On New Year's Eve, people in the village were setting off firecrackers early in the morning.
Ye Zhao got up sleepily. It was a bit cold today, so she wrapped herself in a coat and went to the balcony. The small balcony of her room faced the small street. At the door of a house on the street, a square table was filled with cooked chicken, pork, fish and other sacrificial offerings. An old lady was worshiping the heaven and earth.
She didn't understand whether this was a sacrifice to the ancestors or to heaven and earth. When she came out of the room, Brother Xiang hadn't gotten up yet and Aunt Qiao was not at home.
Looking out from the living room window, Fei Po Ying and Qiao Yi were also worshiping the gods in the yard. They were cousins and were worshipping the same ancestor.
Ye Zhao picked up the phone and called Guipi, but Guipi was not at home. He said he had gone to work in Zizhulin.
Although the fees are high, Guipi is quite reliable.
Ye Zhao quickly changed his clothes, ate a piece of rice cake and went downstairs.
Aunt Qiao was clearing the table for worshipping the gods. Seeing Ye Zhao coming downstairs, she hurriedly asked, "Have you had breakfast? There is chicken soup in the pot."
"I ate rice cakes." Ye Zhao pushed her new bicycle and went out.
The bicycle Zeng Xiang bought for her was very light and easy to ride. She rode through the small streets and alleys and headed straight for the purple bamboo forest.
From a distance she saw bulldozers and excavators working there, and Guipi was standing on the side of the road eating an orange and talking to a passerby.
Ye Zhao rode his bicycle over, stopped, and asked, "Why are there only two?"
She ordered two bulldozers and an excavator from him, but in the end there was only one bulldozer and one excavator. They definitely couldn't finish the work today.
Guipi said, "Someone stood up because he wanted to go home for the New Year. There are only these two. I had to beg and plead for them at a high price. If you can't finish the work in one day, you can do it in two days. Tomorrow, the first day of the New Year, we won't take a break and will finish the work for you."
It was really hard to find people to work during the New Year. Ye Zhao looked at the excavator digging the small earth slope in the distance and asked, "Can the work be finished in two days?"
"It should be possible. Anyway, I'll take care of the job for you. The price won't be calculated by the day, so don't worry." Guipi handed her two big oranges.
Ye Zhao took the orange and didn't peel it to eat. "I'm afraid the sand is not solid. Should I add some cement?"
"No need. No matter what you build in the future, you will have to dig the foundation. It will be more troublesome to dig after adding cement. I will let the bulldozer press the ground a few more times and it will definitely compact the ground for you. Don't worry, I, Zeng Gui, will do the work!"
"Old Mac will definitely get wind of it later. He's coming. What are you going to do?"
"I don't care. I will continue the construction as usual no matter who comes. If he dares to rush in, the bulldozer will crush him directly. People like Old Mac are tough on the outside but weak on the inside. You can rest assured with me here. I will only dare to stop the work if you order me to do so."
Guipi is also a seasoned man, he should be able to handle Old Mac.
They chatted for a while, and if there was extra soil, she asked Guipi to push the soil to Zeng Laojiu's side, no matter whether she would buy his land in the future or not, just push it to his side.
Ye Zhao put the oranges sent by Guipi into the basket and walked back. Passing by Liang Po's blue shed, she saw that it was very lively there. On New Year's Eve, many people were still sending waste to her.
She locked the bike and gave two large oranges to Liang Po to take in. An old man was arguing with Liang Po over the number of cans. Liang Po was so angry that she poured out all the cans in the snakeskin bag and said, "You count them again!"
There was a freshly killed fish in the pond next to her. Ye Zhao asked her, "Are you going to eat this fish during the New Year?"
"Fish is enough for me! I will have more than enough every year!"
Ye Zhao put the oranges on Grandma Liang's table, and seeing that she was not free, he left first.
Bailu didn't go out to play during the entire winter vacation. She stayed at home to study every day. Since the relationship between her mother and Uncle Ye changed, she has become more diligent than before.
She used to study for herself, but now, in addition to studying for herself, she also studies for her mother. She has become her mother's only support.
Bai Yunping's family of three came to their home to celebrate the New Year together, and the two sisters were preparing food in the kitchen.
"Didn't you come back last night?" Bai Yunping was peeling water chestnuts. She asked her sister softly, "Do you often not come back?"
