The next morning, the whole family put on new cotton-padded clothes, and after eating, they went to the old house with Ye Yaopeng, Ye Yaohua and their family.
In the old house, Ye Huimei also dressed up and put on the pair of golden lilacs that Ah Guang had given her before, the pair that he had given her one night and asked Ye Yaodong to return.
She also changed into a new cotton-padded jacket with floral patterns that she had made herself. The one made by Lin Xiuqing was thicker, and she planned to wear it on her wedding day.
Their engagement was quite simple. The man's family didn't have to worry about anything. All matters related to the engagement and marriage were basically taken care of by the man. Lin Xiuqing's sisters-in-law just went to help cook snacks.
There was a wedding banquet for the engagement, but it was hosted by the man's side. No one from the woman's family would go. Only two brothers would go. In the local dialect, they should be called "Sixth Uncle", but all three brothers went because Ye Yaodong could be considered a friend.
After 9 o'clock, A Guang came to pick people up on his bicycle. There were several red ropes tied to the front of the bicycle. He brought several friends with him, carrying several loads of wedding candies, longevity noodles, and cakes.
The children in the room were all very happy. They all received red envelopes and had lots of candies to eat.
Engagement is just an engagement, it’s very simple and there’s not much sense of ceremony.
After they arrived and had some snacks, they were taken away. Ye Yaodong and his three brothers followed, and Lin Xiuqing and her sisters-in-law also began to distribute wedding candies to relatives and neighbors.
After lunch, Ye Huimei returned to her own home. She had to wait until the twelfth day of the lunar calendar to go out, which was still ten days away. But they were officially an engaged couple.
The three brothers Ye Yaodong were brothers-in-law and received special treatment. When they returned home, not only were their cheeks red, but their legs were also shaky. They had to be supported by several friends and sent back home.
He was first sent to his hometown, and then at Lin Xiuqing's request, he was sent to his new home. As soon as he lay down, he fell into a deep sleep.
Maybe he had a nightmare last night and didn't sleep much in the second half of the night. After drinking some wine at noon, he slept until nightfall, but was still woken up by the noise of the children.
He rubbed his temples, still feeling dizzy. The room was dark, with only a little light outside the window, and the sound of children's laughter could be heard one after another in his ears.
He took his time to get up. As soon as he got out of the bed, he felt cold all over. He quickly took the cotton coat beside him and put it on before walking out.
Lin Xiuqing was sitting in front of the stove. When she heard the door open, she turned around and looked. "Are you awake? If you are, then come and have dinner. There are two of them playing cockfighting with everyone at the door. Go call them back for dinner."
"Um."
He put his hands in his pockets and just opened the door when a gust of cold wind blew into his neck. He shivered from the cold, and the noise at the door became louder.
Each child, boy or girl, big or small, held one foot, stood on one foot and bumped into each other. There was also a big square drawn on the ground with chalk.
The wind was so cold and everyone was having fun with their noses running, but they were still very excited.
"Ye Chenghu, Ye Chengyang, it's time to eat."
A few of them ignored him and didn't react at all, not even giving him a glance, and they were still holding one foot and charging.
Ye Yaodong raised his eyebrows, went up to him and grabbed the back of his collar with one hand, "Are you deaf?"
"Play for a while...it's not dark yet..."
"It's not dark yet?" He put his youngest son down, spread his palm, bent his five fingers and stretched them in front of Ye Chenghu, waving them rhythmically, "Can you see what this is?"
Ye Chenghu fell silent immediately.
It's the fifth watch hammer, what else could it be
He who knows the times is a hero!
It's good to know that you are afraid. Ye Yaodong shouted to the others who were making noise, "Everyone, come inside and eat."
The group of people immediately scattered like birds and beasts, each returning to their own homes, and he followed the two children into the house.
The food was already on the table, and the two climbed onto it. Ye Yaodong watched them sniffing with their noses. There were two deep grooves underneath, which were dried and scabbed by the wind, and then became wet again...
The younger son licked his upper lip with his tongue, while the older son grabbed his sleeve and wiped it away...
Lin Xiuqing cursed with disgust: "Are you disgusting? Didn't I put a handkerchief in your pocket?"
As he said that, he reached into their pockets, but found them empty.
"Where's the handkerchief?"
Ye Chenghu wanted to hide, but he saw his father standing behind him with a fierce look in his eyes. He could only whisper weakly: "When I threw the handkerchief, it was blown away by the wind, and Yangyang flew away too..."
Lin Xiuqing immediately became angry and asked the two brothers to stand in the corner.
"Hmm~ There's steamed eggs tonight~ Wow~ So tender, smooth and fragrant~"
"Tsk tsk tsk tsk~ There's even some minced meat on top~ It smells so good~"
Ye Yaodong said as he scooped up a large spoonful with a spoon and slurped it loudly.
"Cough cough cough ~ Shit ~ Why is it so hot...hiss...cough cough..."
“Hahaha~”
Ye Chenghu's little eyes were fixed on his father. He had originally stretched his neck and looked at him with longing on his face, but instantly he burst into laughter.
“You deserve it~ Hahaha~ You deserve it~”
Ye Yaodong covered his throat and glared at the two people who were gloating.
Lin Xiuqing's eyes were full of smiles. "Isn't it hot when it's just out of the pot? I can't even remind you in time. Do you still want to tempt them?"
