Chapter 60

【Mutter the Saitu website three times. Do you remember? If not, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It would be great if you could share it on Facebook.】

"Xinyu, you've helped the village a lot this year. Many villagers are grateful to you. On New Year's Day, the children in the village will come to pay their respects. You should prepare some red envelopes, not a lot of money, just a few dollars each. Also, every year the village has a New Year's celebration. When people come to pay their respects, you should prepare some sunflower seeds and other snacks," Han Tianliang told Zhao Xinyu a few days before the New Year.

"Alright, I don't understand the local customs here. If there's anything else, just let me know. I'll have Han Li and the others prepare everything."

"There's nothing else. You know the situation in our village. There are few flat areas, and your courtyard is the flattest. They want to watch fireworks in the courtyard on New Year's Day, and during the Lantern Festival, the activities will also be held in the courtyard."

"Sure, of course. You don't need to consult me about such things. You can make the decisions from now on."

After Han Tianliang left, Zhao Xinyu immediately called Han Li and the others. He knew that the villagers usually just smoked and drank a little. Since they would come to watch fireworks after the New Year's Eve dinner and have activities during the Lantern Festival, he had Han Li and the others prepare a hundred cartons of cigarettes, hundreds of pounds of sunflower seeds and candies, and even more fruits, with each type weighing over a thousand pounds.

On the evening of the 20th of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Fei, Qu Qianfan, and others arrived at the courtyard. Jiang Fei handed Zhao Xinyu several account books and asked him to take a look.

Zhao Xinyu tossed them aside, "Brother Jiang, I don't understand this stuff, and I don't want to look at it. I trust you. Let's not talk about this anymore."

Jiang Fei and Qu Qianfan were slightly taken aback. Jiang Pengxin laughed, "Dad, didn't I tell you? Master will definitely be unhappy."

Zhao Xinyu suddenly remembered something, "By the way, Brother Jiang, when did the farm stay and the pickled vegetables close?"

Jiang Fei was slightly stunned, "Today. Why?"

"We don't even have vegetables. What can we sell to people? We can't get them from elsewhere...?"

Jiang Fei was speechless, "Have you been back for so long and didn't know there's a warehouse downstairs with plenty of vegetables, enough to support the farm stay, pickled vegetables, and Pengcheng Hotel?"

Zhao Xinyu scratched his head; he really didn't know there was an underground warehouse in the courtyard.

"Your courtyard has a basement downstairs, all hollowed out, with over twenty rooms. You didn't know that either?"

Seeing Zhao Xinyu's expression, Jiang Fei, Qu Qianfan, and Jiang Pengxin all laughed. At this moment, they got to know Zhao Xinyu again, this boss who didn't care much about anything.

"Xiaopeng, have you memorized everything I left you?"

"Master, it's been so long, I've memorized it all. I've even memorized the *Bencao* and the *Huangdi Waijing*."

Zhao Xinyu nodded in satisfaction, "After the New Year, come live with me."

Jiang Pengxin looked at his parents with excitement, "Mom, Dad, did you hear that? I told you Master would give me a room."

"You can come live with your Master, but don't let your studies slip. If you have any questions, ask your Master; he's a top student too."

Thinking about school, Jiang Pengxin suddenly remembered something, "Master, when I went to school this year, the teachers and students were all surprised. I told them that my illness was cured by you, and many parents and teachers asked for your phone number."

Zhao Xinyu waved his hands, "Xiaopeng, you can't tell them. I don't even have a medical license. If I get reported, I won't even be able to take the exam in the future."

Jiang Fei and Qu Qianfan were taken aback. They shook their heads; they didn't know that Zhao Xinyu, a graduate of a traditional Chinese medicine university, didn't have a medical license.

"Xinyu, there's a traditional Chinese medicine examination every March. You can register online. Why don't you sign up?"

"Sure, I'll sign up after the New Year. By the way, Brother Jiang, what are your plans for the New Year? Why don't you come over and join the fun? The more people, the merrier."

"That might not be a good idea. Our parents and Qianfan's parents will be coming over."

"It's just a few more people. Come over, and we'll all have a good time."

On New Year's Eve, Zhao Xinyu was woken up by a knock on the door. He got dressed and opened the door. Heifeng jumped into the courtyard, and Jiang Pengxin, who had been knocking, chased after Heifeng out of the courtyard.

Watching Jiang Pengxin and Heifeng, Zhao Xinyu thought about his own childhood, a time when he was carefree. But now, his beloved grandfather was gone, which made him a bit sad.

After Zhao Xinyu finished washing up, Jiang Fei and Qu Qianfan brought two elderly couples into the courtyard. The elderly couples didn't need any introduction; they walked over, grabbed Zhao Xinyu's hands, and thanked him with tears streaming down their faces.

