’s mention of it.

"When are you leaving?" Fu Dajun asked.

"We’re leaving soon. Eighty durians should be enough—will they all fit in the trunk?" Su He turned to ask Fu Tinghua.

After a moment’s thought, Fu Tinghua said, "We should hire someone."

Su He held back a laugh. It was fair—asking Dr. Fu, who couldn’t stand the smell of durians, to endure hours of driving would be too much.

"Why don’t we grab a few more before you go? It won’t take long," Wu Yanhua suggested.

"Mom, it’s fine. The shop’s still got a week of renovations left. Nowhere to put them now, and they might spoil. Let’s pick more next week," Su He said before turning to Fu Guoqing.

"Brother, how were the durians looking today? Were they almost ripe?" she asked.

"Not quite. We picked the ripe ones first, which is why we got over eighty in just the morning."

Sorting through them was tough. Some ripe durians were in hard-to-reach spots, making this harvest slower than the last.

"That’s good. Just keep watching them. If any are fully ripe, pick them and eat them to avoid waste."

"Got it."

These durians were treasures now—they couldn’t afford to waste any.

But eat them themselves? They’d never waste them like that.

"The Chen family shouldn’t bother you again, but stay alert. If anything happens, call me from the town’s phone booth," Fu Tinghua told the Fu family.

The Fu family agreed, but if the Chens really showed up, they wouldn’t go out of their way to notify Fu Tinghua.

He was the most accomplished son of the Fu family—they couldn’t trouble him with minor issues and distract him from his important work.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

And just like that, the group made their lively way back to the city.

The Fu family children looked on enviously as Zai Zai and Niu Niu sat in the car.

They’d never even ridden in a car, nor had they ever been to the city.

Not just them—even their parents had never gone.

After all, it was a three-hour journey. Unless they had business there, why would they go to the city for no reason?

"Bye, guys!" Niu Niu stuck her head out the window and called to the group of Fu kids.

"Bye, Niu Niu!"

"Bye, Zai Zai!"

As the car drove off, the Fu children chased after it all the way to the village entrance, only stopping when Fu Tinghua accelerated and gradually left them behind.

"I really want to go to the city too," Shitou suddenly muttered, his eyes brimming with longing.

"If you study hard like Little Uncle, you can go wherever you want," Zhuang Zhuang declared, his eyes shining with determination.

He remembered Zai Zai’s words—study hard, and there’ll be another way out.

A way to eat well and stay warm, even without farming.

"Does studying really help?" Niu Niu blurted out.

"Of course! Zai Zai told me. Zai Zai and Little Uncle are the smartest in the family," Zhuang Zhuang said proudly.

Heh, his little brother had shared this with him alone—that’ll show ’em!

Sure enough, hearing Zai Zai had shared secrets like that with Zhuang Zhuang, Niu Niu and Shitou couldn’t help but feel envious.

"Zai Zai’s biased—he didn’t tell us," Niu Niu pouted.

"I’m Zai Zai’s favorite brother," Zhuang Zhuang patted his chest proudly.

"Heh!"

The boys started squabbling jealously over Zai Zai.

Ya Ya didn’t join their conversation, but she vowed to study hard too—she wanted to be as smart as Auntie Su He.

Meanwhile, Zai Zai and Niu Niu in the car kept turning to watch their siblings running after them, their hearts heavy.

Only when the car turned a corner and the others disappeared from view did the two finally settle back in their seats.

"Dad, Mom, when can Zhuang Zhuang and the others come to the city with us?" Zai Zai asked.

He was usually very sensible and rarely asked questions that might trouble his parents.

But saying goodbye today was just too sad—even Zai Zai couldn’t help but feel wistful.

"Once our city business gets steadier, we’ll invite them over, okay?" Su He, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to the children with a smile.

"Okay! Then I’ll take Ya Ya to play at the park on the slide!" Niu Niu’s face lit up.

Here's the edited translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

You won't find slides in the countryside. Not even in town, but the city's free public parks have them, open for kids to play anytime.

"Okay, great. Remember where you want to take your brothers and sisters to play when they visit the city."

"Yay—"

The family laughed and joked together.

They reached their city home by 3:30 in the afternoon.

Since the village delivery guy already knew the way, they didn't wait for him this time—he was probably running about ten minutes late.

"Wow, we're home!"

The two kids rushed excitedly into the yard, calling out, "Sister Wan Er! Sister Wan Er!"

Wan Er usually took great care of the two little ones, so Zai Zai and Niu Niu adored her.

Hearing the commotion, Wan Er, who had been hoeing in the yard, dropped her hoe and hurried over.

"Brother Zai Zai, Sister Niu Niu! You're back?" Wan Er asked with excitement.

"Sister Wan Er, what are you doing?"

Seeing Wan Er covered in dirt and all dirty, Zai Zai and Niu Niu asked curiously.

Just then, Su He came up behind them. "Wan Er?"

Staring at the completely changed yard, Su He was stunned. The yard that had been empty before was now full of planted seeds.