Chapter 277: Uncle Nine Gets a Grandson, and the World Celebrates [Wishing All the VIPs a Prosperous

Chapter 277: Uncle Nine Gets a Grandson, and the World Celebrates [Wishing All the VIPs a Prosperous Year of the Dragon]



The next morning, Aunt Lin, the matchmaker, brought over Lin Qinghua’s birth chart.

Asking for the birth chart was just an excuse for Deng Shirong. It gave him a face-saving reason to decline the match.

Over the next two days, Deng Shirong used his connections with Zhang Guangzong to thoroughly investigate Lin Qinghua’s background.

The results were mixed, with both pros and cons.

On the positive side, Lin Qinghua was upright and honest. Even when he went hungry three times a day, he never stole a single cucumber from the production team. He was also very filial, never having spoken back to his parents even once in his life. He had a strong sense of gratitude, and despite his family’s hardships due to his grandfather’s troubles, he always remembered those who had helped them and often returned the favor by working for others.

He had a good temper and was always kind to others. Even when faced with unfair treatment, he never complained or became bitter.

His kind and peaceful nature was something Deng Shirong appreciated.

However, the negatives were also clear. First, he lacked education.

When Lin Qinghua was seven, his grandfather got into trouble, and the family struggled to survive, let alone send him to school. Fortunately, he had learned to read some basic characters, and his parents, who were both educated, taught him more during their free time. After learning to read, he started reading books on his own. So, his education level was limited to basic literacy and a few books.

Deng Shirong, both in his past life and this one, placed a high value on education. He always paid for his children’s schooling as long as they were willing to study.

Given Lin Qinghua’s lack of education, this was a significant drawback.

Another issue was his height. He was only about 1.68 meters tall, likely due to poor nutrition over the years. This didn’t meet Deng Shirong’s standards for a son-in-law.

Of course, in Guangxi during this era, a height of 1.68 meters wasn’t considered too short.

After weighing the pros and cons, Deng Shirong ultimately decided to decline the match.

Apart from the aforementioned issues, there was another crucial reason. Lin Qinghua was the third generation in a single line of descent. His parents would naturally want him to have several children to carry on the family name. This was a normal expectation.

However, his eldest daughter wasn’t ready to get married anytime soon, at least not for another two or three years. By then, she would be around 24 or 25. If she only had one or two children, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if she had several daughters first, she would be expected to keep trying for a son. This was something Deng Shirong didn’t want to see.

It was better to avoid the situation altogether than to risk a future conflict.

After making his decision, Deng Shirong had Aunt Lin convey the message to the Lin family, using the excuse of a fortune-teller.

Upon hearing Aunt Lin’s explanation, Lin Qinghua couldn’t help but sigh. He didn’t know what he had missed, but he felt a sense of regret that his efforts to find a wife had come to nothing so quickly.

Zhu Ying, though also a bit disappointed, was prepared for this outcome: "Aunt Lin, can you help us find a suitable match for my son Xiaohua?"

This question hit the mark, and Aunt Lin perked up as she began to introduce several potential matches.

...

On the fourth day of the tenth lunar month, Zhang Xiuping was admitted to the obstetrics ward.

Deng Shirong, Deng Shilan, Deng Yuntai, Deng Yunzhen, Zhang’s mother, and Xiaodong waited outside the delivery room.

With previous experience, this time Deng Yuntai was less anxious, though still a bit worried. Everyone knew that the second child was usually easier to deliver, so the mood outside the delivery room was relatively relaxed, and they chatted casually.

About half an hour later, the sound of a baby’s cry energized everyone waiting outside.

Soon, the midwife came out to announce that the mother had given birth to a healthy baby boy, and both mother and child were doing well.

Hearing this, everyone smiled with satisfaction, especially Zhang’s mother, who had been on edge. Although her in-laws were open-minded and had said that the gender of the child was determined by the father, not the mother, in a place like Bobai, where boys were highly valued, she had felt insecure without a son.

The first child being a girl wasn’t a big issue, but if the second child had also been a girl, she would have felt immense pressure.

Fortunately, the second child was a boy, and with this son, they could consider their family complete. Whether they wanted more children or not was now a matter of choice.

Suddenly, Deng Yunzhen pointed to the calendar hanging by the delivery room door and exclaimed, "Dad, look, today is also the start of winter!"

Deng Shirong was surprised and walked over to check. Sure enough, it was the start of winter.

Deng Yuntai, seeing the words "Start of Winter" on the calendar, was equally puzzled. He hadn’t realized the coincidence. Xiaodong, born two years ago on the eleventh day of the tenth month, was also born on the start of winter, which was the origin of his nickname.

Today is the fourth day of the tenth month, and it also happens to be the start of winter. The brother and sister, it seems, are quite lucky.

