Chapter 138 - 135: New Year’s Eve
"Thank you for understanding, Bao’er. My master’s life was full of hardships, ups and downs, but he was naturally open-minded. Before he died, he said that if he taught just one good student, he could die without regrets. I can’t betray his guidance." Li Xiu held Zhou Lian tightly and spoke softly. He felt guilt and regret toward his master. After the way his previous life had turned out, his master’s spirit probably couldn’t rest in peace.
"Then you should live well and not let your master down. Like you said, your master was open-minded. Would his spirit in heaven really hold a grudge against his favorite student?" Zhou Lian said gently. ’Is this man trying to be cute?’
"Then let me hold you properly. You haven’t let me hold you these past few days," Li Xiu said in a dejected tone. Grandma was here, and his wife was afraid Grandma would see, so she hadn’t let him hug her.
’So that’s what this is about.’ Zhou Lian shot him a sidelong glance. ’I knew this man was unreliable. Weren’t we just reminiscing about his master? How does he always manage to steer any serious conversation in this direction?’ She really never learned her lesson, falling for it every time.
As if he knew what Zhou Lian was thinking, Li Xiu chuckled and said, "My master once taught me, ’Gather ye rosebuds while ye may.’ He also said that you have to eat the meat in your own bowl first. Only a fool would just leave it in the bowl to look at! I’m just following my master’s teachings and being a good, obedient student!"
Zhou Lian looked at him, speechless. Only a man as shameless as her husband could make flirting sound so high-minded. She swatted at him with a "Pah!" and said irritably, "Alright, that’s enough. Li Bao will be here to get you soon. Go get ready."
Li Xiu gave her a quick kiss before letting go. The two of them went to prepare the offerings for the visit to the ancestral graves: three strings of firecrackers, a large basket of paper ingots, six small plates, and eight bowls. Just as they finished, Li Bao opened the door and came in. Seeing they were ready, he smiled and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, I’m here to get Eldest Brother to go to the graves. Eldest Li and my dad are waiting at the village entrance!"
"Okay, everything’s ready. Go on!" Zhou Lian said with a smile, handing the carrying pole to Li Xiu. She then turned to Li Bao with another smile.
"Bao’er, I’m leaving now! I’ve already minced the meat. Wait for me to get back to make the filling! You can play with Grandma and Nuonuo for a while. Don’t start without me, wait for me to come back!" Li Xiu called back to Zhou Lian as he and Li Bao headed out the door.
"Alright, hurry up and go! Eldest Li and Third Brother Li are waiting!" Zhou Lian didn’t dare look at Li Bao, who was holding back his laughter beside her, as she irritably shooed Li Xiu out the door.
They had just reached the mouth of the alley when Li Bao couldn’t hold it in anymore and burst out laughing. ’Eldest Brother dotes on Eldest Sister-in-law as much as ever. He’s even worried she’ll get tired from mixing dumpling filling. And all that "Bao’er, Bao’er"... so mushy!’
Li Xiu shot him a cold glare, and Li Bao immediately shut up. ’Eldest Brother has always been someone you don’t mess with. Can’t expect him to have changed just because he went to the Capital City. I’m a married man now. Besides, it’s the New Year. Getting a beating from Eldest Brother would be a huge loss of face!’
After meeting up with Eldest Li, Third Brother Li, Li Guo, Li Bao, Second Brother Li, and Li Hua at the village entrance, the group headed straight for the ancestral graves on Dongshan.
The sun was about to set by the time the group finished paying their respects. On their way back from the mountain, they all went their separate ways. After a brief farewell, Li Xiu ignored his father, who had been wanting to say something the whole time, and paid no mind to his three younger brothers with their complicated expressions. He just shouldered his carrying pole and headed straight home. ’Grandma, my wife, and my daughter are waiting for me. Who has time to deal with irrelevant people!’
Eldest Li patted Second Brother Li on the shoulder and said, "You... what took you so long to see the light? Anyway, it’s the New Year, don’t go looking for trouble. It’s not easy for Li Xiu to come back for a visit. Don’t go provoking him!"
Second Brother Li nodded with a bitter expression. He hadn’t seen his eldest son in months, and he missed him. His son had grown up by his side, and then he was suddenly gone for several months. He really did miss him. He just wanted to talk to his son, but his son hadn’t said a single word to him yet.
"Second Brother, just give it a rest. And keep your wife and the others in line, too," even the honest Third Brother Li was getting angry for once. "My eldest nephew rarely gets to come back, and it’s the New Year. Stop making things difficult for him. He already sent over the New Year’s gifts, what more do you want?" ’Is Second Brother’s family ever going to stop? Can’t they just behave? My eldest nephew moved his whole family north—you think that was easy? Everyone sees that my nephew’s wife is in university and his family moved to the city, so they must be living the high life. But who thinks about the fact that with his wife in school, my nephew has no way to earn money? What are they supposed to live on! And he’s still going around delivering New Year’s gifts to every household. How can people be so ungrateful!’
Second Brother Li looked up at the rarely-angry Third Brother Li, his heart filled with misery. ’Even honest Third Brother Li thinks I’m trying to stir up trouble. What about my son, then? Does my eldest son think so too? Is that why he won’t even talk to me, why he avoids me like the plague?’ He looked toward Eldest Li and stammered, "Eldest Brother?"
Facing Second Brother Li’s gaze, Eldest Li sighed and said, "Let’s talk about it later. