Ning Xue is a good cook, and the New Year's Eve reunion dinner is always her chance to show off her cooking skills.

Boiled prawns, sweet and sour fish, pig's feet stewed with peanuts, steamed chicken, glutinous rice balls, and even the two radish flowers carved on the plate look vivid.

She and Su Junyan sat face to face. The dishes on the table looked delicious, but they were all without heat.

Ning Xue picked up the tender fish meat from the cheeks of the sweet and sour fish with chopsticks, put it into her mouth and chewed it for a few times, then looked towards the door. There was still no one there. "It's New Year's Day, haven't Guangzong and Yaozu come back yet?"

He asked and answered himself, and also said it to Su Junyan. He muttered, "How would I know?"

Having said that, Su Junyan was also puzzled in his heart. Not only had he not sent back a single letter since the twins went to school, but it was almost the New Year and there was still no news. He wondered how they were doing now.

It’s ok for these two kids to be silent on weekdays, but how come they don’t even come home for Chinese New Year?

Su Junyan suddenly remembered what Shen Lie mentioned, that Da Wa saw Su Guangzong entering a game hall in Shanghai. His heart skipped a beat. Could it be... could it be... that this kid is addicted to games, so addicted that he doesn't even want to go home for the New Year? Right?

Although he knew that he shouldn't think badly about his son, Su Junyan couldn't help but think so because it was so possible.

Even though Su Junyan usually doesn't take care of the children, he knows the twins' personalities to a certain extent, if not completely.

The eldest child has a gentle personality and studies hard, but he likes to play. In the past, it was Ning Xue who supervised him at home and suppressed his temper.

Now it's all right. He's gone to Shanghai, where no one is watching over him anymore. But he can't do what he wants.

I guess it's because I've been suppressed for too long, so everything I see is new to me, and if I catch something interesting, I'll play with it to my heart's content.

If it were other kids, they would play it secretly a lot, but they might not be as obsessed with it as he is.

What's more, after the final exams, the school will be on holiday during the Chinese New Year. If students do not go home for the Chinese New Year, they can stay in school for a full two months. During these two months, they can do whatever they want.

Su Junyan glanced at Ning Xue quietly. He had kept this news a secret from Ning Xue.

Fortunately, Shen Lie is not a talkative person. He only mentioned it to himself and didn't say a word to Ning Xue.

Otherwise, if Ning Xue finds out, she will go to Shanghai and cause a big commotion, and then we won’t be able to live like this.

Su Junyan let out a long breath, gulped down two cups of rice wine, and thought to himself, my son, it was so hard for your father to keep it a secret for you.

I feel like a loving father now.

On this side, Ning Xue was also wondering.

I wonder why neither Su Guangzong nor Su Yaozu has come back. "Why haven't they come back yet? It can't be the Chinese New Year. Are they still taking their final exams? Even if that's the case, they should at least write back to comfort us."

We can't leave it like this, with no news at all, and let them guess. It's really frustrating.

Anyway, Ning Xue's heart was in turmoil. One moment she thought that the two children were doing well in school, and the next moment she wondered if something had happened to them on the way back.

She stood up suddenly, "No? I'll go find them now."

Su Junyan's heart was beating like a drum, and he grabbed her and said, "Please be quiet for a while. It won't be too late to go after the Chinese New Year."

What if you go there now and catch Guangzong having fun in the game hall? Wouldn't that be a big deal?

Su Junyan advised again, "Don't think too much. The two kids are grown up. What could possibly happen to them, just 18 or 19 years old? Maybe they were just held up by something at school."

After hearing what he said, Ning Xue thought so too.

She has always been blindly confident in her academic qualifications. Twins are two college students. What problems can go wrong for college students? No problems can go wrong.

Thinking of this, Ning Xue felt more at ease and sat down and said, "Well, let's eat first."

It was a nice reunion dinner, but it was really unpleasant because Su Guangzong and Su Yaozu didn't come back.

Su Junyan was a man after all, and he was a thick-skinned man. He only thought about it for a moment and then let it go. In addition, the food cooked by Ning Xue was really delicious. He grabbed the stewed pig's feet and ate it with his mouth full of oil. He then took a few sips of rice wine. What a pleasant feeling.

From Ning Xue's perspective, isn't that enough? Is he heartless? She glared at him and said, "You are still the glorious father of the family. He hasn't come back for two years, and you are not worried at all."

Su Junyan muttered, "What's the use of being anxious? I can't fly to Shanghai, catch them and perform a magic trick for you." He added, "The children are all grown up, just give them some space."

Ning Xue glared and said, "Bullshit, they recognized me as their mother when they were only seven years old? I fed them mouthful by mouthful, and they followed me around like little chicks every day. How could they not recognize me as their mother when they grow up?"

"Yes, yes, yes." Su Junyan couldn't argue with her, "I recognize you as my biological mother, my heroic mother, okay? Are we still going to have the New Year's Eve dinner?"