Deng Shilan and Zhang's mother knew that Xiaodong'er was born on the start of winter. Hearing that today was the start of winter, they both showed surprised expressions.

Deng Shirong couldn't help but remark, "It seems that both the siblings have a special connection to this day. We should change Xiaodong'er's name."

Deng Yuntai asked, "Dad, do you mean changing her nickname or her formal name? (In the local area, the formal name is often referred to as the 'reading name.')"

Deng Shirong replied, "Of course, we should change her formal name. Her nickname, Xiaodong'er, is quite nice."

Deng Yunzhen agreed, "Changing the formal name is a good idea. The name Deng Changju doesn't sound very nice."

Deng Shirong smiled, "We don't need to rush. Let's discuss it more when we get home."

...

The next day.

It was still the Maternal and Child Health Hospital, and this time it was Liu Aihong's turn to be admitted to the delivery room.

Waiting outside the delivery room were Deng Shirong, Deng Shilan, and Bu Dashen. Since it was her first child, it took quite a bit of effort. After six or seven hours, the baby was finally born, and it was a boy. Deng Shilan, the grandmother, was overjoyed.

Bu Dashen's smile couldn't be wiped off his face.

Deng Shirong said with a smile, "Congratulations, Third Sister, on the new grandson."

Deng Shilan beamed, "Congratulations! Congratulations!"

Bu Dashen chuckled, "Uncle, you know how good my parents are at naming. Aihong and I didn't get much education, so we can't come up with a good name. Uncle, you'll have to help us name the baby."

Deng Shirong didn't refuse. Thinking back to the powerful names he read in web novels in his previous life, he had an idea. "How about we name him Bu Aotian?"

"Bu Aotian!"

"Bu Aotian!"

"Bu Aotian!"

Bu Dashen repeated the name three times, and the more he said it, the more he liked it. He slapped his thigh and said, "This name is great! Let's go with it!"

Deng Shilan also repeated the name a few times and found it pleasant. She couldn't help but remark, "If only we had let Uncle name you and your siblings, you wouldn't be complaining about your names all the time."

Bu Dashen couldn't resist adding, "You're right. My sister and younger sister's names are okay, but look at us three brothers: Dashen, Zhongshen, and Xiaoshen. Compared to Yuntai, Yunheng, Yunsheng, Yunhua, and Yunheng, we're really far behind."

Deng Shilan laughed, "You should be grateful. If your father had named you, you'd probably be called Tiedan instead of Dashen!"

Bu Dashen: "..."

...

After naming his nephew's son, Deng Shirong had some ideas for his own grandson and granddaughter.

That night, while everyone was together, Deng Shirong shared his thoughts. "Since the siblings have a special connection to the start of winter, why don't we name them after it? Yuntai, Aiping, what do you think?"

Deng Yuntai asked, "Dad, how do you mean naming them after the start of winter?"

Here is the rewritten text with non-English characters replaced with their English equivalents or transliterations, following the provided guidelines:

Zhang Xiuping immediately praised, "Dad, these names are wonderful! They perfectly incorporate the start of winter, and they sound great too."

Deng Yuntai nodded, "These names are indeed good. From now on, they will be called these names."

Bu Dashen gave a thumbs up, "Naming is definitely Uncle's forte!"

Everyone else also agreed.

After deciding on the names, they discussed the full moon celebrations for Deng Changdong and Bu Aotian.

Deng Shilan asked, "Younger brother, when do you plan to hold the full moon celebration for Dongzi?"

Deng Shirong thought for a moment and said, "Let's do it on the first day of next month. This way, after you finish Dongzi's celebration, you'll have enough time to prepare for Dogliu's (Bu Aotian's nickname, as in the Shuangwang region, many children are given nicknames with 'dog' to make them easier to raise) full moon celebration."

As previously mentioned, in the Bobai region, the rule for full moon celebrations is that boys come first, and girls come after. The celebration for a son can be held earlier, while for a daughter, it must wait until the child is a month old. So, holding Dongzi's celebration three days early is perfectly fine.

"Alright, then we'll set the full moon celebration for Dogliu on the third day of next month."

Deng Shilan nodded, set the date, and then looked at Zhang's mother with a smile, "Relatives, you must come to the celebration too!"

Normally, for her eldest grandson's full moon celebration, Deng Shilan wouldn't invite Zhang's mother, as she is her younger brother's mother-in-law, not her own. But since they were all together, it was only polite to extend the invitation.

Zhang's mother couldn't refuse the invitation from her brother-in-law's only sister. She nodded with a smile, "Alright, I'll come and have a drink then."

...

Beijing.

At a restaurant near Peking University, Deng Yunheng was treating the Student Union President, Li Haibo, to a meal.