Bai Yunlian was chopping peppers. "If you want to come back, then come back. If you don't want to come back, then don't come back. What can I do?"
"Then he will come back for dinner tonight?"
Bai Yunlian: "Bai Lu asked him, and he said he would come back for the reunion dinner."
"That means you are more important to him. Forget it. Don't fight hard. Be gentle. I don't believe you can't beat her. Do you know where that vixen surnamed Gao lives? Is she renting a house or buying one?"
Bai Yunlian put the chopped peppers in the bowl. She didn't want to talk about this topic with Bai Yunping during the New Year. "I don't know. I don't want to talk about her."
"Sister, what's wrong with you? Why are you losing your fighting spirit so quickly? Have you wasted the past ten years?!"
"Let's talk about it after Bailu finishes the college entrance examination. I don't want these things to affect Bailu's college entrance examination. Don't say bad things about Ye Dingguo in front of Bailu."
"I know, you think I'm stupid." Bai Yunping spoke in a low voice, "I don't even dare to say much in front of Lao Yuan. Lao Yuan is incompetent. If he was, he would definitely keep a mistress outside. Men are all the same when they have money. So, grabbing money is the most important thing. Seeing that the branch factory is about to open, sister, if you don't go back to the branch factory, you have to find a way to let me go back."
Bai Yunlian: "You can talk to him yourself at dinner time tonight."
"Just say it yourself. I can't count on you anymore."
Ye Zhao came to the canteen of the Irene Toy Factory. The factory was closed for three days, but the canteen was not. There were more than a thousand workers left in the factory. The reunion dinner for these more than a thousand people was set up at large round tables with more than a hundred tables. The factory charged 35 yuan per table.
The cafeteria is bustling with activity today.
All the girls from Zhaohua came to help, and the factory security team was also invited to help move tables and chairs and serve dishes. Aunt Qin had arranged everything. She said that it would be enough to give each member of the security team a pack of cigarettes during the New Year, which would save money and be convenient.
Ye Zhao admired Aunt Qin very much for this. When it came to saving money, she had always done better than Ye Zhao.
Ye Zhao spends money lavishly, although she is already very frugal.
The reunion dinner was ready at 11:30. Su Yingmin came in person to spend the New Year with the workers. Director Liang and others were there. Before the meal, Su Yingmin gave a speech with a handheld microphone. He said thank you to all his colleagues for their hard work. Last year, Irene's products were sold all over the world. In the new year, we should say goodbye to the old and welcome the new. Everyone should continue to work hard and prepare for new glory.
After Su Yingmin finished speaking, he saw Ye Zhao standing nearby and walked over to talk to her.
Ye Zhao smiled and said, "Uncle Su, I think you are more like a boss than my dad. My dad is probably still in the land of gentleness right now."
Su Yingmin knew that Ye Dingguo hated it most when others said that he was better than him, so he said, "Don't say that in front of your father."
"I know. He's very stingy."
"Your father is also good at his own strengths. He is good at building good relationships with the upper management. All the orders for the factory are brought in by him. Your father is responsible for external affairs, while I am responsible for internal affairs. We have different divisions of labor."
Ye Zhao also believed that her father must have some outstanding qualities, otherwise he would not have been able to run such a large factory and even open branches. However, anything she had not seen did not count.
"Your Aunt He called you yesterday, right? Come to our house tonight for the New Year's Eve dinner."
Ye Zhao pretended to be helpless and said, "I promised the landlord that I would spend the New Year with her. I told Aunt He that I will go to pay New Year's greetings to Uncle and Aunt tomorrow morning to ask for red envelopes."
Su Yingmin laughed and said, "Come earlier, I'll give you a big red envelope."
After the banquet started outside, three tables were set up behind the kitchen, where the Zhaohua employees and the cafeteria staff sat. Everyone toasted with beer. Ye Zhao considered himself to be a student, so he used the excuse of not drinking alcohol and only drank beverages. He toasted with everyone once or twice.
A few people in the kitchen who were particularly good at making trouble did not dare to toast Ye Zhao. They took turns toasting Li Zhengxin. Li Zhengxin could not drink, so Aunt Qin blocked him from drinking.
When someone else came later, Aunt Qin stopped them from toasting. She smiled and said, "There's another meal tonight. Let's drink tonight!"
