Chapter 21 New Year's Eve
The Ling family's New Year's Eve dinner has always been prepared by Ling's mother and the nanny. In the carved glass cabinet, Ling's mother was standing on tiptoe to look for her treasured bone china plates, and steam carrying the burnt aroma of sweet and sour pork ribs circulated in the kitchen.
Nanny Aunt Wang, wearing a blue and white plaid apron, poured boiling hot oil on the last dish of sea bass for "Year after Year of Abundance" and sprinkled green scallions on it with the sizzling sound. Every dish was accompanied by good wishes.
Ling Shen, who never entered the kitchen in previous years, pulled the nanny to the shadow beside the stove and said something to her when Ling's mother turned around to pick up the Spring Festival couplets.
Although the nanny was surprised, she had been working in the Ling family for more than ten years. She had watched Ling Shen grow from a baby into a young man in a suit and tie, and she had always responded to the requests of this hard-mouthed but soft-hearted child.
A wrinkled hand gently patted the back of his hand. There was still unwashed ginger on the chopping board. "Okay, I will definitely make it for you. Go eat quickly."
Ling's father was arguing with Ling's mother in the restaurant, holding the crystal wine bottle Ling Shen had given him last year. His gold-rimmed glasses had slipped to the tip of his nose. "It's New Year's Day today, so please let me drink less."
On the mahogany dining table, the gilded turntable with the Chinese character "Fu" squeaked as it spun, reflecting the image of young Ling Shen with puffed cheeks in the family portrait on the wall.
Ling's mother was taking a close-up of the sweet and sour pork ribs with her phone when Ling's father suddenly appeared in the shot, holding a bottle of wine. She mercilessly complained, "A Shen, look at your dad. Last time, he got drunk and danced Swan Lake in the living room. If our house wasn't so big, I think the neighbors would have come to our house."
Father Ling touched his nose a little embarrassedly, the wine drawing an amber arc on the wall of the glass: "I am happy, right? Besides, there is no one else at home."
Before he finished speaking, Ling Shen had already neatly straightened the gilded placemat. The celadon bowls and plates shone warmly under the warm light. "Dad, don't drink anymore. I have other things to do tonight. Mom can't handle you alone."
Ling's mother stopped taking pictures, her pearl earrings swaying gently in her hair. "It's New Year's Eve tonight, and you're still going out? What's going on? Are you in a hurry?"
Listening to Mother Ling's endless questions and watching Ling Shen's Adam's apple rolling up and down, Father Ling quickly stepped forward and put his arm around his wife's shoulders. "The child is grown up now. What's the point of him staying at home with us? I won't drink anymore. Let's eat."
He calmly pushed his wine glass towards the center of the turntable, and caught a glimpse of sporadic fireworks outside the window.
Before Ling's mother could find out the reason, Ling's father pulled her aside and she simply stopped asking. After all, she knew her son well and knew he would never do anything out of line.
She picked up a trembling piece of Dongpo pork, the sauce dripping down the tip of her chopsticks into the bone china bowl. "Okay, let's eat. Come on, try it. I haven't cooked in a long time, and I don't know if my cooking skills are still there."
Father Ling picked up the glass with great enthusiasm, the clear water shimmering in the crystal glass. "Today is New Year's Day, and the family is reunited. Let's..."
Before he could finish his words, Ling's mother knocked on the edge of the bowl with chopsticks: "Stop talking nonsense. It's the same every year, son. Come and eat." The bowl in front of Ling Shen was already filled with fish meat that had been deboned, as well as specially selected sweet and sour pork ribs.
Ling's father could only put down the cup helplessly, picked up the chopsticks to pick up the fish and put it into his mouth, not forgetting to praise Ling's mother's cooking skills.
Ling Shen looked at his parents smiling happily and couldn't help but relax. He looked outside through the window, wondering which family had lit the fireworks first.
The fireworks exploding in the sky illuminated the dark sky, and the noise mixed with laughter could be heard faintly. Following Ling Shen's gaze, Ling's father and mother also put down their chopsticks.
The white hair on Ling's mother's temples shone silver in the light of the fireworks, and Ling's father quietly took her hand into his palm.
"It's the New Year. It's great. Another year has passed." Mother Ling leaned on Father Ling's shoulder, smiling very gently.
