The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 177: Chapter 177: Qixi Festival Anecdotes

Han Xiaorui was about to leave, but she felt she needed to say a few words to Yang Zhigang, hoping to encourage him to take it easy and persevere.

”Uncle Yang, don’t be angry. You still have three granddaughters. There’s Pingping and An’an, and then there’s my child, the one who just got out of the incubator. She has no father and no grandmother... just you, her biological grandfather.”

”If you were to collapse, think of the heavy burden it would place on Brother Jianguo and Sister Cuicui. As for Yang Jianming, if he thinks the grass is always greener on the other side, then just let him go. With him out of your sight, you might even find yourself getting angry less often.”

”Besides, even if he stayed, he wouldn’t do anything productive. He wouldn’t show any filial piety to his sick mother at her bedside, nor would he be considerate of you, his long-suffering father.”

Yang Zhigang’s eyes reddened. He staggered over to a chair and sat down, his body slumping as if all the strength had been drained from him. He was completely listless.

After a long moment, Yang Zhigang sighed. ”You’re right. If a menace like him stayed here, he’d just bring ruin to other decent young women. Let him go abroad. Let someone else ruin him for a change.”

Han Xiaorui continued to comfort him. ”Uncle Yang, you have to look on the bright side. Getting angry won’t make Yang Jianming a better person, so it’s just a waste of energy. You’d be better off taking care of your health and earning more money. For your retirement, that’s a much more reliable plan than relying on that son of yours.”

Yang Zhigang took her words to heart. Han Xiaorui then said, ”Sister Cuicui, Uncle Yang probably hasn’t eaten yet. Make him something to eat. He can have a drink with Brother Jianguo, and after a good night’s sleep, everything will be alright.”

”Okay, I’ll get right on it,” Wu Cuicui readily agreed. She, too, wanted her Second Uncle to be healthy.

Watching Han Xiaorui leave, Yang Zhigang was overcome with emotion. ”It’s true that it takes all kinds to make a world. My son... he’s a complete lost cause.”

Yang Jianguo’s eyes reddened. ”Second Uncle, you still have me. My parents died young, and you raised me. I’ll take care of you in your old age. You still have three biological granddaughters, and Minmin, too. We can all be filial to you.”

Hearing his nephew’s comforting words, Yang Zhigang felt a little better.

”Cuicui, what did Xiao Rui come to see you for?” Yang Zhigang, having regained his composure, finally remembered to ask about the reason for Han Xiaorui’s visit.

A smile touched Wu Cuicui’s eyes. ”Second Uncle, Xiao Rui is so thoughtful. Tomorrow is the Qixi Festival, also known as the Daughters’ Festival. She gave me a gold ring and gave Minmin and Shunshun each a small golden peace lock, to wish our family’s children dexterity and cleverness.”

Hearing this, a small smile finally appeared on Yang Zhigang’s face. ”Xiao Rui is very considerate. I’d completely forgotten about the Daughters’ Festival. Our family is full of girls; we should place more importance on it.”

”Tomorrow, I’ll go to the jewelry store and buy some gold ornaments for my four granddaughters. I also hope they grow up to be bright and clever, and always be happy.”

In the past, Yang Zhigang might have hoped for a grandson, but after having a son like Yang Jianming, who was nothing but a curse, he had long since abandoned that idea.

As Han Xiaorui was walking home by flashlight, she ran into Yang Jianming at an intersection.

”Xiao Rui, I...” Yang Jianming began, wanting to talk with her for a moment. ’Even a brief marriage should leave some lingering affection,’ he thought.

”Get lost!” Han Xiaorui snapped. ”Come any closer and I’ll hit you. I’ll call Uncle Yang over here to beat you up.”

Yang Jianming was stunned. ’Where did the gentle and tender Han Xiaorui from before go? How did she turn into such a fiery spitfire?’

’Talking to a scumbag like him, every extra word is a waste of oxygen.’

Annoyed and dejected, Yang Jianming headed home to see his mother.

When Zhang Xiufang saw her son return, she burst into tears. ”Jianming, what took you so long?”

