Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Fangfang’s full moon banquet.

It wasn't just the biological father Lin Nanjiang who fell in love with her unknowingly. Even Lin Quansheng was increasingly treating his niece, whom he had watched being born and growing up, as his own daughter. Following Lin Nanjiang, he also learned how to make milk powder and change diapers for the little one, and hold her and tease her to sleep. He was more capable than some men who had several children at home, and was truly a painless father.

But Lin Quansheng and Lin Nanjiang are a little different. Lin Nanjiang is also an honest man in the eyes of outsiders, but the two years when they were dating and just got married were the best time of their relationship. Privately, he knew how to say sweet words to make Liu Suqin happy. With a little bit of talent and some experience in business, he can be considered eloquent.

Lin Quansheng is a genuinely honest man, taciturn. Whether he is outside or at home, he always works silently. He may complain when he is tired, but he will never take the initiative to show off his achievements.

The same goes for his kindness to Fangfang, which was silent but subtle. It took Liu Suqin a long time to notice the clues. The most obvious one was on the day of the baby's full moon. They had actually agreed to postpone the wedding, but Lin Quansheng came back from his work in the middle of the night and still insisted on sending a full moon gift, which was a heavy gold bell necklace.

When Lin Quansheng gave Fangfang the collar, he said that he had asked the locals. The bell is to keep the baby safe. When Fangfang grows up, she can wear it alternately with the longevity lock.

Liu Suqin was stunned at the time. "Brother Quansheng, aren't you working all day long? When did you go to the city to buy the gold collar?"

"I didn't go into the city. There are gold shops in town, too." Lin Quansheng grinned. "The newly opened shop is behind our stall street. I saw it on the way to the restroom and stopped in to browse. I thought this necklace looked pretty, so I asked the owner the price and went back the next day with the money in my pocket to buy it."

He bought the things secretly without informing them. Of course, that was because if the couple knew, they would take turns to persuade him not to spend money recklessly.

But Lin Quansheng didn't think it was a waste of money. He fed his family, and his family wasn't hungry. Working with the Nanjiang couple was a bit more tiring than working at the factory, but compared to his old days of farming in his hometown and doing odd jobs building houses during the off-season, this little work was nothing. The key was that he ate well. Three meals a day, a variety of chicken, duck, fish, meat, and seafood, and his mouth was full of fat. In his twenty-plus years of life, he couldn't have eaten as much as he had in just two months.

Isn't the purpose of working out to fill your stomach? Now that he's not hungry and the food is so good, Lin Quansheng is very satisfied.

The two brothers were very kind to him. They took care of everything from food, clothing, housing and transportation. He just had to work with them and didn't have to worry about anything. They made sure he had enough food and clothing and no pressure in life. Naturally, he also wanted to be as nice to his niece as possible.

He had watched Fangfang being born, witnessed her transformation from a red-skinned little monkey to a fair and tender little baby, and had taken care of her from head to toe. Even if he got married and had children of his own, it would probably be the same. Furthermore, he was still single, with no prospect of marriage or children in sight, and he wished he could treat the little one like his own.

That day in the jewelry shop, Lin Quansheng fell in love with the necklace almost at first sight. He thought the bell on it was delicate and cute, and it would definitely suit Fangfang. After all, the child had opened her eyes a little, and it could be seen that she had inherited her father's double eyelids and high nose bridge, and her snow-white skin was exactly the same as her mother's. Lin Quansheng could imagine that when Fangfang grew up a little, she would wear a gold collar and would definitely be as beautiful as the legendary golden boy and jade girl.

If he wants to buy it, he must pay the full amount to his eldest niece!

After asking the boss about the price, Lin Quansheng found out that he could afford it, so he went over with the money without hesitation.

Knowing that the couple would not approve of his "big move", Lin Quansheng chose to act first and ask for their consent later and buy the things back. This way, no matter how many opinions they had, they could not say anything.

Sure enough, seeing the golden collar and the velvet box placed on the bedside table, Liu Suqin finally put away her advice, thanked him on behalf of her daughter who was sleeping soundly, and said that she would help keep it carefully. When Fangfang can remember, she will let her know how good her uncle is to her.

