sbdcsierra Chapter 1920 Talking about Love
Chapter 1920 Talking about Love
Chapter 1920 Talking about Love
After announcing the fourth place winner on stage, Ye Chenghu waved triumphantly to the audience, completely unaware that he already owed 300 yuan.
Pei Yu received the thousand-yuan prize money and was so excited that her eyes turned red. She was so excited that she could barely walk when she stepped off the stage.
Ye Xiaoxi rushed up and hugged her tightly: "Xiaoyu! You're amazing! First place! One thousand yuan!"
Pei Yu's voice trembled slightly: "I...I never expected this, I've never received such a big award before! Uncle is so generous."
Ye Chengyang also returned with the third-place prize of 500 yuan, a broad smile on his face.
Ye Xiaoxi rushed up and hugged him again: "Second brother, you're amazing too! Five hundred yuan!"
Ye Chengyang patted her head: "Absolutely."
Ye Xiaoxi stared longingly at the stage: "I have nothing..."
Ye Chenghu finally stepped down from the stage, walking over with a smug look on his face: "How was it? I did a good job hosting, didn't I? I really got the whole atmosphere going. And how was that fourth place bonus?"
Ye Xiaoxi rolled her eyes at him: "What's so good about it? There's no share for me."
Ye Chenghu chuckled: "You're already doing well with an award of excellence. A thermos is much more practical."
Ye Xiaoxi snorted and ignored him.
"In this kind of competition, it's easier to get the audience's emotions involved and win votes. Your erhu playing isn't anything new, it's too soft and doesn't stir up any emotions. At most, your young girl face adds points. You're not an old man, but you still can't beat them."
"Xiaoyu's dancing didn't really create any emotional atmosphere for everyone, did it?"
"That's different. Dancing itself is very attractive, and she's the only one dancing tonight. Her graceful dance moves will have these shameless men's eyes glued to her. Won't they vote like crazy? She'll definitely get one out of every three votes. And then there's 'We Soldiers,' most of the audience has served in the military, so they'll definitely vote for her too. As for Yangyang, he's just lucky. He's the headliner. The emotional atmosphere of the last song is really built up, and the votes will start right after it ends. That'll definitely leave a deep impression."
Ye Xiaoxi felt that what he said made a lot of sense, but she was still upset that her erhu playing was outshone.
"If you were playing the guzheng or pipa, the visual impact would be completely different..."
"Damn, they look down on the erhu!"
Ye Yaodong walked towards them, "Why do you look so sad?"
"They all received prizes, but I went home empty-handed, with nothing."
"There's also a participation prize, a thermos? That's pretty good too, the quality is excellent."
"They all took hundreds or even thousands of dollars in cash! My eyes are practically popping out of my head! I'm so envious! Dad, I've been working so hard on stage, practicing for days on end!"
Ye Xiaoxi grabbed his sleeve and shook it incessantly, pouting and drawing out the last syllable of her voice in a long, drawn-out manner.
"They all went home with their prizes, even Sister Xiaoya won 1000, and I just worked for nothing, Dad~ Dad~"
"I was the only one who was running alongside them. They all got a spot, but I didn't. I just watched helplessly as they went along."
Ye Chenghu interjected, "You're the only one who didn't get anything. I worked all night and didn't get anything either. Dad, shouldn't I get a reward too?"
"Isn't this a task you insisted on taking on? You claimed to be a college student with event experience, knew how to do it, and patted your chest to guarantee that you would do a good job."
"Don't interrupt."
Ye Xiaoxi nudged Ye Chenghu with her bottom, pushing him aside, and continued to act coquettishly.
"Dad, Sister Xiaoya got 1000, Xiaoyu got 1000, and Second Brother got 500! Oh my god, that's so much! I've never received so much money before. Poor me, I've been busy all night and I haven't gotten anything..."
Ye Yaodong glanced at her head and said, "Stop playing the victim. They got it through luck and skill."
Ye Chenghu chimed in, "Well, Dad, we did contribute to the factory after all. She enriched the program, and I took on a major role. Look how well I hosted tonight."
"That's great, but when did I say we'd add fourth place?"
