Marriage as a Game

Chapter 82 New Year’s Day Routine
Liang Jing was very happy and followed suit, saying, "I've prepared holiday gifts for you, as well as red envelopes. Come over here and let Shuoxi pick you up, okay?"

Shen Chaoxi shook his head.

"Thank you. I feel more at ease here."

Liang Jing wanted to say something, but Yao Chun stopped her, saying, "She has been stubborn since she was a child. What has been decided cannot be changed. Just let her be." Then Yao Chun reminded her, "Let the driver pick you up on the fifth day of the New Year. Don't forget?"

"Oh, I see."

Afterwards, the elder no longer participated in the conversation between the two girls.

Zhongli found someone to talk to and poured out a lot of unhappy and interesting things that happened in the past few days.

"Hey! Are you treating me as a trash can?" Shen Chaoxi held up his phone and continued working on the test paper.

"Yes! It's a super pretty trash can, so soft and pink, with Hello Kitty printed on it!"

On New Year’s Eve, every household is lit up and the place is bustling with activity.

In recent years, environmental protection requirements have banned fireworks in urban areas, making it difficult for people to buy them.

Yao Dimai somehow got hold of two Gatling guns, and on New Year's Eve he drove Shen Chaoxi to an open space and set them on fire.

Afraid of being discovered by the anti-gun crew, they lit the gun and ran away, looking back at the gorgeous scene in the sky from afar.

"On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, electronic fireworks will be set off at Sijiu Square, but reservations are required. There are no seats available now. Let's wait until next year. I'll make a reservation in advance and take you to watch the fireworks next year!"

Both of them felt a little unsatisfied, and on the way home, Yao Dimai made a promise.

On the second day of the New Year, Yao Chun and Zhong Hongguang came to the Yao family to pay New Year's greetings.

As it was the first New Year after his marriage, Zhong Hongguang kowtowed to his grandmother according to etiquette and received a big red envelope.

A middle-aged man, holding the two red envelopes wrapped in red paper, looked a little strange, but he took it very seriously and stuffed it directly into the pocket of his suit.

Shen Chaoxi and Yao Dimai also received New Year's money from Zhong Hongguang.

It was a thick stack of banknotes, estimated to be worth twenty thousand.

Yao Dimai was worried about not having enough money to buy a new car, but now she has it.

"Haha! I'm already 21 years old, how can I accept New Year's money?"

Yao Dimai's face showed a rare shyness of a big boy.

"This is the first year, so just accept it. I won't give it to you again in the future!" Grandma tried to smooth things over.

She was actually worried that given Zhong Hongguang's financial situation, it would be a shame if he didn't have a child to give her one or two hundred thousand. That would be too difficult.

Ancestor worship on the third day of the New Year.

The Yao family has no relatives anymore, and there is no need to mourn the deceased elders of the Yao family, so Yao Yuan and Zheng Juanjuan went to the Liu family cemetery.

My grandmother is an only child, and every year they go to the Liu family to worship their ancestors.

After returning from the cemetery, Yao Yuan went to his grandmother's bedroom and talked there for a long time.

I could faintly hear my grandmother's old voice accompanied by intermittent coughing.

"Just meet, you two are related by blood, I will never stop you..."

"Mom! Don't worry. No matter how well they live, we don't care. We still want to live our own comfortable lives..."

Early in the morning on the fifth day of the New Year, it was not the driver who came to pick up Shen Chaoxi, but Zhong Shuoxi and Zhongli.

The two brought gifts and first paid New Year's greetings to the elders of the Yao family.

No one expected the Zhong siblings to come, and when everything was in a hurry, grandma gave Zhong Li a red envelope with two thousand banknotes in it. Given Zhong Shuoxi's age, he would never accept the red envelope.

Zhongli was happy and kept shouting, "Thank you, grandma. I wish you a happy new year, good health, and a long life!" Seeing that it was getting late, grandma gave a few instructions and let Shen Chaoxi get in the car with the Zhong brothers and sisters.