Lin Nanjiang didn't have so many reservations. Seeing his brother was satisfied and a little embarrassed by the praise, he went up to him, hooked his arm around his neck, and joked, "Okay, don't you save all your salary with my wife? Where do you get the money to buy gold?"

"This is the red envelope your wife gave me during the Chinese New Year. I don't spend a penny on food, clothing, and shelter. I've been busy following you all day, so busy that I don't even have time to smoke, let alone go shopping. This is just the right time to buy a full-moon gift for my niece."

"Okay, keep it up. I'll give you a big red envelope after I'm done with this."

Lin Nanjiang's words were not polite, and Lin Quansheng laughed at him, "I think you want the red envelope yourself, right?"

He had discovered long ago that this guy seemed to be making a lot of money, but in fact he gave all his earnings to his wife and did not dare to keep a single cent for himself. Apart from the money he used for daily purchases, his pockets might be cleaner than his.

Lin Nanjiang chuckled, not feeling ashamed but proud, "I'm just like you, I don't have much to spend money on."

He also left the big red envelope his wife gave him during the Chinese New Year untouched.

In previous years, they had nothing to do when they returned to their hometown, so they would inevitably call friends to play cards and mahjong. Lin Nanjiang's luck was neither good nor bad, but even if he only lost a dozen yuan a day, he would lose nearly two hundred yuan in a year. What's more, men would inevitably smoke at the card table. Whether they smoked for themselves or gave cigarettes to others, they would have to pay for at least a pack of cigarettes a day.

In short, even though you don’t have to spend money on food, drink, and toileting when you live at home, you still spend a lot of money.

I chose to stay in Shenzhen this year. The culture of playing cards is also very popular here. Everyone from young to old can play a few rounds. Even Uncle Chen next door has a mahjong table. When the weather is good, the table is moved to the yard. There are three layers of fellow villagers watching and chatting nearby.

But Lin Nanjiang and Lin Quansheng would only go over occasionally to take a look for their own pleasure. They had no time to sit down and play cards. After all, one of them was busy taking care of his wife and children all day, while the other was busy buying groceries, cooking and mopping the floor. It was already good enough for them to go to the yard from time to time to take a look at other people's situation.

Also because they have a fragile little ancestor, they dare not smoke recently and even save money to buy cigarettes. This year, they are basically in a state of only earning and not spending.

The big red envelope in Lin Nanjiang's pocket was finally used to book a private room in a hotel for his daughter.

Since he chose the best restaurant in town, he was very generous in ordering dishes, even ordering hard dishes such as king crab, lobster, and grouper. After eating, he went to the front desk to pay the bill. Including the drinks, the money in his pocket was almost not enough to pay the bill.

Fortunately, they had caught up with the rush of returning to work. Liu Suqin was very satisfied with the rapidly growing numbers on the passbook, and she waved her hand and gave them a big red envelope of 888. Aunt Zhang, who was also busy with them, was not left out, and she also gave her a red envelope of 88 as a reward.

The three people who received the red envelopes were very happy.

Lin Nanjiang quickly took out two Mao Zedong notes from the new red envelope that was still warm, and finally paid for the banquet.

He himself didn't feel bad at all. He even took the red envelope given by the boss lady back to the private room and handed it to Liu Suqin happily. "I went to the front desk to pay the bill, and the boss lady insisted on giving it to me. She said that in all the years she's run the shop, she's had many children celebrate their first birthdays and full moons at her place, but she's never seen a girl as pretty and lively as our Fangfang. The boss lady really loves her, so she insisted on giving this red envelope to wish our Fangfang peace, health, and many years of worry-free life."

"Lai See" is the local term. Liu Suqin and her family are used to calling it red envelope, but it is actually somewhat different from their understanding of red envelope. At least in Liu Suqin's hometown, the amount in the red envelope cannot be too small. The New Year's money given to children starts at ten or twenty yuan, and gifts of less than fifty or one hundred yuan between relatives are not considered acceptable.

However, we are all ordinary families, and there is not much need to give red envelopes. Ordinary relatives don’t even need to give children New Year’s money. They only need to use red envelopes for major events such as weddings and moving.