He said smugly, "That's because I was clever. I saw that you had already won before and had to forfeit and redraw, but Zheng Shuya won, so you asked her to give you another one. In the end, our family won two more prizes, so I gave her another one. It's fair, isn't it? I'm so clever."
Ye Yaodong walked forward with his hands behind his back, without turning his head. "Hmm, it's quite fair. Tomorrow, let the finance department deduct it from your salary. Work until you go home for the holidays, that should be enough to cover the deduction."
Ye Chenghu's eyes widened in disbelief. "What! They're going to deduct it from my salary! Why?"
"You acted on your own initiative, without consulting me first! Of course you give me what you say."
His face darkened. "They all received awards, and I not only worked all night and got nothing, but I also have to pay out of my own pocket 300 yuan! Damn it!"
"Don't TV hosts also have thermos cups?"
"But I still have to pay out of my own pocket 300, ugh~"
Ye Chenghu let out a wail, heartbroken. He had worked hard all night and now he had to pay out of pocket. He was filled with regret.
"Father...I...I did it to make it look better..."
“The scene is quite spectacular, so you pay for it.” Ye Yaodong patted his shoulder. “A real man takes responsibility for his words.”
"Looking at it this way, it seems like it's not so bad that I didn't lose any money?" Ye Xiaoxi looked at Ye Chenghu who had to pay out of pocket and suddenly felt that not winning the lottery wasn't so bad after all?
Ye Chengyang laughed too: "Three hundred yuan, I'll feel the pinch for a long time, and I won't be able to celebrate the New Year properly."
Pei Yu covered her mouth and laughed, too embarrassed to laugh out loud.
Zheng Shuya smiled and said, "I just happened to win 1000, so I can make up for it for you."
"What you won is yours," Ye Chenghu said with a look of utter despair. "I worked all night and didn't get a single penny. I even have to pay out three hundred more..."
Ye Xiaoxi gloated: "It's okay, brother. You have experience. Experience is priceless."
Ye Chenghu glared at her: "You brat, don't mimic me."
Lin Xiuqing said with a smile, "Alright, I'll pay for it. Xiaoya doesn't need to pay. She won because she was lucky. It's rare to win only once in ten or so people. Everyone, go home now. The helpers need to clean up the place. You should all go back and rest."
He was instantly overjoyed, "Really? Thank you, Mom, you're so kind! I was so scared, I thought I was going to have to pay you to stay."
This time, he stopped asking for a reward like Ye Xiaoxi did. He was already grateful that he didn't have to pay out of his own pocket 300 yuan; he dared not hope for anything more.
Ye Xiaoxi then looked at Lin Xiuqing, "Mother~"
"What? Are you jealous of the awards they won?"
"They all have..."
"Isn't your older brother the same as you? He also contributed, but the credit went to you instead of your older brother. Isn't that unfair?"
"You've already lent 300 yuan to your brother! That's like your brother earned 300 yuan!"
"Bullshit, I..." Ye Chenghu immediately stopped, slapping his mouth, "I almost lost money, how could I have made a profit? You call that a profit?"
Lin Xiuqing put her arm around Xiaoxi's shoulder and walked towards the dormitory. "Let the three of them who make big money take turns treating you to dinner tomorrow and give you a small gift. I'll give you more lucky money during the New Year. You've saved up quite a bit in your little stash."
"That's what I saved up."
“If you don’t spend it, it will depreciate!” Ye Yaodong said, then looked at the others and said, “The prize money from winning the lottery tonight should be saved for studying.”
Ye Chengyang smiled and said, "The bonus is a bonus, and the living expenses are living expenses. The living expenses will still be given as usual when school starts."
Pei Yu said happily, "With so much money, it's definitely enough for me to spend until college."
Zheng Shuya pulled Ye Xiaoxi aside and said, "Xiao Jiu, I'll take you to buy whatever you like tomorrow. You can buy anything, as long as 1000 is enough."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiaoxi immediately beamed and hugged Zheng Shuya's arm, saying, "Sister Xiaoya is the best! I knew you loved me the most!"
Zheng Shuya smiled and pinched her cheek: "Alright, alright, you can choose whatever you want tomorrow. I keep my word."
Ye Chenghu said sourly from the side, "Xiaoya, you've never been this good to me..."
