Siheyuan: Relieve stress and relieve worries

Chapter 150 Jade Pendant Reunion

At three o'clock in the afternoon, the Yan family's New Year's Eve dinner began. Old Master Ji sat in the main seat, with the Yan couple on his left and right. Below Yan Bugui were Yan Jiecheng and Yu Li, and below Yang Ruiping were Yan Jiekuang and Ji Lian.

Originally, Yang Ruiping asked Shi Xiaoya to sit at the table as well, but Shi Xiaoya refused to go and sat alone at the small table with Yan Jiedi, Yan Yongqing and Yan Yongfang. Shi Xiaoya still had to take care of her two children, so Yang Ruiping didn't say anything.

The dishes were almost ready, and Yan Bugui directed Yan Jiekuang to set off the firecrackers. As soon as Yan Jiekuang stood up, Yan Yongqing jumped over and said, "Let me have some, let me have some."

Yan Yongfang also wanted to move forward, but she was afraid of the sound of firecrackers, so she covered her ears tightly and hid behind the door.

Yan Yongqing was actually also afraid. He tried three times before he finally lit the firecrackers. Then he turned around and ran into the house. After the firecrackers were set off, his family members sat down one after another.

Mr. Ji looked at Yan Bugui and said, "Although I am sitting here, you are the host, so you should start."

Yan Bugui stood up with a smile, said a few auspicious words, and announced that the meal was about to begin.

The Yan family prepared ten dishes for the New Year’s Eve dinner this year, which symbolized perfection, including chicken, duck, fish and meat.

Everyone was enjoying the meal, and a few gentlemen were holding their wine glasses and chatting while eating.

When the meal was almost over, Yan Bugui started to talk business. Yan Bugui picked up a glass of wine and respectfully toasted Mr. Ji. He said, "This year is New Year's Eve, but it is also the day when my third son and your granddaughter are engaged. Do you have any requests, old man?"

Suddenly, everyone at the table fell silent. Mr. Ji drank the glass of wine, put down the glass, and said, "My dear relatives, this marriage is agreed by both of us, and I don't have any special requirements. But there is one thing I have to say in advance, that is, it is hard to say whether Lian'er's father is still alive. Now I am the one who decides to marry Lian'er to the third brother, but if his father is still alive one day, the third brother must respectfully call him dad and cannot deny his identity."

After listening to this, Yan Jiekuang said, "Of course, of course, I will respect him like a father."

Old Master Ji nodded and said, "Lian'er's father has not been around since she was a child. As a grandfather, I didn't take good care of her. Lian'er has never felt safe since she was a child and has suffered a lot of grievances. Third brother, you must treat Lian'er well."

Ji Lian listened to her grandfather's words and lowered her head and shed tears. Yan Jiekuang felt distressed and said, "I will definitely treat Lian'er well. I will take good care of her for the rest of her life."

Old Master Ji nodded and said, "You, I am very optimistic about you. Live a good life with Lian'er. As for when to get married, it's up to your in-laws to arrange. I don't have any other requirements."

Yan Bugui looked at Master Ji and said, "How can that be? We have to follow the rules. As for the betrothal gifts, my family will prepare them. There is no need for dowry or anything like that. I have also seen the date and we will set it on March 20th. Master Ji, is that okay?"

Mr. Ji said, "Okay, let's listen to Teacher Yan. Come, let's bless them both."

Everyone raised their glasses and said blessings to Yan Jiekuang and Ji Lian.

Yan Jiekuang was very happy, and he could hardly control himself and drank all the wine.

When he woke up the next day, Yan Jiekuang didn't know how he got to bed yesterday. When he woke up, he had a splitting headache. Lian'er came in with a bowl of hangover soup. She looked at Yan Jiekuang and laughed, saying, "See if you dare to be brave next time and compete with my grandfather in drinking. I have never seen my grandfather drunk."

Yan Jiekuang then vaguely remembered that he had played poetry and drank with Mr. Ji at the last moment and got drunk.

Yan Jiekuang sat up, took Lian'er's sobering soup, and drank it all. Lian'er looked at him and said, "There will be a New Year's party at the courtyard at noon. Do you want to attend?"

Yan Jiekuang nodded, pointed to a cabinet and said, "The candies in that cabinet are the ones I bought earlier. You can give them to my dad later. It will be considered as a joint contribution from our family and yours."