Ye Zhao had another meal in the evening, so she didn't eat too much. When she saw that everyone had almost finished eating, she asked Gan Xiaofeng to take out the red envelopes that had been wrapped in advance. Someone saw it and shouted, "The boss is giving out red envelopes!"
A few brave ones rushed over first to ask for red envelopes!
Ye Zhao knew that some cunning people might take advantage of the chaos to come and ask for money a few times, so she stood up and said with a smile: "No need for you to come over, just sit back in your seats! I'll do the work!"
Ye Zhao started by giving two red envelopes to each person around him. Voices of "Thank you, boss" and "Congratulations, boss on making a fortune" were heard one after another!
These pleasant sounds make people feel happy both physically and mentally.
After handing out the red envelopes, Ye Zhao rode his bicycle, took a tin box of food and delivered it to Grandma Liang in the blue shed.
Although her house hasn't been built yet, we will be neighbors in the future anyway. It's really pitiful that the old lady has to live so frugally by herself.
Granny Liang was also having lunch. It was New Year's Day, so she had a steamed fish and a plate of Chinese cabbage. She looked at the food Ye Zhao brought her, but she didn't appreciate it at all. She was afraid that Ye Zhao would ask her for something in return: "Why did you bring me food? I can't finish it!"
Although he said no, he couldn't help but take some of the braised pork in the iron box. After taking a bite, he immediately said with a smile, "The braised pork is well cooked."
Seeing the fried egg dumplings, he picked up another one and said, "This is delicious too."
A foul smell came, and Ye Zhao frowned, "Don't you still have a house in the village? Aren't you going back to live there during the New Year?"
Granny Liang shook her head: "It doesn't matter where I live, as I'm alone."
Ye Zhao didn't ask her son why he didn't come back for the New Year. There was no point in asking.
Granny Liang took the initiative to say: "My grandson is 8 years old this year. I gave him a big red envelope, but he didn't come back to get it. Alas..."
Ye Zhao didn't know what to say to comfort the other person. In fact, it was good to be alone, but when people get old, they definitely won't think so.
After coming out of Liang Po's house, Ye Zhao stood on the side of the road watching the bulldozer working. Lao Mai didn't show up and no one knew where he went.
When they got home, Aunt Qiao was busy in the kitchen preparing the reunion dinner for the evening, and Fatty Ying gave them a big fat chicken for the New Year.
The big fat chicken was boiled in water, and Aunt Qiao bought a hen to stew fish maw. There were also steamed giant grouper, salt-baked conch, garlic shrimp, braised goose with tangerine peel, braised meat with water chestnut mushrooms, vermicelli baby cabbage...
Three people, eight dishes and one soup.
Although there were no greasy dishes, it was clear that eight dishes were too much to finish. At the table, Aunt Qiao smiled and said, "Tomorrow, on New Year's Day, we won't kill any animals. We'll just eat the leftovers."
The three of them drank soda. After clinking their glasses, Ye Zhaoxian said, "I wish Aunt Qiao good health next year, Brother Xiang to be admitted to a university in Hong Kong, and I hope I can make a fortune!"
After they both finished speaking, they looked at Xiangzai at the same time. Zeng Xiang was most afraid of this kind of embarrassing situation of giving a blessing, so he didn't want to say it.
His mother kicked him, and he knew he couldn't avoid it, so he just responded with, "I wish you all the best."
Zeng Erqiao then smiled and said, "I wish all our wishes come true. Come, come and eat. I've chopped up all the chicken legs today, you can take whichever piece you want. Last year, it was just Xiangzi and I spending the New Year alone, but this year, with Xiaozhao here, our whole home is much more lively. I hope it will be this lively every year in the future."
Ye Zhao smiled: "Aunt Qiao, I hope you don't find me annoying."
"I don't mind. It's only you young people who bother us old people. Right, Xiangzi?"
Xiangzi: "Who dares to dislike you? In this family, Zhaozhao and I certainly wouldn't dare to do that. You have such a strong fist."
Zhao Zhao! She called him so intimately that Aunt Qiao smiled so hard that her teeth were exposed. "My fists are only for you. They will definitely not be for Zhao Zhao, right, Zhao Zhao?"
