To make up for the previous regret, Shan Song personally guided Tong Zhao to choose a gift, preparing for their formal first meeting.
“There are few people in our family, and the relationships between the collateral branches are not complicated. There are no formalities. Zhao Zhao only needs to have a basic understanding of these social customs. There’s no need to memorize them too much. I’ll introduce them to you in a bit. Don’t be shy. We won’t be in contact with them much in the future. If you’re not comfortable with it, you can go and play with the children from the collateral branches.”
"..." Can't we drink at the kids' table? Tong Zhao suddenly thought of this and turned to look away, suppressing a laugh.
Dan Song, who was driving, didn't notice and continued to instruct, "I put some red envelopes in your pocket for you. You can give them to those kids later. Make sure they call you 'little uncle' before you give them any. If they don't listen, you won't get any."
Tong Zhao subconsciously reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick stack of red envelopes. He hadn't even noticed when they were put there because his clothes were so thick.
She pulled out a thin bill, crumpled it, and tilted her head to ask, "Is this a check?"
Shan Song nodded: "The amount isn't large, up to 500,000. See whichever one is well-behaved and can please you, give them a few more. We need to let them know that in our family, the youngest uncle is the most important."
Tong Zhao glanced at the roughly fifty or sixty red envelopes in his hand, paused for a few seconds, and asked, "How many children are there in total?"
"There were 5 when I came back last time. I don't know if there are any new members this year."
Dan Song thought for a moment, then took a box out of the car and handed it to Tong Zhao: "If you have a baby, add two sticks to the red envelope."
The box was about the size of two palms and looked like a very simple wooden box. Tong Zhao was completely unprepared and was almost blinded by a burst of golden light when she opened it.
The small, square gold bars were neatly stacked in the box. If it weren't for their weight, Tong Zhao would most likely have thought it was a box of chocolates wrapped in gold leaf.
At this moment, Tong Zhao seemed to want to admit that she was a money-grubber. Her expression was complicated as she weighed the bag in her hand and said, "This must weigh about twenty pounds, right?"
"Twenty-four pounds, is that heavy? I'll come and get it in a bit."
"..." Their alpha was as considerate as ever, but who would think gold bars were heavy...
Tong Zhao glanced down again, then looked up with a resolute look in her eyes: "Not heavy."
Dan Song was a little confused by the sudden, forceful tone of the voice. He turned his head to look at Tong Zhao and suddenly understood the subtle pause the omega had made earlier. He laughed and said, "I'll have someone make two small dumbbells later. They'll help Zhao Zhao exercise."
"..."
A dozen minutes later, the car came to a steady stop in front of the Shan family's house.
Shan Song closed the car door, holding Tong Zhao's hand in one hand and carrying the gifts in the other: "Let's visit the Shan family first, and then we'll go back to Baisha to pay respects to my mother and grandmother."
Tong Zhao nodded, wanting to help carry the tea, but Shan Song stopped her, handing over two of the lightest tea leaves to Tong Zhao: "The others are too heavy, have the butler send someone to get them, we can just go in."
"Alright." Tong Zhao didn't argue with him about this. She put her arm around Shan Song's arm so he could take things with his hands. As they walked in, she kept glancing at the festive decorations in the courtyard.
The Shan family's residence closely resembled Tong Zhao's previous impressions of her maternal grandparents. The courtyard with its black tiles and white walls resembled a poetic dwelling standing in a corner of modernity. Its feng shui layout was meticulous, showcasing a symmetrical and balanced Chinese aesthetic. It was calm and reserved without being dull, and even brought a touch of vitality due to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.
The calligraphy on the Spring Festival couplets is about 30% similar to that of Dansong calligraphy, but the strokes are more restrained, so it must have been written by my maternal grandparents. The paper-cut window decorations are clearly handmade, and although the details are a bit rough, it doesn't detract from the overall elegance. The courtyard is filled with winter plum blossoms, which are in full bloom, and the branches of other plants are also tied with red ribbons and lanterns, which, reflected on the snow, make this courtyard feel warm and peaceful.
The decor alone reveals the positive attitude of the maternal grandmother's family towards life. If Shan Song had grown up in such an environment, she would have been very happy.
"Do you like it here?" Shan Song's voice brought Tong Zhao back from her wandering thoughts.
Tong Zhao nodded first, then gave a bright smile: "I like it. Did you often play here when you were little?"
Shan Song raised his eyebrows: "Yes, let's go to the backyard later and I'll show you my secret base."
"Secret base?"
"Hmm." Shan Song started teasing the omega again.
Tong Zhao, the unsuspecting little fish, took the bait again, staring with curious eyes as she circled around Dan Song.
Shan Song smiled: "You'll find out in a moment."
As the two were talking, they had already reached the main hall. Although the temperature outside was not particularly low, Shan Song had already felt a chill after strolling around with Tong Zhao.
Upon entering, Grandma noticed them first, her face beaming with joy: "Oh dear, you're here so early! Why didn't you ask someone to pick you up?"
"Happy New Year's Eve, Grandma." Tong Zhao's greeting came from inside the scarf, sounding particularly sweet and gentle.
"Zhao Zhao is happy too, come in quickly." Then she called out again, "Ya Min, his maternal grandfather, Xiao Song and Zhao Zhao are here."
"Grandpa seems to be writing Spring Festival couplets upstairs. I'll go call him. Please sit down first. Put your things down quickly, they're quite heavy." Grandma took the things from Tong Zhao's hands, called out, and went upstairs.
