Since that meeting, until the Chinese New Year, Yang Sijiang Zhuo never ran into the He family again.
On New Year's Eve, Jiang Chen and his parents sat in the living room watching the Spring Festival Gala. There were many fruits and nuts on the table. Yang Si picked up an orange, peeled it, cut it into two halves, gave one half to Jiang Zhuo beside him, and handed the other half to Jiang Chen who was chatting with Huo Bo and Chen Xu: "Chenchen, this orange is not sour, you try it."
After Yang Si got pregnant, she became particularly fond of sour food. There were countless sour snacks and preserved fruits at home. Jiang Chen and Jiang Zhuo couldn't eat sour food, so Yang Si loved to tease them with these snacks. When she saw the father and son frowning because of the sour food, she would laugh. Jiang Zhuo often said that after Yang Si got pregnant, she was more like a little girl. As men, they had to give in to their wives/mothers.
"I don't want to eat it." Jiang Chen felt his teeth go sore when he saw the orange color. He shrank back into the sofa and refused with pursed lips.
"It's really delicious. Mom didn't lie to you. It's very sweet." Yang Si pulled Jiang Zhuo, "Do you think it's sweet?"
Jiang Zhuo had already swallowed half of the orange without chewing it. Hearing this, he smacked his lips in a savoring way, as if to savor the taste: "Sweet."
Jiang Chen was skeptical. He took the orange from Yang Si's hand, broke off the smallest piece, and was about to put it in his mouth when he heard the doorbell. He put the orange down and immediately stood up: "I'll go open the door!"
"Who could it be at this time?" Jiang Zhuo looked outside and frowned.
Yang Si picked up another orange and said without thinking, "It should be a neighbor. I heard that the custom here is to visit relatives on New Year's Eve. Mrs. Zhang told me about this yesterday. She said that most people visit relatives in the first month of the year, so they will visit neighbors on New Year's Eve."
Yang Si was right. The people knocking on the door were Aunt Zhang and her husband next door. She came with a basket of homemade food. When she saw Jiang Chen, she smiled and handed it to him. She told Jiang Zhuo that this was also an old custom in the village. The elders in the family and the neighbors who loved the younger generation would make a lot of snacks for the unmarried children to stay up all night. In the past, when the year was not good, they hoped that they would be healthy and have enough food in the coming year. Now, it is more of a blessing for the children and an expression of love.
"How can this be so embarrassing?" Yang Si said a little embarrassedly: "We haven't prepared anything for Niuniu."
"Oh, what are you preparing? She hasn't come back yet." Aunt Zhang has always been a straightforward person with a loud and cheerful voice. "When I first saw Xiao Jiang, I thought this child was lovable. I just wanted to take him home as my own son. It's fate that your family lives next to our house and becomes neighbors. Don't refuse. These things are not valuable. They are just a little token of my appreciation."
Upon hearing this, Yang Si no longer refused. Knowing that Aunt Zhang and her husband were the only two people at home, she invited them to stay up together. Other neighbors also came over in waves. Fortunately, although there were no handmade snacks at home, Yang Si had bought a lot of snacks as she was pregnant, so it would not be rude to give them back to the neighbors.
Even though there were only three of them in the family, they still had a lively New Year's Eve thanks to these enthusiastic neighbors. It was only ten o'clock in the evening when the coffee table was piled with all kinds of handmade food.
Aunt Zhang and her husband had just been taken away by other neighbors to visit. Jiang Chen sent the last neighbor away, and the house became quiet. Returning to the living room, he saw Yang Si and Jiang Zhuo talking about something, and Jiang Chen asked casually, "Mom and Dad, what are you talking about?"
"Your father and I are discussing whether we should send some gifts to the He family since this is the custom here." Yang Si said, "But I heard that the two elders of the He family are both here, and they should have gone to bed at this time. It would be bad to disturb the two elders' sleep at this time."
"Today is the New Year's Eve, so they shouldn't go to bed so early. Even if they did, the two elders are upstairs and we won't disturb them if we go over." Jiang Zhuo felt that according to etiquette, he should still go to the He family. It didn't matter if he didn't know about this. Now that both families lived in Wugu Village, they should adapt to the local customs and be more considerate.
Jiang Chen didn't expect his mother to want to send something to the He family. Thinking of He Yanjun, He Yanya, and Mr. He being there at this time, Jiang Chen tactfully advised: "Forget it. It's getting late now, and the custom is to send homemade food, and we don't have anything homemade at home."
"It doesn't matter whether it's homemade or not, the important thing is the thought." Jiang Zhuo said, "Last time your mother was in the hospital, your uncle He and his family came to visit her several times. Later, they moved here, and our two families often interacted with each other. In the future, we will have more contact with neighbors, so it's better to be more polite."
Jiang Chen pursed his lips and wanted to say something, but then he heard the doorbell ring again. He turned around and said, "I'll go open the door."
Jiang Zhuo looked at Jiang Chen's back, and a hint of doubt flashed across his tough face. He didn't know if it was his illusion, but he felt that Jiang Chen's attitude towards the He family was a little strange.
"What's wrong?" Yang Si noticed that Jiang Zhuo looked strange and asked curiously.
Jiang Zhuo shook his head: "Nothing, maybe I'm overthinking it."
Yang Si laughed, "They say pregnant women think a lot, but I see you and your son think a lot more than I do. Your son is in the research institute and he always has to think about things, but why do you suddenly have so many thoughts too?"
