Pushing through the crowded people, Xia Yu squeezed her way back into the still unfinished house from the courtyard.
Strictly speaking, his new house should be two and a half stories above ground, plus a basement.
There's no need to dig deep bunkers under houses in China, and the groundwater level in Jiangsu Province is too high, so it's quite troublesome to do waterproofing.
Another issue is that burglar bars are ugly. A surveillance system with infrared security and a biometric intelligent alarm would be sufficient.
Aside from some jewelry I gave to my mother, the only valuable items in the house are the interior and exterior furnishings, furniture, and appliances. As for cash, it seems that cash is gradually becoming less common in China.
This is very different from other countries, especially since Afica only uses cash and rarely uses credit cards.
Xia Yu actually liked this change, because the new banknotes had a strong smell of ink, while the old banknotes were teeming with viruses and bacteria. Among physical wealth, gold was relatively clean and easy to convert into cash.
He could simply send money home and that would be the end of it. The amount of gold he brought back was actually quite small, just a few hundred grams, which he had a goldsmith shape into steamed buns and rice cakes.
Each weighs 50 grams, and Xia Yu gave one to each of his relatives, as a New Year's gift to him, since he doesn't come back often.
The two extra ones were used as lucky charms, wrapped in steamed buns and rice cakes respectively, steamed, and then mixed into two baskets and carried up to the roof.
This is part of the roof-raising ceremony; the master of ceremonies calling out to him means the ceremony is about to begin.
The elevator in the elevator shaft hadn't been installed yet, so Xia Yu climbed up to the attic in a few quick steps and came to Liv's side.
It's funny, a Chinese man married a German woman, but their new house was built in the French style, except the elevator was a Krupp and the Chinese-style kitchen on the first floor had a traditional earthen stove and a bath pot.
This pot was passed down through generations in my maternal grandfather's family. A couple of years ago, when their area was being demolished, Xia Yu specifically asked his mother to keep it so that it could be used when building a new house.
When I was a child, in the summer we would cover the large earthenware jar with plastic film and heat up the well water to take a bath. In the winter, we relied entirely on this large pot.
The firewood heated a large pot of water, and you could take a refreshing bath by stepping on a wooden plank. However, the person tending the fire had to control the heat carefully and never let the water boil.
His grandfather's pot was of poor quality and was damaged in battle before his grandson could build a new house. Fortunately, there was still his maternal grandfather's pot.
The two uncles moved into their assigned apartments and got showers and bathtubs, happily getting rid of those things. Xia Yu, however, was a nostalgic person.
He had initially thought of setting up a large pot like this in Bogo Village, where Zhuzi could provide firewood. However, with the company's business becoming increasingly busy and him spending half the year on deployments outside, an electric water heater and shower were more practical.
We definitely need to have this at home, so that when the child is born, they won't even know about this family heirloom.
Liv was deeply shocked by this.
The most outrageous thing she'd ever seen was a baby being bathed in the kitchen sink, but this was a pot on a fire, and the baby was taking a bath inside it. Except for not chopping onions and carrots, wasn't this just a scene from "Tom and Jerry"?
As we all know, "Tom and Jerry" is a documentary with a very realistic plot.
And no matter what, this is their new home in China.
You don't need too many houses, but you must have at least one. With this house, you form the roots of your hometown sentiment, not to mention that this is the homestead passed down from generation to generation by the Xia family.
Because there is no family genealogy, the ancestors before the great-grandfather are no longer traceable, but this place is passed down by word of mouth as their home.
Here, we escaped the chaos of the late Ming Dynasty, the massacres of the early Qing Dynasty, the fall of the city during the Taiping Rebellion (because it was outside the city), and the ravages of the Japanese invaders, until today's peaceful and stable world.
Therefore, Xia Yu cannot immigrate, but because of Liv, she can get a Schengen visa.
In the past, he would go to Europe through special channels, since visas and such would be very troublesome. But now that he is gradually stepping into the limelight, he can't continue to use a fake identity!
At the national level, much of his information is transparent. Fortunately, Xia Yu has also passed through the developmental stage and completed the initial accumulation.
Now it's time to take it a step further and make the company bigger and stronger.
"Raising the roof beam"
At the master of ceremonies' shout, the workers put the already erected central beam back into place, while Old Xia lit two strings of 100,000-shot firecrackers hanging on the beam downstairs.
"Crackling crackling"
Amidst the crackling of firecrackers, Xia Yu and Li Fu simultaneously threw steamed buns and rice cakes down at the crowd below.
A steamed bun paired with a piece of cake symbolizes the common saying, "A woman follows her husband wherever he goes, whether he's a chicken or a dog." When placed in the roof-raising ceremony, it takes on a special meaning.
