Chapter 278 She Wants to...

After lunch, Ye Erquan and his family went home together.

Ye Erquan said, "Jin'er's birthday is coming up in a few days. Mother, is it you who is going to prepare the gift or me?"

Wei said, "Me!"

Ye Erquan frowned: "You can't be stingy. Our family's good life now is brought by my little sister."

"Don't worry."

Ye Erquan looked at Ye Peng and Yinhua again and said with a smile, "What about you? Do you have money? How about Daddy giving you a few taels of silver to buy it?"

Yinhua said, "No need, we have 2 taels every month, and we have been saving it."

Ye Erquan nodded with satisfaction.

Wei curled her lips in satisfaction. She was very generous and gave 2 taels of silver to Hua every month.

This was also to let Ye Caiping see that she was generous, and that when Jin'er married into the family in the future, she would also get 2 taels.

…

After lunch, Daquan didn't leave yet. He sat in the main room with Ye Caiping to digest the food and chat.

Ye Xuan said anxiously: "Dad, Mom, Aunt, I want to go and thank Mr. Shen."

Mrs. Du frowned and said, "How can you just go there when you want to? We have to prepare a thank-you gift... Speaking of this, I have a headache."

Ye Caiping asked, "Sister-in-law, aren't you prepared?"

Mrs. Du said: "Of course I have made some preparations... I originally wanted to give her a pair of homemade shoes. Later I felt that it was not appropriate, so I wanted to buy a bracelet or a jade pendant..."

"But considering Mr. Shen's wealth, even if we spend all our money to buy things from him, he may not use them."

"I was thinking of sending some dry goods... like dried vegetables, dried bamboo shoots, bacon, etc., but these girls have already sent a lot."

"You can only encounter wild boars if you want to... Alas!"

Ye Caiping said: "You can give him dried vegetables and bacon, he likes these."

After all, they didn't have the ability to give Shen Zhiyan valuable things that would catch his eye, so they could only give him gifts of their heart.

"Okay, I'll get it right away."

Mrs. Du immediately went home to get the prepared dry goods, put them in a basket and carried it with her.

Ye Caiping actually also carried a basket.

Mrs. Du was surprised: "Hey, why is my little sister also giving gifts?"

Ye Caiping smiled: "This is a Mid-Autumn Festival gift."

Mrs. Du said, “I actually forgot.”

"When we get to town, sister-in-law will buy two more boxes of snacks and mooncakes."

"good."

…

Shen's living room——

Ye Xuan bowed three times to Shen Zhiyan:

"Xuan'er was able to pass the imperial examination thanks to Mr. Shen. Xuan'er has nothing to repay him, so he can only..."

Ye Caiping found his words very funny and couldn't help but glance at Shen Zhiyan.

Shen Manman stood aside, eyes wide open, the only thing she could do was... to pledge herself to him?

Shen Zhiyan coughed dryly: "No need, just don't embarrass me."

Ye Xuan: "Yes, Xuan'er will definitely not embarrass you, sir."

Ye Daquan was grinning foolishly on the side.

Mrs. Du handed over the basket of dried vegetables, bacon and mooncakes, saying, "This is a thank you gift to you, sir. It's just a small token of my appreciation. I hope you will accept it."

Shen Zhiyan took the basket, opened it and took a look, then nodded: “Thank you, Shen likes it very much.”

Ye Caiping also handed him the basket: "This is a Mid-Autumn Festival gift."

“What is this?” Shen Zhiyan took it and opened it. There was a wooden box inside. He opened the wooden box again and found eight white cakes inside: “Dessert?”

Ye Caiping: "This is a mooncake."

Shen Zhiyan raised an eyebrow: “You did it?”

"Um."

Shen Zhiyan’s mood instantly improved.

Shen Manman's eyes lit up: "Why is this mooncake white? It looks delicious!"

Ye Caiping smiled and said, "I made this for fun. The skin is made of glutinous rice flour and does not need to be baked. Inside are red bean filling, taro paste filling, and pumpkin filling."

“Wow…” Shen Manman drooled and wanted to take a bite right now.

But Shen Zhiyan had already closed the lid: “That’s thoughtful, thank you.”

Mrs. Du said, "By the way, Mr. Shen, we have decided to hold a banquet for Xuan'er on August 17. Please ask Mr. Shen and Miss Shen to come."

"good."

Ye Caiping said: "Also, Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, I want to ask Jin'er and the others for a few days off."

Shen Zhiyan said: "Then take a few days off. Starting from today, until the 18th."

Ye Xuan took a breath. Isn’t that just seven days?

But whether it was himself or Shen Zhiyan, they really needed to relax.

Ye Xuan immediately bowed: "Thank you, sir."

Ye Caiping and the others sat for a while and then said goodbye.

Shen Manman saw them off, and when they were out the door, Shen Manman stuffed two brocade boxes into Ye Caiping's hands.

Ye Caiping asked, "Mid-Autumn Festival gift?"

