Chapter 460: Moving and Entering Middle-Class Life

On January 22, the fifth year of Shangzhou, my family officially held a moving ceremony.

Actually, almost everything had been moved. It was just a ceremony. My mother insisted on following the rural custom—basically, carrying the fire from the old house to the new one.

My father said, "I never saw you bring fire with you since you moved here from Wuxiang."

My mother said, "I didn't buy this place myself, it was given to me by Xu Ri. I bought the house I live in now with my own money, so why don't you bring the fire with you?"

She also took it upon herself to buy a coal stove and some coal briquettes. I admire her, as coal briquettes are almost impossible to find in Upstate. I wonder where she found them.

Later I learned that she wanted Yifan to look for it, and if she couldn't find it in the city, she could go to the suburban market town. Yifan had no choice but to borrow my brother-in-law's car and drove around for a whole day before she finally bought the stove and coal briquettes.

She also had a plan for how to get the fire there. She asked Yifan to find a small utility vehicle with a trailer. Everything was arranged, and the rest was left to me.

The departure time was set at 9:18 AM. Fireworks were forbidden in the city, so I had to carry the fire and walk ahead. My father, mother, Xiaolin, Yifan, and Xiao Shitou each carried something, and Sister Guihua held Xiaoyu.

On weekends, people are still asleep or out and about, so the elevator is sparsely populated. We went in, and there was no one else. When we got off the elevator, three cars were parked outside.

Everyone loaded their things into the car. Yifan and Xiao Shitou got on the tool car, and there was just enough space for my brother-in-law and me in the two cars.

An hour later, we arrived at the villa.

Yifan climbed onto the tool cart and took the fire down. My brother-in-law said, "Wait a moment."

He took a few fireworks from the car and gave them to Yifan and Xiao Shitou.

They stood at the door, and I walked towards the door with the fire in my hand while they set off fireworks. Everyone entered one after another, carrying things and saying auspicious words.

I placed the stove in the center of the hall. Against the wall at the front of the hall was an exquisite shrine. This was where the ceremony would take place, and so the whole family got busy.

My mother, my sister, and Xiaolin went into the kitchen to prepare the three animals. My father moved a square table to the shrine, and Yifan prepared incense and candles. My brother-in-law prepared a large washbasin, paper money, and a mat.

Ten minutes later, all preparations were complete. Candles were lit, incense was lit, and the three animals were laid out. I held three sticks of incense in my hand, bowed, and chanted:

On the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month in the year of Xinchou, Wan Shanhong, the heir of the Delin lineage, respectfully offers incense, candles, and wine before the ancestral tablets in the Delin Hall, saying:

May the virtues of our ancestors live on, forever blessing us with a peaceful home. May our achievements be deeply celebrated, bringing us the auspiciousness of a grand relocation. Since ancient times, a peaceful and prosperous home has been valued. Relocating to Huaxi Lake in Shangzhou Prefecture, I pray for the blessings of our ancestors, bringing a comfortable home and peace of mind. May our descendants continue to prosper for generations to come, and may the prosperity of this place last for thousands of years. I dare to announce this.

Kneel down, bow three times, then stand up. Bow.

My brother-in-law, who was quite knowledgeable, had already walked out with a candle in his hand and placed it outside the gate. I bowed and said:

I, Wan Shanhong, the landowner of Huaxi, the 27th district of Shangzhou Prefecture, am residing here. I have first reported this to you and will choose a day to pay my respects. I hope the landowner will bless me, and I will have a safe journey, a peaceful and happy life.

My brother-in-law handed me a glass of wine. I poured one glass on my left. He handed me another glass of wine, and I poured one glass on my right.

My brother-in-law said, "Moving into a new house brings prosperity for generations to come."

The ceremony is over.

After washing my hands, I asked Sister Guihua to hand Xiaoyu over to me.

I held Xiaoyu in my arms and started looking around from the first floor. I went into every room and said as I walked, "Little Master, here's the room inspection. Everything went smoothly along the way."

I looked around upstairs and downstairs. My parents live on the first floor. Xiaolin and I live on the second floor. Xiaolin isn't planning to go back to work yet; he's planning to open a design studio after the New Year. The third floor is mostly empty; it's where Guihua's wife sleeps.

