The Little Life of a Big Landlord

Chapter 65 Buying Jade

(It's a bit late. There was thunder today, and it was really humid. It only stopped a little around noon. I finally realized what the power of the heavens and earth is like. It was terrifying. Please subscribe and support me to soothe my wounded heart...hehe...)

"And what about your ginseng? How much did you sell?" Yang Ming asked.

"My tree sold for 8000, and Fangfang's tree sold for 1," Liu Nannan said.

"Wow, Fangfang, you guys went to the mountains for a day and made 51 yuan for nothing! You're all little rich now. If you ever go to the mountains again, remember to call me. I'll share in your good fortune." Wei Qingqing said exaggeratedly.

"Aunt Fangfang, wipe your nose..." Xiao Bao handed over a tissue.

"I just want to cry. We almost became millionaires. I could have driven luxury cars and owned pedigree dogs..." Sun Fangfang wiped her nose, then buried her face in her best friend's arms and continued to cry loudly.

Yang Ming lightly kicked Zhang Yang and said, "What are you squatting for? Have you been blinded by money too? Think about when we were surrounded by wolves, how dangerous was that? Back then, we were just hoping to escape with our lives. Compared to now, you've at least made 51 yuan. How come you're so worried now that you're making money?"

"Let me be alone for a while. I know I made a profit, but the thought of fifteen million just slipping through my fingers makes me feel suffocated..." Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

Finally, Sun Fangfang finished crying and hugged Wei Qingqing, sobbing. She glanced at Zhang Yang squatting by the wall smoking and felt a pang of heartache. Her eyebrows furrowed as she said, "Zhang Yang, let me tell you, we're a couple. That 15 million is both of us. You and your husband ate 15 million, and 7.5 million of that was mine. You owe me for the rest of your life. From now on, you have to listen to me until you pay back what you owe me. I'm ordering you now to put out your cigarette and sit on the kang (heated brick bed)."

"Wife, I'll listen to you..." Zhang Yang threw away his cigarette butt, got up and sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and couldn't help but cover his mouth and cry.

"Waaah..." The couple hugged each other and cried bitterly.

"Alright, alright, a good cry is enough. You three haven't eaten yet, have you? We've saved some for you..." Yang Ming quickly moved the kang table in and placed it on the kang. Wei Qingqing also deftly took the hot food from the pot and brought it up.

Zhang Yang, Sun Fangfang, and Liu Nannan sat down on the kang (a heated brick bed) to eat. Liu Nannan's big eyes kept glancing at Zhang Yang from time to time. She felt that it was really shameful for this old man to be crying with his mouth wide open. But then again, he had married such a good wife, so it was no big deal for him to cry a few times.

Gradually, Zhang Yang and Sun Fangfang recovered their composure, and their relationship became even better. They started exchanging glances in front of the children.

"Be the master of RMB, not its slave..." Zhang Yang said with deep feeling.

"Well, this 51 is enough for us to live on for ten years or so..." Sun Fangfang said with a smile.

"If we save a little money, and with our combined salaries, we won't have to worry about our son's education from elementary school to university," Zhang Yang said with a smile.

"Your cultivation level has improved, congratulations..." Yang Ming cupped his hands to the two of them and said with a smile.

"Congratulations! May your love last forever..." Wei Qingqing cupped her hands in greeting to the two of them and smiled.

"Alright, it's already past 3 o'clock. Let's go soak in your hot spring, and then we should go back. I miss my son..." Sun Fangfang said, pulling Zhang Yang away. She had the key to the hot spring pool in her hand.

"Brother Yang, Sister Qingqing, I'm going to my aunt's place..." After finishing her meal, Liu Nannan wiped her mouth, grabbed her purse, and ran off in a flash. With this money, she could afford her tuition. She would work for another four months to earn her living expenses, and once she got into university, she wouldn't have to spend a single penny of her family's money.

A crescent moon hangs in the night sky.

The kang (heated brick bed) was warm and cozy. The two of them leaned against the pile of quilts at the head of the kang, with a thin quilt covering their legs, feeling quite comfortable.

The TV was on, playing the animated series "Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf." Wei Qingqing especially loved this cartoon and watched it over and over again, thoroughly enjoying it without ever getting tired of it. Yang Ming, on the other hand, was browsing the web and reading a novel on his laptop.

"After this incident, Zhang Yang and Fangfang seem to have grown up and become much more mature," Wei Qingqing said.