Ling Shen stared at the fleeting fireworks in the sky, then suddenly stood up and walked into the kitchen. From the cupboard, he pulled out the insulated box the nanny had prepared, its metal shell still warm from the stove fire. As he quickly changed into his coat, a flake of osmanthus blossoms, which had fallen somewhere, stained his cashmere scarf.
"Hey, Ah Shen, where are you going?" Ling's mother asked anxiously, but all she heard was the sound of Ling Shen closing the door and walking away. In the hallway, his leather shoes, hastily put on the wrong way, made a frantic clatter.
Ling's father smiled and pulled Ling's mother aside. His eyes followed the taillights of the car as it disappeared into the end of Wutong Road. "That brat must be in trouble. But that's good. It seems that the Jiang family kid's influence on him is gradually decreasing."
He added a spoonful of hot cocoa to his wife's cup, and sprinkled the foam with star-shaped icing sugar.
Although Ling's mother was a little confused, she felt relieved when she saw that Ling's father didn't seem to care much, and the two of them continued to enjoy the fireworks in the sky.
Ling Shen drove all the way towards the bookstore. On the long street, apart from the street lights that remained at their posts, his was the only car left.
Meanwhile, Su Nian cooked herself a bowl of noodles and sat by the window, watching the fireworks in the sky, preparing to get through the New Year. In the blue and white porcelain bowl, a lone poached egg floated in the clear broth, resembling the cold moon outside the window, half-obscured by clouds.
But before the noodles reached his mouth, there was an urgent knock on the bookstore door. The crisp sound of the copper bell startled the sparrows perched under the eaves.
Su Nian could only put down her chopsticks helplessly, turned around and walked downstairs to open the door. The old-fashioned stairs creaked under her feet, mixed with the sound of her heartbeat getting closer and closer.
But when he walked downstairs, the tall and straight figure at the door made him stunned for a moment, not knowing what expression to make.
Tiny snowflakes fell on Ling Shen's eyelashes, dark water marks stained the shoulders of his black coat, and the insulated box in his hand seemed to still be steaming. The street lights stretched his shadow very long, almost reaching over the threshold and overlapping with Su Nian's shadow.
"Why...are you here?" Su Nian opened the door, and was greeted by a cold breeze. The wind, carrying snowflakes, blew into her collar, but was blocked by Ling Shen's warm hand.
Ling Shen walked into the bookstore carrying a thermos box. The scent of sandalwood mixed with the aroma of food lingered by the fireplace. "I don't have anything to do anyway. The nanny at home happened to make some extra dishes. I thought you were alone, so I brought them over to celebrate the New Year with you."
The white mist he exhaled when he spoke condensed into tiny water droplets in the air and fell on Su Nian's red earlobe.
Ling Shen said it lightly, but Su Nian couldn't help but laugh. Who would cook extra food during Chinese New Year? He didn't need to ask to know that Ling Shen had the nanny make it specifically for him.
Su Nian didn't expose Ling Shen's clumsy lie and took him upstairs to the restaurant. Ling Shen looked at the plain bowl of noodles on the table and frowned into a beautiful arc: "If I don't come, is this how you plan to celebrate the New Year?"
He reached out and touched the edge of the bowl. A layer of oily film had formed on the cold noodle soup.
"Yeah, I'm alone anyway, so I'll just keep it simple. But, now, I have you, don't I?" Su Nian smiled and put the noodles aside, then took out the food from the thermos box.
As the carved food boxes were opened layer by layer, the aroma of steamed shad instantly filled the entire room. There was also lotus seed soup with wolfberries shaped into a smiling face. In the bottom food box, there were two red velvet cakes printed with "Peace Every Year".
The steaming food looked particularly good. Su Nian lowered her head and took a deep breath, her eyelashes casting fine shadows under her eyes. "It smells so good! I'm in for a treat tonight."
Ling Shen hung his coat on the hanger and sat opposite Su Nian. "Come and try it."
Su Nian did not sit down, but took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet. The amber liquid rippled in the crystal glass.
"We should have something to drink during the New Year. Would you like some?" Su Nian shook the bottle of red wine in his hand. The label on the bottle shone softly under the warm yellow light.
Ling Shen looked at the smile dancing in his eyes, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously, "Okay, but don't say too much, I still have to drive later."
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