Chapter 94 Since we're already here—let's celebrate the New Year!

At nine o'clock, Gu Nanqiu dragged Yue Yiyue out of bed for a family reunion dinner. Sitting on the sofa, Yue Yiyue was a little dazed.

She shook her head, trying to clear her mind, and casually scooped up some warm water from the side, taking a sip.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?" Gu Nanqiu played the Spring Festival Gala as background music. "Sit here and rest for a bit. Ye Qiu and Yu Man will be here soon."

Upon hearing the name, Yue Yiyue recalled for a moment before realizing that it was the person he had met once before, the one who claimed to be his sister.

"And what about that Lan Shushuang sister?" Yue Yiyue had kept that surname in mind because it was so unusual.

Unexpectedly, Yue Yiyue brought up this person. Gu Nanqiu raised an eyebrow: "He's in the hospital, isn't he...?"

“The child is mischievous. She accidentally hurt herself while playing and her mother will arrange for someone to take care of her.”

Yue Yiyue nodded: "She's staying in the hospital during the Spring Festival. I hope she'll be more careful in the future."

"Speaking of which, I chatted with Sister Yeqiu about movies last time. Since they're in City C, maybe I can invite them to go see a movie together tomorrow." Yue Yiyue tapped his phone, wondering if he should send Lan Shushuang a red envelope through Nanqiu, but whether that would be appropriate.

Gu Nanqiu rested her chin on her hand and smiled as she watched Yue Yiyue's conflicted expression: "Sure, they should agree. Why don't you check out the theaters first? Oh, I remember Ye Qiu has some connections. How about we book a small theater?"

Before Yue Yiyue could even understand what "Bao Xiaoting" meant, he saw Gu Nanqiu get up, take out her phone, make a call, and say a few words to the person on the other end.

Yue Lu refilled Yue Yiyue's teacup and scooped some vermicelli into her bowl: "Just go when the time comes."

Just as Yue Yiyue was about to say something, his phone rang. He picked it up and saw a message from Yu An: "Happy New Year! I was worried that you wouldn't receive too many New Year's Eve wishes, and I was worried that the New Year's Day wishes would be too late for you to see. Do you have some free time in twenty minutes? I'd like to wish you a Happy New Year."

Upon seeing this amusing news, Yue Yiyue couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Seeing that the two people in the room were looking at him, Yue Yiyue raised his phone: "It's Yu An, a friend I knew before. She came to wish me a Happy New Year."

"I'll go downstairs to get it after I finish breakfast." Yue Yiyue finished the rest of the noodles in his bowl, pulled out a piece of paper from the side, and picked up his coat: "It seems like we don't have any disposable cups at home, so I'll bring some with me."

"Is there anything else I need to bring?"

————

Yu An was dressed festively today, wearing a red cotton-padded coat with thick pants and snow boots. When she saw Yue Yiyue coming over, she waved from afar and said, "My benefactor."

Yue Yiyue walked closer and saw milk, a snack gift bag, and a pear on the ground.

There was also an envelope on top.

"...You're going to visit other relatives later, right?" Yue Yiyue asked cautiously. "You must be, right?"

Yu An reached out and stuffed the red envelope inside: "My family has all made a fortune, who can go to live? This is for you, thank you for saving me."

“My life is more valuable than these things. I won’t go up to sit during the New Year. I’ll leave after I’ve delivered the gifts.”

He turned and left after saying that.

Yue Yiyue strode forward and grabbed the person: "Since we're already here, let's have breakfast."

"There's also sweet fermented rice with eggs—"

When Yu An remembered that Gu Nanqiu was above her, she shook her hand even faster, and her refusal became more resolute.

Suddenly Yu An froze. Yue Yiyue looked at the person who had just seemed to want to leave, and suddenly changed his mind. He stiffly pulled his hand away from the one that Yue Yiyue had been holding.