"Honestly, I just knitted you a scarf before my holiday," Zheng Shuya glared at him, then smiled and said, "But I struck it rich today, what do you want?"
"I want a New Year's gift!"
"Let's go out shopping tomorrow and I'll buy you a down jacket. It'll be a perfect new outfit for the New Year."
Ye Chenghu grinned from ear to ear, "Good, good, good..."
The family chatted and laughed as they walked towards their dormitory.
Night had fallen, and the sea breeze, carrying a salty and damp scent, blew in. It was a bit chilly, so everyone hunched their necks and wrapped their scarves tighter.
The event ended at 7:30, but it was cold in December.
The factory was brightly lit at the time, and workers were coming and going in twos and threes, talking about the evening's activities, which they would probably enjoy for a long time.
Back in the dormitory, the group refused to go back to their own rooms and instead crowded into Ye Chengyang's room.
Ye Xiaoxi hugged her thermos and watched Zheng Shuya, Pei Yu, and Ye Chengyang count money with longing eyes.
Pei Yu smiled and her eyes narrowed. "So much money... I've never seen so much money before. All my New Year's money combined doesn't amount to this much. You've struck it rich."
Zheng Shuya smiled and chimed in, "I've really struck it rich! You're all my benefactors."
"We are your benefactors, and you are our sister-in-law!" Ye Xiaoxi joked before laughing heartily.
"Hahaha……"
Zheng Shuya blushed deeply at their teasing and quickly changed the subject, asking, "When are you planning to go back to your hometown?"
"It's expected to be the day after tomorrow, or the day after that. My dad said he'll check the weather and sea conditions tomorrow to confirm," Ye Chenghu replied, putting his arm around her shoulder.
"Then when you go back to your hometown, I will also go back to Shanghai."
"Okay, I'll just treat it as a few days at home to relax and meet up with my classmates and friends. I'll call you when I get home."
Ye Xiaoxi suddenly asked again, "Sister Xiaoya, where have you been sleeping these past few days? Which room have you been sleeping in?"
Zheng Shuya's smile froze, and her ears turned red. "I'll sleep in room 320 by myself."
"The one in the very corner? Why don't you move in with us? Xiaoyu and I are the only two sleeping in the next room, and there are a few empty beds."
"No need for that trouble. You're leaving the day after tomorrow or the day after that anyway. I'll only stay for two or three more days before going back to Shanghai. Moving around is too much of a hassle."
"OK then."
"I'm going back to my room to wash up first. You all should drink more hot water, especially Xiaoyu. You're wearing such thin clothes and getting chilly at night, so you need to drink more hot water."
Pei Yu nodded. "I know."
Ye Chenghu stood up. "I'll take you back to your room."
"You're giving this away too? It's not even 20 meters long!" Ye Xiaoxi said with an exaggerated expression.
Ye Chenghu glared at her and said fiercely, "What's it to you? You're the one who talks the most. If you keep nagging, I won't buy you anything tomorrow, and I won't treat you to a meal. You'll be left to starve."
"Tch~ Xiaoya will treat us to lunch tomorrow, Xiaoyu will treat us to dinner, and Second Brother will treat us to lunch the day after tomorrow. Perfect arrangement."
"I'll give you a fart to eat."
After Ye Chenghu finished speaking, he took Zheng Shuya's hand and left.
Ye Xiaoxi called out to his retreating figure, "Big brother, don't get kicked out again!"
"You brat!"
The door closed, and the room erupted in laughter.
The next morning, sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains.
Ye Xiaoxi was still dreaming when she heard a loud knocking on the door.
"Get up, get up! We agreed to go shopping today!"
It's Zheng Shuya's voice.
Ye Xiaoxi sat up abruptly, scratched her messy hair, and shouted towards the door, "Coming, coming!"
Pei Yu was also woken up, rubbing her eyes as she sat up. The two quickly got dressed, opened the door, and went out.
Zheng Shuya stood in the corridor, wearing a red down jacket, looking very energetic.
Ye Chenghu stood next to her, looking smug.
Ye Chengyang also came out from next door, yawning: "So early?"
"What do you mean 'early'? It's already past eight o'clock." Zheng Shuya laughed. "Hurry up and wash up. After breakfast, we'll go out for a stroll. It seems there's a market today, and it's quite crowded. Let's go and join the fun."
