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Chapter 22
According to tradition, dumplings must be eaten on New Year’s Eve amidst the sound of firecrackers. Ye Ermei had been busy since the morning, preparing the dumplings for both New Year’s Eve and the morning of the first day of the new year.
Since not everyone liked chive fillings, she made two types: cabbage and pork, and chive and pork.
In addition, eight of the dumplings contained one-yuan silver coins.
Everyone had eaten their fill at the New Year’s Eve dinner, so the dumplings served as a light midnight snack, with each person having three to five as a token gesture. By sheer luck, Ye Xiaoyu found a coin in one of her three dumplings.
“Looks like next year will be a prosperous one for you,” everyone, including Lele, exclaimed with envy.
Ye Xiaoyu smiled modestly but replied with unabashed confidence, “Of course!”
She firmly believed that her recent success—the 300,000 yuan—was just the beginning.
Feeling lucky, Ye Xiaoyu decided to share her blessings with everyone by preparing red envelopes for each person. In New Year’s tradition, these envelopes, known as yāsuìqián, are given to pass on good fortune.
Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing were both surprised.
“We’re getting one too?”
“But we’re equals—how can you give us red envelopes?”
“Why not? There’s no rule saying peers can’t share blessings.”
The red envelopes Ye Xiaoyu gave out were no small gesture. Back then, giving 50 to 100 yuan in a red envelope was already considered generous. Ye Xiaoyu, however, had prepared envelopes with 1,000 yuan each for her family.
Ye Ermei was at a loss for words. She realized this was likely Ye Xiaoyu’s way of compensating for all the unpaid help she had given at the specialty store over the past months. Ye Xiaoyu had said nothing about it at the time but had now found a way to show her gratitude.
It was hard to refuse these openly given New Year’s red envelopes.
“Thank you, Auntie,” Tianniu said happily, showing none of the reservations adults might have. She accepted the envelope with joy, even though she knew it would eventually end up in her mother’s hands under the pretense of “saving it for her.”
Lele also received one.
Ye Xiaoyu, deeply resentful of her own childhood experience of losing control over her red envelopes, had prepared a piggy bank for Lele. He could save all his New Year’s money there and, when he grew older, decide for himself how to use it.
Tianniu was enamored with Lele’s golden piggy bank, casting a wistful glance at her mother.
Ye Ermei pretended not to notice. If Ye Xiaoyu had given just a couple of hundred yuan, she might have gotten a piggy bank for her daughter too. But this was over a thousand yuan—more than her and her husband’s combined monthly salaries.
That wasn’t happening.
Ye Xiaoyu didn’t intend to interfere with her sister’s parenting but realized she might have unintentionally put her niece in a tough spot. She could only inwardly pray for her.
“Amitabha.”
It was now New Year’s Eve. Back then, people strictly adhered to the custom of not doing any cleaning during the Spring Festival, so the dishes were left piled in the sink.
After finishing the dumplings, it was time to sleep.
Ye Xiaoyu hugged Lele and bid everyone “Goodnight,” not noticing Tianniu trying to maintain a calm, composed expression.
Tianniu had been given her own room for the night. She had seen it during the day and was excited—it was twice the size of the one she shared in the communal housing. But when night fell, the unfamiliar environment made her nervous.
Prideful and brave in front of adults, she hid her fear. Earlier, she had tried to coax Lele into staying with her, but the sharp little boy saw through her plan.
Left with no choice, Tianniu trudged back to her room, head full of ghost stories she’d heard before. She didn’t dare turn off the lights and, in the morning, groggily got up to turn them off when someone knocked on the door, before collapsing back into bed. Her movements were so practiced that she still seemed like her usual “bold” self.
On the morning of New Year’s Day, not only Tianniu but also Ye Xiaoyu and Lele were still lazing in bed.
In the two rooms, Zhao Qing kept calling out from the living room and knocking repeatedly on the doors. While the replies were quick and enthusiastic, no one actually came out.
He retreated to the kitchen to steam dumplings and left Ye Ermei to handle them.
Ye Ermei was much more straightforward. With the door locked? Bang! Bang! Bang! The whole house seemed to shake. Her scolding voice was joined by a lion’s roar:
“It’s New Year’s Day, and everything must start off right! The sun is already up, and you’re still in bed?! Xiaoyu—Tianniu—get up now!”
Tianniu couldn’t take it anymore and emerged first, hair a tangled mess, snapping, “I’m up! I’m up!” She then shut the door again to get dressed.
The main bedroom door opened too.
But there was no one in sight.
“Second Aunt?”
Looking down, Ye Ermei spotted Lele, the only one she hadn’t specifically called out.
She burst into laughter:
“……”
The mother was less responsible than her child.
Ye Xiaoyu was still curled up in bed under the covers, whining, “Just ten more minutes,” or “Just five more minutes.”
“No.”
“You have to set a good example for Lele.”
“But I’m still a baby too!”
“WHAT?!”
Ye Ermei yanked off the covers.
After a fierce tug-of-war, Ye Xiaoyu tried to hang onto the blanket but couldn’t—it was too heavy. Her plan failed. With all the commotion, she was finally awake.
Opening her eyes, she gave her sister a big hug, then hugged Lele, smothering them both with kisses. Full of warmth and affection, she declared, “Happy New Year! I love you all!”
“……” Ye Ermei didn’t even know how to respond. Her anger dissipated entirely.
This younger sister was reliable at times and utterly childish at others. It felt more like raising a daughter who loved to act spoiled.
Oddly enough, she could be stricter with Tianniu than with Xiaoyu.
Tianniu: “Should I just leave?”
Once the three sleepyheads had washed up, the dumplings were ready and served on the table.