"Eat." Seeing that Su Junyan was convinced, Ning Xue curled her lips and said, "Why don't you eat?"

The two continued to eat, looking at each other in silence.

From time to time, laughter and joy could be heard from the Shen family next door. The cheerful sounds could be heard in almost the entire alley. In comparison, the Su family was completely silent, without any sign of anger.

I haven't bought a TV at home yet, and I want to turn on the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala and add some joyful sounds, but I can't?

In silence, accompanied by occasional cheers from next door, Su Junyan and Ning Xuejing quietly finished their reunion dinner, and the year came to 1988.

On the sixth day of the New Year, Ning Xue started packing her luggage.

She hadn't seen her twins for nearly half a year, and she missed them so much that she decided to go to Shanghai to see them and ask them why they didn't go home for the New Year.

Su Junyan muttered, "You are going there to bring charges against me."

But in front of Ning Xue, he didn't dare to say much, and only said, "Go to the school to check on them. If you can't find them, come back."

Ning Xue sent so many letters, but the twins didn't reply to any of them. It's obvious that they don't want to contact their family. It's unclear whether Ning Xue can find them this time.

Ning Xue turned a deaf ear to him and focused on packing her luggage.

I can't just stop contacting my family after my two sons, whom I raised with so much effort, just because they got into college. That would be like letting the cooked duck fly away.

She said, "Don't worry about it. I know what's going on."

Just the day before she left, she had planned how to confront the twins in Shanghai, but she never expected that Su Yaozu would come back.

When Su Yaozu came back, it was morning. Ning Xue had just picked up her luggage and was about to go to the port to take a boat and then a train. Just as she was about to leave, she saw Su Yaozu walk in with a smile on his face and called out, "Dad, Mom."

Ning Xue dropped the luggage in her hand to the ground. She took two quick steps and rushed to Su Yaozu, punching him twice with her fists clenched, "Why did you come back just now?"

Su Yaozu wore a long cashmere coat, shiny black leather shoes, and his hair was styled with mousse. He looked very fashionable.

His eyes wandered, "...I, had something to do, so I didn't come back in time." He deliberately covered his shoulder and yelled, "Ouch, Mom, you hit me so hard."

Ning Xue glared at him and said, "I stopped. I used all my strength. How could it hurt?"

This is the truth, she treats the twins as her babies, and she hasn't seen them for half a year, so how could she be willing to put in any effort?

Of course Su Yaozu knew this, what's more, he was just a man, even if Ning Xue really used all her strength, it wouldn't hurt him. He just said that on purpose to change the subject.

Su Junyan looked behind Su Guangzong and asked, "Where's your brother? Why hasn't he come back?"

Su Yaozu knew that Su Guangzong had been addicted to playing video games recently and had almost lived in the game room. He rolled his eyes and lied for him, "Oh, my brother. He... their major has a research project, and their teacher chose him to be a research assistant. He's very busy, so he doesn't have time to come back."

When he was at home before, Su Yaozu didn't think much of Su Guangzong, thinking that this brother was stupid. But when he went to Shanghai, he realized the good of his brother, and felt a bit of sympathy for him. After all, they grew up together under the oppression of Ning Xue.

So, I lied for him.

Ning Xue pursed her lips and said, "No matter how busy I am, I have to write back to my family."

It was just a casual remark. Ning Xue felt very happy about Su Guangzong being chosen by the teacher to be a research assistant.

There are so many people in the whole profession, why was Guangzong from their family chosen? It’s because he has a promising future.

She glanced proudly in the direction of the Shen family and said, "Your eldest son and second daughter can go home for the New Year because they are not valued by the teacher. But our Guangzong is different. He is too valued by the teacher and cannot even go home for the New Year."

Thinking of this, all the unhappiness I had felt during the past few days on New Year's Eve disappeared, and even my complexion looked better.

Since Su Yaozu has returned, there is an explanation for Su Guangzong's absence during the Spring Festival. So why does Ning Xue need to go to Shanghai? She will not go. She takes her luggage upstairs and puts it away. When she comes downstairs, she asks Su Yaozu, "Yaozu, have you eaten yet? Mom will make you something you like."

Su Yaozu rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "I won't eat it." Then he hesitated, "Dad, Mom, I came back this time to ask for some living expenses."

Su Junyan frowned and said, "You want living expenses? Didn't we give it to you when we first arrived? Don't you and your brother have a lot of money?"

When they first entered college, he and Ning Xue gave the twins a lot of living expenses, not to mention the monthly allowance for college students. Roughly speaking, the twins had at least a thousand dollars, which was enough for them to live in school for at least two or three years, and they lived a very good life.

All this money was spent so quickly?

Su Yaozu was a little frustrated. He didn't dare to look his father in the eye. He turned to his mother and pleaded, saying in a long voice, "Mom——"

Ning Xue waved her hands and glared at Su Junyan, "The child is going to college, so what if the expenses are a bit high?" She then said to Su Yaozu, "Ignore your dad, tell mom how much you need."

