Song Lan smiled, glanced at Wang Ping, and said, "Tomorrow is the New Year, so I wish you a happy Spring Festival in advance, and may you always be smiling!"
Thank you! I also wish you a happy Chinese New Year and all the best!
Wang Ping smiled, her eyes showing no trace of gloom.
Chatting and laughing, the two rode side by side for a while before parting ways. Just as Song Lan was about to turn onto another road, Fu Jinheng's voice came from behind: "Dr. Song!"
"Dr. Fu."
Holding the handlebars, Song Lan turned around and saw Fu Jinheng riding over. He had a smile on his face, rode up to Song Lan, squeezed the brakes, got off the bicycle, and asked, "Are you going back to Beijing for the New Year or staying here?"
"Go back to the capital city."
While responding, Song Lan pushed her bicycle and turned onto another road with Fu Jinheng. This road led to both the old and new residential areas of the machinery factory.
Simply put, the two residential areas are located on the left and right sides of this road, and are on the same horizontal line.
Song Lan asked, "And you?"
Fu Jinheng: "I'm also going back to Beijing for the New Year. I'll head there after I get back to my place and pack a bit."
Song Lan: "Then I wish you a Happy New Year in advance!"
Upon hearing this, Fu Jinheng said "thank you," then wished Song Lan a happy new year and asked her what time she would be leaving that afternoon.
"After lunch, I will set off with my husband Qin, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law."
Hearing Song Lan say this, Fu Jinheng felt a little disappointed, but his handsome face showed no sign of it.
"By train?"
"That was the original plan, but Comrade Qin went home yesterday and said he would drive us."
"If you're driving, please be extra careful on the road."
"Yes, thank you!"
The two chatted casually for a while, and soon arrived near the gate of their respective residential areas. Song Lan stopped and said, "See you after the holiday."
"Okay, see you after the holiday." Fu Jinheng smiled faintly and nodded. Just as Song Lan was pushing her bicycle toward the gate of the old residential area, he asked, "What day of the month are you on duty?"
Song Lan turned around: "Third year of junior high."
Fu Jinheng: "I'm in the same boat as you. After the first day of the lunar new year, I have to be back here by the afternoon of the second day at the latest."
"Although the time spent with family is short, at least we can sit down and have a reunion dinner together when we get back."
Song Lan said with a smile.
"Yes, it's rare for families to get together all year round, so having a reunion dinner is a very happy thing, and we should cherish it."
Fu Jinheng said this, but in reality, he didn't want to go back to Beijing and spend the New Year at his stepfather's house. However, his mother had been calling him repeatedly these past two days, urging him to be back by New Year's Eve so that he could celebrate the birthday of the Wang family patriarch, his stepfather's father, on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
After much deliberation, he finally decided to return to Beijing.
In any case, the old man treated him quite well, but his stepfather, over the years, had never been close to him and had never stayed with him.
But now that he's back in Beijing, he can't go to the forest farm to spend the New Year with his second uncle, which undoubtedly makes Fu Jinheng feel regretful.
It seems I should call the forest farm before heading back to Beijing and tell my second uncle that he'd like to spend another New Year's Eve with me on the first weekend after the holiday.
By then, it will be before the tenth day of the first lunar month, which is still considered part of the Spring Festival.
-
Lunch was prepared by Qin Boyan, with Qin Yaxin assisting. The brother and sister made stewed noodles.
After everyone in the family sat down to eat, Qin Yaqing took care of washing the dishes, while Song Lan quickly packed the New Year's goods to take home to Beijing. Qin Yanzheng and Qin Boyan loaded the packages that Song Lan had packed into the car.
The two little ones were being watched over by Qin Yaxin, and they sat obediently in the living room flipping through picture books.
Around 1:30 p.m., Song Lan closed the doors and windows of her house, locked the gate, got into the jeep, and looked at Qin Yanzheng: "Let's go."
Qin Yanzheng sat in the driver's seat. The passenger seat was reserved for Song Lan, the eldest sister-in-law, by Qin Yaqing and the others. However, considering that there were many people crammed in the back seat and that Qin Boyan had a larger frame, Qin Boyan ended up sitting in the passenger seat.
Song Lan held the little girl in her lap, Qin Yaqing held the adorable Xiao Wu, and Qin Yaxin sat in the middle. After the three adults and two children were settled, Qin Yanzheng started the car and drove towards the gate of the family area in an instant.
The journey back to Beijing was smooth and unobstructed. Around 6:30 p.m., the car entered the villa area of the steel plant.
Mr. Qin was very happy. Seeing his children and daughter-in-law Song Lan arrive home safely, the smile on his face never disappeared.
"I've prepared New Year's goods for my family. Why did you come all this way to bring all this?"
Seeing Qin Yanzheng and Qin Boyan unloading candy, peanuts, melon seeds, and dried goods like cured meat from the car, Qin's father said, "It would have been better if you left them there to eat by yourselves..."
After listening to Qin's father, Song Lan laughed and said, "It was the car that did the work; we didn't contribute much."
Is that what I meant after all that?
Qin's father looked helpless: "What I mean is that we have everything we need. You can leave those things there and eat them yourselves. Just remember to take them with you when you leave, don't let them spoil here."
After a short pause, he added, "I've also bought the vegetables and meat; they're all in the kitchen."
Song Lan: "I'll go take a look and also prepare our New Year's Eve dinner."
Father Qin: "You rest, let Yaqing and the others take care of things."
"Listen to Dad, you sit on the sofa and rest. Leave the kitchen to your younger sister and the others."
Qin Yanzheng echoed his father's words.
“I’m not tired. You’re the one who’s really tired from driving for hours. You stay in the living room and chat with Dad. My sister and I will go to the kitchen. More people means more help, and we can get the New Year’s Eve dinner on the table sooner.”
With that, Song Lan headed towards the kitchen.
The factory has an auntie who cooks and cleans for Qin's father every day, but today is New Year's Eve, and that auntie went home at noon to prepare for the New Year.
Qin's father had a half-afternoon off, and on top of the cleaning that the housekeeper had done early in the morning, he thoroughly cleaned the house inside and out again, and wiped the glass on the doors and windows again. It can be said that the house is now very clean and tidy, and Song Lan and the others don't need to help anymore.
"Dad, do you miss me?"
The adorable little Wu sat next to Qin's father, tilting his head expectantly as he asked.
"Is that even a question?"
Patting his youngest son's head, Qin's father looked at him with loving eyes and said in a gentle voice, "Dad misses you and Xiao Liu very much. Of course, Dad also misses your older brothers and sisters."
Little Qin Yaxuan blinked her big, smiling eyes and said in a soft voice, "Little Liu misses her dad too!" She was sitting on the other side of her father.
"Dad knows."
Father Qin also patted the little girl's head. To be honest, seeing his two children so lively and sensible, he was sincerely grateful for Song Lan's contributions as his daughter-in-law. He felt that his eldest son, Qin Yanzheng, had made the right decision by marrying Song Lan.
"Dad, I'll let you..."
Qin Yanzheng suddenly spoke, but before he could finish his sentence, he heard his father say, "Everything has been arranged. Why don't you go upstairs and take a look?"
"Thank you, Dad!"
When he met his father's smiling gaze, Qin Yanzheng's face flushed, and his expression gradually became uneasy. He clenched his fist, coughed lightly twice, and asked, "Did Zheng Haiyang deliver the things I asked him to buy to our house?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