In Shenzhen, it is just the opposite. They give red envelopes for good luck and don't care about the amount. Even a dime or two inside is a thoughtful gesture. The giver has no pressure and the receiver is happy. Therefore, during festivals, when work starts at work, when classes start at school, etc., people give red envelopes to people around them at any time. Sometimes, when you look at a thick stack of red envelopes, the value may not exceed five yuan when you open them together.

This is the case with today's full moon banquet.

The couple had taken into consideration the customs of their hometown, and when inviting their guests to the time and place for dinner, they specifically asked them not to bring anything, and just to have a lively meal together. If anyone brought gifts or red envelopes, they would not accept them.

As a result, when Uncle Chen and his friends arrived at the private room, he took the lead in giving out red envelopes and attached a long string of auspicious words. Then, as if they had rehearsed, the others took out red envelopes and stuffed them into Liu Suqin's hands with a smile, almost making her unable to speak.

Later, Li Hong finally revealed the secret, "Don't worry, Suqin. We've asked our local colleagues. They give out red envelopes for happy events here. It's for good luck, so we followed suit and put a few cents inside. If you're worried, you can open one and see."

"Really?" Liu Suqin actually opened a red envelope, and when she saw it, it was a brand new fifty-cent note. She couldn't help but burst out laughing, and then she stuffed the red envelope into her handbag with confidence. Then, while greeting and thanking everyone, she and Lin Nanjiang warmly invited the guests to take their seats.

After this incident, Lin Nanjiang came back with a red envelope after paying the bill. Liu Suqin was not surprised at all. She took it and put it in her bag, then turned around and continued chatting with her friend next to her.

The hotel's private rooms were nicely decorated, with sofas and TVs. After the meal, the waiter brought free tea and melon seeds, so after eating and drinking, everyone was not in a hurry to get up and leave. Instead, they leaned back in their chairs and chatted.

The last topic of conversation was Lin Nanjiang. Everyone was talking about him, asking about his business performance in the past six months and how much he had earned. He was so overwhelmed by the questions that he used the excuse of paying the bill to hide for a while.

When Lin Nanjiang came back after paying the bill, everyone's attention was no longer on him. Several men were complaining about their mother-in-law asking for a dowry when they were dating, while Li Hong and several other girls occupied his seat and surrounded Liu Suqin, asking her about her beauty secrets.

Liu Suqin smiled and said, "I don't have any secrets to maintaining my appearance. I just eat and drink regularly, and during the two months of confinement, I slept a lot. I could sleep for more than ten hours a day..."

"I don't believe it. It's not like I haven't seen women giving birth before. My cousin from my hometown married into the city. Her husband is a college student, and her parents-in-law are both leaders of their units. Her in-laws are rich and powerful. Last year, she gave birth to a son. Not only was her mother by her side taking care of her from pregnancy to confinement, but she also hired a nanny before the baby even started. She also drank imported milk powder after the baby was born, so my cousin didn't have to worry about anything. But when I saw her during the New Year, she looked much more haggard than before she was pregnant. Her face was pale and dull, and there were many spots on it. Unlike you, who is still so rosy and healthy after the confinement." Li Hong said, and couldn't help pinching her hand, and was even more amazed, "Look at your little face now, it's so tender that it can even ooze water. It's comparable to your daughter's little face..."

"Really?" Liu Suqin was flattered by the compliment, thinking that pregnancy and childbirth did not damage her appearance at all, but made her more rosy and shiny. It only proved that she was born with natural beauty. With Zhang Ying at the starting line, she was born with a beautiful face!

But seeing her friends' insistent inquiries, she knew she had to spill the beans, so she elaborated, "It might be the local climate and soil that nourishes me. When I'm here, my skin is always more hydrated than back home. I also stick to using skincare every morning and night. It's not vanishing cream, but a big-name brand I buy at the city center mall. They have serums, face creams, and eye creams. After using them consistently for a while, my face feels softer than before, and it looks more refined and radiant."

They were all young girls. When Liu Suqin talked about skin care products, everyone started discussing it with shining eyes. They asked about the address of the mall and the specific brands. Even though the prices were really not cheap, they could afford them with their salaries. They could save enough by buying a few fewer pieces of clothing.

The topic quickly shifted from skin care products to the latest popular clothing and shoe styles, and then to the jewelry on Liu Suqin.

