Chapter 39 Orange (2) The joy of the New Year seems to have only begun from this moment...
After finishing her classes for the semester, Lin Xia returned to Wangchun from Beijing. Winters in Northeast China are much colder than in Beijing, and this year was particularly harsh. The sudden drop in temperature gave Lin Xia a minor cold, but fortunately, it wasn't serious and she recovered in about a week.
This was Lin Xia's first time home for the holidays since she started college, and she happened to be ill. She hadn't been homesick before, but it was only then that the longing came flooding back. She had actually gone so far away to study alone. From now on, she would probably only be able to go home during the winter and summer holidays, the only time she could see her parents again.
She saw a classmate forwarded a message in her space, saying that from now on there will be no spring and autumn in her hometown, only winter and summer.
In the six months since Lin Xia left home, little had changed. The only difference was that Zhao Qianyi had returned to Wangchun from the provincial capital. When Lin Xia asked her about it, she only received a perfunctory, sullen reply. Lin Xuedong cryptically informed Lin Xia that Zhao Qianyi and Li Wen had been having a conflict, and that the training institution's business was probably folding, though he didn't elaborate on the specifics.
Lin Xia was a little worried about Zhao Qianyi. She knew she had put so much effort into this career, and now that her job was gone and her business wasn't working out, she didn't know what Zhao Qianyi would do next. But Zhao Qianyi wasn't one to sit back and wait for death. She'd been out and about every day these days, busy in and out, so she must have her own plans for the next step.
After the Little New Year, it was New Year's Eve. During dinner that day, Zhao Qianyi suddenly said to Lin Xia:
"Xia Xia, let's go to Beidaihe to celebrate the New Year this year."
Lin Xia was shocked:
"Beidaihe? Why are we going to Beidaihe?"
"Your grandfather is in Beidaihe. Didn't your father tell you?"
Lin Xia looked at Lin Xuedong in confusion. The latter frowned and whispered:
"I didn't agree to go."
Zhao Qianyi glared at him and said to Lin Xia:
"Your grandpa had another operation a while ago. He's not in good health and is now recuperating in Beidaihe. Let's go see your grandpa and spend the New Year with him during the New Year."
Lin Xia knew about the operation, which happened around November 11th. Lin Xuedong went to Beijing to accompany him again, but it seemed that he had a conflict with He Ping over Lin Haisheng's physical condition, and the issue of whether to stay in Beijing and return to Wangchun. In the end, they chose a compromise and went to Beidaihe.
But Lin Xuedong was not very interested in Zhao Qianyi's proposal and said coldly:
"I can't go. I have to be on duty during the New Year holiday."
Hearing this, Zhao Qianyi suddenly became furious: "You can't go? It's okay if you can't go normally, but now you can't go during the New Year. What will your father think? You just gave the opportunity to that mother and son to show off! They are not his biological children, but every year they rush to show off in front of the old man. You, his biological child, have been giving money and effort behind the scenes, but why are you backing off at the critical moment? If you don't want to go, then forget it, Xia Xia and I will go!"
"If I'm not going, why are you going?!"
Lin Xuedong was also angry. He put down his chopsticks and was about to say something else when he heard a small voice from the side:
"I'm stuffed!"
Lin Xia left the kitchen without looking back, went into her room, and closed the door with a bang.
The couple was silent for a moment, looked at each other, and then stood up and went to the balcony.
Lin Xia returned to the room, sat at the desk, quickly took out her MP3 player and put the earphones into her ears to block out the faint sounds of the argument coming from outside the door.
I don’t know if it’s because Zhao Qianyi’s career has suffered setbacks, but she and Lin Xuedong have been quarreling frequently recently. Both of them are getting more and more angry over trivial matters, and neither of them is willing to give in. Lin Xuedong no longer tolerates Zhao Qianyi, and Zhao Qianyi can no longer run to the provincial capital to hide, so the accumulated conflicts are getting more and more intense.
