"Uncle, let's take him to the clinic first."
Xu Ruantang blinked. She was already in this state; she couldn't afford to faint again.
My aunt spent three days on IV drips at the clinic, and she looked completely listless. The doctor told her she could only drink porridge, and she went straight to sleep when she got home.
There was simply no energy left to nitpick at anyone else.
Ye Tianyou called, but his aunt was grumbling and wouldn't speak properly, so in the end, his uncle answered the phone.
They said there was a temporary delay at work and they wouldn't be back until the second day of the Lunar New Year.
My aunt was overcome with grief and stayed at home crying, feeling utterly miserable.
No one paid any attention to her. Even Ye Tianyou only exchanged a few words of greeting before hurriedly hanging up the phone.
On New Year's Eve, Xu Ruantang returned to the Chen family home with Chen Ji.
It was the old lady who instructed that the family should stay together for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve.
Xu Ruantang originally wanted to pick up Xiaobao, but when she arrived, she found out that Xiaobao had gone back to his hometown with Gao Baoliang.
In Gao Baoliang's hometown, there is a custom of visiting graves before New Year's Eve, especially new graves.
Xiao Ying was heavily pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to go back with the baby, so Gao Baoliang went back alone with the child.
Xu Ruantang hadn't seen such a lively scene in many years. Red lanterns hung high in front of every household, and children in new clothes ran around in the yard with heartfelt smiles on their faces.
"When I was a child, the first day of the Lunar New Year was the one I looked forward to the most."
Xu Ruantang looked up at Chen Ji and smiled, "Because I can wear new clothes."
She likes the Chinese New Year, but she doesn't like the time before the New Year.
Because of the holiday before the Lunar New Year, there's always a lot of chores to do at home.
I need to wash lots and lots of clothes, clean the house, scrub every corner, and make lots and lots of steamed buns and dumplings.
My mother did all these chores.
She would always join in, spending an entire afternoon making dumplings in the small, cramped kitchen, until her hands ached terribly.
Usually at times like this, my younger brother is outside playing, showing off his new toys to his friends, or watching TV at home.
The mother and father agreed, but expressed it differently.
The father said matter-of-factly, "Boys don't go into the kitchen."
The mother put it more gently: "Boys aren't careful, Ruan Ruan, you wrap them much better!"
Xu Ruantang believed it when she was a child.
When I grew up, I realized that this was favoritism.
We're all human, we all started from scratch and learned step by step, so why should she be able to do everything?
What she cares about is not who does more, but the "lack of love" hidden behind this favoritism.
No matter how old she gets, she can't let go of it.
Xu Ruantang's hands were in Chen Ji's pockets. Chen Ji could clearly see the sting in her eyes. He squeezed her hand and asked in a gentle voice, "And now?"
Knowing she couldn't let it go, Chen Ji wouldn't try to persuade her to be more magnanimous, or tell her that everyone is like that.
“Now,” Xu Ruantang’s eyes curved slightly, “I’m happy even without new clothes.”
Because someone loves her.
And she loves herself the most.
In less than a year, she found a lover, a family, and friends—isn't that a kind of good fortune?
"Ruan Tang!"
Someone patted Xu Ruantang on the shoulder from behind.
She turned around and saw Li Shuhe holding a bunch of firecrackers, smiling at them.
Li Shuhe was followed by Li Shuyang, who was dragging a large suitcase.
"Let's go set off firecrackers!"
Without a word, Li Shuhe shoved everything in her arms into Chen Ji's hands, then turned and took Xu Ruantang's arm, saying affectionately, "My dad also bought fireworks and wishing lanterns, let's set them off tonight!"
The fireworks were for Li Shuhe's wedding, but she secretly instructed Li Shuyang to steal them while her parents were away.
Beijing has a tradition of staying up all night on New Year's Eve.
When Xu Ruantang and Chen Ji came out after they finished eating, the old lady called out to them, "Ruantang, Ji'er, go to sleep after midnight, stay up a little longer!"
She looked up at Chen Ji, her eyes filled with excitement.
Chen Ji smiled and said, "I'll go get the car."
Xu Ruantang didn't want to go home at all. If she went back, her aunt would start her performance again, and even the sound of the TV couldn't drown out her whining.
Since we're welcoming the New Year, we should do it in our best condition.
Later, all five of them went out together.
Chen Ji was driving, Xu Ruantang was sitting in the passenger seat, and three other people were squeezed in the back.
In addition to the two siblings from the Li family, there is now Xu Hanli.
"Do you have eyes in the back of your head?"
The military jeep swayed back and forth, making Li Shuhe's buttocks ache. She frowned and looked at Xu Hanli, saying irritably.
Xu Hanli wasn't annoyed, and chuckled, "Of course, my nickname is Eight Eyes."
Xu Hanli was annoyed by his parents' cuddling at home, so he went out for a stroll.
In the darkness, two shadowy figures lurked about.
On instinct, Xu Hanli followed.
It wasn't until they reached the Chen family's door that they could see who the two people were.
"You've become bolder now that you're getting married!"
Xu Hanli, across Li Shuyang, reached out and gave Li Shuhe a flick on the forehead.
His tone was as irreverent as ever, instantly triggering Li Shuhe's memories.
Without comparison, there is no harm. The reason why Li Shuhe thought Chen Zheng and Chen Gang were gentle when she was a child was because of Chen Ji and Xu Hanli.
Chen Ji was indifferent.
Xu Hanli was strange and unpredictable, always bullying her and making her feel awkward, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Li Shuhe covered her head and shouted, "Xu Hanli! How old are you? How can you still be so childish! Do you think you can hit my head?"
As she spoke, disregarding the fact that the car was moving, she reached past Li Shuyang, grabbed Xu Hanli's ear, and tore at it forcefully.
In an instant, shouts and curses erupted from the back seat of the car.
Interspersed among them were Li Shuyang's weak attempts to reconcile them.
In this atmosphere, Chen Ji drove steadily, and took a moment to touch Xu Ruantang's hand, saying softly, "Wife, I have your gloves in my pocket. Take them out and put them on, it will be cold when we get there."
"good."
Xu Ruantang obediently rummaged through his pockets, and after finding the gloves, she reached down to check them further.
Chen Ji's pocket wasn't very big, and there seemed to be something hard inside.
"Honey, I'm driving."
Just as she was about to take it out, Chen Ji chuckled softly and said something seemingly out of the blue.
Xu Ruantang awkwardly withdrew her hand, "You're overthinking it, I didn't mean to touch you."
This interruption made Xu Ruantang quickly forget about what it was.
The jeep drove to a riverbank; the surroundings were vast and empty, but not quiet.
The sound of firecrackers could be heard from time to time.
As soon as they got out of the car, dazzling fireworks exploded in the sky, instantly illuminating the night.
Meanwhile, the sparkling river reflected the fireworks.
Li Shuhe pulled Xu Ruantang forward a couple of steps, pointed at the exploding fireworks, and said proudly, "Ruantang, theirs aren't as pretty as the ones my dad bought!"
“They’re all made in the factory, but your dad’s is the most special one.”
Xu Hanli, tall and long-legged, leaned lazily against the car, a blade of grass of unknown origin dangling from his mouth, his tone full of disdain.
The sky was illuminated, making the injuries on his face particularly noticeable.
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