eurekapd Chapter 318 The First New Year After Moving
Chapter 318 The First New Year After Moving
Chapter 318 The First New Year After Moving
New Year's Eve.
For Huang Ling's family, this year they finally didn't have to show up at the Zhuang family's house for the Spring Festival. In the past, going to the Zhuang family's house would always subject them to those people's sarcastic remarks. Zhuang Chaoying no longer had to take his wife and children to listen to those unpleasant words. Being able to spend the Spring Festival in their own warm little home was truly the most comfortable thing ever.
The two families had already agreed that this would be their first New Year after moving, and they would have a lively New Year's Eve dinner together.
The courtyard was bustling with activity early in the morning.
Pasting couplets on doors is Lin Dongzhe's favorite thing to do, and this year is no exception.
He stood on a small stool, holding bright red couplets in his hand. Xiaoting carried the paste and assisted him from the side, occasionally offering reminders. "Dongzhe, stick them straight. If they're a little crooked, move them to the right a bit."
Zhuang Chaoying sat in the courtyard, the sun shining warmly on her body.
For the old residents of Suzhou, winter was spent basking in the sun during the day and relying on their inner strength indoors. They would either wrap a hot water bottle in their hands or use a foot warmer filled with coal ash from a traditional earthen stove.
At that moment, he was holding a fish-scaling tool he had made from a beer bottle cap and was cleaning the carp.
Tu Nan was washing vegetables by a basin of water.
Pengfei sat on a small stool, deveining shrimp, while Xiaoting helped out in the kitchen. Everyone was busy preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Huang Ling pushed open the kitchen window. "Chao Ying, take some meat out of the refrigerator and let it thaw. Make more glutinous rice balls and a sticky rice ball too."
Zhuang Chaoying looked up. "Ah Ling, isn't this too much? It's fine to just make the glutinous rice balls as you eat them."
Huang Ling pretended to glare at him. "Pack up a lot and freeze them. You can take them out and cook them whenever you want to eat them."
Tu Nan placed the washed vegetables on the kitchen cutting board and poked his head out of the window.
"Dad, have you forgotten what you said before? Listen to Mom and everything will go smoothly, you'll make a fortune! Mom's the commander-in-chief in our family; wherever she points, we go. Listening to Mom is always the right thing to do. Mom's happy~~~"
Before she could finish speaking, everyone else chimed in unison, their eyes all turning to Huang Ling, and they laughed in unison, “The whole family is happy, haha.”
Huang Ling couldn't stop laughing as she watched Chao Ying lead the three big, mischievous monkeys to tease her.
"You guys, I think I should learn from your Aunt Song. Zhuang Tunan, Xiaoting, Pengfei, are you asking for a beating?"
Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open, and Song Ying walked in carrying a small basin of minced meat, followed by Lin Wufeng carrying a basin of steamed pork with rice flour. Lin Dongzhe carried a plate of smoked fish in one hand and a plate of braised duck in the other.
Song Ying teased with a smile, "Sister Ling, who's itching for a beating? Do you need my help?"
Pengfei and Xiaoting quickly shook their heads, and Xiaoting said with a grin, "Aunt Song, my mom is just teasing us. Nobody's asking for a beating."
Song Ying pushed open the door and put the minced meat in the kitchen. The two of them then put the cooked dishes on the table in the living room.
At this moment, Xiaoting was kneading glutinous rice dough. In no time, the dough became smooth and delicate. She put the finished dough on the table, ready to wrap glutinous rice balls.
Huang Ling was busy in the kitchen, having already prepared stir-fried shrimp, bean sprouts, celery, and braised pork hock. She was just one more dish to make: braised fish. The New Year's Eve dinner would be all ready.
Zhuang Chaoying placed the cleaned fish in the kitchen, skillfully tied on her apron, and carefully lowered the fish into the oil pan. With a sizzle, oil splattered everywhere, and the fish gradually turned golden brown on both sides in the oil.
Zhuang Chaoying added other seasonings, poured in beer, covered the pot, and waited patiently.
As Huang Ling watched Chao Ying cook with such focus, her mouth involuntarily stretched into a wide grin, and she felt a surge of happiness.
Did I do something incredibly good to make such a wonderful person my superhero? Maybe it was destiny.
Zhuang Chaoying was chopping scallions when she glanced up and saw Ah Ling grinning at her. A smile crept onto her lips. "Ah Ling, Ah Ling."
