Chapter 152
The Lunar New Year is just around the corner.
This year's Lunar New Year's Eve was more lively than usual, with Gu Xi and the children celebrating together in the Shen family. Shen Mingrong even secretly drank a sip of his father's wine when the adults weren't looking, and was punished by Shen Zhongshan by having to squat in a horse stance.
Seeing this, Shen Zhuzhu also ran over, wanting to squat in a horse stance with her uncle.
He assumed his uncle was exercising, and that he could do that too.
Shen Mingrong was deeply moved when he saw his little nephew squatting in a horse stance with him. He felt that not only did Sister Xi love him, but even the child born to Sister Xi loved him so much.
Everyone burst into laughter as they watched the three-year-old boy squatting in a horse stance, looking quite convincing.
"Wow, that's pretty good." Shen Mingrong gave a thumbs up and praised, "Our Zhuzhu is amazing, she can do a horse stance at such a young age."
Shen Zhuzhu proudly puffed out his chest; he had learned this from his father.
Unfortunately, he was too young to squat for long, and soon he fell to the ground with a thud.
Feng Min quickly went over, picked up the child, and said with heartache, "Zhuzhu, we don't need to squat in the horse stance with Uncle. Uncle did something bad and was punished by Grandpa. Our Zhuzhu didn't do anything bad, so we don't need to be punished with him."
Chen Zhuzhu looked up at her grandparents, then at her uncle who was squatting against the wall, and suddenly realized what was going on.
"Oh, Zhuzhu did something wrong, so Mom is punishing Zhuzhu by making her stand facing the wall."
Feng Min smiled and nodded, hugged and kissed the child, then turned to Gu Xi and said, "Xi Xi, the child is still young. If he does anything wrong, please don't punish him." What wrong could a three-year-old possibly do?
Aunt Wang chimed in, thinking that their Zhuzhu was such a well-behaved child, how could she do anything wrong?
Shen Chenshan didn't speak, but he was thinking about the same thing.
Gu Xi found it somewhat amusing; she could clearly see how much the elders loved their child. So she told them about how Chen Zhuzhu had been so audacious as to follow the human traffickers. At this point, the three elders fell silent.
This kid is really too bold; he needs to be punished. Otherwise, what if he really goes with human traffickers one day? He needs to be taught a lesson.
-
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, many people came to the Shen family to pay their respects. Gu Xi helped Feng Min entertain the guests and listened to Feng Min introduce the guests so that she could recognize them.
Shen Mingrong took his little nephew around and showed him off to his friends.
Shen Mingrong's close friends were all second- and third-generation military families living in the military compound, and they were all around the same age. When they saw Chen Zhuzhu, they couldn't help but ask, "Mingrong, is this really not your niece?"
“It’s my nephew! My Zhuzhu is a boy,” Shen Mingrong emphasized.
A young man glanced at Gu Xi over there, then at Chen Zhuzhu with her bob haircut, and asked with a blush, "Mingrong, does your sister-in-law have a younger sister?" He said shyly, "My requirements aren't high. As long as she looks like your sister-in-law or your nephew, that's fine."
Shen Mingrong found it amusing. What did he mean by "like his sister-in-law" or "like his nephew"? Why not just say "pretty girl"?
He reached out to push them away, saying, "My sister-in-law has a younger sister, but that has nothing to do with you!"
"How can it not be related? Aren't we friends? We're practically family, you know? Tell us quickly, what does your sister-in-law's sister look like? How old is she? She probably doesn't have a boyfriend yet, right?"
The other teenagers joined in the commotion. Everyone likes pretty girls. Marrying a pretty wife might lead to having a child as beautiful as Chen Zhuzhu. Who wouldn't love that?
Recently, they've been at home a lot, and their elders have been talking about how beautiful, cute, and clever the Shen family's children are, and how they want their children to be just as beautiful and cute in the future.
That's asking too much. If you want to have a beautiful child, you first need to find a beautiful wife, right?
Unfortunately, although Gu Xi has two younger sisters, one is already married and the other is twenty years old and will be a college student in the spring, so she can't get along with this group of teenagers who haven't even graduated from high school yet.
