Chapter 637: Her Little Face Turned Bright Red! (Two chapters combined)
After the four pigs were butchered, the blood sausage was cut up, and the stewed pork stew in the iron pot was almost cooked.
The old woman arranged the blood sausages in a circle around the edge of the pot and called out to the busy crowd, "The pork stew is ready! Wash your hands and eat!"
A large iron pot, enough for everyone to eat.
Gu Yin really likes the noodles in the dish. The farm grows a lot of sweet potatoes. The sweet potato vines are used to feed the pigs, and some of the dug-up sweet potatoes are made into sweet potato noodles. The noodles in today's pork stew are made from their own sweet potato noodles, which are very chewy!
"This is the taste! It tasted just like this back in the countryside, only we didn't get to eat as much of it! So satisfying! It's as festive as Chinese New Year! This big bowl warms me up from head to toe! It's a pity that Ayan and his parents didn't get to enjoy this!" Grandpa Chu sighed as he ate.
"Hearing what Grandpa Chu said, I'm thinking about mutton. How about we get a sheep to eat for the New Year? I'm craving mutton offal soup! My classmate is from the Northwest, and he says that a bowl of mutton offal soup on a cold day can warm you up all winter! The sheep there seem to be tastier. They say they're free-range sheep, running all over the snowy mountains. If we're going to make it, how about I buy two from him?" Gu Shu asked expectantly while munching on his food.
Gu Qingming glared at him: "You haven't even finished what's in your bowl yet, and you're already thinking about the New Year! You only bought one or two, how are you going to have them delivered? You're just making things up. It's fine if you say you're going to visit them and have a meal there, but to have them deliver all this way is inconvenient."
Gu Shuyi thought about it and agreed: "It would be fine if many people bought it, but it is indeed inconvenient for one or two."
Grandpa Chu laughed and said, "What's the big deal! The mutton in our hotel is all sourced from the Northwest. I'll take care of it! Don't worry!"
Upon hearing this, Gu Shu immediately served the old man some food and said with a smile, "I'll also leave the lamb offal to Grandpa Chu!"
Gu Yin immediately raised her hand: "I'd like to order roasted lamb trotters!"
"I want lamb's trotters too!" Gu Hua exclaimed.
Grandpa Chu nodded quickly: "Enough is enough!"
This year, none of the Gu family members returned to Lijia Village for the Spring Festival because they no longer had any relatives there. So Li Li and Grandma Li didn't go back either. However, Li Xiaoming, urged by his family, took leave in advance and prepared to go back.
"Uncle! That's enough! Grandma! That's really enough! I can't carry that much by myself! If people knew I was just going home on holiday from work, they'd think I'd run off with my boss's house! No need for the sausages and cured meat! I made plenty at home! Grandpa, put that big pig's trotter down! It's not necessary! It really isn't!" Li Xiaoming looked at his luggage, which consisted of only one bag, while the Gu family had given him two large boxes of New Year's gifts! He immediately felt a headache coming on! Such heavy love! Luckily, he was taking the train back home!
Gu Shu pulled Li Xiaoming aside and told the old man and the others to pack their things.
Li Li helped to solidify the foundation.
“We may not be able to return home in glory, but we can still give a decent New Year’s gift! Listen to your grandfather, don’t worry about it! We’ll put it on the bus for you later, you don’t need to carry it! Besides, if you’re a veteran and you can’t even carry this, who would believe you?” The old man waved his hand to stop Li Xiaoming from interfering while carrying things.
By the time Li Xiaoming boarded the train, the two boxes hadn't even passed through his hands; they were being delivered onto the train by Gu Shu and the others!
After the car started moving, Li Xiaoming looked at the two boxes under the bed, shook his head with a smile, took out his backpack, and prepared to get his water bottle to fetch water. He wouldn't arrive in the city until tomorrow afternoon. Although it was convenient to get up from the lower bunk, there weren't many people getting water at that time, so he could go there soon.
As soon as he opened his bag, he saw several red envelopes. He was stunned for a moment, then took them out. There were seven red envelopes in total, each containing 1,000 yuan, given by the six adults in the Gu family. There was also a year-end bonus of 500 yuan from Gu Qingming. There was also a note inside, saying that it was given according to company rules. He had only been working for one month, and he was getting a year-end bonus. He felt really embarrassed.
The commercial street that Gu Qingming manages already has its own team and has registered a company. Li Xiaoming drives for him, and the accounts are handled by that company.
On New Year's Eve, Chu Yan finally made it back, but Grandpa Zhou still couldn't leave and had to stay there.
"Don't worry about Grandpa. A few days before I came back, they were already preparing food for the New Year. There are plenty of rabbits and chickens there, as well as cold-water fish, and all kinds of mushrooms and ginseng. They eat better than we do! And it's more lively! The old man even had a helicopter send a lot of seafood over! He told me to tell you to just eat what you need and not to worry about him. The country won't let him down!" Chu Yan said with a smile as he wrote the couplets.