Everyone quickly washed up, and then Ye Chenghu acted as the driver, and the group happily drove their car out for a stroll.
Ye Yaodong and Lin Xiuqing were still shamelessly lounging in bed, having finally finished their big event last night, which was a relief.
The two also chatted about when they would go back.
"Get up early. You can only go back to celebrate the New Year in peace after you've explained everything clearly."
"It's so cold, it's really hard to get out of bed."
"It's already 9 o'clock, the sun is high in the sky, and it's still hard to get up. The neighbors went out shopping early this morning."
Ye Yaodong finally got up slowly. "The important matters in the factory have been mostly handled. What's left is the shipment situation and the payment situation. We will stop shipping tomorrow. We will only produce and not ship. Everything else is managed and arranged accordingly. There will be staff on duty during the Spring Festival, so don't worry."
"Then check the weather forecast and decide whether to depart tomorrow or the day after. Many people are also waiting to go back with our ship."
"Ah."
The siblings played until three or four in the afternoon before reluctantly returning home. After resting for a while, they went out together again to find something delicious to eat.
Lin Xiuqing didn't see them until it got dark.
"What did you do? You went out early this morning and didn't come back until dark. We're leaving for home tomorrow afternoon."
Ye Xiaoxi replied, "So fast? I was thinking of going home the day after tomorrow. Luckily, we bought everything we needed to today."
"The time difference between tomorrow afternoon and the morning after tomorrow will not be much."
"Much less. If we go back tomorrow afternoon, my second brother might get away with a meal."
"Look at what you're saying. Tomorrow at noon, I'll host a big feast in the cafeteria. We'll eat our fill before we leave."
"hey-hey……"
What did you buy?
Ye Xiaoxi turned her head to the side, looking smug, and said, "Xiaoyu and I went to get our ears pierced. Then Xiaoya and Xiaoyu each bought me a pair of gold earrings, which cost more than 100 yuan. They also bought my older brother a down jacket."
How could you possibly spend money on someone like that?
“They made a lot of money yesterday! And I gave them gifts too, a crossbody bag for each of them. Although it wasn’t as expensive as the ones they gave me, it was still a return gift.”
"That's more like it. It's right to have give and take." Lin Xiuqing was satisfied with their way of getting along.
Ye Yaodong said, "Pack your luggage tonight, and get ready to go back tomorrow afternoon. If Xiaoya is also going back tomorrow, pack your luggage too, and have Chenghu take you to the dock first."
Zheng Shuya nodded.
They have the most things, a whole bunch of odds and ends, plus what they bought today.
To save time, Ye Xiaoxi used a sack as usual, which could hold a lot of things and didn't require carrying many bags.
The two brothers had the simplest belongings, just a few books and a few clothes, all packed in one bag. Ye Chenghu didn't even have any books.
Other fishing boats that were going to return to their hometowns with them were also making preparations.
The factory also stopped delivering goods that day. Ye Yaodong arranged a truck to take them to the dock. They started counting their luggage early in the morning and loading it onto the truck.
There is still a lot of preparation work to be done before departure, and with a large group of people, it will take a lot of time to get ready. We all have to get up early in the morning to prepare.
Before he himself set off, Ye Chenghu took Zheng Shuya to the pier to catch the ship back to Shanghai.
He continued to drive the factory's car, but he became somewhat unruly, driving with one hand while grabbing and pinching other people's hands with the other.
"I'll visit your home again after the New Year. Remember to tell your parents that they'll be visiting after the New Year."
"I know, just focus on driving."
"It won't affect anything, I'm an experienced driver."
"You still need to pay attention to the road. There are people everywhere, so be careful."
"After the New Year, I'll visit your home. Next year, you can come back to my hometown with me, and your parents won't have any objections."
"Are you worried I'll run away?"
"If you dare to run, I'll break your legs, tie you to the bed, and never let you get out of bed again."
Zheng Shuya blushed at his words and punched his arm lightly: "What nonsense are you talking about? What do you mean by 'tied to the bed'? Shameless."
Ye Chenghu chuckled and held her hand tightly: "It's good that you didn't run away. If you didn't run away, then obediently wait to graduate and become my family's eldest daughter-in-law."
