A Happy Day

The fried rice at home instantly lost its appeal.

Chen Pingsheng took little An'an to eat the KFC meal she had been dreaming of.

The little girl was overjoyed. After ordering a big burger and a fried chicken drumstick, she added a large portion of French fries.

"Daddy, I also want some Coke."

"Order whatever you want. Today, you can eat anything you like."

Chen Pingsheng patted her head. His little girl had always been sensible. Before, they didn't have the means to spoil her properly.

Now that he could make money, he had to raise his daughter well—starting with letting her eat KFC freely.

Little An'an was easily satisfied. Holding her plate filled with a family bucket meal, she grinned so widely that her teeth almost went crooked.

Seeing her innocent and contented smile, Chen Pingsheng couldn't help but take out his phone to snap a few pictures and post them on his social media.

Click, click.

There were photos of An'an holding a drumstick and shots of her face smeared with oil from eating.

Chen Pingsheng added a short caption: A Happy Day.

To him, watching his daughter grow day by day and seeing her cheerful smile was truly a source of joy.

This social media platform had only been launched in April this year and had quickly become a nationwide sensation.

Scrolling through it had become a daily habit for most people.

As soon as his post went live, the first person to like it was his sister-in-law, Song Wu.

"Little An'an is so well-behaved. You finally took her to eat KFC."

Chen Pingsheng couldn't be bothered to reply. His sister-in-law was studying at an art school in Beijing, where the students were all from wealthy or prestigious families.

Over time, she had developed a somewhat arrogant attitude.

But at least she was good to An'an, often taking her out to play.

At that moment, Song Wu was just casually scrolling through social media out of boredom.

In 2012, there were no short videos yet—no dancing influencers.

This year was also considered the beginning of the mobile internet era.

Several internet giants were established during this period, including food delivery platforms and the merger of Youku and Tudou.

But the hottest trend was the rise of mobile devices—smartphones.

Companies like Baidu, 360, Tencent, Alibaba, NetEase, Sohu, and Xiaomi all announced their entry into the smartphone market this year.

The one who dominated the scene and became a legend in entrepreneurship was, of course, "Lei Bu Si."

However, all of this was still distant from Chen Pingsheng's world.

For now, his main concern was selling durians well and using his golden finger ability to randomly multiply his profits.

If he could pull that off, his monthly income could multiply several times over.

"Daddy, I'm full."

Little An'an patted her tiny belly with satisfaction and let out a small burp.

Chen Pingsheng pinched her chubby cheeks and said, "Since you're full, let's go pick up your mom from work."

It was freezing outside with heavy rain pouring down.

The temperature had dropped to minus three or four degrees.

Chen Pingsheng placed An'an in front of him, wrapped her snugly in a raincoat, and ensured she was well-covered.

Father and daughter rode their little electric scooter through the rain to pick up her mother.

At exactly 4:30 PM, they arrived at the office building where Song Yanxi worked.

No matter how busy he was, he always made sure to pick up his wife from work on time.

It was one of the few things he had done over the years that made others slightly envious.

After all, there weren't many men who could persistently pick up their wives from work every single day for years.

At first, people used to glance at him with subtle disdain when they saw him riding an electric scooter.

After all, Song Yanxi was young and beautiful.

But when he kept doing it for months, then a year, then two, then three…

People gradually stopped gossiping.

After all, humans have hearts. Not every man is born into wealth.

For an outsider like him, who wasn't rich but treated his wife sincerely, some people came to respect him.

Especially since he had a good personality. Even when people mocked or ridiculed him at work, he always responded with a smile.

Some of Song Yanxi's colleagues even thought, If you can't find a rich guy, at least finding someone reliable like him isn't bad.

At least they wouldn't have to worry about him cheating or treating them badly.

In the freezing rain, Chen Pingsheng and little An'an waited outside.

Without a certain level of education, it was impossible to even enter such a prestigious office building.

The people working inside were all university graduates at the very least.

Song Yanxi was an exception. When she joined, the company was just starting out, so the hiring standards weren't high.

"Oh wow, Yanxi, your husband really never misses a day of picking you up, rain or shine."

The one speaking was her colleague Du Juan, a young woman who had joined right after graduation and was on good terms with Song Yanxi.

Chen Pingsheng still had his raincoat on.

Song Yanxi glanced at him with a mix of amusement and exasperation. "It's freezing outside. Why don't you wait inside?"

"Forget it. I was helping someone move earlier and got all sweaty. Everyone in there is so proper—I'd rather not go in and disturb them."

Song Yanxi didn't know what to say to him.

He used to be so proud and outstanding when he was younger.

Now, he acted so cautious about everything, as if he was afraid of causing her trouble.

But over all these years, Song Yanxi had never wavered in her feelings.

Whenever colleagues asked her what her husband did for a living, she would confidently reply, "My husband sells durians."

"He also helps people move. If anyone here needs moving services, you can call him. He's strong and hardworking—he can do the work of three people."

At first, her colleagues would just smile awkwardly.

After all, this was Beijing. Everything was about appearances.

A woman who didn't mind her husband's humble background and career was considered quite an anomaly.

Song Yanxi gently pinched little An'an's cheeks before lifting the raincoat and sitting behind Chen Pingsheng.

She wrapped her arms around him, trying to give him some warmth.

As soon as they left, the colleagues started talking.

Du Juan was the first to speak, a hint of envy in her voice. "Yanxi's husband really treats her well."

"What's the point?"

A disapproving voice spoke up.

It was Yang Dan, another recent graduate—plain-looking but extremely confident.

"Riding a motorbike to pick up his wife in this freezing weather? If it were me, I'd rather cry in a BMW than laugh on a scooter."

Hearing that, Du Juan didn't even bother arguing.

She was a true Beijing native and never looked down on outsiders.

She didn't understand where Yang Dan got the confidence to say such things.

Besides, everyone in the office knew what kind of person Yang Dan was.

Her motto? "If I marry, it must be a rich second-generation heir."