Zhu Qianying's birthday celebrations have always been very casual. Apart from a bowl of longevity noodles that her mother always cooks, nothing else matters.
With noodles still in her mouth, Zhu Qianying looked up and answered frankly when she heard Madam Yan's question.
"No!"
She doesn't even have any particular thoughts about it now, nor does she feel that there's anything wrong with it.
"Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. Since Xiaohan won't be back for lunch anyway, how about we go watch the dragon boat races later?"
Madam Yan did not insist, but asked in a very tactful way.
Zhu Qianying had been abroad for several years, and if it weren't for Madam Yan mentioning it, she would have almost forgotten that today was not only her birthday, but also a day to watch dragon boat races.
But Zai Zai has never watched a dragon boat race.
"Hmm, that's a good idea. Zizai has never seen a dragon boat race before. It would be good to take him to see one!" Zhu Qianying readily agreed to the suggestion.
Since Zhu Qianying agreed, Yan Bo instructed Uncle Hai to have a car prepared. After Zhu Qianying finished breakfast and changed her clothes, they went out together.
Zhu Qianying called Young Master Yan, "Young Master Yan, we're going to watch the dragon boat races. Are you done with your work? Would you like to come along?"
It seems a bit noisy on Yan Shao's side; he's probably out having dinner with clients or something.
"No, I can't leave right now. You guys have fun."
When Zhu Qianying heard that he was busy, she didn't say much. She said goodbye crisply, hung up the phone, and chatted and laughed with Zizai and the two elders as usual.
Madam Yan secretly winked at Yan Bo, who then let Zizai sit on his lap. The grandfather and grandson then sat in the back seat, leaving only Madam Yan and Zhu Qianying in the second row.
"What did Xiaohan say?" Old Madam Yan carefully observed Zhu Qianying's expression.
Zhu Qianying's expression and demeanor were no different from usual.
"It's a bit noisy over there, he's probably with clients. He said he can't leave right now and told us to have fun."
"That boy Xiao Han..." Old Madam Yan's disappointed look amused Zhu Qianying.
She actually knew what Old Madam Yan was worried about.
"Mom, I've always been casual about my birthday; I just celebrate it like any other day."
Fearing that Madam Yan wouldn't believe her, Zhu Qianying pointed at Zizai and said, "If you don't believe me, ask Zizai."
Zizai quickly nodded in confirmation, "Yes, on my birthday, my grandma, my mom, and I only eat a bowl of longevity noodles."
Chen Jing is used to a hard life, so she has no concept of celebrating birthdays.
Zhu Qianying is not particular about these things, and as for Zizai, since his mother and mother-in-law are not particular about these things, he, being a little kid, naturally wouldn't care about them either.
Madam Yan looked incredulous. Not only did her daughter-in-law say so, but her grandson did too, so she had no choice but to believe it.
"Mom, aren't we going to watch the dragon boat race now? It's lively and nice!" Zhu Qianying quickly reassured her, afraid that Old Madam Yan might overthink things.
Madam Yan didn't know what else to say. Besides, with Zizai in the car, there wouldn't be any awkwardness, because Zizai was too mischievous and knew how to lighten the mood.
"Mommy, Mommy, can only adults participate in dragon boat races?"
For some reason, little Zizai suddenly asked this question.
"What, you want to participate?" Zhu Qianying cautiously probed.
"Yes, I saw it on TV, and I thought it was really exciting!" Zizai admitted with a grin.
A secret thrill welled up in Zhu Qianying's heart, because ever since the accident, Zizai had been very resistant to water.
Let alone surfing or swimming, he still resists even taking a bath in the tub. This is the first time since the accident that he has expressed a desire to participate in water-related activities.
"If you want to learn, Zai Zai, Daddy will find a teacher to teach you during the summer vacation, okay?"
Zizai was overjoyed and hugged Zhu Qianying, giving her several big kisses.
The dragon boat race was held on the river in L City, just a few tens of minutes' drive from the Yan family's home. The driver drove the car into the temporary parking lot, where staff members came over and greeted Yan Bo and his wife, as well as Zhu Qianying and her son, with great respect.
"Greetings, Mr. and Mrs. Yan! Greetings, Young Madam and Young Master Yan!"
After exchanging greetings, a staff member led the way, saying, "Mr. Yan, your seats are ready. This way, please."
Zhu Qianying then realized that the two elders' trip to watch the dragon boat race had been arranged in advance.
"Mommy, I'm so nervous!" Zizai held Zhu Qianying's hand and stepped onto the temporary platform.
Speaking of which, Zhu Qianying had watched dragon boat races before, but back then, she was just an ordinary citizen, standing on the crowded riverbank to watch, and to be honest, the view wasn't very good.
Unlike now, they were seated in the very center of the stage, with zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), a traditional food for the festival, on the table, along with candies, fruits, and snacks.
Most importantly, this place not only offers a commanding view of the entire racecourse, but also thoughtfully provides a high-powered telescope for each seat on the table.
In other words, if you want to see a team member's heroic posture, you only need to point the binoculars at that person, and you can see even the slightest change in that person's expression.
As soon as Zizai sat down, he was drawn to the binoculars and started fiddling with them.
"Wow, Mommy, I can even see the old man's beard clearly across from me!"
Zizai's exaggerated shouts made Zhu Qianying subconsciously point her binoculars at the opposite bank.
Upon closer inspection, she realized that her son wasn't exaggerating; indeed, she could clearly see the pimples on the face of the girl watching the dragon boat races from the opposite bank of the river.
“This is really a good thing…” Zhu Qianying was not someone who had never seen the world, and now she couldn’t help but feel a little doubtful.
Logically speaking, a dragon boat race that is partly private and partly government should not be equipped with such high-end binoculars, right?
Despite her doubts, the facts were undeniable, leaving her no choice but to believe them.
Zhu Qianying looked around again, and finally couldn't help but lean over and ask the two old people in a low voice.
"Dad, Mom, shouldn't this be the seating area for high-ranking government officials?"
Of course, she knew that in L City, the Yan family's status was even higher than that of those government officials, but such things were usually best left unsaid, and no one made things so explicit.
Furthermore, Yan Bo and his wife are definitely not the kind of people who like to show off or crave vanity.
After getting to know them better, Zhu Qianying even felt that Yan Bo and his wife, as well as Yan Han, were actually much more low-key than the top ten richest people in L City.
Therefore, the current seating arrangement is really strange.
No matter which way she looked, she felt that they were sitting in the very center.
Could it be that this competition was sponsored by the Yanhuang Group?
Besides this possibility, Zhu Qianying really couldn't think of any other possibility.
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