Instead of boiled dumplings, these were steamed, meant to be dipped in sauce. The sauce was a blend of soy sauce and vinegar in a 3:1 ratio, with minced garlic and green onions added for flavor. The tangy vinegar made the dumplings even more appetizing.
Lele loved vinegar, rolling his dumplings in it thoroughly, while Ye Xiaoyu preferred just a light dip.
New Year’s Day wasn’t a time for visiting relatives and friends, but neighbors often stopped by. Back then, people weren’t as distant from one another as they would be in the future, and there was frequent interaction, especially among children.
After breakfast, Ye Xiaoyu, dressed in a bright red cotton jacket, took Lele, also in red, to visit the neighbors with a bag of gifts they had prepared the previous day. If they encountered children, they would hand out little red envelopes. In return, Lele would often receive candies, snacks, or even red envelopes from others.
To thank Grandma Yang for pointing the way for Ye Ermei last time, Ye Xiaoyu had prepared a slightly larger red envelope for the Yang family’s little girl, Yang Zhirou. Grandma Yang and her daughter, Yang Qian, also gave Lele a lot in return, including apples, oranges, and even a red envelope.
After much polite refusal, Grandma Yang finally accepted the gifts. “We visited your store—it was so lively and busy.”
Yang Qian coughed heavily nearby. She had seen two types of people: those who loved to brag about their humble beginnings and those who avoided the subject. She also didn’t want Ye Xiaoyu to misunderstand, thinking they had gone out of their way to check on her.
In truth, they had just been passing by.
Ye Xiaoyu neither bragged nor avoided the topic, simply smiling as she said, “I must have been so busy then that I didn’t see you. Otherwise, I would’ve offered you a discount card!”
“How could we take that? Running a business isn’t easy for you either. Look at you—you’ve gotten so thin, practically a stick. Eat well during the holiday and regain your health!”
Yang Qian couldn’t help but laugh at this. Ye Xiaoyu wasn’t stick-thin—she had blossomed into a beauty, rivaling the TV hosts at her neighbor’s workplace.
Grandma Yang didn’t know what her daughter found amusing and gave her a disapproving look. To her, Ye Xiaoyu was sharp and capable, not someone who’d lose her footing.
Ye Xiaoyu chuckled, too. At 147 pounds, she wasn’t exactly thin but wasn’t about to argue. She simply said, “Yes, yes. Let’s all have a great New Year.”
The only neighbor not at home was the beautiful Yu Mingzhu across the hall, which wasn’t surprising—she had likely gone back to her hometown for the New Year.
Yu Mingzhu was somewhat of a minor celebrity in the neighborhood. Despite her aloofness and lack of social interactions, many people projected labels onto her like “arrogant” or “looking down on others,” which might have had more to do with her lower emotional intelligence than anything else.
Her fame stemmed not only from her stunning beauty and icy demeanor but also from her background—she was the daughter of a former radio station director.
In Yeguo, where interpersonal connections mattered greatly, it was unsurprising that she was allocated her own apartment. However, her father had retired, and Yu Mingzhu had recently been transferred to the neighboring TV station. Word around the block was that she wasn’t getting along with her colleagues there either, prompting some to gloat, “New boss, new rules.”
These little gossip tidbits were nothing more than amusement to Ye Xiaoyu. Today, she regretted missing out on seeing such a striking beauty in person.
With no work, no chores, and nothing pressing, the rest of the day was for pure leisure.
Feeling cooped up at home, Ye Xiaoyu took Lele and Tianniu downstairs to play.
In her previous life, Ye Xiaoyu had been a gaming pro—from school events to corporate team-building activities, she could dominate almost any game. However, this time around, things had changed. Many children’s teams rejected her outright for being an adult. Thankfully, one group welcomed her, perhaps hoping for the novelty of a “grown-up’s humiliation.”
Little did they know they had invited a powerhouse. Ye Xiaoyu, a self-proclaimed Game Master, coupled with her enhanced physical abilities in this life, was practically unstoppable.
Eventually, they played Eagle and Chick, where more and more children joined the “chick” lineup, adding to the chaos.
Ye Xiaoyu also introduced classic games like Musical Chairs, Freeze Tag, Radish Squat, and Group Hug. She encouraged the kids to involve their siblings, parents, and even grandparents, creating a bustling multi-generational playground.
Parents watching from the sidelines were both amazed and amused by the new “Child Whisperer.” Some eventually joined in, while others stuck to watching, but everyone wore broad smiles.
By lunchtime, the children reluctantly returned home. As Ye Xiaoyu gnawed on a drumstick, she noticed kids waiting by the door for her.
Caught off guard, Ye Ermei and Zhao Qing exchanged confused looks.
Ye Xiaoyu invited the children in, offering snacks and TV to keep them occupied while she finished eating.
The afternoon’s games were less physically intense, featuring activities like Pass the Parcel.
The neighborhood turned out to have many talented adults—some played the harmonica, others strummed the guitar, sang beautifully, or danced gracefully. Their performances drew gasps of awe and admiration from the children, who were visibly inspired. Seeds of aspiration may have been planted in their young hearts.
Ye Xiaoyu herself lacked these artistic talents but wasn’t shy. She told stories, cracked jokes from her mental “Cold Joke Archive,” and even performed a set of military-style exercises.
The most popular game was Truth or Dare, where simple questions like “Do you love your mom?” made the kids blush, and their heartfelt answers moved their parents. The dares, meanwhile, were lighthearted and fun, leaving everyone in stitches.
By the end of the day, Ye Xiaoyu had earned the title of “Neighborhood Kid Leader” and even established a rapport with several parents—a delightful bonus that could prove helpful for her business plans in the coming year
update soon please 🤧🙏