Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 111
Ever since he knew that Yan Yue was going back to Zhongjing for the New Year, Lu Lingxi wished that time would pass more slowly, very slowly. Although he didn't say so, his actions unconsciously showed his reluctance to Yan Yue.
In the evening, when Yan Yue was taking a shower, Lu Lingxi followed him around like a puppy, handing him a towel at one point and helping him find clothes at another. Yan Yue could almost see Lu Lingxi's little tail wagging behind him all the time. His heart was so soft that he hugged Lu Lingxi and pinned him against the wall, kissing him fiercely.
Lu Lingxi's gaze was unfocused; he was short of breath as Yan Yue kissed him. His beautiful black eyes clouded with a layer of mist, his expression innocent and sweet, full of lethal sensuality. Yan Yue grinded his lips uncontrollably, thinking in his heart that he might as well just stay here for the New Year. He really didn't want to part with Lu Lingxi for a single minute.
"Baby, why don't I…"
Yan Yue hadn't even finished speaking when Yi Hang's loud voice sounded from outside. "What are you doing, Lao San? Not home?"
The voice was so close that it seemed to be only a wall away. Lu Lingxi practically pushed Yan Yue away, not bothering to say anything to him, and ran out in a flash. In the bathroom, Yan Yue looked down at his excited little brother and his face quickly sank.
"Yi Hang." Lu Lingxi greeted sheepishly.
On the sofa in the living room, Yi Hang was teasing Xiaohei with a biscuit. Seeing Lu Lingxi coming out of the bathroom, he was a little surprised, "Lao San, you're taking a shower?"
Lu Lingxi shook his head in embarrassment and found an excuse, "No, I just brought Big Brother Yan his clothes."
"Oh, so is Brother Yan taking a shower? How is Brother Yan's body, is it as strong as mine?" Yi Hang said, raising his arms in a bodybuilding pose. Lu Lingxi blinked and looked at him speechlessly.
Yi Hang laughed, threw the biscuit in his hand to Xiaohei, excitedly waved at Lu Lingxi and said, "Lao Er just called me, he'll be back with Lao Si in a couple of days. When that time comes, we brothers will have a good get-together, and we'll hold Lao Si back for the coming year and not let him go."
He said it as a matter of course; Lu Lingxi sat down next to Yi Hang, still worried that Bai Yuan's father wouldn't approve. Yi Hang grinned, hugged Lu Lingxi's neck and said, "What are you afraid of? Lao Si said that their school is not strictly controlled. Even if he doesn't go to class for a while the school won't find out. Let Lao Si work in the restaurant for a month first. When he gets paid and his father sees the money, he won't say anything."
The two of them were talking when Yan Yue pushed open the bathroom door and saw that Yi Hang's whole body was about to press on top of Lu Lingxi. His already unhappy mood got even more distressed.
"Brother Yan." Yi Hang didn't know how to read faces and greeted Yan Yue with a smile.
Since the backyard of Yan Yue and Lu Lingxi had been united, when Yi Hang was looking for Lu Lingxi, nine times out of ten Lu Lingxi would be with Yan Yue. Over time, Yi Hang had become accustomed to going straight to Yan Yue's place every time he came, not treating himself as an outsider at all.
Yan Yue nodded to Yi Hang with a smile, and his eyes flashed, looking at Yi Hang's arm. For some reason, Yi Hang felt a chill on his arm and subconsciously took it back and rubbed it. A hint of satisfaction appeared in Yan Yue's eyes as he sat down on the other side of Lu Lingxi silently. This made it inconvenient for Yi Hang to say anything to Lu Lingxi. Every time he looked up he could see Yan Yue's profile, and although Yan Yue didn't say anything, Yi Hang was feeling a little awkward somehow.
"Lao San, you're okay, so I'm going back." After Yi Hang said a couple of sentences, he really couldn't go on. There was nothing he needed to stay here for, so he simply chose to leave in a daze.
"So quickly?" Lu Lingxi was a bit bewildered, Yi Hang had come less than ten minutes ago, just to tell him about Bai Yuan and Zheng Tan coming back?
"Hey hey, it's getting late, you guys go to bed early." Yi Hang said as he waved to Dahei and left the backyard, familiarly climbing over the fence.
"Big Brother Yan, Yi Hang, he …" Lu Lingxi hadn't finished his sentence when he was already pinned down on the sofa by Yan Yue, who slowly took off his shirt and said in a hoarse voice, "Forget Yi Hang, let's finish what we haven't."
Lu Lingxi blushed and was about to speak when Wang Shuxiu called out again from the backyard. "Xiao Xi, Yi Hang is gone?"
Lu Lingxi once again pushed Yan Yue away, and Yan Yue's face instantly darkened. Lu Lingxi stifled his laughter and ran to the balcony, thankful in his heart that Wang Shuxiu never entered Yan Yue's house and just shouted from the backyard.
"Mom."
Wang Shuxiu saw that Lu Lingxi was wearing thin clothes and rushed him back. "It's nothing, I just made some tomato sauce for Yi Hang to take back." Since Yi Hang had left, Wang Shuxiu didn't say anything more to Lu Lingxi. It was cold on the balcony and she was afraid that Lu Lingxi would catch a cold.
Lu Lingxi waited for Wang Shuxiu to leave before going back to the house, and when he turned around, he saw Yan Yue looking at him helplessly, the upper part of his body naked. Thinking of the previous incidents, although Lu Lingxi knew he shouldn't laugh, he couldn't help laughing and was unable to stop.
Time passed and in a flash half a week had passed. The flavour of New Year was already very strong on the streets of Fengcheng, and at this time Yan Yue received a call from Yan Shihui, asking when he would return to Zhongjing. The Yan family's situation was well known in the upper circles of Zhongjing. But no matter how much Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan disliked each other in private, every year the two of them would go back to the Yan family mansion to spend the New Year together, along with Yin Yongde and Yan Yue.
In the past, Yan Yue would have already returned from abroad by this time, but this year Yan Yue had not moved, so Yan Shihui only thought that Yan Yue still remembered the previous events and called Yan Yue to urge him to come home for the New Year. Yan Shihui said lightly, "Ah Yue, the past has passed, and there is no overnight hatred in the family."
"Yes." Yan Yue replied perfunctorily. Yan Shihui's face didn't look good, but he couldn't get anything else out of Yan Yue. With a sullen face, Yan Shihui hung up the phone, thinking about Yan Yue and feeling a little blocked in his heart. In the six months since Yan Yue returned to China, the overseas company's profits had dropped by 20% in comparison with the previous year, and two old clients had been poached by competitors after their contracts had expired. Although Yan Shihui and Yan Hai said that it didn't matter and that it was just a matter of paying tuition fees and practising, the directors were not so generous at the year-end wrap-up meeting of Hopewell.
Yan Shihui knew what the directors meant, and that the directors, led by Yin Yongde, were trying to force him to bring Yan Yue back. He also hesitated in his heart, but after seeing the New Year's development plan that Yan Hai had worked tirelessly on, he became firm in his determination. He knew his son well, and Yan Hai wasn't as good as Yan Yue, but if Yan Shihui cultivated him carefully for a few years, Yan Hai would be somehow able to take up the reins. Now that Yan Hai had had a little bit of bad luck, if Yan Shihui had transferred Yan Hai back and replaced him with Yan Yue, it would be a naked slap in Yan Hai's face. If Yan Hai were to take the plunge and fail, all his hard work would be wasted.
It wasn't that Yan Shihui was biassed, but people are always habitually biassed towards the weak. Yan Hai couldn't compare to Yan Yue in anything, so Yan Shihui couldn't help but think more about Yan Hai. In case he died one day, Yan Yue would swallow Yan Hai without leaving a single bone. Yan Shihui sighed; if only Yan Yue had some brotherly love for Yan Hai, he wouldn't have to be in such a difficult situation.
