Chapter 41.2

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was New Year’s Eve.

From five or six in the morning, the city was filled with the sound of firecrackers. The atmosphere was much more festive than in later years. Early in the morning, Wen Yue, Zhou Yao, Ren Yeliang, and Fang Shitao started cleaning the house.

Li Nianqiu also came over with her sister. She said that the tension at home was increasing, and she planned to stay in the county town and avoid going back. The old lady and others were too busy to bother her.

This was Wen Yue’s first New Year in this era.

She wore a new coat Zhou Yao had brought back from Shanghai, a red one. After washing her hair yesterday, her smooth, waist-length black hair was draped over her back. She stood in front of the mirror wearing a scarf she had knitted herself, feeling like she had returned to the future.

Her outfit was very modern.

Zhou Yao also wore a matching black coat. His previously cropped hair had grown longer, with bangs now covering his eyebrows. His long, deep eyes gave him a stylish look, like a male model ready to walk the runway.

He looked very handsome. With his model-like physique, he looked good in anything.

“Why do the same clothes look so different on us compared to Brother Yao?” Ren Yeliang and Fang Shitao also wore the same black coats as Zhou Yao, but due to their shorter height and different builds, they didn’t look as impressive.

Ren Yeliang looked at Zhou Yao, who looked both handsome and stylish, then looked down at himself, feeling short in the coat, and tears of envy welled up in his eyes.

Zhou Yao ignored Ren Yeliang’s wailing.

In the evening, they enjoyed a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. The next day, on the first day of the Lunar New Year, they received red envelopes from Grandma Fang. Although the money inside wasn’t much, it was a gesture of goodwill from an elder.

After a simple breakfast, they set off for the village.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, it was customary to pay respects to ancestors.

The village was bustling. Upon returning, they ran into Li Mingjin and his wife, who had just had a chubby baby boy last month. Because of the money Li Mingjin’s wife had made earlier, the couple greeted Wen Yue and Zhou Yao with bright smiles and even gave Wen Yue a red envelope.

“I heard you went to Shencheng?” Li Mingjin pulled Zhou Yao aside for a smoke.

Zhou Yao bit on his cigarette and nodded.

Li Mingjin asked, “How’s it over in Shencheng? I’ve heard the wages are high there. Is that true?”

“It’s quite high,” Zhou Yao replied, holding a cigarette between his long fingers. He slowly exhaled smoke, which veiled his dark brows, and spoke in a mild tone, “But without connections, it’s hard to find a job in Shencheng. Are you thinking of going there?”

Li Mingjin nodded. “Yeah, I can’t make much money at home. I don’t want my son to end up like me, stuck with farming all day.”

“If you want to leave, come with me after the New Year. Work with me,” Zhou Yao suggested, considering that his team needed more hands. Bringing Li Mingjin along seemed like a good idea. After all, they were from the same village, and it was easier to trust someone familiar.

Li Mingjin turned to look at him. “Work with you?”

“Yes, my team is short on people. The work is hard, but I won’t treat you unfairly,” Zhou Yao nodded.

Li Mingjin frowned. “… Let me think about it. When are you leaving?”

Zhou Yao glanced at Wen Yue, who was playing with Li Mingjin’s chubby son nearby. She looked even more petite in her red coat and scarf, her cheeks flushed and her eyes curved with a gentle smile.

“After the Lantern Festival,” he replied.

Li Mingjin said, “Alright, I’ll let you know once I’ve decided.”

Zhou Yao nodded slightly.

After chatting for a while, Zhou Yao and Wen Yue parted ways with Li Mingjin and his wife.

They visited Zhou Yao’s family. Third Uncle Zhou and Liu Cuicui were at home. Zhou Yao’s second uncle and Lin Fang had divorced after a dispute, which surprised Wen Yue. Despite the divorce, Lin Fang still lived there. Oh, and the widow Liu, who was said to be pregnant with Zhou Yao’s second uncle’s child, had also moved in.

Wen Yue was shocked when she first heard about this. She wondered how such an arrangement could work without being awkward.

As they returned, they saw the pregnant widow Liu. She looked much younger than Lin Fang and was quite attractive. A four- or five-year-old boy, presumably her deceased husband’s child, followed her around.

“Are you Zhou Yao and Yueyue?” Widow Liu asked with a smile, her gaze sweeping over their clothes. “Have you had breakfast? If not, there are some tangyuan in the kitchen. I can make some for you.”

Zhou Yao ignored her.

Wen Yue smiled politely but distantly. “Thank you, we’ve already eaten.”

Their room was still locked. Zhou Yao took out the key and opened the door. It hadn’t been used for a long time and was covered in dust. Wen Yue, standing at the door, sneezed several times and covered her nose.

“You stay out here,” Zhou Yao said, glancing back at her. He went inside briefly, looked around, and came back out, locking the door. “Let’s go up the mountain.”

They carried incense and yellow paper to the mountain to pay their respects to their grandparents and parents. Along the way, they met many villagers who had heard from Ren Yeliang about Zhou Yao taking them to Shencheng.

In the past, people would gossip behind Zhou Yao’s back, calling him idle and unambitious. Now, they praised him openly, saying he was capable and would have a bright future, just like his father.

Zhou Yao didn’t react to their comments, maintaining a neutral expression throughout. Previously, such a demeanor would have been criticized as rude, but now people said that capable individuals often had a bit of a temper.

After a short chat, Zhou Yao and Wen Yue returned to the Fang family home.

Grandma Fang and the others had also finished their ancestor worship and returned home.