"No, it's Jin'er's birthday in a few days. This is her birthday gift. The red one is from me, and the black one is from daddy."

Ye Caiping was startled, feeling a little touched and a little guilty: "This time I just wanted to have a meal with my family, so I didn't make a big deal..."

Shen Manman waved her hand: "Aunt, you don't need to explain, I understand. I had this situation before. Normally, birthdays are big celebrations, and all the sisters are invited. But occasionally, once in a year or two, it's a small celebration, just a meal with the family. It's nothing."

"Okay, thank you, and Mr. Shen."

Ye Caiping was not surprised that Chen Manman gave Jin'er a birthday gift, but she never expected that Chen Zhiyan would also give one.

Ye Caiping couldn't help feeling warm in her heart.

Back home.

Ye Caiping gave her all the gifts from Shen Manman.

Ye Jiner was very happy to receive the gift in advance.

Shen Manman gave a pearl bracelet, and Shen Zhiyan gave a green jade pen holder. You can tell at first glance that it is of great value.

…

With the arrival of August, the entire South State ushers in the harvest season.

The villagers are busy harvesting.

Ye Caiping's family had 20 acres of rice and they directly arranged for farmhands to start harvesting on August 11.

Every day, Old Man Ye wore a straw hat and stood on the edge of the field, watching the farmhands bring back bundles of rice, with a smile on his face.

As for the 60 acres of cassava, it is not yet mature and can only be harvested until at least December.

Ye Da's family is rich now, so there is no need for them to work too hard, and they hired farmhands to do the harvest.

Even Ye Lizheng paid for the job.

Uncle Ye’s family has many people and not much land, so he still works in the fields himself.

However, Wei was reluctant to spend the money, thinking that it was only four acres of land. She took advantage of Yinhua's Mid-Autumn Festival holiday and hurriedly took the brother and sister to go to the fields together.

Old Mrs. Ye was speechless. When she arrived at the door of Ye Erquan's house, she saw Wei's mother and two sons, each carrying a load of rice.

Old Lady Ye looked at the three people who were exhausted and panting, and asked, "Where's Erquan?"

Wei opened the door, put the rice into the courtyard, and then said, "I'm going out to work."

"Now even Daquan pays people to harvest, why don't you? What do you do with all that money?" Old Mrs. Ye said unhappily, "It took a lot of effort to make Yinhua whiter, but now it's tanned again."

Wei's face was slightly grim, and she smiled awkwardly, "I'm hiring someone... It's not that I don't want to spend money. It's mainly because they are less active now, and they are not as strong as before. That's why I want them to do more work. Besides, there are only four acres of land, so it will only take two days."

The corners of Old Mrs. Ye's mouth twitched. She didn't want to talk anymore and turned away.

…

As time passed, it was soon August 13, Ye Jiner's birthday.

There were no conditions before, but now that we have them, we naturally have to do it.

It wasn’t a big event though, we just invited everyone in the family to come over for dinner.

The whole family gathered together and chatted happily.

Ye Caiping said while eating melon seeds, "Has the date for Xuan'er's banquet been set?"

Mrs. Du said, "It has been decided, August 20th. We will tell the villagers and relatives after the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Originally, he was worried that he did not have enough money, but now with the dividends from the furniture workshop, he can invite not only an entire village, but also the nearby Huangjia Village and Xiahe Village.

Mrs. Du said, "Since it's a big event, we don't need our own people to do it. I've thought about it and I'll hire a group of cooks from outside."

"That's great!" Old Mrs. Ye said with a smile.

At this time, Ye Jiner, Ye Huaner, Jinhua and Yinhua came out of the room together.

Ye Jin'er was wearing a new red dress and a velvet flower of the same color on her head.

This year, she and Huan'er both grew a lot taller, and Jin'er was even taller than Ye Caiping. More and more beautiful and charming.

Ye Peng, who was sitting next to him, was already staring in a trance. I don’t know when, the skinny little girl with a pale face has grown into such a graceful and elegant lady.

Although Jinhua and Yinhua are also the most beautiful girls in the village, they are still far behind Jin'er.

Wei was also very satisfied and felt it was an honor to be her daughter-in-law.

Mrs. Du smiled and joked: "Wow, this new dress is really beautiful, but compared to the clothes, the person is more beautiful."

Ye Jin'er coughed dryly: "Aunt, please don't praise me. It's so embarrassing!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the room burst into laughter.

Ye Caiping pulled her to sit next to her: "Why can't I praise her? My daughter is just beautiful."

Looking at her two beautiful daughters, Ye Caiping felt a great sense of accomplishment.

Old Lady Ye said: "Before I knew it, Jin'er is 14 years old and old enough to get married."

Mrs. Du chuckled: "Yes, that's right."

Wei sat aside, feeling anxious, fearing that Du would suddenly propose marriage to her.

Thinking of this, she glanced at Ye Xuan. Ye Xuan was sitting far away, chatting with Ye Yong and didn't even look over here.