Zhao Xinyu had only helped Jiang Pengxin stand up again, but he had saved Jiang Fei and Qu Qianfan's marriage, and behind them were two families.

He invited the four elders into the living room, chatted with them for a while, and then asked Qu Qianfan to take care of them while he and Jiang Fei went out to put up Spring Festival couplets.

When they finished putting up the couplets and returned to the courtyard, Zhao Xinyu saw children peeking at the courtyard from outside the gate. Though he didn't recognize them, he knew they were from the village.

He went back to his room, picked up the backpack he had prepared with red envelopes, and went out. By then, about seventy to eighty children had gathered outside, the oldest being around Jiang Pengxin's age, and the youngest not even five.

The children were all dressed in new clothes, and when they saw Zhao Xinyu, their eyes sparkled with anticipation.

As the children's New Year's greetings echoed, Zhao Xinyu gave a red envelope to each child who came over.

The first child to receive a red envelope immediately opened it and, upon seeing the crisp hundred-dollar bill inside, let out an excited shout.

The people of Xihanling were still living in poverty, and children usually received red envelopes of at most fifty dollars. Many were happy with twenty or thirty dollars. Now, receiving a hundred-dollar red envelope from Zhao Xinyu, they couldn't help but be excited.

After the children, Han Li, Han Jun, and the other young people came over to pay their respects. However, they received not red envelopes but cartons of cigarettes without any labels, but beautifully packaged.

"Damn, Xinyu, a whole carton of special supply cigarettes. Who do you know?" Han Li and the others stared at Zhao Xinyu.

Zhao Xinyu shrugged, "Who do I know? Just you guys who are almost getting married and still come to pay respects. These cigarettes are from the wholesale market, six dollars a carton."

Han Li and the others laughed. They knew that Zhao Xinyu had prepared good cigarettes worth over twenty dollars for the villagers, not six-dollar cigarettes to fool them.

"By the way, I have special supply liquor in my room. Two bottles each when you leave, and the rest for the New Year's Eve dinner and the Lantern Festival."

Seven of them squeezed into Zhao Xinyu's room and saw over thirty boxes on the floor, containing only two types: special supply cigarettes and special supply liquor.

Seeing the over thirty boxes, Han Li and the others were stunned. How did this guy get so many special supply cigarettes and liquor? Others would boast about a single pack of cigarettes or a bottle of liquor, but here were over thirty boxes. Such a quantity of special supply cigarettes and liquor wasn't something just anyone could get.

"Xinyu, is he from a wealthy family?" Lu Ming whispered to Han Li and the others.

"Get lost. If he were from a wealthy family, would he have needed to collect scrap and deliver food last year?"

Han Jun, the oldest, glanced around, "Guys, don't spread this around. Just keep it to yourselves."

Outside the courtyard, Zhao Xinyu handed a red envelope to a little boy who called him "Uncle." The boy was Zheng Min's son, He Yuzhu.

"Yuzhu, where are your mom and dad?"

"Changing into new clothes. They'll be over soon. Uncle, where's Heifeng?"

"Outside with Xiaopeng."

The little boy put the red envelope in his pocket, "Uncle, I'll go play with Heifeng."

While Zhao Xinyu, Jiang Fei, Qu Qianfan, and the others were preparing in the kitchen, the sound of gongs and drums came from outside. Han Li laughed, "Xinyu, the people are here to pay their respects. How many red envelopes did you prepare?"

"Go get the fruits, sunflower seeds, and candies."

At the gate, Zhao Xinyu handed a large red envelope wrapped in red paper to Han Tianliang, who had led the group. Han Tianliang pinched it, and his expression changed slightly.

On the way over, he had heard from the villagers that Zhao Xinyu had given each child a hundred-dollar red envelope, and he had been a bit annoyed with Zhao Xinyu at the time.

But now, feeling the thickness of the red envelope, he knew it wouldn't be small. When he opened it, he found five stacks of unopened bills.

Han Tianliang smiled bitterly and raised the red envelope high, "Zhao Xinyu, five thousand dollars in red envelopes for everyone. Let's put in some effort and dance. There will be cigarettes and fruits to treat us later."

When Han Tianliang announced this, the villagers who had come to pay their respects were stunned. Every year, they would pay respects, and the most generous would give three to five hundred dollars. Even in neighboring villages, the red envelopes given to companies didn't exceed ten thousand dollars. Now, Zhao Xinyu had given out fifty thousand dollars, which left them speechless for a moment.

As the gongs and drums sounded, the villagers danced enthusiastically...

When the gongs and drums stopped, Han Li handed ten cartons of cigarettes to his father, and Han Jun and the others carried out boxes of fruits, which further excited the villagers.

"Xiaozhao, thank you for your efforts this year. We all want to get rich with you. Teach us how to grow vegetables."

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