Gu Qingyang walked towards the room, saying, "Wait here, I'll go get the gift."
Su Xiao was delighted to hear that there would be a gift.
"Thank you, brother."
The commotion in the courtyard made the whole courtyard lively.
Gu Tingjiang, Qin Yumei, and Grandpa Gu also got up.
Then came a round of New Year's greetings, blessings, and the receipt of red envelopes and gifts.
Su Xiao's little mouth kept babbling away, showering everyone with compliments, and her smile never faltered.
Su Xiao has been very busy visiting relatives and friends for the New Year these past few days. After going around to all the places, she received a stack of red envelopes, and her savings have become much fuller.
On the afternoon of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, Su Xiao and Su Qiang stood on the train platform waiting for the train to arrive.
As Su Qiang watched the train gradually approach, he exclaimed excitedly, "It's here!"
They were waiting for someone from the Tian family in Shanghai to come.
On the train, the Tian family was equally excited.
The group that came this time consisted of Tian Rongyao, Tian Rongguang, Tian Shuang, and Tian Zhibing.
Yes, Tian Shuang did come, and after much pleading, Tian Rongyao quickly agreed.
After all, Tian Shuang and Su Xiao have a good relationship.
"Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Second Cousin, Xiao Shuang." Su Xiao waved and called out as soon as she saw the people.
Su Qiang followed Su Xiao and went to greet the group.
Tian Rongyao saw Su Qiang trembling with excitement, tears welling up in his eyes, "You are Qiangzi, my nephew. You look just like him, so much like him."
"Uncle," Su Qiang called out, barely suppressing his excitement.
"Ah...good boy."
Su Xiao introduced everyone to Su Qiang one by one. When it was Tian Shuang's turn, she spoke first.
"Cousin, do you remember me?"
Su Qiang was quite embarrassed and chuckled, "Of course I remember. I didn't expect Nurse Tian to be my cousin. I was rude back then."
Back then, he certainly made Tian Shuang suffer quite a bit.
"Ahem, it's alright, ignorance is no excuse," Tian Shuang said, feigning nonchalance. With those words, Tian Shuang felt much better.
"Let's go home," Su Xiao said to the group, leading them back.
When we arrived at the courtyard, Huang Feiyan had already prepared dumplings. Each person had a large bowl, piping hot, and it made us feel comfortable.
After traveling by train for a day and a night, everyone must be tired, so we arranged for some of them to rest first, and we'd talk about it together after they'd rested.
While waiting for the meal, Huang Feiyan started preparing dinner, with Su Xiao helping her out.
"Xiaoxiao, do you think these dishes are alright? Are they a bit meager?" Huang Feiyan asked Su Xiao quietly, a little nervous, worried that she might not be able to entertain them well and make Su Qiang lose face.
Su Xiao looked at the dishes: sweet and sour carp, braised pork with preserved vegetables, poached chicken, roast duck, tofu and greens... a total of ten dishes, symbolizing perfection, which was quite nice.
"It's pretty good. It looks, smells, and tastes delicious. There are only six of us, so it's enough for us." Su Xiao gave her a thumbs up, giving her confidence.
"That's good." Huang Feiyan smiled and patted her chest, feeling relieved. "Let's go, serve the dishes."
A group of people sat down around the table, raised their glasses, and drank together to celebrate this reunion.
There are no words that cannot be said at the dinner table. Under the influence of alcohol, Tian Rongyao and Tian Rongguang thoroughly analyzed their innermost thoughts, expressing remorse, guilt, and longing.
As Su Qiang listened, he felt a mix of emotions. Although he resented the Tian family for not coming back to find his mother all these years, he also felt that many things were tragedies caused by the times.
Moreover, when Su's mother was alive, she missed her family more than anything else. She had a good relationship with Su's father and did not feel abandoned.
So, after much internal struggle, Su Qiang finally let go of his worries. Life is short; living well and cherishing family reunions are more important.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, guests came to Su Qiang's house again.
