sbdcsierra Chapter 1875 New Year's Eve
Chapter 1875 New Year's Eve
Chapter 1875 New Year's Eve
Ye Chengjiang's matter has been settled, and all the procedures can be based on those for Lin Guangwen's wedding last year.
A year has passed, and nothing has changed. At most, the gift money has increased by a few hundred yuan, which is nothing to Ye Yaohua's family.
There are no exorbitant bride prices nowadays.
Moreover, the two families know each other, and with Lin Xiuqing acting as an intermediary, they are willing to do whatever they want as long as the matter is settled, just like Lin Guangwen did last year.
Once they got home, Sister-in-law Ye started making preparations.
Lin Xiuqing made a phone call to relay the message between the two parties, finalizing the betrothal gifts and dowry. The rest was just waiting for the wedding ceremony to take place. Her second sister-in-law would make the arrangements, and she would simply go with her to help out after the betrothal.
She was also very busy. After returning from her parents' home, she immediately went to the city with Ye Yaodong and the children to pay early New Year's visits.
After paying New Year's visits, I went to my wife's parents' house for a housewarming celebration.
After moving in, she immediately went to match the horoscopes of the newlyweds and choose a wedding date. In fact, she didn't stop for a moment and worked non-stop for several days in a row.
Finally, just before New Year's Eve, they set the date for the betrothal ceremony on the fifth day of the first lunar month, the engagement on the eleventh, and the wedding on the twelfth. Only then could she breathe a sigh of relief and take a break.
It was a bit rushed, but at least Sister-in-law Ye had prepared everything, and with last year's arrangements in place, there wasn't much trouble after setting the date.
Lin Xiuqing and Ye Ersao were so busy with this matter that they didn't have time to make any arrangements at home. Fortunately, they ate at Ye's mother's house.
Furthermore, Sister-in-law Ye has returned, and her daughters and daughters-in-law can also lend a hand to Mother Ye, so she won't be too busy.
Once everything is settled, they can enjoy a peaceful New Year. The rest can be arranged on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year.
Ye's father also returned the day before New Year's Eve. He looked at the noisy children in the house and smiled lovingly.
"Home is the best, it's lively there."
"Grandpa's back..."
"Grandpa, grandpa..."
"Grandpa, you're back..."
The shouts that rose and fell made Ye's father beam with joy.
"Everything's here?"
"We're playing video games, and they're playing cards."
"Grandma...Grandpa's back!"
As Ye's mother was mopping the floor, she looked up and said, "It's so late; it's almost dark when we get home."
"Grandpa, you're back just in time. Tomorrow is the New Year, and everyone was saying at dinner that you weren't home yet."
"Yes, Grandpa, you're finally back. Are you hungry? There's still food, and it's hot."
Everyone was busy playing games or cards, and no one paid any attention to Ye's father. Only Ye Xiaoxi and Pei Yu spoke to him.
There was also Ye Chenghai's daughter, Ye Mingxiang, sitting on the sofa looking up at him. She was only a few months old and could only sit or crawl.
The adults had just finished eating and were cleaning up; some had gone out to play, leaving the younger children to watch over the kids.
Looking at the unfamiliar child, Ye's father asked curiously, "Whose child is this?"
"This is Ah Hai's. Her name is Xiao Xiangxiang. She's so small, soft, and cute. If you press her on the back of your hand, you'll leave a mark. She also makes 'ah ah ah' noises and drools."
"Yes, she doesn't even have teeth. She can't even bite into an apple. She can only cut a small piece to chew on."
The two women were playing around the baby, and they loved him dearly; this little baby was the smallest of them all.
The other three children were bursting with curiosity and couldn't stay at home, so they were taken out to play.
"Oh, so it's Ah Hai's child. No wonder he looks so much like him."
Father Ye, beaming with joy, reached out to hug the child, "Come here, let Grandpa hold you..."
"Eek, ahh ...
As soon as Mr. Ye picked up the child, the child froze for a moment, then turned his head, closed his eyes, and cried loudly, his mouth pursed, and tears falling easily.
"Ah, don't cry, don't cry, let's go buy something to eat..."
Ye's mother hurriedly threw down the mop and ran over to snatch the child away.
"What are you doing? You made the child cry as soon as you got back. She was playing fine, why did you pick her up?"
Mr. Ye was both embarrassed and innocent. "I just wanted to reach out and hug this little kid who's so small and cute."
“You old geezer, you just got off the boat, you’re filthy, don’t bother her with the smell. Go, go, go eat, there’s still food on the table and in the pot.”
The old lady was a step slower, and when she came over, she hit Ye's father hard several times with her cane.
"You made the child cry as soon as you got back. What kind of thing did you do? She was sitting perfectly fine, and you still had to mess with her."
"I didn't do anything to her, I just hugged her."
"Don't scare her. Looking at your old face, I'll have nightmares every night. I don't even dare to go near her."
"It's not that ugly, is it?"
Ye's mother held the child and tried to comfort him, but the child didn't want her and cried loudly, looking around the living room with teary eyes, trying to find someone he knew, but he couldn't see anyone, so he cried even louder.
Ye Xiaoxi tugged at her mother's clothes, "Put her down on the sofa, we'll play with her, and she won't cry anymore."
Mother Ye believed her and placed the child on the sofa to sit.
Ye Xiaoxi and Pei Yu immediately took the little doll and placed it in front of her to amuse her.
"Sweetie, this doll is so cute!"
"Auntie will play with you, don't cry~"
Her attention was instantly drawn to the doll in front of her, and her crying stopped abruptly.
Tears still clung to her eyelashes, her wet, watery eyes fixed on the rag doll in front of her. She reached out to grab it, her shoulders still trembling.
Once she caught the doll, she stuffed it into her mouth and started biting it, her drool stretching out.
Looking at her, Ye's mother couldn't help but smile. "Such a tiny little thing, but she's quite easy to coax."
Pei Yu said with a grin, "That's because we played with her."
"Yes, you guys just need to play with her."
Ye's mother glared at Ye's father again, "Don't get in the way here. This child doesn't recognize you, and you're dark-skinned and old. The child is afraid of you. How dare you reach out and hug her?"
"You talk as if you're neither old nor ugly."
“I’m old and ugly, but I didn’t force myself to hug her. I even made her cry. Look what you’ve done. Luckily, the two little ones helped to soothe her.”
"I've never seen one like this before. It's rare for a great-grandchild to have a little granddaughter..."
"If you like her, give her more lucky money. Don't hug her when you're not familiar with her."
"You can't give too much or too little New Year's money; every single one has to be the same."
The two elderly people squatted down beside the child, looking at him with increasing delight.
The key point is that the girls are dressed up as beautifully as porcelain dolls, wearing pink hats and pink cotton-padded jackets, which is completely different from the boys.
The boy was already rolling and crawling on the ground, but he was nowhere near as well-behaved and cute as the girl, who sat quietly.
"Grandpa, aren't you going to eat?" Ye Xiaoxi asked curiously when she saw the two children still squatting there while she was playing with them.
"Yes, let's go eat now," Mr. Ye said with a smile. "Girls are really cuter."
Ye's mother patted the child with satisfaction before going to get him some food.
“I never thought my own sons and daughters were cute, but this great-grandson is just different.”
"Yes, especially fair-skinned and pretty little girls, you just want to hug them when you see them, especially if they are your own."
As he walked, Mr. Ye kept looking back at the twins playing video games and his grandchildren shouting and playing cards. His smile never faded from the moment he entered the room.
Just looking at these children makes him feel content.
"I came back too late. I wish I had come back a few days earlier. After the New Year, I won't go up with Dongzi anymore. Let him work on his own, and I'll stay home and enjoy my retirement."
"You don't have any great-grandchildren to take care of at home."
Mr. Ye was taken aback for a moment, then thought about it and realized that the younger children all stayed with their parents.
"Even if there's no great-grandson to take care of her, he can still keep the elderly company. Is my mother still confused?"
"When is she not confused? Sometimes she's clear-headed, and sometimes she can't even tell the names of the younger ones. It's only because we're around all day that she doesn't get confused. She can't even tell the younger generation apart."
“I recognized her just now.”
"Are you stupid? They've been playing in the same room all night, don't you know he's your own child? We just had dinner together tonight, he's been right under your nose, he hasn't left your side, how could you not recognize him? If you're really that confused, you're probably not far off."
"He'll be 94 by Chinese New Year."
"Let me heat up your food."
"Dongzi and the others have finished eating and left?"
