Chapter 384 I'm happy right now!

After the lively New Year's Eve dinner ended, the crackling sound of firecrackers rang out again outside.

Last year, because the children were young, the family only bought some firecrackers and double-bang firecrackers.

When Huo's mother was shopping for New Year's goods this year, she specifically bought a lot of fireworks suitable for children to play with.

Fireworks in that era didn't have as many varieties as in later years, but on New Year's Eve without cell phones or the Spring Festival Gala, even the smallest bit of joy was magnified infinitely.

Seeing the children holding small, sizzling fireworks, their little faces red from the cold outside, they were reluctant to go inside.

While the old man was pleased, he gestured with his chin towards his third uncle.

"How about we go in and play a couple of rounds?"

My third uncle has recently become obsessed with chess, and immediately said, "Let's play!"

Of course, both of them were only mediocre at chess, and neither of them looked down on the other.

It was so cold that Jiang Si stood outside for a while before quickly going back inside.

Mrs. Huo had started stewing sweet white fungus soup early in the morning. The family sat around in the living room, chatting and laughing, and time passed quickly.

Jiang Si hadn't originally planned to stay up all night, but when she looked up, she realized it was almost eleven o'clock, so she gave up the idea of ​​going back to her room to sleep.

Anyway, tomorrow is the first day of the Lunar New Year, a day traditionally considered inauspicious, so there's no need to get up early to pay New Year's visits. You can sleep in as late as you want.

Perhaps fearing she would be bored sitting there, her second sister-in-law, Yang Meina, got up and went back to her room to get a deck of cards.

During major movements, many traditional recreational activities are criticized.

Playing cards, on the contrary, were not completely banned because of their portability. During the Lunar New Year, they were even distributed as a welfare benefit to factories, government agencies, and the military as recreational items.

Many of the games have been renamed, like the one they're playing today called "Run Fast".

The original name didn't fit the mainstream ideology, so it has now been changed to "Strive for the Top".

Jiang Si and Guan Xue didn't usually play cards, but as the saying goes...

It's Chinese New Year, a time for celebration, so let's just say we're there to make up the numbers.

"This is easy. You're all smart enough to learn it in no time."

Yang Meina quickly shuffled the cards and briefly explained the rules, "If all else fails, you can bring your family members along to act as strategists. The third and fourth brothers both know how to do this."

As soon as he finished speaking, Huo Tingzhou sat down behind Jiang Si. "If you win, it's yours; if you lose, I'll pay."

My wife now gives him 20 yuan a month as pocket money.

You can't spend it all, you simply can't spend it all!

Seeing this, Brother Huo and Fourth Brother Huo also expressed their opinions. Well, having money in their pockets gives them confidence.

Forced into this situation, Huo Erge quietly began counting his secret stash of money.

The fourth brother is a researcher who deals with data all day long; his mental abilities are unmatched by most people.

The third brother seems unassuming, but he has been intelligent since childhood and has an amazing memory.

Needless to say, the eldest brother has been leading troops in the army for many years, so this is child's play for him.

The worst part is that these people not only have good memories, but they also lack martial ethics!

They can even remember the cards when playing poker!

How are we supposed to play this?!

As Huo Erge had predicted, if the clock hadn't struck midnight early, he probably would have lost all his savings.

After washing up, I snuggled into my warm bed.

Almost without any suspense, Jiang Si found the red envelope with the inscription "May you have peace and health every year" under her pillow.

"Happy New Year, my dear wife," Huo Tingzhou said softly, a smile in his eyes.

Jiang Si looked up at him and said, "I'm very happy right now!"

After saying that, the two looked at each other and smiled.

When I woke up the next day, everything outside the window was covered in white.

With the snow falling so heavily, the two little ones must be the happiest of all.

Perhaps because they've grown another year older, building snowmen no longer brings them joy.

The two little ones are now imitating each other and playing a snowball fight in the family compound.

Seeing Jiang Si come out, Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao ran over with their short legs, holding the small snowballs they had just made.

As a result, before the two little guys could even make a move, a solid "wall of flesh" appeared in front of them.

Seeing the snowball in their father's hand, which was noticeably larger, the two little ones quickly glanced at their own snowballs, and immediately ran away with a cry of surprise.

"Slow down." Although the snow on the ground was thick and it wouldn't hurt if you fell, Jiang Si couldn't help but worry as she watched the two little ones struggling with their legs.

As expected, her worries were justified.

The two little ones had only run a few steps when suddenly there was a thud.

Because of the unusually heavy snowfall last night, the two little ones ended up with most of their bodies buried in the snow.

Only two small legs, clad in cotton trousers, were left outside, kicking and thrashing about.

"Daddy, waaaaah, help me~~"

Help!

Hearing the little ones' cries for help, Jiang Si was both annoyed and amused.

Just then, Huo Tingzhou walked over unhurriedly, as if pulling up a radish.

With one hand on each side, he deftly 'pulled' the two little ones out of the snowdrift.

With a "pfft" sound!

Jiang Si couldn't hold back any longer and laughed very loudly.

