The housewarming banquet was held in our hometown, not at a restaurant. Our fellow villagers helped out, and we hired a chef who specializes in preparing banquets. We bought the vegetables, cigarettes, alcohol, and tea ourselves, and rented tables, chairs, and dishes. The banquet was held in our own courtyard.

Almost all the relatives attended. To everyone's surprise, the original plan was to prepare twenty tables, but the guests came to thirty tables, more than ten tables, and nearly a hundred people!

After a chaotic and frantic process of getting the guests out, the whole family was exhausted.

Chen Hong said weakly to her brother, "Why do you have to do this? I suggested we go to a restaurant, but you wouldn't agree."

Look at this, trying to save a little money has exhausted the whole family, and we still have to trouble the clan to help us, incurring their favors.

Going to a restaurant wouldn't cost much more, and when I offered to pay for it, you refused.

Tell me, why go looking for trouble? It's not worth it at all!

Chen Hong's brother chuckled and said, "Holding a banquet isn't that important, why should I let you pay for it? Didn't you earn your money through hard work?"

Holding a banquet at home is not only cheaper but also more lively. Everyone else does it this way, so we can't be too flashy.

Your sister-in-law and I have discussed it, and we'll try to avoid troubling you with family matters if possible. You have a family now, and it's not good to always prioritize your parents' family."

Chen Hong's sister-in-law also said, "Chen Hong, we know you're doing this for our own good, you've helped us enough."

Your brother and I have enough money to live on now, and you'll be going to Beijing soon.

Your brother and I are useless and can't help you much, but we can still manage not to hold you back.

Besides, we had other reasons for holding the banquet at home. That way, our relatives would know we were short of money and wouldn't bother to come knocking on our door to borrow any.

As she spoke, her sister-in-law laughed and said to Chen Hong, "You don't know, we just finished settling the accounts today, and your cousin and his wife wanted to borrow money. They even asked me how much money I had seen today."

Pah! I wouldn't lend them any amount of money, no matter how much. Last time your brother and I deliberately went to borrow money from him, and the couple's words were so awful.

Damn it, they're so shameless. I don't know how they even managed to open their rotten mouths.

I've seen their true colors now. They want to borrow a single penny from me.

Chen Hong laughed heartily. In her family, only her sister-in-law was the most decisive and could be ruthless to anyone. Only she could manage those awful relatives.

After Yang finished his exams, Chen Hong visited all her relatives and friends in Jinan to inform them that she was going to bring her child to join the army.

Aunt Wang and Aunt Liu were both surprised. "We haven't met your boyfriend yet. Your uncle was thinking of inviting Zhou Yi over for a drink when he takes a vacation!"

Why did you just say you'd go with the army without giving me any advance notice?

Chen Hong smiled apologetically, "Auntie, I didn't originally plan to join the army so soon."

I've just settled down in Jinan with my child, and I'd like to keep my child's schooling here.

The Book of Changes is right; there are now conditions to change household registration, which is related to the child's future.

After all, Beijing has much better educational resources than Jinan, and children will have more options in the future.

We just got married, and living apart for a long time is not only bad for our relationship, but also for our child's development.

Without sufficient contact, the father and son cannot develop a father-son relationship, which also affects the stability and unity of our family.

Aunt Liu also agreed with Chen Hong's decision to go with the military, saying, "Yes, you're not young anymore. You must manage this marriage well and make sure the family is stable before you can talk about anything else."

Children's mental health is also very important, and we women need to think about that more when we become mothers.

Okay! Beijing isn't far from Jinan. There are planes and high-speed trains, and it only takes an hour or two to get there.

"It will be very convenient for you to go back to Jinan in the future. We can also leave whenever we miss you. Anyway, your uncle is about to retire, so we'll have plenty of free time."

Chen Hong was delighted. She said she would welcome the elderly people to visit Beijing. She has a house in Beijing, so everyone will have a place to stay. If they go now, they can also watch the Beijing Olympics!

When Chen Hong brought Yu Yang to Beijing, there were only five days left before the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

Zhou Yi had another mission and couldn't go home. Chen Hong took Yu Yang back to the family compound first, cleaned and tidied up the house, and bought kitchen utensils and daily necessities.

The mother and daughter stayed at the courtyard for two days, gradually filling the kitchen with various ingredients and seasonings.

On the first day, the mother and daughter ate at a restaurant. On the second day, they had everything they needed and were able to cook for themselves.

After having their first meal in their new home, the mother and daughter finally felt at home.

Two days before the opening ceremony of the Olympics, Chen Hong's parents, accompanied by their two granddaughters and their son, took the high-speed train to Beijing.

Chen Hong picked up the people at the train station and took the whole family by subway back to their courtyard house in Houhai.

The courtyard house was spacious, so Xiaoyun and her mother lived in the west wing, while the east wing remained unused.

The east wing is designed with two bedrooms, one living room, and two bathrooms, which is enough for the parents and the older brother to live with their two children.

Upon learning that her parents and brother had arrived with the children, Xiaoyun also brought Nini back to the courtyard house to stay.

Chen Hong called Yang Wenwen and asked her to help her pre-purchase tickets for the whole family.

Xiaoyun still had to go to work, so Chen Hong exercised her privilege as the boss of the travel company for the first time, asking Yang Wenwen to send her a minibus and an experienced tour guide.

I spent two days in Beijing, visiting museums, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the Forbidden City, and Tiananmen Square.

Fearing that the elderly would get tired, we didn't arrange to climb the Great Wall; we only visited a few attractions in the city center.

Chen Hong and her mother accompanied them throughout the trip, and Yu Yang sometimes acted as a temporary guide.

This surprised her greatly; she never expected that almost two years later, Yu Yang would still remember Yang Wenwen and the others' classic explanations.

Over the course of two days, the family explored the city, searching for delicious food along the way, and had a wonderful time in Beijing.

This year's Olympics attracted people from all over the world to Beijing to watch, and all the tourist attractions were packed with people.

Chen Hong's mother was shocked. "Wow, there are so many people in Beijing! It's like a temple fair everywhere!"

"It has to be the capital city! No wonder housing prices are so high! With so many people, you could make money selling anything, let alone houses!"

The young tour guide laughed, "Auntie, you're absolutely right. More people mean more job opportunities, which is why so many young people from here have become part of the 'Beijing drifters' community!"

"Beijing drifters! That's such a apt term! Aren't young people without homes or jobs just drifting aimlessly in Beijing?"

On August 8th, the day of the opening ceremony, Chen Hong's family started eating before 5 a.m.

After a sumptuous dinner, Chen Hong and her family, led by a tour guide, took a minibus arranged by the company to the Bird's Nest early in the morning to watch the opening ceremony.

Chen Hong had prepared a large canvas bag containing origami fans, water, snacks, and binoculars, and she also had a newly bought camera hanging around her neck.

There were so many people along the way, men and women, young and old, and everyone was incredibly excited.