Chapter 275 Reunion Feast
Lu Zhankai was stunned for a moment upon hearing this. He knew that someone would come to pick them up today before he set off, but he did not expect the whole family to come.
Before he could react, Brother Huo and his brothers stepped forward and hugged him.
Having not seen each other for over thirty years, there was some awkwardness between us.
But with this hug, the person who had been away from home for many years finally felt at peace.
Jiang Si, along with her second sister-in-law and fourth sister-in-law, stepped forward with a smile.
"Sister-in-law, you must be tired from your journey."
Meng Yuan quickly said, "Second sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, fourth sister-in-law, I'm sorry to have troubled you this time."
"Sister-in-law, we're family, let's not talk about this."
Seeing this, Huo's mother, who had finally managed to stop her tears, started crying again.
Finally, Mr. Huo reminded him, "Let's go back first. The old man and the fourth son's family are waiting at the restaurant."
"We can talk about it when we get back. Don't let the children get cold."
Originally, the old man and his family wanted to come along, but it was freezing cold outside, and Mr. and Mrs. Huo were worried about it.
After much persuasion, they were given the task of taking care of their great-grandchild, which finally convinced the elderly couple to stop.
"Yes, yes, get in the car first!" Realizing what was happening, Mrs. Huo quickly called everyone to get in the car.
The Beijing Grand Hotel is nearby; it's less than a ten-minute drive away.
Because of the large number of people, the Huo family specially booked a large private room in advance.
As soon as the group entered the private room and saw her eldest grandson, Grandma Huo burst into tears.
He grabbed Lu Zhankai's hand and looked him up and down.
Lu Zhankai choked up, "Grandpa and Grandma, we're back."
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
Grandma Huo wiped away her tears and turned to Grandpa, saying, "Look how much my eldest grandson looks like Zhendong when he was young."
"It looks like it, it really does!"
As the old man answered, he also touched the faces of his two great-grandchildren, "These are Rui Rui and Yao Yao, right?"
Meng Yuan nodded and called out "Grandpa and Grandma".
The two children chimed in, "Hello, Great-Grandpa! Hello, Great-Grandma!"
"Okay, okay."
As he finished speaking, the old man stuffed the red envelopes he had prepared in advance into the hands of the two children.
Before the two children left, Mr. and Mrs. Lu gave them a lot of special instructions.
So when they saw their great-grandfather slip them red envelopes, the two children didn't immediately take them, but instead looked at their parents.
"grandfather--"
Lu Zhankai had barely opened his mouth when the old man interrupted him, "This is a gift for the two children to meet, you can't refuse it."
She wanted to say something more to her son.
Mother Huo took the initiative to accept the two red envelopes and gave them, along with her own, to her eldest daughter-in-law.
“This is a token of your grandparents’ goodwill. If you don’t accept it, they will feel bad.”
Having said that, Meng Yuan had no choice but to accept the burden on behalf of the two children.
"Thank you, Mom and Dad. Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma."
Mr. Huo smiled broadly, "All the dishes are served, please sit down."
After everyone was seated, Mrs. Huo took a deep breath and began to introduce each of the relatives present to her eldest son's family of four in a serious and solemn manner.
"These are your fourth uncle and fourth aunt."
"Fourth Uncle, Fourth Aunt."
As Uncle Huo and Aunt Huo responded, they also handed the two children the red envelopes they had prepared in advance.
Next up are Uncle Huo's children.
Each time a branch of the family was introduced, the cousin and his wife would stand up and smile in response.
And then they brought out the gifts they had prepared.
The food, drinks, and other necessities all show that they were carefully chosen.
Similarly, Jiang Si and her two sisters-in-law also prepared their own gifts for their elder brother and sister-in-law.
That's why people say that those who put their heart into something deserve to be treated with care.
Just as everyone was giving their gifts, Lu Zhankai also took out the gifts he had prepared for everyone.
Besides being a paradise for melons and fruits, Xinjiang Province is also quite famous for its fabrics and dairy products.
Most importantly, you don't need receipts to buy these over there.
Lu Zhankai, a grown man, didn't really know much about choosing gifts.
So he was only responsible for settling the bill; Meng Yuan picked out all the items.
The gifts given to gay men are leather hats, locally called 'tumaks'.
The lining is mostly made of fox fur or black goat fur, which provides excellent protection against the cold.
For the women, the most popular fabric in Xinjiang Province is Atlas silk.
This bright color is perfect for making a dress.
She didn't forget the children either.
Each person receives a packet of Xinjiang's unique cheese candy, which has a perfect balance of sweet and sour flavors and a rich milky taste.
Not to mention children, even adults can't stop eating it.
The "adult" here refers to Jiang Si.
Sui Sui and Zhao Zhao are still young, so she had no choice but to reluctantly take care of their portions!
He saw that his wife had eaten three or four pieces of cheese candy in no time.
Huo Tingzhou reluctantly ladled a bowl of hot soup and placed it in front of her.
Then I rolled up a few more roast duck rolls for her.
If this happened outside, people might make a joke about it.
But this was an ordinary thing in the Huo family.
Even Lu Zhankai, a child who did not grow up in the Huo family, perfectly inherited this fine tradition of the Huo family.
In the words of the old men in the compound, these men of the Huo family...
They're like a fierce tiger when they go into battle!
They are model students when they go home!
She is so virtuous and capable!
Seeing this harmonious scene in each room, Mrs. Huo felt both bittersweet and gratified.
The bittersweet thing is that she missed more than 30 years of her eldest son's growth and didn't fulfill her responsibilities as a mother for even a single day.
Thankfully, the children are all doing well now.
The brothers are harmonious, and the sisters-in-law get along well.
Lost in thought, Lu Zhan opened a roast duck roll and placed it in Huo's mother's hand.
"Mom, don't worry about Yao Yao. She's two years old now and can eat by herself. You should eat."
Mrs. Huo nodded hurriedly, "You all eat too."
After saying that, he glanced at his beloved grandson sitting next to him.
"Rui Rui, Yao Yao, help yourselves with whatever you like to eat. Grandma will help you with anything you can't reach."
"Grandma, Yao Yao can't eat anymore."
Yao Yao patted her little belly, "My belly is all round and full from eating so much."
Everyone laughed.
And so, while eating, everyone chatted about their own situations.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming more harmonious, the old man raised his wine glass.
"Today is the first true family reunion of the Huo family. Come, let's toast to Zhan Kai and his family coming home!"
As soon as he finished speaking, everyone stood up.
Everyone raised their glasses together.
"Welcome home, elder brother and sister-in-law!"
"Come on, cheers!"
The lively family reunion dinner didn't end until after 10 p.m.
After dinner, everyone went home.
The children had been traveling for several days and nights, and after a night of commotion, they were already exhausted and slumped over.
Huo's mother took her eldest son and his wife upstairs.
The room was the same one Yang Tingtao had stayed in before, but Huo's mother found it uncomfortable and replaced all the furniture.
Because there are a few more children in the family, the heating is on better this year than in previous years; you can walk barefoot on the floor without any problems.
However, it's still a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings.
Mother Huo said, "The quilts and mattresses are all in the wardrobe. If you get cold, just add another one yourself."
"Here are towels and slippers. Oh, and your grandparents bought some cotton-padded jackets for the two children. I've put them in this cabinet."
"Take a look and see if you need anything else. Mom will take you out to buy it tomorrow."
The previous performances have finished, and the troupe has given us a few days off.
Taking advantage of this free time, Mrs. Huo planned to spend some quality time with them.
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