Chapter 164: Moving

The day to move had finally arrived.

Grandpa Yun flipped through a small notebook, having specially chosen an auspicious day for moving.

The day was a Saturday, so Yun Xiaowu and his brothers were home from school.

The best time was around eight in the morning, so they all woke up early. Shen Yunlian dressed Yun Jiao in a festive little red dress and styled her hair into two cute little buns.

The ribbons tied in her hair were also red.

She looked just like a little good-luck doll, bringing fortune with her.

Everyone else also changed into new clothes and started bustling about, smiles on every face.

"Let’s go. We’re off to the new house."

Back at the old house, several days of packing and moving had left it feeling rather empty.

Yun Jiao went to pick up Turtle Xiao Er from his water basin, followed at her heels by two chubby, tail-wagging puppies.

"Grandpa, do I have to hold Turtle Xiao Er the whole time?"

Turtles symbolize fortune and longevity. The day before yesterday, Yun Jiao had been foraging by the sea with her mother when this little fellow came looking for her.

Gui Yi had come too, but he hadn’t followed them home.

Since his appearance coincided with their move, bringing Turtle Xiao Er along was considered auspicious.

"Yes. If you get tired, you can have your brothers hold him."

Yun Jiao replied, "I’m not tired."

The beautiful little hawksbill turtle was well-behaved and didn’t fuss.

As they made their way to the new house, the village began to liven up.

They hadn’t invited the entire village for the move, but close acquaintances and good friends would certainly come for the housewarming.

The moment they stepped into the new house, accompanied by everyone loudly chanting auspicious phrases, they had officially moved in.

Yun Jiao placed Turtle Xiao Er in a small basin of seawater on the table.

Yun Linhai and the others greeted their friends and relatives, while Granny Yun, Shen Yunlian, and Wang Mei were busy preparing food.

For a housewarming, one had to knead dough to make Tang Yuan.

And these were Tang Yuan cooked in fermented rice wine.

The pure white Tang Yuan were solid, and with the mellow aroma of the sweet wine, Yun Jiao had five ping-pong-ball-sized ones placed in her small bowl.

One bite was sweet and delightfully chewy.

They were made from glutinous rice.

"Jiaojiao!"

With her mouth full, Yun Jiao heard a familiar voice.

She looked up in pleasant surprise and saw her two older male cousins, her maternal uncle and aunt, and her maternal grandparents.

Yun Jiao put down her little spoon, hopped right off her stool, and threw herself into her older cousin’s arms.

"Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, Auntie, big cousin, little cousin."

Yun Jiao, ever the sweet-talker, greeted each of them in turn.

Uncle Shen took her, lifted her into his arms, and raised her high up in the air. Yun Jiao laughed with pure delight.

Already dressed festively and being a pretty child, her laughter seemed to add even more joy to the new home.

Shen Yunlian came out as well, quickly welcoming them all inside.

After Grandma Shen’s family arrived, Wang Mei’s family came soon after.

However, only two people from her family came.

Wang Mei’s mother and her youngest brother.

Her family was quite large, with three sons and two daughters. With so many people, especially after the sons married and brought their wives home, living together easily led to friction.

Wang Mei’s parents treated all their children well, but every time Wang Mei brought something back from her parents’ home, her sisters-in-law would always make a few snide remarks.

Fortunately, the family had split up the year before last. The large household was divided, and the two elders, unwilling to put up with their daughters-in-law’s attitudes, went to live with their youngest, unmarried son.

Wang Mei was also closest with this younger brother.

"Mother, you two, please sit. I’ll go get you some Tang Yuan," Wang Mei said.

Mrs. Wang fretted, "You go on with your work. Your brother and I will just sit for a bit and then head back. I can’t rest easy leaving your father at home alone to watch all those pigs and sheep."

"You’re already here, you must stay for a little while before you go."

As they were speaking, Yun Jiao walked over carrying a bowl of Tang Yuan.

"Grand-aunt, have some Tang Yuan."

"Oh, yes, good... This—this must be Jiaojiao, right? So pretty, so very pretty."

The old woman had a full head of white hair and dark, weathered skin covered in visible wrinkles, but she was actually only in her forties, not yet fifty.

Bearing so many children, on top of the endless work both inside and outside the home, had made her look exceptionally old.

Her youngest son, the man standing next to her, was about twenty years old.

"Sis, Jiaojiao is just as pretty as you said!"

The man had the same dark skin, but he was handsome in a wholesome way. When he smiled, he revealed a set of white teeth, giving him a cheerful appearance.

"Uncle Hongfei."

"Hey, Jiaojiao, you’re such a good girl."

Wang Hongfei pulled a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to Yun Jiao.

Yun Jiao took it happily. "Thank you, Uncle Hongfei. I’ll go get you some Tang Yuan."

She skipped away and returned with a bowl of Tang Yuan, the lollipop already in her mouth.

"Uncle Hongfei, for you."

Wang Mei still had things to do and couldn’t stay with them the whole time.

Yun Xiaoqi and Yun Xiao Ba were called over.

Along with Yun Jiao, the three youngsters kept the two guests company.

Wang Hongfei had come prepared with lollipops for the children, one for each of them.

However, Wang Hongfei clearly preferred talking to his pretty little niece, Yun Jiao.

"I’d be so happy if I could have a daughter as pretty as you someday."

Hearing this, Mrs. Wang shot her youngest son a look.

"You’ve got some nerve. I’ve already introduced you to several potential partners, and you haven’t taken a liking to any of them. If you want a daughter, go find yourself a wife first!"

She was truly worried sick about her youngest son’s marriage prospects.

Wang Hongfei rubbed his nose sheepishly. ’Curse my big mouth,’ he thought, ’how did I even bring this up?’

"Well, I just... I want to earn a bit more money first."

"Money isn’t that easy to earn! Look how old you are. Other people’s kids your age are already old enough to run errands for their family!"

"Alright, alright, Mother, stop. Jiaojiao and the others are watching."

Wang Hongfei looked at her pleadingly.

He quickly found an excuse to leave and go find Yun Chenbei.

Yun Jiao also left to find the two little chubby dogs.

Most people left after eating the Tang Yuan, leaving behind a few close sisters-in-law to help Shen Yunlian and Wang Mei with the dishes.

Yun Jiao loved the sweet wine broth the Tang Yuan was cooked in. Cradling her small bowl, she went to her mother for another serving of the broth and drank it with her eyes blissfully closed.

With her two chubby dogs in tow, Yun Jiao wandered around the new house and soon spotted her Uncle Hongfei and her fourth brother, huddled together and talking.

She crept closer to listen.

"Listen to me. I’ve seen the things you make before. That stuff will definitely sell well up north."

"I’ve already looked into it. There’s a big shortage of goods up north right now—clothes, watches, radios, things like that. And those little gadgets you make will definitely sell too. If you don’t want to do business, I will."

Yun Chenbei frowned. "But, Uncle, where will you get the money to buy stock?"

Wang Hongfei replied, "I borrowed some from a friend and scraped together about a thousand yuan. It’s not much, but if I sell things bit by bit, it’ll grow. I’ve also gotten two buddies to join in. My plan is to go to Hong Kong City first to stock up, then head north."

"Uncle Hongfei, are you going into business?"

Yun Jiao’s sudden voice made Wang Hongfei jump.

He squatted down and covered Yun Jiao’s little mouth, looking around furtively. When he didn’t see his mother, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"SHHH... You can’t let your grand-aunt know about this."