The Sea Queen of 1985

Chapter 509: Chapter 509: As Long as Pulling Doesn’t Kill You, Pull to Death

Pingping and An’an were old enough to climb up themselves, but the younger Ningning and Zhuangzhuang needed a hand from Ye Ling and Wu Jiao.

The children laughed with delight as they slid down the long slope.

After about half an hour of play, sweat beaded on their foreheads from constantly climbing up and sliding back down.

It was so simple, yet the children never tired of it.

When the meal was ready at the house, Ye Zheng and Ye Feng came out to get the children.

By then, the two little ones were tired and refused to walk, demanding to be carried by their dad and grandpa.

Ye Zheng took out a handkerchief, wiped the sweat from his little granddaughter Ningning’s forehead, and pulled up the hood on her down jacket. ”Ye Feng, Wu Jiao, you two wipe the sweat for Zhuangzhuang, Pingping, and An’an, and get their hoods on too.”

Ye Feng chuckled as he wiped one of the children’s faces. ”Every one of them is a little monkey.”

Ye Ling wiped Pingping’s forehead, and Ye Chen wiped An’an’s. ”Hurry and put your hoods on, or you’ll catch a cold. Being sick is no fun, and you won’t be able to come out and play.”

”Be good, and after lunch, your Third Uncle will take you skating over at Houhai. It’s a lot of fun,” Ye Chen coaxed his nieces. ’They so rarely get to visit; I can’t let them catch a cold.’

Pingping, An’an, Ningning, and Zhuangzhuang all adored their Second and Third Uncles, so to make sure they’d be taken out to play, they were especially well-behaved.

It was very warm inside. Han Xiaorui took off the children’s jackets and felt their undershirts—they were soaked through with sweat.

Han Xiaorui quickly took them into a room and changed them into dry clothes, from their undershirts out.

This would not only help prevent them from catching a cold but also make them much more comfortable.

Wang Liwen assigned a task directly to Ye Ling and Ye Chen. ”Your four nieces and nephews are your responsibility now. You two make sure they eat their meal.”

”Don’t worry, Mom. We can take good care of our nieces and nephews,” Ye Ling assured her. Besides, Wu Jiao and Sister Lian would be there to help.

Sister Lian, Wu Jiao, Ye Ling, and Ye Chen ate at one table with the four children.

Wang Liwen, Ye Zheng, Han Xiaorui, and Ye Feng sat at another table.

Wang Liwen brought out Maotai, beer, and juice. ”They’ve all been warmed. What would you like to drink?”

Ye Feng smiled. ”On a cold day like this, let’s have some baijiu. I haven’t had a drink with Dad in a long time. Since it’s the holiday, let’s have a toast!”

Ye Zheng nodded. ”Alright. We’ll have baijiu. The rest of you, feel free to have whatever you like.”

Han Xiaorui reached for the juice and poured a glass. ”Aunt Wang, please have what you’d like. I’ll just have juice. Whether it’s baijiu or beer, I can’t stand the taste of alcohol. Juice is much better for me.”

Wang Liwen pushed the beer aside and poured herself a glass of juice as well. ”I don’t usually drink beer either. A bit of sweet juice is nice. I’ll toast with juice this time, to thank you for helping Ye Ling resolve his inner turmoil. If not for you... sigh... that bastard with the surname Wu would have destroyed my son.”

Han Xiaorui gently placated her. ”Aunt Wang, don’t underestimate Ye Ling. He has a good head on his shoulders; he just couldn’t accept the truth all at once. But none of that matters now. The important thing is to take good care of him from now on.”

Ye Feng also laughed. ”If he messes up, yell at him. If he needs a smack, give him one. If you start coddling him because you’re worried about his ’identity issue,’ he’ll really start to feel like you don’t see him as your own son. Dad’s belt didn’t spare me or Ye Chen back in the day, so why should Ye Ling get a pass?”

Hearing this, Han Xiaorui quickly interjected, ”If you can talk things through, you shouldn’t resort to hitting him. He’s older now; he has his pride. Dad, Aunt Wang, please don’t listen to Ye Feng.”

