Chapter 240: Farewell

Chapter 240 Farewell

Ye Changyuan had been grinning since getting in the car: "We finally have a car in our family."

He wondered when he'd get to drive his own car.

But he didn’t even know how to drive.

Shen Qiuyu was completely stunned when she saw the car. She felt this journey was surreal—the Ye family seemed like those unassuming mountain hermits, their family's means surpassing even city folks.

Shen Qiuyu even began doubting whether Ye Changan had lied to her about his family being poor. Maybe the Ye family was secretly wealthy?

That night, she tentatively brought up some questions with Ye Xiaoxiao.

Ye Xiaoxiao put her mind at ease, saying that her second brother hadn’t lied.

Their family had indeed been very poor before, but things had improved over the past two years.

The eldest brother worked as an administrator in the mining area.

The third brother was running a business down south.

The fourth brother and she were in college.

The second brother and Changyuan were in the military.

Shen Qiuyu was stunned. "Your family has all bases covered—Scholars, Farmers, Workers, and Merchants. Is this the advantage of having many children?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Oh, it's not that extreme."

Shen Qiuyu: "You and Changsheng both go to top-tier universities. If my parents had known your family had two college students earlier, they’d have agreed to our marriage long ago."

"My dad isn’t dislike Changan; he just prefers scholarly types and thinks soldiers are just a bit rough around the edges."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "No matter how outstanding my brother is, his prospective father-in-law will still find faults."

Shen Qiuyu used to think her family was better off.

Now, she felt somewhat inferior. She realized she wasn’t as outstanding as Ye Changan, and her only advantage was gone.

Would Ye Changan look down on her?

After all, all she could do was dance and couldn’t even lift a finger.

Meanwhile, Ye Changan was a young, handsome officer with a bright future ahead of him, having earned multiple third-class medals in the military.

There were plenty of girls in the army who wanted to marry him.

Shen Qiuyu wasn’t one to hide her worries, so she came right out and said it.

Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but smile.

Even the most outstanding people could feel insecure in front of someone they loved.

"Qiuyu-jie, you’re amazing too. There’s no need to feel inferior. You and my second brother excel in your own ways—there’s no need to compare."

Comforted by Ye Xiaoxiao’s words, her worries finally eased.

Sure, he was outstanding, but she had plenty going for her too.

After their heart-to-heart chat, both of them fell into a deep sleep.

Despite the unfamiliar setting, nothing happened, and they slept soundly through the night.

The next day, they drove another four hours to Shen City.

They'd finally reached a big city, so Shen Qiuyu and Ye Changan decided to treat their younger siblings to a meal.

Ye Changning said, "Second Brother, pick the place. Let me play the big spender—give me a chance to show off. I’m a businessman now, after all."

Ye Changning had indeed made some money.

However, the early profits had all gone into expanding production and repaying loans, so his wealth wasn't visible yet.

But he had already set a goal for himself: within three years, he would grow his factory into one with ten thousand employees and open branches in Shanghai and Beijing.

Ye Changan advised him, "Then save your big-spending moment for next time. I’ve been in Shen City for so many years—let me play host this time."

Ye Changning replied, "Alright, next round's on me."

Shen Qiuyu, being more familiar with the area, led them to a specialty restaurant.

The moment they stepped inside, it was toasty warm, and when the dishes arrived, they were piping hot.

Ye Xiaoxiao took a bite of the braised fish—it was delicious, with a rich, savory sauce and not a hint of fishiness at all.

After the meal, they saw Ye Changan and Shen Qiuyu back to the army compound.

The siblings parted ways, and even Shen Qiuyu, who had only spent a few days with them, was already feeling nostalgic.

"I'll come see you guys again next time I’m on leave."

Ye Changyuan said, "Sister Qiuyu, next time we'll be coming for your wedding toast with Second Brother, right?"

Shen Qiuyu blushed and replied, "No matter when you come, you’re always welcome."

…

Once back in the car, Ye Changyuan wouldn't let up.

"Second Brother’s girlfriend is so pretty. Changning, when are you bringing a wife home?"

Being nagged by elders was one thing, but now even Ye Changyuan had the nerve to bug him.

"You should worry about your own love life first. Keep getting tanned like this, and you’ll turn into a piece of coal. Xiao Xiao, give him a few jars of that whitening cream—or he'll never find a wife."

Ye Changning was driving, while Ye Xiaoxiao sat in the back seat. Hearing this, she immediately responded, "Sure!"

Ye Changyuan sulked. "Changning, why the personal attack? But seriously, you’ve got that big-city style now, and you haven’t even tanned in the south."

Ye Changning preened. "Your brother has always been this handsome—what took you so long to notice?"

Ye Changyuan: "..."

It took less time to get from Shen City to Beijing than from their hometown to Shen City.

Ye Xiaoxiao couldn't decide—should they return to Beijing first or see Changyuan home in Tianjin?

Ye Changning said, "Whether we make one stop or two makes no difference. Let’s see Changyuan home in Tianjin first, then we'll head back to Beijing."

Ye Changning and Ye Xiaoxiao had more flexible schedules, while Ye Changyuan would definitely face punishment if he returned late.

He had just finished basic training and was now an assistant squad leader, aiming to become a squad leader. He couldn’t afford to make mistakes.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Alright then, after we drop Changyuan off, the two of us can go for a nice meal. Jinhai must have seafood."

Ye Changyuan: "Don't say that in front of me, that's just mean."

Ye Xiaoxiao was just messing with him—there was no way they’d eat without Ye Changyuan.

...

The three of them stopped to rest for the night and arrived in Jinhai a little past ten the next morning.

First, they had the big meal Ye Xiaoxiao had mentioned, then sent Ye Changyuan back.

All the local specialties from home were carried by Ye Changyuan.

Ye Changning even slipped Ye Changyuan two hundred kuai.

"Take this money. You probably don’t get much allowance every month now. Don’t skimp on meals in the army—when you can go out, eat well and buy your buddies meals too, to build good relationships."

"But don’t let anyone bully you either. If anything happens or you need money, just call me."

Though Ye Changyuan was his younger cousin—they weren’t full brothers—the two families were very close. Ye Changning treated him like a real younger brother, no different from Ye Changsheng in his heart.

Even though he was a soldier now, he was still just a kid.

Ye Changyuan got flustered holding the money. Aside from selling melon seeds with Xiao Xiao when they were younger, he’d never had so much cash on him before.

This was almost a year’s worth of his army allowance.

"Changning, I can’t accept this."

Ye Changning stuffed it into his coat pocket and buttoned the pocket.

"Nonsense. Train hard in the army, aim to become a platoon leader, even company commander, and make our family proud."

Though usually cheerful and carefree, Ye Changyuan was a soft touch. Choking up, he said, "Changning, I’ll make you proud."

Then he shouldered his bag and hurried into the base without looking back.

Ye Changning knew him well: "He’s definitely crying his eyes out. Looks big and tough, but he cries way more than Changsheng."

In contrast, Ye Changsheng, who had been frail since childhood, wasn’t much of a crier.