Xia Qingqing received several boxes of gold and silver jewelry from Gu Yunshu. She was extremely calm. She had become used to this kind of thing after experiencing it many times.

If you include these properties, it's no exaggeration to say that Xia Qingqing is a typical super-rich woman.

Unfortunately, these things can't be used directly to buy houses or land, and she can't live off selling gold and silver jewelry forever. If she wants to buy more houses and live a comfortable life as a landlady, she still needs to work hard to earn money.

New Year's Eve arrived quickly, which was also the last day of 1978.

Zhang Hongyan prepared a whole table of New Year's Eve dishes, but before the family could even start eating, they were greeted by two uninvited guests.

Xia Heping looked at his parents who had suddenly appeared at his home and asked in surprise, "Father, Mother, what brings you here?"

"What? Can't I even have a meal at my son's house?" Old Mrs. Xia swallowed as she looked at the sumptuous meal on the table, while Old Mr. Xia standing next to her didn't take his eyes off the table either.

She knew her second son's family must have had a good meal today, but she didn't expect it to be this good.

There were a full 10 dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner for 4 people. Even a landlord wouldn't dare to eat like that.

She and her husband didn't really want to come, but thanks to their eldest son's persuasion, they would have missed out on all this delicious food.

When Zhang Hongyan saw that Old Lady Xia was about to sit down to eat, she immediately glared at Xia Heping.

After receiving a look from his wife, Xia Heping stepped forward and blocked the way for his mother, who was about to sit down: "Mother, shouldn't you be having dinner at your eldest brother's house at this time?"

Grandma Xia never expected her son to stop her, and she slapped her thigh in anger: "Do you think your father and I can't eat a bite of your food? Go out and ask around the village, see if any son is as unfilial as you."

Old Man Xia shook his head in disappointment: "Second son, you've disappointed your father too much. Your parents are coming to your house for dinner during the New Year, do you want to kick us out?"

That's absolutely right. How could we possibly drive away our parents when they come to visit during the New Year? If word got out, Xia Heping and his wife would be utterly disgraced, and it would even damage the reputations of Xia Qingqing and Gou Dan.

Xia Heping explained somewhat flusteredly, "That's not what I meant, but we always ate at my older brother's house before."

Grandma Xia waved her hand dismissively: "The past is the past. You are still our own son. We want to spend the New Year at your house this year. Go and get us some bowls and chopsticks."

Seeing her father's dilemma, Xia Qingqing sighed, went to the kitchen and brought out two large bowls. Then she scooped half of the meat and vegetables from the table into the two bowls:

"Grandma, please take these two bowls of meat back and eat them with your eldest grandson."

She didn't want to see her father in a difficult position. After all, they were her own parents, and the blood ties couldn't be severed. She would consider this meat as a New Year's gift from Xia Heping to the elderly couple.

Zhang Hongyan saw her daughter's behavior but didn't say anything. This was a good way to handle it; she was afraid her daughter would have indigestion if she had to eat at the same table with the two elderly people.

Grandma Xia immediately suppressed her anger upon seeing the two full bowls of meat, and exchanged a glance with the old man.

Old Man Xia gave her an approving look. He didn't care about being looked down upon by his second son's wife here; he'd rather take the meat home and eat it slowly.

Grandma Xia didn't want to stay either; she would definitely save the good food for her beloved grandson to eat together.

But there was one more thing she had to do before she left.

Grandma Xia reached out to Xia Heping and said, "Second son, it's New Year's Day today. Don't you have anything to give us? Your eldest brother and third brother both gave us money as a token of our respect."

Her statement was somewhat exaggerated; the third son did give them money as a form of filial piety, but the eldest son's family did not.

It's already good enough that Xia and Cai don't turn around and ask their parents for money; how could we possibly give them money again?

Xia Heping silently took out a handful of small bills from his pocket and stuffed them all into Xia's mother's hand: "Mom, this is all I have, it's all for you."

Grandma Xia snorted coldly when she saw his empty pockets, but she didn't bother to ask Zhang Hongyan for money. She took the two bowls of meat and left with the old man.

The old lady herself didn't want to argue with anyone during the Lunar New Year, so she was exceptionally easy to talk to today, neither cursing nor throwing a tantrum.

Xia Heping breathed a sigh of relief after everyone left. He was really afraid that his mother would suddenly cause a scene at home during the New Year, which would be such bad luck.

The money given to Grandma Xia seemed like a lot, but in reality it only amounted to two or three yuan, all of which Xia Heping earned himself. He would never use his wife's and daughter's money to subsidize his parents.

Zhang Hongyan let out a long sigh and complained, "Finally gone. What kind of person is that? They almost ruined our New Year's Eve dinner."

Although some of the food was shared, Zhang Hongyan made such a large portion that the four of them couldn't even finish half of it, and they could save some for tomorrow.

......

The Xia family's old residence.

Xia and Cai managed to persuade their parents to go to their second brother's house before dinner time. They hadn't cooked much meat since it was New Year's Day, so having two fewer people eating together meant the others could have more to eat.

Zhao Fengxia brought the last dish to the table and said sourly, "Didn't they say the second son's family made a fortune this year? They can't even afford to send over a meat dish. It's true that the richer they are, the stingier they become."

Xia Hecai agreed with this statement, but he couldn't stand the envy in his wife's eyes.

He glared at Zhao Fengxia and said, "Have I ever shortchanged you on food or drink? If you think the second son's family is doing well, then go live with them."

Seeing that the man was angry, Zhao Fengxia quickly coaxed him, "Oh dear, what are you saying? I didn't mean anything by it. It's just that the second son's family is too stingy. In previous years, they would always bring over a dish, right?"

Xia Hecai remained silent with a sullen face. Even if he wanted it, he would never say it out loud like his wife did. If others heard it, they would think that he, as the older brother, was coveting a piece of meat in his younger brother's family, which would be shameful.

"The food is ready, come out and eat quickly," Zhao Fengxia called her two sons out of the room.

Xia Daya came out of the kitchen, found a seat awkwardly, and swallowed as she looked at the meat and vegetables on the table. She usually cooked the meals at home, but Zhao Fengxia wouldn't let her do the meat and vegetables, for fear that she would secretly eat them.

Xia Hecai said a few festive words, but before he could even pick up his chopsticks, he saw Old Mrs. Xia and Old Mr. Xia return. His expression changed: "Father, Mother, why are you back?"

Even if you said you finished eating, it's impossible to finish so quickly; you've only been out for a short time.

Xia Jiashun, with his sharp eyes, immediately spotted the old lady Xia standing behind, carrying something in her hands. He immediately went to greet her, saying, "Grandma, please slow down. What are you carrying? Let me help you."

Grandma Xia smiled like an old chrysanthemum: "My good grandson is so thoughtful. This meat was specially brought for you by Grandma."

Xia Jiashun stared wide-eyed at the two bowls overflowing with meat. This meat looked much better than what his mother made. His mother's cooking skills were poor, and she was reluctant to use seasonings, so she made the meat dishes tasteless.