The Reincarnated Science Whiz

Chapter 22: New Year’s Eve

By the time Qin Yuanqing returned home, it had already grown dark. The entire village was enveloped in the festive atmosphere of the Spring Festival. Every household had festive Spring Festival couplets posted on their doors, and from time to time, people set off firecrackers and fireworks. Children were playing everywhere, dressed in new clothes and waving toy guns in their hands. Qin Yuanqing couldn’t help but smile; he’d once spent his childhood this way too, though back then he’d only had pistols and rifles, and they weren’t particularly well-made. Nowadays, children’s toy guns included submachine guns, sniper rifles, and more, all exquisitely crafted. There were also children driving remote-controlled electric cars, having the time of their lives. “Uncle, Uncle!” His six-year-old niece, dressed in a pretty dress, came running over as soon as she saw Qin Yuanqing. “Tingting!” Qin Yuanqing picked up his little niece and lifted her above his head, making her giggle with delight. He had been holding his little niece since she was a baby, and she was closest to him. His older brother tended to favor sons over daughters and rarely held his daughter. “Little brother, hurry over to the hearth—you’re the only one missing!” his older sister-in-law called out. Meanwhile, his second older brother emerged from the kitchen carrying a plate of steamed seafood. Their parents were already seated, and beneath the table sat a small brazier with burning charcoal—this was the “hearth gathering.” A roaring fire in the brazier symbolized prosperity and good fortune for the coming year. Meanwhile, my eldest brother was pouring the wine; a family reunion dinner always involves drinking a little bit of alcohol. As was the custom every year, after they finished their gathering around the stove, they would head over to Uncle’s house that evening for another gathering. All the brothers and sisters would be together, and this was also the day Grandma was happiest. Qin Yuanqing sat down with his niece in his arms, while my second older brother arranged the seafood and took his seat. As the head of the family, Dad poured himself a glass of wine and said with a beaming smile, “May everyone enjoy happiness and good health in the New Year!” “Wishing Dad good health and all the best in the New Year!” Qin Yuanqing and the others chimed in with their blessings. This year’s reunion dinner was much more lavish than in previous years. In addition to lobster, there was red sturgeon, winter crabs, cod, grouper, shrimp, two kinds of greens, and chicken and duck—the entire table was piled high with food. Qin Yuanqing peeled shrimp for his niece, picked the bones out of the fish, and fed her, all while teasing her from time to time, making her laugh happily. Dad, meanwhile, chatted about what had been going on these past few days—for example, how his second older brother had given him 50,000 for renovations, and his eldest brother had also offered to chip in 20,000. They planned to finish the renovations around National Day this year, move in by the end of the year, and, if possible, hold his second older brother’s wedding at the same time. “Dad’s lived most of his life—saving face doesn’t matter anymore. As long as you can get married, nothing else matters.” After a few drinks, Dad became more talkative. Qin Yuanqing took out the gifts he’d prepared and gave them to his parents, older brother, sister-in-law, and niece. He then talked about his training camp in Beijing, assuring them he was doing well there and was certain to win a gold medal in the upcoming competition. Finally, he mentioned that he’d bought an apartment on Lushi Island. “Dad, Mom, when I got off the aircraft at Lutou Island Airport today, I saw that property prices there had dropped significantly, so I bought a unit. I’ve already paid for it in full and am just waiting for the property registration and the three certificates,” Qin Yuanqing said. “When the time comes, you can go stay in Lushi Island, or my older brothers—you two—can live there too.” “I saw on the news that the subprime mortgage crisis in the United States has triggered an economic crisis. Many factories have gone bankrupt, and workers are losing their jobs. Isn’t buying a house too risky right now?” his father said with concern. “Besides, our house at home is spacious enough for us to live in. Why buy another one?” “Dad, we’re in the midst of a financial crisis now. With housing prices plummeting, this is the perfect opportunity to buy at rock-bottom prices. Before, prices here were over 10,000 per square meter. If we wait any longer, we won’t be able to afford it,” Qin Yuanqing said. “When I was in Beijing, many teachers and professors were buying homes. I’m sure we’ll be fine if we follow their lead.” Sure enough, upon hearing that highly educated intellectuals were also buying homes, Dad’s worries vanished instantly. As a farmer, his thinking was simple: people who’ve studied a lot must be smart, and following smart people can’t possibly lead to a loss. Then Mom mentioned that a couple of days ago, she’d invited a friend over to gauge her interest, but the friend hadn’t given a clear answer. Hearing this, Qin Yuanqing laughed. “The fact that she didn’t give a clear answer is actually a good thing—it means she isn’t rejecting the idea, so this is definitely still on the table. After we have our reunion dinner at Grandma’s tonight, I’ll go sit with you guys for a while. I’m confident we can seal the deal.” Qin Yuanqing wasn’t some naive student; after all, he’d been out in the world for nearly a decade. He knew she was just playing hard to get. As long as they went over for another visit, gave her enough face, and showered her with a few more compliments, they’d basically be able to discuss the dowry and other details. After all, both the man and woman were already twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old—in the countryside, that made them considered “over-age” singles, which didn’t sound good when people talked about it. In reality, the parents were more anxious about this matter than the couple themselves; it was a classic