Transmigration: On the Gossip Front
Chapter 195: Brother-in-law is the Ex 95_1

Chapter 195: Chapter 195: Brother-in-law is the Ex 95_1

Huang Jing knew Shen Lan preferred to stay put, and she herself wasn’t keen on moving too much either. After thinking for a bit, she tentatively asked, "Shall we go to a hot spring?"

"Sure," Shen Lan was open to the idea.

"To Japan?" Xia Ke’s first thought was to go there; her mind immediately considered asking Huang Jing to help bring back certain items.

"Let’s go to Okinawa." Since they didn’t have much need for shopping, there was no need to go to crowded places.

Crowded places are invariably more expensive; it makes no sense to play the fool and overspend unnecessarily.

It’s better to be direct. Find a quiet place to stay put, "where we can soak in hot springs, drink some beer, and gaze at the moon over the sea."

"The weather should be mild, not too cold or too hot."

More importantly, when colleagues from the company consider vacation spots, they hardly ever think of going there, so it truly is the best place for a getaway.

Shen Lan acknowledged with an "Okay," "You pick the flights and hotels, and I’ll foot the bill when it’s time."

"No, let’s pay separately." It’s not that she wouldn’t be spending money; since they were spending anyway, tickets and such should naturally be paid for individually.

Shen Lan, hearing Huang Jing’s eager response, glanced up slightly and immediately understood, "All right."

If she wanted it this way, all the better; it would prevent company folks from gossiping if they saw them together.

"I will transfer in Tokyo and head over. Check if there’s a direct flight," she suggested.

"If not, I’ll go ahead." Shen Lan knew that airports during the holidays could lead to many chance encounters with acquaintances.

If Huang Jing was so averse to this, they might as well travel separately. If their colleagues still happened to see them, it would just be a coincidence.

Hearing Shen Lan’s considerate reply, Huang Jing wanted to say, great minds truly are great, exceptionally considerate.

"I’ll look into it when I get back." Although it was possible to slack off at work, Huang Jing still subconsciously didn’t want her colleagues to know.

If one colleague got wind of it, the news would instantly spread, and soon many in the office would know.

Being the center of everyone’s attention was the last thing Huang Jing needed; if that happened, the pressure would be immense.

It didn’t take long for the two of them to finalize their departure time, and they even secured a place to stay—without any cost.

It turned out that a friend of Shen Lan had a property there, equipped with a hot spring, typically used for hosting friends and their own vacations. This Spring Festival, they planned to go skiing, leaving the house empty.

When Huang Jing heard this news, she was utterly astonished. Everyone knows accommodations and flights are the major expenses for a vacation.

Yet with such a resourceful person taking the lead, even these costs were spared, much to her surprise.

Xia Ke and Fan Chen couldn’t help but be thrilled when they heard about such a fortunate situation; how could they remain indifferent?

After giving it some thought, they decided to visit their parents first and then join the others there.

What was initially a trip for two had once again become a group of four, and Huang Jing and Shen Lan, as always, had no issues with it.

On the first day of her vacation, Huang Jing took the train home to visit the Huang family, and she once again chose to stay in a hotel.

For her, staying with the Huang family would probably make Huang Lixin and his wife feel uncomfortable and out of their element; she imagined she would feel the same.

Even if it was just for one day, Huang Jing didn’t want to feel constrained; any problem that money could solve was not a problem at all.

She also took the opportunity to pay a quick visit to other relatives, wishing them a prosperous New Year—a once-a-year visit and a basic courtesy that Huang Jing still observed.

Using the address Zhang Xiaoya had given her, Huang Jing found the home where Huang Lixin and his wife now lived.

Before arriving, she had thought their situation might not be very good, but she didn’t expect it to be quite beyond her expectations.

Seeing the dimly lit house, Huang Jing didn’t recover from her shock for a long time. Could such a house be of any benefit to Huang Lixin’s recovery?

Huang Jing felt even more embarrassed to ask what they were planning to do. It was plainly obvious, and rather embarrassing to say outright, that the household was struggling financially because of Huang Lixin’s collapse.

Huang Lixin’s compensation hadn’t changed, and the medical expenses were still covered by social insurance. So why had they suddenly become so destitute? Could it be that the extra income had decreased?

Honestly, Huang Jing didn’t understand, but thinking about it, with the old fox Huang Lixin around, there probably wasn’t a big issue. The problems she could think of, surely they had thought of as well.

What made her particularly uncomfortable was seeing Huang Lei and Ho Zhen walk out of the south-facing bedroom, all smiles.

Zhang Xiaoya, carrying bags big and small, came back in, "Xiao Lei, I just happened to see some vegetables you like..."

She didn’t finish her sentence before she stood, stunned. She truly didn’t expect to see Huang Jing, who clearly couldn’t have come back, just appear out of the blue.

"Xiao Jing, why are you back?" It was clear that just yesterday during the phone call there was no hint of this, yet today she had suddenly returned.

Especially since she’d run into Huang Lei and her husband, it was indeed a bit awkward. Even though Zhang Xiaoya didn’t see a problem, she worried Huang Jing might blow up.

Huang Jing glanced at the embarrassed Zhang Xiaoya and then at the gloating Huang Lei. Alright, a very normal situation.

She placed the things she brought on the dining table. "I had the day off today, so I came to see how you all were."

"Knowing you’re all doing well puts my mind at ease."

Huang Jing greeted Huang Lixin, who was sitting by the window, and saw that despite it being the perfect time for sunlight, the first floor was somehow devoid of any sunshine.

Huang Jing couldn’t help but frown. In such an environment, could it really be conducive to a patient’s recovery?

"Dad, there’s not much sun here, which isn’t good for your recovery," Huang Jing always felt that there was a smell in the house.

A smell that couldn’t be described, she really didn’t understand how they couldn’t smell it.

Huang Lixin, happy to see Huang Jing, asked about the house, "Has the renovation of the house started?"

Huang Lei pursed her lips; she really hated hearing this word. House, house, it was as if having a house meant they favored one child over others.

"We’ll start renovations after the New Year." Of course, Huang Jing noticed Huang Lei’s unhappy look.

Was it only about her? It wasn’t her fault that they couldn’t afford to buy a house.

Hearing that renovations would start after the New Year, Huang Lixin kept nodding, "Do you have enough money?"

"Enough." By that time the yearly bonus would have arrived, and together with some money saved up, it would definitely be enough for the renovations.

"I’ll keep the renovations simple." She planned to go easy on the hard installations, and put more thought into the décor later on.

Huang Lei had to keep telling herself to stay calm, to not argue with Huang Jing, but she just couldn’t help herself.

"How simple can a three-bedroom apartment in Shencheng get?" Not to mention the property prices alone could crush a lot of people.

"It depends on the location. My place is in the suburbs." It looked pretty suburban now, but that might not be the case in five years.

As more and more companies, especially those related to the internet, move in, property prices are soaring.

Promising infrastructure is being swiftly arranged and can be said to be on par with the city center.

But for now, this place is indeed in the outskirts of the suburbs.

"You two are planning to buy a house in the city center in the future." She said some pleasant words to cheer up Huang Lei, although she wasn’t optimistic about when they would be able to buy a house.

Having heard Huang Jing’s words, Huang Lei of course had to agree emphatically, otherwise it would be such a loss of face, "Yes, we’ll definitely buy a house in the city center."

"After all, the city center is more convenient." Huang Lei promised herself that no matter what, they had to buy a house in the city center, even if it was an old, small place.