"Mom, Xixi said she would only stay for two days and would be back in two days."

Zheng Juanjuan saw her grandmother standing on the balcony watching the group of people leaving and thought she was reluctant to let them go, so she tried to persuade her.

Grandma shook her head and said nothing.

The old house of the Zhong family is located in the back street of Sijiu Square, which is the earliest residential area in Shangjing City. Some of it has been developed, and a part has been used as the city's red cultural exhibition hall. Only a part has been left and fenced off, which still preserves several courtyard houses from fifty years ago.

The white Audi entered the heavily guarded gate of the campus, and saw lush greenery filled with ancient trees and precious southern shrubs.

Courtyards with white walls and green tiles can be vaguely seen in these areas surrounded by vegetation.

"The Cultural Relics Bureau has regulations that the houses here cannot exceed two floors...." Zhong Shuoxi drove and explained the residential features here to Shen Chaoxi.

"There are currently six families left here. The old houses of our Zhong family and Jiang Han occupy the largest area. The other families are just ordinary courtyard houses. They rarely come back to live here in recent years. However, this area is priceless and cannot be bought even if you want to. You can imagine that the existing houses cannot be renovated and construction is not allowed. In fact, they are being taken back in disguise. It's just that there is not enough funding, so they have been stranded. Who is willing to throw money into a bottomless pit at this time!..."

Everyone understands what Jong Suk-hee is talking about, which is the issue of the ownership of the cultural industry.

Zhongli seemed a little impatient when he heard this. He pointed to a courtyard covered with green vines and said, "This is the old house of Shang family. Grandpa Shang lives there."

In the mid-February climate, the trees in the north have yet to show signs of sprouting, but these climbing vines are growing against the cold.

Shen Chaoxi's eyes flashed, and he looked at the quaint building with a faint smile.

"Grandpa Shang retired from the group and lived here. He seldom went out. We seldom saw him in the past few years. He had a strange temper and would not see people he was not familiar with. For example, during the Chinese New Year, only my uncle and my father went to visit him. Even my mother was turned away!"

Zhong Shuoxi frowned: "Lili, you can comment on the elders' affairs casually?"

Zhongli shrank his nose and shrugged his shoulders.

"Chao Xi is not an outsider, tell me what's wrong!"

Jong Suk Hee was so angry at his sister that he laughed.

"This is not a question for Chao Xi. You can't casually criticize your elders. Do you understand?"

"Oh!"

Shen Chaoxi retracted her gaze and saw that Zhongli looked aggrieved, so she quietly patted the back of her hand.

The road here is narrow, so you can't drive too fast.

Zhongli was silent for a few seconds and then began to explain to Shen Chaoxi again.

"There are rules in this courtyard. The house must be passed down to the eldest grandson of the eldest son. If there is no son, then you can just settle for the next best thing. The main thing is that it cannot be passed down to a man from another family." Zhongli lowered his voice and whispered in Shen Chaoxi's ear, "Even if there is no son in the next generation, the house would rather be left idle or donated than passed down to a girl. I have no hope at all!"

Shen Chaoxi almost laughed out loud.

"So it's for your brother?"

"Well, it currently belongs to my uncle, but he has never taken it over. He wants to give it to my brother." After a pause, she continued, "If my aunt gives birth to a younger brother for us, this place will be his!"

This is purely a statement of fact, without any emotional color.

Will Yao Chun have another child?
Shen Chaoxi had never thought about this question!
After Zhongli's reminder, she really had to pay attention.

Zhong Hongguang is only 48 years old this year, and Yao Chun is 41 years old. It is entirely possible for them to have children.

As they were talking, they arrived at the Zhong family's old house.

At noon, the family had lunch in a restaurant full of antique charm, and then Zhongli pulled Shen Chaoxi out of the courtyard.

"There's a small wooden house over there on the back hill. My brother and Jiang Han had it when they were young, and it was rebuilt later. Let's go play over there!"

(End of this chapter)