"They've all gone back. If you need to go, wait until after you finish eating before you go see him."
"It's nothing, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
This year's New Year's Eve dinner will be held at Ye's parents' house as usual. The elders in the family are getting old, and now they just want the whole family to be together and have a lively time. Their place is also quite big.
Although Ye's mother complained and scolded the children for being unhygienic every day, she still worked hard every night to clean the floor and did not drive them away.
Since everyone came back, the old lady hasn't left the house. She just sits in the living room every day watching a group of children laugh foolishly.
Having a large and prosperous family gives one a sense of happiness just by looking at it.
After returning home, Ye's father didn't have time to go out. He was too busy to take care of his four great-grandchildren, so he spent all his time bending over and following his grandchildren around from morning till night.
The children were initially afraid of him and didn't know him well, but after he took them to buy snacks a few times, they became willing to get close to him and would even follow him around calling him "Grandpa".
Mr. Ye smiled from morning till night, and the wrinkles around his eyes deepened.
Ye Yaodong sat by the door with his legs up, basking in the sun while waiting for his meal. He watched as his father bent over, protecting his two unsteady grandsons.
"...Grandpa, can you carry me? You're wobbling like this, you'll fall!"
"Table~"
"Slow down, slow down, can I hug you?"
"Table~"
Anyone who speaks to a child can't help but lower their voice slightly, because their sweet, innocent voice is just too endearing, and you're afraid of disturbing them.
"Ouch, my back! Those two little brats followed them all the way here, and they didn't even let me carry them once." Father Ye watched the two of them return home before straightening up and rubbing his back a couple of times.
"Sit down and rest for a while."
"You're just sitting here idly by the door, aren't you going to play cards?"
"Winning every day is boring."
"You're right, you're sure to lose next time you play cards."
"It's okay, just consider losing a little as sending a red envelope."
"Then send me one first."
“I gave it to my mother. I gave her 2 yuan a couple of days ago as New Year’s money.”
Mr. Ye beat his chest and stamped his feet, "So much, and he didn't tell me anything last night. He just kept complaining about being tired and having aches and pains here and there."
"Why do you keep complaining of aches and pains here and there? It's not convenient to go to the doctor during the Chinese New Year."
"She's probably just tired these past few days. Don't worry about her. Once you're gone, she'll have some rest, and it'll be hard to have this much liveliness then."
"After the New Year, I'll take her to Chow Tai Fook to register."
Mr. Ye was puzzled for a moment, "Chow Tai Fook? Who's that?"
"Selling gold."
"You still want to take her to buy gold? How much gold does she already have? Why would she want to buy more? We've already given her 20,000 yuan, which could buy more than half a jin (250 grams) of gold."
"It's ok."
Father Ye said softly, "When your mother and I get old and pass away, all this gold and other things you gave us will be given to your children. Whoever gave it to us will be left it to them."
"So you're basically borrowing my hat now," Ye Yaodong couldn't help but laugh.
"Pretty much, otherwise there wouldn't be enough to go around with so many kids."
"Who knows, they might all have a whole bunch of them by then, and they won't care about them anymore."
They all seem to be in good financial condition now, and they are all consciously buying gold jewelry.
"How could I not cherish it? It's all gold."
Looking at his bare fingers, Ye's father remembered that he should take out the gold and wear it. He hadn't worn it many times throughout the year, but he had to take it out and wear it during the New Year.
"I'm going inside first."
While Ye's mother was busy preparing the New Year's Eve dinner with her three daughters-in-law, Ye's father came in and asked her where the gold was.
"Can't you see I'm busy? You're asking me about gold? We'll talk about it later."
"Tell me where to put it, and I'll go get it myself."
"Can't wait that long?" Ye's mother wiped her hands on her apron, rolled her eyes at him, and went to get it for him first.
Ye's father followed behind her, saying, "It's the New Year, you should wear it to share in the good fortune. You should take it out and wear it too. You don't usually wear it, but you should wear it during the New Year."
"I'm busy in the kitchen all day long, why would I wear something? I'll just bump into it and scratch it."
"You can wear the necklace. It doesn't matter if it gets scratched. If you don't like it anymore, you can go to the store and exchange it for a new style."
Why bother with all that effort?
Despite saying that, Mother Ye still took out the gold and put it on herself. The bright gold made her happy from the bottom of her heart.
