Shu Yan had no idea what the mother and son were thinking. If she did, she would only laugh at their foolishness. Knowing their character, how could she possibly offer herself up to them? Would she be crazy?
As the year draws to a close, both Lao Zhang's factory and Hu Ruixue's company will be closing for the holidays and going home for the New Year.
Shu Yan doesn't usually manage many things, but she always makes a trip to the factory at the end of the year. She went to Lao Zhang's place first, held a meeting in the morning, and then distributed everyone's wages and New Year's gifts. Two bottles of oil, a bag of rice, and a box of biscuits—a very generous amount when many factories can't even pay wages these days.
"Why do I get a share too?" Old Zhang gave her two portions, leaving Shu Yan both amused and exasperated. "I don't need any."
"It's nothing special, just for good luck. Well then, Ms. Shu, see you next year." Old Zhang insisted on stuffing it into the trunk and drove it directly to Shu Yan's house.
"See you next year. I'd like to wish Brother Zhang and his wife a Happy New Year in advance. I hope you have good health and a prosperous business in the new year." Shu Yan no longer refused.
They made a lot of money this year, each receiving 1.15 million yuan. Shu Yan invested 150,000 yuan, holding a 20% stake in the new factory. The remaining 1 million yuan has already been deposited into Shu Yan's account.
"May everything go well for you, President Shu, next year." Old Zhang said with a smile as he saw Shu Yan off.
When I arrived at the company, Hu Ruixue had already finished her meeting. Today, in addition to our salaries, we also received year-end bonuses. Many people were quietly discussing the bonuses, all beaming with joy.
"When did Mr. Hu say the holiday would start?"
"We're having a get-together at the hotel this afternoon, and then we'll have the holiday. We'll start work on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year next year," Hu Ruixue's assistant replied.
Shu Yan nodded and entered the office to find Hu Ruixue still discussing the afternoon's program schedule with the HR manager.
"There are still programs?" The company is especially busy at the end of the year, and Shu Yan didn't expect there would be time to arrange programs.
"You've come at the perfect time. You'll have to say a few words on stage later." Upon seeing Shu Yan, Hu Ruixue immediately instructed the HR manager to arrange a few minutes for Shu Yan.
"What would I say if I went up there? Didn't you already have a meeting this morning? I won't say anything." Shu Yan's entire demeanor conveyed rejection.
"You're another boss in the company, you should at least show your face at the year-end party." Hu Ruixue wasn't about to let her off easily, she insisted on making her go up and say something.
Finally, Hu Ruixue pushed her up to say a few words, mainly about what achievements she had made this year, what she hoped to achieve next year, and thanked everyone for their hard work. She then wished everyone a happy new year in advance.
"Isn't that what you said? You seem even more like it than I do." Hu Ruixue looked at Shu Yan with feigned surprise.
Shu Yan rolled her eyes at her and continued eating with her head down.
After finishing the company dinner, Shu Yan rushed to her small shop without stopping.
The store has been having a promotion these past few days, and business has been booming, with daily sales reaching tens of thousands of yuan. Yesterday and today were noticeably different, mainly because most people had already sold out. Shu Yan didn't care about the business these past few days, so she simply told Zhang Huaxiu and the other person to pack up and close the store at 5 pm today, and resume business on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year next year.
"You've both worked hard this year. Go home after you finish cleaning. You'll start work on the eighth day of the first lunar month next year, so don't be late." While the two of them were cleaning, Shu Yan calculated their wages.
Zhang Huaxiu and Yingying have always been very hardworking and diligent. Although she has rarely come over in the past month or so, neither of them has slacked off and they have remained dedicated to their duties. Therefore, Shuyan gave each of them a large red envelope containing 500 yuan.
I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year in advance and all the best.
"Thank you, boss lady. I also wish you a Happy New Year in advance. I hope you are healthy and your business is booming." Yingying took her wages and red envelope and excitedly wished Shuyan a Happy New Year.
In addition to the red envelopes, there were also their salaries. Shu Yan wrote out the pay slips and put them in an envelope for them. In addition, there was the year-end bonus. Zhang Huaxiu performed very well, so Shu Yan gave her a thousand yuan directly, and Yingying received five hundred yuan.
After tidying up, Zhang Huaxiu turned off the main power switch, closed the iron gate, and posted a notice written in red paper on the gate, officially announcing the start of the holiday.
"Auntie, when does your daughter get her winter break?" Auntie's daughter is 18 and gets her winter break, but Auntie just found a job and can't leave right away, so her daughter simply found a winter break job and stayed in Nancheng to keep her mother company.
“We get a holiday on the 28th. So…” Auntie rubbed her hands together, “I think I’ll go back home for the New Year on the 28th. But I’ve already made all the New Year’s goods, including sweet cakes, rice cakes, steamed buns and dumplings. I’ve made quite a lot. Tomorrow I’ll make some dumplings and freeze them in the refrigerator, so you won’t have to make any for the New Year.”
