Chapter 56 Hiding away for a while

"Is this not enough?" The chubby woman almost grabbed Zhang Xiaohu by the ear and dragged him aside. Zhang Xiaohu was always so energetic and ate so much that his little face was chubby. "Go, go to the side first."

"I'm going to go play with my little brother Zihang." Zhang Xiaohu pouted.

At home, Qin Yizhou did the house cleaning, while Song Fenglan made some pastries. She didn't make any fried snacks. Fried foods are easy to get splattered with oil, and Song Fenglan has never liked making fried food; she prefers steaming or baking.

A while ago, Song Fenglan even specially found some red wine lees to make salted eggs.

In the meantime, Song Fenglan took out the salted egg yolks to make egg yolk pastries, which also contained red bean paste. Song Fenglan made several plates of egg yolk pastries, and she also had to give some away to others; she couldn't just accept them without giving anything back.

Mrs. Su was also helping out; she preferred things like mung bean cakes, which were soft, chewy, and didn't stick to her teeth. Song Fenglan's pastries were all particularly delicious, and since it was winter and the weather was cold, they could last for a few days.

If you have a refrigerator at home, you can keep it fresh inside.

"You're so skillful," Mrs. Su remarked.

“We have molds,” Song Fenglan said. “Some things can be made using molds.”

The pastries, like those with five flower petals, are all exactly the same shape; they were all made using molds. Without molds, Song Fenglan couldn't have made them all exactly the same.

A pot of mung bean cakes was quickly steamed. Song Fenglan picked up a piece and gave it to Madam Su first, and also gave some to Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu. The mung bean cakes were still hot when they came out of the pot, so Song Fenglan put them on a plate first.

When Madam Su returned, Song Fenglan took a bamboo basket and filled it with pastries. By making more for herself, Song Fenglan wouldn't need to make as many for Madam Su. Madam Su always helped Song Fenglan take care of Qin Zihang, and Song Fenglan hadn't been able to properly repay Madam Su and Professor Su.

"That's enough, we can't eat that much," Madam Su said with a smile.

“Not much,” Song Fenglan said. “Uncle also needs to take a break, so he can eat as well.”

"He...he'll be reading all day, and who knows, he'll be working overtime again," Mrs. Su sighed. "When he eats, he'll be thinking about things, so he might not even taste the flavor."

"As long as it's edible, it's fine," Song Fenglan said. "Are you two celebrating the New Year together?"

“Yes, it’s just the two of us old folks,” Mrs. Su said. “Our children and grandchildren didn’t come. They live far away, and it would be too much trouble for them to come. So we didn’t ask them to come. There are too many people during the Spring Festival, and many people are on holiday at that time. It’s better to have them come at another time.”

Song Fenglan looked at Madam Su, "Aunt, you and Uncle have come to have New Year's Eve dinner with us. You two have had New Year's Eve dinner together many times, so this time, come and keep us company."

"Come over for New Year's Eve dinner?" Madam Su looked at Song Fenglan.

“Yes.” Song Fenglan nodded. “As long as you don’t mind that our skills aren’t good enough.”

“Of course I would find it offensive,” Madam Su said. “I’ll talk to your uncle about it later and ask him.”

“If you agree, how could your uncle disagree?” Song Fenglan chuckled. “Your uncle said he listens to you on everyday matters.”

“He is indeed someone I listen to when it comes to these daily matters,” Madam Su said.

"You don't need to bring anything, just come with us," Song Fenglan said. "We'll take care of everything. Hangbao likes a lively atmosphere too."

"I want Auntie and Uncle to come too," Qin Zihang quickly stated after hearing his mother's words. He ran to Madam Su's side and shook her hand, "Auntie, Auntie, let's celebrate the New Year together, okay?"

“Okay, let’s celebrate the New Year with our Hangbao,” said Madam Su.

"That's great, that's great!" Qin Zihang was overjoyed. "Auntie, my mom's pastries are so delicious! She also said she'd make roast duck for Chinese New Year. The roast duck smells so good, it's so delicious!"

"You must come and celebrate the New Year with our Hangbao." Seeing how happy Qin Zihang was, Madam Su also missed her own children and grandchildren.