Li Haibo is from Shanghai and is in the same year as Deng Yunheng.

If Deng Yunheng is known as a social guru at Peking University and one of the most active figures, then Li Haibo's popularity is even greater. He joined the Student Union in his first semester and became the Student Union President in his second year, making him one of the most outstanding students at the university.

According to insider information, Chairman Li’s family has a background that is unfathomably deep, making him one of the most formidable figures in all of Peking University.

Over the past couple of years, Deng Yunheng and Li Haibo didn’t have much interaction, but this semester, Deng Yunheng joined the Student Union, which increased their opportunities to work together.

As the Student Union President, Li Haibo’s social skills were beyond doubt, and Deng Yunheng, despite being known as one of Peking University’s most socially awkward students, quickly became friends with Li Haibo, as both had an interest in building a relationship.

Having a private meal together was not a first for them.

As they casually chatted about school matters, once they had finished eating and drinking, Li Haibo asked, “Yunheng, with your abilities, you should have joined the Student Union long ago. Why did you wait until your third year?”

Deng Yunheng smiled, “Chairman Li, don’t laugh at me, but my original plan was to go into business after graduation, so I didn’t consider joining the Student Union. But this summer, I talked with my father about my future, and he suggested I find an opportunity to join the Student Union or the Youth League for a year to see if I have any interest in politics. That’s why I chose to join the Student Union now.”

Li Haibo nodded in understanding, “I see. With your talents, you’ll undoubtedly achieve great things, whether you choose politics or business.”

Deng Yunheng laughed, “Chairman Li, you flatter me. I still have a long way to go compared to you. I’ll need to learn a lot more from you.”

Li Haibo said, “Don’t be modest. I’m being sincere. I have a good eye for people. While everyone who gets into Peking University is truly elite, you are among the elite of the elite. Your future is boundless.”

Deng Yunheng smiled, “I hope you can continue to guide me in the future.”

Li Haibo laughed, “Let’s not talk about guidance. Let’s progress together. You’ve been in the Student Union for over a month now. How do you feel?”

Deng Yunheng replied, “It’s been pretty good, not as difficult as I imagined.”

Li Haibo said, “Your quick adaptation shows that you’re suited for politics. My family hopes I choose a political career after graduation, and I have the same inclination. I hope we can work together in the future.”

Deng Yunheng nodded, “I’ll give it serious consideration.”

Li Haibo said, “Alright, when you’ve made up your mind, let me know. I can offer some advice then.”

Deng Yunheng’s eyes lit up, and he raised his glass, “Chairman Li, no more words. Let’s drink to it.”

Given Li Haibo’s family’s deep political connections and his own political acumen, any advice he could offer would be invaluable to a rookie like Deng Yunheng. Li Haibo truly considered him a friend to offer guidance on such an important decision.

Regardless of the final outcome, Deng Yunheng would be grateful.

Li Haibo smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it against Deng Yunheng’s. They both drank their glasses in one go.

...

On the first day of the eleventh lunar month, a Sunday.

Grandfather Deng was hosting a full moon celebration for his eldest grandson, inviting all the prominent clan members from the surrounding villages.

Two years ago, when Deng Shirong hosted a full moon celebration for his granddaughter, his status within the clan was far less prominent, and naturally, he invited fewer guests.

Of course, if one were to compare the lively scenes, the celebration for his granddaughter was more bustling. At that time, Deng Shirong had specially invited a county theater troupe to perform the highly influential folk play, "The Legend of the White Snake," drawing people from all over the region to watch.

For this full moon celebration, however, Deng Shirong did not invite the county theater troupe again.

The main reason was that his sister was also hosting a full moon celebration for her grandson, and the dates were too close. Inviting the theater troupe again would have been inappropriate.

The full moon celebration followed the usual procedures, and once they were completed, the feast began.

At Deng Shirong’s table were the other prominent clan members.

Initially, everyone’s conversation centered around the guest of honor, Dongzi, with everyone congratulating Uncle Jiu on his new grandson. As the drinks flowed, the conversation naturally turned to the most pressing concern for everyone: the bus company.

Deng Changbao, who held the second-largest share in the bus company after Deng Shirong, was the first to speak, “Uncle Jiu, how is the bus company doing now?”

The other clan members also looked at Deng Shirong, as communication was not as convenient in those days, and they truly didn’t know how the company was faring.

Deng Shirong smiled, “It’s going well. The company is now breaking even, and once the Spring Festival travel rush arrives, we’ll start making a profit.”

Deng YunGui was surprised, “You’ve already reached break-even so quickly?”

The others were also taken aback. After the company officially began operations, they had done a simple tally. Currently, there were ten hired veteran drivers, twenty clan drivers, twenty official ticket sellers, and the company’s management staff.