Lian'er turned around and went to the cabinet to get some candy. Yan Jiekuang liked this about Lian'er. She would listen to whatever Yan Jiekuang said, never refute, and never ask why.

Yan Jiekuang got off the bed and said, "Come, let me show you something, don't be surprised." Lian'er put the bag of candy on the table and looked at Yan Jiekuang with confusion. Yan Jiekuang took out the jade pendant box he got in the palace from a drawer, handed it to Lian'er, and motioned Lian'er to open it.

Lian Er opened the box and saw a jade pendant inside. On the front was the word "Lian" and on the back was the word "Jun Jian". Lian Er was very surprised and asked, "Did you make this?"

Yan Jiekuang shook his head and said, "You may not believe me, but I found this jade pendant by accident in the Forbidden City. It is probably from before the Yuan Dynasty."

Lian Er suddenly became excited and said, "I believe it, and I know that this jade pendant should be a pair, and the other one is with Grandpa."

Yan Jiekuang was shocked and hurriedly pulled Lian'er to go to the backyard. Lian'er blushed all of a sudden. Yan Jiekuang knew that Lian'er was shy again because she saw him holding her hand. He said, "In a little over a month, you will be my wife. What's the big deal about holding hands?"

The two of them went directly to the backyard, and Lian'er carefully closed the door. When Master Ji saw that something was wrong, he looked at Yan Jiekuang. Yan Jiekuang said, "I was repairing palace furniture in the Forbidden City once, and by chance, I found a box. This is it. There is a jade pendant in it. Take a look first."

Lian'er handed the box to Grandpa Ji. Grandpa Ji opened the box and was shocked to see the jade pendant. He stared at Yan Jiekuang, then gently picked up the jade pendant and looked at it again and again for more than ten minutes.

Old Master Ji put the jade pendant into the box, turned around, took out his suitcase and opened it. He took out a box that was exactly the same as the one Yan Jiekuang took out. After opening it, there was also a jade pendant inside. On the front was the word "Ji", and on the back was the word "Jun Lai".

Old Master Ji burst into tears and said in a trembling voice: "This is our family's ancestral jade pendant. Originally there were two of them, one was held by our ancestor and the other was held by his first wife. You studied history and you know the origin of our Ji family. The other one disappeared during the Song Dynasty and our family has been looking for it for many years."

Mr. Ji said that this was a token of love from his ancestors. His great-grandmother’s surname was Lian, so there was a piece with the word “Lian” on it.

Yan Jiekuang suddenly realized and said, "This is also a token of love that I gave to Lian'er. Now it has been returned to its original owner."

Mr. Ji immediately waved his hand and said, "It is your chance to let these two jade pendants meet in your hands. It is the chance for you and Lian'er. Take it. I keep it just as a thought. You hold it as your destiny."

Lian'er lowered her head shyly. Yan Jiekuang saw that it originally belonged to the Ji family and said, "Then let's reunite these two jade pendants and fulfill the wish of the Ji family's ancestor. Let's put them both with Lian'er, okay?"

Mr. Ji nodded with satisfaction and said, "This is good for both of us. It also returns the item to its original owner and serves as a token of our love."

Lian Er was very obedient. She put away the jade pendant and said to Yan Jie Kuang, "If you need anything, tell me."

Yan Jiekuang laughed and said, "You are all mine. I will tell you everything. Don't worry."

Old Master Ji looked at Yan Jiekuang with great satisfaction and said, "I am old now, and there is a limit to how much I can help you. You two should love each other in the future, and don't treat each other with respect, otherwise you will become alienated."

Yan Jiekuang agreed with what Grandpa Ji said, and then said: "Lian'er is my wife, the one I love, and the one I will take care of my whole life. Don't worry, Grandpa, having Lian'er in this life is enough."

Mr. Ji nodded heavily and said, "I am also optimistic about you. You have a good temper, good knowledge, and a bright future."

Yan Jiekuang scratched his head and said, "No one can predict what will happen in the future. It may not be a good future."

Old Master Ji was very confused about what Yan Jiekuang said, but knowing that Yan Jiekuang was a man with his own opinions, he did not ask any further questions.

The three of them started drinking tea and chatting. Yan Jiekuang's vacation was very short, and he just simply wanted to be with Lian'er.

(End of this chapter)