"Why can't we find a match? As the saying goes, 'A woman three years older than you is a golden brick,' so why don't you introduce her to us?"
Shen Mingzheng waved them away, "Go away, you bunch of greenhorn brats, how dare you covet my sister-in-law's sister? She's a top student from Beijing University, how could you good-for-nothings be worthy of her? I'll beat you to death! If we're true brothers, we're not allowed to steal from each other's homes."
Good brothers: "Hehehe!" Good brothers should be even closer than family!
After spending the first day of the Lunar New Year in laughter and merriment, on the second day, Chen Shenshan took his wife and children to pay New Year's respects to Grandpa Shen and his wife, and also specially brought his grandson to show the two elders.
Although they sent back photos before, they were black and white and could never compare to how beautiful the real person is.
The couple, Chen Shenshan and his wife, were eager to show off their handsome grandson. Not content with just showing him off in their family compound, they were now showing him off to their parents and brothers.
The so-called New Year's greetings are actually just a way to show off your kids.
Sure enough, as soon as Shen Zhuzhu appeared at the old man's place, she became the most dazzling person there.
Not only did Old Madam Shen adore the child, but Aunt Shi Ailing also held the child tightly and refused to let go. Other members of the Shen family who had returned for the New Year stared at the child in amazement.
"Second brother, is this child really not your granddaughter?" Third Uncle asked with heavy heart.
Shen Zhongye is the youngest son of Mr. and Mrs. Shen. He has been stationed in the South China Sea for many years. This year, he finally got a holiday and brought his wife and children back to spend the Spring Festival with his parents. They arrived in Beijing on New Year's Eve.
Seeing his second brother and sister-in-law's grandson, with his excessively handsome little face, Chen Zhongye began to have doubts.
Shen Chenshan said earnestly, "Third brother, our Shen family is not destined to have daughters. Haven't you accepted your fate yet?"
Heavy Industry: "..."
Why accept fate? He's still hoping his son will get married soon and give him a few granddaughters.
Feng Min pulled Gu Xi aside and introduced her to her third uncle and aunt's family.
Auntie pulled Gu Xi aside and praised, "This child is so beautiful. I've never seen such a pretty girl in my life. Second sister-in-law, you always have excellent taste."
"That's right. Back then, I took a liking to Xixi at first sight and quickly arranged for her to marry Mingzheng." Feng Min accepted her sister-in-law's praise without hesitation.
Gu Xi suppressed a laugh, thinking that no one with eyes could say she was pretty when she was a dark-skinned, skinny, blond-haired girl back then. Her mother's blatant lies were really cute.
She loved watching Feng Min flaunt herself everywhere; it made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Sure enough, Auntie said, "Is that so? I heard that you wanted to adopt Xixi, but the adoption didn't work out. You couldn't bear to let her go, so you arranged a marriage between her and Mingzheng."
Feng Min waved her hand, "That's not important. As long as Xixi is part of our family, that's all that matters."
After spending a day at Grandpa Shen's place, Gu Xi and Shen Zhuzhu received many red envelopes when they left.
Grandpa Shen and his wife gave red envelopes to their granddaughter-in-law, and Chong Ye and his wife also gave red envelopes to their nephew's wife as a greeting gift, making Gu Xi feel a little embarrassed. Shen Zhuzhu received even more red envelopes, not only from the Shen family, but also from guests who came to pay New Year's visits to Grandpa Shen, as well as from the neighbors.
It's all because little Shen Zhuzhu was born too well-behaved by his mother. His little face is so deceptive that everyone who sees him keeps trying to give him red envelopes. He also has a sweet tongue and a good memory. He can call out the exact name of every elder he has met, calling them uncles, aunts, grandfathers, and grandmothers as he goes by. He can also say nice New Year's greetings without repeating himself.
If all a child could say were New Year's greetings, it could be attributed to good parenting. However, as everyone listened, they noticed that the child never repeated any greetings, which was beyond what could be explained by the parents' good teaching.
Besides, he is only three and a half years old.
Gu Xi said, "This child has always been quick to remember things. I guess he remembered all the New Year's greetings from the people who came to our house to wish us a Happy New Year yesterday, and now he has a chance to use them."
