CHAPTER 296: 296. HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR

The long-separated relatives gathered together, chatting and reminiscing, with the gathering lasting from two in the afternoon until the night lights were on.

When it was time to disperse, aside from Lianshan, who abstained from drinking under the pretense of avoiding alcohol, and the two bodyguards, who prioritized the safety of their leader and didn’t drink a drop,

The remaining men appeared unsteady on their feet, heavily intoxicated.

It was still Lianshan who drove the Good Taste box van, making three trips back and forth to send all these drunkards home.

And that doesn’t include Old Yang and Feng Ju, who were half-carried and half-supported back by Lian En and Chenchen.

Exhausted and panting, the two brothers returned, with Chenchen shrugging, "Oh my, drunkards are really terrifying! Look at Grandpa Yang, usually so sharp and decisive as a major factory director, but after a few sips, he was so overwhelmed with emotion that he was crying and laughing. And Mr. Feng Ju, usually so refined and elegant, almost like a celestial being. Look at how they reveal their true forms after drinking too much..."

"Lian Chen! Disrespecting our elders, what happened to your manners?" Lian En frowned, looking disapprovingly at his younger brother.

Being called by his full name, Chenchen realized his older brother was angry.

Not wanting to get caught and lectured by his rule-abiding and a bit dogmatic brother, Chenchen quickly lowered his head obediently, "Hehe, big brother, I meant no harm. I just wanted to say that excessive drinking can lead to trouble and loss of composure. In the future, I should take this as a lesson and become a healthy person like our dad, who stays away from smoking and drinking!"

"But that also..."

"Yes, yes, but that also doesn’t work. Disrespecting elders is impolite and uncultured, and I promise I won’t dare to do it again next time!" Seeing his brother frowning and looking like he was about to give a lengthy lecture,

Chenchen quickly raised his hand as if promising, making repeated guarantees.

Without waiting for Lian En to respond, he swiftly joined the others in cleaning up the scene.

He’d rather scrub a large tub of greasy dishes and dirty bowls, which he usually wouldn’t want to touch, than be lectured by his brother with a stern face for hours!

Lian En, seeing his brother looking as if he wanted to escape at the slightest provocation, couldn’t help but chuckle and hurriedly rolled up his sleeves to help out.

By the time Lianshan returned after sending the drunkards home, the children had already tidied up most of the mess.

Seeing this, the understanding kids naturally received a round of high praise from their dad.

All the clichés about continuing to strive and keep up the good work were repeated over and over.

The kids couldn’t help but roll their eyes collectively: Well, in their dad’s eyes, a good child is one who doesn’t worry mom, doesn’t add to mom’s troubles, and helps relieve mom’s burdens, right?

All the stuff about being an excellent student or having special talents is just extra!

Otherwise, among all these academic stars in the house, why does dad praise Lian Xi, the academic underachiever, the most?

Isn’t it because that kid is clever and fawning?

Right in front of dad, proudly, he listed all the things he helped mom with, over and over?

After the busy day of hosting, the next day arrived as the twenty-sixth.

Originally, Lian Hai and Lian Yue said that after receiving so much care from Uncle Wu in Beijing over the past four years, they should give the old man a lively dinner at their own place.

But the old man, who finally woke up from a hangover, joked that he intended to stay until after the fifteenth of the new year, so there were plenty of opportunities for invitations, no need to cram everything in before the new year.

He easily postponed the siblings and Liu Shouyi, who were next in line, until after the new year.

At home, they followed the routine: on the twenty-sixth, cook pork; on the twenty-seventh, kill a rooster; on the twenty-eighth, make dough rise; on the twenty-ninth, render lard; on the thirtieth, cook rice and stewed small fish as per the old tradition.

The family diligently prepared step by step, aiming to make this rare new year as prosperous and fulfilling as possible.

After all, after this year, he may not have the time next year, right?

Well, he didn’t know that his good son-in-law, seeing him so happy, had already decided that the whole family would spend every future new year together.

If the old man didn’t have time, they would take the kids and go.

They could go on the twenty-eighth or twenty-ninth and return in a few days.

It’s better than leaving the old man alone, feeling envious of other families celebrating together amidst the festive lights, isn’t it?

Originally concerned that the families of the younger brother-in-law and younger sister-in-law, who had just returned, wouldn’t have everything they needed.

Shuzhen thought they might as well all come to her place to celebrate the new year, but Lian Yue, who usually was carefree, waved her hands repeatedly and solemnly said, "That won’t do. The old saying goes, attending your maiden home’s festivities, and you’ll bring misfortune. It means that spending the new year at your maiden home isn’t good and brings bad luck."

"Hey, I didn’t realize, Xiao Yue, that you have such old-fashioned thoughts." Shuzhen stared, "Aren’t you a modern university student? How can you be so superstitious! It’s okay, Saozi doesn’t mind. Come on, it’s livelier with more people!"

"No, even if you don’t mind, I mind! The maiden home is the greatest support for a daughter. Saozi, you and my brother must be good and thriving, like sesame blossoms rising steadily. That way, I will have the confidence, and my husband won’t dare to bully me!" Lian Yue waved her hands, using a serious tone for her teasing words.

Listening to this, Ning Jianshe rubbed his forehead, "Wife, you really shouldn’t wrong people like this, should you? You’ve given our Ning family three grandsons. You’re a proper contributor! I offer three sticks of incense morning and night, thanking my father-in-law and mother-in-law for giving me such a lovely wife. How could I bully you!"

While Lian Yue was firmly refusing, Lian Hai’s family was particularly delighted.

They brought the newly purchased chicken, duck, fish, seafood, vegetables, and clothes for the big brother’s family and merrily headed over.

The two families totaled thirteen people, plus Feng Ju and Old Yang.

Fifteen people were enough to form three tables of mahjong; it was genuinely lively!

Lianshan, Lian Hai, Shuzhen, Qiu Fang, and Jiajia took the helm in the kitchen, taking on the responsibility of cooking.

Feng Ju wrote couplets, and Lian En painted New Year pictures.

Old Yang led the kids to stick the artworks of the two artists on the walls, door frames, storerooms, chicken coops, wells, and gates.

Hearing that they’d started painting and writing couplets, Liu Shouren, Liu Shouyi, and Lian Yue, who were originally saving a couplet as a friendly gift from Chenchen, instantly felt their offerings lacked prestige.

Lian En, who was better prepared, was okay, but Feng Ju, caught off guard, was very busy.

The places requiring couplets were numerous: the main door, the house door, the storeroom door.

Even the chicken coop needed a ’Golden Rooster Perches,’ and the pigsty had ’Fat Pigs Fill the Pen,’ with a ’Safe Travels’ pasted on the bicycle’s crossbeam.

And the ’福’ character needed to be pasted everywhere!

With fingers aching, Feng Ju couldn’t help but roar: Even if my writing isn’t as renowned as my paintings, you can’t just paste it everywhere as if it’s a dime a dozen, can you?

The most annoying thing was that Old Yang pasted it on their room door but then took it down, steadfastly claiming that Feng Ju, also known as Mr. Wu Tong, his works did not look as festive and grand as a two-cent red-gold lettered couplet gifted by his student!