However, her children and grandchildren were all far away, so Madam Su thought it would be nice to spend the New Year with Qin Zihang. The child was very cute and sensible, just like her own grandson.

"I should go back now," said Madam Su.

"The things are packed." Song Fenglan handed the bamboo basket to Madam Su. "You must come with your uncle for the New Year. You live so close by, so we don't need to go over and invite you again."

"Okay, everything has been discussed with Hangbao." Madam Su took the bamboo basket.

After Madam Su left, Song Fenglan put some other pastries into another bamboo basket. These baskets were woven by Qin Yizhou; one basket wasn't enough, so Qin Yizhou wove several more. Just as Song Fenglan was about to go next door, the plump woman came over carrying a bamboo basket.

Fat Sister made fried tofu, fried dough sticks, and other things, which took some time to make. After frying them, she decided to bring them over to Song Fenglan.

“Perfect timing. I was just about to send some to your house. Now that you’re here, you can take it over directly,” Song Fenglan said.

The plump woman saw the pastries on the table. "So many kinds?"

"Not much," Song Fenglan said. "These things will last longer if you put them in the refrigerator. They won't last as long if you leave them outside. You should put them in a cool, shady place."

"It won't be long before Xiao Hu sees it and eats it," said the plump woman. "He'll eat most of it, and his brother will eat a little. If it weren't for the fear of others knowing that he ate it all by himself, he wouldn't have shared it with his brother."

The plump woman put the things into the bamboo basket she had brought, saving Song Fenglan the trouble of delivering them.

Just then, Fan Yani arrived, bringing some cookies and other treats. She made a little extra, intending to give them to Song Fenglan, and happened to see Fatty Sister-in-law, who was still there.

“You’ve come at just the right time,” Song Fenglan said. “I was originally thinking of sending it over.”

Yue Hongwei came with Fan Yani. Fan Yani was heavily pregnant, and Yue Hongwei was worried about his wife, so he decided to come along.

"So many delicious things!" Fan Yani thought to herself. If Song Fenglan weren't a researcher, she would definitely make a lot of money if she opened a pastry shop.

"It's not much, but I'll give you a little bit of everything," Song Fenglan said. "Please don't think it's too little."

“How could that be? I don’t mind at all,” Fan Yani said.

"Want some tofu?" the plump woman asked. "My family makes tofu, and we still have some tender tofu that we can boil and eat."

“Sure, have two,” Fan Yani said. “I also brought some cookies for your Xiaohu and Xiaowen.”

Fan Yani gave Song Fenglan's family more cookies, visibly more. The plump woman didn't argue with Fan Yani; people have varying degrees of closeness, and they were just neighbors. It was already kind of Fan Yani to give them some food. The plump woman gave Fan Yani's family less than she gave Song Fenglan's family, so naturally she couldn't expect Fan Yani to give her more.

Song Fenglan also packed the food into a bamboo basket, so that she wouldn't have to deliver it to those two families, and she wouldn't have anyone else to deliver to. Song Fenglan didn't give any of the food she prepared to the Zhao family or the others; there was no need to give it to so-called leaders. People who didn't know the situation might think they were trying to curry favor with the leaders.

Fan Yani and her husband followed the plump woman to get tofu, carrying bamboo baskets. The plump woman also gave them some fried dough cakes, just a few pieces.

Grandma Fang noticed what was happening next door and didn't dare to say a word. Before, Grandma Fang's words had prompted Political Commissar Zhao to personally visit Fang Xudong and give him some instructions. Now that Fang Xudong had been transferred to civilian work, they still needed to be careful, lest he be unable to stay here later.

Since she couldn't say it outside, Grandma Fang whispered a few words to Gao Xiuxiu.

“They’re still sending food over there,” Grandma Fang said, “but they haven’t sent any over here.”

“With Da Niu in trouble, how could they dare to send us food?” Gao Xiuxiu said.

Da Niu is Gao Xiuxiu's eldest daughter, and they usually call her Da Niu. Their second daughter is called Er Niu. Of course, both children have formal names, but the parents just like to call their children that, so others call them that too.

"Mom, we can just cook something ourselves, that'll be enough." Gao Xiuxiu didn't dare to say anything more.

