Over the past two or three years, Ye Jiaxing had matured considerably in his efforts to change himself and was no longer the sloppy child who only cared about playing.
Now a young boy, he had grown tall quickly, already capable of doing a grown man’s work at Ye Manor and earning the same wages as an adult.
This was a feat he could only accomplish through hard work, taking on adult tasks as a teenager, with the self-encouragement that one day he might share common ground with Ye Luoqi.
As a male, they were allowed to study and seek fame like a scholar.
Recognizing that his mind wasn’t as bright and his family couldn’t afford to send him to a private school, facing the reality that even Ye Luoqi, a girl, could study put significant mental pressure on him.
In order to be worthy of Ye Luoqi, he worked during the day and at night sought those children outside the Ye family courtyard who listened to readings, aiming to recognize more characters.
So, Ye Jiaxing had another idea, to befriend Granny Li’s grandson and ask him for help with his studies.
Granny Li’s grandson was somewhat more mature and stable, and was around the same age as Ye Jiaxing; in the past, he would never have mixed with Ye Jiaxing’s rough-and-tumble gang.
Initially, he was reluctant to join in their games, but gradually he came to accept Ye Jiaxing as a friend, facing his sincerity.
When Ye Jiaxing went to play with Granny Li’s grandson, his former gang felt neglected, and it was inevitable that they harbored some resentment.
They even confronted Ye Jiaxing, asking if he had abandoned them.
With no other choice, Ye Jiaxing explained to his pals that they too had been kids and behaved foolishly, but as they grew up, they couldn’t remain clueless forever and achieve nothing; they had to learn a skill.
They had to learn to support themselves, and as they grew older, to have the capacity to support a family.
Boys accustomed to playing found it hard to change aimlessly, something even their parents couldn’t manage, so how could Ye Jiaxing’s explanation quickly persuade them?
If Ye Jiaxing didn’t want to play with them, so be it; the younger boys could still have fun without the older one, who did not care about them when he went to work.
Yet as Ye Jiaxing, the leader, suddenly became as diligent as an adult in his work, his band of brothers, used to idling, struggled to accept joining him in labor, having distanced themselves from him for a while now and no longer playing together.
Seeing Ye Jiaxing not playing with them at night, the rebellious teens felt the leader had forsaken them, that the boss had changed.
With Ye Jiaxing’s group of younger brothers not playing with him for a while, time passed and over two years they also grew up a bit.
Their parents started to intervene, comparing them unfavorably with Ye Jiaxing—someone who used to play with them but now worked so assiduously at the estate, earning a hefty wage, while they were just a useless bunch living off their parents.
Ye Jiaxing’s change was noticed by the parents of this group of boys, realizing now that even a good-for-nothing boy could earn so much money for the family, which left a complex feeling in their hearts.
Ye Jiaxing followed behind a group of girls, his company now including not just his old friends but also Granny Li’s grandson and some of his friends.
They were all there to join in the excitement, especially to watch the lion dance.
Although the daughters of five rich men had sent them invitations, they still preferred to follow the dormitory group.
They felt it unnecessary to visit the homes of these girls with their invitations one by one; following the Lion Dance Team was sufficient since the invitations mentioned watching the lion dance.
The Lion Dance Team first arrived at the gate of a Ye-named rich family, whose servant had won the rock-paper-scissors earlier.
Perhaps the rich man had been prepared and received news of the lion dance team’s arrival.
In haste, a stage higher than that at Ye’s Mansion was erected to showcase their wealth, with five conspicuously displayed large red envelopes wrapped in red paper hanging high above the door, along with lettuce, green onions, garlic, and large cabbages.
This rich old man was named Ye Zhiwei, obviously not a first-generation rich man. He was now the head of the estate, and he also had brothers with whom he shared the vast residence. With their children living together, the household was even more lively.
The ones who had invited Ye Shiqi and her sisters to play were naturally the daughters of Ye Zhiwei and his brothers.
As the Lion Dance Team arrived at the gate of the rich family’s home and saw such large red envelopes, smiles spread across their faces, hoping the rich man wouldn’t be so stingy this time and would give them more than just a little!