Ye Zhao was completely numb after hearing all these words, "What's wrong with you guys today..."
As they were talking, Guipi came. The workers at Zizhulin had just finished work, and he passed by to say something.
Guipi's shoes were covered in mud. He didn't go into the house, but stood at the door and said, "Not long after you left, that guy Lao Mai came! His whole face was black, and he came over and insisted that we stop working! I said, I received money from Boss Ye to work, and I didn't dare to stop until Boss Ye told me to. I asked him to call you, did he call you?"
"No!"
Ye Zhao turned around and looked at Aunt Qiao, who said hurriedly, "No one called."
Gui Pi: "He also said he would call the police, but I didn't see the police come, so I guess he didn't. In fact, even if the police came, they wouldn't be able to handle it. We didn't break any laws, this is just a dispute. Now half of the land is leveled, I'm afraid he will send someone to cause trouble tomorrow and prevent us from starting construction."
Since she had chosen to start working, Ye Zhao was not afraid of him coming. She said, "If Lao Mai comes, you should quickly send someone to call me."
"Okay, I hope he can't find anyone to cause trouble on the first day of the new year. Old Mai will definitely go to the village committee to seek justice. There will be no one on the village committee tomorrow, so I guess he will continue to cause trouble for you and ask you for compensation on the second and third days of the new year."
"It's okay. Just finish your work tomorrow and don't worry about him. Thank you for your hard work, Uncle Gui. You've been busy until so late before coming home."
"It's my duty to accept money from others. I'm leaving now. Qiaojie, I'm going home to eat first."
Aunt Qiao said in a sad voice: "Gui Pi, you have worked hard!"
After eating, taking a bath, and changing into new clothes, Aunt Qiao gave each of them a red envelope for lucky money, "Come on! Grow up quickly! Yes, yes!"
Ye Zhao smiled: "If Brother Xiang grows any taller, he will be the pillar of our family."
"When you grow up, you will be the pillar of our family."
Aunt Qiao went out to play mahjong.
Ye Zhao and Zeng Xiang went to Xiaotian's room to play musical instruments. Awen came after dinner. Zeng Xiuqun pestered them to play cards.
Xiaotian said impatiently, "What cards are you playing? That's so boring! Zeng Xiuqun, can't you just stay by yourself? Brother Xiang and I don't like playing cards."
Zeng Xiuqun: "You have been playing instruments all night. It's New Year's Day, why don't you play a few games? Brother, you promised me last time that we would play cards during the New Year. Sister Xiaozhao, you also promised me."
Ye Zhao couldn't stand her pestering and had to help organize everyone to play.
Awen was still friendly and the first to respond. When Xiaotian refused to play cards, he even urged Brother Xiang to stop playing.
Ye Zhao called out, "Brother Xiang, come on! Let's play a few games and then we'll set off the fireworks."
Xiaotian: "Brother Xiang, don't go! Let's arrange this piece of music tonight and have fun during the New Year."
Ye Zhao divided the cards into four piles. The three of them took one pile each, and put the last pile aside. She called out again, "Brother Xiang..."
When Xiaotian saw Zeng Xiang put down his guitar and walked over, he was afraid that he would be left alone, so he flew over like an arrow without hesitation and hugged the pile of cards.
Zeng Xiuqun hit his brother: "You're cutting in! Don't you want to play? Hurry up and give the cards to Brother Xiang!"
Xiaotian played rogue: "First come, first served."
Zeng Xiang grabbed his protruding ears, and Xiao Tian begged for mercy, "Brother Xiang, please let me play. I beg you, Brother Xiang. Otherwise, it would be so boring for me to play the drums alone..."
Zeng Xiuqun laughed at him: "Didn't you say you don't like playing cards and that playing cards is boring?"
"It's different now! Ouch, Brother Xiang, my ears..."
Zeng Xiang let go of his ears and let the poor guy have a hand during the New Year. He sat behind Ye Zhao and watched them play quietly.
Xiaotian opened his cards and said, "Hey, my cards are amazing! Let's talk about how much money to bet! No cheating!"
Ah Wen said, "I don't have any money with me, so I won't transfer any money."
"Stingy!"
After a lively game, Ye Zhao won and she was responsible for shuffling the cards. "What kind of broken rule is this? I have to shuffle the cards after I win, but I don't get paid. I don't want to win."