"Yes! They should be grown up by now, but it's a real pity. More than ten million, just like that, they missed out on it. No wonder they cried so much. They're actually quite carefree..." Yang Ming nodded.

"With them gone, our house feels a bit lonely," Wei Qingqing said.

"You think it's too quiet? Have you forgotten? On October 1st, Aunt Zhang's grandson will be staying at our house for a week. It'll be lively then. Aunt Zhang says her grandson is a real bandit," Yang Ming said.

"Huh?" Wei Qingqing exclaimed in surprise, "Weren't we going to Qinhuangdao for our honeymoon? While we were away, he probably wreaked havoc on our house!"

"Let him cause trouble, there's nothing we can do about it! We really can't refuse Aunt Zhang's request," Yang Ming said.

"I'll have Bao'er look after the house then."

"Hehe, didn't your mom and my mom make an appointment to watch over our house? With them watching over it, everything will be fine."

"I hope so."

"I just remembered, Qingqing, in period dramas, weddings usually take place at dusk, right? Do you think we should have a traditional wedding too? We've only just started preparing for it..." Yang Ming closed his notebook and suggested.

"What do you mean?" Wei Qingqing was a little confused.

"Think about it, how does the wedding ceremony go? First, you bow to heaven and earth; second, you bow to your parents; then the couple bows to each other; and finally, they're led to the bridal chamber. After the wedding ceremony, the bride is usually taken directly to the bridal chamber. This means that the wedding ceremony usually takes place in the afternoon. Then the groom dine with the guests, gets drunk, and is taken to the bridal chamber. After the wedding festivities, they kick him out... How is the character for 'marriage' written? Isn't it just the character for 'woman' and the character for 'dusk'?" Yang Ming said.

"You're talking nonsense, how can that be? Isn't there a part about toasting elders and relatives? What should we do?" Wei Qingqing was also tempted, but the key was that she had been married twice, which felt a bit awkward, just like a second marriage.

"This should be done the next day, right?" Actually, Yang Ming was just saying that casually. He knew nothing about weddings in ancient times. He had only brought it up on a whim, inspired by a historical novel.

"Aren't we going on a trip the next day?... No, if we have two weddings, time will be tight, it'll take at least three or four days..."

"Yes, that's what I was thinking too. If we had a traditional wedding, I would drive from my house to yours in the morning to pick you up. It would take all day, and by evening I would be able to bring you back. On the third day, we would have your first visit to your parents' home, and then we would go on a trip. It would take a total of four days," Yang Ming said.

"What you said makes some sense."

"Of course that makes sense! Didn't Aunt Liu make Hanfu for us? We even wore Hanfu for our wedding that day, wasn't that wonderful?"

"How about we discuss it with both sets of parents?" Wei Qingqing suggested.

"Right away..." Yang Ming picked up his phone from the windowsill and dialed the home phone. Zhang Shufang answered the phone. As soon as Yang Ming told her his idea, he was immediately scolded. Zhang Shufang repeatedly said on the phone that traditional wedding ceremonies are tedious and complicated, and few people know about them now. If they are messed up, turning a happy occasion into a farce, how unlucky would that be? She also solemnly warned Yang Ming to avoid any trouble and to hold the wedding properly.

Seeing Yang Ming's depressed look, Wei Qingqing knew he must have been scolded, and couldn't help but chuckle.

"What are you laughing at? Hurry up and call your parents and talk to them. Maybe if the two families can communicate, our proposal will work out..." Yang Ming said irritably.

"I don't..." Wei Qingqing was afraid of being scolded.

"Are you going to fight or not? If you don't, I might hit you..."

"You dare..."

"See if I dare..." Yang Ming pulled Wei Qingqing over and made her lie on his lap, then slapped her bottom twice.

"Oh no! Yang Ming, I'll fight you to the death..." Wei Qingqing exclaimed playfully, and started teasing Yang Ming.

When the young couple were playfully teasing each other...

Yangjia Village, Yang Zhengfang's home.

Zhang Shufang hung up the phone and returned to the living room.

"What's going on? Who called?" Yang Zhengfang was having tea and chatting with his uncles and brothers.

They arrived home around 3 p.m. After arriving, the entire Yang family gathered around and helped unload fruits, vegetables, and carp from the car. They also helped tidy up the house. In the evening, they naturally ate dinner at Yang Zhengfang's house. After dinner, everyone chatted and talked.

"Hey! It's Mingming! That kid's up to his old tricks again, saying he wants to have a traditional wedding and move the ceremony of bowing to heaven and earth to the afternoon," Zhang Shufang said.