She loves to say one thing but mean another, and she's tough on the outside but soft on the inside; she has a sharp tongue but a kind heart.
Seeing her delighted expression, Ye's father chuckled inwardly; he knew her perfectly well.
“If you think it’s inconvenient to work while wearing these, then let your daughters-in-law do it. There are so many people, how can you be the only one missing? You’re busy all day long, you should rest when you need to. Just help them take care of things, and you can just talk to them.”
"Do you think I'm one of your men? You wouldn't even pick up a fallen broom, and you always act like a big shot with your legs up."
Mother Ye touched her gold bracelet and gold ring, then happily went to the kitchen.
A moment later, the sound of several women chattering could be heard coming from the kitchen.
"...Mother took out gold to wear? It looks so beautiful."
"They look really rich. You have to dress up for the New Year."
"Oh, I'm going to buy a big gold bracelet after the New Year. It's so pretty and shiny."
"It just so happens that Ajiang is getting married, so I need to buy him and Huixin some gold. I'll also buy myself a big gold bracelet and necklace..."
“I’ll go with you and pick some out too. I didn’t buy anything last year. My two sons got married one after the other, and it cost a lot of money. I didn’t buy anything for myself, but I bought things for them.”
“I have to buy it myself. What I buy is my own, and what I buy for my son and daughter-in-law is theirs.”
"Yes, yes, that's right..."
The kitchen was bustling with activity, and the living room was also unusually lively, filled with noisy children waiting for their food.
Wow, sir, your gold necklace is so dazzling! My dear boss!
"What is a boss, hahaha?" Ye's father was amused by Ye Xiaoxi's words.
"Only the boss can wear such a big gold chain. You're my grandfather, so you're the boss! A very big boss! So wealthy!"
Pei Yu chimed in, "The big ring is beautiful too!"
Ye Chenghe's youngest son, who was just over a year old, came over unsteadily, grabbed his father's hand, and bit the gold ring.
Ye's father was trying to tease him, but unexpectedly, the ring was bitten, leaving two teeth marks.
"Ouch, my ring, don't let it break your teeth. Let me see your teeth."
The little child giggled, revealing four tiny teeth, and then, looking adorable, lost his balance and fell to the ground with a thud. He then stuck out his bottom and used his hands and feet to roll over and get up.
Ye's father didn't care that he couldn't understand, and gave him a lecture, telling him not to bite everything he saw.
He turned around and ran around the room again.
Father Ye looked at this grandson, then at that grandson, then at several great-grandsons, circling the room again and again, enjoying himself immensely and not feeling bored at all.
Ye Yaodong sat by the door and pondered his plans for next year.
After returning to Zhoushan after the New Year, he will still have to go to the high seas as usual, stay there for half a year, and then send the fishing boat back in July or August.
During this time, he could also occasionally go back and forth with the fish harvesting boat, just like he did at the DYD fishing grounds. Once he became familiar with it, he could go out on his own and return from time to time.
Once everyone has fully adapted, he won't need to go anymore; he can just stay on shore and enjoy life from now on.
The captains' benefits are certainly not bad. To ensure they can work with peace of mind, the company will provide them with retirement benefits and holiday gifts. They have already started contributing to the pension fund, so they will still have money to receive when they get old and can no longer work.
Once he settles down at sea, he plans to open another branch factory and company in Shanghai so that he won't have to be separated from his wife and children.
At most, he'll just have to travel between the two places for inspections, which will save his wife and children from having to travel back and forth every day, since he's already traveling between the two places anyway.
However, if he were to live in Shanghai, he could stay there longer and spend more time with his children.
The factory in Zhoushan was handed over to Manager Qi, who has been in charge for several years and is reliable.
He remembered that he still had a piece of land in Shanghai that hadn't been dealt with yet. He would wait until next year to see how things went and then have someone apply for it to see if he could use it to set up a factory. It would be more convenient to use his own land and avoid some complicated land leasing matters.
He also owns two plots of land in the provincial capital, which he has been holding onto for the time being, without any other plans yet.
There's no rush. We can build warehouses or fish sauce factories if needed later.
In recent years, the sales volume of fish sauce has been increasing, and it has been purchased by some large factories and sold to Southeast Asia.
Dongsheng fish sauce is now quite famous throughout the province, after all, it was one of the earliest fish sauce brands.
(End of this chapter)