The two little ones were stunned for a moment.

Then she reached out her little hand and brushed the snowflakes off her face.

Perhaps finding it funny themselves, the two of them started laughing along with each other.

The first day of the Lunar New Year was spent amidst such joy and laughter.

Early on the second day of the Lunar New Year, everyone began to return to their respective maternal homes.

As in previous years, before the New Year, Huo's mother had already converted the gifts and receipts that each branch of the family was supposed to receive into cash and given them to her daughters-in-law.

Jiang Si lives nearby, so there's no need to rush early.

After having breakfast, she packed her things and, together with Huo Tingzhou, each holding a little one's hand, slowly walked towards the courtyard house.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"By the way, Yuanyuan," Lu's mother hesitated for a moment before asking at the dinner table, "We've been back in Beijing for so long now, should we tell your mother about your return?"

Lu's mother had known for a long time that her daughter-in-law had a bad relationship with her own family.

But this year is different; previously, their entire family lived in Xinjiang province.

Even if people live far apart and don't visit or contact each other during holidays, it's still understandable that people would talk about it.

But now that their whole family has moved back to Beijing, if they continue to hide and avoid contact, people who don't know the inside story will be in trouble.

They might even accuse the daughter-in-law of being ungrateful and unfilial!

However, these were ultimately matters concerning the daughter-in-law's family, and Lu's mother only offered a brief reminder.

As for what to do, ultimately it's up to the daughter-in-law to decide.

Mr. Lu thought so too, so when Mrs. Lu said those words, he didn't interrupt at all.

Huo Zhankai didn't say anything. Based on his understanding of his wife, he knew she would most likely do the same thing as last year and not go back.

Surprisingly, Meng Yuan looked over calmly after hearing this.

"Dad, Mom, I was just about to tell you that I'm going back to my parents' house this morning and won't be coming home for lunch."

Upon hearing this, everyone at the table was taken aback.

Huo Zhankai was the first to react, "I'll go with you after we eat."

He paused, then glanced at the two children again, "Bring Rui Rui and Yao Yao along too."

Meng Yuan shook her head. "No need, I can go back by myself."

This time, when she went back to her parents' home, she wasn't there to mend relations, but to confront them directly.

She can't not go back; her file is recorded at the educated youth office.

Her family back home never missed a call; they would call Xinjiang Province every three months.

The transfer to the Beijing Military Region was no secret; they could get the details with just a phone call to the unit.

"My third sister-in-law is right. It's not a good idea for me to keep hiding."

Rather than waiting for them to come knocking on her door and causing an awkward situation, she decided to strike first.

"Third sister-in-law?" Huo Zhankai raised an eyebrow slightly. He knew that the two of them had sat down and chatted for a while after dinner last night.

But he always thought that Meng Yuan had gone to thank her third brother and sister-in-law specifically for the courtyard house.

His guess was correct; Meng Yuan did indeed go to express her gratitude.

However, the majority of their mission was to learn from others' experiences.

In some ways, her family situation is very similar to Jiang Si's; both of them made a living from their stepparents.

However, she was not as brave and decisive as her third sister-in-law.

So much so that when they plotted against her back then, she didn't retaliate at all.

During her years in Xinjiang Province, Meng Yuan has grown a lot.

Now, she is no longer the girl who would find a place to silently shed tears when she was wronged.

Sensing the underlying meaning in her words, Huo Zhankai's eyes showed concern. "I'll go with you."

He was worried that his wife would suffer if she went back alone.

"Don't worry, they wouldn't dare."

No one understands them better than Meng Yuan. "They're trying to curry favor with us right now. Even if they had a hundred times the courage, they wouldn't dare to lay a hand on me."

If they really fight, the worst that can happen is that I'll get slapped.

Meng Yuan was eager to be slapped so that the matter would escalate and be put to a close.

Knowing he was worried about her, Meng Yuan said honestly, "If things really get out of hand, it won't do you any good."

Huo Zhankai was, after all, a soldier, and they were nominally his mother-in-law.

If a fight really breaks out, even if you're in the right, you'll become unreasonable.

Furthermore, Meng Yuan is also a person with her own pride and integrity.

She really didn't want Huo Zhankai to see the true colors of her family.

Having said that, Huo Zhankai didn't press her further. "Then I'll take you there. When we get to the door, I won't go in; I'll just wait for you outside."

Meng Yuan didn't object to this.

The main problem was that the items were quite heavy, and it was indeed difficult for her to carry them all by herself.

Seeing that the young couple had reached a consensus, Lu's mother didn't say anything.

While the two were eating, she quickly tidied up.

Although the gifts for Meng Yuan's family were not bought in advance, there were still many things at home because of the Lunar New Year.

So he quickly grabbed a cloth bag, filled it with half a pound of brown sugar, and then filled it with a few apples.

There's also a bottle of baijiu in the cabinet; take that too.

After thinking for a moment, he took a piece of pork belly with alternating layers of fat and lean meat from the snowdrift.

It's a four-piece set, quite presentable.