Chapter 623: New Year

Ye Yaodong smiled helplessly, shook his head, shoved the money into her arms, and stood up. "Stop fussing. Go back to bed. It's already the first day of the Lunar New Year; you won't get more than a few hours of sleep before every household starts setting off firecrackers again."

The old lady was equally stubborn. She held onto his clothes, refusing to let him leave, insisting on shoving that packet of money into his pocket. "Take it, or I won't sleep peacefully. Consider it your New Year's money. Anyway, you're supposed to support me in my old age. I eat your food, drink your drinks, live in your house, and spend your money. If you don't take it, I'll move back to my hometown tomorrow and eat my father's food."

Ye Yaodong was truly at a loss for words; the emotional warmth from just moments ago had been completely eroded by this back-and-forth refusal.

Before he could even take it out to return it, the old lady finished speaking and immediately, with surprisingly nimble legs, hurried back into the room.

After entering the room, she waved at him before closing the door. "Go back to bed quickly. It's very late."

"You know it's late, yet you waited until this hour."

She chuckled. "Go back to bed, go back to bed. Remember to keep a little for yourself; don't hand it all over."

Seeing him pull the red paper packet out of his pocket again, the old lady quickly shut the door.

Ye Yaodong smiled with a helpless expression, weighed the banknotes wrapped in red paper in his hand. They weren't very heavy, yet in his heart, they felt incredibly heavy.

The elderly person couldn't save much money; the savings were either accumulated in their youth or given as filial offerings by their children. This amount was probably just over 200 yuan, roughly the same as the money given to him on his deathbed in his previous life.

After looking at it, he gripped it tightly and walked back into the room.

Ah Qing was half-asleep at this moment; since he hadn't returned, how could she sleep peacefully?

Hearing the door creak open, she woke up, propped herself up with her arm, sat up against the headboard, and glanced at the watch placed beside her pillow.

"You're back! What are you holding in your hand?"

Ye Yaodong extended the money in his hand toward her, showing it to her.

"The New Year's money the old lady gave me!"

"Huh? New Year's money?"

"Yeah. I didn't expect to receive New Year's money from my father-in-law and the old lady this year. It's truly a bumper harvest year; my financial luck is quite prosperous."

Lin Lin Xiuqing was equally helpless against his playful nonsense and grinning face.

"Can't you speak seriously for once?"

"Where am I not being serious? I call this humor, I call this having a sense of romance. Do you understand? Most people don't have as much romance as I do."

"Humor my head, romance my ghost. I've never heard you speak properly a few times. Ask you a question, and you just ramble nonsense."

Ye Yaodong passed the packet of money through the gap in the bed railing, placing it on her lap in front of her. "I'm not rambling. The truth is exactly as I said. This really is the New Year's money the old lady gave me. It's just that her bottom-of-the-box savings are basically all in here; she gave it all to me."

Lin Lin Xiuqing's mouth opened in surprise. "Why is she so generous this year? Giving New Year's money to the little ones is one thing, but giving you all her money? Her mental state looks fine now; it's much better than at the end of last year. She should be fine for a few more years, right? Why give you the money so early? Planning ahead already?"

"Sigh. She feels that I'm showing promise this year, so the little money she has saved won't be of much use to her. That's why she generously wrapped New Year's money for the children."

"She's also thinking that giving it to me now might still be useful, that it can still serve a purpose. She thought about giving it to me early. Anyway, she's old, can't work anymore, and won't save much money in the future. Giving it early or late is the same; giving it early can help me."

Ye Yaodong sat in the chair with his legs crossed, one hand propped on the table. His heart was filled with the old lady's words; for a moment, he didn't want to go to bed either, only wanting to talk to someone and share his complex feelings.

Lin Lin Xiuqing looked at him with an equally complex expression. "You really are your grandmother's precious treasure!"

Ye Yaodong: "..."

He didn't want to hear the words "precious treasure."

"And then the old lady gave it to you, and you accepted it?"

"I couldn't refuse. I don't lack this little bit of her funeral money. The older people get, the more stubborn they become. She said if I don't take it, she'll move back to my hometown tomorrow to eat my father's food instead of mine."

"Fine then, just take it. It's yours sooner or later anyway."

"She wrapped it nicely in red paper. Don't open it, don't touch it. Just put it in the drawer and lock it up."

"Mm."

Lin Lin Xiuqing also got out of bed, took the key, and unlocked the drawer.

Ye Yaodong casually wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her to sit on his lap. "I'm putting the money away. What are you doing?"

"Hugging you. Do you think the old lady feels her time is running out, so she gave the money to me early? I've heard that some elderly people have a feeling when their end is near."

Thinking of this, he felt a bit distressed. Please don't let her end really be near!

Originally, in his previous life, the old lady could only live until 1985. Now, after the New Year, it's already 1984. Last year, when Ye Ye Datang was arrested and sentenced, the old lady fell ill and lay in bed for several days. Could her vital energy have been severely damaged?

Lin Lin Xiuqing originally thought he was acting on lust again, but realized he was just simply hugging her and talking, so she didn't struggle.