Today is her daughter's full moon banquet, and it also marks the complete end of her confinement period. Even though Liu Suqin doesn't want to be too high-profile, she still can't help but dress up on such a happy day.

Liu Suqin didn't buy any new clothes and didn't have any makeup on her hands, but she had a good foundation. She put on the coat and leather boots she wore when she got married last year, no, the year before last. Her long hair was just washed and blown clean and was fluffy and flowing. Even without makeup, she still looked radiant. In addition, she picked out the necklace and jade ring she bought at the mall before the New Year from a box full of gold jewelry.

Although there were only two pieces of jewelry, the gold pendant hung heavily on her turtleneck sweater, making her look rich and fashionable. The emerald ring made her fingers look as slender as jade. The girls were all moved by it. One girl even held her hand holding the ring and stared at her intently, "Sister Suqin, you have such good taste! I only knew diamond rings were beautiful before, but I didn't expect this kind of jade is so noble. It makes you look like a rich person at first glance, and it's not as tacky as gold."

Liu Suqin smiled and said, "A gold ring can be stylish if you pick the right style, but I also think jade rings are more classic and durable, and they're not expensive. You can buy a jade ring like this by saving two months' salary. Gold rings are even cheaper, and you can buy one or two gold rings after working for a month."

Seeing the clear and carefree eyes of the young sisters, Liu Suqin couldn't help but think of her past self. At that time, she was just like them, and she didn't know the taste of worry. Her family didn't ask her to hand over much of her salary, and she spent the money she earned on herself. Every month she bought so many new clothes and shoes that she couldn't wear them all.

Later, when she was tightening her belt and dieting to save money for building a house, she thought that if she had not bought those random clothes during those years of working, but instead replaced them with gold and jade jewelry, she could have raised enough money for the renovation by selling the jewelry.

So when she saw everyone's clear and innocent eyes, she couldn't help but persuade them.

But that's just enough.

The girls were also tempted. "Really? Gold jewelry is so cheap? Then I will buy fewer clothes this year and buy some decent jewelry."

"I noticed a long time ago that Suqin bought this dress before she got married. Two years have passed, and paired with a gold necklace, it's not only timeless, but also looks even more fashionable. It shows that quality is more important than quantity in clothes. It's better to use more practical jewelry to embellish clothes than to go with those fancy styles. At least when Suqin goes out in this outfit, no one will look down on her."

Liu Suqin couldn't help but say modestly, "You guys are exaggerating. I'm just an ordinary person. There's no need to look down on me."

Lin Nanjiang leaned on the back of his wife's chair and listened for a long time. He thought that the person who took his seat would stand up on his own accord. However, he didn't expect that such a big person like him would stand there as if invisible. No one looked up at him. They were still talking about skin care and clothes. He could hardly understand anything and couldn't get a word in. He was like a wooden man for a long time. Finally, he walked away in disappointment and went to seek comfort from his precious daughter.

As soon as Liu Suqin finished her meal, she took her daughter to the bathroom in the private room to feed her. After the little one had eaten and drunk enough, she obediently let Aunt Zhang hold her and listened quietly to her chatting with Uncle Chen and Aunt Chen.

Speaking of Aunt Zhang, she has been working here for almost two months now. She works diligently every day and never complains about being tired. She treats her career as her home. For example, since Lin Nanjiang and the others are not setting up the stall today, Liu Suqin planned to take the opportunity to give Aunt Zhang a day off. However, Aunt Zhang said that she was alone at home with nothing to do and did not want to take a vacation. She was even more reluctant to miss Fangfang's full moon banquet, so she strongly requested to work. Liu Suqin and the others could not refuse, so they let her attend the full moon banquet as a guest.

But Aunt Zhang and Uncle Chen prepared red envelopes together, but they didn't consider themselves guests at all. As soon as the meal started, they rushed to take care of the little one. However, Lin Nanjiang was one step faster than her, so Aunt Zhang had to make the second best decision. She waited for Liu Suqin to finish her meal and took the little one to feed her. She waited outside the door at the right time. As soon as the mother and daughter came out, Aunt Zhang took the child over and said, "Suqin, there are still guests who haven't finished eating. You go and take care of them. I'll take care of Fangfang."

