Siheyuan: A warm home with wife and children

I used to think that we wouldn't need so many houses.

See, this has come in very handy.

I must buy another house.

"Honey, tell me more about the house you looked at near the capital city that you mentioned last time."

Li Aimin remembered that Li Lan had mentioned it to him when she came back last time.

They say there's a large courtyard near the imperial city that's up for sale.

It seems to be a grand house with three courtyards and three entrances, totaling seven large rooms.

We can't afford to lose money on this purchase!

On Lunar New Year's Eve, the Li family elders got busy early in the morning.

Take the meat out of the refrigerator and let it thaw.

Wash the chives and scallions, chop them up, and get ready to make dumplings.

Once the braised meat is in the pot, prepare four cold and four hot dishes.

"Old man, did you call Aiguo? Is he coming back today?"

"They said they were going back."

"Are you bringing the child back?"

"Bring them all."

"That's good." Yingzi's mother's face brightened; she hadn't seen her eldest grandson for several years.

The old man was very worried and had a lot of complaints about his son.

You may be busy, but you still have to go home for the New Year, right?

Even if you're busy, can you be busier than your brother-in-law?

Your brother-in-law has never missed a visit home; it's just that you can't find the time.

You're really something...

Beep beep~

A car horn sounded outside, and Yingzi's mother immediately put down what she was doing.

Holding her apron, she wiped herself as she walked out, saying, "Is that Aimin? I'll go check on him."

Looking down from the stairwell, you can see Li Aimin and his wife carrying things and taking their child out of the car!

"Grandma, Dad, Grandma..."

"mom…"

The couple looked up and greeted them. Yingzi's mother's face lit up with a smile. "Hey, come on in quickly. It's cold outside, come inside."

Not long after, Yang Jianguo and his family arrived.

There were no cars on the street on Lunar New Year's Eve.

Yang Jianguo drove his company car out and personally drove his family members.

"Mom, we are back."

Yingzi waved to the upstairs neighbor, but the old man's eyes remained fixed on his granddaughter-in-law.

This girl must be Zhiyuan's girlfriend!

Oh my, she's so pretty! Look at that face, that figure...

She's just as good-looking as her daughter Yingzi was when she was young; she's definitely from this family.

"Honey, are you tired from the journey? What do you think of the capital?"

Is the food here the same as where you live?

"These little hands are so tender, you can tell they've never suffered since they were little."

The old lady held her granddaughter's hand tightly from the moment she entered the house.

He stopped taking care of the kitchen and left it to his daughter and two daughters-in-law.

Yang Zhiyuan sat and chatted with his grandmother and fiancée.

Actually, it was just that Grandma asked, Runye gave a reluctant answer, and Zhiyuan just sat there in a daze.

"Mom, you can ask about the most important things."

Yingzi, having finished her work in the kitchen, returned to find Runye still chatting away, and couldn't help but interject:

"My daughter came back with Zhiyuan for the New Year. You're making people feel embarrassed by all the questions."

“Auntie, I’m fine, I…” Runye quickly stood up, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the part about ‘liking to chat with Grandma’.

It was so fake that it stumped Runye, who wasn't good at lying.

Seeing her daughter's troubled and honest expression, Yingzi's mother was even more pleased.

He's down-to-earth and honest, the kind of person who's good at making a living.

She agreed to the marriage.

Marriage is ultimately a decision for the parents and Zhiyuan himself, and it may win the sincere blessings of relatives and friends.

The couple was also happy.

"Jianguo, when are you planning to hold the ceremony for the child?"

"Brother-in-law, have you found a hotel yet?"

"Of course, we'd put it in Master He's Tianxia Manor; it gives us peace of mind."

"Yes, what about the others?"

Life is better now, and weddings are becoming more elaborate.

Those things from the past are indispensable: the three main items, washbasin, and quilt cover are kept at the bottom of the trunk.

I've heard that there are still some customs surrounding the "three golds" tradition.