Gao Xiuxiu felt that her family was now inferior to those other families. Those families were still in the military and might be promoted in the future. Her husband, on the other hand, became a police officer at the local police station, a very ordinary police officer. This made Gao Xiuxiu feel a great sense of disparity. She had hoped that her husband would have a higher position, but he didn't have such a high position.

“Of course we have to do it,” Grandma Fang said. “Aren’t we just going to watch others eat without making anything ourselves?”

Grandma Fang didn't want to just watch others eat all the time, so she wanted to cook more food for herself, and it had to be delicious and fragrant, making everyone's mouths water just from the smell.

In the capital, when the eldest brother Qin learned that his second sister and others had returned, his expression turned sour for a moment. His sister had moved in with her entire family.

During the meal, Sister Qin would frequently put food on her child's plate, urging her to eat more, especially meat. Sister Qin didn't stand on ceremony with these people. Other families knew to find ways to get their children back to the city, but her parents didn't want her to return so soon, saying they might resort to underhanded tactics, and that it would be bad if they were discovered and reported. But other families were also buying jobs and trying every possible way to keep their children in the city.

Qin's second sister's husband was not very willing to eat, but Qin's second sister would refill his bowl of rice after he finished eating.

“This is Mom and Dad’s house, my eldest brother’s house, and our house. We’re all family, so don’t be shy,” said Sister Qin. “Eat your fill, don’t go hungry.”

Sister Qin thought that if they didn't eat their fill, they would have nothing else to eat when they got hungry.

When You Yun saw Qin Erjie's family wolfing down their food, she didn't think there was anything wrong with it. She reasoned that Qin Erjie had suffered in the countryside, which was why she was behaving this way.

In front of Qin Erjie, You Yun couldn't say anything else, so she pulled Qin Dage into the room.

You Yun knew that Qin Erjie's family had come to the city, so they could no longer leave.

“Since my second sister is back, let them stay at home for a while,” You Yun said.

You Yun knew that Brother Qin was a rather selfish person; she could tell from his attitude towards Song Fenglan. It was impossible to say that Song Fenglan had no blood relation to the Qin family. Qin Zihang was a generation removed from his parents and Brother Qin, but Second Sister Qin was much closer to Brother Qin and his family.

“My second sister got into a junior college, she’ll have a bright future.” You Yun reminded Brother Qin not to offend someone with such a promising future. Helping her now, regardless of whether she remembers them later, is better than offending her and having her think of repaying them later. “There are spare rooms at home, let them stay there for now.”

The empty room was originally intended for Qin Yizhou to live in after his wedding. However, due to what happened later, Qin Yizhou did not live in the Qin family home after his marriage. When the family property was divided, neither Qin Yizhou nor his wife lived there. Furthermore, Qin Yizhou went to serve in the army in Nancheng, so there was no need to keep the room for them any longer.

Brother Qin looked at You Yun, not expecting her to think that way.

“It will take a few years,” Brother Qin said.

“I asked around, and my second sister can start working after three years of junior college,” You Yun said. “Three years isn’t a short time, but it’s not a long time either. Our house here is big, and the rooms are just sitting empty anyway. It’s not a problem for my second sister to stay here, except for the food… I just heard my second sister say that she wants Mom and Dad to find a job for her husband. That makes sense; it’s good for him to have a job. Could you help me see if they want him to stay?”

This is the time to do good for others, and they will remember your kindness in the future.

“Your second sister is your own sister. She suffered so much in the countryside. Now that she’s back, you should help her out,” You Yun said. “They don’t seem like bad people to me.”

If it were bad, those people would have already asked them for more money, instead of coming over at this time.

It's more like Sister Qin has been admitted to a junior college and is returning home in glory. Sister Qin wants them to know that even without them, she can return to the city.

You Yun is not like Tian Keshu; her vision is not so narrow. She doesn't spend all her time thinking about such trivial things. She needs to broaden her perspective. What good is it to always be focused on your immediate, limited interests?

"You..." Brother Qin realized that You Yun was very different from Tian Keshu. If it were Tian Keshu, she would definitely not want Sister Qin's family to live at home.

"What, are you thinking about your ex-wife?" You Yun raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm as petty as she is? She's your own sister, not your enemy. I'm not related to your sister by blood, but she's the aunt of the child in my belly."