"If you laugh again, I'll whip you..."
"You are bullying the weak!"
"I can't help it. I'm your father!"
Ye Chenghu was angry but dared not say anything, he just glared at him angrily.
When the couple had almost finished eating, Lin Xiuqing washed their faces and hands before letting them sit at the table.
As soon as the food was served, they went straight to the bowl of steamed egg. It was still warm and just right for them to eat. They scooped a full bowl before starting to eat.
Ye Yaodong asked Lin Xiuqing: "When do you plan to send off the New Year?"
"Let's wait for two days. I saw that the sixth day of the New Year is on a date. Let's go to the town a day in advance to buy some cigarettes, alcohol, and cakes. We'll go there early on the sixth day."
"Okay, don't take the kids with you. Send them to the old house and we'll be back the same day."
Lin Xiuqing nodded. It was almost the end of the year and everyone was busy. There was no need to stay overnight and cause trouble for her family. Besides, it would not be long before she would have to go back to her parents' home on the second day of the New Year.
On the sixth day of the New Year, the couple went to see off the old man, had lunch and sat for a while before coming back. As soon as they came back, they saw Mrs. Ye Da and Mrs. Ye Er also coming back with joy.
"The eldest and second sisters-in-law found money? They are so happy!"
Ye Yaodong said with amusement: "Is it because I got another month's interest for free?"
Mrs. Ye was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling. "Yes, we just came back from my cousin's house. It was a coincidence that we went there in the afternoon and happened to meet my cousin who came back. He directly gave us the interest for this month."
Sister Ye was also very happy. "I heard that my eldest cousin came back specially to celebrate the winter solstice and will leave again after the winter solstice. Ah Qing, don't you really want to consider it? The payment is quite punctual and stable."
"Yes, I've already received it for two months. I'm thinking about adding a little more. One thousand yuan is 50 yuan a month, so two thousand yuan would be 100 yuan, which means I can get more than half of my investment back in a year."
Ye Yaodong couldn't believe what he heard. Are they going to bet their entire family fortune
Lin Xiuqing also frowned, "Second sister-in-law, don't be greedy. You have too much money. Don't be afraid of ten thousand, but be afraid of one. You can't put all your eggs in one basket. How can you feel at ease when you take out so much money?"
"Why should I worry? My eldest cousin is going to be rated as a millionaire and will be on the newspapers and TV."
"He just came back. Have you talked to him? He is going to be rated as a ten thousand yuan household soon. Will he be in the newspapers and on TV?" Ye Yaodong asked curiously.
"I said that my eldest cousin was so surprised that he seemed to be so happy that he didn't know how to react."
"Is it possible that he was frightened?"
"How can it be a shock? It's all over the newspapers and on TV. It's too late to be surprised."
After thinking about it, Ye Yaodong gave a reminder, "I suggest you go to see if the eldest cousin's wife has anything to do tomorrow. If you really want to continue investing money, you can wait until after the New Year to see if she is back. Even if she goes out again, she will definitely come back during the New Year. There is no need to worry about missing out on opportunities."
Two silly women, his elder and second brothers work in the wind and rain all day long, it's not easy to make money, don't really spend all the family fortune on it, otherwise you will lose everything and you won't be able to celebrate this New Year.
That was really hard-earned money, 2,000 yuan is really too much.
Sister Ye asked doubtfully, "What could possibly happen to Sister-in-law?"
"I'm not sure about that. Can you come over and take a look tomorrow?"
Mrs. Ye frowned, "If we wait until the New Year, won't we miss a month?"
"You've invested quite a bit of money, right? About 1,000, right? Don't be too greedy. You should discuss it with my second brother."
There is no cure for greed.
It's so easy to cheat women out of their money.
At this time, Ye Dasao also pulled Ye Ersao's clothes and said, "We should discuss it. 2,000 yuan is too much. It will take many years to save it. We can wait until our eldest cousin is in the newspaper and on TV in a few days before investing money. If he wants to leave, he will definitely wait until these things are done before leaving."
Mrs. Ye also came to her senses after hearing this and nodded, "That's right, he definitely can't miss the opportunity to be in the newspaper and become famous."
Lin Xiuqing also agreed, "Right, it won't be published in the newspapers or on TV right away. The county will definitely send more people to find out more and then make arrangements. Maybe he won't be able to leave before the New Year. It's less than a month away from the New Year."
"Yeah, let's take a look."
After being persuaded, the two were no longer anxious and continued to persuade with a smile: "Ah Qing, don't you really want to consider it? Investing 500 yuan and earning 25 yuan in interest a month is not bad. At least the family expenses will be covered."
"No, 500 is enough for our daily expenses for several years."
Mrs. Ye shook her head. "I really don't know how to plan. It will take less than two years to get my money back..."
Lin Xiuqing smiled awkwardly, "It's okay, just make some money. Our two children are not yet in school, so the burden is lighter. You can earn more."
"Forget it, I won't advise you anymore."
The couple watched the two happily go back to their respective homes, and also carried the things they brought back from her parents' home into the house.
As soon as he entered the house, Ye Yaodong said, "Look, as soon as they leave the house, the eldest cousin's wife will definitely be beaten."
"real?"
"We'll know tomorrow."