"You should take a nap first. We'll have our New Year's Eve dinner a little later tonight. I'll wake you up when the food is ready."
Jiang Si nodded, lay down in bed, and fell asleep shortly after.
When I woke up again, I was awakened by a series of firecrackers going off outside.
In Shanghai, people start their New Year's Eve dinners early, with some families beginning to eat before 4 p.m.
However, she was sleeping soundly at the time and didn't hear anything.
"Mom, you're awake!" The two little ones had been itching to come in and ran over as soon as they heard the noise.
"Yes, you're awake." Jiang Si smiled and ruffled their hair. "Why are there only the two of you? Where's your dad?"
The brother and sister blinked. "We don't know."
"Don't know?" Jiang Si looked at the two little ones suspiciously.
Just then, Uncle San's voice rang out from the kitchen, "Zhong, you can start cooking now."
Distracted by them, Jiang Si forgot about the matter.
When I got to the kitchen, Uncle Zhong had already put on his apron.
Jiang Si had just rolled up her sleeves to help when her third uncle shooed her out, saying, "I'll take care of this. You play with the two children for a while."
Jiang Si had no choice but to nod in agreement.
The family never skimps on the Chinese New Year celebrations. Even with the two little ones making it only six people, Uncle Zhong still prepared a huge table full of ingredients, just like every year.
Chicken, duck, fish, meat, seafood, and seasonal vegetables—you name it.
In the words of my third uncle, it's okay if we can't finish it all; that's what they call "having abundance every year"!
When Huo Tingzhou returned, it was already completely dark outside. He had prepared the last few main dishes.
Jiang Si also helped out for a while, mainly by handing over plates or getting condiments.
The two little ones were also busy, cheering their dad on enthusiastically, and occasionally even participating in the food tasting.
It was a rare occasion to spend the Lunar New Year at the Jiang family's old house this year, and the whole family was very happy, especially the two little ones.
Children of this age love sweet things, and Shanghai cuisine perfectly caters to their tastes.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, the third uncle gave each of the four members of their family a bulging red envelope.
However, the red seal only passed through their hands briefly before the three of them readily handed it over to Jiang Si.
Knowing that she still had to stay up all night to welcome the New Year, Jiang Si decided to put these things away first.
She had just sat down at the dressing table upstairs when Huo Tingzhou pushed the door open and came in.
I receive an extra red envelope from him every year, and this year was no exception.
She hadn't originally planned to demolish it, but she noticed something was off about Huo Tingzhou's gaze.
So, in front of him, Jiang Si opened the red envelope that read "May you have peace and health every year."
There was only a 50-cent banknote and a 2-cent coin inside.
52 cents?
Jiang Si was stunned. This shouldn't be the case. She had increased his allowance this year, and since he neither smokes nor drinks, twenty-five yuan a month is more than enough for him.
Just as she was wondering, Huo Tingzhou suddenly pulled her hand—
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