"Unlikely. Look at her; she's always radiant, happy every day. She can water and weed, sow seeds and harvest vegetables, and even feed the chickens and ducks. She looks so agile. Where does she look like she's about to pass? She probably just thinks you're doing well, doesn't expect to keep that little money for you, so she doesn't need to save it for you anymore."

"That's true. Then let her water and feed the chickens every day. At least that's better than lying in bed motionless, which makes people uncomfortable to watch."

She chuckled, unlocked the money, put the key in the jar first, shifted her hips, turned her head, and looked at him.

"Receiving such a large sum of New Year's money, you don't seem very happy."

Ye Yaodong raised an eyebrow. "Am I the kind of person who lacks this little bit of money?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing flicked his forehead. "Such big talk! In the past, you were the one who lacked this little bit of money."

"Don't mention the past. How many years ago was that? You love bringing it up all the time."

"How many years? You think how many years have passed?"

"The third child is already born and can run this year. Stop bringing it up all the time."

It is already the first day of the Lunar New Year, so saying "this year" is correct.

"What are you doing?" Lin Lin Xiuqing slapped his wandering hand.

"Nothing. Just checking your conscience. Ask yourself honestly: am I becoming more successful? I am a good grandson, a good son, a good father, and a good husband!"

How could he say such shameless words and perform such shameless acts so naturally?

"It's so late already. It's one o'clock. The New Year's Eve firecrackers time has passed..." Lin Lin Xiuqing's last sentence was spoken very quietly; she felt awkward even saying it herself.

Ye Yaodong buried his face in her neck and laughed, feeling that she was a bit corrupted by him.

"The New Year's Eve firecrackers time has passed, but isn't there still the New Year firecrackers?"

Lin Lin Xiuqing: "..."

She bit her lower lip. Where did he get so many new terms?

"What other firecrackers are there?"

Ye Yaodong was in the middle of kissing her when he heard that, and laughed so hard his shoulders shook.

"Whatever cannon you want, we've got it—opening cannon, closing cannon, firecracker cannon, sky-rocket cannon. Right now let's fire the first cannon of the new year…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing laughed and punched his shoulder, finding it very funny too. "Never seen you understand anything proper, but this messy stuff—you really do know it all."

"So-so, so-so—third in the whole village!"

"Who's first and second?"

"Probably the village's old rogue?"

"You too!"

"I'm not old—I'm still a strapping young man!"

"Stop fooling around, get to bed…"

"Right here. That bed creaks and creaks—it's so annoying. Once I've got the money, I'll swap it for a Simmons mattress!"

"I'll catch cold…"

"Once we get moving, we won't be cold…"

Outside, the cold wind whistled and howled; the window rattled every now and then; the shadows cast on the panes flickered and swayed. Indoors, the place was a hive of heat and motion—two extremes, inside and out.

The weather on the first day of the New Year was especially cooperative—bright sunshine from early morning. Though the north wind still howled, it couldn't blow away the brilliant smiles on people's faces. Everyone, beaming with festive joy, put on their new clothes and strolled around the village, their first words to anyone they met being "Happy New Year!"

Ye Yaodong also got up early to set off firecrackers and burn incense for the Kitchen God and Kitchen Goddess.

The children happily put on their new clothes and ran back and forth at the doorway. Early in the morning, their pockets were stuffed full of firecrackers again—even new clothes couldn't stop them from picking up stray ones!

Anyway, it was New Year's—you couldn't hit the kids, and you couldn't scold them either!

Lin Lin Xiuqing stood at the door and called out several times: "Time to eat!"

Every one of them was having too much fun playing, and let her words go in one ear and out the other.

Not until she stepped forward and tweaked their ears did the two boys obediently follow her home. Ye Chenghu even muttered as he walked, "It's New Year's—you can't hit the kids…"

Lin Lin Xiuqing looked down at their already blackened knees, and her hand was already itching; she felt that before the first few days of the New Year were over, she'd have to break her own rule.

Ye Chenghu also felt his mother's gaze. He glanced down, then, with great brotherly affection, grabbed Ye Ye Chengyang and hurried into the house.

"Why are you running like that? Come on, come on—time for breakfast." The old lady called them in from inside with a laugh, urging them to sit down quickly.

"Oh? Fried sweet-potato noodles for breakfast?"

"These aren't sweet-potato noodles—they're shark fin. They do look a bit like sweet-potato noodles." The old lady explained with a chuckle, and divided them up—one portion each, with Ye Chenghu getting a little more since he was bigger.

The bowl of shark fin in front of the two brothers had taken Ye Yaodong several days of effort to make; yesterday he'd deliberately left it at home instead of bringing it to the old house.

It was only a small portion, with so many people—who would it be enough for? Not even a single mouthful each. The old lady had also said to set it aside and fry it up this morning as breakfast for the two children.

"This is something your dad went to great pains to make. It's from the fins of that big shark from a few days ago—and that's all he got from them. It's very expensive if you buy it outside. He couldn't even bear to eat it himself—he left it all for you. Now hurry up and eat."

"Wow, Daddy's so good to us! Can I take my bowl to the door to eat?"