Yan Yue knew all about Yan Shihui's thoughts, but he didn't care about them at all. After receiving Yan Shihui's call, Yan Yue received another call from his grandfather, Yin Yongde. This time he had to put his return home on his agenda. He could be indifferent to Yan Shihui, but Yan Yue still had feelings for Yin Yongde. After finding an excuse to stay in Fengcheng for another two days, Yan Yue returned to Zhongjing with An Jie in a low-key manner at the end of January.
The Yan family home was as cold as ever, and Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan would never come there until the last day of the year. Yin Yongde wanted to accompany Yan Yue but he couldn't stay at the Yan family home alone. The housekeeper had waited half a year for Yan Yue's return and had arranged everything in the Yan family's mansion early to welcome him.
"Boss, is it always like that here for the New Year?" An Jie gestured to the rows of red lanterns hanging under the eaves of the house and whispered, "This is really lively."
Although An Jie was Chinese, he had always lived abroad. He didn't know who his biological parents were, and his adoptive parents weren't Chinese and had no habit of celebrating the Chinese New Year in the past. This was the first time that An Jie had followed Yan Yue back to China for the New Year, and he couldn't help but marvel at the arrangements in the courtyard. The Yan family's mansion was an antique style building, and all the arrangements were completely Chinese, looking very festive.
Yan Yue only glanced lightly at the lanterns, his face expressionless. It wasn't decorations of the courtyard that made it lively, but people. No matter how brightly the Yan family's house was decorated, Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan would only stay here for three days at most. Every year, on the fourth day of the first lunar month, they both left in a hurry, leaving Yan Yue to stay here alone until the fifteenth day of the first month. The livelier it was outside, the more miserable it made Yan Yue feel. Yan Yue had thought about it before he came back this time, and he was going back to Fengcheng on the fourth day of the first month. Since Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan didn't care, he didn't care even more.
After Yan Yue had taken a shower and changed his clothes, Ye Kang came over. He knew early on that Yan Yue was coming back today and deliberately had gone back to the old mansion to wait for him.
"What, don't you want to come back?" Ye Kang joked.
Yan Yue nodded calmly.
Ye Kang was no match for Yan Yue, so he had to change the subject. "Why are you suddenly interested in the Lu family in Zhongjing?"
Yan Yue had asked An Jie to help him investigate the information on the Zhongjing Lu Family, a matter that wasn't hidden from Ye Kang. In fact, Ye Kang had also contributed a lot to that pile of information, and there were some things that were too far back in the past that Ye Kang had still helped to find out. Previously, Ye Kang had also asked Yan Yue, but Yan Yue didn't say anything. Although Ye Kang felt that Yan Yue's behaviour was inextricably linked to Lu Lingxi, he was unable to link this matter to the young man from Fengcheng. On the contrary, he had just heard the news and was somewhat suspicious if Yan Yue had heard something in advance.
Seeing that Yan Yue wasn't speaking, Ye Kang asked again, "Have you heard something?"
"What?"
"The matter of Elder Yin wanting to join hands with the Lu family through marriage."
Yan Yue wasn't impressed, "You mean Yin Ya and Lu Wei'an?"
Ye Kang shook his head, "The marriage object that the Lu family wants is you. I heard that Elder Yin also has this intention."
Yan Yue's face darkened, "I don't know about this, but it doesn't matter if I know. There won't be any marriage."
Grandpa's intentions were presumably good, but unfortunately Yan Yue didn't appreciate them.
Ye Kang knew that was so, shrugged and remembered another piece of news. "By the way, I found out something else about the Lu family two days ago, but I'm not sure if it was true or not." He didn't keep listeners in suspense and said straight away, "According to the rumours in the Lu family, Elder Lu has an illegitimate son and a grandson."
Yan Yue frowned, not taking it too seriously.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 112
When Tiny Garden was about to close, Lu Lingxi received a call from Yan Yue. This was already the third time Yan Yue had called Lu Lingxi. Yan Yue didn't have anything important to say, he just told Lu Lingxi to be safe on his way home. As the New Year was approaching, the security in Fengcheng was a bit chaotic recently, and there were a lot more petty thieves. Near the community where Lu Lingxi lived, there had been three robberies in just one week.
Lu Lingxi obediently listened to Yan Yue's instructions and said, "I know, Big Brother Yan, I have Dahei and Xiaohei, it's fine."
Hearing his name, Dahei gave a low bark into the phone. Xiaohei lazily poked his head out of Lu Lingxi's pocket and hissed, but Lu Lingxi didn't know what he said.
Yan Yue laughed across the phone. This time when he returned to Zhongjing, he left Xiaohei at Lu Lingxi's side. Although Xiaohei couldn't do anything but eat, he could still show up and scare people at critical times. "Go home early, there's no need to stay if the shop is empty." He admonished about a few more things, and finally thought of something, "Don't give Xiaohei any sweets for the next few days, his teeth are really about to fall out." Yan Yue was a bit helpless when he said that. A snake that ate sweets until its teeth ached; Xiaohei really couldn't go on like this.
Lu Lingxi gave an "en" and agreed with a smile.
After hanging up the phone, Lu Lingxi poked Xiaohei who was biting his sleeve. Xiaohei slowly wrapped himself around Lu Lingxi's wrist and rubbed affectionately.
Lu Lingxi smiled, knowing that Xiaohei had heard Big Brother Yan's words and was deliberately being coquettish. But Big Brother Yan was right, Xiaohei had a tendency to have caries now, and if he continued to eat sweets, Lu Lingxi was afraid that Xiaohei would become the first snake known to have lost its teeth from eating sweets. "Pouting doesn't work either." Lu Lingxi whispered, "From today onwards, Xiaohei, you can only drink sugar-free milk."
Xiaohei showed his tongue, aggrieved, but unfortunately his protests were not effective at all.
After six o'clock, Lu Lingxi packed up and prepared to close the store. Wang Shuxiu called him and asked him to go home directly instead of going to the restaurant. Xiao Hong and Zhou Xiaoman were coming today, and Wang Shuxiu was going home to cook. "What do you want to eat?" Wang Shuxiu asked on the phone. The small restaurant had an abundance of ingredients, so Wang Shuxiu could prepare whatever they wanted to eat in advance.
"Cola chicken legs." Lu Lingxi said, looking at Dahei.
Wang Shuxiu knew what was going on as soon as she heard it, "Okay, Dahei's chicken legs are indispensable."
Dahei's ears swished up, but his face still looked calm. Lu Lingxi stroked Dahei's head, put on his coat and locked the door, then trotted all the way back to the community. It was the time of the day when office workers were leaving work, and there were quite a few people on the street. Although it was a little dark, the street lights on both sides of the road were lit up, so it wasn't as unsafe as Yan Yue had said. Besides, with Dahei by his side, Lu Lingxi felt very secure. He always felt that the people around him still treated him like a child; Yan Yue did, so did Wang Shuxiu, and even Dahei felt this way.
When he got home, Xiao Hong and Zhou Xiaoman had already arrived, and with Xiao Baiwan making trouble, the house was very lively. As soon as Lu Lingxi entered the door with Dahei, Xiao Baiwan rushed over. He felt a bit aggrieved. Ever since Xiao Hong came back, Xiao Baiwan had started eating vegetables again, and the double chin that Lu Lingxi had raised him to have feeding him several times a day was gone again.
"Our Xiao Baiwan is now so sticky to Xiao Xi that he's about to change his name to Lu Baiwan." Xiao Hong harrumphed.
Lu Lingxi knew the reason for this and smiled a little sheepishly. He didn't dare to tell Uncle Xiao the truth about Xiao Baiwan's hair loss, so of course Xiao Hong didn't know that Xiao Baiwan had a happy life with Lu Lingxi during those few days, not only getting meat every day, but also having a snack at night.
