CHAPTER 788: 788 PREPARATION

It’s normal for Dad to be concerned about Xiao Jiu; he’s the youngest child.

"Dad, if I can establish myself in the Capital in these three years, I’ll give Xiao Jiu a hand."

Yang Jiahui nodded; his son was very understanding. As a father, he naturally hoped his sons would help each other.

Not to mention, he’s even more concerned about his youngest son. When the two left the Yang Family that afternoon, they took back many gifts.

The sisters-in-law grumbled angrily at home, thinking Zeng Hongling was cunning for keeping up appearances.

Actually, they didn’t realize that even if given the opportunity, they couldn’t do such things primarily because their own families were average. There was nothing from their natal families to bring back to show off.

But knowing they’d be leaving in a few days, and for several years, they felt much at ease in their hearts.

On New Year’s Eve, they followed the Northern custom of making dumplings.

Shen Yuexing, as a girl, was really industrious and handled everything neatly and efficiently.

This made Zeng Hongling feel at ease; with their siblings leaving, there was still someone to take care of the family.

Su Yuanyuan looked at the things they were bringing, there were several ivory ornaments, and the rest mostly gold.

"Is this to exchange for money?"

Zeng Hongling nodded, "Yes, to exchange for money. If we can really invest, I think it will require spending money. Our family doesn’t have cash.

Yuanyuan, can I sell these to you?" Zeng Hongling said with difficulty, reluctant to sell such good things to outsiders.

Su Yuanyuan nodded, "Sure, I’ll give you the money when I get back." These were indeed good things, too precious to sell to others.

"Yuanyuan, does this make us seem too distant?" Zeng Hongling felt very embarrassed.

"How could it? This actually shows closeness. Even brothers settle accounts clearly, don’t overthink it. I like these as well, and I have money, so it works out well."

This made Zeng Hongling feel more at ease; their family genuinely paid attention to relationships, and these items, if taken out, would surely find buyers.

"Yuanyuan, if you don’t like gold, feel free to pick something else."

Su Yuanyuan thought about it; she indeed had too much gold in her space, and it could be exchanged for other things. Moreover, within the next twenty years, gold would still hold its value, so they could convert it into cash when needed later.

"That’s fine, you keep the gold, I’ll pick some other things."

Su Yuanyuan intended to give them ten thousand yuan. There were three ivory carvings, so she would choose seven more items. Although it might seem like a bad deal now, in the future, she would gain significantly.

Zeng Yaozu took the two girls to the cellar. Wow, this cellar was like a modern-day basement, entirely made of stone bricks.

"Xiao Su, you choose whatever you like."

In the end, Su Yuanyuan chose a beautiful piece of coral, which required a whole box to pack.

There was also a bronze furnace and a set of chime bells.

"Mr. Zeng, just these few items. Is it ten thousand yuan in total?"

"No need, choose a few more."

Zeng Yaozu didn’t want to take advantage? Su Yuanyuan also didn’t want to take advantage. Since they were on good terms and willing to do business, losing a bit was acceptable because these things would be priceless in the future.

"That’s enough, I won’t take more. Maybe in a few decades, these things will increase by a hundred or even a thousand times."

Zeng Yaozu laughed, "That’s something for decades later; right now, it’s today’s value.

I won’t say more; let me give you a painting."

This way, both parties were quite satisfied.

Once the items were brought out, Zeng Yixin took charge of wrapping them, which required some skill.

The remaining time was spent preparing food. In summer, you could only eat in the dining car, but in this weather, you could bring your own food.

On the fifth day, the couple returned to the Yang Family.

Even if it was just a courtesy, no one said anything inappropriate.

Only Yang Jiulang looked at the couple with a face full of resentment.

But he also knew that unless Dad agreed, he wouldn’t dare to leave.

He was going crazy being bothered by his mom, always thinking about setting him up with someone, wanting him to marry and settle down.

But there was truly no one he liked; this was a lifetime matter. How could he settle for less than someone he liked? So he thought about escaping.

They’d been married for almost a month. They only ate at the Yang Family for a few days, and because this time they were leaving on a long journey, Zeng Hongling kept company with her mother-in-law by chatting.

"Hongling, you guys need to be careful outside. Why do you keep wanting to leave? Xiao Jiu has already pestered your dad several times."

"We just think that while we’re young, and you both are still healthy, we want to see the outside world and broaden our horizons."

"Go ahead, I’m not stopping you, just write home often."

"Mom, don’t worry, we will definitely write home regularly."

"Be careful with everything outside."

Listening to her mother-in-law’s endless instructions, Zeng Hongling didn’t feel impatient, just smiled and listened, feeling everything was quite good.

The couple stayed for dinner that night, mainly to accompany the elderly.

On the morning of the sixth day, Zeng Yaozu and his sons watched the children who were about to leave, feeling reluctant.

Zeng Hongling and her siblings also felt reluctant, but they still had to leave; the train was at nine in the morning.

Two large suitcases were filled with things Su Yuanyuan had collected. The rest mostly consisted of food items.

Zeng Hongling looked at her grandfather and father standing on the platform, and couldn’t help but shed tears.

Yang Liulang stood by her side, accompanying her. "We’ll be back."

"Yes, we will definitely be back."

The days on the train were quite monotonous. At first, Yang Liulang went to buy groceries, and the four of them ate in the carriages. Later, three went to the dining car to eat, while one stayed to watch over their items, as they were too precious.

The train was heading to the Capital, and Su Yuanyuan had already called the sanatorium. She asked someone to send the car back to the Capital. Initially, they thought about heading to the seaside directly, but there was no direct route, they had to get to the Capital first. So they had to trouble someone.

When they arrived in the Capital, it had already reached the lunar month of February. They found a tricycle at the train station to take them home.

Once home, Su Yuanyuan felt much more relaxed.

"It seems that Daoist Zhan and Wei Guangxiang didn’t stay at home."

"Indeed, the house has gathered dust."

The four of them tidied up quickly, and the house warmed up significantly with the fire.

"I’ll go ask Daoist Zhan where they are."

"Okay, I’ll nap first. It felt like I was exhausted the moment I got home." For days, Zeng Hongling had been feeling a lack of energy.

After Su Yuanyuan left, Yang Liulang prepared water for her to bathe. After cleaning up, she lay on the kang and slept deeply.

This kind of sleepiness was contagious. Yang Liulang lay down beside her and fell asleep too, feeling particularly comfortable, thinking he should install such a heated kang at home in the future before drifting off.