Chapter 26 The First New Year

Chapter 26 The First New Year

"..."

Ye Changning suddenly fell silent.

Then Ye Xiaoxiao also fell silent.

She had been too quick to relax.

"Third brother, your friends haven't spilled the beans on how you're gonna strike it rich, have they?"

"Anyway, big cities have more money-making opportunities than here..." Ye Changning was too embarrassed to admit he was leaving his hometown based on a vague tip.

"Third brother, I have an idea."

Ye Xiaoxiao stared at Ye Changning, her eyes shining.

Ye Changning wolfed down the rest of his meal, "Go on."

"If you don't have a plan, heading to the coast will just leave you clueless. Right now, the hot businesses are clothes—snag 'em cheap from coastal factories and flip 'em for a tidy profit. Another option is appliances, but they're pricey, and you gotta factor in shipping costs. They're city-only goods—smaller market, but big bucks if you find the right suppliers."

Ye Xiaoxiao propped her chin on her hand; the book didn't spill the beans on how Ye Changning first cashed in, so she could only remind him of some details.

After hearing this, Ye Changning had a lightbulb moment.

"Actually, I was thinking of hauling some clothes back from the coast to sell, but definitely not in our village—we'd have to hit up the county town at least."

Ye Xiaoxiao asked again, "Third brother, you got any cash to start with?"

Ye Changning: "Gangzi's got a buddy in the county who can front us some cash—we'll just write up an IOU."

Ye Xiaoxiao thought, this mystery friend wasn't the one who'd later stab him in the back.

But this sounds shady.

What's the angle here, offering up cash like that?

Does Ye Changning roll with any loaded friends?

She played dumb and asked, "Third brother, what kind of friend is that? Was it all set up before, and does it still hold? What if they need the dough bad and it screws you over?"

Ye Changning rubbed his head, "We're broke—even if we wanted to put up our own cash, we'd need the means. My cash is just enough for travel, and Gangzi's even worse off than us."

Ye Xiaoxiao murmured, "I can front you some cash, third brother."

Ye Changning's eyes lit up.

"Not a ton, just a grand. If you hit it big, just toss me some interest. This way, you're not leaning too hard on friends, you've got your own dough, and you're free to chase whatever hustle you want."

Ye Changning eyed her, "Where'd you score that kind of cash? It's not from your old folks, is it? I wouldn't touch it if it was."

Ye Xiaoxiao said, "It's on loan from a friend—I'll pay it back later."

Ye Changning felt a surge of emotion, never expecting that he would find a solution to the problem that had been troubling him.

Actually, who doesn't want to do business and make a fortune?

But they are all limited by narrow perspectives and the reality of poverty.

"What are you two muttering about? Don't get into any trouble; the New Year is almost here," Zhang Xue came over to collect the dishes and reminded her siblings.

Ye Changning clammed up.

He didn't want to tell his family, as his parents would definitely not agree.

Ye Xiaoxiao handed the money order for the one thousand yuan from Duan Lei to Ye Changning.

"Third brother, don't disappoint me."

"Don't worry, I'll definitely pay you back many times over."

Ye Changsheng put away the money order and decided to go find Gangzi the next day to tell his friend that he no longer needed to borrow money.

He had the funds to start his own business!

...

Time flew by, and before they knew it, it was New Year's Eve.

Ye Xiaoxiao had thought Lu Hanchuan would be spending the New Year here, but out of the blue, a helicopter came to pick them up, landing right in the village, allowing the soldiers who had been stranded here for days to finally leave.

Many children in the village eagerly went to see the helicopter.

These children from the mountain village had never seen anything flying in the sky before.

Lu Hanchuan had come on a mission and didn't have much money with him.

But before leaving, he told Zhang Rengui that the lodging fees would be sent over as soon as possible.

Zhang Rengui didn't mind, as staying in the village for a few days didn't involve much expense for food.

Asking for payment would have been awkward.

While helping move the injured soldier, Lu Hanchuan seized the moment to tell Ye Xiaoxiao, "If you change your mind before the college entrance exam, don't hesitate to contact me."

Ye Xiaoxiao smiled, "Thank you."

The helicopter flew off, and the small mountain village returned to its peaceful state.

But soon, every household was buzzing with activity.

The Ye family had been quite busy these past few days, with people coming every day to ask Miao Fengshan to help write New Year couplets.

It wasn't until New Year's Eve that things finally calmed down a bit.

The New Year's Eve dinner was to be shared with the grandparents at the eldest uncle's house in the front yard.

Ye Xiaoxiao met Ye Changyuan's big brother—Ye Changjun.

Ye Jianye had four kids, two girls and two boys. The two daughters were already married off, and now the family was just waiting for Ye Changjun to tie the knot.

It was pretty tough for the guys in Baichuan Village to find wives.

Because people from other villages were unwilling to marry into this area.

Ye Changyuan secretly told Ye Xiaoxiao, "My dad has already set up a match for my eldest brother in town, but her family is asking for a hundred yuan as a dowry and three big-ticket items. How are we supposed to afford that?"

Ye Changsheng inquired, "Does Brother Jun like her?"

Ye Changyuan scratched his head, "My big bro's a real quiet type. Even if you ask him, he won't say anything."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Then Brother Jun must not be that into her. If he were, he'd say so without being asked."

Ye Changyuan: "What do you know, you little squirt? Forget it... let's go set off some firecrackers and not think about these annoying things."

So Ye Xiaoxiao went to play firecrackers with Ye Changyuan and the others.

After playing outside for a while, their hands were freezing cold.

The three of them ran back home and warmed their hands with hot potatoes from the stove.

The New Year's Eve dinner was prepared with dumplings and several hearty meat dishes, and the chickens, ducks, and geese they'd been saving were also placed on the table.

When the firecrackers outside began to pop, the whole family raised their glasses in celebration.

Ye Xiaoxiao's first New Year in this world gave her a new sense of warmth.

In her previous world, even on New Year's, the Ye family would be stuck working, and after her grandfather passed away, she was often left all by herself.

But now, she was with all her relatives, staying up together to welcome the New Year.

Finally, after staying up late, on the first day of the New Year, they all got up early to wish each other a Happy New Year.

It was Ye Xiaoxiao's first year with the Ye family, and her grandparents gave her five bucks wrapped in red cloth, a little token of their love.

Ye Jianguo and Ye Jianye, along with their wives, as well as several brothers and sisters-in-law, also gave her red envelopes.

Ye Xiaoxiao accepted them generously.

Then she passed out the red envelopes she'd prepared to her two little nephews.

Ye Baoyuan had no clue what it was. Seeing his little aunt giving him something, he thought it was candy and immediately put it in his mouth.

Ye Baocheng pulled it out for him, "Dummy, this is cash, not candy."

Ye Changqing picked up the eldest, "If your brother's a dummy, what does that make you?"

Ye Baocheng said loudly, "I'm the genius around here!"

Everyone laughed.

After wishing the family a Happy New Year, Ye Xiaoxiao followed her brothers to the homes of other uncles and aunts, officially getting to know the whole Ye family.

By the time they were done with the New Year's greetings, it was well into the afternoon, and they started preparing dinner.

Ye Xiaoxiao didn't need to do anything at home, and there was no work in the kitchen that she could help with.

She couldn't even get the firewood going for the big pot.

Ye Changsheng was buried in a book, Ye Changyuan had run off to play, so she could only play with Ye Baocheng.

Ye Baocheng was flicking glass marbles around, and after a while, he said, "Auntie, you're such a klutz."

Ye Xiaoxiao was speechless.