"Xiao Xi, go wash your hands." Wang Shuxiu poked her head out of the kitchen and shouted, "Are you hungry? There's a cake on the table that your uncle brought, so if you're hungry, eat a piece."
Lu Lingxi agreed, took off his coat and went to wash his hands. In the pocket of his coat, Xiaohei poked his head out, staring unblinkingly at the cake on the table, drops of his saliva falling down and wetting Lu Lingxi's clothes. When the people weren't paying attention, Xiaohei slithered against the wall in the direction of the table.
"Come, come, eat first, there are a few more dishes that will be ready soon."
As soon as Lu Lingxi washed his hands, Zhou Xiaoman brought out a pot of chicken drumsticks from the kitchen and placed them in the centre of the table. In a moment's time, she and Wang Shuxiu had almost finished serving the dishes. The two sisters-in-law had prepared a very rich dinner. Wang Shuxiu was a good cook, and all the ingredients used were provided by Xiao Feng's vegetable greenhouse, so the food was even more delicious, with an endless aftertaste.
Speaking of Yongchun vegetable greenhouse, it had only been one month since it opened, and it had already occupied a quarter of the sales share of Fengcheng vegetable wholesale market as a dark horse. Even though the supply price of Yongchun vegetables was a few points higher than other vegetable greenhouses', their vegetables were still snapped up every day as soon as they were delivered. Xiao Feng was preparing to cooperate with several large supermarkets in the city these days, supplying vegetables to these supermarkets on a long-term and stable basis. The problem he'd encountered now was that the scale of his vegetable greenhouse was a bit small and there weren't many different kinds of vegetables.
Talking at the dinner table, Xiao Feng wanted to persuade Xiao Hong to simply sell the little coal mine in his hometown and settle in Fengcheng in the future, with the two brothers working together. Xiao Feng didn't think about it before, but now that he had a family of his own, he felt more and more that there were only a few family members around, so It was best to live together. Besides, Xiao Hong's coal mine was too laborious, and he had to deal with many people every day and had to take care of every aspect. He also had to worry about the safety of the mine all the time, and if anything happened, it would be a big deal.
Xiao Feng said it earnestly and Xiao Hong's heart moved. "I'll think about it." He didn't say yes; after all, it was years of hard work and he couldn't just give up everything. But Xiao Feng was right, there were only two brothers left in the old Xiao family, and it wasn't a good idea to be apart all year round; it was better to be together.
"But," Xiao Hong took advantage of Wang Shuxiu's lack of attention to ask Xiao Feng in a low voice, "if your elder brother sells the mine, what about a certain someone in the mine?" He spoke vaguely, but both brothers knew he was referring to Lu Yishui.
Xiao Feng smiled carelessly, "Xiaohua and I are married, and Xiao Xi is now my son, so if he dares to come back and cause trouble, I'll break his legs. As for the rest, forget it, consider it accumulating virtue for Xiaohua."
"Good." Xiao Hong was satisfied, "If you are a man, you have to protect your wife and family. Our old Xiao family doesn't have a tradition of letting their wives suffer."
"Good what?" Zhou Xiaoman glared at him, "What are you two brothers muttering about? Have you eaten enough?"
Xiao Hong immediately turned from tempered steel into soft fingers to Zhou Xiaoman and said patiently, "I didn't say anything, and I'm almost full. By the way, bring the cake over and share some with everyone, it won't taste good tomorrow."
The cake had been placed on the windowsill by Xiao Feng during the meal, so he stood up and went to bring it. As soon as he took it, he felt that something was wrong; the cake felt a little too light. When Xiao Feng took a look, Xiaohei, wrapped in whipped cream, was eating happily inside the cake. The whole cake was turned with an empty shell on the outside and the inside was basically hollowed out by Xiaohei.
Xiao Feng speechlessly grabbed Xiaohei's tail and pulled him out of the cake. Xiaohei struggled with his head covered with whipped cream.
Everyone: "…"
Xiao Hong laughed out loud, "It was a bargain for the little snake cub, it knows what a good thing is!"
This cake wasn't cheap, it was said to be some kind of pure organic cream. A ten inch cake cost Xiao Hong a little over a thousand yuan.
Lu Lingxi took Xiaohei from Xiao Feng with a headache, carried him to the bathroom and washed him for a long time before washing off all the cream on his body. Then he opened Xiaohei's mouth and looked at it, moving Xiaohei's teeth. "Just eat it, I won't care about you if you have a toothache." Lu Lingxi threatened. He was a little curious where Xiaohei had put everything he'd eaten. Although that cake was not large, it was enough for four or five people to eat. Xiaohei hollowed out the cake into an empty shell by himself, but Lu LIngxi didn't see any bulging belly at all.
Xiaohei hissed and showed his tongue, ingratiatingly swaying left and right around Lu Lingxi. Lu Lingxi said seriously, "It doesn't matter if you wag your tail like Dahei, you must tell Big Brother Yan about this."
Yan Yue was much more authoritative than Lu Lingxi in Xiaohei's eyes. As soon as Lu Lingxi finished speaking, Xiaohei's body stiffened and he quickly coiled his tail up, burying his entire head under it.
Lu Lingxi: "…"
At night before going to bed, Yan Yue received a call from Lu Lingxi. On the phone, Lu Lingxi ruthlessly revealed Xiaohei's disobedient behaviour. Yan Yue chuckled as he listened amusedly to Xiaohei hiding on the windowsill and emptying the cake and then pretending to be dead.
"Wait for me to go back and punish him." Yan Yue's treatment was simple and brutal.
Lu Lingxi heard that and spoke in Xiaohei's defence, "Punishment won't be necessary, he will know how bad it is when he has a toothache."
Yan Yue guessed that Lu Lingxi would be soft-hearted, a smile appeared in his eyes and he said softly, "Good boy! Now enough about Xiaohei, did you miss Big Brother Yan, Xiao Xi?"
Lu Lingxi paused and said honestly, "Yes."
He was used to being with Yan Yue every day, and when Yan Yue left, Lu Lingxi felt like there was emptiness next to him. Although Dahei and Xiaohei were there, as well as Wang Shuxiu and Xiao Feng, they were not Yan Yue and couldn't replace his existence.
Yan Yue's heart suddenly softened. He held the phone and walked to the window, where the red lanterns under the eaves had been lit and the courtyard was overflowing with light. Yan Yue imagined the person on the other end of the phone, as if holding Lu Lingxi in his arms through the void. He softened his tone and coaxed in a low voice, "Big Brother Yan misses you too. In a few days Big Brother Yan will go back."
Lu Lingxi hesitated for a few seconds and whispered, "There's no rush, Big Brother Yan, you have things to do first, there's no need to rush back."
It wasn't that he didn't understand anything. When he was in the Lu family in the past, every New Year the Lu family was the busiest. He remembered very clearly that year after year, his grandfather would take them to pay respects to their ancestors, to greet the families they knew and to attend one banquet after another to socialise. Except for the ancestral rituals, of course, nothing else required Lu Lingxi's presence. But when he stayed in the ancestral home, he could see his cousins bustling around every day, without any of the leisurely atmosphere of the New Year. He thought that the Yan family in Zhongjing was similar to the Lu family, so he guessed that Big Brother Yan would have to do all these things.
"Don't worry, Big Brother Yan is fine."
Hearing the worry in Lu Lingxi's words, Yan Yue smiled, comforting him. The Yan family was sparse, and he never acknowledged the existence of Yan Hai and Yin Ya, so apart from the necessary visits from the first to the third day of the year, there really wasn't much going on.
"Oh." Lu Lingxi agreed; he would be quite happy to see Yan Yue earlier.