case of “the eunuch is more anxious than the emperor.” “Since they’re not willing, forget it. It’s not like I don’t have women after me—I’m…” Second Brother said, a look of impatience crossing his face. “Second Brother, this isn’t up to you to decide—just watch and see!” Qin Yuanqing cut him off; Second Brother’s mouth always followed his temper rather than his heart. Sometimes Qin Yuanqing felt that people should read more books to cultivate their inner refinement, rather than remain ignorant and end up doing foolish things. Second Brother could only take a sip of wine and fall silent. Right now, he held the lowest status in the family; his words carried the least weight and held no influence. That’s just how it is in the countryside—if you come home for the New Year without a girlfriend, you have no choice but to keep your head down, stay low-key, and not say too much. Qin Yuanqing discussed the renovation schedule with his parents. They planned to start laying bricks in May, and the interior work would begin two months after the brickwork was finished. Qin Yuanqing pulled out the renderings he’d printed—including exterior views from various angles, as well as floor plans and room-by-room renderings for each level. Based on his budget, the total renovation cost would be around 300,000 yuan, and with the outdoor courtyard included, the total would come to about 400,000 yuan. If they waited another seven or eight years, the renovation costs would more than double! It’s not just about buying a house early—you should also start building your own home as soon as possible. The longer you wait, the higher the cost will be, unless the government imposes strict controls. Qin Yuanqing wasn’t worried about running out of money, though. His family currently had enough to cover the brickwork, and by the time it came to renovating, he was confident he’d be able to earn enough. His family was very satisfied with the renovation plan, and Qin Yuanqing kept the design drawings at home—after all, all the relevant design files were stored on his laptop. During this trip to Beijing, Qin Yuanqing spent 7,000 yuan on a laptop. Its performance was decent and basically sufficient—he didn’t play games anyway, so he didn’t need high-end specs. His eldest brother, second brother, and sister-in-law also enthusiastically joined the discussion—after all, this would be the home where the entire extended family would live in the future. The family reunion dinner lasted two hours before finally coming to an end. After sipping tea in the living room for a while, everyone headed over to their uncle’s house. Just like in previous years, Uncle’s house had four tables set up. Each of the three Qin Yuanqing brothers took a red envelope from their pockets and slipped it to Grandma. As for the others of their generation—except for their cousins—anyone who came would give Grandma a red envelope. Once everyone had arrived, Grandma invited everyone to take their seats. The parents sat at the same table as Grandma, while Qin Yuanqing and his peers occupied the other three tables. Everyone ate and drank—though “eating and drinking” was more of a formality, since they’d all already had their fill at home—and spent most of the time chatting. As for Qin Yuanqing, he inevitably became the Center of attention—praised by the elders and envied by his peers. Qin Yuanqing, however, felt rather helpless; he was already mentally mature, and he didn’t really need all this praise. Among his peers, his two cousins were a bit of a pity. They had done very well in middle school, but due to family circumstances, their grades dropped in their third year of junior high. They failed to get into Jinpu No. 1 High School and ended up leaving school to find work. His two younger cousins—twins just a year younger than Qin Yuanqing—weren’t cut out for school. While their two older sisters were good students, the twins scored only 40 or 50 points on exams, not even reaching the passing mark. They’re currently enrolled in vocational school—though “enrolled” is a stretch; in reality, they’re just killing time, waiting to get their vocational diploma. The family reunion dinner wrapped up a little after nine o’clock. Qin Yuanqing left a bit early with his parents and second older brother to head to his fiancée’s family home. Qin Yuanqing knew the bride; she had been a classmate of his second older brother in elementary school and was currently selling fruit on Lushi Island. She was quite attractive. Although she was the same age as his second older brother, she sat quietly to the side at that moment, and both sets of parents seemed to have forgotten their earlier displeasure, chatting and laughing together. “Uncle, if Meixiang marries my second older brother, our family will definitely treat her as one of our own. My parents will also treat her as their own daughter,” Qin Yuanqing interjected at just the right moment. “I bought an apartment on Lushi Island. If the two of them get married, they can live there in the future. You can rest assured that they’ll work hard and make a life for themselves on Lushi Island.” In truth, Qin Yuanqing didn’t want his second older brother to continue working in the seafood industry. It was a young person’s line of work—once he got older, he wouldn’t be able to pull all-nighters every day, and that wouldn’t be good for his family either. He still hoped his second older brother would find a job on Lushi Island. After all, they’d be living with him then—no rent to pay, and it would be enough to get by. Sure enough, with more materialistic people, it’s best to lay everything out on the table right away. As for the wedding gift, they settled on 88,888—an auspicious number. Dad agreed without a second thought, and the parents from both sides set a date to exchange birth charts and begin selecting an auspicious wedding date. His second older brother chimed in sporadically, while the young woman remained silent—neither agreeing nor objecting. And no objection meant consent. With my second older brother’s marriage settled, Qin Yuanqing breathed a sigh of relief. My parents were beaming with joy, and the girl’s parents were delighted as well.