VIP Chapter 123: Changing Locations

Yuan Desheng had originally wanted to invite Ye Xiaoxuan to stay for lunch, but Ye Xiaoxuan declined. The old man clearly had designs on making him his son-in-law, and Ye Xiaoxuan wasn't about to fall for that—he had someone waiting for him at home.

Back home, he ran into Ye Dajun, who had just returned from the orchard. Dajun grabbed Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm and shouted toward the kitchen where Jiang Guihua was working, "Auntie, Little Three is coming over to my place for lunch today!"

Jiang Guihua held up her spatula and said, "Just come over here! Your uncle has something to discuss anyway, and I’ve already stir-fried two dishes! Go call his parents over, too!"

Ye Xiaoxuan asked curiously, "What’s the matter?" Ye Dajun let go of him and replied, "Let your auntie tell you. I’m heading back to fetch them now!"

They moved the Eight Immortals table to the center of the main room and set out the stools. Before long, chicken, duck, fish, and meat were spread across the table.

Ye Xiaoxuan asked, puzzled, "What holiday is it today?" Jiang Guihua tapped him on the head with her chopsticks. "No holiday at all. Your father and your uncle have something to discuss with you, and it’s been a long time since our two families sat down for a meal together. We’re just taking this opportunity to gather! Go fetch the dishes!"

Jia Ran arrived carrying two plates of food. She said to Jiang Guihua, "I stir-fried a couple of dishes too. It would be a waste not to eat them, so I brought them over!"

Ye Xiaoxuan rushed over to take them, brushing her hand in the process. Jia Ran blushed and glared at him.

Just as he set the dishes down and turned around, he suddenly saw a green-faced, fanged demon mask standing behind him, its crimson tongue almost licking his face. Even in the middle of the day, it scared the wits out of him, and he shrieked, "What is that?!"

Someone burst into giggles, pointing at his nose and saying, "Scared you! Scared you!" Ye Xiaoxuan was nearly furious; standing in front of him was the "Silly Girl" Jia Ran had brought home last night!

She wore her hair in little braids tied with a red string—likely one of Jia Ran's hair ties. Heaven knows where she had found a child's face mask, but she had sneaked up behind him just to pull this prank.

If it were a normal person, a good scolding or a smack would usually keep them in line. But with this silly girl, he could neither hit nor scold her. Ye Xiaoxuan could only roll his eyes, utterly at a loss.

Jia Ran suppressed a laugh and said to the girl, "Little sister, don't be naughty! After we eat, big sister will braid your hair!"

The silly girl was surprisingly obedient to Jia Ran. She clapped her hands and said, "Ooh, braids and red flowers, I’m Mommy’s good baby... I want a chicken leg!"

"Hah! You’re not so silly when it comes to that!" Ye Xiaoxuan laughed and scolded. He tore a chicken leg from the plate, handed it to her, and said, "Go sit in the courtyard and eat. Don't run around!"

The girl was much more obedient when there was food involved. She took the chicken leg and went out to the yard. Ye Xiaoxuan looked at her retreating back and asked with a wry smile, "She didn't give you a hard time last night, did she?"

Jia Ran shook her head. "No! She’s actually very well-behaved. After her bath, she went straight to bed and slept soundly all night."

Ye Xiaoxuan leaned close to her ear and whispered, "And you? Did you sleep well? Did you miss me? Are you still hurting?"

Jia Ran’s face turned bright red. She glanced at Jiang Guihua in the kitchen and secretly pinched Ye Xiaoxuan’s arm. "It doesn't hurt anymore! You rascal, don't think about that stuff. If you let everyone see, I’ll die of embarrassment!"

Ye Xiaoxuan chuckled. He was just about to reach for her hand when his uncle and the others walked in. His father emerged from the inner room and greeted everyone to sit down.

Ye Xiaoxuan couldn't help but ask impatiently, "Dad, Uncle, what is it you actually wanted to tell me?" As he spoke, he glanced at Jia Ran, wondering if they had finally approved of their marriage.

He caught Jia Ran stealing a glance at him, and when their eyes met, she blushed and lowered her head. Ye Xiaoxuan’s heart soared—it must be true!

"Ahem!" Uncle cleared his throat. He was a former village leader, and he had developed a habit from his early years of clearing his throat before speaking, whether or not a meeting was in session, just to get everyone’s attention.

"Little Three, we consulted with your parents at the orchard today and reached a decision. We wanted to let you know."

Ye Xiaoxuan glanced at Jia Ran again. Seeing her still blushing and silent, he felt a sweet, fluttering sensation in his chest. He stood up to pour drinks, a bit flustered. "Uncle, just say it. I... I’m prepared."

Uncle nodded, took a sip of his drink, and said, "Your father and I have decided to swap land with Qi Erzi’s family. We’re giving them our six acres in exchange for their four and a half."

Ye Xiaoxuan froze, not understanding at first. It took a moment for it to sink in, and he frowned. "Are you kidding? Can you even use Qi Tian’er’s land? Nothing grows there! Besides, six acres for four? What are you thinking? How can you take such a loss?"

Ye Dajun nudged him with his elbow. "It’s all for you! That land of Qi Tian’er’s is right next to the orchard. Once we get it, we can tear down the fence and expand the orchard!"

Ye Xiaoxuan finally understood what his father and uncle were planning. He jumped up. "We're swapping after the wheat harvest?"

Uncle and Father both nodded. Ye Xiaoxuan tilted his head. "Then what will our two families eat? What will we sell for money? We aren't even sure if the orchard will turn a profit by next year!"

Ye Dajun looked at Father and said, "We’ve been scrimping and saving for the past two years, so we have some money set aside; we’ll be fine for two or three years. The main thing is to secure the lives of the three of you. Since you’ve taken on the orchard, treat it like a career. If the three of you support each other, we old folks can rest easy!"

Ye Xiaoxuan sighed. "Alright, Dad, Uncle, I get it! I went to the village head’s house this morning and signed a five-year contract for the fish pond. Our family will keep doing better!"

Jiang Guihua frowned when she heard this. "You signed for a fish pond too? Do you have any spare money to invest?" Dajun’s mother chimed in, "Don't worry about that. If we don't have money, we'll borrow it. If the child has such ambition, we should support him!"

Ye Xiaoxuan said listlessly, "Don't worry, since I said I’d do it, I’ll find a way to make it work. As for the land, don't be in a rush to swap. Even if you gave that group of lazy people like Qi Tian’er a piece of land paved with gold, they’d still turn it into a weed patch!"

Father frowned at him. "You don't seem very happy. What’s wrong?" Ye Xiaoxuan said lazily, "Nothing. Let’s eat!"

The silly girl ran in, her hands covered in grease, and patted Ye Xiaoxuan on the back. "Give me a chicken leg!"

Ye Xiaoxuan was already feeling irritated. He frowned and snapped, "You’re still eating? There were only two legs, and you’ve already eaten one!"

The girl, still wearing her mask, bared her teeth and said, "If you don't give me a chicken leg, I’ll tell everyone you kissed Jia Ran last night!"

"Pfft!" Ye Dajun sprayed his drink onto the floor. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve, looked at the silly girl in shock, and asked, "What did you say?"

The girl pointed at the platter. "Give me the chicken leg and I’ll tell you!" Ye Xiaoxuan grabbed the chicken leg, shoved it into her hand, and pushed her out the door. "Go sit over there and eat quietly! Don't come back in until I tell you!"