Meanwhile, the villagers and relatives who knew there were big prizes hidden in the rice cakes and steamed buns were all scrambling to be the two lucky winners.
Even though the price of gold is only around 200 yuan per gram right now, 50 grams would cost over 10,000 yuan. Who wouldn't be tempted?
After throwing out two baskets of steamed buns and rice cakes, and before the firecrackers were even finished, Liv was preparing a German one after the simplified Chinese roof-raising ceremony was over.
When it comes to house construction, many countries have rituals for making wishes, and Germany is no exception. They will invite the craftsmen to drink wine that breaks cups and place a decorated small tree on the roof beam.
A small Christmas tree was just an idea, so the two of them simply used a potted plant they bought from the flower and bird market instead.
"This feels even more exciting than being on the battlefield."
The firecrackers were finally over. Smelling the gunpowder in the air, Liv said with emotion.
"This is nothing. In another week, you'll know what a 'real battlefield' is like."
Xia Yu said that Liv was making a fuss over nothing, and that she would get used to it after spending a few more Chinese New Years in China.
They went downstairs, where two lucky individuals had just been born. They were from the same brigade but from two different villages, and the villagers who knew them all urged them to treat them to a meal.
It's like gold falling from the sky; getting over ten thousand for free is something to spend. The two said they would buy groceries as soon as they got back and cook a feast tomorrow. They also said a lot of auspicious words to Xia Yu and Liv, who had just come down.
Of course, Liv wouldn't understand things like "have a son soon," so she could only smile politely.
After the ceremony, it was lunchtime, and the crowd gradually dispersed. Relatives helped sweep up the firecracker debris scattered on the ground and set up three tables in the courtyard.
The parents' relatives each sat at one table, and the workers who hadn't yet left sat at another table, preparing for the roof-raising feast.
The opportunity to eat at one's own home is not often. First came the cold dishes. Old Xia borrowed a neighbor's yard to help the chef prepare the hot dishes. Soon the first hot dish was served.
Xia Yu really wanted to eat, but his relatives wouldn't let him off the hook as the big boss, and they all came over to toast him.
Then he had no choice but to use a cheat code like Duan Yu, directly separating the ethanol and water.
"Xiaoyu, your cousin is graduating next year. How about we have him go to Afica to help you out?"
Seeing that Xia Yu had drunk several cups, his uncle-in-law seized the opportunity to speak.
This situation was within Xia Yu's expectations. Blood ties and marriage ties are an important part of the social relationships of the Chinese people, and have always been the most reliable and trustworthy relationships.
It's just that this is not his major. Going to Afica to work as his assistant is like going to the battlefield, or like Dong Ge next door, who arranged for more than 20 relatives to work as security guards in the company.
This is just paying someone a salary; they have no chance of getting involved in core business.
If Xia Yu were to arrange for relatives to stay, it would only be at a museum or by adding a place to a project in collaboration with Lao Anka.
"Sure, you need to learn a language. Just knowing English isn't enough; you also need to be fluent in French."
This is the bare minimum requirement. If you can't even get past the language barrier, you won't be able to do many simple jobs, and life will be very difficult.
Others are not always in the fruit, and domestic engineering teams with dozens or even hundreds of people will only have translators. In recent years, Xia Yu has only had two projects that have made extensive use of Chinese laborers.
One is a group of employees recently recruited by Jihuo Defense, who are also working overtime to learn the language; the other is the uranium mining project that he plans to launch after returning.
All the technical personnel were recruited domestically and signed confidentiality agreements, prohibiting them from disclosing anything about the mine.
Xia Yu provided them with a translator. If his cousin were willing to go to the mine, he would definitely be worth $5,000 a month, while staying in Kongluga would only earn him $3,500 or $4,000 at most.
"Mom, I don't want to go to Afica."
The young man, engrossed in his meal, spoke to Xia Yu's aunt.
De'er, the person in question doesn't want to go at all.
Not everyone is willing to go abroad, let alone Afica. If Xia Yu hadn't been so heavily in debt, he wouldn't have wanted to go either, even if he could actually make money there.
It's hard to find a job that pays 10,000 to 20,000 locally, but as long as you have a proper diploma, jobs that pay 5,000 to 6,000 are everywhere.
Not to mention that if you're away from home for years, it's hard to find a wife, and even if you do, she might run away.
My aunt considered this aspect more than money.
"If you don't want to go, then don't go, Xiaoyu. Your uncle is drunk, just ignore him."
After giving her husband a nudge, the aunt smiled and greeted Xia Yu.