"Okay, I understand." Auntie has only been working for 10 days and hasn't received any salary yet, but Shuyan has prepared a red envelope for her with 50 yuan inside. She also gave Auntie a portion of the oil and biscuits she got from Lao Zhang. "I'll be starting work on the eighth day of the new year, and the children will be going back to school around the same time, so I hope you can come back earlier."
"I'll be back on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year," my aunt quickly said.
My aunt is really diligent. Before she left, she not only cleaned the whole place inside and out, but also made a lot of snacks for the New Year. She made so many dumplings with different fillings that they couldn't fit in the refrigerator, and there were still quite a few outside.
"Mom, they've all gone home for the New Year. Should we go home for the New Year too?" Tianbao suddenly asked.
"Going back for the New Year? Where are you going?" Shu Yan was taken aback, thinking that Tianbao didn't remember.
“Go back…” Tianbao glanced at Shuyan cautiously. Children are actually very sensitive. Anyway, he knew that if he mentioned his grandparents and father, his mother might be unhappy.
"This is our home, we'll celebrate the New Year here. Let's watch TV first, Mom will cook some dishes from our hometown for lunch." Shu Yan didn't say much more to him.
After lunch, the three of them went for a nap. When they woke up, it was almost 3 p.m. Shuyan sat on the bed in a daze, suddenly not knowing what to do.
On the 29th, Shu Yan led the children in putting up couplets and began preparing for today's New Year's Eve dinner. From time to time, phone calls came in to wish them a Happy New Year. These were from Lao Zhang and Hu Ruixue. In addition, Fang Zeyu also called.
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year to you too!" Shu Yan was surprised that he would call.
"You... are spending the Lunar New Year in the southern part of the city with the children this year?"
“Yes. Didn’t I say last time that I don’t have a good relationship with my family, so I won’t be going back? What about you? Are you spending the New Year with that grandma?” Shu Yan asked in turn.
"Um."
Shu Yan suddenly remembered the dumplings she couldn't finish in the refrigerator, so she said, "Do you eat dumplings for Chinese New Year? My housekeeper made a lot of dumplings before she left. The three of us, including my child, couldn't finish them all. Here, have some."
Fang Zeyu was taken aback, opened his mouth, but suddenly didn't want to refuse. "Grandma is getting old, and I don't know how to cook. I was just worried about how to make dumplings for the New Year. Thank you."
Mao Weiping, who was standing nearby, immediately sensed something was amiss and, like a piece of chewing gum, followed him into the car and drove to the outside of Shuyan Community.
Seeing Fang Zeyu get out of a car, Shu Yan glanced at him but didn't ask any questions. "I don't know what kind of fillings you and Grandma like, so I took a little of everything. The red bag has chives and pork, the white bag has tofu and pork, and this tied bag has all sorts of fillings—beef, lamb, and seafood—a mix of different kinds. Auntie's cooking is really good." After Shu Yan finished introducing the fillings, she noticed Fang Zeyu staring at her and paused for a moment. "Um, Auntie made too many. The three of us can't finish them all, and they won't taste good if they're left out. If you like them, I'll get you some more." With that, she shoved the fillings into his hands and turned to leave.
Someone was peering through the car window, watching them intently. Seeing Shu Yan leave, they opened the car door and pulled Fang Zeyu inside, asking, "Was it her? Was it her?"
Fang Zeyu pushed his head to the side, "What do you mean, is it her? Don't talk nonsense, she's a mother of two."
"Damn it! Fangzi, I didn't expect you to have such a heavy taste, actually liking married men. You know that's wrong, right?" Mao Weiping glared at Fang Zeyu. Although he believed that his brother would not do such a tasteless thing, who can say for sure about matters of the heart?
"She's divorced."
Mao Weiping swallowed back the words he was about to say, "Can't you take a deep breath when you talk? I thought you were seducing a married woman. It's good that you're divorced, now you have a chance, right? Hurry up and pursue her, you're already thirty-five, not young anymore." Mao Weiping suddenly remembered something and asked hesitantly, "You said she has two children, has she had a tubal ligation? It's better to have one child of your own."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Fang Zeyu glanced at him. "We're nothing, just ordinary friends."
Ordinary friend? Only a fool would believe you, Mao Weiping thought to himself.
"Don't talk nonsense when you get back, it won't have a good impact on her." Fang Zeyu looked at the dumplings in his hand and told him to drive him home first.
Fang Zeyu had been through a lot and had even died several times. He didn't think that Shu Yan was divorced. On the contrary, he was deeply moved by this strong, confident, and kind single mother.
Of course, it was also because of Shu Yan's heartwarming actions that he felt really touched. At thirty-five, apart from his grandparents, this was the first time he had felt warmth from a woman, and it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved.
However, he has been to prison and has a bad reputation in this area. If he were to get together with Shu Yan, it might implicate her.
“Fangzi, if you really like her, go for it. Don’t miss out and regret it later. Besides, how do you know she’s not interested in you? Otherwise, why would a divorced woman think of bringing you dumplings? Why doesn’t she bring me dumplings?” Mao Weiping was really worried for Fang Zeyu. “You’ve always been alone. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a woman who cares about you?”
"Don't say anything more, I know what I'm doing."
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