Chapter 57 Only the original is correct can be copied correctly
As the car slowly came to a stop on the cobblestone drive in front of the Ling family's old house, Su Nian suddenly came to her senses and looked at Ling Shen in panic, "Gift?!" The last syllable of her voice rose unconsciously, with a bit of helplessness.
Ling Shen smiled and scratched the tip of Su Nian's nose, "I brought it. Come on, get off the car."
The biting winter wind carried the fragrance of wintersweet into the car. Su Nian took a deep breath and followed Ling Shen out of the car. Only when she saw the full trunk did she smile.
Ling's mother, dressed in a dark blue qipao, watched the two men carrying large and small bags as if they were moving house. She took a few steps forward to help, but Ling's father gently took her in his arms, "Let them carry it. They're both grown men, don't they need your help with such a small amount of things?"
Ling Shen exchanged a helpless glance with Su Nian and handed the things he had retrieved to the housekeeper. Su Nian took off her coat, and Ling Shen took it and hung it on the hanger.
Ling's mother stood at the door, watching the two interact in perfect harmony, her eyes filled with satisfaction. Her darkly embroidered shawl swayed gently with her movements, as if silently expressing her joy.
Life at the Ling family was like living in a honeypot. Ling's father was obsessed with calligraphy and painting, his study filled with copies of the Mustard Seed Garden Painting Manual. However, this art and calligraphy enthusiast had no talent for chess, often regretting his moves to the point of laughter and tears.
However, Su Nian always managed to patiently play chess with the old man, and occasionally deliberately "let him win", which made Ling's father smile from ear to ear, and hearty laughter could be heard from the study from time to time.
Ling's mother, however, couldn't stand the fact that Ling's father always dragged Su Nian to sit in the house. In Ling's mother's words, "I finally have a holiday, and I'm bored to death staying in the house every day."
Therefore, whenever Ling's father wanted to drag Su Nian to play chess, Ling's mother would just wave her hand and take the two of them out.
Father Ling, who doted on his wife, could only look at his chessboard every time. He looked around, but all he saw was the housekeeper and nanny fleeing in all directions.
With Su Nian, Ling Shen no longer had much popularity with Ling's mother. This was simply because Su Nian's aesthetics and well-behaved personality clearly better matched Ling's mother's idea of caring.
Ling Shen, however, only felt that he was the happiest person in the world. His parents were open-minded and his lover was caring. Even if he was reduced to a bag-carrying boy and ran around every day, he was happy with it.
Finally, the long-awaited New Year's Eve finally arrived. Early in the morning, Ling Shen was roused to put up spring couplets and hang lanterns. Sleepy-eyed and disheveled, Ling Shen, dressed in pajamas, stood on a ladder, watching Su Nian, holding a glass of milk, being pressed down on the sofa by Ling's mother with a smile.
"Anian~" Ling Shen had a look of grievance on his face, and every word he spoke was punctuated by a wavy line.
Su Nian turned around and saw Ling's mother walking towards the kitchen. She quickly picked up the bread and spread jam on it, then walked to the ladder. "Eat something. Are you thirsty? I'll get you some coffee."
Ling Shen held the bread in his mouth with a childish dominance, his canine teeth gently brushing against Su Nian's fingertips. Only when Su Nian glared at him did he smile and continue his movements. Su Nian carefully held onto the ladder, but she still kept a nervous eye on Ling Shen above.
"These two people are inseparable for a moment." When Ling's mother brought out the porridge, she saw Ling Shen snatching the bread from Su Nian's hand. She shook her head and laughed, but felt extremely relieved.
Father Ling looked up at the clingy couple while fiddling with his phone. He sneered disdainfully, but unexpectedly attracted the glare of Mother Ling. "Look at you, you're still playing with your phone while eating."
Su Nian turned around and saw Ling's father put away his phone with a look of grievance, saying something to Ling's mother with a forced smile.
Ling Shen suddenly leaped down from the ladder, the wind blowing the snow off his shoulders. He swept Su Nian into his arms, and the scent of mint and cedar filled her face.
The snowflakes floating in the sky slowly covered the entire earth, leaving only the red plum blossoms blooming in the courtyard, dazzling and eye-catching.
"Happy New Year!"
The crisp voices of the four people, accompanied by laughter, flowed through the restaurant. The crystal chandelier reflected the figures of the four people raising their glasses on the carved wall, casting a fine golden glow.