Yan Yue smiled faintly, glancing at the time; although he couldn't bear to hang up the phone, it was already the point where Lu Lingxi usually went to bed. Yan Yue resisted the urge to continue the conversation and said, "Xiao Xi should go to bed."
"Mm, I'm going to bed then, Big Brother Yan, you go to bed early too."
"Good."
Listening to the sound of the phone hanging up on the other side, Yan Yue put his phone away, but he didn't feel like sleeping at all. After half a year, he once again tasted the taste of insomnia. Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, Yan Yue lit a cigarette and stood in front of the window. It had been a long time since he had smoked, and with Lu Lingxi in charge of him in Fengcheng, he had almost given up the habit. If the young man knew that he was smoking behind his back, he would probably give him another solemn lecture on the dangers of cigarettes. Yan Yue thought of the young man's serious expression and smiled silently, simply stubbing the cigarette he was holding.
Outside, the wind blew and whistled. Yan Yue's mind flashed back to what Ye Kang had said this afternoon. Yan Yue didn't care about the Lu family's illegitimate son or whatever; he was focused on his grandfather's wish for him to marry the Lu family. Yan Yue understood what Grandpa meant, wanting to use the Lu family's strength to consolidate Yan Yue's position as heir. Not to mention that he didn't need to rely on any marriage to consolidate his position at all, he had Xiao Xi and he would never marry any woman. Besides, the Lu family… Yan Yue sneered. Although the Lu family split up long ago and Lu Guangjing's family did not live in the Lu family ancestral home, he didn't believe that the Lu family didn't know about Xiao Xi's situation. Perhaps because Elder Lu had many grandchildren, one more or one less didn't matter.
Yan Yue gently tapped on the windowsill. Refusing this marriage wasn't a problem for him, but if he simply refused, things would be a bit boring. Yin Ya had been jumping up and down trying to catch a golden husband, hadn't she? He thought Lu Wei'an would be a good match. Imagining his father's headache after the marriage between the Yin and the Lu families, Yan Yue hooked the corner of his mouth and had an idea.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 113
The day after he returned to Zhongjing, Yan Yue met with his grandfather, Yin Yongde.
Yin Yongde had great expectations for Yan Yue's return this time. He had always felt that Yan Yue had left Hopewell half a year ago because he was forced to, and that after half a year of hiding his light, it was time for him to come back. When he heard that Yan Yue was planning to continue his "rest and recuperation abroad" after the New Year, Yin Yongde was puzzled and somewhat dissatisfied.
"You're going to watch yourself lose the inheritance rights for Hopewell?" Yin Yongde said in dismay, hating iron for not being made of steel.
Yan Yue looked indifferent, "Grandpa also says it's just the inheritance rights."
The so-called inheritance rights were just like being the crown prince of a country; it was just a nice name. As long as the old emperor was alive, he could change as many crown princes as he wanted. Likewise, his father had controlled Hopewell for many years and had accumulated a great deal of authority. Even if his grandfather and a group of directors wanted to fight against him, in his father's eyes it would be nothing more than a nuisance and would not be able to shake his position at all. In the past, his father was still concerned about his grandfather's presence and the outside world, but now, with his mother making trouble, his father had less and less scruples. Even if Yan Yue came back, he would still be a puppet under his father's control in every way.
Not to mention that when his mother married, his grandfather had diluted half of his shares to her. Yan Yue didn't want to comment on his mother's behaviour, but there was no denying that she was the so-called 'pig teammate' (teammate or ally that is more of a hindrance than a help). He appreciated his grandfather's good intentions, but not everyone was as willing to let him come back as Grandpa was.
When Yan Yue focused on the words "inheritance rights", Yin Yongde choked and knew that Yan Yue was right. The old man didn't give up but changed the topic for the time being and said tactfully, "Ah Yue, it is fine if you want to recuperate for a while longer, but you're not young anymore, so it's time for you to think about starting a family. Grandpa knows a few girls who are very nice, like the granddaughter of the Lu family, do you want to meet her?"
"The Lu family?" Yan Yue said meaningfully, "Didn't Mother intend for Lu Wei'an and Yin Ya to be together?"
Yin Yongde was a little surprised that Yan Yue would know, but then he thought about the fact that the Ye brat had been in Zhongjing all this time, so it was normal for Yan Yue to hear some rumours. He shook his head, "Your mother is too nonsensical, Lu Wei'an is not well, how can Xiao Ya marry Lu Wei'an?"
In terms of her status, Yin Ya, an illegitimate daughter whose father wasn't even a part of the circle, was definitely not good enough for Lu Wei'an. But there was the issue of Lu Wei'an's health, and the Lu family had no choice. Even though Lu Wei'an seemed to be fine now and would go out with his family every day to socialise, there was no telling if his illness would return one day. No one who loved their daughters would want to marry them to him. However, Yin Ya wanted to raise her status by marrying Lu Wei'an, ignoring his health condition. When Yin Yongde found out about this, he was furious. He couldn't scold Yin Ya, so he found an opportunity to scold Yin Qinglan. Yin Ya was still young and didn't know any better, did Yin Qinglan not understand either? Lu Wei'an's body was "stitched and mended"; if something went wrong one day, he might not be saved. What would happen to Yin Ya then?
One of the things Yin Yongde regretted most in his life was that he had pampered Yin Qinglan too much and had not bothered to control her when he should have had. In the past, he had only wanted for his daughter to be happy and thought that he would be there to support her when the sky fell. But who knew that this way of thinking would lead to her current temperament. Yin Yongde sighed, "Don't worry, your mother knows now that Lu Wei'an is not good. Besides, there is nothing between Lu Wei'an and Xiao Ya, just young people going out for a few meals. It will fade away after a while."
Yan Yue hooked the corner of his mouth and said with a slight hint of mockery, "I'm just afraid that Yin Ya doesn't think so." Seeing that Grandpa still wanted to continue to persuade, Yan Yue simply said, "Let's wait until after the New Year to talk about the Lu family, I don't have much time before the New Year."
When he said this, Yin Yongde couldn't say anything else.
Yan Yue didn't stay longer with his grandfather and quickly chose to say goodbye. Yin Yongde wanted to have dinner with Yan Yue, but Yan Yue politely refused. Yin Ya and his mother would soon be back from shopping, and Yan Yue didn't want them to spoil his mood. Yin Yongde could see what Yan Yue meant and sighed silently in his heart. The relationship between Yan Yue and his mother were getting worse and worse over the years, and apart from Yin Qinglan's problems, Yan Yue's own personality was also partly to blame. If Yan Yue had not been so radical, if he had been willing to treat Yin Ya at least perfunctorily, they would not have come to this stage.
It wasn't until he returned to the Yan family's mansion that Yan Yue's gloomy mood improved a bit. When he was in Fengcheng before, he only felt that life passed too fast, but now that he returned to Zhongjing, he felt that time was too slow, and a day was like a year. Seeing An Jie from a distance, Yan Yue walked over and wondered what Xiao Xi was doing now.
Fengcheng, Tiny Garden
Lu Lingxi was receiving Xue Yongtong and Gao Yongliang. It was almost New Year's Eve and the two of them had brought a bunch of New Year's goods to Lu Lingxi. Xue Yongtong had quite a few employees under him and had made a lot of bulk purchases during this period. Apart from the New Year gifts for his staff, he used the rest to give away. The gardeners he cooperated with, friends he usually got along with, seven aunts and eight uncles all got a lot of things.
Lu Lingxi's plant nursery also purchased a lot of New Year goods, but Xiao Feng took care of them all. The vegetable greenhouse and Qiu Tian plant nursery were all in one place, so Xiao Feng sent them out together easily. Seeing all these things brought by Xue Yongtong, Lu Lingxi was a bit worried. It was too much, and with just a few people at home, it was estimated that they would have to eat them until next year.
Xue Yongtong was amused by Lu Lingxi's childish words and laughed out loud, teasing, "Isn't there still Dahei? If you can't eat it all, give it to Dahei."