Entrance
"Brother!" He Qianmin held a plate of strangely shaped dumplings and raised his chin towards him with a smile: "I made these and gave them to you as a New Year's snack. How about it?"
"Is there anyone who eats dumplings as a snack?" Jiang Chen laughed and mocked him, looking behind him: "Aunt."
He Yanya nodded calmly and explained, "Your parents and your uncle had something to do and stayed in the study room all night. I accompanied Qian Min and Qian Yu to bring you food on their behalf."
He Qianmin smiled and was about to speak, but suddenly his eyes fixed and the smile on his face faded.
He Qianjian appeared behind He Yanya and said with a smile: "Aunt, why didn't you call me and my cousin when you came to see Jiang Chen? We were almost falling asleep while watching the Spring Festival Gala in the living room."
He Yanya didn't expect He Qianjian to follow her. Her calm expression paused, and when she turned to look at Jiang Chen, she had a hint of apology in her eyes. "The things have been delivered, so we'll go back first."
"Just leaving?" He Qianyang was pulled out by He Qianjian in a daze. He just stood still when he heard that he was leaving. He was looking forward to seeing what Jiang Chen's house looked like, and suddenly felt a little disappointed.
"Of course I'll leave, or else you would like to stay as a guest."
As soon as He Yanya finished speaking, Jiang Zhuo, who hadn't seen Jiang Chen for a long time, came over and asked, "Who's here?" He paused and could easily see the people outside the door through the light on the porch. He immediately laughed and said, "I was just wondering if I should send you some things, but you guys came over first. Come in."
He Yanya hesitated and looked at Jiang Chen.
Jiang Chen stepped aside and said with a faint smile, "Please come in."
He Qianyang originally wanted to see the decorations of the Jiang family, but after hearing Jiang Zhuo's voice, he realized the embarrassing status of Jiang Chen and He Qianjian at this time. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately said, "Why don't we forget it and come back another day? Grandma is downstairs alone now, and we are not at home. I am not very reassured."
Jiang Zhuo only then saw the two unfamiliar faces of He Yanya and He Qianyang and asked, "Who are these two?"
"This is Qian Min's aunt, and this is Qian Min's cousin." Jiang Chen glanced at He Qianyang, his eyes dimmed, and turned to introduce them.
Jiang Zhuo nodded, very enthusiastically: "Come in."
Yang Si also urged from inside: "Who is outside, Lao Jiang? Why don't you and your son let the guests in?"
He Yanya turned around and said to He Qianyang, "Grandma is watching the Spring Festival Gala downstairs alone. You and Qianjian go back and keep her company. We'll be back soon."
He Qianyang agreed immediately, holding He Qianjian's arm and walking out. He Qianjian secretly exerted force, pulled out his arm, and took a step forward: "I'll go with you."
Seeing them struggling at the door, Jiang Zhuo smiled and said, "Come in, then."
He Yanya pursed her lips and glanced at He Qianjian. She wanted to say something, but she didn't know what she was thinking of. In the end, she didn't speak and entered the Jiang family first.
He Qianmin clenched his jaw, and as he passed by He Qianjian, he lowered his voice and warned, "I advise you not to have any crooked thoughts."
He Qianjian curled his lips and looked at Jiang Chen provocatively. Seeing that Jiang Zhuo and He Yanya had already walked to the front, he also lowered his voice and said, "Jiang Chen can meet his biological parents, so I am also qualified to meet mine."
Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly narrowed, He Qianjian smiled contentedly, and walked in past Jiang Chen and He Qianmin.
"you!"
He Qianmin took half a step forward, Jiang Chen held him back and said calmly, "Ignore him."
"But..." He Qianmin said worriedly, "I think He Qianjian has bad intentions."
Jiang Chen raised the corner of his mouth slightly, with a hint of mockery: "I know exactly what he is planning, but he may have overestimated himself and underestimated my parents."
"What do you mean?" He Qianmin was puzzled.
"You'll know later."
When Jiang Chen and He Qianmin came in, He Yanya and He Qianyu were already sitting on the sofa, while He Qianjian was sitting where Jiang Chen had just sat, talking to Jiang Zhuo.
Seeing Jiang Chen coming in, Yang Si immediately stood up: "What are you two whispering about outside? You just came in after such a long time, are you cold?"
He Qianmin was already familiar with Yang Si, so he smiled a little and said obediently, "It's not cold."
"Then sit down quickly." Yang Si walked to another sofa and sat down, patting the side. Jiang Chen and He Qianmin sat down next to her.
He Qianmin glanced at He Qianjian, still a little wary: "Auntie, what were you talking about just now?"
Yang Si smiled and said, "I didn't say anything. I just told them to relax and eat something. But I didn't expect that you are Qian Min and their aunt. You look so young, like you are in your twenties." The last sentence was said while looking at He Yanya.
He Yanya has been in the research institute since graduation, and she is not used to these social occasions. She feels the kindness of Jiang Chen's parents, but she doesn't know how to respond to this, so she can only change the subject: "How many months have you been pregnant? It seems that you are quite pregnant."
Yang Si touched her belly, lowered her head and smiled, "It's been more than seven months, and the baby will be born in two months."
"So soon?" He Qianjian interrupted, "Do you know whether you are pregnant with a boy or a girl?"
"You won't know until the baby is born."
He Qianjian said casually: "For a second child, it doesn't matter if it's a son or a daughter. There's no difference."
"Even if it's the first child, it doesn't matter if it's a son or a daughter." Yang Si smiled, but the smile in his eyes faded, "We like both boys and girls."
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