Jin Yuanyuan's Top-Tier Life

Chapter 118 Another New Year's Eve

It's Lunar New Year's Eve again, and every household is lit up to welcome the new year.

The lively Spring Festival Gala on TV had just begun, with vibrant songs, dances, and drums in full swing.

The Jin Yaya Restaurant was even more lively than on the TV screen. Zhu Hongying and Jin Yuanbao's whole family, Li Lianqing, Cao Xiaoyu, Jin Feiyan, and the old employees of the Jin Yaya Socks Factory were all there. Ye Huanxi also brought her parents to celebrate the New Year. The last to arrive were Jin Jiaya's whole family. They were making a ruckus, as if they wanted to blow the roof off the Jin Yaya Restaurant.

Jin Yuanyuan and Zhao Zhuoran were helping in the kitchen because the food was being served so quickly that it couldn't keep up with their eating pace.

Three days ago, Jin Yuanyuan had been busy with this matter, as it was the most lively family reunion in the Jin family in twenty years. Zhao Zhuoran came to help very proactively, saying that his partner hadn't covered the New Year's Eve shift last year, so it was his turn to do it this year.

The New Year's Eve dinner was very lavish, with twelve main dishes on each table, such as "May you have abundance every year" (sweet and sour carp), "Decorating with lanterns and colorful decorations" (lantern-shaped eggplant), "Bringing in wealth and treasures" (garlic abalone), "Blooming flowers and prosperous life" (shrimp paste and cucumber strips), and "Rising step by step" (sweet and sour pork ribs)... It looked festive and lively, making one's mouth water.

Everyone gathered together and reviewed the past year, including the fire, being scammed, investments, orders, etc. Despite the ups and downs, a year had passed without any losses. In fact, they had just managed to accumulate 30 million yuan, allowing Jin Yuanyuan to fulfill the betting agreement.

That day, Zhu Hongying asked Jin Yuanyuan to officially take over Jin Yaya's hosiery factory, but she surprisingly refused, saying she would wait until the betting agreement was finalized. She was still unsure of her own feelings; she was afraid of being confined by Jin Yaya, yet she also found this kind of life quite interesting, creating a deep internal conflict.

This little restaurant is still the same as before, rustic and unsophisticated. Even the neon sign at the entrance was repaired and patched up twenty years ago. But eating, singing, and dancing here has been just as lively every night for the past twenty years, and it has never changed.

Is it really that outdated? Not really.

Seeing that not all the dishes had been served yet, a group of people ran to the osmanthus tree and planned to hang up all the colorful lights and lanterns.

Jin Yuanbao, carrying a lantern, had already climbed the ladder. A group of people below shouted, insisting on getting him down. But he said, "This dragon lantern is my Yuanyuan's favorite. When she was little, she always looked forward to hanging this lantern on this osmanthus tree. She said that only when the lantern was lit did she feel like it was truly New Year's."

"I'll do it, I can do it!" Cao Xiaoyu moved quickly, grabbing Jin Yuanbao's thigh and pulling him down without a word. She then climbed up to hang the lantern, calling out, "Jin Yuanyuan, take a look, isn't it pretty?"

"Brother, all the ones you hung up look great!" Jin Yuanyuan really knows how to talk. At this moment, she called Cao Xiaoyu "brother," which made everyone very satisfied and happy.

At that moment, He Xiaoyi, a female reporter from the TV station, drove up to the entrance of Jin Yaya Restaurant with two cameramen. The car's headlights flashed, startling them.

"Why are you here? Didn't you tell me beforehand?" Jin Yuanyuan squinted and asked her to turn off the headlights before going over to ask what was going on.

He Xiaoyi looked aggrieved and unhappy. "A pretty young lady came to the program, and the boss sent her to do an interview by West Lake. Then he told me to go to the suburbs for a stroll. So I thought I might as well come and visit you guys. By the way, I switched to new media live streaming, which has higher ratings than TV."

"...This isn't right..." Jin Yuanyuan grinned slightly.

"I heard Tang Dachao spent the New Year here with you..." He Xiaoyi laughed infuriatingly, "Don't ask me how I know, it's because I'm a fan."

"You... I just want to have a quiet New Year..." Jin Yuanyuan glanced at Tang Dachao, who was cooking in the kitchen. He had no airs of a top celebrity at all, and was even grinning as he picked up shrimp and put them in his mouth. Ye Huanxi, standing nearby, didn't treat him like a top star either, and directly reached out to snatch the shrimp, shouting, "Use chopsticks!"

Ye Huanxi was followed by a German man, who was the technician who had previously debugged the new equipment for Jin Yaya. He was so captivated by Ye Huanxi that he insisted on coming to China to date her.

Tsk tsk tsk, this woman is truly terrifying.

Jin Yuanyuan couldn't stop He Xiaoyi either, because He Xiaoyi ignored Jin Yuanyuan and started filming with two cameramen. She even wanted to interview Zhao Zhuoran, saying she wanted him to tell her story over the past year and whether his dream had come true.

"Hey, shouldn't you be asking me?" Jin Yuanyuan pouted again. However, Zhao Zhuoran was so handsome that the number of people giving him likes and tips immediately surged when they saw a good-looking guy on camera. He Xiaoyi's director in her earpiece immediately shouted at him, "Let him say a few more words! Then go find Tang Dachao! We must break our own record today and beat the West Lake group!"

The situation is out of control.

Everyone's desire to perform kicked in. Uncle Qin, Uncle Long, and Aunt Long ran out with shovels in hand, insisting on saying a few words in front of the camera.

Even Zhu Hongying came over with a smile, pulling Jin Yuanbao to stand in front of the camera, saying, "This year has really been tough!"

"Everyone has it tough," the people around them started to grumble.

"Yes, life is tough for everyone!" Zhu Hongying nodded, then looked at Jin Yuanbao. "Life is not easy, so cherish every moment. No one can succeed easily, but as long as you are safe, sound, and peaceful, that's good enough. Living a good life, having some money in your pocket, and having family around are the best things in the world."

With her starting point, everyone began to talk about their lives over the past year and their thoughts on the future, forcing He Xiaoyi to control the time, limiting each person to thirty seconds.

However, how could they possibly control themselves? This group of people laughed and joked, making this New Year's Eve so vibrant. Jin Yuanyuan looked at these familiar faces—family, lovers, friends, and partners—and for the first time, she felt that this was her hometown, the place she cherished most, the place most worthy of her struggle… This was truly the ultimate life for an only child from the Yangtze River Delta region.

Actually, things have changed here. Some people have left, and some have come. Everyone is the same as before, but also different.

Cao Xiaoyu, holding Jin Feiyan's hand, stood under the osmanthus tree, quietly discussing their remarriage; Ye Huanxi and the German technician were explaining the live broadcast in front of them; Zhu Hongying and Jin Yuanbao stood hand in hand; even Tang Dachao quietly tugged at his agent's sleeve and fed her a large shrimp... Everyone was living happily, under the dazzling fireworks, in the gentle breeze that was gradually warming the world again.

Jin Yuanyuan's ultimate life has finally come to an end today. Thank you all for your continued support and reading. Realistic novels are both easy and difficult to write because they are so close to real life. Sometimes I didn't dare to write too much, because these are all stories that happened to my friends—very real… This year, everyone's life has been full of ups and downs, but also warm moments. I hope everyone will have a safe and smooth Lunar New Year!

(End of this chapter)