Chapter 94 New Year's Eve
On New Year's Eve, Yu Jingchen and Fu Yanle returned to the Yu family's old house with large bags and small packages. The old house was decorated for the New Year, with lanterns and colorful decorations, adding a lively and festive atmosphere compared to its usual elegant tranquility.
Today's head chef is still Yu Zhouxing. Due to the heavy workload, Yan Chaoqing took the initiative to take on the responsibility of assisting the chef, standing next to him, reading love poems and singing love songs to help him recover from his exhaustion.
"I love you, I love you like a mouse loves—"
"Mom!" Fu Yanle suddenly poked his head into the window and said with a smile, "Happy New Year, Mom and Dad!"
Yan Chaoqing beamed with joy, walked over and ruffled Fu Yanle's hair, then straightened the peach-shaped hat on his head, saying, "Happy New Year, Lele!"
Yu Zhouxing looked over and said, "Lele, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Mother." Yu Jingchen walked behind Fu Yanle and raised his voice to Yu Zhouxing, who was engrossed in his work. "Happy New Year, Father."
Yu Zhouxing: "Happy, happy!"
Yan Chaoqing said, "You've come too early; the food isn't finished yet."
“How can we let Dad bear the burden of the family alone? I want to help too.” Fu Yanle walked into the kitchen, picked up the prepared menu and glanced at it. “I’ll make this ‘Abundant Fish Every Year’!”
Yan Chaoqing smiled. "Our Lele can cook?"
“Lele has recently learned to make desserts, but this is her first time cooking a meal.” Yu Jingchen walked behind Fu Yanle, his face showing concern. “Lele, why don’t we let your father do the hard work alone?”
Yu Zhouxing: "Ah, thank you, thank you."
“The Lu family serves this dish every year during Chinese New Year. I’ve even seen the chef make it myself, and I remember the steps in great detail. Besides, for someone as favored by heaven as me, a small fish is nothing.” Fu Yanle spread his arms wide, exuding an air of dominance. “Tie my apron!”
Yu Jingchen was stunned by his domineering manner and quickly took the pink and white checkered apron off the hook and tied it on Fu Yanle.
"Haha." Yan Chaoqing laughed. "This apron and Lele's pink hat match quite well. Lele looks like a peach now, white and pink."
Yu Jingchen nodded in agreement.
Fu Yanle corrected him seriously: "They are peaches with the fuzz removed!"
Yan Chaoqing: "Haha."
Fu Yanle placed the cleaned yellow croaker on the cutting board, made a cross-shaped cut with a knife, and instructed, "Brother Chen, heat the pan and add oil."
"Received." Yu Jingchen put on a blue and white plaid apron and went forward to help.
Fu Yanle took out two small bowls and put sweet and sour tomato sauce, scallions, garlic and other seasonings into them.
Yu Jingchen, who was standing nearby, had already put the fish into the oil and fried it until it was cooked before taking it out. Fu Yanle put all the seasonings in, stir-fried it for a short while, and then picked up the pot to give the fish a "shower spa".
"It smells so good!" Yan Chaoqing exclaimed with delight as she leaned closer. "I was thinking I'd have to prepare a lot more fish tonight!"
"Mom, you have to believe me, I really am perfect." Fu Yanle clapped her hands, walked over, picked up the menu, and crossed out "Year After Year Abundance Fish." "Hot pot, wontons, and dessert. We can add the hot pot as we eat, and we can make the wontons last. What kind of dessert do we want?"
Yu Zhouxing said, "It doesn't matter, it's just you and your son who are picky eaters in the family."
"What do you mean by being picky? This is called food preference." Yan Chaoqing rolled her eyes, then turned to look at Fu Yanle with a gentle, smiling expression. "But I'll eat whatever Lele makes."
Fu Yanle thought for a moment and said, "How about making taro and yam cake? It will have a soft and glutinous texture and won't be too sweet."
Yan Chaoqing: "Okay!"
