Lin Xiaoxiao gave the down jacket she bought to her uncle and parents.
An'an slept for three hours straight, and Qin Yushen held him for the entire three hours without moving much, except when they came back from his parents' house.
By the time Lin Xiaoxiao took the sleeping An'an to breastfeed, Qin Yushen's arm was so stiff that he couldn't feel it anymore.
It took quite a while for blood circulation to return to normal.
While drinking milk, An'an's eyes darted around, glancing at Lin Xiaoxiao one moment and Qin Yushen the next, making sure both of them were within his sight.
Qin Yushen got up to get a bib, and the boy stopped eating, pointing at Qin Yushen and yelling "Ah ah ah!"
He continued eating after Qin Yushen returned, reaching out his little hand for Qin Yushen to hold it.
Qin Yu held his little hand tightly, and he smiled happily.
This state of vigilance continued until the Lunar New Year. Today, Lin Xiaoxiao and Qin Yushen were celebrating the New Year with Wen Mo and the others. They got up early in the morning and took the child to the neighbor's house.
The chef that Wenmo had specially hired had gone home a week ago.
The New Year's Eve dinner was prepared by Qin Yushen and Wen Mo together. The table was full of twelve dishes, the portions were just right, and there were still some left over after we finished eating.
It's customary to have leftovers from the New Year's Eve dinner, symbolizing abundance and prosperity in the coming year.
After dinner, everyone would gather together to play cards, which is not encouraged nowadays, and if caught, one would be punished, as it is a remnant of feudalism.
But entertainment was scarce in those days, and even city dwellers would have fun in private during the Lunar New Year.
As long as it's not gambling, no one will report you if you play secretly.
The radio played the strains of a model opera. An'an and her uncle, a grandfather and granddaughter from different generations, chatted and joked around. When they saw Wenmo with a note stuck to his face, everyone burst into laughter.
Lin Xiaoxiao and Qin Yushen were on one team, and Wen Mo and Wen Shiyu were on the other. They played cards with the spirit of going into battle.
If you lose, stick stickers on Qin Yushen and Wen Mo's faces.
"Haha, Dad, you lost again! Stick it on!" Lin Xiaoxiao jumped up after winning another round.
Commander Qin Yushen, "Quick, put that on Dad!"
Wen Mo had eight pieces of paper stuck to his face, making him look ridiculous. Wen Shiyu covered her mouth and chuckled. Although Qin Yushen didn't laugh as loudly as Lin Xiaoxiao, he still had a smile on his face.
He listened to Lin Xiaoxiao and pasted another one on Wen Mo.
This time, it was stuck right in the center of his forehead.
Wen Mo blew on the note hanging in front of him, shuffling the cards through gritted teeth, "You two just wait, tonight I'll smear your man's face with my own surname, or I'll change my surname to yours."
Lin Xiaoxiao was unfazed by his threat, "Come on, come on."
The final result was that Wen Mo's face was covered in stickers, while Qin Yushen's face only had two.
With such high odds, Lin Xiaoxiao couldn't help but feel sorry for her father. "Dad, if someone asks you to play cards in the future, you must never agree, or you'll lose all our savings."
Wen Mo: "..." A drafty little cotton-padded jacket.
Pick up An'an, who was crawling on the ground, and hold his little hand, pointing it at the air in Lin Xiaoxiao's direction, "Your mother bullied Grandpa, quickly help Grandpa get revenge."
An'an twisted her body, saw the note on her grandfather's face, and giggled.
Time flew by as the family played around.
Even though there's a tradition of staying up all night on New Year's Eve, people still go to sleep when they're tired, and they still have to get up early the next day to visit relatives and friends.
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, we ate tangyuan (sweet rice balls), which symbolizes family reunion. Surprisingly, Wen Shiyu and her uncle preferred savory tangyuan.
Wen Mo, Qin Yushen, and Lin Xiaoxiao sat in a row, each holding a sesame-filled glutinous rice ball. They looked at the uncle and Wen Shiyu across from them, who were eating glutinous rice balls with fresh meat filling. All three of them had the same surprised expression on their faces.
"Xiaoxiao, would you like to try Mommy's?" Wen Shiyu proactively recommended to her daughter.
Lin Xiaoxiao shook her head vigorously, "No, no, no, I want sweet glutinous rice balls."
She really couldn't stand the saltiness.
Sweet glutinous rice balls are so delicious, so why would anyone like to eat savory ones?
"Mom, would you like one of mine?" She also wanted to recommend sweet glutinous rice balls.
This time, it was Wen Shiyu who shook her head, her expression showing resistance, "I can't eat any."
The mother and daughter glanced at each other's bowls, then simultaneously scooped up a glutinous rice ball, put it in their mouths, and were both satisfied with each other's choice.
An'an couldn't eat glutinous rice balls, so Qin Yushen cooked him a porridge with vegetables and minced meat.
The minced meat was chopped so finely that it was almost mixed with the rice grains. Even without adding any salt, it smelled delicious to An'an.
After breakfast, they began exchanging New Year's greetings. Lin Xiaoxiao and Qin Yushen gave New Year's greetings to Uncle, Wen Mo, and Wen Shiyu in turn, and received three large red envelopes.
"Come on, Anbao, wish your great-grandfather a Happy New Year and good health and all the best."
An'an was teased by Lin Xiaoxiao and immediately bent over and lay down in front of his uncle. Hearing the adults laugh, he also chuckled happily.
"Oh my little darling, get up quickly." The uncle looked at the little guy and couldn't get enough of him. He handed over a big red envelope and stuffed it into An'an's little bag.
This bag was made by Wen Shiyu so that An'an could carry it to hold red envelopes.
As if knowing that red envelopes are a good thing, little An'an could get one just by lying down; her brain was instantly working.
Before Qin Yushen could pick him up, he crawled to Wen Shiyu's side, raised his head and looked at his grandmother, his meaning quite clear.
Wen Shiyu was so charmed by his clever and cute appearance that she took out a red envelope and stuffed it into his bag.
Following the example, it climbed up to Wen Mo and blinked its big eyes.
Wen Mo teased him deliberately, not taking out a red envelope, but instead crossing his arms, "Grandpa doesn't have a red envelope for Anbao, what should we do?"
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