Going home for the Chinese New Year with a year-end bonus of 100 million

Pushing open the courtyard gate, warm light shone into the house.

Wang Xiuying was squatting by the stove adding coal when she heard the noise and turned around:

"You're back? Come in and warm up."

The stove was burning brightly, and the firebox emitted an orange-red light.

A kettle sat on the stove, its spout hissing as white steam rose.

The room was filled with the distinctive smell of coal fire, mixed with a sense of home.

"Mom," Yang Fan called out, and went into the house with his father and sister.

Wang Xiuying stood up, dusted the coal dust off her hands, and carefully examined the faces of the three people:

"What's wrong? You don't look too good. Did you not enjoy the meal?"

Yang Jianguo didn't say anything, but sat down on the old sofa by the stove, took out a cigarette and lit it.

Yang Ya had been holding it in the whole way, but now she finally couldn't hold back anymore:

"Mom, you didn't hear that! What my uncle and aunt said at the dinner table was infuriating!"

She recounted everything that happened at the banquet in detail.

When Wang Xiuying mentioned that her aunt said Yang Fan took out a loan to buy a car to show off, she frowned.

Her face darkened when she heard that Yang Lei had chimed in.

When Yang Jianye pointed at his father and questioned him at the end, her hands clenched the hem of her apron.

"This elder brother and sister-in-law..." Wang Xiuying's voice trembled slightly:

"How could you talk about the child like that in front of so many people? It's one thing to say it casually at other times, but this is the New Year, and in front of the whole village..."

Yang Jianguo took a deep drag on his cigarette, the smoke swirling in the firelight: "Alright, that's enough."

"How could I say less?" Wang Xiuying's eyes reddened.

"Aren't they blatantly trying to put us down? Our Fanfan has finally achieved something, and they can't stand it?"

Yang Ya was also fuming:

"That's right! Mom and Dad, that's the kind of people my uncle's family are! When my cousin came back before, he slaughtered a sheep and invited everyone in the village, but he didn't invite our family."

"You two may not mind, but I will! I don't want to have anything to do with their family anymore!"

"Xiaoya!" Yang Jianguo snapped, "Shut up! That's your uncle!"

The room fell silent.

The only sounds were the crackling of burning coal in the stove and the hissing of the kettle on the stove.

After a long while, Yang Jianguo finally spoke again.

He flicked his cigarette ash and looked at his son: "Xiao Fan."

"Dad," Yang Fan replied.

"What your uncle and aunt said..." Yang Jianguo carefully chose his words, "was a bit harsh. But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense."

He paused, then continued:

"Your parents are worried about you. As for the car, just buy something basic for commuting; why waste money on something so expensive?"

"Dad doesn't know where you got so much money. Are you really going to pay back seven or eight thousand a month, like your cousin said?"

The question was asked cautiously, carrying the deep concern of a father.

Looking at his father's gray hair and the wrinkles etched on his face by the years, Yang Fan felt a pang of sadness.

"Dad, Mom." His voice was steady.

"Don't listen to their nonsense. I bought this car in full, without any loans. You can ask Xiaoya if you don't believe me."

Yang Ya nodded immediately: "Mom and Dad, it's true! The car registration certificate was at home, I saw it with my own eyes!"

Wang Xiuying breathed a sigh of relief, but Yang Jianguo's brows were still furrowed.

"Xiao Fan," he took another drag of his cigarette, "it's okay to be poor and have no money to make money. But you must always obey the law when you're out there, and don't do anything... illegal or disorderly."

That's a very strong statement.

But Yang Fan understood.

When outsiders see that you've made money, they'll only flatter you and envy you.

Only parents worry about whether your money came from a clean source or whether you've gone astray.

"Dad." Yang Fan looked into his father's eyes:

"I bought the car this year after working on two projects with the company and earning some money."

"Don't worry, this money is cleanly obtained. Your son is a law-abiding person and wouldn't do such a thing."

That was said very seriously.

Yang Jianguo stared at his son for a long while before slowly nodding:

"That's good...that's good..."

Wang Xiuying then spoke, her voice tinged with reproach:

"You old man! The kids finally managed to earn some money to come home for the New Year, and you're just spouting nonsense!"