"What a coincidence! Let's go upstairs and sit down together. It'll be more lively with more people." Ye Qiu's voice came from the side. She was wearing a coat today, which was grayish-green in color and had no markings.

She wore a scarf given to her by Yue Yiyue around her neck, a combination that looked both elegant and casual, especially with her hands in her pockets and leaning lazily against the streetlight.

Looking at the similar features to Gu Nanqiu, Yue Yiyue became even more certain of his thoughts.

Looking back, there was the sister I saw last time, Yu Man.

Today she was wearing a white wool maxi dress with a white fluffy coat over it, and carrying a white bag, making her look like a huge sheep.

Yue Yiyue's hands were itching to touch the woman's coat.

Yu Man noticed Yue Yiyue's gaze. She raised her head slightly and, like a proud little peacock, took out a red envelope from her bag: "Happy New Year."

After saying that, she retreated behind Ye Qiu and remained quiet.

Yue Yiyue subconsciously squeezed the red envelope and found that there was an irregular object inside. Just as Yue Yiyue was about to push it back, Ye Qiu stopped him.

"Let's talk about it upstairs, let's talk about it upstairs." Ye Qiu put his arm around Yue Yiyue, tilted his head, took a deep breath of Yue Yiyue's scent, and snapped his fingers with satisfaction: "I'm so hungry, I can get something to eat upstairs."

————

They had a lively breakfast, and then Yue Lu pulled Yu An aside and asked, "Do you have a boyfriend? Do you want to find one? What's your sexual orientation?"

Yu An sat obediently on the sofa like a little quail, shaking her head frantically: "I don't plan to, I don't plan to at all, I have no such idea, I don't like people by nature."

Gu Nanqiu seemed to have received a satisfactory answer, and finally showed a gentle smile, placing the warm water in front of Yu An: "Eat more, there's more in the pot."

After saying that, she went to wash fruit for Yue Yiyue.

Ye Qiu was directing Yue Yiyue to peel shrimp for her, saying that she had booked the whole place and that if anyone wanted to come, they could go later.

As soon as she finished speaking, she got up and peeked into the room: "Oh dear, the only movie showing tonight is at midnight. Yu An will sleep on the sofa, Yu Man and Aunt Yue will sleep, and I'll have to make do with Yue Yiyue and Gu Nanqiu."

Yu Man glanced at Ye Qiu, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopped herself after seeing the black card flash in his hand. "I'll have someone bring the things over later."

Then he added, "I'm not used to your stuff, it's all too cheap—"

Before he could finish speaking, Gu Nanqiu interrupted him: "We're just killing time anyway, let's play some mahjong. It's not easy to get everyone together."

Upon hearing this, Yue Yiyue's eyes lit up. There was indeed a mahjong machine in the storage room, but it had been put away since only the two of them lived there.

Yue Yiyue knows a little about this; he learned some basics of chess from the old ladies when he was learning the game.

Twenty minutes later, the noisy sound of mahjong tiles filled the air, turning the usually cozy little house into a lively place, and Yue Yiyue's smile became even more genuine.

Especially after winning seven games in a row, Yue Yiyue counted the change in his hand and exclaimed from the bottom of his heart, "I've had pretty good luck this year."

Sitting opposite Gu Nanqiu, Gu Nanqiu played a 30,000, glanced at his own hand, and then glanced at Ye Qiu next to him.

Having already lost, Yu An was calm, only relieved that she had brought enough change with her when she went out today.

Yu Man watched TV and chatted with Yue Lu, her gaze occasionally falling on the card game, and for a moment when she made eye contact with Yu An.

Yu An's eyes lit up, and the next time Yu Man changed chairs, she sat in that spot.

After several rounds of wins and losses, Yue Yiyue became even more excited. Gu Nanqiu noticed this and peeled an orange for Yue Yiyue while they waited.

After eating a piece, Yue Yiyue expressionlessly called over Yu An, who was standing to the side watching the cards, and casually shared some with Ye Qiu and Yu Man as well.