"Who wants to be your eldest daughter-in-law?" Zheng Shuya's lips curled up, but she didn't mean it.
"Women are just hypocritical. Their lips are turned up in a smile, and they still say no! They're saying no, no, but they're actually very happy."
Zheng Shuya blushed at his words and pinched him, but his arm was bent so she could only pinch his hard muscles.
She glared at him and said coquettishly, "Don't say that, in broad daylight, you're so shameless."
"Since you're going home today, I can't talk to you tonight, so I have to tell you now?"
"No one is allowed to tell."
"When I go back to my hometown, if I call you, there will be a bunch of people around. Do you want everyone to hear our private conversation?"
Zheng Shuya felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about how everyone would tease her. "No, be normal."
"When have I ever been abnormal? Don't you know whether I'm normal or not?"
"You're shameless. Your younger siblings should see your true colors."
"We grew up together, so we don't really know each other. My thick skin is an advantage. One of them is ruthless and always hides behind the scenes; the other is always kicking someone when they're down and watching the show. I'm much better than them, and I'm honest, so I'm the one who gets bullied."
Zheng Shuya was amused by him, "I'll tell them after the New Year."
"Tch, that's the truth. I'm not afraid to tell them. When we were kids, they always took turns messing with me. I was the one who got beaten the most. And when Yangyang and I were getting beaten, that girl Ye Xiaoxi was clapping and cheering us on from the side."
“It seems Pei Yu is the most well-behaved. Twins are always a headache.”
"Oh my god, don't even mention twins. It's just that I'm so much older than them, otherwise I would have beaten them to a pulp. When they were little, they would pee in their toothbrush cups and stir it with the toothbrush, and then their parents would use the toothbrush to brush their teeth the next day."
"Ha ha……"
Ye Chenghu kept telling her funny stories from their childhood, which made her yearn for those times.
"Your childhood must have been so happy. From what you've said, your village must have been a lot of fun."
"It was really fun. We even planted a cherry orchard ourselves. I reckon there are about twenty trees now. I'll take you there to pick some later. Oh, speaking of which, it reminds me of my cousin Ye Chenghe, that idiot. He was in a relationship back then and even carved his and his girlfriend's names on the trees, hahaha."
Are you still there?
"Of course it's there! It's a little blurry, but you can still see it. I'll point it out to you later. It's hilarious! He even drew a heart! We'll laugh at him for the rest of our lives, hahaha..."
Zheng Shuya smiled and said, "This is so funny. I used to find it amusing, but now he's probably mortified."
"Yes, whenever we get together during the Chinese New Year, we always talk about this, and then he gets angry and forces us to drink, and he keeps saying he wants to go and scratch the tree trunks."
“Your cousin’s wife definitely won’t cross it out for him.”
"Of course, my cousin-in-law also said she'll show it to the child when he grows up," Ye Chenghu said with a smile.
Zheng Shuya was laughing so hard she almost cried.
"You cousins are really interesting."
"It's alright. The main thing is that we're all close in age, and we all remember the embarrassing things that happened when we were little. Now that we're older, we still find it funny to talk about them from time to time. Especially during the Lunar New Year, when we all spend it at my grandparents' house, the whole family always talks about it."
"That's very lively."
"I'll take you to my hometown for Chinese New Year next year. Then you'll see how lively my house is. You don't know everyone there yet. They're all busy making money."
"Okay, I want everything you've said."
"The beach is right outside our door. I'll take you crabbing and shell digging. I guarantee you won't want to go home and will be eager to marry me right away."
Zheng Shuya laughed and punched him lightly, "You've only said a few words and you're already being so irresponsible."
"Honestly, my hometown is so much fun. There are so many fruit trees on the mountain that we can pick. When I was a kid, I used to sneak up the mountain to pick fruit. You, a city person, definitely don't have this kind of experience."
"Then when I go to your hometown, you can take me sightseeing."
"I guarantee you'll be so happy you won't want to leave. I'll take you there during the summer vacation first, since it's a long summer. Just tell your family you're doing a summer job."
"Let's talk about it later. It's a bit early to talk about summer vacation before the New Year is even over."
"Row."
(End of this chapter)