All parents share the same sentiment, wanting to give the best to their children. Xie Sui, resigned, had also prepared gold jewelry with lighter weights, suitable for daily wear. "You'll wear this, won't you? It looks so elegant."
The bracelet weighed over twenty grams, the earrings four or five, and the gold ring five or six. Not too flashy, which Xie's mother preferred. "Do I have Grandma's too? Why not give it to her? Grandma loves to dress up, she's more stylish than I am."
"Yes, you do. Just wear it, how could Grandma's be missing?"
Xie's mother then happily put them on and showed them off to her husband. Xie's father felt a pang of envy, thinking, what's so great about a bit of gold?
"Dad, this watch, belt, and leather shoes are for you."
Xie Sui then presented Xie's father with his gifts. The old man immediately declined, "I'm this old already, what do I need a watch for?"
However, his hand was already honestly accepting it. The watch was quite shiny, gleaming, and clearly not cheap.
Of course, it wasn't cheap. Xie Sui had picked the more affordable options, but even those cost over ten thousand yuan. He didn't dare tell his father the price, fearing he'd fret about the money.
Dou Dou and Ding Ding finally saw their parents. Their younger brothers had also returned, and the sensible ones were helping to look after them.
Children gossip. Kids at school, having heard about the Xie family from adults, came to tease Dou Dou and Ding Ding, saying their parents had run away and wouldn't come back, and that they were unwanted children.
The two children had fought with classmates quite a bit and couldn't help but worry, though they didn't tell the adults. Their young hearts had endured too much.
Now that their parents were back, Dou Dou and Ding Ding cherished this reunion. For once, they weren't mischievous, wishing they could rush to their classmates' houses to tell them their parents had returned and wouldn't abandon them.
But it was already the winter break, so they had to wait until school reopened.
Xie's mother went to cook, with Xie Min helping. Their elder sister was tired from the journey, so they were told to rest.
Lin Wanwan and the nanny went to the rooms to unpack. Xie Sui watched the children, playing with his elder sons. Dou Dou and Ding Ding, unusually affectionate, asked to be held. Their little faces were a bit shy; they were big boys now and still wanted their father to hold them.
Xie Sui promptly kissed Dou Dou. Dou Dou covered his face, "Who asked you to kiss me? I'm a big kid, no kissing."
Xie Sui chuckled, "No matter how old you are, you're my son. If I want to kiss you, I will. Come on, Dou Dou, Daddy wants a kiss."
Ding Ding giggled, "I'm Ding Ding, the one you just kissed was Dou Dou."
"Is that so? Dad can't even tell you apart. You should put names on your foreheads from now on."
"We can switch them."
The two younger ones wiggled their bottoms with little grunts. Xie Sui, experienced, said, "They've gone, they're uncomfortable. Go get some water quickly, Dad will change their diapers."
The diapers were brought back from Hong Kong and were more convenient. However, Lin Wanwan preferred using cloth diapers, feeling that the disposable ones made babies' bottoms sweat.
When traveling, disposable diapers were indeed more convenient, so they used both interchangeably.
Indeed, the baby had gone, and after Xie Sui cleaned his bottom, he almost got splashed when the baby peed again. They were truly demanding.
Xie Lan came to help. After a while, they were cleaned up. After going and peeing, they got hungry again and needed milk. Caring for two babies was exhausting.
Just then, someone called from outside, "Is Mr. Xie at home?"
"I am. Are you looking for me?"
They were two young men he didn't recognize. The leader had dyed yellow hair and a swaggering demeanor, the typical look of a thug.
Xie Sui was now a successful entrepreneur and wasn't in the same league as such people. He disdained their low-level tactics of fighting, cheating, and blackmail.
Had they come to cause trouble?
Xie Sui's smile turned cold as he blocked the doorway, waiting for them to explain.
Du Feiyang walked over and said, "Is it you? Why are you here at our house? What do you want? If it's about company matters, discuss it at the company. We don't talk business at home."
