Chapter 79 Spending the Lantern Festival with the Big Boss
Bian Nan's fatigue from cooking all morning vanished instantly.
Bian Ji also thought today's lunch was delicious.
Thinking of Bian Nan's busy morning in the kitchen, she hesitated for a moment, then imitated Lu Yinzhao and said, "It really is delicious... Brother, you've worked hard today."
Bian Nan: "!!!"
Although Bian Ji's tone wasn't as enthusiastic and unrestrained as Zhao Zhao's, Bian Nan was still shocked that her younger brother would say such a thing.
Is this still his younger brother who used to give him the cold shoulder?
At that moment, Bian Nan felt like a firework bursting into the sky and then exploding.
"It's no trouble at all, it's my duty. I'm just glad you enjoyed your meal," Bian Nan said sincerely.
Having gained her younger brother's approval, Bian Nan is now in an exceptionally good mood.
His lips unconsciously curled up, a far cry from his usual cold and domineering CEO demeanor in the business world; his smile was utterly worthless.
If Assistant Zhao were here and saw his boss like this, he would probably be shocked.
After all, the outside world's impression of Bian Nan has always been that he is decisive and ruthless, and no one knows that he also has such a domestic side and is very patient with his two children.
Even Lu Yinzhao has come to a new understanding of Bian Ji's domineering older brother. He is similar to Bian Ji in that he has a soft heart beneath his cold exterior.
In the afternoon.
Bian Ji played music on the piano, while Lu Yinzhao sat on the carpet next to him, gently petting the cat.
The afternoon sun streamed through the gauze curtains, shining on the piano keys, as if even the notes carried a warm and cozy temperature.
Lu Yinzhao's fingers gently brushed against the cat's back, and the cat purred contentedly, its fluffy fur rising and falling gently with its breath.
Hearing the soft piano music, Xiu Xiu yawned, revealing her pink tongue, and Lu Yinzhao couldn't help but laugh.
The piano melody, like an invisible thread, drew the two children closer together, creating a warm picture of a winter afternoon.
...
The day passed quickly and happily.
Lu Yinzhao did not stay for dinner, but went straight home.
After all, Yin Song and Lu Wenyan had prepared a table full of delicious food at home, waiting for him to come back.
After returning home, Lu Yinzhao sat at the dining table, happily reporting the day's events to her family while eating. She even praised Bian Nan for her delicious cooking, which surprised Yin Song.
"Really? I thought Anan couldn't cook," Yin Song said.
"Yes, yes, Brother Anan's cooking is delicious," Lu Yinzhao praised.
Lu Yinzhao thought to himself, it seems he doesn't need to worry about Bian Ji not eating well.
Yin Song thought to himself: That's great, this way Wen Su can stay abroad for a while longer and won't have to worry about her two children back home not being able to take good care of their diet.
*
A few days later, the Lantern Festival finally arrived.
The Lu family specially invited the two brothers, Bian Nan and Bian Ji, to come over.
Thinking that there are only two people in his family, and he looks a bit lonely, it would be more lively if everyone got together to celebrate the Lantern Festival.
"Uncle Lu, I'm sorry to bother you today." Bian Nan bowed politely as soon as he entered.
"Don't be shy, come on over, let's make glutinous rice balls together, all the ingredients are ready." Lu Wenyan waved to the two brothers.
“Brother Ji, look, these are the cat paw dumplings I made. Don’t they look like little paws?” Lu Yinzhao eagerly shared his creation with Bian Ji.
Bian Ji: "Like."
Lu Yinzhao handed over a pair of clean gloves. "Brother Aji, you can wrap them too. You can wrap them however you like."
A little while later, Lu Yinzhao looked at the glutinous rice ball in Bian Ji's hand again and found that it was shaped like a small fish.
"What adorable little fish!" Lu Yinzhao exclaimed.
Bian Ji's lips unconsciously curved upwards into a slight smile.
Lu Yinzhao is just as cute as this little fish...
