Tong Laoda and Yan Bo were drinking enthusiastically, toasting each other back and forth.
Fortunately, the wine that Uncle Yuan brought up had a low alcohol content, and the two of them, after downing a couple of glasses at the beginning, began to sip it slowly.
Tong Xiaohuai and her mother were too lazy to persuade the two of them. After finishing their meal, the mother and daughter took blankets and snuggled up on the sofa to watch the New Year's Eve gala.
The living room was filled with singing and dancing, while the dining room was filled with laughter. All four people were in high spirits, temporarily putting aside the frustrations of the past few days.
"Xiao Huai, Dr. Dong said you went to see him?"
The mother and daughter huddled together, covered with a blanket, feeling warm and comfortable.
Tong's mother is not in good health; even with a blanket, her feet are still a bit cold.
Tong Xiaohuai consciously put her feet on top of her mother's feet, trying to warm them up.
"Yes, Yanbo's mother is sick with pneumonia, and it's quite serious. So I went to see Dr. Dong and asked him to prescribe some traditional Chinese medicine to nourish her lungs and regulate her body."
Tong Xiaohuai hadn't intended to hide this from her mother in the first place. However, if her mother didn't ask, she certainly wouldn't bring it up on her own initiative.
Tong's mother reached out from under the blanket and pressed her slightly cool palm against Tong Xiaohuai's face.
"Have you and Xiao Yan really thought this through?"
Tong Xiaohuai turned her gaze away from the television. "Mom, no matter what happens, I will never leave him!"
During the days that Yan Bo was missing, Tong Xiaohuai experienced the agony and torment of being worse than dead for the first time. After this experience, she was even more certain that she and Yan Bo were inseparable no matter what!
"What about his parents..."
Tong's mother hesitated, her loving gaze falling on her face.
“Mom, his parents’ attitude really hurts and saddens Ke. But compared to losing him, it seems insignificant.”
Tong's mother sighed deeply, "Now that you've both thought it through, your father and I have no right to stop you. What your father said tonight, in general, was for your own good."
Tong Xiaohuai nodded. "I know. Dad was afraid that I would waste my youth following him without any status or recognition, so he said those things to Yanbo without any regard for the consequences. Mom, I'm sorry for making you worry!"
What parent in the world doesn't love their children?
Even though they were like Yan Bo's parents, Tong Xiaohuai understood that they actually used so many harsh methods to try to separate the two of them because they loved Yan Bo.
His parents believed that Yanbo would not only fail to find happiness with her, but would also be dragged down by her.
She knew they were wrong, but she couldn't convince them with words.
She could only use her actions and time to gradually convince them.
Tong Xiaohuai will not only not be a burden to Yan Bo, but she will also not bring shame to him. She will support Yan Bo all the way, overcome all obstacles, and reach the pinnacle of life!
If her ideas cannot be realized in the short term, then she will take five, ten, or even longer to make them gradually believe in them.
The mother and daughter chatted casually in the living room, while the father and son in the dining room became increasingly excited as their alcohol intake increased.
As the clock struck eleven, Tong Xiaohuai peeked into the dining room and saw her father and Yanbo still arm in arm, talking about something.
"Mom, let Dad sleep in the guest room tonight, so you don't get overwhelmed by his alcohol fumes!"
Tong Xiaohuai was too lazy to persuade them, because she knew it would be futile. So, she could only tell her mother to prepare herself mentally, and that she would have Uncle Yuan throw her father into the next room later.
Before Tong's mother could reply, Tong Laoda's loud voice came from behind her.
"You brat, you actually instigated your mother to isolate me? If I had known you were this wicked, I shouldn't have held back and should have just gotten Xiao Yan drunk!"
Tong Xiaohuai turned her head and saw her father and Yanbo walking out arm in arm, looking quite friendly, not like they were drunk.
"Not drinking anymore? Shall we have a showdown?"
Tong Xiaohuai remained nestled in the blanket, only glancing sideways as the two tall men approached.
The two men withdrew their hands from each other's shoulders, and Yan Bo stepped forward and sat down next to Tong Xiaohuai.
"Let's not drink anymore, let's go set off fireworks."
Tong Xiaohuai pinched her nose and turned her face away, giving him a disgusted look.
"You stink! How can you go set off fireworks looking like that?"
Yan Bo leaned over and mischievously breathed on her, forcing Tong Xiaohuai to side with her mother.
"I'm not drunk. If you don't believe me, ask Uncle Tong. Neither of us is drunk. Uncle Tong has to countdown with Aunt Tong, and I'm going to go with you to set off fireworks."
Tong Xiaohuai shrank back under the covers and pouted, "No, it's too cold!"
Yan Bo got up and walked towards the end of the corridor.
Soon, he came out with two thick coats. He stood by the sofa and unfolded one of the coats in front of Tong Xiaohuai.
"Come here, put this on and you won't be cold."
Tong Xiaohuai glanced at the coat with disdain. "It's as big as a blanket. If you wear it later, you'll look like a wrapped-up rice dumpling. How are you going to set off fireworks?"
Yan Bo stood still. "I'll put it down, you can watch!"
Tong Xiaohuai was still hesitating when Yan Bo added, "I bought so many different kinds of fireworks, not only flower-shaped ones, but also zodiac animal ones. Don't you want to see them?"
Tong Xiaohuai was a little tempted. To be honest, she had only ever set off firecrackers with her brothers in the Tong family since she was a child; she had never actually set off fireworks. She had seen them on TV quite a lot, but if she remembered correctly, the only time she had ever seen real fireworks was a few years ago at the L City Sports Center. She watched from afar, but she was still deeply impressed at the time.
Thinking her daughter was hesitating, Tong's mother nudged her with her elbow, "Go ahead, it's rare to see Xiao Yan so romantic and thoughtful. Unlike your dad, who's such a roughneck, all he knows is to count down the years with me."
Tong Laoda had already sat down next to Tong's mother. Naturally, he was very indignant at being belittled by his wife like that.
"Hey, who said I don't understand romance? Isn't there a song that goes like this: The most romantic thing I can think of is growing old with you... Look, we've been counting down the years together, from when you were twenty to now, almost fifty. Can this kind of romance be compared to those young people setting off fireworks and sending flowers?"
Tong's mother looked up at Tong Laoda. Fine wrinkles had crept onto both of their faces, but those wrinkles did not contain the sorrow and hardship of the years, but rather the happiness and joy they had earned together over the years.
"Okay, I was wrong, isn't that enough?" Tong's mother's tone became incredibly gentle.
Tong Xiaohuai, who had been lingering in bed, couldn't stay still any longer. She rolled over, jumped up, and hopped to Yan Bo's side.
"Let's go set off fireworks!"
As she spoke, she held out her hands to Yan Bo and waved them.
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