Chapter 60 (combined with Chapter 60)
Li Yan had a natural birth and could go home after staying in the hospital for one night.
Yan Mingtao borrowed a flatbed cart and took Li Yan and the child home.
After Yan Mingtao settled his wife and child, Ye Hongzhen called him to the kitchen, took out 150 yuan from her pocket, and said, "Yesterday, Ruyi paid for Li Yan's hospitalization. She shouldn't have to pay for this. Take this 150 yuan and return it to her."
Yan Mingtao, his face flushed and neck thick, said in a muffled voice, "I have money, I'll pay her back myself."
Ye Hongzhen knew him all too well; all the money was in Li Yan's hands, and all year round, his pockets were probably emptier than his face.
She stuffed the money into Yan Mingtao's hand, saying, "When your older brother got married, it was agreed that the family would pay for your marriage and the birth of your child, and you would raise the child yourselves. The family also paid for your sister-in-law's child, Miaomiao. It's the same for you."
"You don't need to give me that much. When I was discharged this morning, the hospital refunded me 60.8 yuan."
He took out 50 yuan and returned it to Ye Hongzhen, saying, "I'll take 100 first, and consider the rest a loan."
He doesn't have a penny on him right now. If he needs to buy something, he can't very well ask his mother for money again. He needs to keep some money on hand for emergencies.
Moreover, on one occasion when Li Yan went to the hospital for a check-up, Song Yiping drove her there and paid the registration fee. At that time, he offered Song Yiping money, but Song Yiping refused to accept it. This time, he paid it all at once.
Yan Mingtao counted the money and wanted to return it to Yan Ruyi, but after looking around the house, he couldn't find her.
"Mom, where's Ruyi?"
Ye Hongzhen said, "She went to the department store, probably to buy nutritional supplements for Xiaoyan."
Yan Ruyi went to the department store and bought a can of milk powder and a can of malted milk powder.
When Fang Caiyun gave birth to Miaomiao, Yan Ruyi bought a can of milk powder and a can of malted milk powder, and Li Yan did the same.
Thinking that Miaomiao would probably come over today, she specially bought Miaomiao a bottle of canned oranges.
On my way back, I passed by a butcher shop and went in to buy two pounds of pork ribs.
After buying the goods, I took the bus back. When I arrived at the entrance of the residential compound, Yan Minghai and his family of three also happened to be there.
Miaomiao saw Yan Ruyi and called out from afar, "Auntie."
She was particularly attached to Yan Ruyi. When she saw Yan Ruyi, she would even forget about her mother and reach out to Yan Ruyi for a hug.
Yan Ruyi hung the things she was carrying on the handlebars for Yan Minghe, then reached out and took Miaomiao from him, weighing her in her hand. "Has Miaomiao gained weight again?"
Fang Caiyun laughed and said, "I just weighed myself last night, and I've gained almost 2 pounds since last month."
Yan Ruyi pinched her little nose, "Little chubby girl."
Fang Caiyun and Yan Minghai only have this one daughter, and they don't plan to have any more children.
Both of them had decent incomes and were willing to spend money on Miaomiao. They even ordered fresh milk for her, raising her to be fair-skinned and plump, just like a New Year's picture doll, which was especially endearing.
Miaomiao has a sweet tongue; she calls out "Grandma" as soon as she enters the courtyard.
Ye Hongzhen was cooking for Li Yan in the kitchen when she heard Miaomiao calling her. She came out of the kitchen with a big smile on her face, "Miaomiao is here, come here and give Grandma a hug."
Fang Caiyun came to visit Li Yan and brought her gifts: two catties of brown sugar, six catties of eggs, and a can of malted milk powder.
Li Yan's room door wasn't closed properly. Fang Caiyun stood at the door and looked inside, then whispered to Ye Hongzhen, "She's asleep? Let her sleep then, I won't go in."
She didn't want to go in either, so she and Yan Ruyi gave the gift to Yan Mingtao and let him take it inside.
Ye Hongzhen still had to cook, so Yan Ruyi took Miaomiao and carried her out to play. When they reached the gate of the courtyard, Yan Mingtao called out to her and took out some money from his pocket. "You paid a total of 150 yuan yesterday, plus the registration fee that Yiping paid when your second sister-in-law went to the hospital for a check-up last time. It's a total of 150 yuan and 5 mao. I'll give it to you all at once."
In the past, Yan Ruyi would not have accepted the small change, but this time she did not stand on ceremony and took all the money. "You need to take care of your second sister-in-law during this period, so let's put the furniture matter aside for now."