No child in the world likes their parents quarreling, even if they are no longer children.
Zhao Qianyi's words just now made Lin Xia feel uneasy. She certainly didn't want to see her parents and He Ping having a conflict. This meant that there would be more and more obstacles between her and He Chuan, and it would be more difficult for them to be together.
However, all this was beyond her control. Zhao Qianyi and Lin Xuedong argued all night, and in the end the latter compromised. Their family will go to Beidaihe to celebrate the New Year in three days.
In this regard, Lin Xia could only pray secretly in her heart that this trip would go smoothly and that everyone would not quarrel with each other for the sake of the New Year.
.......
Beidaihe has beautiful scenery, warm winters and cool summers. It is a famous health resort in the northern region. Lin Xia has heard about it for a long time, but this is her first time there.
Although this trip was sudden, Lin Xia still had some expectations, because Beidaihe is close to the sea. Although it is a winter sea, Lin Xia still hopes that the sea-viewing plan that failed to be realized in Rushan half a year ago can be realized here.
Before coming here, Lin Xia was a little worried about the arrival of the family of three and whether Lin Haisheng's house could accommodate them. But after coming here, Lin Xia found that she was worrying too much. Things were beyond her expectations. Lin Haisheng lived in a high-end community very close to the beach. The community was full of exquisite and brand-new townhouses with independent doors and courtyards, and three floors above and below. It was easy to accommodate a family of three.
Wangchun didn't have a villa, and Lin Xia had never seen one. She didn't know whether Lin Haisheng bought or rented this house, but no matter what, the price should not be cheap.
After not seeing him for a long time, Lin Haisheng had aged considerably, his back hunched, and he leaned on a crutch. He was so thin he looked like a walking skeleton, prone to falling over with a single gust of wind. However, he was in good spirits, a stark contrast to his usual aloof demeanor. Upon meeting Lin Xuedong and his family, he didn't say much, but a very pleased smile hung on his face.
Maybe as people get older and have experienced serious illnesses and life-and-death experiences in recent years, their personalities really do change.
He Ping has also changed. Her clothes and appearance have become much more refined, and she is no longer as friendly and flattering as before. She received Lin Xia's family like a hostess, very confidently and calmly.
Correspondingly, the terrible scene that Lin Xia imagined, in which Zhao Qianyi and He Ping were at loggerheads, did not happen. Everyone was harmonious and happy, the father was loving and the son was filial, and they respected each other like guests, as if they had been a loving family from the beginning.
Lin Xia couldn't figure out the reason, but she didn't want to delve into it. Nothing was more important than getting through the Spring Festival smoothly and successfully.
No, maybe there's one more.
Tomorrow, which is the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, He Chuan will arrive.
Since Lin Haisheng and He Ping came to Beidaihe, He Chuan had no choice but to come here for the New Year. He had already told Lin Xia a few days ago, but Lin Xia didn't tell He Chuan that she would come too. She wanted to give him a surprise and scare him!
Early in the morning on New Year's Eve, everyone was busy preparing for the most important New Year's Eve dinner in the evening. There was originally a nanny at home, but she went back to her hometown for the New Year, so He Ping and Zhao Qianyi cooked in the kitchen. In fact, Lin Xuedong has always been the chef in Lin Xia's home, but he was sent away by Zhao Qianyi to accompany Lin Haisheng. The father and son had nothing to talk about, so they had to watch TV and play chess again. Instead, Lin Xia was pulled out of the room by Zhao Qianyi to help.
However, Lin Xia really didn't know how to cook, so she could only pick vegetables and peel garlic, and then listen to Zhao Qianyi and He Ping's casual chat. Although they were all polite and seemed harmonious, Lin Xia always felt that there was something else behind their words, and there was some unspeakable undercurrent hidden in those conversations.
She felt awkward and irritated in the kitchen and couldn't help looking at the clock on the wall frequently. After two o'clock, there was a sudden sound of a car engine outside the door. Lin Xia stood up, dropped the half-washed onion in her hand, said "I'm going to the bathroom", and then hurried out of the kitchen.
