Chapter 50 She has changed a lot
When Lin Xili got up, she touched the white jade bracelet on her wrist, the warm and smooth touch spreading along her skin.
She paused for a moment, then carefully took it off and put it into the wooden box. She was worried that it might get bumped or knocked over, as she was going to help prepare the New Year's Eve dinner later.
When we went downstairs, Grandma Huo was setting out offerings and lighting incense in front of the memorial tablet on the main wall of the living room.
She knew it was Grandpa Huo's memorial tablet, but she had never seen any trace of Huo Nanchen's parents, and Grandma Huo and Huo Nanchen never mentioned it either.
Lin Xili never asked too many questions. There were unspeakable secrets in the past, so why bring them up and only add to the sadness?
She walked over, imitating her grandmother, picked up three incense sticks, lit them, inserted them into the incense tube, knelt on the prayer mat, and kowtowed three times.
"Xi Li, why don't you sleep a little longer?" Grandma Huo asked with a smile.
"Grandma, it's New Year's Eve today. I'm coming down to lend a hand. Oh, by the way, I'll put that bracelet away first, in case it gets bumped or knocked while I'm working."
"Okay, okay, I'll keep it."
Lin Xili was sweeping the fallen leaves in front of the door when Huo Nanchen's car stopped at the gate.
During the year-end season, unless it's an emergency, nobody wants to go to the health center.
The streets of the town were much quieter than usual, as every household was busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Huo Nanchen parked the car and saw her cleaning. He asked, "I'm going to pick some vegetables from the garden. Do you want to come?"
"good!"
Lin Xili followed Huo Nanchen to the vegetable garden behind the house again.
The varieties I planted are different from three months ago; now it's green beans, white radishes, spinach, garland chrysanthemum...
Huo Nanchen deftly selected the vegetables, while Lin Xili followed behind him, carrying a bamboo basket and carefully placing the vegetables he had picked.
Sunlight bathed the two of them, and the crisp winter air was filled with the fresh scent of earth and plants, a simple yet genuine joy of labor flowing quietly through them.
Grandma Huo went to the market and bought a chicken, asking the vendor to clean it for her before bringing it home.
Grandma Huo is the head chef and the chief coordinator, in charge of her best dishes: braised pork and chicken soup.
Huo Nanchen was responsible for the parts that required knife skills and strength, cutting meat and gutting fish with practiced ease.
Lin Xili then washed vegetables, peeled garlic, handed out plates, and did other chores within her ability.
Listening to Grandma Huo's rambling instructions and Huo Nanchen's occasional brief responses, she felt for the first time the simple happiness inherent in preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.
This is far more enjoyable than having everything prepared by servants in the Lin family's spacious, cold, modern kitchen, and then being served at that huge, distant dining table.
As evening fell, a sumptuous yet simple New Year's Eve dinner was laid out on the table.
The braised pork belly is glistening and tempting, the chicken soup is golden and rich, the steamed fish is tender and plump, and there are also dishes like stir-fried green beans with cured pork and garlic spinach.
"Come on, Xili, drink more soup. I simmered this chicken soup for three hours; it's incredibly nourishing!"
"Thank you, Grandma." Lin Xili smiled as she accepted the food her grandmother offered.
Huo Nanchen also picked up the tenderest piece of meat from the fish's belly and put it into her bowl.
The three sat around a table, the light was warm, the food was delicious, they chatted occasionally, and mostly there were the soft sounds of bowls and chopsticks clinking together.
A simple yet profound atmosphere of family reunion lingered in the small restaurant.
After dinner, Grandma Huo urged, "Nanchen, Xili, hurry up and put up the Spring Festival couplets and the character 'Fu' (福, meaning good fortune) to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, so as to bring good luck!"
Huo Nanchen took out the Spring Festival couplets and paste that he had bought earlier, and Lin Xili helped him.
He was tall and was in charge of sticking the stickers on, while she helped from below by checking if the position was correct and handing over the necessary tools.
Red paper with black characters, still smelling of ink, was firmly pasted on both sides of the main door and on the lintel, while the character "福" (fortune) was pasted upside down in a prominent place in the hall.
In an instant, the small building was adorned with this bright Chinese red, giving it a festive atmosphere.
By the time the Spring Festival couplets were pasted up, it was completely dark.
Huo Nanchen took a bag out of the house, which contained some small handheld fireworks.
"Let's set off fireworks," he said to Lin Xili.
The two walked to the open space in front of the small building.
Huo Nanchen lit a sparkler and handed it to Lin Xili.
The tip of the slender metal rod immediately burst forth with dazzling, sizzling golden sparks.
Like a beam of leaping starlight, it illuminated her face, which was beaming with surprise.
She waved her sparkler, watching the dazzling light trace various random paths in the night, a bright and lively smile on her lips.
Immediately afterwards, Huo Nanchen lit the small firework tube on the ground. Colorful flames shot out, leaped into the low sky, and exploded into short but beautiful flowers.
In the flickering firelight, Huo Nanchen couldn't help but look at Lin Xili beside him, who was unable to hold back her gasp.
He could clearly sense that she had changed.
She was no longer the girl who, when she first arrived, always had a melancholy etched on her brow and exuded a cold, aloof aura that kept strangers at bay.
Now, her complexion is rosy, her eyes are bright, and she smiles more often and more naturally.
She would take the initiative to participate in housework, use the things in the house on her own initiative, respond obediently when her grandmother nagged, and show a soft dependence when he took care of her silently.
That heavy feeling in my heart seemed to be gradually soothed by the peaceful life and small acts of warmth in this small town.
Like a blue snowflake that has finally received the sunshine, she begins to stretch her branches and leaves, radiating inner vitality.
Lin Xili felt his gaze, stopped waving her arms, and turned to look at him.
The light from the fireworks danced in his deep eyes, making his usually calm face appear much more turbulent.
"What's wrong?" she asked softly.
Huo Nanchen withdrew his gaze and looked at the night sky where fireworks from other people's homes were rising sporadically in the distance, his voice echoing amidst the soft popping of the fireworks.
"You seem...more cheerful now."
Lin Xili was slightly taken aback, then understood what he meant.
She looked at the sparkler in her hand, which was about to burn out. The last spark flickered for a moment before going silent, leaving behind a faint smell of sulfur.
She looked up at him and gave him a genuine, untroubled smile: "Well, it's probably because it's a nice place here."
This place is great.
With Grandma, with you, and with this place, she can rest in peace and return to her own home.
Looking at her radiant smile, Huo Nanchen felt a gentle touch on his heart.
He didn't say anything more, but lit a new sparkler and handed it to her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com