Today, apart from Zhao Zhao, none of the younger generation were home. The eldest, second, and third eldest went to work, while the fourth eldest went back to his club. He and his teammates were having a team-building activity, and everyone had their own things to do.
Yin Song and Lu Wenyan invited Bian Nan and Bian Ji over, hoping to add some liveliness to their home.
Bian Nan found this family gathering very novel, and it was also the first time he had participated in the process of making tangyuan (sweet rice balls).
Now that his culinary skills are already developed, he's getting the hang of the wrapping process quite quickly.
In order to learn more about cooking skills, he also stayed up all night to study some knowledge about pastries, so that he could make some steamed buns, dumplings and other pasta dishes for his younger brother in the morning to enrich the variety of breakfasts.
"You can make whatever filling you want. We make our own with lots of filling, so it's very satisfying," Lu Wenyan said with a hearty laugh.
Lu Yinzhao felt that there should be some "surprise" at this time, so he whispered the suggestion to his mother.
"Sure, Zhao Zhao, what do you want to put inside?"
Lu Yinzhao's eyes darted around mischievously. "Make one with a mixed filling!"
After Bian Ji finished wrapping the last glutinous rice ball, he noticed that the little guy next to him had added a tiny bit of each filling, which made him frown.
What would it taste like to eat this? Bian Ji couldn't even imagine.
This little thing has even learned to trick people...
"It's all wrapped! Dad, hurry up and cook it, I want to eat it now!" Lu Yinzhao shouted.
"Okay, just a moment, it'll be cooked right away. You guys go watch some TV, you might even see your older brother and the others."
Lu Xun said in their family group chat that he would attend the Lantern Festival Gala performance on Melon TV.
Lu Yuan also mentioned that he has a show on another platform, which will air tonight.
Lu Yinzhao skillfully turned on the TV and handed the remote control to Bian Nan, feeling that the guests should choose first.
Bian Nan waved her hand, "I don't watch TV, you two watch whatever you like."
Lu Yinzhao handed the remote control to Bian Ji again, "What does Brother Ji want to watch?"
Bian Ji did not hesitate to choose to watch the variety show that Lu Yinzhao had recorded before.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yinzhao immediately put the remote back, pretending that he hadn't heard what was said.
"What? Brother, you want to watch a music program? Okay, then let's watch 'The Voice of China'."
Bian Ji: "..."
It seems that Lu Yinzhao is very reluctant to watch his own show again.
That's fine too, he's okay with music programs as well.
"The Voice of China" is a music competition program where contestants are eliminated in each episode, and there are also challengers who will come to the competition midway through.
The competition is quite fierce, especially testing the contestants' musical abilities; those who can perform on stage are all accomplished musicians.
Bian Ji watched very attentively. Every contestant was excellent, and he could learn different musical styles from them, which inspired his own music creation.
Lu Yinzhao knew that the big boss would like this kind of thing.
After all, Bian Ji will be going to be on this stage someday.
After watching the program for a while, Lu Wenyan called out from the kitchen, "The glutinous rice balls are ready, you can eat them now."
“Okay, coming, Dad.” Lu Yinzhao jumped off the sofa, took Bian Ji’s hand, and said, “Let’s go, Brother Ji, let’s go eat tangyuan.”
Upon arriving at the restaurant, bowls of glutinous rice balls were laid out on the tables, each with a different shape and size, and each person had made their own unique ones—a truly diverse array.
"Zhaozhao, which bowl do you want to eat?" Yin Song asked from the side.
Lu Yinzhao hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the bowl in the middle, "Eat this bowl."
The remaining two bowls were given to Bian Ji and Bian Nan, one on the left and one on the right respectively.
While eating, Lu Yinzhao wondered who would win the "Easter egg." He was also quite curious about what it would taste like.
Lu Yinzhao took the first bite, and it was filled with sesame. The sesame filling oozed out, with just the right amount of sweetness. The skin was thin and the filling was plentiful.
"So sweet! So delicious!"
Bian Nan also said with delight, "The taste of the bread I make at home is definitely different; it's especially elastic."
