“Brother Zhang, let’s keep the child’s surname Liu. I plan to raise him as my nephew. You can choose the name; I have no objections. It’s just that Aunt Li is too busy, so could you help her find someone else?”
After reading the letter, Zhang Shouyi said, "Aunt Li won't agree. All her attention is now focused on this child. Even Uncle Li has to step aside. Let's leave it at that."
After chatting for a while, Zhang Hongmei felt sleepy and ended the conversation.
The unchanging routine continued until Thursday evening. The family had already purchased a large amount of groceries, just like back home. Shen Yunfang bought groceries day by day, and now it looked quite impressive.
Wang Xinyi was three months pregnant. Because of her age, she was swollen. Zhao Tiancheng had visibly lost weight and was very worried about his wife.
Zhang Hongmei was also worried, but what could she do? One day, Zhang Hongmei found Wang Xinyi and said, "Aunt Wang, is there anything you need? If it's something that's not available here but is available in our country, I can get it for you within half a month."
Wang Xinyi is slightly chubby, but she exudes a special feminine radiance. She seems incredibly happy at first glance.
"Hongmei, if possible, please find some ginseng. I only know a little about pulse diagnosis, and I feel a bit weak."
"Do you need anything else? It'll be more convenient to bring it all over."
"Nothing else is needed. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
"Aunt Wang, this doesn't need to be transported. I have one right here. I'll go get it for you."
Zhang Hongmei did indeed have some; Gu Chuanming had given it to her before she left. A short while later, she came down with several boxes and handed them to Wang Xinyi.
"Aunt Wang, I have some medicinal herbs here. I brought them all. Please see which ones you can use. I don't know what they are for. Grandpa prepared a lot for me."
Wang Xinyi glanced at the list; she didn't need anything else. "Hongmei, thank you, but I'll keep the ginseng. You can keep the rest. This ginseng is a hundred years old; I'll need it."
"That's good. What did the hospital say during your checkup?"
"It's okay, they can't find anything wrong with my test results. I'm not as uncomfortable as you all think. Actually, this child really cares about me."
"That's good. Uncle Zhao and Zhao Haozheng are almost at their limit."
"It's okay, I just have poor blood and qi, I can adjust myself slowly, and I definitely won't be like this next month."
"Is one ginseng root enough? If not, I'll have someone transport it over. Besides, it's urgent, and I think the Chinese here should have some."
"Hehe, silly girl, even if others had it, they wouldn't give it up. We don't have it here, so using it is the same as not having it at all. Sometimes it really can be a lifesaver. So, nobody would risk their life for you."
Zhang Hongmei nodded, agreeing. "Aunt Wang, is this enough?"
"That's enough, but I dare not add any more. I won't hold back."
Zhang Hongmei felt relieved after giving the ginseng to Wang Xinyi. She figured things wouldn't be peaceful tomorrow morning, as everyone would be celebrating the New Year together.
Zhang Hongmei rushed back after school on Friday afternoon. Unexpectedly, all five girls were there. Zhao Hao had driven them back to help Shen Yunfang, fearing that Wang Xinyi would act rashly.
Chinese people place great importance on the New Year, so today's dishes are very lavish, with eight cold dishes, eight hot dishes, and two soups. Two tables have been prepared, one for men and one for women. Therefore, Shen Yunfang has a lot of work to do; she really started preparing yesterday and only just finished now.
Zhao Hao was staring at the dining table. "Mom, let's not have two tables. We can just set them apart. The men can sit here, and the women can sit here. I think that's better than having two tables."
“Okay, let’s just put them out separately. Haozheng, get your camera ready in a bit, let’s take lots of pictures. Hongmei should be able to be sent back to China. Let’s take pictures of all the children here and hand them back to their families so they can rest assured.”
"I understand, Mom. I'll go prepare right away." Zhao Tiancheng returned from outside, bringing back lots of candy, ribbons, balloons, and fruit.
The men arrived too. They came by bus today; now that they have money, they didn't want to be late for the New Year's Eve dinner.
They arrived before six o'clock, so they all helped Zhao Hao set up the restaurant.
The large number of people was evident not only in the food service but also in the work itself. In less than half an hour, the restaurant was decorated in a very festive style.
In the kitchen, Miao Xinyue and Zhao Yuetong were helping Shen Yunfang, while the remaining four were making dumplings. How could the New Year's Eve dinner be complete without dumplings?
Zhao Hao came in and asked, "What time do we eat?"
"Now we can bring out all the cold dishes. We'll start cooking the remaining stir-fries right away. The main dishes will be served after the meal."
When should the dumplings be cooked?
"Although there's a time difference here, let's wait until midnight to cook. That's the custom."
Yan Dongming and Kong Yushun came in, and soon all the cold dishes were served. Zhao Tiancheng brought over a few bottles of red wine; how could a holiday be without wine?
Kong Yushun waited in the kitchen, cooking each dish and then bringing it to the table. By seven o'clock, the dumplings were finished, and the stir-fried dishes were all on the table.
Twenty people sat around the dining table. Zhao Tiancheng raised his glass and said, "Let's all raise a glass together. Haozheng, why don't you take a group photo?"
Zhang Hongmei stood up and said with a smile, "Let me do it. I don't drink either. I'll take pictures for you. Behave well, and I'll find a way to send them back to your families so they know that we're doing very well here."
Looking through the camera at the smiling young faces, Zhang Hongmei felt very happy.
I kept pressing the shutter button, taking a picture of everyone. Then I sat down to eat, and after a while, I stood up to take pictures again. When one roll of film was used up, I changed to another.
Zeng Zhongkang doesn't drink alcohol. He eats quickly, and after finishing his meal, he came over, took the camera, and took pictures of Zhang Hongmei.
The meal lasted for more than two hours. The last dish, braised pork, was not eaten by many people. After the dumplings were served, Zhao Hao was in charge of taking pictures.
It was already 10:30 when it ended, and another half hour was spent cleaning up. Afterwards, everyone sat in the living room drinking tea and eating sweets. Although there were no fireworks or firecrackers, the atmosphere was still very festive with twenty people together.
"You guys don't need to go back today. Everyone can squeeze in. The three of you can go to my bedroom, and I'll just stay in the study."
Everyone finished washing up at midnight and went to rest. Zhang Hongmei entered the space through the bathroom in the study.
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