Fu Yanle immediately opened the mobile app and said while searching, "Brother Chen, you make the yam puree, and I'll make the taro puree."
“Okay.” Yu Jingchen went to the cupboard and found taro and yam, then placed them on the cutting board.
The two worked together seamlessly, dividing the tasks and making the work less tiring. Yan Chaoqing watched with a series of clicks of her tongue, then took out her phone and snapped couple photos of her two sons from various angles.
"Hello, uncles and aunties!" Lu Minghe suddenly poked his head out. "Happy New Year, everyone! I'm sorry I'm late."
"Xiao He, Happy New Year!" Yan Chaoqing walked over and tugged at Lu Minghe's coat. "Your coat looks even thinner than Jingchen's. Aren't you cold?"
Lu Minghe scratched his head and said with a smile, "I'm not cold, I'm wearing a lot underneath."
“His skin is thick, which helps him stay warm!” Fu Yanle said.
Lu Minghe angrily shouted, "Get out!"
Fu Yanle picked up a kitchen knife and shouted, "Get out of here! Go and cook me some wontons!"
"Yes!" Lu Minghe tucked his tail between his legs and went into the kitchen. Under Yan Chaoqing's guidance, he found the various wontons that had been prepared, and then Yan Chaoqing tied a yellow and white checkered apron around his waist.
While the fire was boiling water, Lu Minghe walked over to Yu Jingchen and Fu Yanle, secretly compared his outfit to theirs, and said, "So it turns out I'm wearing matching outfits with you two?"
"Among three people walking together, there's bound to be a single guy," Fu Yanle said coolly. "What right do you, with the surname Huang, have to intrude into our pink and white duo?"
Lu Minghe spat and turned to look at Yu Zhouxing, who was also wearing a scarf. He noticed that Yu Zhouxing was wearing a black scarf, and it was a custom-made one—with two large characters on the front: God of Cookery, and smaller vertical characters next to it: Yu Zhouxing.
"And this is below too." Yan Chaoqing pointed to the red embroidered emblem below the three characters [Yu Zhouxing] and said with a smile, "This is my name, haha."
"Haha!" Lu Minghe turned around and went to cook the wontons.
Fu Yanle gave a merciless sneer, put the prepared yam and taro paste into a container, and then, following the instructions, used his finger to wet the surface to smooth it.
Yu Jingchen opened the steamer lid, placed the container inside, glanced at the time, and said, "It will be ready in twenty minutes."
“My steamed pork with rice flour is about the same,” Yu Zhouxing said. “You guys go out and sit for a while, I’ll plate it up later.”
"Okay." Fu Yanle cleaned his hands, untied Yu Jingchen's apron, and then turned his back to Yu Jingchen.
Yu Jingchen reached out to untie the belt for him, then patted his waist and leaned closer to say, "You've worked hard."
Fu Yanle glanced at Yu Zhouxing and whispered, "We've only been here a short time. Don't let Dad hear us."
"I heard you." Yu Zhouxing put down the kitchen knife expressionlessly.
Fu Yanle and Yu Jingchen left silently.
"Oh my, they look so good together!" Yan Chaoqing touched her face. "They're such a perfect match!"
Yu Zhouxing and Lu Minghe stared intently at the pot, remaining silent.
After leaving the kitchen, Fu Yanle shouted "dei!" and jumped onto Yu Jingchen's back, burying his head in his hands and saying, "Brother Chen, where's my New Year's money?"
"I didn't prepare any," Yu Jingchen said. "You're a big kid now, you don't need New Year's money."
"Who said that?" Fu Yanle was agitated, grabbing Yu Jingchen's neck and shaking him violently, his legs kicking wildly. "Give it to me!"
Yu Jingchen feigned helplessness, "Who's as domineering as you, forcibly taking New Year's money?"
“That’s the kind of person I am.” Fu Yanle reached out and grabbed his neck. “Pay up your money to save your life, now!”