As they clinked glasses, amber ripples of red wine rippled across the sides, blending with the steam rising from the table to create a hazy warmth. The glistening oil of steamed sea bass, the caramelized hue of braised pork, the emerald-colored stir-fried seasonal vegetables—the dazzling array of delicacies resembled a New Year's feast meticulously orchestrated by Ling's mother, even the carrot blossoms arranged in symmetrical auspicious patterns.
Although Su Nian wanted to go to the kitchen to help, Ling's mother glared at him and said, "There's no need for you to do that. Go find Ling Shen." Ling Shen, who happened to appear, took Su Nian's hand and pulled him into the living room.
"My mother doesn't usually cook, but she has to cook for the Chinese New Year." Ling Shen pushed Su Nian to the dining table and explained with a smile.
Father Ling had already set out the wine glasses and secretly opened the fine wine he had hidden for several years. "Come, you can taste this wine tonight. You didn't let me drink it last year, but you have no excuse this year."
Seeing Father Ling's anxious look, Ling Shen shook his head and laughed, "Okay, Ah Nian and I will drink with you."
Upon hearing this, Ling's father looked at Su Nian, smiled and nodded at Su Nian, and his whole face was filled with joy.
Ling's mother, who was busy in the kitchen, naturally heard what Ling's father said, but she did not say anything to stop him. Today was indeed a good day and worth celebrating.
At the dinner table, Ling Shen and his father simultaneously picked up the braised prawns, their profiles mirroring each other as they peeled them with downcast eyes. Su Nian bit into a piece of spareribs coated in an amber-colored candied shell, the sweet and sour juices bursting on his tongue, causing him to squint slightly.
"Eat shrimp." Ling Shen's low voice wrapped in heat sounded in his ears, and Su Nian opened her eyes with trembling eyelashes.
There were three pink and white shrimps lying in the celadon bowl. The shrimp shells had been carefully peeled off, revealing the crystal clear shrimp meat, exactly the same as the one in Ling's mother's bowl.
Looking across the table, Ling's father was putting the peeled shrimp into Ling's mother's bowl. Ling Shen lowered his eyes and focused on processing the shrimp thread for him. His bony fingers nimbly picked out the black line on the shrimp's back, and his fingertips were still stained with a faint aroma of ginger vinegar.
Su Nian suddenly remembered a sentence she had read in a magazine before - "Only when the original is correct can the copy be equally correct."
At this moment, looking at the mirror-like tenderness of the two generations in front of him, he finally understood the deep meaning behind these words.
It turns out that love can be passed down through the blood. The thoughtfulness that is deeply ingrained in Ling Shen's bones is clearly a product of his father's love for his mother.
Ling's mother was accustomed to this heartwarming scene. She smiled and put another piece of braised pork into Su Nian's bowl: "Eat more, you look so thin. Ah Shen, what are you doing? Hurry up and peel shrimps for Ah Nian." As she said this, she glared at her son in reproach.
Su Nian looked at the small mountain of food gradually forming in the bowl and cast a look at Ling Shen for help. Ling Shen smiled and patted his legs under the table, "Mom, stop picking it up. My dad won't be happy if you keep picking it up."
Ling's father paused as he sipped from his glass. "Don't talk nonsense, you little brat! When have I ever been unhappy?" Seeing Ling's mother's face darken, Ling's father quickly put down his glass. "Don't listen to his nonsense! I'm happy. Whatever you do is right."
While Ling's father and mother's attention was diverted, Ling Shen picked up the chopsticks and quickly helped Su Nian stuff the extra food in the bowl into his mouth.
Su Nian watched Ling Shen's swift movements, a warm feeling welling up in her heart. Suddenly, the first firework exploded outside the window, a silver-blue dot of light falling into the night sky like a shooting star, followed by thousands of clusters of golden red rising into the sky, gilding the figures of Ling's father and mother.
The pearl hairpins on Ling's mother's temples flickered in the light and shadow. Ling's father carefully put the shawl that had slipped off back on, his movements as gentle as if he was touching a rare treasure.
"Another year has passed." Ling's father's sigh rang out at the same time as the fireworks.
Su Nian stood beside Ling Shen, looked at Ling Shen's profile, took a deep breath, took out the box that had been in his pocket, and suddenly held it in front of Ling Shen.
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