Chapter 617 - 598:
The maids who were making merry in the villa, thoroughly enjoying the festive music, were suddenly stunned. When the master was home, it was absolutely taboo to indulgently use appliances like the television or the home theater. Thus, the maids were dumbfounded, each and every one of them standing up from the sofa, and then they hung their heads and said, "Young Master, you’ve returned?"
"Hehe, it’s fine, everyone continue to enjoy yourselves!" Ye Chen smiled and said, "Today is New Year’s Eve; haven’t you gone home?"
"It’s too far, going back is not worth it!" A slightly bolder maid quickly responded.
"Yeah, my family is in Henan, so going back home involves a lot of ceremony. Just the red envelopes alone would cost several thousand yuan!" Another clever maid began to pour out her grievances, saying, "And at this time, it’s hard to find transportation, so it’s better not to go back for now. It’s not only less crowded, but you can also save several thousand yuan in gift money!"
The bold maid had opened the floodgates, and others also began to speak freely, pouring out their grievances. They all complained that it was now impossible to enjoy the New Year, with all the aunts and uncles to gift, and buying presents for parents and young nephews; without spending twenty thousand yuan, one could hardly manage. They were all from poor families, and even those with slightly better family circumstances struggled to afford the big gift packages handed out during the New Year.
"Everyone has their own difficulties!" Ye Chen laughed, then took out a stack of thick red envelopes from his pocket and said, "Go call the people from the kitchen too. Since it’s Chinese New Year’s Eve, I’m handing out red envelopes to everyone, and I hope everyone will work hard in the future!"
"Wow, the young master is handing out red envelopes, everyone, come on over!"
"Young Master, that’s great!"
Upon hearing there were red envelopes to be received, everyone excitedly ran out. Aunt Zhang, who was responsible for managing the villa’s affairs, glared at the crowd and said, "Don’t be chaotic, even receiving red envelopes should be done in an orderly manner. As servants, how can you cause such a commotion? Haven’t I taught you always to behave?"
"Yes!" The people all bowed their heads in submission.
"Aunt Zhang, just let everyone be happy for a bit, don’t be so stern!" Ye Chen said with a light smile, "It’s a rare New Year, after all, there should be some sense of festivity."
"Yes, Young Master!" Aunt Zhang, who had a higher education, always did things by the book and very much according to etiquette. She believed that when the family head was present, one must follow discipline, unless the master was not around, just like a while ago when Ye Chen was absent—everyone was making a racket, and Aunt Zhang didn’t voice any discipline.