Aunt Yuan was nowhere to be seen, but her teasing voice came from the kitchen first: "Getting married is different, she came much earlier than last year."
After saying that, he poked his head out of the kitchen holding a kitchen knife, and just then he saw Shan Song deftly taking off the hats, scarves and gloves that were wrapped up tightly around himself and Tong Zhao.
Upon seeing this, he laughed even more heartily: "Looks like this winter is going to be cold. He's completely lost his idol image. In previous years, we've never seen Dan Song bundled up so tightly. He just stands there like he's posing for a photo."
"Aunt Yuan..." Shan Song called out helplessly.
Tong Zhao lowered his head and chuckled to himself. This person insisted on wrapping him up like a ball, just to prove that the outside temperature required such attire. He even took the lead, making the tall and powerful CEO look less imposing.
"Still laughing!" Shan Song pretended to be fierce, bent down and pinched Tong Zhao's nose: "You don't even side with your husband, you little traitor."
Tong Zhao hugged his fingers, her eyes sparkling: "My husband is the most handsome." Even wrapped up like a ball, he's still the most handsome! He didn't say the second half of the sentence out loud, afraid that Shan Song would use this as an excuse to drag him through the New Year, but this New Year's Eve was not the same as the one he was talking about.
Dan Song was somewhat satisfied: "Come on, let's go sit down first, it'll be a while before anyone comes."
"Shansong, didn't you want to learn cooking? Come and help!" Aunt Yuan called out again.
"Coming," Shan Song replied.
He then turned to Tong Zhao and said, "I'll go take care of my business first. If anyone comes, come find me."
Tong Zhao was both amused and exasperated, and gently pushed him: "Go ahead, they're all your family, don't you trust me? I'm not really a child, I'll get along well with everyone."
Seeing that Tong Zhao was truly relaxed, Shan Song smiled and said, "Okay, I was overthinking it. I'm going to learn a new skill now. I'll make it for you tonight."
"Mmm." Taking advantage of the fact that no one was in the living room, Tong Zhao hugged Shan Song and kissed him: "Go quickly, Aunt Yuan is getting impatient."
"No rush, no rush, let's appease your wife first." Aunt Yuan had been watching the young couple's sweet talk for a long time, and leaned against the kitchen wall, winking at them.
"..."
Dan Song was sent to the kitchen by his shy wife. He sighed helplessly and looked at Aunt Yuan, who was trying to suppress her laughter, and said helplessly, "Don't tease my wife."
After saying that, he added, "Even beta needs to have some boundaries."
Yuan Yamin turned around in disbelief to look at Shan Song as if he were a new species, scanning him from head to toe: "...You disrespectful brat!"
The Shan family's Spring Festival was simple and warm, without any airs of a wealthy family. The young masters and ladies, who usually never lifted a finger, were willing to participate in the New Year's Eve dinner. Of course, this also led to many funny incidents. Shan Song's new attempt at cooking was a failure. Although Tong Zhao tried her best to make amends for her husband, everyone's eyes were sharp.
Tong Zhao, the newest uncle in the Shan family, is beautiful and gentle, much easier to talk to than the previous uncles, and is therefore well-liked by the younger generation.
Following his previous incident of fighting with a bird over his wife, Shan Song is now fighting with his nephew over his wife again: "This is my wife."
Little nephew: "This is my uncle!"
Shan Song: "Ask your uncle who he likes?"
Little nephew: "Uncle, do you like me more?"
Tong Zhao: "..."
Shan Song had no sense of aggression towards the child. Taking advantage of the child's unpreparedness, he picked up his wife and ran away. The little nephew's short legs were naturally no match for him, and he cried out in anger, only to be left behind by Shan Song without any remorse.
"Never mind them, let's go set off fireworks." Shan Song put down his wife, who was helping him escape.
"Where's the secret base you mentioned?"
Shan Song laughed: "Still thinking about it? Come on, it's over there."
The secret base that Shan Song mentioned was actually a small stone house embedded in a rockery.
From the outside, it looks like an ordinary artificial hill. According to Shansong's description, it is said to have a hidden world inside, but now it is pitch black and nothing can be seen.
Tong Zhao looked around curiously, and then heard Shan Song say, "Originally there was no small house. Because I always set up a small tent in it, my grandfather had someone build one. It seems a bit difficult to accommodate two adults. Wife, would you like to go and take a look first?"
Dansong used what was available and handed over two lit sparklers.
Tong Zhao took it and, unable to contain her curiosity, crawled inside.
About a minute later, Tong Zhao emerged with moist, round eyes, clutching the heavy box of small gold bars, and threw herself into Shan Song's arms.
In the dim light of the lantern, one could vaguely see the blessings engraved on the turned-over gold bar, written in the Dansong script, from age one to twenty-four.
Holding his wife in his arms, Shan Song joked, "I think this counts as our token of love, right? An upgraded version of a little note, don't you like it?"
When did you prepare this?
"I've been ready for a long time. Happy birthday, my wife."
Shan Song leaned down and kissed Tong Zhao's reddened eyes, then cupped his face and gave him a long, tender kiss in return.
I don't know how much time passed, but suddenly I heard the crackling sound of fireworks. It was the new year!
Dan Song slowly moved away and took out a red envelope from his pocket: "This is for Zhao Zhao. I wish our Zhao Zhao a bright future, great success, and a peaceful, smooth, joyful, and carefree life."
Tong Zhao's eyes welled up again, and she stood on tiptoe to kiss him once more.
May we enjoy good days year after year.
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