Si Yan muttered to herself, counting on the abacus beads in her sleeve: "Sister, building this martial arts arena next to the garden is such an eyesore..."
"What do you know!" Nian Li glared at him, "When my mother was racing horses on the outskirts of the city and left the young master of the Wang family so far behind that he couldn't even see his shadow, you were still playing in the mud!" Before she finished speaking, Chen Yue accidentally knocked over a plum blossom pile, making a "dong" sound.
Su Jinli listened to her children's bickering, and suddenly her head was spinning. Looking at the magnificent villa before her, she recalled the days long ago, when they had huddled together in the west wing of the prime minister's residence: Siyan, checking accounts with an abacus under an oil lamp, Nianli practicing with a wooden sword in the courtyard, and Jiang Yan reading by the window, occasionally looking up and smiling at her. Back then, the house leaked, and the meals were simple, yet filled with the flavor of home.
"Alright, alright," she rubbed her temple, the pearls on her hairpin brushing against her cheek. "You can stay here! But I have a promise: no more wasting money! And this martial arts arena..."
"Don't worry, mother!" Nian Li immediately pulled Chen Yue's sleeve, "I asked him to remove the plum blossom pile and turn it into a swing!"
Si Yan also hurriedly said, "Mom, I'll have someone take the koi away and replace them with ordinary red crucian carp!" He calculated quickly, "The money from exchanging the fish can be donated to five charity organizations..."
Su Jinli watched her children presenting treasures, feeling both angry and amused. She turned to look at Jiang Yan, only to find him gazing at the distant green hills with a gentle gaze. "What are you thinking about?"
Jiang Yan turned around and took her hand, his fingertips touching the mutton-fat jade bracelet on her wrist. "I'm thinking back to when I said I'd protect you from getting into trouble at the sugar painting stall." He watched Si Yan and Nian Li still arguing about whether to change the martial arts arena, while Pan'er squatted on the ground teasing ants. "Now it seems that it's you who brought me to this point."
Su Jinli's cheeks flushed, and she tried to pull her hand away, but he held it tighter. The setting sun peeked out from behind the mountain, painting the eaves of the villa a golden red. Siyan and Nianli's shadows were stretched out, and Pan'er's laughter echoed in the yard like a silver bell.
She suddenly felt that this extravagant villa wasn't so annoying after all. At least, every bluestone slab, every koi fish, every plum blossom tree stake was filled with the filial piety of her children. As for money? Si Yan had plenty of it, so let him spend it.
"Okay," she finally agreed, watching Si Yan immediately take out an abacus to calculate the cost of the renovation, while Nian Li pulled Shen Yue to dismantle the plum blossom piles. "But Si Yan, you have to promise me that if you make money in the future, you will donate more to the charity cemetery."
Si Yan nodded immediately, calculating quickly: "Don't worry, mother! I've already made plans. Every year, I'll set aside 10% of the profits to support orphans!"
Nian Li also shouted, waving a newly dismantled plum blossom stake in her hand: "Mom, Shen Yue and I will be chivalrous and help the poor in the future!"
Pan'er raised her head, her face covered in dirt, holding half a chrysanthemum in her hand: "Grandma, I will share the osmanthus cake with the little beggars in the future!"
Su Jinli looked at them and couldn't help but smile. Jiang Yan whispered in her ear, his warm breath brushing her temples: "Look, our younger generation is even more powerful than us."
Yes, the younger generation has grown up. Siyan has become a wealthy shopkeeper who uses an abacus to perform charitable deeds, Nianli has become a chivalrous heroine, and even Xiao Pan'er knows how to share her sweet-scented osmanthus cake. Su Jinli leaned on Jiang Yan's shoulder, looking at the villa under the setting sun, and suddenly felt that these days after retirement, although noisy, were happier than ever. The night-shining pearl embedded in the rockery, no matter how bright it was, could not match the light in the eyes of the children; no matter how luxurious this extravagant villa was, it could not contain the full warmth of the family.
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