Wang Liwen chuckled. ”Ye Feng is right. We just need to treat them all the same. If you don’t discipline them when they’re young, it’s useless when they’re older. I made a special trip to the co-op last night and bought your dad two new belts. He can alternate between them. As long as you don’t kill them, hit ’em hard.”

Han Xiaorui was speechless.

’Fine,’ she thought. ’Maybe that’s just how you have to handle boys.’

After Ye Feng had kicked him a few times, all of Ye Ling’s emotional baggage, all his grievances and frustrations, had completely vanished.

He was eating and drinking without a care in the world, back to his old cheerful self.

Han Xiaorui had no experience in this area, so she decided to respect the words of Ye Feng, her father-in-law, and her stepmother-in-law.

There had been some distance between the two sides of the family, but because of the situation with Ye Ling, they had grown closer, truly becoming one family.

Wang Liwen could be petty and clannish, but once she accepted Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng as her own, she became fiercely and sincerely protective of them.

She felt guilty about the trouble she had caused for Ye Feng and Han Xiaorui in the past, so now Wang Liwen was trying to make up for it by being doubly kind to them.

After the meal, the little ones were supposed to take a nap, but they were far too excited to sleep now.

In a great flurry, they all followed Ye Ling and Ye Chen to Houhai. The four nieces and nephews sat on the little ice sleds while their two uncles, Ye Ling and Ye Chen, pulled them all over the ice.

Pingping and An’an, who were in the back, kept shouting, ”Giddy-up! Giddy-up!” as if their two uncles were actual workhorses.

Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng stood to the side, watching the children having a blast on the thick ice, not sure whether to laugh or cry. ”The kids are having fun,” Han Xiaorui said, ”but it looks a little exhausting for their uncles!”

Ye Feng watched Ye Ling and Ye Chen pulling the sleds like workhorses and chuckled. ”They seem happy enough to do it. Just let them be. It’s not often we get to come to Beijing, so let them have their fun. Here, you sit down. I’ll push you.”

”Oh, there’s no need. I’m an adult; I don’t play childish games like this.” Han Xiaorui shook her head and waved her hands, refusing to sit.

Ye Feng chuckled. ”This is fun for all ages. No one’s going to laugh at you.”

At Ye Feng’s insistence, Han Xiaorui finally sat down on a sled.

It really was fun. Han Xiaorui’s bright laughter rang out across the ice.

The sun set early, and Han Xiaorui began gathering the children to head home.

They had spent midday at the Ye Family’s main house, but that evening, they would be staying at their own courtyard house.

Ye Ling looked around the place and then said to Ye Chen, ”Hey, Ye Chen, go back and get my suitcase for me. I’m going to stay here tonight.”

Ye Chen wasn’t having it. ”I’m staying here too! Why should I be the one to go get your luggage? You’re the older brother, why don’t you go get it?”

Ye Ling pointed to his ear. ”See this? It’s still swollen! If I go back home, Mom and Dad will definitely beat me tonight. I’m your dear Second Brother. Are you really going to watch me walk right into the tiger’s den and get beaten?”

Realization dawned on Ye Chen. ”Oh, so that’s why. Fine, I’ll go get your luggage. We can share a room so we don’t give our sister-in-law any extra chores.”

Ye Ling nodded. ”Deal. I won’t even complain about you grinding your teeth and farting in your sleep.”

”You’re the one who grinds your teeth and farts! Say that again and I’m not getting your stuff,” Ye Chen exploded, vehemently denying any such habits.

Ye Ling just smiled. ”Alright, I won’t say it.”

As Han Xiaorui watched Ye Chen run off, she said to Wu Jiao, ”You should go with him, so he doesn’t get lost.” Then she called out, ”Ye Chen, hurry back! We’re having lamb hot pot for dinner soon!”

”I’ll be right back, Sister-in-law! You have to wait for me!” Ye Chen picked up his pace, afraid he’d be too late and miss out on the food.