Chapter 201 Gloom

After buying things for the two elderly people in Nangang, Xia Mian realized that she had completely forgotten about Xia Garden!

"What should we do?" he quickly tried to salvage the situation. "Uncle Li, please take me to the warehouse."

"What are you looking for?" Uncle Li asked.

"Do you have anything at home that you could bring back to Xia Garden tomorrow?"

"This... you don't need to look for it," Uncle Li said with a smile. "The gentleman had already prepared it and put it in the car. You don't need to worry about it."

It turns out that while he was thinking of helping Zhou Pingchuan express his feelings, Zhou Pingchuan was also trying to mediate for him.

He treated Zhou Pingchuan like family, and Zhou Pingchuan quietly protected their little family.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, from the foot of the mountain all the way to Xia Garden halfway up the mountain, all the streetlights along the way were decorated with big red lanterns, as were the entrances. Half of the mountain was decorated by the Xia family in a festive and lively manner.

Despite it being winter, the water system in Xia Garden was open. To prevent the water from freezing, Xia Dongbo specially ordered people to transport hot spring water from a hundred kilometers away. Steam rose from the water, the snow piled up loosely on the stone path, and several welcoming pines were neatly arranged, exuding a sense of resilience that "pine and cypress are born to endure the bitter cold."

The artificial rockery landscape has also been changed.

All that's missing is to rebuild the garden!

Xia Mingzhao and Zhou Ting returned to the Xia family home first. Xia Mingzhao walked around the yard and found it quite novel: "Mom, I know you're happy that your new son-in-law is coming to visit, but is it really necessary to make such a big fuss? I've never seen our house decorated like this before! You're not young anymore, you should worry less and focus on resting and recuperating."

After saying that, Xia Mingzhao hooked his arm around Zhou Ting's. He said it on purpose, wanting Zhou Ting to know how much the Xia family valued him, and wanting to make Zhou Ting happy—after returning home yesterday, Zhou Ting hadn't spoken to him at all, probably because he had really angered him.

No matter how unhappy Zhou Ting was, he never lacked manners: "Changing the set takes time and effort, Dad, Mom, just call me next time you need anything."

Tang Wenhua: "I originally only bought a batch of lanterns and didn't plan to change the garden's decor. It was your dad who insisted on changing it, saying that this year is a double celebration and we must have a grand celebration. After making the decision, we rushed to find a landscape designer and didn't have time to discuss it with you."

Upon hearing the phrase "double happiness," Xia Mingzhao's lips twitched slightly, then her smile widened: "Dad's right. Xia Mian will be back soon, won't she?"

Coincidentally, just after he finished speaking, the guard post at the entrance reported to the control center that a stretched Bentley was coming in.

Beijing is a city teeming with hidden talents, and extended Bentleys are not uncommon. But if you mention the same string of numbers on the license plate and the police markings, everyone will know which big shot has arrived.

Before Tang Wenhua could answer Xia Mingzhao, he hurriedly called out to Xia Dongbo, "Old Xia, Mianmian and the others are back!"

Xia Dongbo was selecting tea leaves in the tea room when he heard this. He quickly straightened his clothes and went to the door with Tang Wenhua to greet them.

The couple walked halfway and found that Xia Mingzhao and Zhou Ting were still standing there without moving. Xia Dongbo shouted, "What are you standing there for? The car is about to enter the gate, come over here!"

Xia Mingzhao let go of Zhou Ting's hand, gritted her teeth, and jogged over.

Xia Mian brought less than Xia Mingzhao, and her entourage was not as grand. It was a standard four-box gift—Xia Mingzhao brought a whole car full! Tang Wenhua, however, couldn't stop smiling: "We are already very content and happy that you can come back for the New Year. Why bring anything? Xia Garden has everything, and we don't lack anything."

"A small gift to wish you both a happy and healthy New Year." Zhou Pingchuan didn't change his address like Xia Mian, his tone indifferent.

