The sudden arrival of two children surprised Lu Yao. Yang Jian explained the situation of the Li family, saying these two children would live with them permanently.
Lu Yao was also well aware of the relationship between her husband and Li Jin, knowing that Li Jin had taken all the blame for Yang Jian. Moreover, the young siblings were well-behaved and quickly bonded with Yang Zhengyuan. Therefore, she not only accepted them but also grew very fond of them.
She specially arranged a room for the siblings and went shopping for a large pile of new clothes.
The next day was the twenty-eighth of the twelfth lunar month. The Yang Jian family was going to his father-in-law's house for the New Year's Eve dinner, and then back to Yang Li Village to celebrate the New Year with his parents.
Li Feng and Li Hu, the siblings, were naturally included. It was now a family of five visiting relatives. Yang Zhengyuan was very excited. He hadn't been very happy playing with Gao Lu and Gao Yang at home before, as they were older and couldn't play with him. Now, with two younger brothers and sisters, he quickly found common ground.
"Oh, whose children are these?"
As soon as they entered the house, Chen Lan asked Lu Yao in surprise.
"Mom, these are my goddaughter and godson, Xiao Feng and Xiao Hu. Hurry and say hello to Grandma and Grandpa."
Lu Yao held one child by each hand and led them to pay their respects to her parents. Yang Jian provided a brief explanation.
Li Feng and Li Hu were very sensible: "Hello, Grandma, Grandpa."
Chen Lan, who loved children, quickly grabbed candies for them.
"Mom, where's my brother? Why isn't he home?"
Lu Yao only realized someone was missing after settling the three children.
"Your brother said he was bringing his girlfriend home for New Year's Eve dinner. I've been hurrying him for a while, but I haven't seen them yet."
"Really? My brother is dating? Isn't it the daughter of your colleague?"
"No, he met someone himself. He said he's bringing her to meet us today, and he's being all mysterious. I want to see what his taste is like."
"My brother is so stubborn. I wonder what kind of girl can capture his heart. I'm a little curious too."
While mother and daughter busied themselves in the kitchen, Yang Jian accompanied Lu Qian for tea and conversation.
Around ten o'clock, there was a knock at the door.
Lu Yao and Chen Lan both rushed out. Yang Jian and Lu Qian also stood up. Lu Feng's girlfriend was visiting for the first time, so it was important.
"Brother, where's your girlfriend?"
Lu Yao opened the door and found only Lu Feng.
Lu Feng smiled and moved aside. Lu Yao's eyes widened: "Ma, Ma Lan?"
Yang Jian was also very surprised: "Xiao Ma, why are you here?"
Ma Lan looked a little embarrassed: "Brother Jian, Sister Yaoyao, hello."
Lu Yao was still a bit confused: "No, Ma Lan, you're my brother's girlfriend?"
Lu Feng laughed heartily: "Yaoyao, Dad, Mom, let me introduce you. This is my girlfriend, Ma Lan. She's a lawyer and now the legal counsel for Lijian Company."
Yang Jian was amused and exasperated: "When did you two get together? Brother Feng, you've only been working for a few days. That's fast! The question is, how should we address each other? Xiao Ma just called me Brother Jian. Should I call her sister-in-law?"
"No need. You can still call her Xiao Ma, after all, she's younger."
Lu Yao forced a smile: "Come in quickly. How we address each other isn't important. We'll be family from now on anyway."
She didn't have much of a good impression of Ma Lan. This girl was very calculating and had tried to curry favor with her in-laws before, hoping to become a daughter-in-law of the Yang family. Fortunately, Brother Jian was devoted to her, so she didn't succeed. Now, she had managed to get involved with her brother.
However, even though Lu Yao disliked Ma Lan, she couldn't object. After all, her brother was over thirty and had been released from reform through labor. It wasn't easy for him to find a good girl.
Putting aside her past infatuation with Brother Jian, Ma Lan was actually very capable. Her professional skills were strong, and she handled her role as a company legal counsel with ease. Brother Jian was about to form a group company, and with her as his sister-in-law, she would be a great asset to the company.
Yang Jian also had to accept this reality. He had been somewhat resistant to Ma Lan before. This girl was very pragmatic and liked to climb the social ladder. The reason he hired her was partly out of respect for Old Ma and his son, and partly because of her strong work ethic. Especially during the trip to Northern Myanmar, she had demonstrated excellent professional qualities and social skills.
Everyone has flaws. Since Lu Feng liked Ma Lan, they could only support and bless them. Even if Ma Lan was with Lu Feng for money, it didn't matter. Yang Jian and the Lu family could provide her with a comfortable life, and he believed she would be content.
Lu Qian and his wife were very satisfied with Ma Lan. Not only was the girl beautiful, but she was also a lawyer, which was more than enough for their son, who had been to prison and only had a high school diploma.
For this reason, after the New Year's Eve dinner, Chen Lan gave Ma Lan a generous red envelope, at least five to six thousand yuan.
Ma Lan was also tactful. She immediately gave each of the three children a thousand yuan. This gesture not only made Lu Qian and his wife beam with joy but also significantly improved Yang Jian and Lu Yao's impression of her.
After the meal, the Yang Jian family of five drove back to Yang Li Village to celebrate the New Year in the countryside.
As there weren't enough rooms in their house, they moved into the newly opened Yaochi Grand Hotel. A suite on the top floor was reserved for their private use, spanning over five hundred square meters with complete living facilities.
Yang Jian had originally planned to move his parents, grandmother, and aunt into the hotel, but they refused, saying that living in the village had a sense of warmth and that the hotel was inconvenient.
With no other choice, the Yang Jian family had to eat at home during the day and return to the hotel to sleep at night.
During the New Year period, Yaochi Garden was packed with tourists. Lu Yao led the three children and had a great time playing there.
Li Feng and Li Hu, the siblings, had completely adapted to life with the Yang family and were now calling Yang Jian and Lu Yao "Dad" and "Mom."
Yang Jian spent most of his time at home, either chatting with his mother, aunt, and grandmother, or visiting neighbors with his father. After drifting outside for so many years, he wanted to make up for all the time he had missed with his family.
"Second brother, Brother Huai Lin just told me that Li Xiang is operating a casino near Yaochi Garden. Do you want to deal with this?"
On the third day of the Lunar New Year, after Yang Jian had paid his respects to his uncle and aunt, Yang Shuanglin pulled him aside to discuss the matter.
"During the New Year, even the police don't pay much attention to gambling and card games in the villages. How can I manage him operating a casino?"
Once the New Year arrived, gambling became rampant in the countryside. This trend had continued for decades, and Yang Jian was used to it.
"But Brother Huai Lin said it's bad for Yaochi Garden's image. Yaochi Garden is a scenic spot, and now many tourists are participating in gambling, creating a chaotic atmosphere. Over time, Yaochi Garden's image will be greatly diminished."
"Is it that serious? They should just be playing for a few days during the New Year, right?"
"How can it not be serious? Several construction workers from our village lost tens of thousands of yuan, earned through a year's hard work, in less than three days. They don't even have money for bus fare to go out to work and are arguing at home."
"Gambling is indeed quite harmful, but they're opening a casino outside Yaochi Garden, and I can't really do anything about it."
"Li Xiang is quite afraid of you. Go and warn him. If he wants to open a casino, he should go far away and not harm our Yang Li Village."
Yang Shuanglin now deeply detested gambling. Although his son had made his fortune through gambling, it was a near-death experience. If it weren't for a benefactor, he would have been in prison long ago.