He was in a rather good mood recently, but of course, compared to him, Gao Yongliang was even happier. Gao Yongliang's cosmetics that had been prepared for many years were finally launched on the market. Relying on intensive advertising and strong public relations hype, the skin care products named "Botanical Family" by Gao Yongliang gained a good reputation and reached a rising sales record as soon as they hit the market. The hard work of the past few years had paid off and Gao Yongliang was elated. As Gao Yongliang's partner, Xue Yongtong was naturally happy too.
Gao Yongliang smiled, "Uncle Gao will give Xiao Xi a big red envelope when the New Year comes."
Xue Yongtong chuckled, "Uncle Xue will give one too."
The last chlorophytum cooperation gave Xue Yongtong a taste of sweetness, and Luxuan Gardening took advantage of the momentum of the new chlorophytum to expand its scale a lot. When Xue Yongtong thought about the development over the past six months, whether it was the collapse of his rival Qiu Tian, the successful listing of Gao Yongliang's cosmetics, or the promotion of chlorophytum, it was all related to Lu Lingxi. In Xue Yongtong's heart, Lu Lingxi was simply his lucky star. He only hoped that the new year would go smoothly for Lu Lingxi, that the cooperation between Tiny Garden and Luxuan Gardening would deepen, and that Lu Lingxi would cultivate more new varieties of plants.
The two men's banter made Lu Lingxi smile in embarrassment, and he curved his eyes without speaking. Gao Yongliang thought of Yan Yue and asked, "When will Yan Yue come back?"
Lu Lingxi: "Big Brother Yan said the fourth day of the first month. But he should have a lot of things going on over there, so he may not be able to come back on the fourth."
Gao Yongliang and Xue Yongtong were both confused about Yan Yue's origins. Hearing Lu Lingxi's vague reference, neither of them asked any detailed questions. If Yan Yue wanted to say something, he would have done so already; but since he didn't say anything, it was probably not convenient.
The three of them chatted for a while before Xue Yongtong shouted at Gao Yongliang to say goodbye. They wanted to take the opportunity to deliver the New Year's goods and invite Lu Lingxi and Yan Yue to have a meal, but now that Yan Yue wasn't here, the meal could only be moved to the new year. Before leaving, Xue Yongtong told Lu Lingxi to close the shop early since he was alone now and to be safe going home at night.
Lu Lingxi nodded obediently.
After Xue Yongtong and Gao Yongliang left, Wang Chaoliang came over with a pile of New Year's goods. Unlike Xue Yongtong and Gao Yongliang's gifts, the New Year's goods brought by Wang Chaoliang were all made by Grandma Wang, including braised chicken legs, yellow rice cakes and some miscellaneous fried snacks.
Wang Chaoliang looked at Lu Lingxi and smiled, "Uncle Wang borrowed a blessing from you, Xiao Xi."
Seeing that Lu Lingxi didn't understand, Wang Chaoliang laughed and gestured to the pile of things on the table, "Don't look at your Grandma Wang's age, these snacks are the best in the community. When Uncle Wang was a child, he looked forward to having these for the New Year. In the past few years, your Grandma Wang thought it was too troublesome and didn't bother to make them. But this year, she made them especially for Xiao Xi and Dahei to eat, so Uncle Wang could take advantage of it and eat a little."
He said it in a funny way, and Lu Lingxi laughed along with him. After laughing, he asked if Grandma Wang's leg hadn't hurt in the past few days.
"No. The last time it hurt, it was because she chilled it. It was a cold day and she went to play gateball (a game similar to croquet) and stayed outside for half a day. Even young people can't stand it, let alone your Grandma."
Ever since the car accident, Grandma Wang's legs were not as strong as they used to be, and she had to pay attention to the wind and rain. Wang Chaoliang had told her several times, but she couldn't stay idle, either wandering around every day or inviting a group of old men and women in the neighbourhood to play gateball. Wang Chaoliang had no choice but to buy several pairs of knee warmers for Grandma Wang, fearing she would catch a cold. However, due to the leg pain the last time, she no longer dared to take the doctor's words lightly.
When he heard that Grandma Wang was fine, Lu Lingxi relaxed. Dahei squatted quietly by Lu Lingxi's side since Wang Chaoliang came in, his ears perked up with an expression of listening carefully.
Wang Chaoliang looked at Dahei very fondly, smiled and said to Lu Lingxi, "Your Grandma Wang also said Dahei understands everything. Let me tell Dahei those braised chicken legs were specially made for Dahei. She put less salt in them. Dahei, if you don't like them, next time Grandma Wang will change the flavour."
Dahei's ears twitched and he gave a low bark.
Lu Lingxi listened with amusement, stroked Dahei's head and said seriously, "Dahei is not a picky eater, he eats everything, much better behaved than Xiaohei."
Wang Chaoliang knew that Lu Lingxi also had a snake called Xiaohei, and laughed loudly at his words.
At the end of the day, before Wang Chaoliang left, Fang Lei walked in with a big bag in one hand and the leash of the "flower of the police force" in the other. When he saw Wang Chaoliang, Fang Lei was a bit surprised, "Yo, Xiao Xi has a guest?"
Wang Chaoliang smiled and nodded to Fang Lei. Seeing that Fang Lei was also here to deliver New Year's goods to Xiao Xi, he simply chose to say goodbye. He didn't remember much about Fang Lei, but Fang Lei still remembered him. As soon as Wang Chaoliang left, Fang Lei came up to Lu Lingxi. "This is the family of the victim of Lu Hongxin's car accident last time, right?"
Lu Lingxi was extremely surprised, "You still remember, Officer Fang?"
Fang Lei rubbed Lu Lingxi's hair, "What Officer Fang, call me Brother Fang. Your Brother Fang is in this line of work. If I don't remember anything else, I remember faces very well."
After teasing Lu Lingxi, he also teased Dahei, sending the "flower of the police force" in his hand to Dahei and jokingly said, "Dahei still remembers our Lisa, right? This year, our Lisa has grown another year, a girl can't stay in her prime forever. You can't be irresponsible, Dahei, right?"
Dahei: "…"
Lu Lingxi was practically dying of laughter. He thought that after the last incident with Xiao Shi, Fang Lei had forgotten about tying a red thread for Dahei. But Fang Lei remembered and was even going to make such a show before the New Year.
Fang Lei laughed himself as he said that, stroked Lisa's head and said seriously, "Xiao Xi, I'm looking for you this time because there's something I need to trouble you with."
"What?"
"Lend me Dahei for a few days after New Year to help out."
Lu Lingxi immediately perked up, "Is there another case?"
Fang Lei shook his head, "It's not about a case. You still remember the last time when Xiao Shi was lost, a few stray dogs came to help find Xiao Shi, right?"
Lu Lingxi nodded.
Fang Lei smiled and said, "Those stray dogs have now been adopted by the police force. In the past few days, they have all been in good physical fitness and they are smart. They are just disobedient, so we have to use Dahei to educate them."
Speaking of which, Fang Lei had good intentions. He heard that Dahei and Ah Huang were both stray dogs before, and wondered in his heart if stray dogs could easily communicate with people. After meeting those dogs last time, he found that those stray dogs were really smart. Whether they could communicate with people or not wasn't mentioned first but they were particularly good at carrying out Dahei's orders. When Fang Lei finished the case, he took the dogs back to the police station. After a few days of good food and drink, the dogs were satisfied with everything, but they wouldn't listen to him. Fang Lei had no choice but to have the idea to use Dahei and let him help train them.
Lu Lingxi vaguely guessed what Fang Lei had in mind and was somewhat tempted to say that it was not the matter of the dogs being stray. But it was good that those dogs were adopted by the police force; having food and water was much better than wandering outside. It was better to leave it at that and wait for Fang Lei to discover the truth by himself.
