The sixth day of the third lunar month was the day Duan Yingying moved into her new home and invited them to a housewarming party.
Xiao Yunying took the housewarming gifts she had prepared early and led Luo Xin and Zheng Yunwan into the city. They got off the carriage ahead of time and found their home according to the address given by Duan Yingying.
Before she even stepped inside, she heard Duan Xiaoxiao's giggling laughter coming from the courtyard.
Luo Xin looked up and said, "Sister Xiaoxiao sounds very happy."
Xiao Yunying knocked on the door, and while waiting for someone to open it, she lowered her head and said, "Your sister Xiaoxiao has moved into her new home, so of course she's happy. Think about when our family built our new house, weren't you happy too?"
Luo Xin nodded: "Mother is right. I'm just as happy to have a new house to live in."
The door was opened, and Xiao Yunying was surprised to find that it was Cheng Yue who opened it. She exclaimed, "Sister Cheng Yue, you arrived even earlier than me!"
“I live in the city, much closer than you, so it’s more convenient for me to come. Naturally, I arrived earlier than you. Come on in.”
Xiao Yunying entered the courtyard and looked around at the size of the small house. It was somewhat like a traditional courtyard house, not very big, but big enough for her and her two children to live in.
"This little courtyard is quite nice. There's even a well in the yard. That's good; having a well will make things much more convenient."
Duan Yingying came out of the kitchen and said, "Sister Yunying is here. Come in and sit down. My mother is cooking, and we'll be eating soon."
Xiao Yunying handed over the housewarming gift she had brought: "Perfect timing, I brought some braised beef, you can cut it up and bring it up. There's also some wine here, you can have some later. You can keep these snacks for yourself."
Cheng Yue looked at the small jar and said, "This wine is really good. It's not cheap at Huiweilou. It's rare to have it for free, so let's drink more later."
Xiao Yunying laughed and said, "When have I not given you wine during holidays? You're talking as if I've never given you wine before. Why would you need to take advantage of Yingying's house?"
“I’ve been reluctant to drink the wine you gave me, so I’ll naturally drink more of this free wine. Yingying is still young and can’t drink that much. Aunt Duan doesn’t drink either, so it’s just sitting there anyway. I might as well drink it.”
Xiao Yunying glanced at her with a smile and said to Duan Yingying, "Look at how stingy Sister Cheng Yue is. It's just a little wine. If you want to drink it, just drink it. Tell me when you're done, and I'll bring you more."
Ever since Cheng Yue learned that the man's death had nothing to do with her and was entirely his own fault, she has become more cheerful and her behavior has become more generous and casual, somewhat like Fang Rou's personality.
She was happy to see Cheng Yue live her own life, no longer bound by those unwarranted shackles; she was genuinely happy for Cheng Yue's transformation.
"You said it yourself, really?"
Xiao Yunying nodded: "It's true, Yingying is my witness."
Duan Yingying took the things: "Sister Yunying, please go in and sit for a while. Dinner will be served soon."
Do you need my help?
Cheng Yue took Xiao Yunying's arm and said, "You are the guest today, so there is no reason for the guest to be busy. Let Yingying do the work, and we will just wait to eat."
“Sister Cheng Yue is right. Sister Yun Ying, you should take Xin’er to rest. You always cook for us before. Today, try my and my mother’s cooking.”
"Okay, then I'll be a hands-off manager today and just sit back and wait for dinner."
Cheng Yue led them into the main room. As they were at the door, a puppy ran over from the backyard, whimpering and bumping its head against Zheng Yunwan's feet.
Luo Xin couldn't resist stopping when she saw these animal cubs: "Little puppies!"
Duan Xiaoxiao ran over and saw them calling out to each person one by one, then pulled Luo Xin along to pet the puppy's head.
Zheng Yunwan also found the puppy incredibly cute, so she squatted down and patted its head: "This puppy looks only a few months old, where did you get it?"
Cheng Yue said, "I had someone find it. Yingying's family doesn't have a man to manage things, so it's good to have a dog to guard the house."
Xiao Yunying agreed, saying, "That's right. Not only can a dog guard the house, but it might also protect them if they encounter someone with ill intentions."
Stories of loyal dogs protecting their owners happen frequently, and Xiao Yunying never doubted the loyalty and courage of the Chinese rural dog.
"Let the children play by themselves, let's go inside and talk."
The three of them went into the main room to talk. Not long after, Duan Yingying called two maids to wash their hands, while she herself carried hot dishes up one by one.
When Duan Yingying's mother brought the last dish to the table, she said to everyone, "Don't wait for me, start eating while it's hot."
Xiao Yunying picked up a piece of chicken stir-fried with chili peppers and ate it: "It tastes good, it's just like my recipe."
Duan Yingying said, "Except for the braised noodles and hot and sour shredded potatoes, I made all the rest. It's all thanks to Sister Yunying's good teaching. I've been living at Sister Yunying's house for so long and learned a lot of cooking methods."
Cheng Yue also tasted a few bites of the dish: "No wonder it tastes like 'Yun Ying' (a type of cherry blossom), it turns out it was prepared by a famous chef."
Xiao Yunying got up and opened the wine jar: "Stop teasing me. Didn't you want to drink wine? I'll pour you some and shut you up."
Duan Yingying arranged the wine glasses: "I have to thank Sister Yunying for having these dishes delivered yesterday, otherwise I wouldn't be able to prepare such a presentable feast today."
Xiao Yunying poured four cups of wine and then put down the wine jar: "When the weather gets a little warmer, I'll give you some vegetable seeds. See if you have any space at home to plant them, or you can order a few wooden boxes, like the kind I use for seedling cultivation. Make them a bit bigger and put them in the corner of the wall. Fill them with soil and you can grow vegetables there. That way, you won't have to keep buying vegetables every day."
Duan Yingying said, "Then I won't be polite. Thank you, Sister Yunying. There is a piece of land in the backyard, which was originally a place for planting flowers. I'll tidy it up and use it to plant vegetables."
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