At eight o'clock on the morning of the twelfth day of the first lunar month, the living room of the Xia family was bustling with activity, and Xia Jianguo was being directed around by Li Chunmei.
"Jianguo, get me a rubber band."
“Jianguo, take the gold bracelet I bought for Xiaomin out of the safe.”
"Jianguo, bring me the silk scarf I bought a few days ago."
"Nation-building..."
Xia Jianguo sighed and searched everywhere for various items, placing them one by one on the coffee table after finding them.
Xia Minmin was squatting on the ground so that Li Chunmei could tie her hair.
"You're good at everything except braiding hair."
"Isn't a ponytail great? Simple and convenient! Ouch... be gentle, and it won't hurt."
Braiding hair looks nice, but it really hurts. Her scalp felt like it was being lifted up. Xia Minmin touched her hairline and felt that it had receded.
Xia Jianguo, dressed in a suit and gleaming leather shoes, stood at the top of the stairs waiting for the mother and daughter. "Chunmei, are you ready? Jiang Hao's taxi has arrived."
Li Chunmei was still repeatedly adjusting the position of the scarf in front of the full-length mirror in the master bedroom. "Immediately, why are you rushing me? You'll only make things worse."
Xia Jianguo kept complaining in his mind, "If you're going back to the master bedroom to sort out the scarves, why did you make me find them? You're just being nosy."
Xia Jianguo looked at his daughter, who was wearing a red long-sleeved cheongsam with her hair up. She had big eyes, a round face, and fair skin with a rosy glow. She looked graceful and elegant when she didn't speak, but the moment she opened her mouth, the whole atmosphere was shattered.
"Dad, I'm all done." She stomped her feet after changing her shoes.
"Come out! Are you cold?" Xia Jianguo reached out and touched his daughter's hand. It was warm, so she shouldn't be cold. The weather outside was also nice today.
"It's not cold!"
Li Chunmei had her hair up, wore a pair of 14mm diameter pearl earrings, a black square-neck Hepburn-style long-sleeved dress, a red square scarf around her neck, and carried a monogrammed horseshoe bag. She was holding onto the shoe cabinet while changing her shoes, which were a pair of black pointed-toe stilettos. Xia Minmin estimated that the heels were at least eight centimeters high.
Li Chunmei was pleased with the father and daughter's gaze. She twirled around the room in her high heels and asked, "How was it?"
Xia Jianguo's eyes remained fixed on Li Chunmei without moving. "It looks good. Why haven't I seen you wear it before?"
As Li Chunmei walked out of her house and locked the front door, she explained, "I bought this a few days ago when I went shopping with them. Xiao Jiang and the others said I looked good in a dress. This bag is Louis Vuitton and there was no discount. I heard it's cheaper in Hong Kong."
Xia Jianguo helped Li Chunmei downstairs. "If you like it, that's fine. Our family is doing alright now, there's no need to be so frugal. We should enjoy ourselves when we can."
Li Chunmei had one hand on her daughter's shoulder; it was the first time she had ever worn such high heels.
The family rushed and finally arrived at Guo Biao's private restaurant at 10 a.m.
The courtyard of the private kitchen was filled with flower baskets, all conveying the same message: blessings for the adoption of godparents.
There is a flower archway in front of the private restaurant. To the right of the entrance stands a red display board that reads "Godfather Recognition Ceremony". Godfather: Wang Aimin, Goddaughter: Xia Minmin.
Wang Aimin arrived around 7 a.m. to make various arrangements. Although Xia Jianguo and Li Chunmei were paying for the banquet, Wang Aimin and Guo Biao were the main people in charge.
Xia Minmin and her group walked into the lobby of the private restaurant. The lobby and stairwell were decorated with dark red scarves and balloons, making it look like they had accidentally entered a wedding.
Guo Biao walked out dressed in a chef's uniform, followed by a waiter.
"Boss, I understand. I'll get back to work now." The waiter nodded slightly to Xia Minmin and the others before leaving the lobby and going upstairs.
"Brother Biao".
"Uncle Biao".
Looking at the newly dressed family of three, Guo Biao felt a great sense of relief. He had noticed his old friend had been busy lately, running around negotiating various arrangements. He was most afraid that his old friend would be putting in all this effort, which would be a huge blow to him.
"Xiaomin looks really good in this red cheongsam. I wonder which brat will end up with her! Your parents and godfather will be devastated." Guo Biao reached out and touched the bell on Xia Minmin's headband.
"What bad things are you saying about me behind my back now, you old rascal?" Wang Aimin's voice came from the stairwell.
Xia Jianguo, Li Chunmei, and Wang Aimin standing at the top of the stairs. "Brother Wang."
"Uncle Wang."
Wang Aimin was dressed in a dark blue modern Chinese-style Tang suit and black cloth shoes with multiple layers of soles. In his left hand, he held a string of eighteen Buddhist prayer beads, which were densely engraved with scriptures.
"When did you arrive?" Wang Aimin walked up to the four people.
Xia Jianguo said with a smile, "I just arrived. I ran into Brother Biao and chatted with him for a bit. Brother Wang, you've worked hard these past few days."
Wang Aimin held Xia Jianguo's hand with his right hand and patted Xia Jianguo's shoulder with his left hand, "We'll be family soon, don't be so polite, besides, I'm happy to do it."
Wang Aimin immediately noticed the red ribbon bell on his goddaughter's Nezha headdress. The bell below the ribbon hung by her ears and rang as her head moved, which was quite interesting. He wanted to reach out and touch the bell but refrained from doing so.
"It's rare to see Xiaomin wearing a red outfit. Isn't it quite nice? Why don't kids these days like wearing red?"
When Li Chunmei heard everyone agree with her opinion, she said, "Right? The mothers in our neighborhood don't understand either. Both boys and girls like to wear dark-colored work pants and windbreakers, just like school uniforms."
Xia Minmin muttered under her breath, "What's so good about wearing all red? It looks like a red envelope. A windbreaker and work pants are much more practical! They're durable and have lots of pockets."
Standing next to Xia Minmin, Wang Aimin suppressed a laugh upon hearing her words, but couldn't help reaching out to ring the bell. "Society is more advanced now, and children are more opinionated than we were when we were young, which is a good thing."
Ding ding dang dang
Xia Minmin glanced at Wang Aimin, who was about to continue ringing the bell.
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