Grandpa Gu shook his head: "It's never as good as home outside. Ah Le and his grandma haven't come back either. They said Ah Le went to participate in some competition, and the timing didn't work out, so they couldn't come back."
Gu Le's Royal School holds various competitions every year, and this is Gu Le's first time participating. He heard that the competition is very important and is school-wide, so this is also his first time appearing in front of the whole school.
The old lady smiled and said, "They all have things to do. It's alright. Apart from the New Year, we can get together at other times. After all, our family is all in Beijing, so we have plenty of time!"
After the couplets were folded, the New Year's Eve dinner was also prepared. They had mutton offal soup in the morning, and now a whole roasted lamb was being roasted in the yard. The roasted lamb trotters that Gu Yin and Gu Hua had ordered were also served.
This year, all five members of the Chu family were available, so the two families had New Year's Eve dinner together.
They invited Li Li and the others, but Li Li was with Bai Xiao and Lao Wu. Xiao Shiyi didn't go back this year either; she spent the New Year at Li Li's place.
The large round table was full of people.
After finishing their New Year's Eve dinner, the adults moved to the living room to drink tea and chat.
Gu Yin and the others set off fireworks in the yard. The loud explosions startled the two chickens and the goose, causing them to run out.
"Why do I feel like these two chickens are getting fatter and fatter? They used to be as tall as my thighs, but now they're up to my waist! Aren't they growing a little too fast?" Chu Yan asked, touching the chicken's neck.
Upon hearing this, the clucking chicken flicked its neck, cackled twice, walked to Gu Shu's side, and then glared at Chu Yan.
"Giggle!!"
Chu Yan laughed: "You can't even say you're fat? I'll talk to Grandpa Gu later and ask him to make you run every morning! Otherwise, this big blob doesn't look good!"
"Giggle!! Giggle!!!"
Seeing the chicken flap its wings and stretch its neck, ready to fly over and kick someone, Gu Shu quickly grabbed it and shouted at Chu Yan, "Being fat is good-looking! We don't run, and if we exercise too much, our meat will be elastic and easy to eat. We'll be fat and all oily, and nobody will like to eat us! Right?!" After saying that, he rubbed against the chicken.
These two chickens are fed five or six meals a day by the old lady, no wonder they're so fat! They can barely fly anymore! Last time Gu Yin said they were fat, and they were knocked down even with a light bump! Chu Yan's knife keeps stabbing them, they'll be sent flying!
Gu Yin reached out and tugged at the chicken's wing: "This delicate thing, I can't even tell you the truth. If you get too fat, I'm telling you, you'll definitely have high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and high blood sugar! Then you'll only be able to eat one meal a day! And it'll be grass! You'll regret it then."
Clucking Chicken: "...Cluck?" Are you even speaking human language?!
Chu Yan couldn't help but laugh: "You still need injections and medicine!"
Clucking Chicken: "...Clucking!" Fine! I'll leave! I'll leave! After shouting, he shuddered, made Gu Shu let go of him, and then took his wife back to the backyard!
Gu Shu: "...You're only three years old today, not more than that! I need to go check on them. There will be a lot of firecrackers and fireworks tonight, and it wouldn't be good if they got scared."
Gu Yin grinned when she heard this. She remembered how Gu Yin had tripped and fallen so hard last time!
Seeing Gu Hua roasting sweet potatoes, Chu Yan reached out and pulled Gu Yin towards the pavilion.
Gu Hua glanced at them out of the corner of her eye while looking at the sweet potato. Seeing the two holding hands, she smiled and muttered, "The sour smell of love, hmm!" Just as she finished muttering, she received a text message notification. She took it out, looked at it, and smiled as she replied to the message on the other end.
The old lady had covered the seats in the pavilion with cushions, mainly because her family liked to sit there to drink tea, watch the snow, and listen to the rain.
After clearing away the coal at the bottom of the stove, Chu Yan placed the teapot on top, added a few oranges, and the simple stove-side tea brewing was ready.
After getting ready, Chu Yan sat down next to Gu Yin and squeezed together to warm themselves by the fire.
"We haven't had a single time to chat since we got back."
His tone carried a hint of grievance.
Gu Yin chuckled: "I've been busy today, it's New Year's Eve. I was given tickets to the gala, but I didn't go. I just wanted to spend more time with you all."
Chu Yan turned and stared at Gu Yin: "You guys?"
Gu Yin sighed, looked up, and gently bumped him: "You! Only you! I just wanted to spend more time with you, so I didn't go anywhere. Aren't you happy?"
Chu Yan smiled, stretched his arm back, pulled the person into his arms, and hummed softly, "Happy, especially happy!"
Gu Yin shifted her shoulders: "It wouldn't be good if someone came and saw this."