Tang Wenhua was startled by his use of the word "respectful": "Pingchuan, please don't say that, it's too much of a compliment. It's cold outside, let's go inside first, the servants have already prepared tea."

After they finished speaking, they embraced Zhou Pingchuan and walked into the house. Xia Mian followed behind, looking around. He hadn't been back for half a winter, but this place and these people felt so unfamiliar.

"Mianmian, what are you thinking about?" Tang Wenhua smiled and pulled his arm. "You've lost a lot of weight. You need to have some fat in winter. The kitchen made a lot of your favorite dishes today. Eat more later."

What are his favorite dishes?

Is it going to be mango grilled fish again?

Summer Sleep had absolutely no expectations for today's lunch.

Zhou Pingchuan preferred tea to coffee, so Xia Dongbo led the group into the tea room.

Xia Mian had no interest in their conversation about the economy, the market, the political situation, and so on. The more he listened, the sleepier he became. He wanted to find an excuse to leave, but the conversation eventually circled back to him.

Tang Wenhua: "Mianmian has become increasingly popular recently. I didn't even search for her specifically, but she was being pushed to my phone by Toutiao."

Xia Dongbo laughed and agreed, "I've always thought being an actor isn't a proper job, and I didn't agree with him going into this line of work. But Mianmian proved me right; even the company's junior accountant has him as their phone wallpaper. I guess I'm getting old and stubborn!"

Come on, you didn't say that before. Xia Mian exchanged pleasantries with him expressionlessly: "Being an actor isn't difficult. It's like business. Just keep your bottom line and standards in mind, and keep learning and improving."

Xia Dongbo: "It's not that simple. Mingzhao is also on the same show as you, but with her current social media following, she can't achieve any promotional effect."

Before the Lunar New Year, in order to promote his cinema's Spring Festival film season, Xia Dongbo asked Xia Mingzhao to post a promotional video on social media. Xia Mingzhao put a lot of effort into making it, but the response was lukewarm.

“Absolutely, every industry requires talent,” Tang Wenhua glanced at Xia Mingzhao. “However, Mingzhao is quite good at operations. Once he’s more experienced, he can start by taking over smaller departments and gradually take over the cinemas.”

Perhaps feeling that Xia Dongbo had gone too far, Tang Wenhua steered the conversation back on track. But Xia Mingzhao was already feeling very uncomfortable, and forced a smile: "Dad, Mom, Third Master, I caught a chill last night and I'm feeling a bit unwell now. I'd like to go upstairs to rest for a bit."

"Is there really a little more time?" Xia Dongbo disagreed. "Our family has finally gotten together. Sit down and talk to us for a while."

Xia Mingzhao then looked at Tang Wenhua, whose mother loved him the most.

To my surprise, my mother also said, "It's good to drink more hot tea when you catch a cold, as hot tea can dispel the cold."

Xia Mingzhao lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with gloom.

Xia Mian and Xia Mingzhao sat there until lunchtime, neither of them managing to escape. Xia Mingzhao was forbidden by his parents, while Xia Mian was forced to participate—for the latter half of the meal, the focus of the conversation almost entirely centered on him.

Finally, it was time to eat, so that we could talk less. Xia Mian saw the mango grilled fish on the table with utter speechlessness.

Of course, this dish might have been specially cooked for Xia Mingzhao, as he loves it. But it's a bit much that no one instructed the servants when serving the food, resulting in them placing a small plate of mango grilled fish right in front of him.

He planned to push away or throw away the unpleasant thing that made him uncomfortable, but then Zhou Pingchuan took the plate to his side.

"Pingchuan, you like mango grilled fish!" Tang Wenhua exclaimed upon seeing this. "What a coincidence, Mingzhao also likes this dish."

Zhou Pingchuan ignored Tang Wenhua, only glanced at Xia Mian, and said in a very indifferent tone: "Mianmian is allergic to mangoes."