"After all this talk, the child isn't coming back next year. Let's see what you're going to do then!"

She paused for a moment after saying this, then her eyes reddened even more.

Yang Jianguo didn't say anything, he just kept his head down and smoked.

Yang Fan felt a pang in his heart.

Not being able to go home for the Chinese New Year for the past two years is a pain that will always remain in his heart.

It's not that I don't want to go back, it's that I'm ashamed to go back—I have no money in my pocket, work is not going well, and going back would only make my parents worry more.

"Mom," his voice was a little hoarse, "it won't happen again. I promise you, I will come home every year for Chinese New Year."

Wang Xiuying's tears finally fell.

She quickly tried to wipe it with her apron, but the more she wiped, the more it spread.

"Mom, why are you crying?" Yang Ya went over and hugged her mother.

"My brother's back, isn't he? And he's made something of himself, we should be happy!"

"Yes...yes..." Wang Xiuying choked up, "We should be happy...our Xiaofan has made something of himself, we should be happy..."

Just then, Yang Ya's phone rang.

She took it out and her eyes lit up:

"Feed?...Yes, I'm Yang Xiaoya....Ah, we're here?"

"So fast?... Yes, yes, at home, everyone's at home."

"The address is Group 3, Liushuwang Village, in the town, Yang Jianguo's home... Okay, okay, we'll wait!"

After hanging up the phone, she said excitedly:

"Brother, all the things I ordered online have arrived! The delivery truck is already in town and will be at our house in about twenty minutes!"

Wang Xiuying was taken aback: "What did you buy this time?"

"Oh, Mom, I just bought some things for the house," Yang Ya said vaguely. "Sofa, air conditioner, TV... basically, I bought a little bit of everything the house was missing."

"You child!" Wang Xiuying exclaimed in exasperation.

"We have everything we need at home, no need to spend this money! The sofa is still usable, the TV is still on, and the air conditioner... we've managed all these years without it, haven't we?"

"Mom—" Yang Ya said coquettishly, "Life is better now, we should enjoy it! Besides, this is all from my brother!"

Yang Jianguo also spoke up: "Xiaofan, Xiaoya, you don't earn money easily, don't spend it recklessly. We really don't need anything..."

"Dad, Mom," Yang Fan interrupted his father.

"This isn't wasteful spending. Our family wasn't well-off before, and you saved every penny to support our education."

"Now that we have the ability, it's time for you to live a better life."

These words were spoken calmly, but carried great weight.

Wang Xiuying opened her mouth, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she just sighed: "You guys..."

"..."

Twenty minutes later.

At the village entrance, the banquet had ended, but many people were still cleaning up the tables, chairs, and dishes.

Just then, a small blue truck drove into the village.

The truck was loaded with boxes of all sizes, stacked high.

At the very top is a standing air conditioner, still in its packaging, its white body standing out prominently.

Below that are refrigerators, televisions, washing machines... all kinds of home appliances.

The vehicle was not driving fast because the road was narrow and the cargo was loaded high.

"Wow, whose house bought all this? So much stuff!"

"Looking at this truckload of home appliances, it must have cost a lot of money, right?"

"Did you bring these to the countryside to sell? These things aren't easy to sell in our rural area..."

The villagers stopped what they were doing and started talking about it.

The car drove to the open space at the edge of the village and stopped.

The driver's side window rolled down, and a driver in his thirties leaned out:

"Excuse me, fellow villager, how do I get to Yang Xiaoya's house? It's Yang Jian's house."

An auntie who was tidying up a table looked up: "Oh, the Yang family! Go up from here, turn left, it's the third house. The one with the black Mercedes parked in front."

"Okay, thank you!" the driver said, and was about to close the window.

Unable to contain her curiosity, the aunt asked another question: "Master, did the Yang family buy all of these?"

The driver nodded: "Yes, a lady named Yang Xiaoya bought them. They're all from her company."

"My God!" A man next to him chimed in, "This truckload must be expensive, right? At least thirty or forty thousand?"