Yan Mingtao laughed and said, "There's only one TV cabinet left to finish. Everything else is done. If you have time, you and Yiping can go and take a look and see if there's anything you don't like."
Yan Ruyi asked in surprise, "It's all done so quickly?"
Yan Mingtao said, "I was afraid of delaying things, so I rushed it. Getting it done early will also allow the paint smell to dissipate. Remember to check on it later."
Yan Ruyi said, "Okay, Yiping is coming over in a bit, I'll go with him. I'll go greet him now."
Yan Mingtao called her again, "Ruyi, I'd like to apply for a leave of absence without pay."
Yan Ruyi was taken aback. "Second brother, didn't you not want to start your own business?"
“I didn’t want to before, but now I want to earn more money. I’ve taken a leave of absence without pay, and they’re still keeping my job. If I really can’t work out there anymore, I can go back.”
Even a hero can be brought down by a penny; Yan Mingtao has never felt this more deeply as he does today.
He asked Li Yan for money, but she refused. In that instant, he had the idea of taking a leave of absence without pay.
Working in a factory means a fixed monthly salary, making it difficult to save any money on the side.
Working independently is tiring, but when it comes to making money, you don't have to worry about your wife's feelings, since she doesn't know exactly how much money you've earned.
However, he hasn't told anyone about this yet; Yan Ruyi is the first.
Of all the people in the family, he felt that his younger sister was the most intelligent, so he told Yan Ruyi first.
"Your second sister-in-law agrees to let you go solo?"
"I haven't told her yet."
"This is such a big matter, Second Brother, you should discuss it with Second Sister-in-law."
With her second sister-in-law's temper, she'd make a huge scene if she found out later.
Yan Mingtao said, "She's in her postpartum period right now, so I won't discuss it with her. I'll talk to her when I've made some money. Anyway, she's in her postpartum period and doesn't go out. Okay, I'll just let you know. Go pick up Yiping."
He reached out to hug Miaomiao, saying, "Miaomiao, come here, let Uncle hug you."
Miaomiao reached out and hugged Yan Ruyi's neck, "Auntie, hug me."
Yan Mingtao: "Uncle, lift me up high."
Miaomiao loves being lifted high in the air, and immediately forgot about her aunt, stretching out her arms to throw herself into her uncle's arms.
Yan Mingtao took it, lifted Miaomiao above his head, and gently tossed her around.
Miaomiao laughed heartily.
Yan Ruyi felt that her second brother was different from before; he seemed to have suddenly become more composed.
Perhaps it's because he's already a father.
Yan Mingtao took Miaomiao away, and Yan Ruyi went to the entrance of the family compound to wait for Song Yiping.
Before long, Song Yiping drove up and stopped beside Yan Ruyi, seeing her standing by the roadside. "Why are you standing here?"
Yan Ruyi opened the car door and got in. "My second brother said that the furniture is basically finished and asked us to go and take a look to see if there's anything we don't like."
Song Yiping turned the steering wheel, and the car headed towards Wutong Road.
"My second sister-in-law gave birth yesterday; it was a girl."
Having never experienced anything like this before, Song Yiping asked Yan Ruyi, "Should I go and visit them?"
Li Yan had just given birth, and Yan Ruyi didn't know if male comrades could visit her.
"I'll ask my mom when I get back. Let's go look at the furniture first."
They hadn't been here for a while. When they entered the yard, they found it spotless, without even a speck of sawdust.
The vegetables are growing very well; even though the two of them aren't here, Sister Hua takes care of them.
On the way here, Yan Ruyi made a special detour to a store to buy two bags of hawthorn candy. After getting off the car, she took the hawthorn candy to Sister Hua's house.
Sister-in-law Hua was picking vegetables in the yard when Yan Ruyi called out, "Sister-in-law Hua."
Aunt Hua straightened up. "Ruyi's here. It's been a long time since you've come."
Yan Ruyi: "Work has been busy lately, where's Qiangqiang?"
Qiangqiang is Hua Sao's grandson. He was playing inside when he heard Yan Ruyi ask him a question, so he ran out of the house.
Yan Ruyi gave him the fruit leather.
Qiangqiang said in his childish voice, "Thank you, sister."
Sister Hua laughed, "In this generation... Ruyi, where did you find a carpenter? He really put his heart into it. He worked from start to finish, sometimes without even having time to drink water. Every time he left, he would clean the yard."
"He is my second brother."
"No wonder, you have to put your heart into making furniture for your own sister."