Su Junyan sneered in his heart. Ning Xue didn't have a job now, so the money he gave her was still his salary and allowance. She was just pretending to be generous with his money. So he walked away, "You two can do whatever you want."

Su Yaozu saw his father was gone, but he was not angry or annoyed. He said to Ning Xue coquettishly, "Mom is still the best. Mom, give me a little more living expenses." He blinked his eyes and said, "Just consider it as a New Year's gift to me."

Ning Xue enjoyed her little son's coquettishness and said, "Okay, no matter how much you want, Mom will give it to you."

"Really?" Su Yaozu's eyes lit up, "Any amount is fine. Then I want one thousand yuan!"

One thousand dollars?!

That’s too much.

Ning Xue thought Su Yaozu would ask for at most three or four hundred yuan, but she never expected that he would ask for one thousand yuan.

But this promise has already been made public. She went upstairs slowly to get the money, saying, "Yaozu, what do you need so much money for?"

Su Yaozu followed her like a little tail, and said without thinking, "I've already said that living expenses are for living." He counted on his fingers for Ning Xue, "You said, food, clothing, housing, transportation, which one doesn't cost money? The prices in Shanghai are very high, and the things sold are very expensive."

He lied without blinking, "A meal in the school cafeteria costs me five yuan. The weather in Shanghai is much colder than Hailang Island. I have to buy two sets of clothes. Clothes in Shanghai are very expensive. Just buying two pairs of clothes will cost me hundreds of yuan. And I have to spend money on studying. If I buy reference books, notebooks, pens, etc., I will spend hundreds of yuan."

Ning Xue did the math in her heart and felt that what Su Yaozu said made sense. Things in Shanghai were indeed expensive, much more expensive than those in Hailang Island.

Actually, a meal costs five yuan. This lie is indeed a bit outrageous. But not going to college is a big worry for Ning Xue. As long as it is related to this, she will lose her rationality and nod repeatedly, "We have to eat even if it is expensive. We can't just not eat it because it is expensive."

Su Yaozu nodded, "That's right." He looked at Ning Xue pitifully, "Mom, although clothes are expensive in Shanghai, I still want to buy two more pieces." He lowered his head slightly, "My classmates can buy several new clothes and several pairs of shoes in a quarter. If I'm stingy and don't change a single piece in half a year, they will definitely look down on me."

Ning Xueshen agreed, "You are right." She waved her hand, "Mom paid for your clothes. How can my son be looked down upon by others?"

Su Yaozu's eyes flashed with a smile, and he said crisply, "Thank you, Mom!"

Ning Xue counted out a thick stack of 1,000 yuan and reluctantly stuffed it into Su Yaozu's hand, gritting her teeth and saying, "Yaozu, spend it sparingly."

No matter how good the promise was before, Ning Xue still felt very distressed when she saw this stack of banknotes being given away.

Su Yaozu lowered his head at the right time and deliberately pushed the money back, "Then you should take it back, mom. I know I have already spent too much money in my family. I shouldn't have such an expensive meal and buy so many new clothes, and let my classmates look down on me." His face was full of disappointment, and he said in a deep voice, "My classmates have always said that I am from a small island, unlike them who are all from big cities. Let them look down on me, but I shouldn't pretend to be rich."

Upon hearing this, Ning Xue immediately stuffed the money into Su Yaozu's hand and patted it twice, "Son, take it, don't let those dogs look down on you, eat the expensive meal, buy the nice clothes, buy whatever you want, mom will pay for it!"

Su Yaozu smiled, leaning against Ning Xue on purpose, and said softly, "Mom, you are really the best mom in the world."

He counted the money, put it in his pocket, and stood up with a smile on his face, "Okay, Mom, I'm leaving now."

Ning Xue was still immersed in the praise, and was caught off guard when she heard Su Yaozu was leaving. She was stunned and hurriedly asked, "Go, where are you going?"

The Lantern Festival hasn't even passed yet, and we have to go back to school. Isn't that too early?

Su Yaozu thought, the money is already in hand, why should he go back and have fun? Hailang Island is not as fun as the glamorous world of Shanghai. He also has an appointment with several local classmates in Shanghai to go ice skating together, so he has no time to waste here.

Of course, I can't tell Ning Xueshi this.

Su Yaozu rolled his eyes and said, "I, I have to go back early and study hard. There will be exams at the beginning of the school year."

Since it was for the sake of studying, Ning Xue couldn't say anything. "Okay then, go back. Studying is important. Remember, when summer vacation comes, bring your brother back with you."

Su Yaozu nodded, "Of course, of course."

But I thought, summer vacation? It's too far away, I'll talk about it when the time comes. If the money is gone before summer vacation, then he will definitely come back.

When Su Yaozu left, did he take Ning Xue's heart with him?

After seeing Su Yaozu off, Ning Xue thought about the future of her two sons and glanced in the direction of the Shen family with pride in her eyes. She wondered what Ning Tang was doing now?