Brother Qin looked at You Yun's belly, his eyes softening. "Then let Second Sister and the others stay here for now."

Qin Erjie had originally planned to make a scene if the Qin family members said anything. However, since they didn't say anything unpleasant, she didn't say anything more.

That evening, Qin's mother called Qin Yizhou to tell him that Qin's second sister had returned.

The Qin family has a telephone, so they can make calls from home and don't need to go outside to make calls.

“It would be nice if my second sister could go back and spend the New Year with you,” Qin Yizhou said. “We didn’t go back this year; we’ll be spending the New Year here in Nancheng.”

"Your second brother-in-law is here too, and..."

There are three children. "Mother Qin said, clearly not wanting her second sister and her entire family to live in the house, fearing problems might arise. "Your previous house?"

"What house?" Qin Yizhou asked. "We used to live in Fenglan's dowry house. Oh, you mean the one you gave me? That one was rented out and Fenglan's second brother is managing it."

Qin Yizhou immediately understood his mother's intention: she wanted him to give the room to his second sister's family. Qin Yizhou wondered if his second sister would agree, even if he did. She was clearly targeting the Qin family this time.

"It's been rented out?" Qin's mother frowned.

“Yes.” Qin Yizhou nodded. “Second Brother is in charge, we’re responsible for collecting the money.”

"Yizhou, it's better to rent out the empty room. I'm perfectly fine living with my parents." Qin Erjie snatched the phone receiver. "You're so stupid. Your parents just gave you a small apartment, and you still want it. Don't you know you should ask for more? Mom called you because she wants me to live in your apartment. I'm not living in your apartment, so don't go around causing trouble. You're not a live-in son-in-law!"

Then, Sister Qin slammed down the phone.

"this……"

"Mom, are you in such a hurry to kick us out?" Qin Erjie looked at Qin's mother.

"No, it's not..."

“Second sister, Mom didn’t mean that,” You Yun quickly said, afraid that these people would start arguing. “Your eldest brother and I have already discussed it. You can stay here as long as you want. Once you graduate from school and get a job, and your company provides you with housing, you can move out then. There’s no rush. It’s more lively with you living at home.”

You Yun tugged at Brother Qin's sleeve, urging him to speak up, "Yes, your sister-in-law is right. By the way, the recycling station is short of a temporary worker. Is your brother-in-law interested? It's a bit dirty and messy there, but the temporary workers there are paid a little more."

Brother Qin has a way to get a temporary worker position; his wife has already expressed her opinion, so he wants to as well.

“If you don’t think this job is good, we can find another one,” Brother Qin added.

"Is it alright?" Second Sister Qin looked at her brother-in-law. She hadn't expected her brother-in-law to say that. She glanced at You Yun again; this sister-in-law was a bit different.

"Okay," said Brother-in-law Qin. "It'll just be a hassle for you."

Qin's second brother-in-law acted rather naive. He was originally from the countryside and was living at his wife's house, so he was too embarrassed to say those things.

"Brother, my husband isn't marrying into the family. We'll be moving out eventually," Sister Qin said, to avoid people thinking she wasn't moving out.

Sister Qin is now facing difficulties; they have nowhere to stay in the capital.

“We’re all family,” You Yun said with a smile. “Second sister, you’ve come at the right time. After my baby is born, you can visit your aunt.”

The atmosphere in the Qin family eased and became less tense.

After hanging up the phone, Qin Yizhou told Song Fenglan about his second sister's family going to the capital.

“They have nowhere to live, so they're staying with Mom and Dad,” Qin Yizhou said. “Mom just asked about our house, and I said it's rented out. My second sister said that since I didn't marry into the family, I got a small share of the inheritance…”

“She doesn’t want to live with us,” Song Fenglan said. “She wants to live with your parents.”

“Yes, she’s going to stay with my parents.” Qin Yizhou nodded. “I don’t know how it will turn out. My parents have to let them stay for a while. It’s almost Chinese New Year, we can’t just kick them out.”

“My second sister got into a school in the capital, so she’ll do well in the future,” Song Fenglan said. “They’re letting her stay there for a while.”