“My second brother said it’s almost done. Sister Hua, I’m going to go take a look.”
"Fine, go ahead."
Song Yiping had already opened the doors to the main room and the west room.
Once inside, you can still smell a faint odor of paint.
Yan Ruyi had seen her second brother's design drawings. The finished furniture was a proportional reproduction of the design drawings, and the workmanship and style were better than what she saw on the market. Her second brother was really amazing.
She might have a biased view of her own brother; in any case, she felt that her second brother was better than any carpenter outside.
Song Yiping hugged her from behind and kissed her ear. "Now everything is ready, we just need the right opportunity."
Yan Ruyi's ears are extremely sensitive; a single kiss from her can make them blush for half a day.
Song Yiping discovered this secret and would kiss her ear frequently, watching her ear gradually turn red, which made him a little distracted.
Yan Ruyi nudged him, "The door is still open."
Song Yiping: "We've already registered our marriage, so strictly speaking, we're already a couple."
Can't a couple be affectionate in their own home?
He lowered his head and gently bit her fair neck, then bit her ear, and from there he continued downwards...
Yan Ruyi trembled. To prevent things from getting out of control, she pushed Song Yiping away and changed the subject, "My second brother said he wants to take a leave of absence without pay and start his own business."
Song Yiping, "..."
His wife was shy, and since Song Yiping didn't plan to do anything before the wedding, he let Yan Ruyi go.
"My second brother is skilled; he'd do well working alone."
Although he was in the military, he had some understanding of the situation in society.
Especially since he also has Chen Feiyong, a friend who is in business.
After the reform and opening up, social development became more active than ever before, and anyone with a little business sense started doing business.
Chen Feiyong said that there is gold everywhere now, so not only factories, but also government agencies and public institutions are seeing people taking unpaid leave to go into business.
Thinking of Chen Feiyong, he thought of something and said to Yan Ruyi, "Chen Feiyong called me yesterday and said he wanted to renovate the old house. I'll call him later to ask about the situation. If he wants to change the furniture, we can let my second brother take on the job."
Chen Feiyong's old house was his family's ancestral home, with two courtyards. Song Yiping had been there before; it was full of heavy old furniture, which he found very dull.
Chen Feiyong's grandparents used to live there, but after they passed away, the house has been empty for two years. Now, Chen Feiyong has suddenly decided to move in, but he complains that the furnishings are too old and wants to renovate it.
I estimate that all the furniture will be replaced as well.
If my brother-in-law takes on this job, it will keep him busy for a while.
But it can be considered a good start.
The siblings had a good relationship, and helping Yan Mingtao was helping Yan Ruyi, saving her from further trouble because of her second brother's affairs.
Yan Ruyi was indeed very happy. "Then ask Chen Feiyong. I'll tell my second brother when we get home."
Since her second brother was determined to go it alone, she wanted to help him.
Her second brother was a skilled carpenter; he was not intimidated even when making furniture for someone like Chen Feiyong.
Yan Ruyi urged Song Yiping to call Chen Feiyong.
Since there was no phone at home, Song Yiping went to a roadside phone booth and made a call to Chen Feiyong.
Chen Feiyong was in his office when Song Yiping called him. He found it quite unusual and his first words were, "Wait a minute, I'm going to check if the sun has risen in the west."
Song Yiping didn't waste words with him. "Didn't you say yesterday that you wanted to renovate the old house? Are you going to change the furniture in the old house?"
Chen Feiyong: "Change it. You've seen those old furniture before, they're bulky and heavy, and the colors aren't good either. I'm planning to replace them all. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Song Yiping then told Yan Mingtao about his desire to go solo.
It doesn't matter who I do it for, especially since the other party is Song Yiping's brother-in-law.
Chen Feiyong: "I'll be in Beijing these next few days. You can give him my phone number, or he can come over himself and we can talk in person."
"Okay, I'll tell him."
When Song Yiping called Chen Feiyong, he never wasted words. He would finish the business and hang up immediately. Chen Feiyong knew him too well and quickly called out to him before he could hang up, "Old Song, don't hang up yet."
"Is there anything else?"
Chen Feiyong teased, "I just wanted to interview you. How have you been feeling these past few days? Have you been counting down the days?"
Knowing he wasn't up to any serious business, Song Yiping slammed the phone down.
I went back and told Yan Ruyi.
Yan Ruyi said happily, "I'll go back and tell my second brother to go and talk to Chen Feiyong in person."