"Chief Cheng, what brings you here? Please come in..." Su Qiang greeted the people who followed Shang Ziming warmly.
As for Shang Ziming, those who covet his sister need not give him a friendly look.
Shang Ziming looked at his brother being welcomed inside by Su Qiang and helplessly touched his nose. Fortunately, he had his little girl to welcome him.
"Brother Mu, you're here." Su Xiao had met him once before, when she visited the Qin family on the second day of the Lunar New Year. It had been a few days since she last saw him, so she was very happy to see him.
"Yes, I came to see you." Shang Ziming smiled and stepped forward to take her hand.
Su Xiao blushed slightly, her eyes darting around. She didn't look at him, but turned her head and saw something interesting. She said with interest, "Let's go, there's a good show."
As she spoke, she pulled Shang Ziming away. Shang Ziming smiled slightly, indulging her playfulness, and followed her.
Su Qiang introduced the Tian family members to Cheng Jiulang. Tian Rongyao became a little nervous when he heard that they were his nephew's superiors, and that they were high-ranking officials.
Little did he know, Cheng Jiulang was even more nervous than him.
"Uncle, Happy New Year."
Sure enough, he stuttered when he called out to someone, and kept glancing at Tian Shuang with a silly smile.
Tian Shuang blushed even more, her cheeks flushed, her head lowered, and her hands twisting incessantly.
This behavior alerted Tian Zhibing, who frowned and asked, "Xiaoshuang, what's wrong? Do you know Chief Cheng?"
"Yes, I know him. I met him before at the Northwest Hospital." Su Qiang hadn't noticed anything amiss and answered when neither of them spoke.
"It's good to know him, it's good to know him." Tian Rongyao was still chuckling, still savoring the moment. He was just an ordinary citizen, and today he had actually shaken hands with a leader. His nephew had told him that this person was two ranks higher than him.
“Yes, Xiaoshuang and I have known each other for a long time. Uncle, Xiaoshuang and I…”
Cheng Jiulang mustered his courage and grabbed Tian Shuang's hand.
"Huh? You guys?" Tian Rongyao was a little confused.
“We’re together, Uncle. Please give your permission for Xiaoshuang and me to be together.”
A thunderclap, a bolt from the blue...
Tian Rongyao was so stunned by the bombardment that he couldn't recover for a long time.
Tian Shuang mustered her courage, her face flushed, and looked up to face Tian Rongyao directly.
"Big, Uncle."
"dad?"
Su Qiang and Tian Zhibing supported Tian Rongyao on either side, afraid that the impact would be too great for him.
However, as the eldest son of the Tian family, Tian Rongyao had the mental fortitude to handle the situation, and he quickly recovered. His face no longer showed the tension or dazedness he had just displayed, and he finally regained the composure of an elder.
"When did this happen?"
Cheng Jiulang glanced at Tian Shuang and took the initiative to explain, "I like Xiao Shuang. I will formally confess before the New Year and ask you to grant my request."
"Before the New Year?" Tian Rongyao recalled the events before the New Year, then suddenly realized, "Could it be that I was a few days late coming home?"
Tian Shuang mustered her courage and nodded, "Yes, that's right."
This is a matter between two people, and she will face it together with Cheng Jiulang.
Tian Rongyao remained silent.
Seeing this, Su Xiao quickly stepped forward and urged everyone to smooth things over, "Everyone, please come in and sit down. Why are you all standing here? Brother, help Uncle in."
Su Qiang snapped out of his daze and immediately called out, "Yes, yes, come in and sit down. Yanzi, bring some tea."
With the two of them easing the tension, the atmosphere was finally less awkward than before.
A large group of people entered the house, and Su Xiao introduced them to everyone, "Eldest Uncle, Fourth Uncle, Second Cousin, this is my boyfriend Shang Ziming."
Tian Rongyao and his group shook hands with Shang Zimu and got to know each other, and the scene gradually became lively.
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