Anyway, there are more and more rules and regulations for getting married, and the amount of money spent is also increasing.

"Everything is almost ready," Yingzi said with a light laugh.

She's been quite busy these past few days, taking Runye to various shopping malls several times.

Not to mention the three gold pieces, I bought two pairs of gold bracelets and two pairs of silver bracelets.

Buy even numbers, never odd numbers—that's the rule!

Necklaces and earrings; Yingzi saw some nice anklets in the display case and bought a pair for herself.

She even went to a master craftsman to make two longevity locks.

Price is one aspect, but the manufacturing process used is the key.

People you don't know won't accept money from you.

The tradition of retired artisans is that they have no worries about food and clothing and have little desire for money.

Aside from personal relationships, it's hard to find anything that can move them.

Yingzi also benefited from her older sisters' kindness, receiving two longevity locks, which served both as a symbolic gesture and a kind reminder.

One child is too lonely; it's best to have two.

Yingzi knows that family planning is being implemented now...

She made these two longevity locks with mixed feelings.

Yingzi sincerely hoped that they would all be useful.

Yingzi's mother was also happy to learn that she had made preparations.

But after a short while, the old man got up and went inside.

When she came out again, she was holding a set of red handmade textiles.

“It’s a red veil and a vest.” Yingzi’s mother opened the red cloth covering the veil and handed it to Runye.

This was something she had prepared in advance for her grandson, not just Zhiyuan.

Zhiyi has one, and Aimin and Aiguo's children also have one.

As people get older, there's not much they can do, but she hopes to send her blessings to the children.

Besides this, there was nothing else she could do.

"Grandma, this is so beautiful." Holding the red veil in her hand, she could tell from the sincerity on it how much care the person who made it had put into it.

Runye was deeply moved and became even more determined in her feelings for him.

With a family like that, what is there for her to hesitate about?!

Looking at Zhiyuan, Runye's eyes were full of spring water.

The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes, prompting teasing from the elders present: "Why call her Grandma? Call her Maternal Grandma!"

Runye blushed, lowered her head, and said shyly, "Grandma~"

"Oh!" Yingzi's mother was overjoyed.

He answered several times in a row, then picked up his cup and downed it in one gulp.

I'm so happy, this year's New Year's celebration was great...

She was so happy!

Chapter 551 New Year's Gift, A Grand Gift

After finishing the meal, the woman tidied up the house.

Several grown men sat in the living room talking, with brewed tea, melon seeds, and snacks in front of them.

Life has become more prosperous, and the table is laden with food during the Chinese New Year.

Whether I eat it or not, just looking at it makes me feel good.

"Brother-in-law, I'm thinking of buying it. What do you think?"

Li Aimin explained the situation of several courtyards near the imperial city to him in detail.

Several of these courtyards were once occupied by high-ranking officials.

The name is prestigious and impressive.

Li Aimin felt that if he was going to buy something, he should buy the best.

Because it's scarce; once one is sold, there are fewer left.

The rarer something is, the more valuable it is; even a simple principle like this is easy to understand.

"Yes, you can buy them. How many sets do you plan to buy?" Yang Jianguo asked.

"Buy seven or eight... a dozen sets, please!" Li Aimin stared intently at him, as if trying to see through his thoughts.

Yang Jianguo chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate me, I'm definitely worth something, but I don't know how much."

He couldn't very well tell Li Aimin that each of these courtyards would be worth over 100 million yuan in the future.

This is a rare resource that money can't buy, so let's buy it all up now!

Being able to buy more than a dozen properties is already an immense fortune.

These houses alone are enough to ensure his wealth lasts for generations; that's more than enough.

One should not be too greedy, no matter what.

Greed, without knowing its own blessings, will only bring disaster upon oneself.

The saying "what goes up must come down" applies here.

“Okay, I’ll call tomorrow and buy them all.” Li Aimin said without even taking a deep breath.

These houses cost only a few hundred thousand yuan each.