Inside the eight-courtyard siheyuan, bright red lanterns hung high, the lights were on, firecrackers were going off, and even the staff on duty at the gate received red envelopes.
Everyone sat around the hall in high spirits, enjoying their reunion dinner, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts.
The phone suddenly rang. It was Yan Ge calling, greeting everyone and wishing them a Happy New Year.
Then an old voice came from the phone: "Mother, are you alright? This is Erqiang."
Grandma Yan's expression shifted from happy to unhappy. She refused to listen to her second son's voice and hung up the phone immediately. After all these years, if he didn't want to contact her, then he should never contact her again.
The phone rang again, and Grandma Yan roared, "No one is allowed to answer it!"
Yan Xiaonan quickly comforted Grandma Yan: "Grandma, what if it wasn't Second Uncle's call? It might be someone else, maybe Wu Jin and a half."
Hearing Yan Xiaonan say that, Grandma Yan picked up the phone again: "Hello, who is it?"
"Great-Grandma, it's me, Wu Jin Ban. How are you? I miss you so much, and I also miss my aunt, Tianru and Yushu, and my older brother Liu Jin..."
Before Grandma Yan could even speak, the cheerful sound of five and a half pounds of rapid-fire cannons came from the other end of the microphone.
Grandma Yan glanced at Nan Nan and thought to herself, "No wonder she came from heaven; she can even crawl into the telephone line to see people."
Listening to Wu Jinban's chattering, Grandma Yan smiled so much her eyes narrowed, and she kept saying good things, telling him to come home as soon as he finished his studies.
Wu Jinban readily agreed and even asked if Yan Xiaonan was there, as he wanted to hear his aunt's voice.
Yan Xiaonan quickly took the phone and asked, "Wu Jinban, how are your studies going? How's your health? Do you have enough money? Are you having any difficulties?"
Upon hearing Nan Nan's voice, Wu Jinban across from her burst into tears. Heaven knows that she had just forced a smile.
Moreover, his aunt immediately asked him if he was alright, if he had any difficulties, and if he had enough money. He was so fortunate to have such a relative.
"Auntie, the money you gave me is enough. I also work part-time to support myself, and I'm in great health. The only difficulty is that I sometimes feel lonely and miss you all." Wu Jinban tried his best to keep his voice steady.
Yan Xiaonan could already hear the sob in Wu Jin's throat, and her nose also felt a little sore. This child had been sensitive since childhood and had an introverted personality, so it was certain that he was lonely.
"Don't worry, if you find someone you like, you can make friends with them. The difficulties will eventually pass," Yan Xiaonan comforted her.
"Auntie, please take care of yourself. Wu Jinban will always remember how good you were to me," Wu Jinban said.
"Silly boy, you're family to me, don't worry about it so much. Your aunt will always support you," Yan Xiaonan comforted him.
"Yes, Auntie, I received the photos you sent. Enming is so cute, and Tianru and Yushu have grown up too. You and Great-Grandma haven't changed much, but Grandma seems to have aged a bit." Wu Jinban said, holding up a family photo.
Yan Xiaonan didn't see that a large family photo had its head cut out by him with scissors.
Just as Yan Xiaonan was about to speak, Duoduo tugged at her sleeve from the side, looking at her expectantly.
"Five and a half pounds. Everyone at home is very kind. You can focus on your studies and don't worry. Duoduo wants to talk to you. Wait a minute."
Duoduo took the microphone: "Brother, Duoduo misses you. When are you coming back to see Duoduo?"
Five-and-a-half-pound tears flowed again: "Duoduo, your brother misses you too. Are you studying in the county town now?"
“Yes, I promised Grandma and Grandpa that they raised me when I was young, and I will take care of them when they are old,” Duoduo said crisply.
Wu Jinban nodded, but then, realizing that the person on the other side couldn't see him, he quickly said, "Duoduo, your brother supports you. After you've taken care of them in their old age, come find your brother, okay?"
Duo Duo thought for a moment and agreed, "Okay, brother, you have to earn more money. Your little brother has a big appetite now."
Wu Jinban laughed, and was about to say it was okay when the voice on the microphone changed.
"Five and a half pounds, when are you coming back?" It turned out that six pounds had snatched the microphone from Duoduo.
Wu Jinban got excited when he heard Liu Jin's voice: "Liu Jin, I heard from Auntie that you filmed a TV series. That's great! Can you send it to me when it airs?"
"I doubt it will work. If you want to come back, then come back. So many people at home are thinking of you. Come back soon, you know?" Liu Jin said in a very old-fashioned tone.
Five-and-a-half cats had originally decided to leave and never return, but now they've been stirred up by Six-and-a-half cats and are eager to go home.
He wanted to go home to see his great-grandmother, his aunt, his grandparents, and his children, Duoduo and Liujin—all the relatives who had cared for and accompanied him as he grew up.
"Six jin, or five and a half jin, right? Give me the phone number, I want to talk to this kid." Southwest ran over.
Liu Jin quickly handed the phone to Xinan, who took it and excitedly exclaimed, "Wu Jin and a half, it's Dad! How are you now?"
"Click"
The call was disconnected, and then a busy tone came from the receiver.
"Hey, hey, Wu Jin Ban, hey, hey," Southwest kept calling out.
"Stop yelling, I heard the phone hang up," Yan Xiaoqiang said, rolling his eyes.
"Dad, what's going on? Should I call him?" Southwest wanted to call, but he couldn't remember the phone number.
"Nan Nan, do you have Wu Jin Ban's phone number? I want to call him," Xin Nan asked.
Yan Xiaonan was a little disappointed. No wonder Wu Jinban didn't come back during summer and winter vacations. Fortunately, he was still responsible for Duoduo.
"Second brother, no need. He probably has to go to class. There's a time difference between the two places," Yan Xiaonan said.
Southwest felt a pang of pain in his heart. If this son couldn't tolerate him getting married and having children, he would eventually lose him.
"Come on, let's drink to tomorrow's endeavors and to the good times to come."
Ye Ren, unwilling to let the pleasant atmosphere be broken, stood up and raised his glass.
Everyone stood up, even Yan Aiguo, who stood up with Baoguo's help.
Looking at the assembled crowd, Ye Ren happily downed his drink, and the Ye family was finally bustling with activity again.
During the meal, everyone asked about the interesting stories from Liu Jin's movie filming and how far along the film was in production.
Liu Jin made a secretive gesture; these things must have been discussed with his aunt.
He couldn't just blurt out something that wasn't even confirmed yet. Liu Jin proudly picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and stuffed it into his mouth.
Southeast smiled and tapped Liu Jin's forehead: "You're so naughty."
Xuemei was overjoyed, as both her children were doing very well under Nannan's guidance.
Duoduo ran up to Yan Xiaonan and said, "Auntie, I'm giving you a red envelope this year."
Yan Xiaonan quickly took it: "Huh, didn't you say one? How come there are three?"
"My brother's, mine, and my sister's, so there are three," Duoduo said with a smile.
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