Reborn As Super Heiress

Chapter 732: Chapter 729: Old Classmates

Huo Sining stayed in the Imperial Capital for two days, and after recording an episode of ”Folk Treasure Hunt,” her mission was complete. Just then, she received a call from Luo Jinzhi, who had been working a part-time summer job in S City for a month and a half and had just resigned, planning to use the remaining ten days of her vacation to visit her hometown in Mindong.

Remembering the previous agreement with Huo Sining to spend the summer vacation in the fishing village, Luo Jinzhi immediately called Huo Sining to ask if she would visit Mindong.

Huo Sining happily agreed, and without a second thought, she set off to return to S City. After explaining a few things to Auntie Li, she left with Luo Jinzhi for Mindong.

Located in the southeast coastal area, Mindong is nestled between mountains and the sea, characterized by a subtropical maritime monsoon climate. Especially the fishing village where Luo Jinzhi’s hometown is located, near the Glaze Straits, the village was formed along a coastal plain accumulated by the seaside, with a long and winding coastline and a vast sea area.

Huo Sining had long wanted to go diving in the sea, but she had never found the opportunity. This time, coming to the fishing village, she had already quietly planned for herself.

The Luo family was huge, with four generations living together, totaling more than twenty people. In Luo Jinzhi’s generation, she had four siblings—Luo Jinzhi had a sister three or four years older than her, a younger sister by one year, and the youngest was a boy, who had just turned twelve that year.

Although they desired a son, the Luo family didn’t show a preference for boys over girls. They treated Luo Jinzhi and her siblings equitably. Honestly, there wasn’t much to favor; in the fishing village, just as Luo Jinzhi had shown when she first entered S University, it was poor and bare.

The old way of traditional fishing was no longer practiced. They mostly used high-tech fishing boats now. Traditional fishermen who went out to sea in small yachts to catch fish were rare, due to overfishing. The quantity of fish along the coastline had dwindled, negatively impacting the traditional fishermen’s catch and making their lives increasingly difficult.

Though poor, the Luo family was very hospitable to Huo Sining, a rare guest. Knowing that Luo Jinzhi was bringing a good friend over, the Luo family had organized everything since they got the news—cleaning the house thoroughly, and even taking out items and foods that were only used during the New Year celebrations.

Luo Jinzhi felt nervous, fearing that Huo Sining, who was accustomed to living in villas, might despise her simple home upon her sudden arrival. However, from the moment she entered the house, Huo Sining was chatting away with the Luo family members, not showing the slightest sign of discomfort, which made Luo Jinzhi finally relieved.

Since it was Huo Sining’s first visit to Mindong, Luo Jinzhi didn’t rush to take her out to sea. Instead, she planned to take Huo Sining around the town. Unexpectedly, during their stroll, they ran into an acquaintance on the street.

”Jin Zhi, you’re back? Is school out for the summer?” A girl selling dry goods in town saw Luo Jinzhi and her eyes lit up as she greeted her happily.

Luo Jinzhi looked up in surprise: ”Qin Shui, what are you doing here?”

The girl blushed and answered with a smile, ”I’m helping my sister-in-law mind the store. Would you like to buy something to try?”

Luo Jinzhi quickly nodded, picking a little of each dry good to buy. After paying, she began to chat with Qin Shui: ”Weren’t you going to repeat a year of studies, why are you watching the store?”

Qin Shui’s expression turned bittersweet: ”My dad wouldn’t allow it; he wanted me to help with the family store.”

Hearing this, Luo Jinzhi’s expression stiffened slightly, and she hesitated, not knowing what to say.

That’s when Qin Shui noticed Huo Sining, who was accompanying Luo Jinzhi, and curiously asked, ”Jin Zhi, is this your friend?”

Luo Jinzhi then remembered that she had been so preoccupied with talking to Qin Shui that she forgot to introduce her: ”This is my college classmate, Huo Sining. I owe her a lot for taking care of me in S City. She knew I was coming back to the fishing village and really wanted to see it, so I invited her to join me for some fun. Ningning, this is my high school classmate, Qin Shui; we all call her Qin Shui.”

Huo Sining smiled, extended her hand generously, and said, ”Hello.”

Qin Shui responded with a shy smile and a blushing face, then timidly shook hands with Huo Sining: ”There’s not much special about the fishing village, but you can try sea harvesting or go out to sea for fun. In a couple of days, when my brother gets new stock, I’ll be free and can go out to sea with you!”

Luo Jinzhi immediately nodded in agreement, ”Sure, we’re planning to go out to sea. If you’re going, then let’s wait for a couple of days until you’re available, and we’ll all go together! But we can’t wait too long, as we don’t have many days left for our summer vacation. I only plan to stay for a week this time; I even quit my job specifically to come back.”

Qin Shui’s eyes gleamed with envy: ”You’re the lucky one, getting into university and going to the big city. For people like us, we can only spend our whole lives in this fishing village. In a few years, I’ll probably have to get married and have kids, and that’ll be my life.”

”Qin Shui...” Luo Jinzhi felt a pang in her heart, wanting to comfort Qin Shui, but not being a talkative person by nature, she was at a loss for words.

”It’s okay, I know what you want to say, don’t worry about me. I won’t stay in this fishing village forever. In a couple of months, when my brother’s business slows down, I’m planning to go out and look for work. Even if I can’t continue studying, I have to find a way to get out. I definitely won’t end up like these people in the fishing village, trapped in poverty my whole life!” Qin Shui said confidently, her candid smile betraying a hint of brisk decisiveness that Huo Sining found appealing.

In her past life, Huo Sining hadn’t attended university either, struggling in the city for many years, the tougher the environment, the more resilient and determined her spirit became.

”If that’s the case, you should just go straight to S City. S City is bustling, with lots of job opportunities. Plus, we’re there too, so at the very least, we can look out for you a bit more. If anything comes up, we can be there quickly!” Luo Jinzhi suggested immediately upon hearing that Qin Shui wanted to find work outside.

Qin Shui hesitated for a moment before nodding: ”Alright, I’ll think about it. If I decide to go, I’ll definitely contact you first. By the way, our class reunion is the day after tomorrow, will you come?”

”Class reunion? I didn’t know about it,” Luo Jinzhi said, taken aback and visibly puzzled.

Qin Shui also found it strange: ”Yes, Yan Yurou notified us about it. Come to think of it, we had a class reunion during the New Year, and you didn’t attend that one either. Anyway, you’re the only one in our class who got into a top university, and we wanted to ask you about S City. It’s a pity you couldn’t make it; everyone was looking forward to it.”

Qin Shui suddenly remembered the class reunion before the New Year, and recounted to Luo Jinzhi how everyone had been.