From the very beginning, Yuan Xi very clearly knew that Yuan Yucheng and Lin Suyun had done a lot for him. He would naturally take care of them and treat them well with filial piety. But most of the time, itâs make empty promises about doing it.
Though they were a family and their feelings were genuine, what should be treated with reason must be faced with reason.
The farm was their first joint venture. He did not say he was going to give the farm to Yuan Yucheng and Lin Suyun, but he acted realistically and filled in all three of their names on the property deed.
This was their common property, and it belonged to all three of them.
So in terms of who owned the land, he had long planned to do this. Thus, he took it for granted and did not have any additional discussions with Yuan Yucheng and Lin Suyun.
Yuan Yucheng only learned about this situation upon signing the transfer agreement. He immediately opposed it: âWe donât need to fill in our names, just transfer it to Yuan Xi.â
Yuan Xi immediately replied: âNo, itâs three people.â
Then Yuan Yucheng wanted to speak again, but Yuan Xi straightforwardly interrupted him and said with a sure voice: âDad, I hope you can respect my decision on this matter. Iâd rather give up the farm if I couldnât add both of your names.â
When Yuan Xi said this, Yuan Yucheng couldnât say anything against him. He frowned and sighed in defeat, giving in.
Wang Qingnian lived in this area for many years and built many relationships, so it did not take much effort to settle the transfer agreement of the farm. Yuan Xi happily paid the money.
Everything was properly handled, and the two families had another meal together. This time, Wang Qingnian insisted on going somewhere else: âXiao Xi, your skill is beyond words, but this time you have to give your uncle a chance. We wonât be eating at home, and instead, Iâll take you to have eat a Blue Island specialty.â
Yuan Xi replied with a smile: âOkay, Iâll listen to you.â He also added: âMy skill is in home-cooking. Whenever you want to eat, just say it and Iâll make it for you.â
When he said this, Wang Qingnian could not help but be happy again: âGood, good, I just love to listen to your kid speak.â
This time, Wang Qingnian hosted and his wife came out. She was a very quiet middle-aged woman with a delicate and pretty appearance. She was somewhat subtle and not very good at entertaining people, a bit clumsy with her words, but treated others with a genuine attitude.
Lin Suyun also came out with Xiao Yuan Zhe, and she (WQâs wife) was amazed when she saw the little bun. Xiao Yuan Zhe was not afraid of strangers, giggling and laughing freely, which the three women liked very much.
The hotel was one of the best in Blue Island. Yuan Xi paid special attention to the menu. Honestly, it was not as wonderful as he had imagined. Though there were many ingredients he had never seen before, the control of the flavors was not very good.
But, it was a pleasure eating new foods.
When eating a meal, itâs not good to say how much people eat or drink. Xiao Yuan Zhe, the little thing, stole the limelight. They reserved room 668, on the 3rd floor. Their servers were two sisters, who were completely conquered by this little bun.
The news spread all over the hotel in a flash of lightning. In a large hotel with hundreds of waiters, everyone knew that there was a lovely little steamed bun in room 668 who loved to laugh and was so cute people couldnât help but love him.
Yuan Xi and the others ordered ten dishes altogether, which were each served by ten different waiters⌠When there were dishes that had to be cleared and taken away, they all took the opportunity to look at the little bun in the cradle.
Yuan Xi went to the bathroom and heard a sister say: âHeyâŚitâs a pity that we didnât get a chance to serveâŚâ
Yuan Xi really did not know if he should laugh or cry, but he felt both happy and amused. In the end, he felt a little sad. His son was only two months old, and already causing trouble. There is no telling what will follow when he grows upâŚ.
Thinking about it, Yuan Xi giggled againâŚha haâŚthis is the sweet sorrow of parentsâŚ.
After dinner, Wang Qingnian drank a lot and laughed a lot, persistently saying good, good, good: a good father, a good mother, a good wife, and a good child. Yuan Yuchengâs capacity for liquor was much higher so he was relatively more restrained. He was typically a conscientious person in his daily life, but he was laughing at that time. He wasnât laughing too much, but he couldnât stop the corners of his mouth from rising.
Yuan Xi also wanted to laugh. Sometimes, when people get drunk, they are unable to restrain themselves from showing their true emotions. People like Wang Qingnian and Yuan Yucheng are happy drunks; they canât stop laughing and boasting. Basically, they feel very satisfied and believe they have happy lives in their hearts.
When the two families returned home, it was late. Yuan Xi and Lin Suyun bathed the little bun and fed him milk. Yuan Xi himself then took a shower and washed before sleeping with his son.
However, in the next room, Yuan Yucheng and Lin Suyun were talking.
Although Yuan Yucheng drank a lot of wine, he was still very clear-headed.
Sitting in bed, he drank the sobering tea his old wife gave him and slowly told Lin Suyun what happened at the Blue Island Administrative Hall that day.
After listening to him, Lin Suyun sighed: âYuan Xi is a good boy.â
Yuan Yucheng said: âYes, he really thinks about us and doesnât just make hollow promises. At that time, I tried to reject it and get him to take it back, but he was too persistent.â
Lin Suyun replied: âA childâs heart will be hurt if you make excuses and put obstacles in the way*.â
*ć¨ä¸éťĺ = idiom, basically means if you decline with all sorts of excuses
He couldnât finish his sentence, but how could Lin Suyun not know the mess of the Yuan family?