The one with yellow hair was named Li Jiaqing, a villager from a nearby village. The land Du's family had bought bordered their village, and they had been so troublesome that construction had stalled. They were local ruffians and troublemakers, even more difficult than Yan Xiaoliang had been.
Li Jiaqing said, "I heard Mr. Xie was back, so I came to say hello. Business is about relationships, isn't it? With the right connections, business becomes easier.
Mr. Xie won't look down on us small folks and refuse to do business with us, will you?"
Xie Sui replied, "Of course not. No business is too small, as long as it's profitable. If it's mutually beneficial, we can talk.
It's almost New Year's. Any business can wait until after the holiday."
"Alright, your word is enough, Mr. Xie. I'm Li Jiaqing. Young Master Du, we meet again. Wearing this coat, I almost didn't recognize you."
Du Feiyang tilted his chin upwards forty-five degrees, not wanting to speak to them.
Li Jiaqing's subordinate, Er Laizi, cursed, "Brother Li is talking to you? So what if you're from Hong Kong? This is our territory, stop acting fancy!"
Xie Sui turned and closed the door. With a sudden slap, he hit Er Laizi across the face. Then, grabbing him by the collar, he slammed him against the wall and choked him fiercely, "Tell me, whose territory is this?"
"You dare hit me?!"
Xie Sui hit him again several times, slamming him until his head was bloody. Li Jiaqing's face darkened. They were both startled; this Mr. Xie was so ruthless.
"Mr. Xie, I'm sorry. My subordinate speaks carelessly. Please don't take it to heart."
Xie Sui then threw him to the ground. "Insulting my friend at my doorstep, is that your sincerity? Li, it's New Year's, and I don't want any trouble. If you insist on seeking trouble, I'll make sure you don't get through this year."
Li Jiaqing stared at him sinisterly. Xie Sui raised his hand, and Wu Xiong and Black Gorilla appeared from somewhere, grabbing Li Jiaqing by the collar and lifting him up. "Brother Xie, what should we do with him?"
Li Jiaqing was finally scared. "Mr. Xie, murder is illegal."
"I'm not breaking the law. They'll be the ones to die, and it has nothing to do with me. Go away, don't dirty my doorstep."
"Yes, Brother Xie, rest assured."
Li Jiaqing was terrified and yelled, "Help! Murder!"
The neighbors came out to see. Xie Sui smiled and said, "Two petty thieves, lurking around my doorstep. I'll send them to the police station. It's New Year's, everyone be careful. These hoodlums steal anything."
"Thieves? What need to send them to the police? You'll just trouble them."
"Exactly, don't send them to the police, let's talk it out."
"Just beat them to death. They're a menace, wasting food alive. In the past, when we caught thieves, we'd tie them to a tree and beat them to death."
Not only Li Jiaqing, but Xie Sui was also stunned. "You can really beat them to death? And there are no repercussions?"
"Reprecussions for what? The law doesn't punish the masses. In those years, deaths weren't uncommon, people were executed every day."
The neighbors were referring to the severe crackdown years. Such incidents did happen, usually in villages. Beating a thief to death was not an issue.
Li Jiaqing almost wet himself. "I'm the son of the village chief of Lijia Village, not a thief. You can't beat me to death."
"Just because you're the village chief's son doesn't mean you don't steal. You don't look like a good person either."
Xie Sui felt for the first time that judging by appearance could be a virtue. It made sense; they weren't good people.
However, killing them would be too serious. He didn't want trouble during the New Year. "Let's still send them in. We don't want to get tainted by bad luck.
Aunties and grandmas, come over to my place for a visit. I brought gifts for you. Thank you for supporting my family, everyone gets a share."
The neighbors were overjoyed, getting gifts too. They followed Xie Sui into his house. There were pastries from Hong Kong, cured meats from the south, canned goods, and so on. Xie Sui had originally planned to visit them, but now he distributed them all.
"Mr. Xie, don't worry. From now on, your matters are our matters. If any more petty thieves show up, we'll take care of them for you. This street is like one big family. Any petty thief who comes here will be taken down."
Xie Sui wiped his sweat. The neighbors were so fierce!