Seeing his mother—paralyzed on one side from a stroke and going through daily rehabilitation—Yang Jianming felt a pang of guilt. ”Mom, I heard medical care is much better abroad. Once I get to the United States and get on my feet, I’ll bring you over for treatment. I promise I’ll get you back on your feet and walking like you used to.”

Zhang Xiufang grew even more delighted. ”Such a good, filial son. Just don’t talk back to your father. His ship has made over a hundred thousand yuan on each of its last two voyages. He’s loaded. Just look at how filial Jianguo and Cuicui are to him.”

”Cuicui even took the kids over to help raise them, and your father has given them a lot of money for it. If you act foolishly, other people will sweet-talk all that money away from him.”

Yang Jianming knew his father’s ship was profitable, but he hadn’t realized it was *that* profitable. He scratched his head. ”I get it, Mom. Dad already gave me a beating, so he’s vented his anger.”

”I need to get the paperwork done to marry Anna as soon as possible. You just focus on your health. Anna’s family is very powerful in the United States. I’ll definitely make a name for myself when I get there.”

A few words from Yang Jianming were all it took to placate Zhang Xiufang. Her mind was filled with nothing but thoughts of how wonderful her son was.

She interpreted all of Yang Jianguo and Wu Cuicui’s diligent care as nothing more than an attempt to get their hands on Yang Zhigang’s money.

Fundamentally, both Zhang Xiufang and Yang Jianming were heartless and ungrateful people.

Zhang Xiufang pointed to a drawer. ”The crew’s wages from your father are in there. You take it and spend it. If you don’t, it’ll just end up in someone else’s hands.”

Yang Jianming’s eyes lit up. Even though Anna had been footing the bill for everything lately, he couldn’t afford to be completely broke.

So, without a moment’s hesitation, Yang Jianming took the twenty-thousand-plus yuan from the house.

The next day, when Yang Zhigang went to pay the crew, he discovered the money was missing.

Zhang Xiufang admitted it outright. ”I gave it to my son. If he doesn’t spend that money, it’s just going to outsiders anyway.”

Yang Zhigang was so furious he couldn’t speak. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at her. ”Zhang Xiufang, you and Yang Jianming are both cruel, ungrateful beasts. It’s useless no matter how well I treat you.”

Zhang Xiufang was paralyzed, and Yang Zhigang wasn’t about to pick a fight with a bedridden woman. But from that day forward, he stopped coming home, instead just providing money to have someone else care for her.

The next day, Chen Yishui brought the boat crew to collect their bonuses.

Everyone who received their money was all smiles.

They were even more moved when they saw that Han Xiaorui’s Qixi Festival gift to them was a gold ring.

”My own husband has never even bought me a ring, but our boss did! And on top of such a generous bonus, too. The boss is more reliable than any man,” Sister Tang exclaimed. Looking at the glittering gold ring on her finger, her resolve to do a good job for Han Xiaorui grew even stronger.

Sister Zhao nodded in agreement. ”That’s right. I finally have a respectable piece of jewelry. Thank you, Boss.”

”Don’t mention it. I’m just glad you’re all happy,” Han Xiaorui said with a smile. ”Today is the Daughters’ Festival, so I won’t keep you. Head home early and enjoy the holiday.”

As they were leaving, she also gave each of them two pounds of dried scallops and a basket of peaches.

At five in the afternoon, Granny Cai and Liang Xiaoyu arrived, bringing freshly made festival pastries and red dye for painting fingernails, made from balsam flowers.

Granny Cai used a small, homemade brush to paint Pingping’s and An’an’s fingernails. Cai Wenjun, though a boy, wanted his done too, so Granny Cai obliged.

Afterward, Han Xiaorui, Han Xiaoqing, Wu Jiao, and Wu Yao all had their nails painted a beautiful color.

Then they began to play games, testing their dexterity by floating needles on water. They ate the festival pastries and listened to Granny Cai tell the story of Niu Lang and the Weaver Maid.

Yang Minmin listened intently, but she had many questions, which she voiced boldly. ”Granny Cai, I don’t think the story of Niu Lang and the Weaver Maid is a good one. I think Niu Lang is a creep who should have been sent to jail.”