"What's wrong with that?" Yang Ming's uncle spoke up. "If you ask me, the afternoon is better. They set off in the morning to pick up the bride from her parents' home, and they'll be back in the afternoon, which is just one day, saving them from having to get married twice."

"I agree..." Yang Ming's second uncle chimed in.

"The key is, who among us still understands traditional weddings? I've heard the procedures are numerous and very complicated," Zhang Shufang said.

Uncle Yang Ming said, "Isn't that simple? There are many elders in our Yang family. I bet Auntie San knows." The Auntie San he was referring to was the Third Grandmother who helped Yang Ming and his family choose auspicious dates.

"...That works too..." Zhang Shufang thought about it and realized it was true. Modern people don't pay much attention to wedding ceremonies anymore. The invasion of Western culture has caused many traditions to disappear silently. What the older generation criticizes the most is that the bride's wedding dress has been changed from the auspicious red to white. In Chinese tradition, white clothes are only worn when someone in the family has died.

There are also couples who get married in different cities. The bride and groom's families live far apart and it takes more than a day to get there. So they bring the bride to the groom's city and rent a hotel or inn as a temporary bride's home. The groom then goes there to pick up the bride. After this, the couple gets married again in the bride's city, this time with the groom renting a hotel or inn and going to the bride's home to pick her up again... It looks like a farce... Even so, they still value the wedding ceremony.

Modern people have long forgotten that the bride is to be brought from her parents' home, and they've also forgotten that the journey to the wedding cannot be interrupted (generally, if the road is long and cannot be reached in a day, the time to set off and when to stop are all regulated by time)... Now, everything is simplified...

Zhang Shufang was a very traditional person. After listening to her uncles, she started to think about it and felt that Yang Ming's suggestion was not unacceptable. At the very least, it was auspicious for the new bride to be brought from her in-laws' doorstep all the way to her own.

Tradition is not superstition, but a yearning for and blessing for a better future.

"We'll have to hear our in-laws' opinion on this..." Yang Zhengfang said.

"I'll go call and ask..." Zhang Shufang rushed back to the house and called Wei Jianguo and Xue Hua. Xue Hua answered the phone, and coincidentally, he was also a traditionalist. As soon as Zhang Shufang explained the situation, Xue Hua immediately made the decision: Let's do it this way...

Wei Jianguo's opinion was not even asked.

"I'm going to talk to my third aunt..." Zhang Shufang came out of the house with a smile, said this, and then pushed the door open and left.

A bunch of men were staring at each other in the room.

A new week begins with the crowing of a rooster.

It was still dark when Yang Ming got up groggily, then started a fire to cook. Liu Sao was busy making Hanfu day and night, only sleeping three or four hours a day. She even put down her work in the fields and had no time to take care of Xiao Bao'er. Liu Nannan was still a child, and it was good enough that she could take care of herself. Xiao Bao'er ate all three meals a day at their house.

As soon as breakfast was ready, Xiao Bao ran over with her little schoolbag on her back. After eating, she went to school, while Yang Ming went back inside, took off his clothes, crawled into his warm bed, and went back to sleep.

"Oh! Bao'er went to school?" Wei Qingqing snuggled into Yang Ming's arms and mumbled sleepily.

"Hmm!" Yang Ming was still sleepy, so he mumbled a response and then fell asleep with his wife in his arms.

"Lazybones, wake up! Lazybones, wake up..." The budgie suddenly flew down from the clothesline and landed on the two people's heads, flapping its wings.

So, a sleepy young couple was dragged out of bed by their wretched pet.

"I swear, one day I'll pluck all its fur off..." Yang Ming looked at the tiger skin with a lot of resentment.

"Put it in a cage so it can keep Miao Miao company every day." Wei Qingqing was even more ruthless. That's why they say, "The fangs in the mouth of a green snake and the stinger in the belly of a wasp are both acceptable, but the most poisonous thing is a woman's heart."

Tiger Skin clearly understood what the two were saying. It flapped its wings and cried out, "Help! Help!" Then it circled around the room. Unfortunately, the windows were closed, and although the door was not closed, there was a curtain blocking it. Tiger Skin had no way to escape.

The room was covered in dust from the tiger skin. Wei Qingqing pushed open the window, and the little thing flew out and disappeared as soon as it had a chance. This guy usually spends the whole day wandering around outside, except when it flies back at night.

"Let's go back to sleep..." Yang Ming suggested.