Huang Ling heard Chao Ying call her name, but her lips seemed to be curving into a smile as she looked at him. "Chao Ying, how can you be so kind?"
Zhuang Chaoying wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand; the stove fire in the kitchen made him feel quite hot.
He narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at Ah Ling. "Am I alright? Ah Ling, do you think I'm alright?"
Huang Ling nodded vigorously without hesitation. "You're really good."
Zhuang Chaoying's lips curled into a smile. "As long as A-Ling thinks I'm good, then I'm truly good. A-Ling, you're good too." A happy smile appeared on her face.
The two looked at each other and smiled. The kitchen was hot, but their hearts burned even hotter than the fire.
Meanwhile, the others sat in the house, eyes glued to the television screen, kneading glutinous rice balls in their hands, unaware of the sweet, invisible pink bubble quietly rising in the kitchen.
"Ring ring ring!"
Pengfei, who was sitting closest to the phone, quickly got up, clapped the noodles in his hands, and answered the phone.
"Hello, who are you looking for?"
Upon hearing her son's voice on the other end of the phone, Hua Lin's eyes instantly reddened, her nose tingled, and tears welled up uncontrollably in her eyes.
She quickly covered her mouth, took two deep breaths, and tried to make her voice sound steady. "Pengfei."
"mom!"
"Hey, it's me, Pengfei. Today is the Spring Festival, so help your uncle and aunt with some chores."
"Mom, I know. Today is Lunar New Year's Eve. You and Dad should cook something nice too."
Hua Lin held the microphone and nodded vigorously, even though Peng Fei couldn't see her. "Mom knows, where are your eldest uncle and aunt?"
“My uncle and aunt are making New Year’s Eve dinner. I’ll let my aunt answer the phone.” Pengfei said, then gently placed the phone on the table and ran to the kitchen. “Aunt, my mom is calling.”
Huang Ling immediately put down the kitchen knife in her hand, quickly wiped her hands with her apron, and hurried to the living room to answer the phone.
"Hua Lin, how are things between you and Xiang Dong?"
Xiang Dong stood beside her, took the phone, smiled, said a few words, and then handed it back to Hua Lin. "Happy New Year, sister-in-law! How have you and brother been doing lately?"
Huang Ling responded with a smile, "Okay, that's good."
Hua Lin answered the phone, her voice choked with emotion. "Pengfei is in your and my brother's hands now. I especially want to thank my sister-in-law for taking care of him. Pengfei is a naughty child, but you can treat him like your own. You can scold or beat him however you want. I know my sister-in-law and brother are genuinely good to us."
Huang Ling nodded, a sense of感慨 (gan3kai3, a complex emotion encompassing both emotion and reflection). As women, not all girls have a family to rely on or a way out.
Looking at her sister-in-law Hualin, she felt very sorry for her. Zhuang Chaoying only had this one sister, so she wanted to help her as much as she could.
Huang Ling patiently comforted Hua Lin, telling her not to worry.
"Hua Lin, don't worry, Peng Fei is a sensible child, and his studies are much better now."
"Sister-in-law, Xiangdong and I can't go back. I've mailed you some local specialties from your province. They should arrive after the New Year. Phone calls are quite expensive, so Xiangdong and I will go back to see you after Pengfei finishes his college entrance exam."
After saying that, Hualin reluctantly hung up the phone.
Hua Lin hadn't seen Peng Fei for a year and a half, and he missed Peng Fei.
But she knew her son was doing well with his older brother and sister-in-law. She and Xiangdong were working hard to save money far away so that they could give their sister-in-law more money for Pengfei's living expenses.
She will always remember the kindness of entrusting her child to her elder brother and sister-in-law, and will prove with her actions that she is different from her parents.
Pengfei also told her about what had happened to his parents and older brother's family. Remembering the days when she was a child and didn't even have a bed at home and could only sleep at the dining table, she knew all too well what kind of people her parents were.
They always try to instill their own ideas in people, hoping that the eldest brother's family will unconditionally help the Ganmei family. In reality, she was also happy for her eldest brother and sister-in-law, who could get rid of that family of bloodsuckers.
She felt that this was all there was to her life, but as long as Pengfei could leave the mountains and get into university, she would be willing to endure any hardship.
Xiang Dong gently put his arm around her shoulder. "Our son is studying now. My sister-in-law also said he's doing quite well in his studies and will definitely get into university. Let's go home."
Hua Lin responded softly, raising her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes. "Let's go home."