The occupancy rate of the community is not high, and there are almost no people during the New Year period. The sound of the car must be He Chuan. Lin Xia hinted at the flight he took and calculated the time. He could arrive home about now.
Lin Xia wanted He Chuan to be the first to see her, but she couldn't go outside to greet him, so she ran to the balcony outside her room on the second floor and leaned on the railing to look downstairs.
Sure enough, I saw a taxi parked outside the door. The driver opened the trunk and was taking out the suitcase. He Chuan got out of the car and waited on the side. He was wearing a black down jacket and jeans, which looked clean and refreshing against the backdrop of winter snow.
He lowered his head and didn't look over here.
Lin Xia's heart was pounding. She wanted to call his name but didn't dare. In desperation, she picked up an orange from the fruit bowl by the window and threw it over.
Being high above and not far away, it was impossible for him to throw the orange inaccurately. The orange hit the bull's eye and hit He Chuan's down jacket with a thud.
He Chuan was stunned by the blow. He bent down to pick up the orange that had rolled at his feet, then subconsciously looked up.
Then he saw it. On the second-floor balcony, his Juliet poked her head out and waved, smiling at him shyly but brightly.
So he laughed too.
The joy of the New Year seems to have truly begun from this moment.
.
In the eyes of the two parents, Lin Xia and He Chuan were unfamiliar, unknown to each other, and probably even barely remembered each other's existence. They were introduced to each other.
He Ping smiled and said, "Xia Xia, do you still remember your uncle He Chuan? You loved playing with him when you were little."
Zhao Qianyi said, not to be outdone: "Xia Xia, this is your brother He Chuan, hurry up and call for help!"
Faced with the urging of the two people, Lin Xia could only stand there awkwardly without saying a word.
He Chuan, on the other hand, greeted her gracefully.
"Xia Xia, long time no see."
They were so frank and natural, as if they were just distant relatives who were not familiar with each other at all.
If Lin Xia hadn't seen the orange in his hand, she would have believed it!
In the end, she could only flee the scene in disgrace:
"I, I'm going to the bathroom again!"
.
He Chuan's arrival added another person to the family's New Year celebrations, but compared to other families, the overall atmosphere was still quite quiet. The Lin family had always been this quiet. As far as Lin Xia knew, Lin Haisheng's hometown seemed to be in Hebei. There might be some old relatives, but they had almost no contact, even if they had been disconnected. He and his wife only had one son, Lin Haisheng, which was very rare in that era. So, during the holidays, they didn't have many relatives to visit. In fact, this was the New Year's holiday that Lin Xia was used to. In the past, she would sometimes go with her mother to her grandmother's house to pay New Year's greetings. Her uncles and aunts, as well as their children, her grandmother's sisters, and her grandfather's brothers, were all there, bustling and lively, and Lin Xia just found it noisy.
The New Year's Eve dinner was dull. As a junior, Lin Xia was forced to stand up and toast everyone and give a New Year's speech. Fortunately, there was no talent show, otherwise she would have been so embarrassed that she would have to find a hole to crawl into in front of He Chuan.
After dinner, Lin Haisheng felt tired and went back to his room to rest. The remaining three adults continued to clean up in the kitchen. It is a tradition for people in Northeast China to eat dumplings in the middle of the night during the New Year. Lin Xia and He Chuan were in the living room, one sitting on the sofa and the other sitting on a rocking chair on the side, watching TV.
But the two of them couldn't do anything because the kitchen was open and they could see the living room as soon as they looked up, and they could hear each other's voices clearly.
Lin Xia had no idea what was being broadcast on the gala on TV. She just stared at the screen mechanically. She could feel He Chuan's eyes on her from behind, but when she turned around to look at him, he turned his head away imperceptibly.
There was a smile on the corner of his mouth, and she knew he did it on purpose, so cunning!
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