Although Ning Yuan blushed, she was still in a great mood as she ate her food.
Yes, she's in a better mood now!
Only a seasoned "lady of a prominent family" like Granny Xia, who would argue even when she was wrong and whose words could astound everyone, could make the man surnamed Rong suffer a setback!
The north wind howls outside the window, but inside it's warm and cozy.
The New Year's Eve dinner was filled with laughter and scolding, a rare lively occasion. Of the fried fish with perilla leaves, only the old lady ate the tail; the rest remained untouched.
We couldn't afford it before, but now we can. It's a celebration of surviving a disaster, and also a hope that things will get better and better in the coming year, with abundance every year.
Rong Zhaonan sat at the dining table, holding a small wine cup, watching Ning Yuan and Grandpa Tang chat and eat together. Grandma Xia poured her homemade glutinous rice wine and hummed a folk song from her hometown.
His cold, narrow eyes seemed to be warmed by the dim candlelight.
Take a detached view of the past; treat all worldly affairs as wine in your cup.
That was the original intention.
Ning Yuan couldn't help but secretly glance at the aloof and tall figure beside her out of the corner of her eye.
There are some people who can sit silently, yet you can't ignore their presence.
In the candlelight, the young man's expression was calm, his face radiant, and a faint smile played on his lips as he toyed with a wine glass in his hand.
He doesn't resemble a fierce general in the army, nor a dull and gloomy village doctor; rather, he's like a gentle and refined young master from a wealthy family who has returned from studying abroad in a Republican-era TV drama.
His aura couldn't be concealed by patched clothes.
Her heart skipped a beat.
This person is not just disliked—they are truly annoying!
But this appearance is indeed too deceptive.
She was lost in thought when Rong Zhaonan's narrow eyes, like those drawn with a fine brush, suddenly swept over and met her gaze.
Ning Yuan was caught red-handed peeking and instinctively turned her face away.
Thinking about it, she realized how stupid she had been, so she turned back and glared at him openly.
Rong Zhaonan raised an eyebrow expressionlessly: "Looking for a beating?"
Before he could finish speaking, Grandma Xia slapped him hard on the back of the head: "It's almost 10 o'clock! You two little brats, if you keep flirting in bed tonight, help clean up the dishes after dinner so we can set off some firecrackers!"
Ning Yuan received a slap on the forehead at the same time, and covered her forehead with a muffled groan: "Ouch!"
How can that old lady have such a strong grip? Is she trying to knock their brains out?
The two of them had no choice but to get up and work honestly.
On New Year's Eve, it is forbidden to wash dishes or empty ashes.
So Rong Zhaonan and Ning Yuan helped the old lady put all the bowls and chopsticks into the large sink and wiped the table.
After Ning Yuan finished packing, she suddenly picked up her bag.
Then, she took out a pair of woolen gloves from her tattered little bag and handed them to Grandma Xia: "It's a New Year's gift. Grandma always has to do washing and cleaning, and her hands get chilblains when it gets cold. She needs a pair of gloves."
Grandma Xia was stunned, looking at the warm, delicate gray wool gloves in her hand: "Did you make these?"
Ning Yuan nodded: "Yes! Last time when I was selling bowls in the county, I spent money to buy the best wool yarn from Shanghai!"
It costs around ten yuan per kilogram, but this color is dirt-resistant and stylish.
With resources scarce, knitting was practically an essential skill for girls of her generation.
Grandma Xia put on the gloves and noticed that the wrists of the gloves were woven with openwork patterns, and there were also dark patterns of different shades on the back of her hands, which was actually in a European style.
Ning Yuan blinked her big eyes: "This is a gift for Miss Xia. May Miss Xia, who is popular all over Europe, live a long and healthy life."
Grandma Xia looked at Ning Yuan with mixed feelings, her eyes filled with complex emotions: "You little rascal, you've got quite a few tricks up your sleeve."
It's been many years since anyone called her that—Miss Xia.
It reminded her of times when, after the occasional rainy days in England, the sun would shine brightly, and she would ride a Mercedes in the sunshine.
No wonder her husband dotes on her so much.
Grandma Xia snorted with a straight face: "Don't talk nonsense, there's no Miss anymore. You want to make me a target of gossip! We're all comrades!"
As she said this, the old lady carefully put the gloves in her bosom, then put her hands behind her back and went to a corner, where she went to do something.
Ning Yuan's big, dark eyes curved into crescents as she took out a pair of gray woolen knee pads and placed them in Grandpa Tang's hands: "I put on these knee pads, hoping they'll make Grandpa Tang's rheumatism feel better!"
Grandpa Tang used to be forced to kneel on airplanes by those bad people, and his knees have been ruined by kneeling in the freezing cold these past few years.
Looking at the delicate stitches on the knee brace in his hand, Old Tang couldn't help but tear up: "I never thought I would receive a gift from a student in my lifetime, but I... we don't have anything to give you in return."
After all these years, he never imagined he would still be alive to have a proper New Year's Eve dinner and receive a gift of gratitude from his students!
Ning Yuan squatted down in front of Grandpa Tang and said with a smile, "Grandpa is a true intellectual. The knowledge you and Grandma gave me is the best gift!"
As she spoke, she finally pulled out a soft gray and white patterned scarf and put it around her neck: "Look, I knitted a scarf for myself!"
She's been staying up all night knitting lately, and finally managed to finish these on New Year's Eve.
Grandpa Tang glanced at Rong Zhaonan, then looked at Ning Yuan's empty bag. Uh... the little girl didn't have any of Nan's gifts in her bag?
Ning Yuan pretended not to notice the wink Tang gave her and asked with a smile, "My scarf is a set with Grandpa and Grandma's. I'll make you another one when I have time."
Rong Zhaonan coldly watched the three of them, grandmother and grandson, happily touching the gifts, and also noticed that there was nothing else in her cloth bag.
In other words, Ning Yuan prepared gifts for everyone—except him.
He scoffed expressionlessly. This woman was clearly doing it on purpose; he had seen her knitting before.
Such petty actions of ostracizing him are so childish!
He didn't care about towels or gloves at all, but he couldn't help but feel angry inside!
His emotions were easily influenced by her every move when he encountered this short-legged, long-haired rabbit.
This is completely unlike the decisive and calm person I am on missions and on the battlefield, which is not a good sign.
Rong Zhaonan frowned slightly, then suddenly stood up, turned around and went out: "I'm going out to prepare firecrackers."
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