By the time Chen Jiaqi reached the village, her playlist had looped twice, and her shoulders ached from gripping the wheel too long. She was beyond exhausted and just wanted hot food, a hot shower, and most importantly sleep!
The town — nestled in a valley with just enough mist to feel mysterious but not enough to ruin her hair — looked like a modern postcard filtered through a Chinese drama set designer's dreams.
Paved roads, clean signage, and a sleek little solar station near the bus terminal. Just compact scooters, delivery vans, and a random uncle hauling vegetables in an electric tricycle.
The welcome sign said: "Wutong Village: Home of Scholars and Silkweed" in bold red calligraphy. Great. Even the street signs had academic trauma baked in.
She passed a noodle shop, a small market, and two convenience stores fighting over who had better instant coffee.
A public square with solar benches curved around a tidy koi pond. Kids zipped by on electric skateboards while grandmothers swatted them with fans.
It was modern, yeah, but still dripping with small-town nosiness. The kind where everyone knows if your bra strap shows or you switch majors for the fourth time.
Chen Jiaqi cruised slowly, eyes scanning the streets, mentally trying to guess which neighbor would be the first to gossip about her arrival on their village group chat.
She pulled up to a modest but well-kept community center parked and hopped out grabbing her things.
A man in a short-sleeve button-up with a neatly tucked belly stood waiting with a woman beside him — both were talking and laughing with the elders and smiling like politicians at a ribbon cutting. They must be the village chief and his wife she guessed.
.
They walk up waving and greeting her enthusiastically after noticing a new face that wasn't so familiar.
"Hello, my girl! I am the village chief Liu Kongsi You can call me uncle Liu This is my wife Fang. How can we help you? Are you here to visit family?" The village chief spoke first introducing himself and his wife
.
"I'm here for the teaching job" she answered setting her bags down.
Oh, how lovely! I'm aunty fang. Which family has such a beautiful girl belong to." The woman excitedly grabbed Chen Jiaqi's hands in excitement.
"Ahh You must be Jiajia! Chen Yifeng little niece who use to come down to visit!" the village chief laughed out joyfully slapping his knee.
"Look how big you've grown now. Welcome, welcome!" He ushered her with his wife toward the unknown.
"It's been years since you visited let me and my wife escort you to your uncle's house. The village has changed a lot since you last visit," the man said proudly.
Chen Jiaqi hopped out, brushing crumbs from her hoodie and trying not to look like someone who had considered abandoning a child earlier that week.
"It's… very clean here," she offered awkwardly.
"We're proud of that," Auntie Fang beamed. "Your uncle told us you'd be coming. He said you're smart, adaptable, and just need the right soil to bloom. I told him, 'Don't worry, we'll water her!'"
Chen Jiaqi offered a tight smile. "Thank you, but I don't bloom without caffeine and bribes."
⸻
DING!
⚠️ [System Notification – Warning Issued]
🚫 Reminder: Bribes will not be tolerated.
→ Asking for, hinting at, or accepting bribes (monetary, material, or favor-based) from students, parents, or staff will result in disciplinary deductions and potential system shutdown.
✅ However, unsolicited gifts from students or parents given freely, without coercion or expectation, are allowed as part of cultural or social appreciation.
📋 [Log Entry: Warning issued – Category: Host Humor Misinterpreted as Intent]
Chen Jiaqi blinked as the blue text flickered in front of her. "Wow. Touchy much?"
[Host sarcasm detected. Response logged.]
[System Suggestion: Maybe don't joke about illegal activity during a professional introduction.]
She turned away slightly, muttering, "It was a joke."
[The system doesn't joke about ethics. You should try it sometime.]
She took a slow breath through her nose and grinned back at Auntie Fang. "Don't mind me. Just adjusting to the countryside oxygen levels. Very… fresh."
⸻
They led her through winding paths to the edge of the village, where the noise faded and green stretched wide. Trees rustled overhead, and rows of old-style tiled rooftops peeked out between modern solar installations. There, tucked between bamboo rows and a short gravel road, stood a cozy farm-style villa — two stories, shaded porch, solar panels on the roof. Wind chimes danced gently at the front. A dog barked once then ran off as if it had other gossip to attend to.
"This is where your uncle and aunt live," said Chief Liu. "It's simple, but it's home. You'll be staying here too — your uncle's arranged everything."
They bid her farewell at the gate, promising a formal dinner next week. Chen Jiaqi gave a stiff little wave and knocked on the wooden door.
It creaked open with a familiar squeak.
"JIAQI!" her uncle bellowed, pulling her into a full bear hug. "You finally made it!"
Uncle Chen Yifeng was broad-shouldered, gray at the temples, and still stronger than half the guys she dated. His wife, Aunt Min, emerged from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel, smiling like she'd just seen her favorite niece win a Nobel Prize.
Inside, it smelled like soy sauce, rice wine, and something bubbling on the stove.
"Come, come, let me look at you! Still not eating enough, I see. Your collarbones could cut tofu," Aunt Min said, dragging her in.
The living room was warm and crowded — photos of family lined every shelf. Her older cousins were all off working, but two younger ones popped out from upstairs. A seven-year-old with a messy fringe and a sixteen-year-old in headphones who nodded like they were contractually obligated to.
"Jie!" Xiao Luo, the youngest, ran up and threw his arms toward her leg.
Chen Jiaqi stiffened and held his head at arm's length like someone handling a leaking bag of trash. She gave him a flat look of mild disgust. "Wow. You're sticky. Why are children always sticky?"
Xiao Luo blinked at her, unfazed. "You smell like coffee and car."
"Exactly," she muttered.
Chen Ning, the teen, glanced up from her phone and smirked. "Still allergic to affection, huh?"
"I'm not allergic," Jiaqi said dryly. "I'm just not emotionally irresponsible."
Ning rolled her eyes. "You just hate kids."
"No, I tolerate well-behaved small humans from a safe distance. Preferably through glass. Like pandas at a zoo."
"Uncle Yifeng said you used to babysit."
Chen Jiaqi raised an eyebrow. "For money. Capitalism, Ning. Look it up."
"Bet you got fired."
"I didn't. I retired early. Like a boss."
Uncle Yifeng burst into laughter. "You two haven't changed one bit."
"You mean she hasn't evolved," Chen Ning fired back sticking out her tongue.
"Bold words for someone who still cries when her phone charger goes missing." Jiaqi shot back flipping her off and mouthing the words punk when no one was looking.
Chen Ning snapped her head in her direction and jumped up with wide eye seeing Chen jiaqi action "Gasp! Who's a punk? She pointed at Chen jiaqi in embarrassement "Your the punk! Your whole family is a punk! And so what if I have attachment issues, it not a weaknesses!" she defended herself righteously.
"You have a shrine for your last power bank."Chen jiaqi half hearted listening waved her off ignoring her protest. "Mhmm I know" she finally said setting her ticking time bomb little cousin off.
"I DO NOT!" Chen Ning screeched launching towards Chen jiaqi.
Her Uncle Yifeng just leaned back in his seat, sipping his tea like it was premium subscription only drama.
"Keep going," he grinned. "I needed this entertainment. You know, it's been too quiet around here without Ningning yelling at her math homework."
"That homework was demon-possessed," Chen Ning added solemnly.
Chen Ning tossed a cushion, which Chen Jiaqi caught with a grin.
"Freshman fall, I was a dance major. Spring semester, I switched to marine biology. Sophomore year? Law in the fall, yoga in the spring. Junior year, psychology one semester, philosophy the next. This year, I'm juggling culinary arts and graphic design—and probably about to switch again next semester."