Chapter 322 Ye Mu En Is Sober-Minded
Ye Mu En smiled, a happy smile. His sister had truly grown up and understood worldly affairs very well. His earlier suggestion was merely to make her happy.
"Alright, as long as my sister has her own plans. Do we still need to pick them up when they arrive?"
"Just pick them up in the county. They'll have to take a bus after getting off the train. When they reach the county, they'll still need to gather for roll call. At that time, tell them to leave their luggage on the ox cart and have someone give them a ride back on a bicycle. It'll save them the walk."
This was as much as a friend could do. Ye Shengge wouldn't meddle further, as any matters requiring her attention would burden her family, and they weren't at that stage yet.
The people from the merchant family began arriving at the Bai Rong Brigade. The Ye and Bai families deliberately avoided them, trying their best not to encounter them in the village. Even Mother Ye and Aunt Zhen stopped joining the gossip squad.
Mother Ye directly led the women of the family up the mountain. The Western Mountain had already withdrawn its personnel, but the villagers were unaware of this news.
Of course, Ye Mu En and Bai Lao San Bai Chu Mo also followed them up the mountain. The most capable individuals from both families acted as guards and could also hunt for game.
The temperature on the mountain was even lower now; stepping inside felt like a chill penetrating through their jackets.
Ye Shengge was dressed warmly in a thin cotton padded jacket with small floral prints, handmade by her grandmother. She looked very much like a village belle, only missing two braided pigtails.
Aunt Bai was also carrying a basket, intending to pick some edible wild vegetables.
"The climate here is so good. It's already winter, but it doesn't feel that cold."
"Isn't it? In Mingcheng, it would have snowed by now, but here, we won't see any snow."
"Who cares? We've seen enough since we were children."
Ye Shengge glanced at her mother and elder brother. They did care. Where she lived in her past life, it never snowed, and for the sake of her health, she never even had the chance to see snow.
Ye Mu En, with heartache, whispered in his sister's ear.
"When your health improves, elder brother will take you to see the snow. We'll go see all the scenery you haven't seen before."
"Mhm, I'll be fine. It's already great that I can climb mountains from time to time now."
Ye Mu En's heart ached repeatedly. His sister was such a pitiable child.
"Lao Da, hurry over! I've seen a wild rabbit. We'll have food for today."
Bai Chu Mo's loud voice shattered Ye Mu En's lingering heartache. He lazily glanced at his third brother. He was mainly here to accompany his sister on their mountain stroll.
"Where is it? Let's all go take a look."
The women in the family rarely had the chance to go up the mountain because their husbands were too busy to accompany them on leisurely strolls. Now, with this opportunity and seeing a live wild rabbit, they were all very excited.
Soon, only Ye Mu En and Ye Shengge, the brother and sister, were left. Looking at the still verdant mountains, they treated it as a casual outing.
"Elder brother, have you ever thought about the future? You're quite old now. Mother doesn't urge you because of her old-fashioned views, but haven't you thought about it yourself?"
Ye Mu En smiled and ruffled his sister's hair.
"What? You're tired of your brother?"
"It's not that I'm tired of you. It's just that if you stay in Bai Rong Brigade, I'm afraid you won't find a partner. Look, I've already found someone, and you're not in a hurry."
"No hurry. In my previous life, I was much older than this and still not in a hurry. If I don't meet someone compatible, I don't mind not getting married for a lifetime."
Ye Shengge tilted her head, looking at her elder brother. Her brother was very handsome, with a rugged handsomeness and an excellent physique. He would definitely attract a lot of attention if he went out.
"What does 'compatible' mean? What are your standards?"
Ye Mu En had never really thought about it. In his previous life, he was busy with work and his sister's health. At his workplace, he mostly interacted with men. The only place he saw many women was the hospital.
"I don't like girls who are too rational. Actually, this world is quite good. Unlike in my previous life, girls here have clear goals for their lives and can abandon many of their essential qualities, making them less pure.
As for looks, few can surpass our mother and you, girls. So, as long as they're not too bad, it's fine. Otherwise, it would affect the Ye family's genes.
Education is also out of the question. The highest education here is high school. As long as we have common topics, education is irrelevant."
Ye Shengge gave her elder brother a thumbs-up. Her brother was truly sober-minded. In fact, the more sober-minded one is, the harder it is to find a partner.
"I feel like you're going to be single for life, and staying in Bai Rong Brigade makes it even worse."
Ye Mu En pinched his sister's cheek playfully. Was he that bad? In his previous life, the young master of the Ye family was quite sought after, with many women throwing themselves at him.
"If I can't find someone, then I won't. I'll just dote on my child later. Anyway, the Ye family doesn't have a throne to inherit."
"Hahahaha, then why are we working so hard to earn money? We can't spend it all now."
"For a better life, to not be bullied. By the way, Houzi is coming soon, and this year's income will come with him."
Ye Shengge nodded. She was already an expert at farming, planting and harvesting continuously for the black market every day. Little of it was consumed by herself. She suddenly felt a bit like she was boasting unnecessarily; money was just numbers to her now, as there was nowhere to spend it.
"Elder brother, when I was browsing the department store in Chuncheng before, I discovered a business opportunity. Many of the items there are not available in Qishi and Mingcheng, and the prices are not high. Do you think we should ask Houzi to go take a look then?"
"Chuncheng is close to the port, so there are many imported goods here. When Houzi arrives, I'll have him check out the shore area. There's no reason to leave money on the table."
Ye Shengge's eyes lit up. She didn't know where the shore area her elder brother mentioned was. She also wanted to go and see.
After Ye Mu En finished speaking, he regretted it, especially when his sister looked at him with her twinkling eyes. He decided to pretend not to see.
"Elder brother~~, my good elder brother~~"
"Stop it. No, I disagree. No discussion."
"..."
Ye Shengge sighed and picked up a stick, tapping it back and forth against the nearby wild grass.
Ye Mu En felt as if it was being hit on him. After sighing countless times beside her, he finally spoke.
"Let's talk about it after Houzi takes a look. After all, we're not familiar with this place. Who knows what kind of place that shore area is?"
Although Ye Mu En had memories of it, he couldn't be reassured without personally seeing or hearing about it. However, he knew he wouldn't say anything, just waiting for his sister to forget about it over time.
"I caught it, hahahaha, I caught it!"
Ye Mu En and Ye Shengge looked in the direction of the voice, both getting a headache. Their mother stood with one hand on her hip, holding a ruffled pheasant in the other, laughing triumphantly.
"It's ruined. Has Mom completely lost all semblance of dignity?"
Ye Mu En stroked his chin and looked at the others around.
"This is nothing. Look at the other women, they've all been howling and have long lost their composure."