I have to admire my mother and Xiaolin, the two women who head the family, for how they spend their money. From large furniture to small clothes hangers, everything is new, and they are all famous brands.

Frugality and thrift have been thrown away by them to Java.

After going downstairs, I handed Xiaoyu to Sister Guihua and went to my study again.

Xiaolin, a professional decorator, had decorated the study with great elegance: a mahogany sofa sat to the west, and across from it hung a calligraphy by my brother-in-law: "Tranquility leads to far-reaching prospects." To the left was a row of bookcases, and to the right was a large window.

The bookcase is not too high, which is what I specifically asked for. I sat back on the sofa contentedly, enjoying the spaciousness, brightness, and tranquility of the room.

The lunch was very sumptuous. The restaurant was stylishly decorated, and since it was our first day, every room was lit. There were two sets of orange lights on the walls of the restaurant, and once they were turned on, it was filled with a warm feeling.

Everyone was seated, and my mother asked, "Shanhong, are you satisfied?"

"I'm very satisfied. Master Jiang and Master Tao, these two masters have meticulously crafted this. Need I say more?"

My mother laughed and said, "You are so disrespectful."

My sister said, "My eyes are wide open. Dad, Mom, you raised this kid so well. I remember when we lived in that red brick house back home, it wasn't even painted. It's like heaven and hell."

I said, "My sister and brother-in-law are the best. I'm in my hometown, and you told me to come out. I can't do much, but I can broaden my horizons. Now, my horizons have really been broadened."

My sister said, "That's right. If you hadn't come out, you would still be working in the fields at home."

My mother was not happy when she heard this, but today was a special day, so she said, "Sister, your brother-in-law has done a great job. He deserves praise."

After dinner, my sister and brother-in-law left. My mother once again looked from the first floor to the second, and from the second floor to the third. She looked up and down, over and over again.

My father and I were in the study, brewing a pot of tea and chatting slowly.

My father was most pleased to be able to smoke. He could smoke in my study, or he could go out to the lake and smoke.

"Shanhong, if you don't go out, hang a sign outside saying 'Wanshanhong Studio'. Business will be good. Everyone who lives here is rich."

I said, "Yes. I'll be hanging it up tomorrow. Don't worry, my profession is just like a doctor's. There will always be people looking for me."

At this time, my mother came in and said, "It's nice to grow grass in the backyard."

I said, “You’re not going to grow vegetables anymore?”

She shook her head: "I want to learn from your master's wife and grow flowers."

I smiled and said, "That's right. You should let the vegetable farmers earn this money."

My mother left. My father said, "I heard that supermarkets in foreign countries are closed at night and on Sundays?"

I said, "I haven't been to many countries, but it seems like that. When they're resting, it allows those convenience stores and small shops to do some business."

It's different in China. Supermarkets want everyone to buy everything from them. They offer memberships, discounts, and promotions, desperate to wipe out all the business. But small vendors need a way to survive, too.

My father said, "This is the civilized way of doing things. If you leave others with no way out, they will try to take advantage of you. So, what is harmony? It means giving in to each other."

When you get here, you should be more open with your mother. Don't live in a villa and do things that make people laugh at you."

I said, "I'm going to have her do some cross-stitch. She used to make clothes, so she's good at it. Then, I'll give it to my friends, take pictures and show them, and tell them how much they like it."

After a while, I will pay for it myself and tell her that others want to buy her embroidery. Then she will work harder and harder. Do you think it will work?"

My dad said, "That's a good idea. She just mentioned growing flowers, which is a step forward. Doing some cross-stitch every day can help pass the time. That way, she won't be out gossiping with some old men and women. They could spend the whole day chatting."

I said, "Take it slow. When the environment changes, people will change too."

My father stood up and said, "You should take a good rest too."

The next day, I hung a rectangular sign on the outer wall - Wanshanhong Studio, with a line of small words below: Please make an appointment in advance, phone: 137XXXXXXX.

It's not conspicuous at all. With my reputation outside, I plan to earn some "professional money" at home in the next six months.

A new life had begun. More precisely, a middle-class life had begun. I had no idea what kind of people I would meet in the future, or how much money I would make.

Mr. Dong said, I still have a lot of money to make. What kind of money is that?