Chapter 35
Snow blanketed the courtyard, clearing away the irregular stone path in the center. Frost flowers bloomed on the windows, and the bright light from inside made this natural work of art sparkle brilliantly. Snowflakes fluttered down, one of them landing gently on Tiger's nose. It sneezed loudly and retreated back into its doghouse, which was covered with old cotton clothes. Before leaving, Lu Mingxiao had nailed a thick curtain above the entrance to the doghouse, so it wasn't cold inside. Tiger lay on Lu Mingxiao's old clothes, wagging its tail contentedly, listening to the sounds outside the door.
The New Year is just around the corner, and there are always some children setting off firecrackers in the alley. A few minutes later, Tiger quietly dragged the dog bowl into the doghouse as well.
Li Qing came to feed Hu Zi dog food. After searching for a while, she finally found the pills that Hu Zi had hidden under his belly. She took out the food bowl and poured a full bowl for Hu Zi. The bag was covered in English, indicating that it was foreign dog food that Jiang Xiaobao had bought.
She also opened two cans for Tiger. Tiger had a good eating habit. When its owner didn't let it eat, it would sit upright on the snow, wiggling its fat bottom, and only pounce on its food when Li Qing gave the order.
"It's almost Chinese New Year, so I'll treat you to something nicer." Li Qing clapped her hands, stood up, brushed off the thin layer of snow that had settled on her clothes, and then went inside. As she pushed open the door, she muttered to Lu Chuan, "Brother Chuan, the other day Da Bao said he was going to give his friend a birthday present, so I went to see Li Rui's third uncle. His room was full of beautiful wood carvings. Some people these days just don't know what they're good for... I wonder if Da Bao's friend will like the present."
“That’s a mahogany carving.” Lu Chuan was sitting at the table making dumplings when he saw Li Qing go out to feed the dogs wearing only a sweater. Her nose was red from the cold. He quickly wiped the flour off his hands and draped a blanket over Li Qing: “Sit down and rest. You went out dressed so lightly.”
Li Qing, wrapped in a blanket, couldn't stop making dumpling wrappers: "That's right, the raw materials weren't cheap. Third Uncle said he only wanted the cost of the raw materials, but Da Bao disagreed and asked him to give him 20% off the normal price. The old man and the young man argued for a long time over the phone before the old man finally accepted the money..."
Li Qing held up five fingers and gestured: "This amount... But Da Bao has become a bit like a young master, he didn't even blink before transferring the money to his third uncle."
She then sighed with a touch of melancholy: "That brat is living a good life now, these past years have really been..."
Lu Chuan also felt a little lost, but he was still thinking about another child: "Xiao Bao, Qing Qing, I'm actually a little worried about this child. He's spending the New Year over there this year. That old man from the Jiang family isn't easy to get along with. I'm afraid the child will be made things difficult."
"He wouldn't dare!" Li Qing slammed her hand on the table. "I don't know what this old man is thinking. He's the child I've loved for sixteen years. If he dares to bully my child, I won't let him get away with it..."
Realizing she couldn't go herself, she changed the subject: "Da Bao won't let him get away with this!"
Lu Chuan thought about it and felt that his wife's words made perfect sense.
Outside, Tiger suddenly started barking loudly, his chain jingling. Tiger was a well-behaved guard dog; he wouldn't bark at passersby unless someone approached the gate and was someone he didn't know.
It was already quite late, and Li Qing was somewhat alert. But a moment later, the barking stopped, and the door creaked open.
Li Qing hurriedly wrapped herself in a blanket and went out to see what was going on.
The door opened, and Tiger's tail wagged like a propeller because of the familiar scent, yet it also became somewhat wary because of the unfamiliar smell.
Amidst the swirling, light snow, two boys entered the large iron gate one after the other. The one in front was truly resistant to the cold, as the zipper of his long black down jacket was left undone, revealing a thick white sweater and jeans underneath, along with brown Doc Martens. The one behind was the complete opposite, wearing a short white down jacket, his scarf and hat pulled up tightly, leaving only his eyes showing.
Both of them were carrying things. When Lu Mingxiao saw Li Qing, a bright smile immediately appeared in his eyes: "Mom!"
For a moment, Li Qing thought she was dreaming.
Although she always "complained" about Lu Mingxiao's mischievousness, the house was strangely quiet without such a troublemaker. In the past six months, she had long been used to the two boys appearing in every corner of the house. When the two children suddenly went back to the south for vacation, she felt empty inside.
But when she thought of Jiang Lan's eager anticipation to see the children, she had to pretend to be indifferent, rarely even making video calls to the two children. She thought the New Year would pass by quietly, but unexpectedly...
"Lu Dabao!" Li Qing rushed forward and grabbed Jiang Huaiyu's hand: "Xiaobao, why aren't you wearing gloves while carrying these things? Your hands will freeze..."
"It's alright, Mom..." Jiang Huaiyu's eyes were the only part of his face visible, and a layer of frost had settled on his long eyelashes. He blinked and turned to gesture for Li Qing to look behind him: "We still have guests this year."
Li Qing looked back...
They saw Song Jingliang and Jiang Lan, who were also covered up except for their eyes.
"It's so cold here." In the warm indoor space, Jiang Lan was finally able to take off her thick down jacket. The couple sat on the sofa, each with a cup of warm honey water. She looked up and smiled gently and elegantly: "Thank you, Sister Qing. We're sorry to have bothered you by coming here so abruptly."
