ebookland Chapter 2014: The Backyard is on Fire!
Chapter 2014: The Backyard is on Fire!
The heavy red envelope in Zhang Jingyang's hand was large and red, like a piece of burning charcoal, making his fingertips numb.
He subconsciously glanced at Li Xiangnan, who had followed him, and saw that his friend's face also showed the same unexpected astonishment. His heart skipped a beat!
Oh no, this red envelope is too thick! It's thicker than usual, and it's even thicker than what's expected for this occasion!
Zhang Jingyang was one of Li Xiangnan's earliest buddies, and he knew everything about Li Xiangnan and Lin Chuqiao's past relationship.
Back in Lijia Village, Hongshan County, their marriage was due to the times, as well as the reward for Xiao Li's passionate persistence.
Of course, the subsequent peaceful breakup was filled with helplessness and mutual compromise.
Not many people knew about this to begin with. In the 80s, divorce was not a respectable thing, and everyone tacitly kept it a secret.
Moreover, the Lin family themselves needed a certain level of respectability in official circles.
But precisely because of this, Zhang Jingyang learned about Li Xiangnan's attitude towards Lin Chuqiao through repeated interactions.
To put it in a more sophisticated way, it's like "never seeing each other again until death."
To put it bluntly, it's called "a good horse doesn't eat the grass it has already grazed."
If everyone maintains a superficially respectable attitude and keeps a proper distance, life will be fine, and we can get by.
That's why Zhang Jingyang was so alarmed at this moment.
At this critical juncture, what does Lin Chuqiao mean by suddenly presenting such a generous gift?
Can't forget your old flame?
still is……
The neighbors and a few friends who had arrived early noticed Zhang Jingyang's frozen expression and the large red envelope that was obviously thicker and larger than the usual ones. Curious eyes were cast over, and whispers spread like ripples on water.
"My goodness, Miss Lin's red envelope... it looks quite large!"
"Tsk tsk, the Lin family is indeed generous, they've come up with this right off the bat!"
"That's so generous! We have no complaints about this sentiment!"
The surrounding noise made Zhang Jingyang the center of attention, putting him in a difficult position.
Once the red envelope is handed to you, it would be against the rules not to open it, count the contents, and register them in front of everyone.
"Brother Zhang!"
Tao Zhengtie nudged his arm to remind him.
He wasn't stupid. From the moment he entered the machine repair factory's hospital, he knew Li Xiangnan's character, as well as the fact that Miss Lin had come to see him several times later.
This red envelope... sigh, the debt of gratitude is hard to repay!
But now, we have no choice but to bite the bullet and tear it down!
Zhang Jingyang took a deep breath, trying to steady his trembling hands, and tore open the seal on the red paper.
brush!
The neighbors all craned their necks.
Stacks of thick 100-yuan bills were revealed, neatly tied together, but the edges were not so new and smooth; some were old, and some even had creases.
Zhang Jingyang's heart sank even further.
He hadn't experienced having so much money in one go in a long time.
It's really heavy!
Holding his breath, he called out "Xiao Tao" and began counting with her cooperation.
Suddenly, the surroundings fell silent, and almost everyone's eyes were focused on his moving fingers and the numbers he softly uttered.
"Ten, twenty, thirty..."
As the numbers climbed, gasps of surprise began to rise from the crowd.
The room grew increasingly quiet!
Cui Xingjian, who was greeting guests at the door, twitched his mouth and kept glancing at Wang Defa and Song Ziming, who were helping out not far away.
The two men were helping to arrange peanuts, melon seeds, and candies when they saw Cui Xingjian's embarrassed expression. They turned to look at the screen wall and stopped what they were doing, exchanging shocked glances.
"Oh no, Chu Qiao is here. Will she cause any trouble?"
"probably not!"
"Then...what happened?"
"Hurry up and have a look!"
The two noticed Zhang Jingyang sitting at the table with a flushed face and Li Xiangnan looking shocked, so they quickly walked over.
They may have met Zhang Jingyang and Li Xiangnan at different times, but they both had similar guesses and worries in their minds as Zhang Jingyang!
Today is an extremely important day for Li Xiangnan, and they don't want to see any accidents happen!
Especially since we've prepared for so long and our actions are all directed outwards, we can't afford to let our own people lose their composure and cause trouble at home!
However, once they got close enough and saw the positions of Zhang Jingyang, Lin Chuqiao, and Li Xiangnan, as well as the amount of money that Zhang Jingyang and Tao Zheng were counting together on the table, they immediately understood the situation and were dumbfounded!
More than nine hundred yuan!?
This is almost the total income of an average worker for two or three years!
Why is Lin Chuqiao doing this to herself?
"...950, 955, 956, 957, 958!"
When the last five-yuan note and several one-yuan notes were clearly announced, a moment of deathly silence fell over the courtyard!
Immediately, with a buzz, the discussion exploded!
"My God! Nine hundred and fifty-eight yuan! So much money! This is way too much!"
"There are even whole and odd amounts! So much money, how many years would it take to save up that much!"
"Goodness, Miss Lin's affection for the Li family is truly as deep as the sea!"
Various surprised, envious, and speculative gazes swept back and forth between Lin Chuqiao, Li Xiangnan, and Zhang Jingyang, all deeply shocked.
Sweat was really dripping down Zhang Jingyang's forehead!
He wasn't unfamiliar with money, but in those days, the usual gifts for weddings and funerals among ordinary neighbors were 50 cents or a dollar for ordinary people, a dollar or two for closer friends, five or ten dollars for friends, and ten or twenty dollars for close relatives. If someone received a "big gift" of thirty or fifty dollars for a family's event, they would really talk about it for half a year!
Nowadays, the average monthly wage for workers is only thirty or forty yuan!
This 958 yuan, with both odd and even amounts, clearly represents everything he had!
This gift is far too generous!
It was so heavy it was burning your hand, so heavy it left you at a loss, so heavy even Zhang Jingyang, a seasoned veteran of social interactions, didn't know how to handle it!
Looking at Lin Chuqiao, whose expression was calm, even somewhat overly calm, and then at Li Xiangnan, whose face was complicated and who seemed to want to say something but hesitated, a sense of loyalty and worry welled up in his heart again.
As a friend, he naturally couldn't stand by and watch Li Xiangnan be in a difficult position, nor could he let the situation continue to be awkward.
Although it's not yet time for guests to gather and present gifts, the people helping out, the neighbors passing by, and the Li family's core circle of close relatives and friends are all here. These people are the foundation of the Li family's presence in Yanjing, the basis of their success. We can't allow any uncontrollable factors to appear at the Li family's celebratory banquet so early in the morning.
With this in mind, Zhang Jingyang forced himself to calm down, speaking in a gentle tone that was still loud enough for everyone around him to hear clearly.
“Chu Qiao,” he addressed her with a more intimate tone, a sincere smile on his face, “this gift… is far too precious, shockingly so! We’re all family here, and I know your feelings. We’ve all seen and appreciated your love for Xiang Nan, the Li family, and Xiao Xitang; it’s more valuable than anything else…”
As if knowing what he was going to say, Lin Chuqiao raised her head and shifted her gaze from his face to the direction of the central courtyard.
"No matter how much money this is, it can't express my feelings for Xitang. Write it down!"
"..."
These words caused another stir among the audience.
Sweat poured down Zhang Jingyang's face again...