Hearing Feng Jiandong say this, Yang Hui felt both amused and annoyed. It turned out her uncle’s family was here to show off their superiority. Just as she was about to say something, Yang Shuanglin stopped her.
“Yanzi, Jiandong, the May Day holiday is still a ways off. We’ll talk about it then. If we really can’t make it, we’ll send some money to you as a wedding gift for Xiao Wen.”
“Brother, you aren’t exactly living the high life either. We’re not after the gift money. It’s mainly that if a few people from our side go, it’ll be livelier. Our custom here is that the maternal uncle’s family should be seated at the head table for a nephew’s wedding.”
Yang Shuangyan noticed Yang Hui’s displeasure and quickly tried to smooth things over.
Feng Wu walked in at this moment. “Uncle, on our way here, we saw that Xinqiao Town is quite prosperous, with many factories along the way. Why hasn’t Yang Li Village changed much? There are only a few houses in the village.”
“Xinqiao Town has been vigorously developing the timber processing industry in recent years, and the villages to the north have all developed. Our village started late, so it’s a bit behind. But it’s catching up fast. After the New Year, many people will be building houses.”
What Yang Shuanglin said was true. Hundreds of people in Yang Li Village were now working in template factories and trading companies. Their piece-rate wages were much higher than in other processing plants. The villagers had all earned money, and families planning to marry off their children intended to build houses.
“What about Jian Ge? Does he have a girlfriend? Where does he work?”
“Er Jian doesn’t have a girlfriend. He’s working in the south right now.”
“The south? Which city? I’m also working there and I’m short of people. Why don’t you have him come work for me? He can earn thirty to fifty thousand a year, which is more than enough to build a house and get married.”
“Xiao Wu, what do you do in the south that’s so profitable?”
“I’m doing business in Dongjiang. After the New Year, I’ll be expanding the scale and need to hire a lot of people. Jian Ge can be my assistant, and I can offer him a higher salary.”
“Alright, leave your phone number. I’ll tell him when the time comes.”
Yang Shuanglin didn’t want to discuss his son’s affairs and gave a perfunctory reply.
Liu Xingzhi got up and took Yang Hui to the kitchen to cook, clearly not wanting to listen to this family’s bragging.
“Uncle, are there any hotels in Xinqiao Town? We can’t go back today, and your house doesn’t seem to have enough room.”
Feng Wu had looked around the house. Apart from Yang Jian’s room, there were clearly no spare rooms.
“It’s alright, we have a place for you to stay. No need for a hotel. It’s rare for you to visit, so stay a few more days. Your grandmother is sometimes lucid and sometimes confused. When she wakes up and sees you, she’ll be very happy.”
Yang Shuanglin had no choice but to patiently engage in small talk with them. He felt a bit displeased with this nephew. On one hand, they hadn’t seen each other for over ten years and had become quite distant. On the other hand, this nephew seemed rather unstable and looked down on people.
The ingredients for the New Year’s meal were all ready, and most only needed to be heated. Therefore, Liu Xingzhi and her daughter only took half an hour to prepare a table of dishes.
Just as the family sat down to eat, the sound of a car horn echoed from outside the courtyard.
More guests had arrived. Yang Hui quickly got up and went out.
The visitor was Lu Hao, carrying large bags of gifts.
“Grandma, Uncle, Auntie, Happy New Year. I’ve come to pay my respects.”
Lu Hao entered, handed the gifts to Yang Hui, and then clasped his hands together, bowing towards the shrine.
“Manager Lu, Happy New Year. Why have you come? Please, have a seat.”
Yang Shuanglin and his wife hurriedly stood up to offer him a seat. It was unexpected for such a big boss to come to pay them New Year’s greetings on the third day of the Lunar New Year.
Following local customs, when visiting someone for New Year’s, it was customary to eat something. Lu Hao was not polite and sat down next to Yang Shuanglin.
Seeing Lu Hao’s imposing demeanor, clearly not a country bumpkin, Feng Wu immediately offered him a cigarette. “Hello, Manager Lu.”
“Oh, hello, hello.”
Lu Hao accepted the cigarette and looked at Yang Shuanglin. He didn’t recognize these people.