Liu Suqin was a little embarrassed at first, but since Aunt Zhang was so proactive, she was happy to have some free time, so she agreed reluctantly.

Aunt Zhang finally held the little one in her arms. She was very satisfied. She first carefully burped her, cleaned up her poop and urination, and made sure the baby was comfortable before taking her to chat with an old neighbor.

Lin Nanjiang came over and saw his daughter lying comfortably in her grandmother Zhang's arms with her big black eyes wide open. He was immediately surprised and asked, "Fangfang is blowing bubbles?"

Aunt Zhang laughed and said, "She's over two months old now, so it's no surprise she can blow bubbles. Our Fangfang is so clever."

Aunt Chen next to her also said, "Yes, this child looks smart."

Those who have been through it are not surprised, but the new father seemed to have discovered a new world. He picked up his chubby daughter and went to show off to his brothers, "Put away your cigarettes, look, my daughter can blow bubbles, she's so smart."

Everyone: ...

Liu Suqin and Lin Nanjiang still live in a small rental house. With a new baby this year and a nanny hired, there is almost no space left at home. Even Lin Quansheng's room next door is almost full of luggage, so it is naturally inconvenient to entertain guests at home.

Friends also knew about their situation. After chatting for a long time in the hotel, they went their separate ways, saying only that they would visit them next time they had a holiday.

When he got home that night, Lin Nanjiang also asked Liu Suqin, "Uncle Chen still has a suite on the second floor that hasn't been rented out. Should we move up there? Although the bedrooms are the same size, the upstairs layout has two bedrooms and a living room. It's perfect for our family of three plus all the children. There's even a living room for luggage."

"If we move to the second floor, you'll have to move things up and down every time you set up your stall, which will add a lot of work." Liu Suqin disagreed. "Besides, didn't we agree to go to the city to look at houses tomorrow? If everything goes well, we can buy a house and renovate it, and we can move into our own home in three to five months at most. We can just be patient for a while. There's no need to move rooms now."

Of course, Lin Nanjiang was the main earner, so Liu Suqin respected his opinion. "But if you want to live on the second floor, then move."

"I'm a grown man, it doesn't matter where I live. I just feel bad for you and the child. I've finally made some money, but you and your daughter have to squeeze into such a small, dark house." Lin Nanjiang finally stopped indulging in his baby-sucking obsession today. He put his snoring daughter to bed and tucked her in, then returned to his wife, stroking her fluffy, smooth black hair. "The villagers joked about this before, but I didn't pay much attention. But when my friends talked about it today, they all praised you for being virtuous and capable, and a good woman who could endure hardships with her husband. It suddenly occurred to me that, not to mention squandering the money we have, there's no need for you to suffer with me. Isn't the reason I work hard to make money so that you and the child can live a good life?"

Liu Suqin smiled. "What kind of hardship is that? Have you forgotten what our factory dormitory was like before we rented a place? Not to mention the dormitory, our own house back home was just a brick and tile house, with no painted walls or paved floors. Aside from being a little more spacious, it's nothing compared to where we live now."

Lin Nanjiang was confused, "Huh?"

Yes, my current residence has a kitchen and a bathroom. It can get sunshine when the weather is fine and the roof won’t leak when it rains. The floor is always clean and fresh. How bad are these conditions?

Lin Nanjiang was speechless, but Liu Suqin wanted to complain a little, because when she talked about the house in her hometown, she remembered the situation of building a house in her previous life. The old house needed to be demolished and rebuilt. At that time, their family of four squeezed into the old house with their parents-in-law. Those few months were really hell on earth. They couldn't eat or sleep well. They had to help as much as possible during the day. Providing three meals a day for the workers was also a big project. At night, they had to take care of their hungry little son. This kind of suffering is indescribable.

After the house was built, Liu Suqin lost weight to more than 80 kilograms. With a net height of 1.65 meters, anyone who saw her would say she looked like a skinny bamboo pole.

Lin Nanjiang later said that building his own house was harder and more tiring than moving bricks at the construction site. It was a kind of labor that exhausted both physically and mentally.

Anyway, after going through that, no matter how hard or tiring it was afterwards, it was nothing to Liu Suqin.

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The author has something to say: I will post the video tomorrow and may update it at night, so go to bed early, my friends.