"I can't sleep, let's talk for a bit." Wei Qingqing snuggled into Yang Ming's arms, pressing her ear against his chest to listen to his strong heartbeat.

"What are you saying?" Yang Ming gently stroked her smooth, long hair.

"Didn't Aunt Liu measure my feet the day before yesterday? She seemed to say that we should prepare some jade pendants to weigh down the hem of our skirts. Where are we supposed to get them?" Wei Qingqing asked.

"There are many more in the antique market, shall we go and take a look?" Yang Ming said.

"No, I'm exhausted. Besides, we need to cook lunch for Bao'er. If we don't come back by noon, the little one will go hungry!"

"How about I go by myself, and you stay home and cook for Bao'er..." Yang Ming said again.

"That works." Wei Qingqing nodded.

So Yang Ming called Lao Yang and asked him to pick him up and take him to the antique market in the county. While waiting for Lao Yang to arrive, the two of them snuggled together and whispered to each other.

"Qingqing, are you up?" A woman's voice came from outside the courtyard.

"Aunt Da Bao? Wait a moment." Wei Qingqing recognized the woman's voice; it was Zheng Da Bao's wife, Aunt Da Bao.

So the two of them quickly got up, dressed, and Wei Qingqing went to open the door. Yang Ming took the chamber pot out of the room and then went to the kang (a heated brick bed) to make the bed.

Wei Qingqing went out and saw Aunt Dabao standing outside the gate with a small basket on her arm.

"You two are from the city, so I brought you some local mountain produce to try," Aunt Dabao said with a smile as she saw Wei Qingqing come out of the house.

"Look, you've come all this way, why did you bring these things? Come in and sit down..." Wei Qingqing quickly opened the gate and warmly welcomed Aunt Dabao inside.

"Hey, your Uncle Da Bao picked these in the mountains yesterday. They're mountain produce, not worth much," Aunt Da Bao said with a smile, and went into the house with Wei Qingqing.

"Please make yourself at home, Aunt Dabao..." Wei Qingqing ushered Aunt Dabao into the east room, then took a thermos and teacups from the tea tray on the cabinet and poured water for Aunt Dabao.

As soon as Aunt Dabao entered the room, she saw Yang Ming kneeling on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) folding quilts. She laughed and said, "You just got up, right? Looks like I woke you from your sweet dreams..."

"Hehe, we overslept." Yang Ming turned around and smiled. "Aunt Da Bao, please make yourself at home..."

Aunt Da Bao found a stool, placed the basket on the cabinet, and laughed, "We didn't know your dog was so capable, it even caught a wild boar! Hehe, it must be worth a lot of money, right?"

The two men immediately understood what was going on. It turned out that Zheng Dabao felt uneasy about getting a dog for free after seeing his own puppy's prowess in capturing a wild boar. That's why he sent his wife to deliver some things. He was quite honest and kind-hearted.

As Wei Qingqing poured water, she smiled and said, "That little yellow dog was born to our big dog. The five little black dogs were bought at the market for only one hundred yuan."

"Yes, they're all domesticated little dogs, not worth much. The little yellow dog you took away a few days ago was from the litter of the big yellow dog my dad brought. That litter had nine puppies, and now only two are left. The rest were taken by the neighbors," Yang Ming said with a smile.

"The big yellow dog is pretty good too; it bit off the wild boar's neck in one bite," Aunt Da Bao praised.

"Beep beep beep..." A car horn sounded, and a gray transport truck was parked outside the yard. It turned out that Old Yang had arrived.

"Oh dear, is something wrong? Maybe I should go first..." Aunt Da Bao said, getting up to leave.

"No, no, it's Yang Ming who's going out, and I'm not going with him," Wei Qingqing quickly said, trying to persuade him to stay.

"Yes, I'm going to the antique market in the county to find some things. Qingqing will stay at home and I'll cook for Bao'er when she gets out of school at noon." Yang Ming said, lifting the cabinet and taking out his coat and money.

"What happened to Sister Liu? Did something happen to her? I saw their house was locked yesterday," Aunt Da Bao asked with concern.

"Sister Liu is perfectly fine. We just wanted to start a clothing company with her. We'd provide the capital, and she'd provide the craftsmanship. We just wanted to see how good her skills were. She's been busy at home these past few days, so she hasn't been able to take care of Bao'er," Wei Qingqing explained simply.

"Sister Liu is a pitiful person. If you can help her, please do so. Thank you so much," Aunt Da Bao said with a sigh.

P.S.: Please recommend and add to your favorites...

(End of this chapter)