Song Fenglan didn't know if the Qin family could understand this issue. In her eyes, the Qin family was rather short-sighted; they would never think about such things.

"Don't worry about them, they'll take care of it themselves," Qin Yizhou said. "Second Sister can't go to our house. Mom and Dad wouldn't dare let her go without our permission."

Most importantly, Qin Erjie's family would never go to Qin Yizhou's house, in order to avoid trouble.

"Who is Second Sister?" Qin Zihang asked, puzzled.

“She’s your second aunt, you have to call her second aunt, not second sister,” Song Fenglan said.

“Second Aunt,” Qin Zihang said.

“Yes, it’s your second aunt, your father’s second sister,” Song Fenglan said. “Your second aunt and the others went to the capital.”

“We didn’t go,” Qin Zihang said. “We haven’t seen our grandparents this year.”

"We'll go back to see it when we have time later." Song Fenglan patted Qin Zihang's head.

It's almost Chinese New Year, and those who haven't received an admission notice don't necessarily mean they weren't admitted; they may have to wait for it to arrive.

Li Hui's health prevented her from having children again, so she was even less willing to go back to her hometown with Guo Peng. Guo Peng chose to respect Li Hui's wishes, and the couple spent the Spring Festival in Nancheng instead of going back to their hometown.

When Guo's parents learned that Guo Peng and his wife wouldn't be coming home for the Chinese New Year, they were not happy, but there was nothing they could do. They couldn't force Guo Peng and his wife to come back; they had already called and asked, but if they didn't want to come back, they didn't want to.

Li Hui knew she wouldn't receive an acceptance letter; her score was too low. She couldn't go to university, and Fan Yani, who scored two points higher, also couldn't go. Li Hui couldn't bring herself to laugh at Fan Yani, since her score was even lower.

"Aren't you going back after the New Year?" Guo Peng asked Li Hui.

“I’m not going,” Li Hui said. “What would I do there? Let them laugh at me for not being able to get pregnant, let them tell you to divorce me?”

"No," Guo Peng quickly said, "I was thinking... I wanted to talk to my brother and the others, maybe..."

“I can’t say,” Li Hui said. “Do you really have to adopt your brother’s child? If you’re going to adopt a child, can’t you just get one from somewhere else?”

“Even if we adopt a child from elsewhere, they will still know,” Guo Peng said. “Yani is here, and she knows our situation.”

"..." Li Hui almost forgot about Fan Yani. Fan Yani must be laughing at her in her heart.

Actually, Fan Yani did make fun of Li Hui, but not all the time. When Fan Yani learned that Li Hui and her husband were spending the Spring Festival in Nancheng this year, she wasn't surprised at all. Li Hui was a very proud person; she must be afraid of what others would say about her.

Fan Yani talked to Yue Hongwei about Li Hui and her husband's New Year celebrations, saying, "How about we invite my older brother and sister-in-law to come over for the New Year? But forget it, forget it, they definitely don't want to spend the New Year with us."

"Yes." Yue Hongwei had no intention of spending the New Year with Guo Peng and his wife. "They can't possibly spend the New Year with us. We'll celebrate it on our own. Your belly is so big now, you're about to give birth."

"It'll be soon," Fan Yani said. "It's not easy for me to have a proper postpartum period alone. Mom said she'd come back to help me. What do you think?"

“Okay,” Yue Hongwei said. “It’s good to have someone help you during your postpartum period.”

Yue Hongwei had no objection. He had to work and couldn't stay home with Fan Yani all the time. Fan Yani needed someone to take care of her during her postpartum period, and Yue Hongwei couldn't do it well on his own. It would be best if someone could help him take care of Fan Yani.

"Mom, come here. Do my older brother and the others know?" Yue Hongwei asked.

“Mom won’t be here so soon, it will be around the tenth day of the first lunar month at the earliest,” Fan Yani said. “Even if she is quick, she can’t come this soon. There are many things to do at home during the first lunar month, and she can only come after she has settled those things at home.”

The original owner's adoptive parents were quite good. When their eldest son was very successful, they still thought about having their child bride marry him, rather than having her marry someone else.