Chu Yan didn't let go; instead, she hugged him even tighter: "It's alright. Once everyone knows we're here, they won't come over."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yin stopped moving and found a comfortable spot to lean against him.
"This time when I come back, I won't go to Dabai Mountain. As for the Longshe plant, after they planted it, they tried watering it with lake water and found that it grows very quickly, but it consumes a lot of jade. Grandpa Zhou has signed check after check. I know that doing experiments is expensive, but I didn't know that doing such a groundbreaking experiment required so much money. After the New Year, my parents and I will go abroad for half a month, and then go back to school for a while to find some classmates to come and help me. From now on, I will provide all the funding for your experiments, okay?"
Gu Yin raised her eyebrows: "Aren't you afraid of ending up with nothing?"
Chu Yan nuzzled Gu Yin's head and chuckled, "Are you scared? So, let's get engaged first when I come back, okay? After you graduate, we'll get our marriage certificate. Then you can be busy with your experiments, and I'll work and take care of you at the same time. I'm quite possessive, and I hope that most of your free time after you start working will be spent with me. I don't want to kiss you while having to guard against Gu Shu interfering, nor do I want to have to find a secluded place to hug you. I want me to be the first person you see when you come home from get off work. We can have some alone time on weekends, and we can travel by ourselves on holidays, anywhere is fine, but it will just be the two of us."
Gu Yin raised an eyebrow: "Shouldn't a marriage proposal include flowers, candles, a ring, and a candlelight dinner? Is this all you've got?"
Chu Yan chuckled: "If you want those things, I can prepare them, but you don't like those exaggerated and tacky ceremonies, so I didn't prepare them. I want all the family members to participate and witness every moment of our happiness, but right now A-Le and Grandpa and Grandma aren't here. For such an important occasion, everyone has to be there, so I haven't prepared anything for the time being. But you can look forward to it, start looking forward to it now. The surprise might come tomorrow, or it might come a week from now, anyway, it will suddenly come on a sunny day."
After saying that, he shook Gu Yin: "Girlfriend."
After thinking about it, Gu Yin realized that she was indeed quite looking forward to it after Chu Yan said that.
"Alright, let's see how you do. If I'm not satisfied with your preparation, hmph!" As soon as she finished speaking, her cheeks flushed.
Warm lips touched briefly before parting, and Chu Yan's deep, pleasant voice rang in her ear: "I guarantee you'll be satisfied!"
Gu Yin's ears immediately burned. The word "satisfied" made her thoughts wander. For some reason, the novels and scripts she had read in her previous life floated into her mind, all yellowish and sallow!
Fearing that Chu Yan would notice something was amiss, she quickly reached out to pour tea and change the subject: "I want to eat an orange, can you peel one for me?"
Chu Yan looked at the bright red ears in front of him, smiled silently, picked up the hot orange and began to carefully peel it.
Looking at his long, fair, strong fingers with distinct knuckles, Gu Yin could picture all sorts of unhealthy images in her mind just from watching him peel an orange!
This is absolutely insane!
Chu Yan peeled half of the broth and placed it in front of her, then looked up at her: "There's some soup in it, eat slowly... Why is your face so red?"
Gu Yin quickly bent down, picked up the orange, and ate it: "It's normal because it was roasted by the fire. Peel another one."
Chu Yan chuckled and continued his actions without making a sound.
The pavilion fell silent for a moment.
Footsteps came from outside the pavilion. The two looked over and saw Gu Shu coming from the backyard.
"You guys are quite the connoisseurs, warming yourselves by the fire and eating oranges! Are there any more? I'll have one!" she said, sitting down next to Gu Yin.
Seeing one already peeled, I reached out to grab it, but before I could, my hand was slapped.
Chu Yan put his chopsticks away and nodded: "Want some? Grill it yourself, there's more inside, this is A-Yin's."
Gu Shu: "...Sis, look at him!"
Gu Yin picked up an orange, ate one segment herself, and fed the other to Chu Yan.
Gu Shu: "...What's so great about it! Anyone can grill! I grilled these! I'll eat one and throw the rest away! Neither of you are going to touch them!"
Gu Shu was furious! She picked up five oranges and put them directly on the grill, uttering threats as she grilled them!
Chu Yan got up, put the scarf and hat on Gu Yin, and pulled her outside: "We've finished eating the oranges, let's go back inside and watch the Spring Festival Gala."
Gu Shu was suddenly left alone in the pavilion. A cold wind blew by, and it was so desolate!
Gu Shu looked at the oranges and had no choice but to put them back one by one in the distance.
Should I get a girlfriend? With this question lingering in my mind, I walked to the door and saw Gu Hua laughing at her phone. Speechless, I called out, "What are you doing sitting here laughing like an idiot? Come inside! Aren't you cold outside?!"
Startled, Gu Hua immediately stood up, put her phone in her pocket, and nodded quickly: "I'll be right back!"
"So reckless!" Gu Shu shook his head helplessly and went into the house.
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