At this time, Old Lady Ye glanced at Ye Caiping and said, "Caiping, you are getting old, so you should find a husband as soon as possible. It's not that you need to do anything, but it would be good to have someone to accompany you when you are old."

Ye Caiping said perfunctorily, "Mom, don't talk about this. If there is a suitable one... I will consider it."

Old Mrs. Ye was delighted: "Really?"

"Yeah." Ye Caiping lowered her head and pulled at the wrinkles on her sleeves: "Let's talk about it when it's suitable!"

Wei was stunned for a moment, and asked anxiously, "When we separated last year, didn't my younger sister say she would not marry?"

As soon as these words came out, Old Lady Ye's face darkened immediately: "Are you talking like a human being? Why, are you not satisfied until your little sister is alone?"

Wei's face changed slightly: "That's not what I meant...it was just that before..."

What if my sister-in-law gets married?

Wei was still thinking about how to smooth things over when Ye Daquan came over:

"Yes, she clearly said before that she would not get married. My little sister stays at home, and we all stay with her! Don't go anywhere!"

Wei listened to Ye Daquan's words and said happily, "Of course."

"Shut up!" Old Lady Ye glanced at them. "You are all in pairs, so of course you say that. Is this kind of concern the same as that kind of concern?"

Ye Daquan was scolded and became depressed: "I am just worried that my little sister will be bullied after she goes out. What kind of people did those matchmakers introduce last time?"

"Is it the same? Last time, it was Madam Lu who was malicious and deliberately hurting people."

Ye Daquan stiffened his neck, still unhappy.

He hoped that his younger sister would always stay in the village so that they could take care of each other for a long time.

It would be even more perfect if Jin'er could find a son-in-law in the future.

Seeing that Ye Daquan remained silent, Wei became anxious.

Ye Caiping said, "It's getting late. Jin'er is so anxious that her neck is stretched. Let's give her a gift!"

Ye Jiner giggled and hugged her arm: "Mom still loves me."

Old Mrs. Ye smiled and said, "This is what your grandfather and I gave to you. Here, I'll give it to you."

As he said this, he handed Ye Jiner a small wooden box.

"Thank you, Grandma and Grandpa." Ye Jin'er opened it and found a pair of white jade pendants, small and delicate, carved into the shape of a rabbit, elegant and cute.

Ye Caiping gave her a necklace with a green jade peace lock embedded underneath.

Ye Daquan and Du actually gave a pair of gold bracelets. The weight and the craftsmanship were so exquisite that you could tell how valuable they were.

Wei curled her lips and gave a homemade purse.

Old Mrs. Ye and Mr. and Mrs. Du and Ye Yong were speechless for a while.

The second brother's family has an income of more than ninety taels every month. Even if we don't give him a gold bracelet, we should at least give him a silver one! What’s the point of a purse worth only a dozen or twenty cents?

Ye Caiping knew that she was stingy and was too lazy to say anything to her, so she just pretended not to see it.

Yinhua's face turned red.

Ye Erquan almost fainted. Last night he asked Wei what he had given him, and Wei said it was something very valuable.

Just this purse?

His family is not dead poor. Not to mention his shares in the furniture workshop, even with a monthly income of more than 90 taels, it shouldn't be this much, right?

Seeing Ye Erquan looking at her, Wei looked back and whispered, "This precious gift is not with me!"

As he said this, he pointed at Ye Peng with his chin.

Ye Erquan was stunned. Since it was a valuable gift, it should be them who delivered it. Why did Ye Peng deliver it?

But it’s hard to say anything now.

Forget it, as long as someone in my family gives me something decent, that will be enough.

At this point the elders have finished sending their gifts, and it is the younger generation's turn.

The dress Ye Yong and his wife gave to Xiuxiu was a set of skirts made of high-quality silk.

Ye Xuan gave a set of pens and ink, and also gave gold and silver flowers together, which was a homemade bracelet with a few gold beads strung on it.

The one Ye Huan'er gave her was a hand-made pearl head flower, which matched the one Shen Manman gave her.

Ye Jin'er accepted the gifts one by one, and was so happy that her eyes almost narrowed into a line.

At this time, Ye Peng came forward with a red face: "Here, this is a gift for cousin Jin'er."

"Thank you, third cousin." Ye Jin'er took it, opened it, and was stunned. It turned out to be a mandarin duck gold hairpin.

Wei smiled and said, "We also gave gold as a gift! Oh, it's really beautiful, Jin'er, put it on quickly."

Ye Jin'er was stunned when she saw the golden hairpin. She looked at Ye Peng in shock: "This..."

Old Mrs. Ye was so angry that she couldn't say a word. What was going on? Hairpins are not given casually, especially between men and women.

Ye Caiping looked at the hairpin, then at Ye Peng's red face, and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

No way? It's not what she thought, is it?

The melon seeds in Mrs. Du's hand fell, and she suddenly remembered the scene when her sister-in-law put the bracelet on Jinhua. Staring at Wei in shock.

This second family, wouldn't they want to...