The driver laughed: "Thirty or forty thousand? Brother, you're underestimating this truck. It's all brand-name goods—Gree air conditioners, Haier refrigerators, Hisense TVs... I did the math, this truck alone is worth at least seventy or eighty thousand."

"I guess they're making money outside. These kids are quite filial."

After saying that, he rolled up the car window, started the car, and slowly drove towards the village.

He left behind a profound silence.

Then, with a "boom," the discussion exploded.

"Seventy or eighty thousand?!"

"My goodness! A truckload of appliances costs seventy or eighty thousand!"

"No wonder he drives a 500,000 yuan car! He's really struck it rich!"

"I was just thinking that the car might have been bought on loan."

"But this house cost seventy or eighty thousand yuan in furniture and appliances—that's real cash!"

"The Yang family is truly blessed! After a lifetime of hardship, they've finally made it!"

"Did you hear that? The driver said they were all brand-name goods!"

The murmurs spread like a tide across the village.

Some people are envious, some are sighing, and some are already planning when their own children will be as successful as them.

Amidst these discussions, one table of people had particularly grim expressions.

It was my uncle's family.

Yang Jianye, Zhou Guifang, and Yang Lei were still sitting at the table, not having left.

They heard the driver's words clearly.

Seventy or eighty thousand.

A carload of home appliances, worth seventy or eighty thousand.

Zhou Guifang's face turned from red to white, and then from white to green.

Her knuckles were white as she gripped the teacup.

Yang Jianye kept his head down, smoking one cigarette after another. The smoke shrouded his face, obscuring his expression.

Yang Lei stared intently at his phone, but the screen was black. His fingers gripped the edge of the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

"Pretend...pretend what..." Zhou Guifang finally managed to utter, her voice soft but filled with clenched teeth:

"Maybe...maybe it's an installment plan..."

But even she herself didn't believe it when she said it.

Who buys home appliances on installment plans, spending 70,000 or 80,000 yuan at once?

Moreover, Yang Ya just mentioned at the table that the car was bought in full.

Now, home appliances are being delivered home by the truckload...

"Enough!" Yang Jianye suddenly roared, slamming his cigarette butt down on the table. "Shut up! Aren't you embarrassed enough already?"

Zhou Guifang was taken aback by the shout, then her eyes reddened: "I...I was just worried that the child would spend money recklessly..."

Yang Jianye sneered: "Worried? Do you think we're all fools? Isn't it embarrassing to say these things now?"

That's a strong statement.

Zhou Guifang opened her mouth, but no words came out; instead, tears fell from her eyes.

Yang Lei then raised his head, his voice hoarse: "Dad, Mom, let's go back."

The family of three stood up and silently walked home.

Behind them, the murmurs continued. But this time, no one mentioned the loan or saving face.

Everyone is saying: Old Yang's son has really made something of himself.

Meanwhile, at Yang Fan's home.

The small truck was already parked at the gate of the yard.

The driver and two movers were carrying things into the house, one trip after another.

"The air conditioner is in the living room, right here. The refrigerator is in the kitchen. The TV is over there..."

Yang Ya directed the conversation like a capable little housekeeper.

Wang Xiuying stood in the house, watching the brand-new appliances being moved in, and her eyes reddened again.

She held Yang Fan's hand and whispered, "Fanfan, how much will this cost... Mom will feel so bad..."

"Mom, don't worry about it." Yang Fan patted his mother's hand. "Our family will only get better and better in the future."

Yang Jianguo didn't say anything, he just squatted at the door and watched the workers move things.

He had a cigarette between his fingers, but he didn't light it; he just stared at it.

This honest farmer, who had lived an honest life, watched as brand-new appliances were moved into his home one by one, watched his son and daughter bustling around, and watched his wife both crying and laughing...

He suddenly felt that all the suffering he had endured in his life had been worthwhile.

Outside the courtyard, curious villagers were already peeking out.

But this time, Yang Jianguo didn't feel embarrassed.

He stood up, walked to the courtyard gate, nodded to the villagers who were watching the commotion, and even smiled.

Then, he turned and went back into the house, saying to the workers who were directing the installation of the air conditioner:

"Thank you for your hard work, masters. Please stay for a meal after you're done."