The original owner didn't blame her adoptive parents, so Fan Yani naturally didn't blame them either. If it weren't for them, the original owner would have been gone long ago. The debts of gratitude should still be acknowledged; one shouldn't be so ungrateful. It's wrong for her to hold a grudge against the Guo family just because Guo Peng wronged the original owner.

“Mom, come and stay with us. She’s here to take care of me during my postpartum period, so she shouldn’t stay at my older brother’s house,” Fan Yani said. “With my sister-in-law like that, she doesn’t even want to go back for the New Year, not even once. If Mom goes to stay there, she might say some hurtful things, and Mom won’t be able to stand it.”

On New Year's Eve, Professor Su and his wife came over after breakfast. They had put up couplets at their home the day before. They came to Qin Yizhou's house today to see if there was anything they could help with.

The chickens and ducks were all freshly slaughtered. Qin Yizhou was plucking the duck feathers, and Madam Su was helping to pluck the chicken feathers as well.

Qin Yizhou asked Madam Su to sit down and rest, and Madam Su offered to help. Professor Su sat in the living room with Qin Zihang and watched TV.

Qin Zihang kept stealing glances at Professor Su.

"If you're going to watch, then watch it properly," Professor Su said.

"Uncle, your beard is gone." Qin

Zihang tilted his head; he had seen his great-uncle with a beard before.

“Shave,” Professor Su said. “As a man, you still need to shave regularly, especially if you go into the lab. If you don’t shave, the beard will fall into the experimental materials and affect the experiment. When you grow up, even if you don’t go into the lab, you still need to take good care of yourself.”

A few days ago, Professor Su worked overtime and looked a little disheveled with a lot of stubble. He tidied himself up early this morning.

"I want to go into the lab too," Qin Zihang said. "I want to be like my mom, to build airplanes, airplanes that fly in the sky."

"Good, that's ambitious!" Professor Su gently patted Qin Zihang's hand. "Remember what you said. Go and manufacture airplanes, and become a researcher."

"Yes, yes." Qin Zihang nodded. "Just like Mom, and just like Uncle."

"He's the same as your great-uncle." Professor Su saw Qin Zihang's confusion. "He's your mother's uncle, you can call him great-grandfather."

"Great-grandfather?" Qin Zihang didn't quite understand.

"He is a very capable and outstanding person," Professor Su said.

"Is he more capable, or is Mom more capable?" Qin Zihang asked.

"This..." Professor Su did not expect Qin Zihang to ask such a question. "It's hard to say. If he were still alive... he would definitely say that your mother is amazing, and he would be proud to have a niece like your mother."

"Wow, he must be really amazing," Qin Zihang said. "My mom is really amazing."

Professor Su understood: Qin Zihang thought Song Xingyun was superior because he believed Song Fenglan was superior. Indeed, these children simply didn't understand those who sacrificed themselves in secret, those who died before dawn. But it wasn't entirely the children's fault; children don't understand those things.

“Yes, your mother is amazing. You should be just as amazing as your mother when you grow up,” Professor Su said. “Be an amazing person.”

"Yes, yes." Qin Zihang nodded vigorously. "I've been studying hard and doing my homework well. Mom said that when I go to high school, I can also go to university. I want to go to a really, really good university, just like Mom."

During this period, Qin Zihang liked to say that he wanted to be like his mother, that he wanted to become very outstanding, and that he wanted to make his mother proud of him.

At noon, everyone ate stuffed eggs, which were made by Madam Su. Madam Su's stuffed eggs were quite good; the shapes were mostly perfect, and very few had filling leaking out. Song Fenglan wasn't good at making stuffed eggs, so she didn't do that. Instead, she went to prepare the ducks, remembering that she was going to make roast duck today.

The chicken was chopped into pieces and stewed, and the bamboo shoots were sliced, ready to be stir-fried with hot and sour bamboo shoots. A large grass carp was also cleaned and prepared; Song Fenglan planned to make it into grilled fish, along with bean sprouts and other ingredients.

It's New Year's Eve, so we should eat a little better. There are four adults and one child, so they can eat more. If they can't finish it, they can reheat it later for a late-night snack. If all else fails, they can save it for tomorrow so nothing goes to waste.

Qin Zihang watched Song Fenglan make roast duck, eager to eat it as soon as possible.