Xiaotian: "He says he doesn't want to win, but he's more ruthless than anyone else when it comes to killing cards."
His sister blocked him: "What else? Let you win?!"
Ye Zhao looked back at Brother Xiang, who was just sitting there watching, very quietly. She asked with a smile, "I only know how to shuffle the cards up and down like this. How do you shuffle the cards in the staggered way you mentioned last time?"
"Give me."
Zeng Xiang took the poker cards, divided them into two equal parts, held the cards with his thumb and pressed the back of the cards with his index finger, and with a swish, the cards were shuffled!
Quite handsome!
"Wow wow wow wow wow, Brother Xiang is so handsome!" Ye Zhao and Zeng Xiuqun clapped their hands very hard and praised him for being so handsome!
Brother Xiang raised his eyebrows slightly. It was like the cards were in my hand, and the world was mine! From then on, I became a tool for shuffling cards.
After that, Ye Zhao "diligently" won the game, and Zeng Xiang "conscientiously" shuffled the cards. They were a perfect duo with perfect cooperation.
After playing cards, they went to the rooftop to set off fireworks. When the bright fireworks spread across the sky, Zeng Xiuqun shouted like crazy: "Let's make a wish!"
She then imitated the Hong Kong beauty pageant winners on TV and made a wish: "May the world be peaceful!"
After being shushed by her brother, she laughed and shouted, "You don't have to study anymore! Zeng Xiaotian is getting fatter and fatter!"
Fat lady Ying, who was playing mahjong downstairs, heard this and yelled, "Zeng Xiuqun! What are you talking about!"
"I wish my mom wins money every day playing cards!"
Xiaotian and Awen were responsible for lighting the fireworks. Zeng Xiang sat on a recliner, looking up at the fireworks in a daze.
Ye Zhao, who was standing by the railing, asked him, "Brother Xiang, which university do you want to go to?"
"I don't know yet." He seemed indifferent and had no goal. After a long while, he said, "I want to be a policeman!"
In the future, the villain who has a brilliant record in the business world becomes a policeman? That would be a complete departure from the villain plot of the original novel!
Both publicly and privately, Ye Zhao should support him!
She squatted down and encouraged him, "You are suitable to be a police officer! Is there a police academy in Hong Kong? Just apply for the police academy. When you graduate, you will be a sir! The sirs on TV are so handsome!"
Zeng Xiang glanced at her sideways. He had just casually said that he wanted to be a policeman. This was indeed his dream, but he always knew that the possibility of him becoming a policeman was very low. His father wanted him to study business, hoping that he would inherit the family business in the future, but this was not what he liked.
He looked at Ye Zhao's shining eyes when he talked about Ah Sir, and couldn't help falling into deep thought. Perhaps, could he really be a policeman
"You can! And you are especially suitable! Your martial arts skills are especially suitable for being a criminal police officer who solves cases and catches thieves! When the time comes, I will help you look up information and prepare for the exam. You will definitely pass!"
Zeng Xiang stared at Ye Zhao. Her eyes were shining, sincere and bewitching. He nodded and said, "Let me think about it."
Ye Zhao believed that if he really thought about it, he would take action.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…
The two of them raised their heads at the same time, and nine consecutive fireworks shot up into the sky, dyeing the entire sky into a world of colorful colors.
The next day, New Year's Day, Ye Zhao got up early and went around getting red envelopes!
The elders here give out red envelopes to everyone they meet. They fill a pocket with red envelopes, and when you open them, you will find notes of "1 cent", "2 cents", and even "1 cent". When you add them all up, there isn't much. They just want to have fun.
After breakfast, Ye Zhao went to Uncle Su's house to pay New Year's greetings. She didn't stay there for long because she was afraid that Lao Mai would cause trouble, so she came back early.
As a result, Old Mac really came and gathered more than a dozen people!
There were quite a few people on Ye Zhao's side as well. The brothers from the cafeteria came with their weapons, and Aunt Qin also found a few security guards to support the situation!
When Aunt Qiao heard that Lao Mai had brought people to cause trouble, she immediately rushed over with the mute and two of her poker friends to support them!
Zeng Xiang stopped on his motorcycle nearby.
Both sides set up their troops and the new year started with great enthusiasm on the first day.
(End of this chapter)