He agreed readily, and Dahei obviously had no objections. When Fang Lei had finished his business, he took a look behind Lu Lingxi's back and saw all kinds of packages, so he knew they were all gifts from others. Xiao Xi was a nice kid, and even without Dahei, Fang Lei liked Lu Lingxi quite a lot. He piled the New Year goods he had brought together with the previous ones and asked Lu Lingxi, "Xiao Xi, you can't take these things back alone, can you?"
Lu Lingxi nodded; he was also worried and was thinking of calling Yi Hang later and asking him to come and pick him up.
Fang Lei took a big package, "I'll take you back, it just so happens that I have nothing to do later."
Lu Lingxi's eyes lit up; Fang Lei smiled and said, "Who made me Dahei's father-in-law."
Lu Lingxi: "…"
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 114
Like Xiaohua's Home Cooking Restaurant, Tiny Garden also closed on New Year's Eve. Lu Lingxi hung a small wooden board outside the door of Tiny Garden, stating that it would officially open on the eighth day of the first lunar month after the New Year. He didn't want to take such a long break, but Wang Shuxiu said he had worked hard for half a year and needed to take advantage of the New Year to rest. Lu Lingxi didn't want to ignore Wang Shuxiu's wishes, so he agreed.
After a rare lazy sleep in the morning, when Lu Lingxi rubbed his eyes and got up, Xiao Feng had already taken Dahei for a run outside. As an energetic dog, Dahei liked to go out to exercise. Unfortunately, Lu Lingxi's physical strength couldn't keep up, and Dahei insisted on not hurting Lu Lingxi's "self-esteem", so, following Lu Lingxi, he could rarely have fun. Only when Yan Yue or Xiao Feng took him out could Dahei run around happily.
"Dahei has good stamina and explosive power." Xiao Feng praised Dahei while opening the door.
Dahei squinted his eyes, squatted calmly at the door, raised his paws and waited for Xiao Feng to wipe them.
Xiao Feng smiled and wiped Dahei's four paws just like Lu Lingxi did, then said, "Okay, it's time for Xiao Xi to get up, go see Xiao Xi."
Dahei gave a low bark and trotted into Lu Lingxi's room. Lu Lingxi had just sat up; Dahei stood half-upright with his two front paws on the bed, looking at Lu Lingxi with a gentle gaze. Lu Lingxi had slept well and was in a good mood as he stroked Dahei's head and casually said, "Went out with Dad?"
Dahei gave a few short barks and Lu Lingxi laughed, saying helplessly, "I see, I'll go out for a run when the weather gets warmer." He finished with a smile and flicked his finger on Dahei's head, jokingly saying, "Dahei, you are really becoming more and more like Big Brother Yan."
Yan Yue had always felt that Lu Lingxi was too thin and not particularly healthy. Apart from urging him to eat every day, he also encouraged Lu Lingxi to get up early and run. Lu Lingxi was forced to stick to it for a while, but when it got too cold, he refused to go out. Yan Yue couldn't do anything about him and talked several times about exercising. Lu Lingxi didn't know when Dahei remembered it, but he was even more concerned with this matter than Yan Yue.
After talking to Dahei, Lu Lingxi reached out and pulled Xiaohei out from under the pillow. Xiaohei was not yet completely awake, dumbly looking at Lu Lingxi before slowly wrapping around Lu Lingxi's wrist. Lu Lingxi pulled him off by the tail and stuffed him into his pyjama pocket. "Stop it." He patted Xiaohei's poking out head and got up to go to the bathroom.
While Lu Lingxi was washing up, Xiao Hong's family came to the community. Xiao Hong also brought a few boxes of firecrackers and said to Lu Lingxi with a smile, "These are all for you, Xiao Xi." Lu Lingxi was a bit curious; he had seen these firecrackers on TV, and Xiao Feng had also brought several boxes a few days ago, but he had never played with them himself.
Xiao Feng took them from Xiao Hong and said casually, "Our family's already bought quite a lot."
Xiao Hong didn't care, "No matter how many of these things there are, they will be gone after a while. It is only once a year, so let Xiao Xi have a good time." He turned to Lu Lingxi, "Later Uncle will accompany you to set off firecrackers. Uncle is the best at this."
"Okay." Lu Lingxi nodded obediently.
When Zhou Xiaoman heard Xiao Hong's words, she whispered to Wang Shuxiu, "It has been years since Lao Xiao has made such a fuss. I think this year he's having the most fun."
In the past, with Xiao Hong and Zhou Xiaoman having no children, they plus Xiao Feng were just three people during the New Year. Occasionally, Zhou Xiaoman's parents were there, but the couple was old and didn't like the hustle and bustle, so they went to bed early every year. Xiao Hong felt that the New Year was tasteless; unlike this year when he was happy. Although there were only two more people, the feeling was completely different. Especially looking at Lu Lingxi, Xiao Hong was simply more attentive than Xiao Feng, buying food, drinks and things for fun, whatever came to mind. He also muttered privately to Zhou Xiaoman that Xiao Xi, this child, was just too obedient. It would be better if he made a little noise and yelled like other children that he wanted this and liked that.
When Zhou Xiaoman finished saying that with a smile, Wang Shuxiu also laughed and said with emotion, "The family hasn't been this lively for years."
After breakfast, Wang Shuxiu instructed Xiao Feng to post Spring Festival couplets on the door. Zhou Xiaoman was in the kitchen frying croquettes. Xiao Hong watched her for a long time and had nothing to do, so he simply took Lu Lingxi to the vacant lot in the community to set off firecrackers.
"Come, let's set off a fire tree first."
Xiao Hong excitedly lit the firecracker in his hand and pulled Lu Lingxi back a few metres away. He said he had bought these for Lu Lingxi to play with, but the truth was that he was having fun all by himself. Before Lu Lingxi could get close, he was stopped by Xiao Hong, gesturing for him to move farther away. Lu Lingxi simply squatted aside with Dahei and Xiao Baiwan and just watched as Xiao Hong happily lit one firecracker after another. This was much more interesting than watching them on TV. Maybe it was because they were the first to start, the sounds of firecrackers echoed all over the community. There were children watching from a distance, and when Xiao Hong lit one, they tilted their heads and let out a collective gasp.
Xiao Hong had even more fun.
The day passed in such a rowdy manner that by the end of the day, the whole neighbourhood was filled with the sounds of firecrackers. From the balcony, half of the sky was filled with light and sparkling fireworks. Lu Lingxi leaned over the balcony and watched. Behind him, Wang Shuxiu and several others were enthusiastically preparing the New Year dinner.
"Where's the garlic you've pounded, Xiaohua?"
"The dumplings should be ready soon."
"The stewed meat is a bit bland, add more salt."
"Where's the bottle of wine I brought, Xiaoman, where did you put it, we'll all have a drink later."
A chaotic conversation went on, everyone raising their voices because of the sound of firecrackers outside, and Lu Lingxi laughed softly as he listened. He had never known that the New Year could be so interesting. Posting Spring Festival couplets, setting off firecrackers, hanging lanterns and making dumplings, all of these things were firsts for Lu Lingxi. He participated in each of these activities with great interest, his only regret being that Yan Yue wasn't with him. He wondered what Yan Yue was doing now. Would the Yan family be as lively as his home? Lu Lingxi stroked Dahei's head and whispered, "Dahei, I miss Big Brother Yan."
Dahei didn't bark, he just tenderly licked Lu Lingxi's fingers. The corners of Lu Lingxi's mouth curled up slightly and his eyes became warm.
When Lu Lingxi was thinking of Yan Yue, Yan Yue was also thinking of Lu Lingxi. At eight o'clock in the evening, the Yan family mansion was quiet. Apart from the red lanterns lit up in the courtyard, the entire mansion was completely devoid of the atmosphere of the New Year.