There are roast ducks sold outside, but the taste of roast ducks sold outside is never quite the same as the ones made at home.

Qin Zihang probed the probe again and again.

"It's not ready yet," Song Fenglan said. "Don't rush to look, come inside and sit down."

"Mom," Qin Zihang said, "Let me see, it won't break."

Qin Zihang clasped his hands together, begging, he just wanted to take a look.

“There’s so much good food at home, let’s eat first,” Song Fenglan said. “These need to be cooked through before we eat them. Have your dad cut up the other ingredients and arrange them on a plate.”

“Dad is cutting it,” Qin Zihang said.

Song Fenglan had no choice but to let her son keep an eye on things.

Seeing Qin Zihang's happy expression, Professor Su and his wife stood beside Professor Su and asked, "Do you miss your grandson?"

“Why would I think about them?” Professor Su said. “They’re not without family, and they can still celebrate the New Year properly. The food they eat here isn’t necessarily better than it is with their parents.”

Professor Su did miss his grandchildren, but after thinking it over, he decided it was best not to let them come. They could come at another time; although they only saw each other once or twice a year, Professor Su was still very happy.

I'm busy with those things every day, where would I find the time to think about other things?

"Hangbao is pretty good, he's smart," Professor Su said. "Everyone in their family is intelligent."

“That’s right,” Mrs. Su agreed. “Hangbao is very sensible. When there’s something delicious, he’ll say, ‘Auntie, Auntie, here you go.’”

Every time Mrs. Su saw Qin Zihang like that, she would tell him to eat by himself. The next time, Qin Zihang would still offer the food to Mrs. Su, even putting it in her hands, which touched Mrs. Su deeply. Many children, when adults offer them food, will simply eat it without thinking of the adults next time.

These children don't usually have much to eat, so you can't say they're stingy. If they had more food, they naturally wouldn't care about the amount.

By evening, the roast duck was ready, and Song Fenglan sliced ​​it and arranged it on a plate. The roast fish was also placed on the table, along with other main dishes and several bottles of drinks.

"It's truly a sumptuous feast," Madam Su remarked.

"Eat, everyone, eat quickly," Song Fenglan said. She also asked Qin Yizhou to stir-fry some green vegetables to cut through the greasiness, as well as sliced ​​cantaloupe.

Song Fenglan made roast duck for Qin Zihang, and Qin Zihang was very happy eating it.

"It's delicious, Uncle, Aunt, you should eat too." Qin Zihang's mouth was covered in oil from eating.

"Eat, everyone's eating," Madam Su said with a smile, her appetite already whetted by the dishes on the table. Madam Su ate some roast duck, a few dumplings, and some other dishes. "Fenglan, you've made so much food."

"It's not much. Sit down and eat slowly. If it gets cold, we can reheat it," Song Fenglan said. "It's a rare occasion to eat together during the New Year, so of course we should eat well."

"It tastes great," Professor Su praised. "This roast duck is just as good as the ones I had in the capital."

"If you like, have some more," Song Fenglan said. "This is a whole roast duck."

If we divide these things up a bit, everyone can have a taste; it's not actually that much. Qin Yizhou's training is intense, so he usually needs to eat a lot. Qin Zihang is also in the growth spurt stage, and Professor Su is a man, so they all need to eat more.

Song Fenglan was often busy with work and had a good appetite, while Madam Su had a smaller appetite and didn't eat as much.

We finished the whole roast duck, and almost finished the roast fish, but there was still some chicken soup and other things left.

After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, Qin Zihang changed into his new clothes. He had just come out of his room when Zhang Xiaohu called out to him. Zhang Xiaohu wanted to come and play with Qin Zihang; he had wanted to come for a while, but his mother wouldn't let him, saying that Qin Zihang hadn't finished his New Year's Eve dinner yet and that Zhang Xiaohu shouldn't be in such a hurry.

Zhang Xiaohu could only wait a while, and then he too put on his new clothes. Zhang Xiaohu was very happy. He always wore his older brother's hand-me-downs and rarely had new clothes. Every New Year, he was very happy because it meant he would have new clothes to wear.

"Brother Zihang, Brother Zihang," Zhang Xiaohu called out to Qin Zihang from the doorway.

