On the tenth day of the lunar month, as is customary, the whole family should go to Li Yanhong's house for a meal.
Li Yanhong started preparing early in the morning, but seeing the people arriving one after another, she felt uneasy.
"Sister-in-law, you're here so early!" Li Yanhong smiled as she saw Ye Xiaoxiao and Li Chenyang arrive in their Santana.
Ye Xiaoxiao got out of the car carrying gifts: "I came to help you cook, there are so many people here."
Later, Li Zhiqiang drove his tricycle to pick up the third and fourth sons' families, as well as Li Jianguo, Liu Juan, and others.
A large group of more than twenty people entered the courtyard, making Li Yanhong feel flustered and confused.
"This...this..." Li Yanhong looked at the people filling the room, sweat beading on her forehead. Her family only had one stove; how could that be enough?
"Yan Hong, don't worry." Ye Xiaoxiao had already rolled up her sleeves. "Xinghua, Lihua, and I will help you make it."
Li Yanhong inwardly groaned. Her family didn't have enough rice and vegetables to feed so many people, but she was too embarrassed to say so. She should have listened to Chen Dashun and prepared more.
"Yan Hong, I think your pot is too small, not enough." Ye Xiaoxiao looked around, "How about we ask Da Shun to borrow a pot?"
"No...no need," Li Yanhong said, forcing a smile. "We can take turns."
Ye Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "That won't do. We'll need to make three tables. One for the adults, one for the children, and one for us cooks."
In the kitchen, Ye Xiaoxiao, Xinghua, and Lihua were busy at work.
Li Yanhong wanted to help, but seeing their skillful teamwork, she felt that she couldn't get involved.
"Yan Hong, where's your meat?" Ye Xiaoxiao asked. "Let me see how best to cut it."
Li Yanhong stammered, "It's...it's just that little bit."
Ye Xiaoxiao opened the refrigerator and saw only a few thin slices of meat inside. She turned to Li Chenyang and said:
"Have Zhiqiang go and buy some meat on his way back. This isn't enough."
Li Yanhong's face flushed red and then turned pale. She had originally thought that since they were just going through the motions of having dinner, she could just eat whatever she wanted. Who knew Ye Xiaoxiao would take it so seriously?
"Sister-in-law, there's no need to trouble yourself..." Li Yanhong said reluctantly.
"What trouble?" Ye Xiaoxiao laughed. "Look at us, we brought just as many things when we went to your house. It's Chinese New Year, it should be lively and festive."
Looking at the fruits, snacks, and various gifts that Ye Xiaoxiao and the others had brought, Li Yanhong felt a little embarrassed as she thought about the things she had brought.
Ye Xiaoxiao deftly cut meat and stir-fried vegetables, and soon a fragrant aroma wafted out.
"Sister-in-law, your cooking is really good." Xinghua exclaimed sincerely.
Li Yanhong watched from the side, feeling even more uneasy. She remembered that she had just said she would "just make do" with Ye Xiaoxiao and the others, but now they had almost used up all the vegetables and meat in the house. She felt quite resentful.
Around noon, the meal was finally ready. Ye Xiaoxiao and the others set up three tables: one for the adults, one for the children, and one for cooking. Each table was piled high with food, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, and a feast for the eyes and the palate.
"Come on, everyone, please take your seats," Ye Xiaoxiao said. "Eat while it's hot."
Seeing this scene, Li Yanhong felt very distressed.
She had planned to just get by and serve them a couple of dishes, but now there was absolutely nothing left.
But with everyone there, she couldn't afford to lose her temper. So she could only force a smile.
But this shame quickly turned into awkwardness.
She felt that Ye Xiaoxiao was showing off and trying to intimidate her.
She was especially furious when she saw the children calling Ye Xiaoxiao "Auntie," including her two sons.
"Sister-in-law, this braised pork is delicious!" Li Yanni praised.
"Yes, sister-in-law, your cooking skills are getting better and better," Pear Blossom chimed in.
Hearing these praises, Li Yanhong felt even more resentful.
She felt that these people were making veiled criticisms, implying that she couldn't cook or entertain guests.
After dinner, it was time to give out New Year's money. Li Yanhong noticed that the group of little nephews were all staring at her from time to time. She knew that these nephews were all waiting for her to give them New Year's money.
"Come on, Xiao Bei, Xiao Ming, here's your New Year's money." Li Yanhong gave each of them one yuan.
The smiles on the children's faces froze instantly.
Although they are still young, they know that one yuan is not enough.
Especially compared to the twenty yuan Ye Xiaoxiao gave, it seemed even more meager.
"Yan Hong, you..."
Liu Juan couldn't stand it anymore and pulled Li Yanhong into the house. She scolded Li Yanhong with a very unpleasant expression.
"You only give the child one yuan during the Lunar New Year?"
The main reason is that my eldest daughter-in-law and I had both given their child ten yuan before.
Even if the third and fourth sons' families both gave five yuan, Li Yanhong does this every year, and nobody's a fool.
"Mom, I...we're having a tough time right now," Li Yanhong said, her neck stiff.
Ye Xiaoxiao noticed that the children weren't very happy. Each of them held their one-yuan coin and their faces turned into puffs of anger.
"Children, the amount of money given as New Year's gifts is not important; what matters is the sentiment behind them."
Ye Xiaoxiao doesn't care about these things now; who relies on that little bit of New Year's money to live on? It's just that Li Yanhong is a heartless person. She's pushed all her relatives away.
But these words clearly had no effect. The children were unhappy, and even Li Yanhong's own two sons pouted and kept moving closer to Ye Xiaoxiao.
After seeing everyone off, Li Yanhong finally couldn't hold back any longer.
She said to Liu Juan, "Mom, please don't come during holidays anymore."
"What are you saying!" Liu Juan exclaimed angrily. "Are you going to cause trouble for the family again?"
"I wasn't making a scene," Li Yanhong said, wiping away her tears. "Can't you see? Ye Xiaoxiao was just deliberately showing off and embarrassing me."
"You child, why are you talking nonsense?" Liu Juan sighed.
"Your sister-in-law is always thinking of you, and you say things like that."
"Mom, you're siding with her now too," Li Yanhong said, increasingly aggrieved. "You've all been bought off by her."
"Shut up!" Liu Juan snapped. "If you continue to be so ungrateful, we really shouldn't associate with you anymore."
Li Yanhong was stunned. She hadn't expected her mother to say such a thing.
Seeing the disappointment in her mother's eyes, she suddenly realized that perhaps the problem really lay with her.
But she suppressed the thought as soon as it crossed her mind. She preferred to believe that Ye Xiaoxiao had interfered in her family relationships rather than admit her own problems.
"Anyway, I mean what I say," Li Yanhong said, forcing a smile. "From now on, you can visit whichever family you like during holidays."
Liu Juan shook her head in anger:
When will you ever change your stubborn nature?
Look at your elder brother and sister-in-law, not only do they live a good life, but they also always think of others.
You, on the other hand, are always envious of others, but you refuse to work hard yourself.
You always want to rely on others for everything. Relying on others is one thing, but think about what you've been doing all these years—what kind of things have you accomplished?
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