(I believe that most readers who have made it this far have already seen the divorce plot. Some readers have expressed their dislike for this plot in the comments section. Please leave your thoughts in the comments; I'd like to know your opinions, good or bad.)
Fang Lin was the only outsider, but no one treated her like one. Dong Qing said, "Sister Fang Lin, raise your glass."
Fang Lin doesn't drink, but she eventually picked up her glass too.
Dongqing bought high-end Moutai liquor. High-end liquor is not as spicy as other liquors. It tastes very mild and women can also get used to drinking it.
The family drank less than two jin of liquor. After the meal, the eldest and second eldest sisters took their children home, and Dong Sanmei and her husband, along with Fang Lin, also left.
Li Yuzhu cleaned up the dishes and took them to the kitchen to wash, then returned to the living room and sat on the sofa with her two daughters to watch TV.
Li Yuzhu suddenly asked, "Honey, why didn't you buy a single box of fireworks this year? That's not like you at all."
The reason I didn't buy fireworks this year is simple. Dongqing doesn't lack the money to buy fireworks. The main reason is that I'm under too much pressure. I don't know where the working capital for several companies will come from next year. The only person I can talk to is my wife, but she's also the person I can't talk to. I dare not let her know.
Now that things have fait accompli, Dongqing believes his wife won't make a fuss even if she finds out, but he really doesn't want her to worry, so he can't let her know in any way.
Economically, even he himself wouldn't believe he's not worried, as the construction of comprehensive wholesale markets and farmers' markets will be a money-burning period next year.
Now that the porcelain business is gone, where does all this money come from? He seems very rich, but only he knows whether he is rich or not. How many steamed buns he can eat in one meal, others may not know, but he knows himself.
The investment of 5.8 million yuan in buying land in Pengcheng is not a small amount. If we had that money, we could temporarily make ends meet next year. However, the money is currently not being used at all; it's all tied up in that piece of land.
He was worried enough on his own and didn't want his wife to suffer with him, so he didn't buy a single box of fireworks this year, only some firecrackers, mainly because he wasn't in the mood to buy any.
This has absolutely nothing to do with being rich or poor; trying to save a few boxes of money meant for fireworks is utterly useless.
After Dong Qing was reborn, the year before last was his happiest and most relaxed year, and he only set off fireworks the year before last.
Last year, we didn't set off fireworks because my wife was avoiding the one-child policy. Of course, she wasn't home for the Spring Festival last year, so she didn't know whether we set off fireworks or not.
Dong Qing lied, saying, "I had too many things on my mind and was too busy to buy them. The fireworks shops are still open at this time. Otherwise, I would go out and buy a few boxes now, and we can set off the fireworks at midnight."
Li Yuzhu didn't think much of it after hearing this. Her husband was busy every day, which was a fact. Setting off fireworks during the Spring Festival was optional. In this day and age, how many families still set off fireworks? She said, "Don't buy any. I was just asking. Fireworks during the Spring Festival are optional."
"It's Chinese New Year, there should be a lively atmosphere, I'll go out and buy a few cases."
After Dong Qing finished speaking, he stood up and walked out. The family wasn't short of money for fireworks, so Li Yuzhu didn't stop him. She said, "Go out and buy some glutinous rice balls to bring back."
Dong Qing said okay, put on her coat at the door, and went out of the house.
Dongqing walked out onto the street, where there were many stalls and vendors selling glutinous rice balls.
These days, glutinous rice balls are all handmade, and they are big and beautiful.
The glutinous rice balls of the 21st century are incomparable to those of today. The glutinous rice balls back then were so fake, and not only were they ridiculously expensive, but they were also not as genuine as the ones we have today.
He walked up to a glutinous rice ball stall where a man and a woman were buying glutinous rice balls. The streetlights were dim, and Dong Qing only realized what they were when he got closer. It turned out to be Chen Hong and his wife buying glutinous rice balls.
Su Wei was wearing a wool coat, and her large belly wasn't noticeable from behind. He said, "Oh, it's you and your husband."
