Chapter 321: Change of Thought

**Chapter 321: A Change in Perspective**

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Where are Fourth Brother and Second Brother?"

"They don’t get that much time off. They’ll come two days before your wedding."

Ye Changan had already checked with the family and knew their schedules.

"Is Changyuan coming?"

Ye Changan nodded.

Ye Changyuan’s still out at sea on patrol—no way he can make it.

Ye Xiaoxiao asked how Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo were doing.

Miao Cuifang: "We’re doing great. A local high school asked me to teach—calligraphy and painting.

At first, I was like, 'Me? Really?' But after trying it a couple times, turns out it's just like teaching your brothers back in the day."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I know—it’s called calligraphy and traditional Chinese painting classes. Parents these days are all about well-rounded kids. In the city, there are fancy after-school classes that cost a few bucks a pop."

Miao Cuifang: "That’s crazy! Their teachers must be top-notch."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Nah, you’re just as good, Mom."

Miao Cuifang figured Xiao Xiao was just buttering her up.

No way she was better than city teachers.

But she started thinking about signing up for night classes. Now that she was a teacher, she needed to improve herself too.

Meanwhile, Ye Jianguo wasn’t sitting around either—he worked every day as an instructor at the military academy, training students.

Lu Hanchuan had put in a good word for him. He never joined the military, but it proved Ye Jianguo had what it took to be an instructor.

The grandparents and grandpa were all doing well.

Out of habit, Ye Xiaoxiao checked them over.

Afterward, she suggested they rest first. Coming all the way from Baishi Village must’ve worn them out.

Ye Changning: "Why don’t you all go rest up in your rooms? We’ll have dinner together later, and when it cools down this afternoon, I’ll take you out for a walk."

The bus Ye Changning rented made it look like a tour group rolled in.

A bit over the top, but hey, it worked.

They ate dinner there, then Ye Xiaoxiao left.

Tomorrow was her wedding dress fitting.

It wasn’t store-bought—Grandma Cheng had an old tailor make it custom.

There were two sets: one traditional Chinese bridal gown and an embroidered dragon-and-phoenix dress.

But she’d have to try them on to see how they looked.

Since time was tight, even if they weren't happy with it, there wouldn’t be much room for major changes.

This made Grandma Cheng very unhappy, and it took Ye Xiaoxiao a lot of coaxing to finally cheer her up.

After Ye Xiaoxiao and the others left, Ye Changan took the family for a walk before heading back to rest, planning to sightsee the next day.

Back in their room, Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo were talking.

"As long as our Xiao Xiao is happy, I'll be at peace."

Ye Jianguo: "Our Xiao Xiao seems like a lucky girl. Don't worry about it—Lu Hanchuan has always treated her well."

Miao Cuifang: "That's true. If anything, he dotes on her a bit too much."

Ye Jianguo: "We’ve met the Lu family too. Now that the two kids are getting married, her parents keep calling to ask our opinion. They’re good people."

After discussing it, the old couple agreed there was nothing to fault in Xiao Xiao’s choice of husband and finally felt at ease.

In another room at the same time,

Zhen Wanlin was talking to Ye Lian. He had been unusually quiet since arriving in the capital.

When he married Ye Lian, he’d valued her for who she was.

Though his leg wasn’t quite right, he was a government worker at the post office and believed he was a good match for Ye Lian.

But now, seeing the Ye family thriving—not just her younger siblings doing well, but even her cousins becoming wealthier—he couldn’t help feeling inadequate.

Honestly, just the holiday gifts they got were enough to cover their yearly expenses, yet they had nothing of equal value to give in return.

Ye Lian seemed to understand Zhen Wanlin’s thoughts. After lying down, she spoke first.

"Xiao Xiao is the youngest in our family. She didn’t grow up with us—she was mistakenly brought to the capital as a baby, so her life took a different path from ours.

But ever since she came home, our family’s luck has turned around.

We used to go hungry and cold as kids, but now even Changning can afford a big house for the whole family."

Zhen Wanlin turned to look at Ye Lian. "Everyone else is doing better, but our family..."

Ye Lian: "Our family is doing fine too. I'm grateful for what we've got.

You're a government worker now, and your monthly salary covers all our expenses."

Zhen Wanlin was touched. He hugged Ye Lian tightly and felt better.

But before sleep came, he still wondered if he needed to change things.

Ye Lian was right—his salary was stable.

But it was too stable, with no real chance to move up.

Others were making thousands or even tens of thousands in business, while he earned under a hundred yuan a month—could hardly afford new clothes.

In another situation, he wouldn’t have dwelled on it so much.

But the family now has resources. Even if I quit my job and work as a worker at Changning's factory, it would be better than the current situation.

Zhen Wanlin was overthinking things and barely slept that night.

In contrast, Ye Mei and her husband were much more carefree.

Both had stable jobs, but Ye Mei was itching to start her own business.

She patted her husband on the shoulder and said, "What if I quit my job and go into business for myself too?"

This jolted Wang Dongqiang awake, who had been half-asleep.

"Don't go jumping into things. Do you know how many people have gone bankrupt trying to start small businesses?"

Ye Mei disagreed. "How is this jumping into things? Haven't you seen Changning's big house? Once the money starts rolling in, I'll build a big house back in our hometown too. Then all your relatives will envy you."

Wang Dongqiang didn't know the term "empty promises," but he was already feeling overwhelmed.

"What can you even do?"

Ye Mei: "I'll open a clothing store. I can source directly from Changning, cutting way down on startup costs. Once we start making money, the money will keep coming."

Ye Mei had originally worked in a textile factory, so she had some know-how about the clothing industry.

Quality clothing indeed had significant profit margins.

Wang Dongqiang turned his back. "Stop daydreaming. After the wedding festivities, we're going back to the Northeast."

Ye Mei gave her husband a frustrated punch—he was looking down on her.

No… she had to make this happen.

Ye Mei lay awake all night scheming.

The next morning, Ye Changning noticed his brother-in-law's worn-out face and his second sister’s dark circles.

"Brother-in-law, Second Sister, didn't you sleep well last night?"

Zhen Wanlin gave an uncomfortable laugh. "The bed was too soft—not used to it."

Though Ye Mei was dying to talk business, she wasn’t about to bring it up in front of everyone now, so she nodded in agreement.

"If you’re not comfortable, we can remove the mattress."

Ye Mei: "No need. We won’t be staying long anyway."

Only then did Ye Changning let it go.

Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo were early risers, hoping to help with breakfast, but they found the housekeeper in the villa had already started preparing. Since they weren’t allowed to interfere, they could only kill time by taking a walk outside.

When breakfast was served, Miao Cuifang and Ye Jianguo had just returned.

"Third Son, you don't lift a finger in the kitchen anymore."