Oh my god...
Li Qing thought to herself, how could there be such a beautiful person? She looks like she's made of sugar water, so sweet and fresh. Children always resemble their parents, and Xiao Bao is really well raised.
"I'm so happy, how could I feel like I'm bothering you..." Li Qing quickly handed her another electric hand warmer: "But you guys, you came all this way, why did you bring so much stuff..."
...
While the adults were excitedly exchanging pleasantries, Lu Mingxiao had already pounced on his bed.
"Ah!" he sighed comfortably. "It's still the most comfortable bed to lie on."
Jiang Huaiyu also sat on her bed, where the sheets and blankets had been changed and smelled faintly of laundry detergent.
The scent of home is more comforting than any big-name aromatherapy.
Just as he was touching the blanket and feeling sentimental, Lu Mingxiao suddenly poked his head out from the hole in the wall, leaned over and rested his chin on Jiang Huaiyu's desk, and asked, "Can we tear this wall down?"
Jiang Huaiyu asked knowingly, "Why?"
“I want to use the air conditioning too!” Lu Mingxiao argued. “Jiang Xiaobao, you can’t take away my right to use the air conditioning.”
Jiang Huaiyu smiled smugly: "Unfortunately, I can tell you that I can."
Lu Mingxiao gritted his teeth inwardly: "Jiang Xiaoyu..."
A knock on the door interrupted the argument about the air conditioner.
Lu Chuan said with a smile from outside, "We were just preparing food for the New Year. The food is all ready and will be served soon. You two, come out and eat."
Lu Mingxiao had no choice but to temporarily back down and go out to eat with Jiang Huaiyu.
"I fried some things to eat for the New Year and also boiled some dumplings. It's so late, everyone can just have a little something." Li Qing said casually, but her hands kept carrying things out of the kitchen, as if she wanted to celebrate the New Year early.
Lu Mingxiao was about to remind Li Qing that Jiang Lan wouldn't eat such greasy food at night; she always paid close attention to maintaining her figure...
Before he could even speak, Jiang Lan had already picked up a fried meatball with her slender fingertips and stuffed it into her mouth, looking at Li Qing with an admiring expression: "Sister Qing, this meatball is so delicious! You're such a good cook."
Li Qing was immediately possessed by the spirit of "King You of Zhou," wishing she could dig out all the frozen goods from the snow outside and offer them to Jiang Lan, just to win a smile from the beauty.
Lu Chuan and Song Jingliang, who had been pushed aside, exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with doting smiles. Lu Mingxiao and Jiang Huaiyu also sat to the side, watching the two mothers getting along so harmoniously with smiles on their faces.
The late-night snack was plentiful and lively. Jiang Lan had a small appetite, only eating a bite or two of each item, which made Li Qing frown: "Now I know who Xiao Bao's cat-like appetite came from when he first came back. If you stay here for half a year, I guarantee I'll fatten you up."
Jiang Lan looked at her in surprise: "But Sister Qing, you have a big appetite, yet you don't seem that fat."
“This is all firm flesh.” Li Qing stretched out her arm: “Feel it, it’s all muscle.”
Jiang Lan's eyes sparkled.
Song Jingliang: ...
Honey, you haven't touched my biceps in ages.
After dinner, Li Qing put on the dress that Jiang Lan had given her.
To make it easier to work, she had a neat short haircut, and the red dress on her strong and healthy body exuded a vibrant vitality, like a red plum blossom that still blooms tenaciously in the wind and snow.
Li Qing has many dresses, most of which were bought for her by Lu Chuan. She rarely wears dresses, but Lu Chuan said that she could choose not to wear them, but she shouldn't be without them. And at this moment, this new dress has an extraordinary meaning.
She wore the vibrant red of the Lunar New Year, and in the new year, she had a new family.
Jiang Huaiyu rested her chin on her hand, gazing tenderly at Li Qing, who was smiling shyly.
“Mom is so beautiful,” he said to Lu Mingxiao.
"Of course..." Lu Mingxiao's eyes were full of pride: "That's our mom!"
...
Long-lost best friends finally entered the master bedroom hand in hand, while half-brothers occupied the second bedroom, leaving the two men looking at each other in bewilderment.
Lu Chuan smiled sheepishly: "There aren't many rooms in the house, Brother Song, let's make a makeshift bed on the floor in the living room. There's an old mattress, but it's clean. We have underfloor heating and electric blankets, so it won't be cold."
Song Jingliang quickly nodded politely: "What are you saying? We've been too forward in disturbing you. Where are your things? I'll help you set them up."
In the middle of the night, Lu Mingxiao went to the bathroom in a daze. He had only taken two steps when he stepped on something and a muffled groan came from the darkness.
"Lu Dabao..." Song Jingliang muttered in a low voice, "Are you trying to crush me to inherit the family fortune?"
Lu Mingxiao quickly stepped back: "Sorry, Dad, I forgot there were two people sleeping in the living room."
He was still half asleep and muttered under his breath, "Inheriting the family fortune is secondary; the main thing is to inherit your cabbage..."
Song Jingliang: "Huh? What did you say, cabbage?"
Lu Mingxiao: "...Nothing, I was just talking nonsense."
"Go to the toilet quickly." Song Jingliang wrapped the blanket tighter: "It's a good thing I'm sleeping on this side. If it were your father, Lu Chuan, you would have seriously injured him by stepping on his feet."
Lu Mingxiao: ...
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