"Ugh..." Jiang Shaoqing looked at his master's actions with confusion.
"Senior Brother, why do I feel like those snacks are not meant for us?"
Bai Yuchen smiled coldly, "Did you get to eat any of the snacks my parents brought back the day before yesterday?"
Jiang Shaoqing looked up at him unhappily, "No, I thought you hid them. I was thinking, why are you so stingy? It's just a few snacks, and you hid them from me."
Bai Yuchen: "..."
A huge pot fell from the sky.
He shook his leg, his smile carrying a hint of wickedness, "Kid, you've been with me for three months. Do I seem like that kind of person? The snacks were all hidden by that old man."
Jiang Shaoqing: "..."
He suddenly widened his eyes, licking his lips with craving.
"My spicy dried fish, my fried chicken, and my sour plum cakes, am I not going to get to eat any of them?"
Bai Yuchen nodded with a smile, "Don't even think about it. This old man, he doesn't love anything else but outside snacks. If not, just wait, there'll be a good show tonight."
He could see the old man's little schemes.
Jiang Shaoqing's face completely fell. The snacks he had been waiting for for three months were gone just like that.
He rummaged through the things on the stone table, and suddenly the two of them smelled fried chicken.
One big and one small, they stared at each other with wide eyes.
Bai Yuchen was stunned, "Fried chicken!"
Jiang Shaoqing nodded in surprise, thinking his dad was brilliant for putting the fried chicken aside separately.
The two each took one and picked them up to eat.
However, before their mouths even touched the chicken, they saw their master run out from inside, "What smells so good? Did I miss something?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Shaoqing and Bai Yuchen, clutching their fried chicken, turned and fled.
"Hey, hey, hey, you two brats, you have good food and don't show filial piety to your master."
The Daoist chased them out, while Jiang Shaoqing and Bai Yuchen ran up the mountain with the fried chicken.
Seeing that it was an uphill climb, the Daoist reluctantly waved his hand. An uphill climb was out of the question; it would take his old life.
It seemed too inglorious to be exhausted to death for two pieces of fried chicken. Dying so unsightly.
"Brat, you'd better not come back..." the Daoist cursed with his hands on his hips, then turned back.
Bai Yuchen and Jiang Shaoqing stopped, panting.
Jiang Shaoqing plopped down in the snow, still trembling with fear. He almost couldn't eat his favorite fried chicken. The old man had no affection.
"Damn it, it's tiring just to eat some fried chicken," Jiang Shaoqing couldn't help but curse.
Bai Yuchen also sat down beside him with a smile, glancing at the fried chicken in his hand, "It smells so good. I haven't eaten this stuff in a year."
Jiang Shaoqing instantly felt that his senior brother was even more miserable than him.
"Eat up, Senior Brother. This is famous fried chicken. It's still delicious even when cold." Jiang Shaoqing tore off a chicken leg and ate it, missing the taste so much.
As long as he ate it and didn't get a nosebleed, he wouldn't fear anyone, not even the Emperor of Heaven.
He didn't know if his fainting-at-the-sight-of-blood problem could be cured in the future.
"Mmm! Delicious. Tomorrow, if there's nothing else, let's catch some wild game, or buy a sheep from down the mountain and make a whole roasted lamb."
Besides craving good food, they had no other hopes.
Jiang Shaoqing thought for a moment, he still had a small treasury, and heartily agreed with his senior brother's suggestion, "Senior Brother, then let's be a bit ostentatious and get a whole roasted lamb. It's almost Chinese New Year, let's satisfy our cravings."
Bai Yuchen had long been tempted by the thought of a whole roasted lamb. He nodded with a smile, "We'll go first thing tomorrow morning."
Jiang Shaoqing smiled happily. Although the days in the mountains were thrilling, they were also very relaxed and laid-back.
...
Mu Jiuchen and Jiang Nuan stayed in Modu for two days with their two children, accompanying Grandpa and the Lu family couple for two days before the family of four returned to Jinshi.
Jiang Nuan originally wanted to spend the Chinese New Year with her parents, but He Junshu would be returning to the country after the New Year.
Her nationality was in Qiguo, and she couldn't stay here forever.
Jiang Nuan could only spend more time with her parents, returning on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month to spend it with them. Next year, she would spend Chinese New Year at the Lu family's.
The Lu couple had also heard about He Junshu's situation and were quite supportive of Jiang Nuan, believing that her actions were right and that they would have many opportunities to gather in the future.
When they left, Jiang Nuan happily received New Year's money from her parents and grandfather.
The two little ones also received New Year's money and were overjoyed.
Even Mu Jiuchen received early New Year's money from Lu Sicheng and his wife.
Jiang Nuan's lips were curved upwards the entire way.
Although Chinese New Year had not yet arrived, she could already feel the festive atmosphere.
Mu Jiuchen watched as the two little ones fell asleep.
He looked at his refreshed wife beside him, saw her happy expression, and couldn't help but ask, "Wife, are you this happy?"
"Happy! Don't you feel happy when you receive New Year's money?" Jiang Nuan leaned into his embrace with a smile, as happy as a child.
Mu Jiuchen lowered his gaze and kissed her forehead.
"On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I'll give you New Year's money too," his gentle voice sounded in her ear, making Jiang Nuan's smile even sweeter.
The two held hands, exchanged a smile, and looked at each other.
...
Nothing eventful happened until New Year's Eve. The peace was so profound it was as if everyone had forgotten all the unpleasantness from before.
Everyone was busy with New Year's preparations, and no one wanted to cause trouble at such a time.
Jiang Nuan's wellness center had given everyone holiday leave on the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month so they could go home and rest.
After working all year, it was good for them to have a few days to rest. Jiang Nuan let them off early and also gave everyone a New Year's red envelope.
Lu Jinyan left on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month. Jiang Nuan prepared some gifts for him to take back to his family.
And on the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Zhenting and Li Yanheng also rushed back.
Mu Jiuchen also had a reunion dinner.
Mu Jiuchen went to pick up his grandfather, but his grandfather didn't come over this year. He was spending the reunion dinner with Mu Yunxiao and Mu Sichen. This year was the first time Mu Jiuchen and his grandfather spent Chinese New Year apart. Mu Jiuchen felt a bit lost but understood his grandfather's intention, which was to give him a reunion dinner of his own.
The New Year's Eve dinner was made by Jiang Nuan and He Junshu together. They made dumplings and brewed health soup. The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law started busy from two in the afternoon, and by six in the afternoon, they had prepared ten dishes.
Perfect ten, joyous family, auspicious and festive.
As the dishes were served, Mu Jiuchen took his son and daughter out to set off firecrackers.
As the firecrackers sounded, the atmosphere was full of the New Year's spirit.
The nearby villas were all setting off firecrackers, and the festive atmosphere made everyone feel incredibly good.
Mu Jiuchen looked at his happy children and pulled them home.
"Let's go, babies, we're going home to eat."
"Daddy, this is the happiest New Year I've had," Jiang Siyun said with a smile, her front tooth missing, not yet grown out.
Mu Jiuchen lowered his gaze, looking at his son and daughter, "This is also a very happy year for Daddy." Mu Jiuchen also smiled more when he was happy.
As the two little ones and one adult went inside, they didn't notice a woman sitting in a car not far away, looking at Mu Jiuchen's retreating back with hatred.