Qin Zihang ran to the yard, "Brother Xiaohu, Brother Xiaohu, come quick, let's watch TV."

Professor Su and his wife went home. The couple planned to take a walk and then call their relatives. Song Fenglan didn't ask them to stay. Mrs. Su offered to help pack, but Song Fenglan refused, so Mrs. Su didn't help pack.

With Qin Yizhou around, there was no need for Madam Su to help pack.

At that time, the TV station hadn't started broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala yet, so there was no Spring Festival celebration to watch; people just watched other programs. Qin Zihang and Zhang Xiaohu were content as long as they could watch TV. When Qin Zihang wasn't spending the New Year with them, Zhang Xiaohu liked to set off firecrackers. Qin Zihang didn't like setting off firecrackers; it wasn't that he was afraid of them, he just thought it was pointless and less interesting than watching TV.

So Zhang Xiaohu watched TV with Qin Zihang. Zhang Xiaohu still found TV a very novel thing. After all, Zhang Xiaohu didn't have a TV at home, so he couldn't watch TV whenever he wanted and could only watch TV at Song Fenglan's house.

In the capital, with You Yun and Brother Qin's statements, Qin's mother couldn't say anything more to Second Sister Qin. At most, she would tell Second Sister Qin to be careful, mentioning that You Yun was pregnant and that Second Sister Qin shouldn't cause trouble for You Yun.

Second Sister Qin rolled her eyes at her mother. As long as You Yun didn't cause her trouble, she naturally wouldn't bother You Yun. Second Sister Qin thought to herself that she wasn't someone who liked to cause trouble for others, and she even helped with preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Mr. and Mrs. Qin gave red envelopes to all the children. Mrs. Qin originally thought that the red envelopes for her grandchildren didn't need to be so big, and could be smaller. However, You Yun also brought a daughter who was not related to the Qin family by blood. If the red envelope for her grandchildren was the same as or even a little bigger than that of the child, it wouldn't be appropriate. It would be better to give the same amount to everyone to avoid upsetting them.

Qin Erjie was initially worried that the amount in the red envelopes given by Qin's parents might be different, but when she saw her nephews and nieces open their red envelopes, she was relieved to find that they were all the same.

"Mom, have you learned your lesson?" Qin Erjie joked.

"What lesson?" Qin's mother asked, puzzled.

"That lady up ahead," said Sister Qin, "she gave away the things like that..."

"That's all in the past." Qin's mother didn't want to bring up Tian Keshu's matter.

After Tian Keshu remarried, life wasn't so easy. Her husband had to carefully calculate how much she spent on even small purchases. During the Lunar New Year, they couldn't eat whatever they wanted; they had to be frugal. With two boys and a grown man, the three of them consumed a lot of food. If they didn't plan their spending carefully, they would soon run out of rice.

The life she had with the Qin family was very different from what she had experienced. When she was with the Qin family, she was never short of money or ration coupons, and her in-laws never said much to her. After she remarried, her current husband often told her to be more frugal and not to spend money recklessly. He even suggested ways to buy more things to keep her full.

No matter how uncomfortable Tian Keshu felt, there was nothing she could do. She had married such a man, and she had to keep living her life.

Meanwhile, Tian Keshu's younger sister, Tian Kexian, got into an argument with her in-laws during the Lunar New Year because there wasn't enough food on the New Year's dinner table. Tian Kexian and her husband usually live alone, while her mother-in-law has four sons and one daughter.

During the Chinese New Year, Tian Kexian and her husband came over with Yang's mother and others. There were indeed chicken, duck, fish and other dishes on the table. However, when Tian Kexian picked up her chopsticks to take some, Yang's mother took the food away, and she only took a little bit and put it on her plate.

"When guests come later, we'll need to prepare food," said Yang's mother. "You can just have a little bit, just a token of your appreciation."

"Mom, I'm pregnant." Tian Kexian was unhappy. She had come all this way for New Year's Eve dinner and wanted a good meal, not just a little bit.

"Are you going to wait until we leave before you bring it out to eat?"

Tian Kexian didn't believe that guests had come to eat. She thought these people were more likely to hide and eat secretly, refusing to give her, a pregnant woman, any food.