Chapter 48.1

Mother Jiang was indifferent. As long as she could have a reunion dinner with Jiang Yu and the family, she was content. As for everything else, she believed the children should have their own lives.

In the afternoon, Mother Jiang and Father Jiang helped with the decorating. When they ran out of decorations, Jiang Zhe drove with Jiang Yu to buy more. By New Year’s Eve, the house was fully decorated with red, festive ornaments that brought a lively New Year atmosphere.

This kind of lively celebration was something Jiang Zhe had never experienced before.

He had already brought his grandmother and mother over early. His grandmother was dressed festively in a red cotton jacket and black pants, even wearing a little lipstick.

As soon as she saw the little baby, she eagerly stuffed a red envelope into her arms. “Here you go, little one, take this.”

Seeing Jiang Zhe’s grandmother giving the red envelope so early, Mother Jiang immediately said, “Isn’t it a bit too early to be giving out red envelopes?”

The grandmother responded, “It’s not too early. I’ll give another one later tonight.”

Mother Jiang, amused, looked at her daughter and said, “Look at how much Grandma spoils the kids.”

The grandmother replied, “What’s wrong with giving a bit more? I don’t have many years left to do this.”

Her words brought a moment of silence.

Jiang Yu quickly said, “Grandma, you’re going to live to be 100, strong and healthy.”

The grandmother was delighted, smiling as she said, “Alright, alright. As long as you and Xiao Zhe are happy, Grandma will live a long life.”

“We will.”

Jiang Zhe took the lead in preparing the New Year’s dinner in the kitchen, with help from Jiang Yu’s parents and his own mother. The grandmother wanted to help too, but they gently ushered her out. Jiang Yu took her over to the baby’s crib and said, “Grandma, let my mom and the others handle the cooking. You can keep Luo Luo company.”

The grandmother nodded. “Alright.”

She then sighed, “It’s been so long since I’ve had such a lively New Year. Every year, after New Year’s dinner, Xiao Zhe would come over to visit. This is the first time his mother has spent the New Year with us since she got married.”

Seeing the grandmother like this made Jiang Yu feel a pang of sadness. She understood that it wasn’t because the grandmother didn’t want to spend New Year’s with the family, but because Jiang Zhe’s father’s traditional views had kept them apart.

Jiang Yu smiled at her grandmother. “From now on, we’ll have New Year’s dinner together every year.”

“Alright.”

That night’s New Year’s dinner was abundant and marked the first time in many years that Shen Qiuli had such a relaxed meal on New Year’s Eve.

After dinner, the grandmother handed out two more red envelopes to the little ones, as well as to Jiang Yu and Jiang Zhe. She then said to them, “Alright, we won’t hold you up any longer. Your mom and I will head home.”

Mother Jiang immediately chimed in, “What’s the rush to leave? There are lots of activities downstairs tonight. Let’s go check them out.”

Shen Qiuli didn’t want to go home so early either, so she took her mother’s hand and said, “Yes, let’s go downstairs and have a look.”

Mother Jiang told Jiang Yu and Jiang Zhe, “You two go have fun. Don’t worry about us. We’ll take Grandma and your mom home later.”

After they left, Jiang Yu looked around their little home and suddenly remarked, “Jiang Zhe, don’t you think our house is a bit too small?”

There’s not even a suitable room for the elders to stay in if they want to spend the night occasionally.

Jiang Zhe asked directly, “Do you prefer a villa or a large flat?”

Jiang Yu had originally just thought about getting a bigger place, but since he asked, she didn’t hold back. “I’ve never lived in a villa before. Are you planning to buy one for us?”

“Sure, we’ll go look after the New Year.”

Jiang Yu joked, “You’re not going to drain our savings just to buy a villa, are you?”

“No, I’ve already set aside money for that.”

Jiang Yu was just casually bringing it up and hadn’t expected Jiang Zhe to have already made plans. She asked curiously, “Is that why you didn’t want to help your sister, because you’d already decided to buy a new house?”

Jiang Zhe replied, “Partly, but not entirely. I want to give you and our child a better life. I’m not alone anymore, so I can’t be indifferent to everything.”

Jiang Yu jumped into his arms, hugging his neck as she excitedly praised him. “Jiang Zhe, the longer I’m with you, the more I realize what a great person you are.”

Jiang Zhe caught her as she suddenly leaped at him and said, “It’s what I should do.”

But Jiang Yu’s compliments and her infectious joy made Jiang Zhe feel a deep sense of happiness. He started to think he hadn’t done enough, even though he felt he hadn’t done much. Her excitement made him feel he had done more than he actually had.

“Are we still going out?”

“Do you want to go?”

Jiang Yu shook her head. “No, I don’t. Let’s just stay home and watch the Spring Festival Gala tonight. We can go out tomorrow instead.”

“Alright.”

Jiang Zhe sat beside her, accompanying her to watch the Spring Festival Gala.

Although the quality of the Spring Festival Gala has been declining over the years, many people still habitually turn it on every New Year’s Eve. In past years, Jiang Zhe would watch it with his grandmother and parents. This year, his mother and the others went downstairs to enjoy the festivities outside, leaving him at home to watch the Gala with Jiang Yu.

Later in the evening, Father Jiang and the others took her grandmother and the rest of the family away, leaving Jiang Yu and Jiang Zhe with no room to decline. While they felt somewhat helpless, this situation only strengthened their resolve to buy a bigger house next year so that everyone in the family could stay together during the holidays.

Little Luo Luo fell asleep especially early that night, even though the sound of firecrackers was deafening outside. The nanny had gone home for the holidays, and Jiang Yu’s parents had to visit relatives over the next few days. So, most of the time, they would have to take care of the child themselves. Jiang Yu gently pinched the little one’s cheek and then asked Jiang Zhe, “If we buy a new house, what should we do with this one? Do we need to sell it?”

Jiang Zhe shook his head. “No, we’ll keep it and leave it to Luo Luo in the future.”

“When she grows up, she’ll buy one herself. Why don’t we sell this one? That way, we won’t be financially strained.”

Jiang Zhe felt that Jiang Yu was seriously underestimating him. “We don’t need to sell the old one to buy a new one. If you like, we could even buy two more.”

Jiang Yu looked at him, surprised. “So my husband is this wealthy, huh?”

Jiang Zhe said, “Wait a moment.”

After a while, he returned with a file bag filled with numerous cards, property deeds, and various stock certificates.

Jiang Zhe spread them out on the bed. “This is everything I own right now. If you like, you can manage it all.”

Jiang Yu asked, “If I manage it, can I spend it?”

Jiang Zhe nodded.

“What if I spend it all?”

“Then I’ll earn more.”

Jiang Yu beamed with joy, but eventually she pushed everything back to him. “I don’t want to. You can send me some pocket money now and then, but I won’t take your money. There’s a saying that the greater the power, the greater the responsibility. I’m not that responsible. I just want to eat, drink, and have fun every day.”

Jiang Zhe put everything back and stored it in a drawer. “I’ll leave it here. If you ever need it, just take it.”

“Alright.”

Although she didn’t plan on using it, knowing where it was made Jiang Yu happy. She thought for a moment and asked, “Since you’ve shown me all your assets, shouldn’t I show you mine too?”

Jiang Zhe declined. “Keep your money. If you ever need more, just ask me. Don’t feel embarrassed.”

Jiang Yu pouted. “I’m not the type to feel embarrassed about asking for money.”

Then she held out her hand and said, “Come on, hubby, give me my New Year’s red envelope.”

Jiang Zhe took out a red envelope and placed it in her hand. Inside was just one hundred yuan. “It’s just a token.”