In the dining room, Yan Shihui was sitting at the top of the table, while Yan Yue and Yin Qinglan were sitting to his left and right. An Jie sat beside Yan Yue in a somewhat awkward manner, unable to stand the atmosphere here. No one spoke; everyone just ate the food in front of them in silence, and even though the food had been prepared with great care, An Jie still had the feeling that he couldn't eat. He gave Yan Shihui a cryptic glance and saw only indifference and alienation on his face. Of course, Yan Shihui wasn't so bad in comparison to Yin Qinglan who sat opposite Yan Yue with a frown on her face, unable to hide her disgust.
Although An Jie knew that both Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan's emotions were only directed at each other, looking at the expressionless Yan Yue, he finally had a deep understanding of why the boss had psychological problems. It was hard for a normal person to emerge from such a dysfunctional family environment. Should he be thankful that the boss had not grown up to be a guy with antisocial personality disorder?
An Jie silently knocked on the wood in his heart and gave Yan Yue another look with some sympathy. It was obvious that his parents had broken up their relationship and each had a family, but they had to get together every New Year's Eve to play a family. They might not feel anything themselves, but to Yan Yue, the New Year time and time again was just a reminder of his embarrassing situation of being abandoned by both parents.
"I'm done eating." Yan Yue said as he gently put down his chopsticks.
An Jie let out a sigh of relief and almost immediately put down his chopsticks as well, "I'm done eating too."
"Why did you eat just this little?" Yan Shihui said with concern.
Yan Yue said indifferently, "I have no appetite."
"Ah Yue, this fish is good…" Yin Qinglan didn't finish her sentence when Yan Shihui interrupted her, "If Ah Yue doesn't have much appetite, go back to rest early."
"Yan Shihui, you!" Yin Qinglan glared at Yan Shihui with dissatisfaction.
Yan Yue didn't bother to listen to their quarrel; he simply got up and left the dining room. An Jie quickly followed, and behind the two of them, Yan Shihui and Yin Qinglan were already arguing. It seemed to be like this every year, Yan Yue thought to himself somewhat mockingly, starting with silence and ending with an argument.
"Boss." An Jie was a little embarrassed, not knowing what to say to Yan Yue.
Yan Yue, on the contrary, was unconcerned and said straight away, "I will ask the housekeeper to bring you some food." Yan Yue could see that An Jie hadn't eaten anything at all, and it was natural, not many people could eat in that atmosphere.
He looked as if he didn't care, and An Jie breathed a sigh of relief, "What about you, boss?"
"I'll give Xiao Xi a call." At this time, Yan Yue only wanted to hear Lu Lingxi's voice.
When the phone rang, Lu Lingxi was halfway through biting into one of the dumplings, only to feel something under his teeth inside. He spat it out to find it was a brand new ten fen coin.
"Good for Xiao Xi, a good start!" Xiao Feng immediately said.
Xiao Hong smiled broadly and patted Lu Lingxi's shoulder, pulling out a bulging red envelope from his pocket and handing it to Lu Lingxi. "Here, Xiao Xi, take it, this is the reward for eating the coin."
Xiao Feng joked, cooperating with him, "Big Brother, do we get it if we eat one?"
"Yes, everyone." Xiao Hong took out five red envelopes and slapped them onto the table, "I've got it all ready. Your sister-in-law has wrapped up a total of five coins. Whoever eats it will be rewarded."
Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Baiwan rushed over like an arrow, holding his small bowl in his mouth. Inside was a dumpling with a broken skin, revealing a coin.
Everyone: "…"
"Pfff," Zhou Xiaoman was the first to not hold back her laughter, and everyone followed suit. Xiao Hong stroked Xiao Baiwan's head, "Good job, Xiao Baiwan."
Xiao Baiwan barked excitedly.
In the midst of the commotion, Lu Lingxi walked to the balcony with his mobile phone and softly said, "Big Brother Yan."
Yan Yue's voice reached him, unusually clear in the noisy background sounds. "Having dinner?"
"En." Lu Lingxi happily told him about the coin he had eaten, and about the one Xiao Baiwan got.
Yan Yue chuckled at the thought of Xiao Hong's bulging red envelopes, and Lu Lingxi casually asked, "Have you eaten the dumplings, Big Brother Yan?"
"Yes."
"I didn't even know you could wrap coins in dumplings, do you do it at your home too, Big Brother Yan?"
"No." Yan Yue said softly, "There's nothing in the dumplings over here."
"Then I'll wrap them for you when you come back. I even learnt to wrap dumplings this afternoon, it's easy."
"Good."
Lu Lingxi's voice was warm and soft, and the depression in Yan Yue's heart from the meal he had just eaten was swept away. He imagined the young man's smiling face at that moment, and his heart suddenly felt soft. He was incomparably grateful that in his desolate twenty-seven years of life, he had met Lu Lingxi.
Pastoral Daily Life (Rebirth) Chapter 115
Yan Yue didn't talk to Lu Lingxi for too long. Although the background of Xiao Xi's call was as lively as a vegetable market, Yan Yue could easily distinguish the voice of Wang Shuxiu calling Xiao Xi back to eat dumplings. Gently hanging up the phone, Yan Yue stood alone in the courtyard for a long time and all the images of him and Lu Lingxi from their first meeting to the present passed through his mind. Yan Yue unconsciously smiled; the chill in his body faded away, and his expression softened.
After thinking about it, Yan Yue didn't go back to his bedroom but went to find An Jie. He was in a good mood now, and the thought of leaving An Jie alone in his room made him feel guilty. Anyway, he had to go back and eat, so he could just eat with An Jie.
An Jie was quite happy to see Yan Yue at first, but soon he got a headache. He didn't know what Yan Yue had been stimulated by, but he had to eat the dumplings with coins wrapped in them. An Jie had a strange look on his face, "Coins can be wrapped in dumplings?"
Yan Yue patiently explained to him, "It's a custom, the person who gets the coin is lucky."
An Jie didn't think Yan Yue would believe in something like this, so he looked at him thoughtfully, "Did Xiao Xi get it?"
Yan Yue gave An Jie an affirmative look. An Jie was speechless for a long time and could only wait with Yan Yue on a hungry stomach to eat the dumplings with coins wrapped in them.
Lu Lingxi, who was far away in Fengcheng, didn't know that Yan Yue was tossing the Yan family's chef. He was currently setting off firecrackers in the vacant lot in the community. He and Xiao Hong had spent half a day playing in the morning, and in the evening, after dinner, the whole family went out and set off firecrackers together.
Xiao Feng placed a starry sky firecracker on the ground, handed Lu Lingxi a cigarette and instructed, "Be careful, light it up and run."
Lu Lingxi nodded; he had already had experience in the morning, but he was still a bit nervous.
There were children around him cheering him on, "Go for it, Brother Xiao Xi!"
Dahei also barked cooperatively and Xiao Baiwan ran around him excitedly. Lu Lingxi smiled a bit shyly as he poked the cigarette and carefully lit the starry sky. With a bang, the firecracker exploded in the air, and countless dots of light lit up, shining like stars in the sky.
Lu Lingxi was watching with his head tilted up when he heard a loud bang. He didn't take it seriously at first, just thinking that someone had lit a firecracker. Who knew that the noises would sound one after another. Xiao Hong said loudly, "It's spring thunder. Spring thunder has come early this year."
"Spring thunder? Is it going to rain?" Lu Lingxi asked in confusion.
Xiao Hong laughed, "It's not going to rain, it's dry thunder. It's just the beginning of spring, where can the rain come from?"
As the two of them spoke, the white panel suddenly floated out. Lu Lingxi froze for a moment and took the opportunity to look at the panel. A blue river appeared on the panel. As if something had cracked open, the river that had been fixed began to flow slowly, as if it was actually there in front of Lu Lingxi.