With the wages of so many employees, the highest fuel costs, depreciation and maintenance of the buses, and road maintenance fees (there were no highway tolls in this era, but annual road maintenance fees were required for motor vehicles, collected by the county traffic supervision station), the monthly expenses would amount to at least 30,000 yuan.

On average, that's about 1,000 yuan per day.

Of course, this is just a rough estimate, and the numbers might vary, but the difference shouldn't be too significant.

On the revenue side, the current ticket prices vary from 14 to 18 yuan depending on the city.

If we take the average of 16 yuan, we would need at least 70 passengers per day to break even, considering we still have to pay taxes.

With ten buses, each bus would need seven passengers.

It might not seem like much, just seven passengers per bus, and even in the future when the bus business wasn't doing well, it was unlikely to have so few passengers. Not to mention, the company currently has a monopoly.

However, the times are different. In the future, over 700,000 people from Baise County worked outside, with more than 500,000 in Guangdong alone. If you add those who traveled to Guangdong for business or to visit relatives, the number would be even higher.

But in this era, the wave of people going to Guangdong to work hasn't started yet, and those traveling for business or to visit relatives are few. Having an average of seven passengers per day (including both directions) is actually quite good.

Deng Shirong smiled and said, "Maintaining a break-even point is normal. Our company has a monopoly, with no competitors. The county has over a million people, and except for Shenzhen and Guangzhou, which have daily bus services, other cities only have services every other day. If we can't even get a few passengers, what kind of business would we be in?"

Deng Changxiong excitedly said, "That's great, Ninth Uncle! Your foresight is truly unmatched. The bus company has just started, and it's already breaking even. We'll make a fortune during the Spring Festival travel rush, and the future will be even better, just as you said."

Deng Changbao also said with enthusiasm, "As the saying goes, the beginning is always the hardest. Now that our bus company has started off well, we can just sit back and wait for the money to roll in!"

Deng Yunfa raised his glass, "Ninth Uncle, I toast to you. You initiated this business, and we all benefit from it."

Deng Changshou also raised his glass, "Let's all toast to Ninth Uncle. Thank you for creating such a great opportunity for us."

The others also raised their glasses to toast Deng Shirong.

Although the bus company hadn't made a profit yet, they were all clan elites and understood that it was only a matter of time before it started earning money.

Deng Shirong clinked glasses with each of his clan members and said with a smile, "We all share the same ancestors. There's no need for formalities. Let's work together and get rich together!"

"Ninth Uncle is right. To getting rich together!"

"To getting rich together!"

"To getting rich together!"

...

Even though Dongzi had already turned one month old, Zhang's mother, as the grandmother, decided to stay and help take care of the baby.

The development on this side of the family was truly impressive. They had just invested over 300,000 yuan to open a large restaurant in the county town, and now they were leading the charge to invest another 360,000 yuan to establish a bus company in the clan. This level of courage and foresight made Zhang Zhenfa's family, who had been running a small shop, feel quite ashamed.

With such an impressive in-law, they naturally wanted to take advantage of the opportunity.

So, it was a unanimous decision in the Zhang family for Zhang's mother to stay and help with the baby.

After celebrating Dongzi's one-month birthday, Deng Shirong's family, including the mother-in-law, went to Baoshan Village to celebrate the one-month birthday of his sister's son, Dog Six.

It was a rare trip, so besides drinking, Deng Shirong also went to check on the sugarcane fields his sister's family had leased, guided by his young nephew.

It was clear that his sister's family had taken good care of the sugarcane, and it was growing well.

After checking just one hill, Deng Shirong returned and said to his brother-in-law, "Brother-in-law, the sugarcane is growing well. The Baise Sugar Factory is almost complete, and your batch of sugarcane will definitely be ready in time."

Bu Erzhu smiled honestly, "That's good to hear. I just hope the sugar factory will offer a fair price."

Deng Shirong reassured him, "Don't worry, Brother-in-law. The sugar factory will set a price based on thorough research, ensuring that farmers like you can make a profit. If there's no profit, who would want to grow sugarcane? Where would the sugar factory get its sugarcane from?"

Bu Erzhu nodded, "That makes sense. I'm relieved!"

Deng Shirong advised, "Brother-in-law, don't overwork yourselves. Hire more help when you need it. Don't be stingy with the money; it's part of the planting cost. Don't do everything yourselves, or you might end up damaging your health. It won't be worth it even if you make more money."

"Understood, I'll listen to you. When we need help, I'll hire people from the village."

Although Bu Erzhu didn't have many great skills, he had the virtue of listening to advice, especially from his capable brother-in-law.

Seeing that his brother-in-law had taken his advice to heart, Deng Shirong didn't say anything more.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end