Fu Bao and Duo Duo laughed heartily, while Grandma Yan sat on a chair by the door, smoking her pipe. The warm sun shone on her, and wisps of white smoke slowly drifted upwards.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Yan Xiaoqiang put up auspicious couplets at the entrance of the courtyard house early this morning and also got some big red lanterns to hang up.
Yan Aidang somehow acquired over a dozen boxes of small colored lights and arranged them around the framework of the courtyard house, flashing and adding to the festive atmosphere.
Not only Nan Nan's courtyard house, but also Bei Nan's, Ye Chen'er's, A Long's, and A Tie's courtyard houses were decorated with colorful lights. Bei Nan and A Tie went back to take a look, but they both returned to Nan Nan's courtyard house without prior arrangement.
Yan Xiaonan took out a mink coat, which she had asked Ye Huixian to bring from Shanghai. It had been kept in her room until today, Lunar New Year's Eve.
"Grandma, I heard that landlords used to wear gold and silver, silk in the summer and mink in the winter. Why don't you try it and see how those landlords displayed their wealth?"
Grandma Yan looked at the mink coat in Yan Xiaonan's hand. Although the old lady had never seen real good leather before, good things are good things, and even someone who doesn't know much about leather can tell a thing or two.
The black mink fur shimmered in the sunlight, its fur thick and fine, and it felt incredibly soft and smooth to the touch. Grandma Yan couldn't resist blowing on the garment, and the mink fur instantly bounced back.
"Nan Nan, this dress is nice, but Grandma, will someone kidnap me if I wear it?"
Yan Xiaonan shook her head with a smile: "Grandma, no, it won't happen again. Even if you take a gold brick and stroll down the street, no one will come to arrest you."
"That's great! Come on, let your grandma experience the landlord's style."
Yan Xiaonan changed her grandmother into woolen trousers, shiny suede flat boots, and then put her hair into a bun and draped a black mink coat over her shoulders.
Grandma Yan, dressed in a mink coat, was indeed extraordinary. Her demeanor had improved dramatically. The seventy-year-old looked no more than fifty, and her satisfied expression warmed Yan Xiaonan's heart.
Ye Chenming came in from outside carrying large and small bags. Upon seeing this scene, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Nannan, no wonder you're so beautiful. It's all thanks to your grandmother's genes!"
One sentence not only pleased Yan Xiaonan, but also made Grandma Yan so happy that her mouth almost stretched to the back of her ears.
"Chenming's here. Why did you bring so much stuff? Do you have too much money? Don't waste things like this in the future, you know?" Grandma Yan greeted her future grandson-in-law warmly.
Six-pound and five-and-a-half-pound ran up together: "Uncle Chenming, a New Year's gift."
Ye Chenming smiled and took out a doll from a small bag and handed it to Fu Bao, and a tin car toy to Duo Duo. The two children were so happy that they grabbed the toys and ran to Yan Xiaonan's side.
"Auntie, Auntie, baby, car."
Yan Xiaonan patted their heads and asked, "Did you thank Uncle Chenming?"
The two looked at Ye Chenming and said thank you loudly together.
Just as Liu Jin and Wu Jinban were getting anxious, Ye Chenming took out a large box. When he opened the box, there was a complete set of small carpentry tools inside, including a plane, saw, hammer, chisel, and so on.
Wu Jinban's eyes lit up, and he bowed deeply to Ye Chenming, saying, "Thank you, Uncle Chenming. This is the best gift I've ever received."
Liu Jin was pacing anxiously, but Yan Xiaonan grabbed him and whispered in his ear, "Don't you know that the latest gift is the most valuable?"
Liu Jin's heart skipped a beat and he froze instantly. He glanced gratefully at Yan Xiaonan. Ye Chenming chuckled inwardly, thinking that Nan Nan was the only one who could come up with a solution.
A box, which was of unknown origin as pigskin or cowhide, was brought out. Liu Jin's heart pounded. Could it be... could it be the violin he wanted?
"This is for you. I hope to see you playing it on stage in the near future." Ye Chenming handed over the violin.
Liu Jin suddenly withdrew his outstretched hand, but looked at Yan Xiaonan with his eyes: "Auntie, this is too precious, I dare not accept it."
Yan Xiaonan nodded in agreement: "Liu Jin is such a good boy. He shouldn't accept gifts from others casually, but this gift is from Uncle Chenming, so Auntie has decided that you can accept Uncle Chenming's gift."
Liu Jin cheered, took the violin and bowed: "Thank you, Uncle Chenming, thank you, Aunt. I wish you and my aunt a speedy marriage and that you will soon become my uncle."
Yan Xiaonan felt like she had fallen for this drama queen's trick, but Ye Chenming nodded happily and promised that in the near future you would call me uncle.
Ye Chenming took out another red envelope from his inner pocket and handed it to Grandma Yan with both hands: "Grandma, this is not a filial offering, nor is it a New Year's red envelope. It is a New Year's gift for Grandma. With this New Year's gift, Grandma will definitely live to be a hundred years old."
Grandma Yan laughed. "This guy, he won't live to be a hundred if he doesn't accept it, right? Fine, he'll accept it then." She opened the red envelope and saw a full thousand yuan. Startled, she quickly handed the envelope to Nan Nan.
"Sweetie, ten or twenty yuan is enough, what are we going to do with so much?"
Yan Xiaonan stuffed the money into the pocket of her grandmother's jacket: "Grandma, hide it well, okay? This is the starting price for turning one hundred. If you give me two thousand next year, I'll be two hundred years old."
"Oh, two hundred years old! Great-Grandma is going to live to be two hundred years old!" Liu Jin cheered with Wu Jinban, and Xiao Lu ran up to join in the fun.
Grandma Yan quietly wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Everyone says that enjoying happiness in old age is true happiness, and the ancients were so right.
"Nan Nan, come on, let's go to the living room. I have a gift for you too!" Ye Chenming pulled Yan Xiaonan and ran towards the side room. Grandma Yan smiled and shook her head, stopping the little tagalongs and telling them to play in the yard and come into the north room when they got cold.
Yan Xiaonan was pressed down on the sofa by Ye Chenming, looking at him strangely. Why was he so serious? Ye Chenming took out a small box from his pocket, opened it, and there was a key inside.
"Nan Nan, my grandfather has entrusted me with the last of our family's wealth, hoping that you and I can make good use of these funds to restore the Ye family's honor. Are you willing to work hard with me?"
Seeing Ye Chenming's face flushed with nervousness, Yan Xiaonan nodded resolutely. She knew what the future held, but without a strong backing, no matter how powerful her superpowers were, she would just be cannon fodder.
Seeing Yan Xiaonan nod, Ye Chenming quickly placed the box in her hand, but Yan Xiaonan refused: "Chenming, don't give me this money. After the New Year, let's prepare to invest in the club with Beinan. This club will definitely be a money-devouring beast in the early stages, so you have to be prepared for that."
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