Chapter 123 New Year Greetings
On the morning of the fourth day of the Lunar New Year, the sun finally peeked through the clouds.
Zhou Anping came specifically to offer his New Year's greetings.
Nan Zhiyi pulled her into the house, and Aunt Wu also brought out hot tea, candy, and melon seeds with a smile.
The two sat down in the living room.
"Here, a little something I made myself, don't mind it."
Nan Zhiyi took it, opened it, and saw a pair of tiger-head shoes with fine stitches, which were both cute and spirited.
"Wow! Anping! This is so exquisite! Did you make it yourself?"
Nan Zhiyi was overjoyed; it was far more precious than any gift she had bought.
"Well, I'll poke a few needles whenever I have time. It's a bit slow, but I managed to finish it before the New Year."
Zhou Anping smiled a little embarrassedly.
"Thank you! That's so thoughtful!"
"Have a taste of this tea, it'll warm you up." Nan Zhiyi pushed the teacup towards Zhou Anping, then looked her over carefully. "How have you been lately? You look... a bit better than last time? Are you done with the cultural troupe?"
Zhou Anping, holding a cup of hot tea, said, "Well, it's come to an end. On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, our troupe performed a few small memorial performances at the General Hospital of the Military Region and several large factories. Yesterday, we finally released everyone back, saying they should rest for a few days."
She took a sip of tea, her tone becoming more relaxed. "After being on edge for almost a month, I can finally relax a bit. If I had kept going like this, my voice would have gone hoarse."
Nan Zhiyi was happy for her: "That's good, at least you can catch your breath. Take a good rest."
Zhou Anping nodded, holding the teacup to warm his hands, but his gaze involuntarily drifted towards the direction leading to the bedroom, with a hint of hesitation as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.
Nan Zhiyi understood and was about to speak.
Gu Xiao came out wearing a casual sweater, and nodded when he saw Zhou Anping: "Anping is here."
"Happy New Year, Fifth Brother!" Zhou Anping quickly stood up.
"Yes, Happy New Year." As soon as he finished speaking, several clear car horns sounded outside the courtyard gate.
"You two talk," Gu Xiao said to Nan Zhiyi and Zhou Anping, then walked towards the door. "I'll go check."
Nan Zhiyi and Zhou Anping exchanged a glance, both somewhat puzzled.
Who will it be on the fourth day of the Lunar New Year?
A short while later, Gu Xiao returned, followed by Meng Qingshan.
"Happy New Year, sister-in-law."
Meng Qingshan first greeted Nan Zhiyi, then quickly glanced at Zhou Anping and nodded slightly, "Comrade Anping, Happy New Year."
Nan Zhiyi was surprised, but smiled and said, "Comrade Meng? Happy New Year! Please come in."
She noticed that Zhou Anping's eyes were noticeably evasive, and he only vaguely replied with "Happy New Year" before lowering his eyelashes.
Meng Qingshan then explained, "I happened to be taking care of some business nearby, and since it's the Lunar New Year and I haven't had a chance to pay my respects yet, I took the liberty of coming over."
He was carrying two elegantly packaged gift boxes.
"A guest is a guest." Gu Xiao invited him into the living room and said towards the kitchen, "Aunt Wu, please cook a couple more dishes for lunch. Comrade Meng, please stay for lunch."
"Okay, sure!" Aunt Wu replied loudly from the kitchen.
The four of them sat down again on the sofa.
Gu Xiao and Meng Qingshan chatted for a while about the current situation in the capital and what they had seen and heard on the road. Naturally, the topic turned to the political situation, and the atmosphere became somewhat somber.
Meng Qingshan appeared to be talking to Gu Xiao, but his gaze kept drifting involuntarily towards Zhou Anping.
Zhou Anping felt like he was sitting on pins and needles.
Meng Qingshan's gaze made her cheeks flush. She lowered her head to hide it, and even when Nan Zhiyi spoke to her, she couldn't react.
Nan Zhiyi saw it all and understood.
She gently touched Gu Xiao's arm and said softly, "Fifth Brother, you and Comrade Meng chat for a while. Anping brought me some needlework for children, but I'm not sure about some of the patterns. I'll have her go to the room and take a look."
Gu Xiao glanced at Zhou Anping, who was clearly flustered, and understood his wife's intention. "Okay, you two go ahead."
Zhou Anping immediately stood up: "Zhiyi, come on, let me take a look at you."
Nan Zhiyi also got up, gave Meng Qingshan an apologetic smile, and led Zhou Anping upstairs.
As soon as the door closed, Zhou Anping patted his chest: "My God... Zhiyi, why is he here? And of all times, today!"
Nan Zhiyi shook her head: "I don't know either. He just said that he was running errands nearby and stopped by to pay his respects for the New Year. He seemed quite sincere."
“Sincerely…” Zhou Anping pursed his lips, walked to the sofa and sat down, the blush on his face not yet completely faded, with a hint of annoyance, “Who knows.”
Nan Zhiyi sat down next to her and tentatively asked, "After last time... has he contacted you again?"
Zhou Anping remained silent for a few seconds before giving a soft "hmm".
"Before the Lunar New Year... around the 26th of the twelfth lunar month, I ran into him again backstage at the Cultural Palace for the last large-scale memorial event."
She paused, then lowered her voice, "It seems he was waiting there specifically to... to explain Wang Lili's situation to me."
Nan Zhiyi's eyes lit up: "Oh? What did he say?"
"He said... he didn't know Wang Lili at all. But he was trying to avoid making things awkward for her."
She looked up at Nan Zhiyi, her eyes filled with confusion and hesitation. "He also said... if he really had something going on with Wang Lili, he wouldn't... he wouldn't..."
She was too embarrassed to continue...
"So, did you believe it?" Nan Zhiyi asked softly.
Zhou Anping bit his lower lip, not answering immediately, but instead scratching his hair in frustration: "I don't know either... It's so annoying!"
She clung to Nan Zhiyi's arm, looking aggrieved, "Zhiyi, you have no idea how terrible the atmosphere at home was these past few days of the Lunar New Year!"
Nan Zhiyi grasped her hand. "What's wrong? Is it because..."
"Who else could it be because of! Because of... because of that person, everyone was already in a bad mood, and no one dared to speak loudly."
As it turned out, my brother and Lu Linlang were like two icebergs standing in the house! No, worse than icebergs—at least icebergs don't emit cold air! They wouldn't even bother to look at each other, they ate from miles apart, the whole house was cold and stiff, the air was practically frozen! My mom sighed worriedly, and my dad had a dark expression on his face.
She became more and more agitated as she spoke: "You haven't seen Lu Linlang like that! She puts on airs even at my house, as if marrying my brother is a terrible thing for her! She speaks to my mother in a very indifferent way."
"With me? Hmph, I wouldn't even bother to lift an eyelid! I hate her! I've hated her and her gang since I was little! And yet...and she just happened to become my sister-in-law!"
At the end, Zhou Anping couldn't help but choke up.
Nan Zhiyi gently comforted him, "Anping, don't get upset. She's your sister-in-law, that's an undeniable fact. But how you live your life ultimately depends on each person. Your brother... he knows what he's doing."
They're stationed in the military year-round, only returning home for the Lunar New Year. You should just treat her like a…not-so-pleasant guest in your home? Out of sight, out of mind. Just go about your business. Don't let her ruin your mood.
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