Yang Shuanglin quickly introduced him. “This is my sister, my brother-in-law, and my two nephews. They just came from Xiangnan. Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, this is Manager Lu from Hancheng, who is helping our village with poverty alleviation.”
Poverty alleviation? Lu Hao was slightly taken aback, then understood that Yang Shuanglin didn’t want to link him with Yang Jian. He then took out cigarettes and offered them to Feng Jiandong’s father and sons, as well as Gao Daqiang and Yang Shuanglin.
Since he had other places to visit, Lu Hao exchanged a few pleasantries with Yang Shuanglin and his wife. After eating a couple of fish balls, he got up to leave. This was the usual pattern for New Year’s visits.
Feng Wu wanted to chat with Lu Hao more but clearly had no opportunity. He planned to ask his uncle about Manager Lu’s capabilities later.
As he was leaving, Lu Hao took out a wad of cash and gave Gao Yang and Gao Lu a thousand yuan each as lucky money. The rest he handed to Yang Jian’s grandmother, which seemed to be eight thousand yuan.
Giving lucky money to children and elders during the New Year was also a local custom. Usually, people gave twenty or fifty yuan, and those who were a bit better off gave a hundred. In the countryside, giving a thousand yuan was almost unheard of.
Yang Hui and Yang Shuanglin accepted Lu Hao’s gesture so calmly that it greatly surprised Feng Jiandong’s family. What was going on? This Manager Lu was too generous, giving away over ten thousand yuan in lucky money. How rich must he be?
Feng Wu followed his uncle, aunt, and cousin’s family to see Lu Hao out of the courtyard gate. Only then did he notice that Lu Hao was driving a Mercedes-Benz, clearly a very wealthy boss.
After Lu Hao drove away, Feng Wu eagerly inquired about Lu Hao’s relationship with the Yang family. Yang Shuanglin gave a perfunctory answer, saying that Lu Hao had requisitioned their land to build a factory.
After lunch, Yang Shuanglin took Feng Jiandong and his two sons to the factory to arrange accommodation. Gao Daqiang’s family also had to leave, so they went out together. Yang Shuangyan stayed at home to accompany her mother.
“Uncle, Xiao Wen, Xiao Wu, stay here for a few more days. I live in the town. Feel free to visit me when you have time.”
The car stopped at the factory entrance. Yang Hui opened the car door and bid farewell to Feng Jiandong and his sons.
“Sister Hui, is this your family’s car?”
Feng Wu looked surprised. Buying a car at this time was not simple. He had been boasting about how well he was doing, but he didn’t have spare cash to buy a car.
“Yes, we bought it before the New Year. It’s mainly for convenience in taking the children to school. If you’re not busy, I’ll come to pick you up in a couple of days to visit my home.”
After speaking, Yang Hui drove her family away.
“Uncle, what does Sister Hui’s family do? How can they afford a car?”
Following Yang Shuanglin into the template factory, Feng Wu asked curiously.
“Their family runs a car repair shop.”
“Oh, no wonder. Sister Hui married a rich man. By the way, Uncle, who owns this factory? Are we staying here?”
Seeing that the rooms in the dormitory area were no different from a hotel, Feng Wu finally felt relieved. He didn’t want to squeeze into that brick house.
“This is the factory that Manager Lu set up. This land is ours. I’m working here as a night watchman for him. Since it’s the New Year, these rooms are empty, so feel free to stay.”
Since they were leaving the next day, Yang Shuanglin didn’t want to reveal his family’s true wealth, mainly because he didn’t want them to know that Yang Jian was a wanted criminal.
Poverty in a bustling city goes unnoticed, while one’s relatives in the countryside are sought after. His sister’s family were clearly snobs. They hadn’t been in touch for so many years, and only remembered their maternal family when their child was getting married, wanting them to show up and save face.
Moreover, they all appeared particularly arrogant upon arrival, looking down on him, their poor relative. What angered Yang Shuanglin even more was that they didn’t even give lucky money to Yang Hui’s two children.
It wasn’t about the money itself, but about the local customs and etiquette. As elders, they were supposed to give a token of appreciation when meeting children for the first time. Even ten or twenty yuan would have been appreciated.