Chapter 215: Giving Red Envelopes
Ning Xiyue took a deep breath to calm herself down, trying not to dwell on the embarrassing incident. Slowly, her face returned to normal, and so did its temperature.
Seeing that his sister’s face was no longer hot, her body temperature was normal, and her complexion had returned, Ning Qingyuan finally believed she wasn’t coming down with a cold. Relieved, he sat back down and watched the wedding ceremony with her.
About an hour later, after the bride and groom took their vows in front of the portrait of the Chairman, the ceremony concluded.
Everyone then moved to the canteen for the final part of the event — the banquet.
This was Ning Xiyue’s favorite part. Everyone raised their cups to offer a collective congratulations, and then it was time to eat and be merry. The bride and groom didn’t have to run around; they simply sat with their family and enjoyed the meal like everyone else.
It was much simpler that way.
Once the meal was over, the lively group wedding came to an end, and everyone returned to their own homes and lives.
Ning Xiyue quickly pulled her family away, trying to avoid any contact with Comrade Ji. Today had been far too awkward, and she wasn’t ready to face him yet.
Because she deliberately avoided him, Ji Yanming never even caught a glimpse of her once he was free. He didn’t get the chance to speak a single word to her and kept reflecting in his mind on where he had gone wrong. What troubled him even more was that after that, he never had the time or opportunity to see Ning Xiyue again.
Since the family didn’t have much time left together, Ning Xiyue threw the whole awkward incident — and Comrade Ji — out of her mind once she returned home. She focused instead on spending those last leisurely days in Shanghai with her parents.
She took her parents to visit some of the city’s famous spots, went shopping hand-in-hand with her mother at the department store, and even attended one of JIayin’s performances at the theater as a family.
They also celebrated Qingyuan’s birthday with a delicious meal at a state-owned restaurant.
Finally, on New Year’s Eve, Ning Xiyue and her family spent a warm and joyful reunion together in their courtyard home.
It was their last day together as a family in Shanghai. Everyone had already bought their train tickets for the next day — each would be returning to their own lives.
So that night, the atmosphere in the house was especially warm. After eating and drinking their fill, the family sat together chatting. Most of the conversation was their parents and eldest brother reminding Xiyue and second brother to look after each other in the countryside, not to hide any problems, and to write letters or call often.
Finally, Yun Xiulan happily pulled out four red envelopes wrapped in red paper and waved them in front of the four children. “Come, come, time to hand out the New Year’s money! Come get it, line up properly.”
“Coming!”
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan were the most excited, hopping over and lining up first and second, their eyes fixed eagerly on the red envelopes in Yun Xiulan’s hands.
Ning Qingzhi pulled his shy wife, Song Jiayin, to line up behind them.
In their family, there was no custom of stopping New Year’s money after the children got married.
So even though Ning Qingzhi was married, he still got a red envelope from his mother — and his new wife, Song Jiayin, would receive one too.
Yun Xiulan looked teasingly at the two most enthusiastic children before her. “You two little rascals ran the fastest.”
The siblings, Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan, just grinned up at their mother with wide smiles.
Ning Hai watched from the side, chuckling.
Once everyone was lined up, Yun Xiulan began handing out the red envelopes. “Here, this one’s for Yueyue.”
“Thank you, Mom.”
Ning Xiyue happily took her envelope and went to sit on a chair to open it.
“This one’s for the second.”
“Thank you, Mom!”
Ning Qingyuan grabbed his envelope and, bursting with excitement, dashed over to sit beside Ning Xiyue so they could examine them together.
“This one’s for the eldest.”
“Jiayin, this one’s yours.”
Yun Xiulan handed a red envelope to each of them.
“Thank you, Mom,” they both said in unison, their faces glowing with smiles.
After giving out all four envelopes, Yun Xiulan looked at the happy faces of her children, feeling deeply content. “Alright, that’s it. Go do what you need to do. Time to sleep if you’re going to bed. Dismissed.”
But even though she dismissed them, no one left. They all stayed sitting in the living room.
Ning Xiyue and Ning Qingyuan sat together in the corner, smiling broadly as they counted the money inside their envelopes.
Each envelope contained the same amount: two yuan. And to make them feel thicker, the envelopes were filled with crisp, brand-new one-jiao notes.
The two siblings counted their money with great joy.
This was what New Year’s was all about — the atmosphere and the ritual.
After counting their own money, they even counted each other’s, enjoying the satisfying feel of handling it.
Later, Yun Xiulan took Ning Xiyue into the bedroom for a private talk — nothing new, just the same advice she had given her when she first left for the countryside.
But since things had been going better and better for Xiyue over the past six months, Yun Xiulan wasn’t as worried as before. Still, there were things that needed to be said.
At the end of their talk, she spoke more mysteriously.