She envied her nephew's success, but she couldn't bear to let her own son go to Afica, so this was the only way.
Other relatives shared similar thoughts; rather than asking Xia Yu to arrange a job for Afica, they preferred to borrow money from him to buy a house.
As for whether or not the borrowed money will be repaid, that mainly depends on the person's character.
Anyway, they can't borrow from Xia Yu. The money he gave to Lao Xia and Lin Shuqin is enough. If someone lends it to them, they'll discuss it and give it to them. They don't have any more than that.
And so, amidst the joyous atmosphere of the Xia family and the various thoughts of their relatives and friends, the banquet was over, and the workers continued construction until New Year's Eve.
Local workers were able to stay until the end, while the group from Nanjing came from all over the country and bought tickets to go home two days in advance.
These veteran sergeants have annual leave, but they can't always make it to the Chinese New Year to go home. Now that they've left the military, they can finally stay home for seven days.
Even after the allotted time has passed, they won't leave immediately; they'll return to study until the day they officially set off.
As for the matter of going abroad to work, apart from Lao Wu, no one else had told their family.
Signing a confidentiality agreement was one reason, and another was that work went smoothly. I could put my clothes back on after taking them off, and my original life trajectory remained unchanged.
Even if I were to say it, it would only cause my family unnecessary worry, so it's better not to say anything at all.
Offering sacrifices to ancestors at noon and making wontons in the evening—this is the Xia family's Lunar New Year's Eve.
Compared to the past when it was just the couple, this year the number has increased to four, and there is a trend of further increases in the future. This is what makes life more and more prosperous.
Xia Yu, who had no talent for cooking, was kicked out of the kitchen by Lin Shuqin and Liv.
Not having to work is actually quite nice, but then he suddenly received a phone call.
"Boss, we've run into a problem here."
Kuhn's voice came through the receiver.
What problem?
Xia Yu asked calmly.
If there's a problem, then solve it. He, the weasel, can't solve all problems, but there aren't many that can stump him.
"Let 01 tell you about this!"
Kuhn found it difficult to put into words, so he suggested that the person involved describe it.
"Boss, here's the situation. Thanks to your generosity, we've bought houses and cars back in our hometown. We've also accumulated a lot of income recently, but we don't have a good place to put it. So we're discussing starting a small business together."
Sergei recounted the story over the phone.
The "small business" he mentioned was actually an investment project, since they didn't have the time or ability to open a small shop or develop any side businesses.
The most feasible option is to invest money and wait for returns. The specific operation will be handled by 03 and 04, and the others will just need to pay up once the meeting is approved.
Tragically, they fell victim to a telecommunications fraud scheme.
“They tricked us into thinking it was an investment in cryptocurrency. We saw that the industry was booming, so we thought we would invest some spare money. But they ran off with our principal.”
“We were alright, we only invested 100,000 or 200,000. But 03 and 04 were in charge of contacting the other party, and they were more brainwashed. 03 invested 350,000 US dollars, and 04, who wasn’t married, invested 400,000.”
Sergei told the whole story.
Xia Yu was a little confused. His employee had been scammed by a trendy cryptocurrency.
The little bit of Bitcoin in his wallet was only used to pay for things on the black market for arms, not for investment or profit.
Sergei and his group were incredibly audacious. They took so much money (compared to their net worth, Xia Yu's cryptocurrency holdings worth millions of dollars were just a drop in the ocean, and his employees were worth six figures) to play with cryptocurrency, and were even tricked into letting others "trade on their behalf."
If they don't scam them out of their money, who else would scammers scam from?
However, this incident also reminded Xia Yu that while a full-time employee of the company might be a formidable fighter in battle, they could also be easily deceived in everyday life.
Not to mention that they are all relatively wealthy, and without means to increase their assets, the probability of them falling into a carefully crafted trap by fraudsters is extremely high.
As a responsible boss, he needs to provide his employees with reliable investment channels.
Let's not talk about how much we'll earn, but at least we need to beat inflation and make a small profit. Only in this way can we stabilize morale and ensure the company's normal operation.
"How are 03 and 04 doing?"
Xia Yu inquired.
As one of the original combat employees, he had the strongest emotional connection with the members of Team Number 1, which is why they were so honest with him.
Those who are more cunning will keep quiet even if it affects their mindset.
When faced with an important deployment, it is quite fatal if some members cannot fully devote themselves to the operation. Fortunately, they contacted me immediately.
"I'm a bit taken aback. I just talked to the mole and we're going to suspend our patrol schedule for Group 1."
Some people want to see a shooting game, but how do you shoot a game on the hometown map? After thinking about it, I realized there's a curved way, which is also perfect for the protagonist's current situation.
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