"It seems Zhuzhu inherited your memory." Feng Min put her arm around Gu Xi, feeling happy. "Our Xixi is really amazing."
Gu Xi leaned against her and smiled; the two were very affectionate, like a mother and daughter.
Shen Mingrong hugged his little nephew, watching his mother and Sister Xi being affectionate, he was used to it.
His mother certainly loves her smart and handsome grandson, but she loves her grandson's mother even more; she is her mother's true darling.
**
After visiting relatives for several days, we finally managed to see all the relatives and friends on Shen's side of the family.
With the adults' annual holiday coming to an end, Feng Min asked Gu Xi, "Xi Xi, do you want to take Zhu Zhu to your uncle's place?"
Gu Xi paused for a moment, looked at the child playing with Shen Mingrong, thought for a moment, and said, "Go ahead, let Uncle and Aunt meet Zhuzhu too."
She still felt some affection for Jiang's family. After returning to the Gu family, her uncle and aunt treated her very well, bringing her gifts or giving her money every time they met.
Now that she's back in Beijing, she absolutely has to take the children to see them.
“Okay, Mingrong and I will go with you.” Feng Min said ramblingly, “It’s a pity Mingzheng isn’t here. When he comes back, we’ll have him go with you to your uncle’s place.”
Thinking that her son should be back soon, she couldn't help but cheer up.
On the day before her annual leave ended, Feng Min packed a basket of gifts and set off with several children.
Uncle Jiang's house is a detached Western-style building, said to have been built during the Republic of China era. It is the old residence of the Jiang family. The house is well maintained. Although it looks old, it exudes a strong historical and cultural atmosphere and also has a beautiful garden.
Gu Xi remembers that when her maternal grandmother, Madam Jiang, was still alive, she often sat in a deck chair in the garden to sunbathe.
Although I didn't meet that old man many times, he still left a very deep impression on me.
On her deathbed, the old lady held her hand and expressed her regret, telling her to live well for herself in the future. Perhaps at that time, the old lady already saw that she would not have a good life after returning to the Gu family, and it might even be her calamity.
Jiang Chengye and his wife are both at home today, along with their eldest son Jiang Shuwang, his wife, and their two children.
Jiang Chengye and his wife were delighted to see Gu Xi and her family arrive.
"Happy New Year, Uncle and Aunt," Gu Xi said with a smile. "Zhuzhu, quickly call your great-uncle and great-aunt."
When little Chen Zhuzhu called out to people in her sweet, childish voice, looking up at them with her beautiful, snow-white face, it was a huge shock to Jiang Chengye and his wife.
The couple had a very deep affection for Madam Jiang, so much so that when they first saw Gu Xi's thin and frail appearance, they thought her features resembled Madam Jiang's, and they went to great lengths to find evidence that Gu Xi was a child of the Gu family.
Seeing a child who looks so much like Gu Xi is like seeing the old Mrs. Jiang when she was a child, which struck the couple's hearts.
"This...this...Xixi, is this your daughter?" Tang Fengzhen exclaimed excitedly, "How come she looks so much like her?"
Jiang Chengye also stared intently at the child.
Gu Xi was both amused and exasperated: "Auntie, Zhuzhu is a boy, didn't we write to tell you that?"
Tang Fengzhen patted her head. "Oh dear, I'm getting old, and I got confused for a moment."
The couple warmly invited them in, but as soon as they turned around, they suddenly remembered that their sister-in-law's family was also there, and quickly told Gu Xi, "Oh, I almost forgot, your mother and Yuanzheng are here too."
Gu Xi paused for a moment, then said nothing.
Before she arrived, she had anticipated that she might run into Jiang Huijun and the others at her uncle's house, or she might not.
Feng Min asked, "Are they here to wish people a Happy New Year as well?"
“No, that’s not it,” Tang Fengzhen said. “Yuanzheng and Yuanxiang came back before the New Year. The house Huijun rented was too small and not enough for them. It was difficult to find a house during the New Year period, so I let them stay with me. They can look for a house after the New Year.”
As they were talking, Jiang Huijun came out of the house and looked over with a look of surprise.
Behind Jiang Huijun were Gu Yuanzheng and Gu Yuanxiang.
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