"Sour..." Yu An's face contorted for a moment from the sourness, and he looked down at Yue Yiyue, who had successfully pulled off the prank.

Yu Man maintained her indifferent expression: "Is there anything else?"

This was the second thing she said to Yue Yiyue, who then handed her the rest of what he had in his hand.

Gu Nanqiu handed him a lemon.

"Wow—Yu Man, you're amazing!" Watching Yu Man eat that sour lemon that Yue Yiyue had never eaten again, she even forgot about playing cards.

"I can cook some sauerkraut and golden broth fish slices tonight." Yue Lu muttered to herself as she walked to the snack cabinet, took out the seasoning packet for golden broth fish slices, and then took out the sauerkraut packet.

"Yu An, come in and help me kill the fish," Yue Lu called out towards the living room.

The living room was filled with the constant clatter of mahjong tiles, interspersed with Yu Man and Yue Yiyue's soft complaints.

Ye Qiu and Gu Nanqiu followed along, like straight men in a comedy duo, adding their own lines.

In the kitchen, Yu An was learning from Yue Lu how to debone and slice fish.

Yu An felt this technique was becoming increasingly familiar, resembling the method a chef used to carve human flesh in a previous gourmet banquet instance she had participated in...

Not daring to think about it further, Yu An simply kept his head down and continued working.

It was a lively year, truly lively.

————

The Lunar New Year film series tells a family-friendly story with a lot of laughs, and Yue Yiyue enjoyed watching it.

The VIP room can accommodate just six people.

The comfortable seats and abundant snacks were all novel experiences for Yue Yiyue, and the screen had excellent visual effects.

Yue Yiyue looked at Ye Qiu sitting to the side and leaned closer: "Sister, you're really amazing—"

Ye Qiu raised an eyebrow: "I understand. If you come later, just give your name."

"No, no, no." Yue Yiyue lowered his voice: "Watching a movie alone is no fun. I want to ask what kind of screen this is. I'll order this kind from now on."

After that, Nan Qiu and I booked this kind of movie. It's comfortable to watch movies, and even though it's a bit more expensive, we're willing to pay the price.

"I'll tell you when the time comes." Ye Qiu glanced at Gu Nanqiu beside her, her eyes slightly narrowed: "Are you coming to see me again tomorrow?"

Yue Yiyue nodded heavily.

The group of people spent three days playing mahjong, eating, and watching movies together.

Yu An went from being apprehensive at the beginning to now slamming his fist on the mahjong table and angrily demanding, "Where did the Red Dragon go?!"

After losing several rounds in a row, Yu Man would randomly kick Gu Nanqiu or Ye Qiu off the table and replace them with Yu Anlai or Yue Lu.

This action made Yue Yiyue realize that his good luck might be related to these two people.

Finding a moment of respite, she pulled Gu Nanqiu aside and kissed her on the lips, whispering that she would rely on her own true abilities.

After losing seventeen hands in a row, Yue Yiyue finally learned how to count cards.

Before going to bed, she shook Ye Qiu in a state of near collapse: "If you hadn't touched that hand just now, I would have won!"

"How did you have to pick that one?!"

Gu Nanqiu came over with a smile to try and persuade her, but Yue Yiyue pounced on her and pinned her to the bed: "How could you win with a perfect hand?!"

"How did you manage to win with a perfect flush?!"

"Two clean sets!!!"

Gu Nanqiu laughed even louder, protecting Yue Yiyue's waist and rubbing Yiyue's puppy head: "Maybe we were a little bit lucky—"

Enraged, Yue Yiyue grabbed the baby and ran to the living room to sleep in the makeshift bed with Yu An.

Half an hour later, the living room was quiet. Gu Nanqiu tiptoed out and carried Yue Yiyue, who had fallen into a deep sleep, back to the room.

Yu An quietly peeked out from under the covers, looked at the tentacles fluttering behind Gu Nanqiu, and then withdrew back inside.