After hearing this, Chen Hong looked at Dong Qing and said with a smile, "Your sister-in-law and I just came back from my parents' house after dinner. We wanted to buy some glutinous rice balls to take home. Are you buying some too?"
Dongqing said, "I was so busy I forgot to buy fireworks. I came out to buy a few boxes of fireworks and some glutinous rice balls to take back with me. Why don't you two come over to my house for a bit? Let's have a few drinks together, you and I?"
In this city, Dongqing's closest friends are only him and his wife; he feels that only when he is with them can he find endless joy.
Chen Hong laughed and said, "Do you have any alcohol at home? If not, I'll buy a case. We brothers won't leave until we're drunk tonight."
His wife, Su Wei, said, "Honey, can't you speak properly? It's Chinese New Year, can't you at least avoid using the word 'scattered'?"
Chen Hong only realized his slip of the tongue after his wife reminded him, and said with a laugh, "Look at my foul mouth, I can't even say a proper New Year's greeting, please don't mind me, brother."
Dongqing laughed and said, "What's wrong with that? If my sister-in-law hadn't been so talkative, I wouldn't have noticed. We don't need to buy any more wine. How can we have no wine at home during the New Year?"
After hearing this, Su Wei smiled and shook her head without saying anything more.
Dong Qing took out 20 yuan and gave it to the shopkeeper, asking, "He didn't pay, did he? Please divide this 20 yuan into two portions for me."
The shopkeeper said no, and then started busying himself with packing glutinous rice balls into bags. Chen Hong and his wife didn't argue with Dong Qing over such a small matter.
The three of them carried glutinous rice balls into the fireworks shop. Dongqing asked, "Did you buy any fireworks?"
Su Wei laughed and said, "Fireworks are ridiculously expensive, and you can't eat or drink them, so we didn't buy any. We just watched other people set off fireworks."
There was a local saying in the 1980s: "Even if you don't have money to buy a cannon, you can still hear it make a sound." The homonym was "Even if you don't have money to buy a cannon, you can still hear it make a sound."
This is probably just the mentality of people who are poor, as if the person setting off firecrackers is a grandson and the person who hears the noise is the grandson. In reality, it's just a psychological contrast caused by being poor, and they're just trying to gain some advantage verbally.
After hearing this, Dong Qing didn't say anything, but bought ten boxes of fireworks.
Ten boxes of fireworks is a huge pile, and a few people can't carry it all away, so Dongqing asked the boss to take it back to him in a tricycle.
The three of them followed the tricycle home. When they were almost at the machinery factory's residential area, Dongqing said, "Brother Hong, some of the fireworks I bought are from your family. Take Master back and unload a few boxes at your house first, and leave me half, that's enough. My wife and I will go home first and wait for you."
Chen Hong knew Dong Qing's temper; if he said no, Dong Qing would immediately retort. So he said okay, picked up the glutinous rice balls, and went home on the tricycle.
Dong Qing and Su Wei returned home. Li Yuzhu and her three children were watching TV in the living room. When she saw Su Wei and her husband return together, she stood up and said with a smile, "Oh, it's you, sister-in-law! You're a rare guest."
This was actually only the second time Su Wei had visited Dong Qing's new home. Li Yuzhu was absolutely right when she said she was a rare guest. Su Wei smiled and said, "I haven't had much freedom since I started working, and I haven't had a chance to visit anyone. Please forgive me, sister-in-law."
After finishing her sentence, Su Wei walked to the sofa and sat down, giving each of the three children 10 yuan as a New Year's gift. She said, "I didn't bring that much money with me, so the New Year's gift is a bit small."
In this day and age, carrying 30 yuan with you is already quite a lot. Li Yuzhu said, "Yusheng, hurry up and thank the old lady."
Dong Yusheng said, "Thank you, Auntie."
Su Wei raised her hand and stroked Dong Yusheng's head, smiling as she said, "This child is as handsome as his father."
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