"Hero, spare my life!" Yu Jingchen said. "The money is all in my bag, take whatever you want."
Fu Yanle chuckled upon hearing this, reached into the two pockets of his coat, and found that both were filled with something. Taking them out, he saw that one pocket was full of red envelopes with the words "Peace and Joy" written on them. Upon opening them, he found about twenty red envelopes.
Why this number?
“Because that’s all I can fit. I was thinking of putting cards in it, but it’s more suitable to put cash in my wallet.” Yu Jingchen smiled. “I just wanted to tell you that no matter what, I will do my best.”
Fu Yanle nuzzled his shoulder, then weighed the other box in his hand. "Who is this for?"
"These are all for you." Yu Jingchen weighed the bag in his hand. "Open them and take a look."
Fu Yanle wrapped his arms around Yu Jingchen's neck, leaned on his shoulders, and opened the box. Inside was a bracelet with beads of different colors, some of which were engraved with patterns. Upon closer inspection, the patterns were...peonies?
"What a beautiful bracelet! It feels warm and smooth to the touch." Fu Yanle paused. "But why is it peony-patterned?"
“The peony is the most beautiful flower in the country, and historically, it's rarely been given as a gift to a man. But Lele, I love its symbolism.” Yu Jingchen tilted his head. “The first peony is pink; I wish you will always be beautiful and charming. The second is yellow; I hope you remain vibrant and radiant. The third is purple; I want us to remain romantic. The fourth is white; I want you to remember all the promises you made to me. The fifth is green; I hope you and I can look forward to our next year together. The sixth is red; known as the king of flowers, I long for our fulfillment and for you to always be wealthy and auspicious.”
Fu Yanle chuckled and said in a hoarse voice, "Then am I a Noble Consort or an Empress?"
"You are Fu Yanle. As long as I live, I will protect you, even if something happens to me, I—"
"Don't talk nonsense." Fu Yanle nuzzled Yu Jingchen's face. "I don't like hearing this."
Yu Jingchen paused for a moment, then said, "Okay, no surprises."
"No accidents are allowed." Fu Yanle looked at Yu Jingchen's profile, his tone both domineering and gentle. "You must protect me forever, otherwise it will be considered a betrayal, and I will never think of you again."
Yu Jingchen smiled and said earnestly, "I will try my best."
“I believe every word you say,” Fu Yanle said. “In my heart, you are like a vast and deep ocean. As long as I am in your territory, you can protect me. You are powerful, eternal, and omnipotent.”
Yu Jingchen's voice trailed off as he said, "The seventh one is a peony and daffodil, symbolizing happiness and good fortune. The eighth one is a peony in a vase, symbolizing peace and wealth. The last one is a peony and longan..."
When Fu Yanle saw that he had stopped, she quickly nuzzled him twice, "What is it? What is it!"
“It’s a marriage of wealth and honor,” Yu Jingchen said. “Lele, everyone has desires. When we first got together, I didn’t think about anything else, I just wanted to do my best to be good to you. Later, as you became more and more affectionate towards me, I thought that as long as you were by my side for one more day, that would be great.”
But now, one or two days are no longer enough to satisfy his desires.
Yu Jingchen said self-deprecatingly, but his tone was very serious, "I can't stop wanting more."
“When you like someone, of course you want to be with them for a long time,” Fu Yanle said. “I also want to be with you for a long time. That contract is no longer valid. We are partners in name only now, but perhaps we will become real partners in the future. Brother Chen, I’m giving you the initiative. When you’re ready, you can kiss me in front of many people. We’ll wear matching dresses that day and exchange rings.”
Fu Yanle's directness and frankness are always irresistible weapons for Yu Jingchen. Just like when Fu Yanle hugged him and said "I like you," or like now, Fu Yanle gave him 100% trust in a single sentence, believing that he would sincerely pursue his love and be extremely considerate.
"Thank you," Yu Jingchen said firmly and gently. "That day won't be long."
Author's Note:
Lu: Get out!
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