“Your eldest brother’s comrade — the one who saved you, Comrade Ji — I’ve observed him. He’s a good man, capable and outstanding. And he seems to have feelings for you. If you don’t want to stay in the countryside, you might consider him. You could even follow the army…”
Ning Xiyue interrupted, embarrassed. “Mom, what are you talking about? Didn’t you tell me not to date anyone? Why bring this up?”
“Silly girl, I told you not to date in the countryside. That doesn’t mean I want you stuck there for the rest of your life, struggling on the farm. We’ve never let you suffer since you were little. If you stay in the village forever, your father and I would die of frustration. The world is big, and if you suffer out there, we won’t even know, much less be able to help.”
Yun Xiulan gently tapped her daughter’s forehead.
“Comrade Ji is different. He’s exceptional in every way — and a soldier. You won’t find a better match in our entire county. Trust me, if you’re even a little interested, we should act quickly. You could return to the city, and your brother and sister-in-law would be here to help. Life would be much easier.”
She paused for a moment.
“But of course, it’s entirely up to you. If you’re interested, then maybe pay a little more attention. I think he has feelings for you. But if you’re not, that’s fine too. We’ll respect your decision.”
“Mom, I don’t want to think about that right now.” Ning Xiyue stomped her foot, then pulled out the red envelope she had prepared for her parents and stuffed it into her mother’s hands before running off in embarrassment.
“Oh, this child…”
Yun Xiulan laughed and cried at the same time, looking down at the large red envelope in her hands. She kept touching it, her heart full of emotion.
Soon after, Ning Qingyuan brought in the money he had earned from work and handed over a red envelope to his mother. Ning Qingzhi did the same with the one he had prepared. Both of them, like Ning Xiyue, ran back to their rooms without looking back.
“They’ve grown up — all of them have grown up,” Yun Xiulan said, deeply moved as she held the three heavy envelopes.
Meanwhile, after Ning Xiyue ran out, she went to find her father, secretly pulling him into the kitchen.
Ning Hai, playing along, lowered his voice like they were committing a crime, covering his mouth with one hand. “Daughter, what’s the matter? Tell me now — it’s just the two of us.”
“Ta-da! Your pocket money! Only we know about this — I didn’t tell anyone. Dad, quickly, put it away.”
Ning Xiyue pulled out a small handmade cloth pouch from her chest. The stitches were uneven and crooked, but she had sewn every single one herself without using the sewing machine they had at home.
Inside was the pocket money she had prepared for him. She waved it playfully in front of him before pushing it into his hands.
“My daughter really is the best.” Ning Hai tried to push the envelope back. “I’ll accept the gesture, but you keep the money. Don’t deprive yourself in the countryside. I can still save a little from the grocery budget to send you.”
“Dad, take it. It’s not much, but it’s the first money I earned as a barefoot doctor. It’s meaningful, and I want to give it to you so we can share the joy together.”
Ning Xiyue’s words were heartfelt.
“Alright, then Dad will accept it.” Hearing that, Ning Hai happily accepted the envelope, tucking it carefully into his pocket and even praising her. “My daughter is amazing.”
Ning Xiyue smiled and tugged him back toward the living room. “Come on, let’s go before Mom finds out.”
“Alright, we won’t tell her. This will be our father-daughter secret.”
Ning Hai kept one hand in his pocket, holding onto a corner of the pouch. Joy spread through his chest, and the smile never left his lips — even as he drifted off to sleep.
“So, are you happy? What did our daughter give you? Come on, hand it over.”
Yun Xiulan knowingly held her palms open in front of Ning Hai, her fingers wiggling as her eyes glanced toward where he had stashed the pouch.
“Nothing gets past you.”
Ning Hai’s smile faded a little. With a sigh, he reluctantly pulled the envelope out from his inner pocket and handed it to her.
“Oh, she even sewed you a little pouch.”
Yun Xiulan picked it up jealously and opened it, finding seven yuan worth of small bills inside. She didn’t care about the money — it was the adorably ugly pouch that tugged at her heart.
It was clearly something their daughter had sewn herself.
“Yueyue said this was the first money she earned as a barefoot doctor, and she wanted me to keep it as a memento.” Ning Hai’s eyes were fixed on the pouch, not moving an inch.
“Here, take it back. Look at you, acting like I’m going to steal it.” Yun Xiulan handed it back to him this time. Then, pulling out the three thick red envelopes she had received, she showed them off proudly. “See? Look what our daughter and sons gave me — way more than what you got.”
Ning Hai knew his wife well, so he didn’t dare act smug. Instead, he agreed with her. “Yes, yes, you’re the great hero of this family. It’s only right.”
But he didn’t envy her one bit — because he was the one with their daughter’s handmade pouch and her very first earnings. He was happy.
“Go ahead and envy me. I’m going to sleep.”
Yun Xiulan waved her three envelopes proudly, put them away with satisfaction, and lay down to sleep.