After returning home, Yan Ruyi gave Chen Feiyong's phone number to Yan Mingtao. "This man is Yiping's old comrade-in-arms. He started doing business right after the reform and opening up and has accumulated a lot of business experience. Second brother, if you really plan to go it alone, you should talk to him more and see how he does business. Learn from his experience."
Yan Mingtao cherished this opportunity. "Okay, I'll ask for leave tomorrow morning and go to his place."
Yan Ruyi wanted to persuade him again, "Second brother, this is such a big matter, I think you should tell your wife, otherwise she will be angry when she finds out."
"I won't tell her for now, because she won't agree anyway."
Seeing that her second brother was adamant, Yan Ru didn't try to persuade him anymore.
Yan Mingtao and Chen Feiyong quickly reached an agreement.
All the furniture in Chen Feiyong's old house was replaced, and Yan Mingtao was in charge of everything from design to furniture making.
Yan Mingtao quickly completed the leave-of-absence procedures. After Yan Ruyi finished making all the furniture, he went to work on Chen Feiyong's side.
He continued to go to and from get off work at the same time as before, and apart from Yan Ruyi, no one in his family knew that he had taken a leave of absence without pay.
The main reason is that during this period, the family has been busy preparing for Yan Ruyi and Song Yiping's wedding and has not had time for anything else.
Yan Ruyi didn't need to do anything; Ye Hongzhen had taken care of everything for her.
The house is now overflowing with wedding supplies and gifts.
Nowadays, wedding gifts are usually just things like washbasins and thermos flasks.
Xia Pengfei was worried about giving too much, and when Yan Ruyi said she hadn't bought a TV yet, he simply brought over a TV set for her, using the money his colleagues had pooled together as gifts and the money his boss had given him.
Yan Minghai and Yan Mingtao each gave 200, and Ye Hongzhen gave 500.
With the money from her aunt, cousins, and other relatives, Yan Ruyi's savings increased by more than 1,000 yuan, making her a veritable little rich woman.
After dinner, Luo Huihui said to her mother, "Mom, I'm going to Ruyi's house."
Mrs. Luo said, "Don't stay at Ruyi's house tonight. She's getting married tomorrow, and her mother will definitely want to have some private words with her. Don't cause trouble there."
"knew."
When Luo Huihui arrived at Yan Ruyi's house, she saw a brand-new sewing machine in the yard.
Ye Hongzhen doesn't know how to operate a sewing machine, and Yan Ruyi inherited this from her mother; she can't operate it either, and she always turns the sewing machine backwards.
Luo Huihui, who knew her good friend well, exclaimed in shock, "This can't be Ruyi's dowry, can it?"
Ye Hongzhen was both amused and exasperated. "Ruyi's uncle just sent it over, saying that people give sewing machines as a wedding gift to their daughters, and Ruyi should have one too."
Whether or not it would be a problem, but it had to be there, so Ye Quanyou gave Yan Ruyi a sewing machine, a Bee brand one at that.
Even the cheapest Bee brand sewing machine costs around 200 yuan.
Ye Quanyou had already given 200 yuan as a dowry and also gifted her a sewing machine. He had really gone to great lengths to make his niece look good.
Li Yan looked at the sewing machine with a bit of envy.
"Let's just keep this sewing machine at home. It's easy to leave it there, but I don't know how to use it. It'll just be a decoration. It's better to keep it at home and learn to make clothes for Congcong so we won't have to buy another one later."
Congcong is the nickname of Li Yan's newborn daughter. Her formal name is Yan Congming, which the whole family says is not nice, but Li Yan likes it herself.
She gave birth to the child with great difficulty, and since she liked it, she let them call the child that.
Ye Hongzhen said, "This is a gift from your eldest uncle, Ruyi. If you want it, ask your uncle for it."
Li Yan was speechless after just one sentence.
Ye Hongzhen turned her head with satisfaction and said to Ruyi, "It's perfect that Huihui is here. Try on the clothes you're going to wear tomorrow, wear the whole set, and let Huihui check if there's anything that doesn't fit."
The new wedding dress I'll be wearing tomorrow was chosen by Luo Huihui and Yan Ruyi together, and Fang Caiyun also went to see it. It was decided based on the opinions of all three of them.
Yan Ruyi put on her new wedding dress, a bright red high-waisted long skirt paired with a fitted red suit jacket.
Wearing red high heels, Yan Ruyi looked in the mirror and felt like she looked like a big red envelope.
Ye Hongzhen complained that her heels were too high, "We have to toast tomorrow, and with heels this high, you might twist your ankle. Didn't you buy a pair of low-heeled ones? Why don't you change to those?"