"Primary river purification completed, rewarding plant hearts +100, power of nature +1."
Primary river purification? Lu Lingxi immediately thought of the Lingshui River. Somewhat curiously he looked at the blue water image that was flowing in front of him and gently poked it with his hand. The cold touch made Lu Lingxi jolt, and his eyes suddenly widened as he poked it again in wonder.
It wasn't his illusion, he seemed to really feel the coldness of the river water. When he calmed down, there was the vague sound of the river flowing. Lu Lingxi's interest was completely piqued and he couldn't wait to go to the Lingshui River immediately to see what was going on.
Lingshui Village
Today was New Year's Eve, and after the village head Li Dayong had eaten dumplings, he started thinking about the fireworks in the evening. The village's finances were in good shape this year and there was still a little money left at the end of the year. Li Dayong asked several village committee members to come up with a plan, and the village simply paid for someone to set off fireworks for half an hour in the evening of New Year's Eve. The villagers praised Li Dayong for doing a good job. You don't have to pay for the fireworks yourself and you can watch them for free, what can be better?
Originally, Li Dayong wanted to finish the fireworks as soon as possible, but the villagers disagreed. Wait until after the dumplings are wrapped and eaten, otherwise if everyone is busy wrapping dumplings, who will watch the fireworks? Li Dayong had no choice but to set the time at nine o'clock. The villagers all went to bed late on New Year's Eve anyway, so there was no fear of affecting anyone's rest.
"Ahem." Li Dayong turned on the radio transmitter at home and spoke in a dialect.
"Villagers, villagers, the fireworks officially start at nine o'clock in the evening. The fireworks are scheduled to take place by the river, so those who want to go can go and have a look, but be sure to pay attention to safety. Attention parents with children, no one is allowed to let the children go near the river."
"I repeat, villagers…"
As soon as the broadcast was finished, there were village children clamouring to go to the river to watch. Some parents were too lazy to go out, "You can watch it standing in the yard, what's the fuss about going to the river!" The children disagreed and rolled around on the ground in their new clothes. The parents, distressed about the new clothes, rushed to grab the little brats. "We'll go, we'll go now." There were many children making a scene like this, and in no time at all the river was filled with adults and children scurrying around.
Uncle Li and Auntie Li, dressed warmly, also stood by the river waiting to watch. Uncle Li muttered in a low voice, "You don't have to come here, you can watch it in the yard at home."
"What do you know?" Auntie Li was dissatisfied, "Is it to watch the fireworks? It is for fun."
While the two of them were arguing, the firecrackers by the river were already shooting out colourful flames, transforming into flowers and other shapes in the air. Peonies, chrysanthemums, phoenixes, starry sky; the village people couldn't take their eyes off them. Just as the crowd was captivated by the fireworks, a sudden loud bang exploded on the horizon.
"Spring thunder?" Uncle Li looked surprised and was about to say that spring thunder had come early this year when a crisp sound faintly rang out behind him. He hurriedly turned around and watched as the ice on the Lingshui River seemed to be slowly cracking, with small pieces of ice falling into the water, making silvery splashes.
"The ice has melted, so watch out if you have children in your family!" Uncle Li shouted, raising his voice.
Some of the villagers gathered around heard this and subconsciously turned to look over. On the Lingshui River, the previously dark layers of ice cracked one by one and fell into the river. As the water rumbled, the ice was quickly washed away, revealing the shimmering silver surface of the water. Under the illumination of the moonlight, the Lingshui River seemed to glow with stars, and the occasional splash of water was transparent and clear, completely devoid of its previous pollution.
Uncle Li took a few steps to the river and watched in surprise as the water returned to its previous unpolluted state, even cleaner than before. Silvery splashes of water stirred, green water plants stretched and swayed with the current, and a fresh water vapour surrounded him.
Uncle Li took a deep breath and couldn't help but reach out and touch the river. The cold river water sent a shiver down his spine, but Uncle Li laughed with delight. He had long heard from that child, Xiao Xi, that they had taken over the project to purify the Lingshui River. Although he didn't know when Xiao Xi had got it done, Uncle Li was convinced that the river's clear water was due to Xiao Xi.
"What's going on here?" Someone asked, bewildered.
"What else can happen?" Uncle Li explained, "The pollution is gone. The government has paid to purify it."
"When was it purified?"
"What do you care about when?" Another person next to him replied impatiently, "It's just purified."
"Look how clear the water is, there should be fish by summer, right?"
"That's right, the water birds or something should fly back this year."
The villagers' attention was soon drawn to the purified Lingshui River, They had not seen such a clear river in years. In the past, when the plastic factory in Songjia didn't pollute the river, the water didn't stink as much as when it was polluted, but people didn't pay much attention to protecting it, and it was common to throw plastic bags and beverage bottles around. It was only after the plastic factory polluted the river that they realised how important the river was to them. Especially after the poisoning of the people in Songjia Village last time, the villagers of Lingshui Village were terrified, just in case they were also poisoned at some point in time.
"Let me say something." Li Dayong squeezed in front of the crowd and said loudly, "As you can see, the government has spent money to give us the purified Lingshui River. Let's not talk about the past, but in the future we can't take environmental protection as lightly as we did before. From tomorrow onwards, no one is allowed to throw plastic bags or bottles into the river, and no one is allowed to pour dirty water from their homes into the river. Anyone caught breaking the rules will be fined fifty yuan a time, and at the end of the year, we'll use the money to hire someone to set off fireworks."
At first, some people were not satisfied with the fine and were about to protest. But when Li Dayong said that he would use the money to hire people to set off fireworks, the villagers laughed and those who wanted to make a scene stopped.
"This is a good idea from the village head. I'm an old man and I come to the river every day when I have nothing to do. Who dares to litter, I will keep an eye on you!" Uncle Xu shouted loudly.
Uncle Xu was a senior in the village, and if he had said so, then he must have taken it seriously. No one planned to spend fifty yuan to try Uncle Xu's temper. Everyone agreed that this was a good idea. Everyone would take care of the Lingshui River in the future.
Li Dayong breathed a sigh of relief and began to emphasise safety again. Especially if you have little children at home, don't let them run to the river by themselves; in case something happens, it would be too late to regret.
The villagers were talking loudly, and the firework setters couldn't wait. "It was already ten o'clock, we'll go back if we don't set them off."
"Set them off, set them off now." Li Dayong hurriedly handed over a pack of cigarettes. He had said it would be over at half past nine, people had been waiting and he couldn't let them suffer.
The next day Lu Lingxi learnt about what had happened in Lingshui Village. He called Uncle Li in the morning of the first day to pay his respects, and Uncle Li spoke excitedly about the changes in the Lingshui River. Last night Uncle Li felt that he couldn't see clearly, so he went to the river again early in the morning to have a look. After a night of washing, the black ice was no longer visible. The clear, bottomless water meandered down from the upstream, occasionally splashing in a few small waves.
Uncle Li was happy, "Xiao Xi, you have done a good deed, a virtuous deed."
Lu Lingxi was a little embarrassed by Uncle Li's praise, thinking that he hadn't actually done anything, it was all the panel's doing. In his and Yan Yue's plan, the Lingshui River was only the first step. He wanted to see if he could purify several polluted rivers in Fengcheng in this way.
But… Lu Lingxi thought of Yan Yue's words. The purification of the rivers was only part of it. What was more important was the treatment of the emissions of big corporations, and even the adjustment of the industrial structure. If the corporations didn't pay attention to their emissions, the purification would only reduce losses rather than avoid them. What's more, if the corporations saw that the purification of the rivers was effective, instead they would pollute the environment even more recklessly.
Lu Lingxi hoped that what Yan Yue said wasn't true; if only everyone could realise the importance of water sources like Lingshui Village.