Chapter 467: Seasonal Gifts

Chapter 467: Seasonal Gifts

Han Xing was sure Di Yu was done for, so he didn’t mind telling him the truth directly.

"Then I’ll be honest with you. You know who actually owns Ningyuan Company?"

When Di Yu heard about Ningyuan Company, he misunderstood.

"What do you mean? You’re after Ningyuan too?"

Han Xing shook his head, thinking this guy was beyond saving.

Di Yu, however, eagerly said, "If you really want it, I’ll back off, no problem."

Han Xing adjusted his jacket and stood up, feeling there was no need to say much more today.

"Ningyuan Company belongs to Bro Lu’s brother-in-law. You really thought your shady moves outweighed real family connections?"

After Han Xing finished speaking, Di Yu immediately stood up and blocked his way.

"Han, what’re you saying?"

He had never imagined Ningyuan Company had such backing.

"It means what it means. Haven’t you noticed the authorities aren’t cooperating with you anymore? Even if Bro Lu stayed out of it, your plan wouldn’t have succeeded. Did you really think they were nobodies?"

Han Xing’s face was pure sarcasm. Hell, forget the Lu family—Xiao Xiao alone wouldn’t take this lying down.

Not to mention Mr. Song from Rende Pharmacy and his vast network. There was no way the Di family could have controlled them.

Di Yu’s jaw dropped this time, thinking Ningyuan was playing games.

Why the hell didn’t they lead with that?

Had he known their connections were this strong, he would never have targeted them.

"Han, c’mon, throw me a bone here. We’ve known each other for so many years. Don’t just..."

Realizing the situation, Di Yu immediately begged for mercy.

Han Xing patted his shoulder lightly. "You’re on your own now. If there’s nothing else, go home and see what’s left."

The words carried a heavy implication. The pat was casual, but it hit like a ton of bricks.

Han Xing walked out without looking back.

This meeting had only lasted a few short sentences, but the tables had turned.

Di Yu knew his company was beyond saving—not just because of this incident, but also because his books wouldn’t survive an audit.

All he could do now was pray his family was clean and could protect him.

But Han Xing had already hinted that the Di family was likely in trouble.

And that was indeed the case.

The Di family was under investigation, and they’d dug up dirt.

This time, the higher-ups wouldn’t go easy on them. They’d brought this on themselves.

After this incident, many people in the capital realized that Ningyuan Company had connections.

Many suddenly became very friendly toward Ningyuan Company, and even the number of business dinner invites Ye Changning received increased.

Ye Changning called Ye Xiaoxiao to tell her that everything was settled on his side.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I knew things would work out."

Ye Changning: "We still have to thank Lu Hanchuan. This time, it was all thanks to his friend's help."

Ye Xiaoxiao knew Lu Hanchuan would also lend a hand. Now that we're all family, it wasn’t a big deal.

Ye Changning: "I won’t visit you before the New Year, but I’ll send some things over. You don’t need to prepare any holiday supplies."

Ye Changning planned to have someone deliver the items to the island, which would be faster than mailing them.

Ye Xiaoxiao: "Okay, give my love to Mom and Dad."

Ye Changning reminded her: "Next year, Mom and Dad will definitely visit you on the island. You take care now and be careful in daily life."

Ye Xiaoxiao nodded: "I will, I will."

...

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, it was the Lunar New Year.

Around the 20th of La Month, aside from work, Ye Xiaoxiao spent her time preparing New Year goods with Aunt Zhao.

Ye Changning sent over a pile of items, and the people delivering them left the same day without any delay.

Back at home, Ye Xiaoxiao felt like the place was already packed with stuff.

Aunt Zhao looked over the New Year goods: "We're all set this year. These will last us for months."

Ye Xiaoxiao also took a look and was surprised to find airtight-packed roast duck and sausages.

"How long can these last?"

Without a fridge at home, Ye Xiaoxiao was worried about the shelf life.

Aunt Zhao: "Find an outdoor storage jar, cover them with some ice, and they’ll last until spring when the ice melts."

Hearing this, Ye Xiaoxiao felt much more at ease.

"For New Year’s, let’s invite Qu Miao and Xining Jie over for dinner. We won’t be able to finish all this ourselves."

Aunt Zhao was easygoing: "Sure, New Year's is about having a full house. I’ll put out a big spread then."

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’ll help too."

Aunt Zhao: "Don't fuss over cooking. Xiao Xiao, don't you worry about it. I can handle it myself."

Aunt Zhao was now making double what she used to, but her workload was about the same.

Though pregnant, Xiao Xiao didn’t have any bad morning sickness and had no food aversions, without needing special care.

After all her years with the Lus, Aunt Zhao had not only high pay but also real fondness for Ye Xiaoxiao and Lu Hanchuan.

Now, she kept Xiao Xiao from lifting a finger.

Xiao Xiao frequently visited the sanatorium—the work there suited her better.

Xiao Xiao was determined to excel in her field.

The next few days passed uneventfully, except that the island's market reopened, looking livelier than ever.

Ye Xiaoxiao’s house kept getting deliveries, all sent by former patients who had been discharged, including quite a few from Mayor Cao.

"This is way too much. Let's share some with others."

Xiao Xiao rested her chin on her hand, "Isn’t that a bit much?"

Lu Hanchuan thought it was fine, as the gifts were meant for Xiao Xiao and involved no monetary exchange—just normal holiday gifts.

It might look excessive, but it’s just normal gift-giving.

"Let's give some to the neighbors."

Lu Hanchuan also realized they had received way too much.

Whoever sent multiple sacks of rice and flour—more than they could eat in a year.

"Alright, you go run these over."

The task of delivering the gifts fell to Lu Hanchuan, as Xiao Xiao couldn't move heavy things now.

Lu Hanchuan nodded, "Sure, I'll go."

When Lu Hanchuan made the rounds, some neighbors returned the kindness with presents of their own.

Aunt Wu’s flatbreads were amazing. Xiao Xiao had tried learning from her a few times but eventually gave up.

She was hopeless in the kitchen. Later, when Aunt Wu found out she liked the flatbreads, she specially brought some over a few times.

So this time, Xiao Xiao asked Lu Hanchuan to deliver a bag of flour to Aunt Wu's family.

Times were better now, but not every household could afford white flour every day. Xiao Xiao didn’t like owing favors, so sending this gift to Aunt Wu was appropriate.

It started as returning a favor, but the next day, Aunt Wu brought over several flatbreads for Xiao Xiao.

"Aunt Wu, you shouldn’t have!"

Funny how Aunt Wu had initially disliked Xiao Xiao.

As luck would have it, Aunt Zhao was visiting when she heard Xiao Xiao loved the flatbreads, so she asked Aunt Wu to teach her how to make them.

Aunt Wu slapped her thigh, sheepish to be asked to teach, "No big deal—I just throw ’em together."