"This is quite simple. If you want to eat it in the future, you can make it at home yourself," Yin Song said with a smile.
“That makes sense.” Bian Nan had already made arrangements in his mind, noticing that his younger brother seemed to enjoy the food.
Halfway through the meal, Lu Yinzhao suddenly noticed that Bian Ji's eyes were red-rimmed, with a shimmering luster within them.
He was shocked, and his mouth darted out faster than his brain: "Brother Aji, why are you crying?"
This statement drew everyone's attention to Bian Ji.
Bian Ji, who had been enduring the pain, suddenly started coughing violently.
Lu Yinzhao was startled. "Brother Aji, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
"Did you choke? Quickly drink some water." Lu Wenyan got up, poured a glass of water, and handed it to her.
Bian Ji quickly took it, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go.
Yin Song then realized, "Xiao Ji, could it be... that you ate the surprise-filled glutinous rice ball that Zhao Zhao made?"
Bian Nan asked curiously, "Really? What's inside? Can you describe what it tastes like?"
Bian Ji: "..."
Lu Yinzhao spread his hands innocently: "I didn't pack anything that was pungent."
Bian Ji: "..." Are you sure?
“I only added a little bit of everything in those small bowls and jars on the table,” Lu Yinzhao continued to explain.
"Zhao Zhao, you didn't add this, did you?" At this moment, Lu Wenyan took out a small jar and pointed to the green stuff inside.
"Yes, it's added! Isn't this matcha?" the little guy pouted innocently.
Yin Song was both amused and exasperated: "Baby, this is wasabi, it's very spicy, little kids can't eat this."
"!!"
What? It's wasabi?
Wouldn't he have really ruined the big boss's life?
"I'm sorry, Brother Ji, it's all my fault. Are you feeling better now?"
Lu Yinzhao wanted to tell the other party to spit out the rest, but he didn't expect that Bian Ji had just swallowed the whole thing. No wonder he choked like that.
How did the big shot end up eating it? He should have chosen the bowl with the side ribs.
"It's nothing..." Bian Ji tried to appear calm, "It's not that spicy."
Bian Nan almost burst out laughing when she saw her younger brother still pretending, even though his face was burning red.
Since Bian Ji had just eaten the colorful egg dumplings he made, Lu Yinzhao decided to give Bian Ji something.
"Brother Aji, I'll make a lantern for you later."
We have all kinds of craft materials at home because the kindergarten has craft classes, and sometimes parents are asked to do crafts with their children.
Lu Yinzhao has pretty good crafting skills. Today is the Lantern Festival, so it's a good idea to make a lantern for Bian Ji. It would be quite meaningful.
"Let's do it together." Bian Ji knew that Lu Yinzhao said this to make up for him, but how could he really watch the little guy do it alone? Of course he would help Lu Yinzhao.
Lu Yinzhao gave a sweet smile: "Okay, thank you, brother."
Seeing the unbreakable friendship between the two children, Bian Nan decided not to interfere and chose to remain an observer.
If he hadn't accompanied him back to China this time, he wouldn't have discovered that his brother was such a hypocrite.
They treated Lu Yinzhao and him completely differently!
However, Bian Ji has gained a very trustworthy friend, which makes him, as the older brother, happy for his younger brother.
Wen Su used to worry that Bian Ji didn't have any friends, but now she's made some very good friends and won't always be alone, locking herself in her room.
Afterwards, with Lu Yinzhao and Bian Ji's unremitting efforts, the two successfully made a kitten lantern and put a small candle inside.
"Try lighting it." Lu Wenyan walked over and lit the candle with a lighter.
Yin Song turned off the living room light at the right moment, and the surroundings suddenly darkened, leaving only this one lamp emitting a warm yellow light in the dimness.
Two children stood around the lantern, and when they looked up, they smiled at each other.
"Happy Lantern Festival, brother!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: Brother won the lottery!
Bian Ji: [I'm stunned] (Trying to remain calm)
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