Rong Jiaojiao really wanted some soup, so she handed over her small bowl and said generously, "Fill it up!"
Fu Ya glared at her and said, "What do you mean by 'fill it up'?" Then she said to Rong Lianhu, "Just give her a small sip as a token, so she doesn't get drunk."
Rong Lianhu nodded: "Jiaojiao, let's listen to your mother and try a little bit first. If it's okay, we'll pour more!"
"Okay!" Rong Jiaojiao had no objection; she could just pour it out later.
Rong Lianhu poured Fu Ya another small bowl: "Come on, wife, you have a day off tomorrow, let's drink more."
Fu Ya genuinely liked these medicinal wines, so she didn't refuse them.
Zi Ling grew anxious and squeaked, "Master, what about me? Quickly, get me a bowl!"
Rong Jiaojiao smiled and took out Ziling's small bowl, saying, "Dad, pour some for Ziling too."
Rong Lianhu had never seen Rong Jiaojiao and Ziling drink alcohol before, and he asked suspiciously, "Can it really do that?"
Zi Ling nodded quickly, gazing longingly at the wine jar.
Rong Jiaojiao nodded, and Rong Lianhu then poured some for Ziling, poured himself a small bowl, raised his glass and said, "Come on, congratulations to Jiaojiao on returning home for the New Year, cheers!"
Hearing her husband's words, Fu Ya felt a pang of sadness, but she still smiled and replied, "Okay, cheers for family reunion!"
Rong Jiaojiao imitated the adults, picking up her small bowl and saying, "Wishing Mom and Dad good health, my brother a successful career, and us all peace and safety. Cheers!"
"cheers!"
Zi Ling also hopped around with a squeak, licked a mouthful from the bowl, and showed a contented expression.
After taking a sip of the wine, Rong Jiaojiao felt a warm sensation in her stomach and smacked her lips: "It's so delicious!"
Fu Ya looked at her and couldn't help but laugh: "You silly child, don't drink too much, or you'll get drunk."
Rong Lianhu also laughed and said, "It's okay, just go to sleep if you're drunk."
The three men and the mink raised their cups again and drank the reunion wine.
The room was filled with a warm and joyful atmosphere. Although the outside world was still cold, the small room was filled with warmth.
Later, Rong Lianhu added more wine for Rong Jiaojiao and Ziling a few more times, making Rong Jiaojiao slightly drunk. She then hugged Ziling and went to sleep, completely abandoning her cultivation.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Rong Jiaojiao woke up to a chorus of "Happy New Year" greetings.
I stretched and cast two cleaning spells on myself and Zi Ling, and both of us felt instantly refreshed.
Rong Jiaojiao came into the courtyard and saw that many children had come to her home.
Some were about her age, but most were younger than her.
When Rong Jiaojiao appeared, everyone watched her quietly. She flashed a bright white smile, waved to everyone, and said, "Happy New Year, everyone!"
One of the girls was the first to come to her senses. She said, "Happy New Year, Jiaojiao! My name is Song Chaoxi!"
Song Chaoxi looked at Rong Jiaojiao curiously. Everyone said she looked like a black monkey, but now she didn't look black at all.
However, she's not very fair-skinned, and still not as pretty as I am!
Rong Jiaojiao also looked her over. She was fair-skinned, with bright eyes and white teeth; she was sure to grow up to be a great beauty.
"Hello, Sister Song Chaoxi!"
Song Chaoxi nodded with a bossy air and said, "Why don't you ever go out to play?"
What's fun to do?
"Go visit someone's house! You can get candy and melon seeds if you visit today!"
When Rong Jiaojiao saw that their faces were red from the cold and that the two younger ones had runny noses, she decisively shook her head: "No, I'm afraid of the cold."
Song Chaoxi looked at her clothes, a thin cotton-padded jacket, and looked at Fu Ya, who was bringing them melon seeds, with some disbelief: "Aunt Fu, why didn't you buy a thick cotton-padded jacket for Jiaojiao? Is your family short of money?"
Fu Ya chuckled and said, "No, it's because she doesn't like the cold wind outside."
How could her daughter be afraid of the cold? She's just too lazy to go out.
Song Chaoxi, whether she believed it or not, glanced at Rong Jiaojiao a few more times and said, "Alright, we still have to visit other uncles and elders for the New Year, so we'll be leaving now. Goodbye Aunt Fu, goodbye Jiaojiao!"
Rong Jiaojiao waved: "Goodbye!"
Not long after Song Chaoxi and the others left, another group of children arrived. Rong Jiaojiao didn't want to have to explain why she didn't go out every time someone came, so she simply hid back in her room.
The children came in waves, and Fu Ya only closed the gate after she had counted that almost all the children in the family compound had come.
She asked Rong Jiaojiao, "Don't you have anywhere you want to go?"
Rong Jiaojiao asked, "What kind of fun things are there?"
During this period, everyone was cautious and careful, afraid that a single wrong word would be used as a pretext for attack, even for children. Therefore, everyone's range of activities was very small, unlike Rong Jiaojiao who was as free and unrestrained in the fairy mountain.
Rong Jiaojiao shook her head: "I don't have anywhere I want to go. Home is fine."
Fu Ya sighed, "That's true, this year was indeed a bit quiet."
Rong Jiaojiao changed the subject: "Is Dad coming home for lunch?"
Rong Lianhu is on duty today, but Fu Ya shook her head: "It'll just be the two of us at noon!"
Fu Ya has to go to work tomorrow, so Rong Jiaojiao decided not to cultivate today and instead spend the day with Fu Ya. She immediately said, "Then I'll go heat up the dishes."
Fu Ya didn't refuse, but said, "Let's go together!"
We cooked a lot of food yesterday, and there was a lot left over. Just heating up a couple of dishes is enough for the two of them.
After dinner, Rong Jiaojiao accompanied Fu Ya to read on the kang (a heated brick bed). One of them read a medical book, and the other read a history book. The atmosphere was quiet and warm.
The next day, Fu Ya and Rong Lianhu both went to work, while Rong Jiaojiao continued her cultivation, acting like a withdrawn child and not interacting much with the people in the military region.
Several months have passed in the blink of an eye. Rong Jiaojiao only goes out with her parents when they are off work. Otherwise, she doesn't go out at all.
To improve her physical fitness, she also compacted the remaining open space within the small secret area to use as a training ground, keeping herself busy every day.
In mid-June, Rong Jiaojiao felt that her cultivation had reached a very high level, and she had to say goodbye to her parents.
They knew that Rong Jiaojiao would have to go back when she broke through her cultivation level, but when the time actually came for the child to leave, Rong Lianhu and Fu Ya were still very reluctant.
But they also knew that Rong Jiaojiao would only speak when she had no choice but to leave. Fu Ya packed Rong Jiaojiao's things with tears in her eyes: "I don't know when you will be able to come back after you leave. Mom really can't bear to part with you."
Rong Jiaojiao smiled and said, "Mom, once I break through to the Xuan Master realm, I can travel around and train. I can come back whenever I have time, maybe even several times a year."
Fu Ya wasn't fooled: "According to you, training involves doing missions with elders, not just coming back whenever you want."
Rong Jiaojiao chuckled and said, "Mom knows so much!"
Fu Ya rolled her eyes at her: "Don't be so serious, you'd better be careful later."
"I know!"
At this moment, Rong Lianhu came in and said, "I asked Chang Liang to buy you a sleeper ticket. Moreover, one of his comrades is a train police officer on the train you are going to take after he retired from the army, so you don't have to worry about your safety."
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