Yan Ruyi thought these two pairs were prettier. When she wore them, her long skirt reached just to her ankles. If she changed into the low-heeled ones, the long skirt would cover her feet, making her look awkward. She didn't want to change.
Luo Huihui said, "Tomorrow, Sister Meili and I will help her so she doesn't sprain her ankle."
Tomorrow, Luo Huihui and Wu Meili will be bridesmaids and will be with Yan Ruyi the whole time.
Yan Ruyi tried on all the clothes she would wear tomorrow and only changed out of them after making sure they were all okay.
Luo Huihui: "I'll come over tomorrow morning to do your makeup and hair. Get up early."
"You can stay here tonight, otherwise you'll have to get up very early tomorrow."
“My mom won’t let me stay here. She said you’re getting married tomorrow, and your aunt wants to have a private talk with you tonight.”
“What can my mom say to me? She just tells me that I’m an adult now that I’m married, and that I should live a good life from now on, and not spend money like water like before… It’s not like you can’t listen to this kind of talk.”
Luo Huihui was also a little puzzled, but since tomorrow was a special day and she didn't know if there were any rules, she decided to listen to her mother and go home to sleep tonight.
She pulled Yan Ruyi into the inner room and closed the door. "I told you last time that I would give you a gift when you get married. Here it is."
She took out the gift, and when Yan Ruyi took it, she was surprised to find it was a set of bright red lingerie.
Luo Huihui said, "You have to wear red from head to toe for a wedding to be festive. Remember to wear it tomorrow."
This set of lingerie uses even less fabric than the last one I made!
Tomorrow night, will she wear this lingerie to her wedding night with Song Yiping?
Just thinking about it made Yan Ruyi's face burn, and she quickly stuffed her underwear under the blanket.
Luo Huihui clicked her tongue. "You're getting married soon, and you're still so shy. I'm leaving. Go to sleep early, so you'll be more energetic tomorrow."
After Ye Hongzhen had arranged everything inside and out, she remembered that there was one most important thing she hadn't told her daughter.
She was already lying in bed, but then she got out of bed, took out her key to open the closet, and took out a cloth bag from inside.
Yan Guoqiang rolled over in bed and muttered, "What are you doing instead of sleeping?"
Ye Hongzhen said, "Never mind that, I'm going to talk to Ruyi for a bit."
The light in Yan Ruyi's room was off. Ye Hongzhen knocked on the door. "Ruyi, are you asleep?"
Tomorrow is the wedding, how could Yan Ruyi possibly sleep? She turned off the light, just trying to drift off to sleep.
When her mother knocked on the door, she turned the light back on and said, "Mom, I'm not asleep yet."
Ye Hongzhen went inside and closed the door.
Her face flushed slightly. She wanted to say a few words to her daughter, but she couldn't bring herself to say them. So she stuffed the cloth bag in her hand into Yan Ruyi's hands and said, "This is what your grandma gave me. She said it was passed down from your great-grandmother. It's passed down to daughters, not sons. Take a good look at it in a bit. If you don't understand something, figure it out yourself. Mom is going to sleep now."
It was passed down from her great-grandmother, isn't that an antique? I've never heard her mother mention it.
It is passed down to women but not to men.
Most families pass down their traditions to sons, not daughters. They tend to give good things to their sons, not their daughters.
This was the first time she had ever heard of a tradition that was passed down only to daughters.
If her second sister-in-law found out, she would cause a huge uproar.
Yan Ruyi's curiosity was immediately piqued, so she opened the cloth bag. It was wrapped layer by layer and quite tightly.
Upon opening it, I found a book inside, a thread-bound book at that. Just by looking at the pages, I could tell that the book was quite old; the paper was already a bit yellowed, but it was well-preserved and undamaged.
Strangely, there was only a cover, no title, no author, just a picture of a fish swimming in the water.
Looking at the year, it turns out to be from the Yongzheng era.
Yan Ruyi's eyes lit up immediately. It really is an antique! Maybe it's even a unique copy!
How could her mother have kept such a treasure hidden away? She's grown up and her mother has never mentioned it to her.
No wonder her mother waited until everyone was asleep before giving it to her.
The paper used in these ancient books is very delicate. The cultural relics bureau has several copies in its warehouse, which are usually covered with glass cases. They are very precious.
Afraid that her hands might be sweaty, she put down the book, ran out to wash her hands, and dried them completely before placing the book on the table and turning the pages with a reverent expression.
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The author's note: So what is the content of the book?
Guess correctly and get a red envelope!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