Yuan Yucheng and Lin Suyun were silent for a while. Finally, Lin Suyun said: âWe canât refute the childâs mind, but we canât let the child suffer either. Go to the administrative office tomorrow and we can quietly do another property transfer. All of the property will be transferred to Yuan Xiâs name privately, eliminating any future trouble.â
Yuan Yucheng agreed with what Lin Suyun said, but he also hesitated: âDoesnât this process also need Yuan Xiâs presence?â
Lin Suyun replied: âWang Qingnian has some connections. Letâs spend a little more money to have it transferred to him (YX) without publicity. He can make an exception for us this one time.â
Yuan Yucheng was the most upright person due to the nature of his work, but he wasnât ignorant to the need to be flexible, especially in todayâs federation⌠AiâŚ.Yuan Yucheng sighed, but nodded.
How clever is Lin Suyun that when he sighs at his wife, she can guess what he thinks? Her face softened and she soothed: âDonât worry about whatâs gone. Weâve also once been considered dead, but now look at everything. How good are the days now? We have a son and grandson, a son who is competent and a grandson who is both cute and lovelyâŚâ When Yuan Xiao Zhe was mentioned, Lin Suyun could not stop talking about what Yuan Xiao Zhe had done during the day, how well he was doing and how lovable* he wasâŚ
*çź was used, which means âache, pain, sore; love dearlyâ. I donât think we have a word in English for this, so I just used âlovableâ
These were trivial things, but Yuan Yucheng listened. The heart was incomparably comfortable. Thinking of Yuan Xiao Zhe this way, his heart felt soft and intimate.
The old couple talked for a while. At the end of the day, Yucheng remembered something else. He could not help saying: âXiao Zhe looks like that, and doesnât resemble his fatherâŚâ This father naturally refers to Yuan Xi.
Lin Suyun looked at him and said half-heartedly: âAlthough a two month-old child has not yet grown up, the foundation is there. The appearanceâŚâ
Yuan Yucheng looked at her and said what was in their hearts: âHe really looks like Yeâs family.â
Yuan Yucheng added: âWell, who knows? Xiao Xi doesnât want to talk about it, so itâs probably not a good story. Look, letâs look after our son and grandson seriously, and not let anyone bully them.â
Listening to him say this, Lin Suyun laughed and said: âAs smart as xiao Xi is, can he be bullied? You donât need to worry about him.â
âYes, yes,*â Yuan Yucheng said. As their voices faded, they fell asleep together.
*äšćŻ = yÄ shĂŹ = be also the same â figured it was an affirmative statement, so I just used âyesâ
The next day, Yuan Xi was awakened by his son. The little bun was only two months old and could not turn over, but he moved his hands and feet very vigorously. After waking up, he danced around, tossing and tumbling.
Yuan Xi hugged him and he (YXZ) shook his lotus-like chubby little arm severely. However, being a silly Dad, Yuan Xi just thought it was adorable so he took that tight little fist and kissed it.
Such a big baby, all he did was basically eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating. It was good to wake up and play for a while. Yuan Xi knew that his son must have been hungry, so he quickly mixed the water with the milk formula.
It was done in a minute. He carefully held his son in his arms and fed him with the bottle. The little bun was very hungry, and did not stop murmuring and drinking.
Yuan Xi looked down and saw how much he (YXZ) liked it. He saw his son smacking his small mouth in satisfaction and the joy at the delicious food in his big eyes. The little devil called mischief stirred in Yuan Xiâs belly.
SayâŚheâs never seen his son cryâŚmaybe he should take a shot?
The more he thought about it, the more itchy he was. Yuan Xi looked at the innocent little bun and began to laugh. Then, he pulled out the nipple of the bottleâŚ.
Yuan Xiao Zhe was still immersed in the happiness and satisfaction of feeding, when his mouth was suddenly empty and he didnât taste anything for a while. He then opened his big eyes and had a look of confusion on his small face.
Yuan Xi laughed out loud, and waited for his son to lose his temper and start crying.
Who knew that this little thing would see his father laughing and think he was teasing him to play, then immediately start giggling instead� Yuan Xi had a bad feeling and quickly turned the little bun in the other direction.
It happened quicker than words could tell. Unfortunately, because of the inconvenient angle and the bottle Yuan Xi still held in his hand, the speed was half a beat slower than intendedâŚAs a result, the milky way* rushed up and poured out onto his chest with precision.
*not literally the Milky Way (as in space)
He didnât prank but was bullied instead. Yuan Xi was reallyâŚliving in vain for 24 yearsâŚ.
Lin Suyun heard the ruckus and came in just in time to see this scene, and she immediately burst out into laughter. She took the little bun and washed him, changed his diapers, and started feeding him again.
Yuan Xi was forced to deal with his clothes himself.
After breakfast, Yuan Xi arrived at the farm early. Although the ownership of the farm was transferred, Wang Qingnian still lived on the farm with half a month to go. So, Yuan Xi made good use of this time to consult him (WQN) so he would have a good idea of how to run the farm without any significant troubles.
He just arrived at the farm when five or six strangers approached.
The man in charge looked about 20 years old. He was not very tall, standing at about 1.7 meters, but was very stiff. There were five strong, young men behind him, each with a serious look on their faces. The situation was not good.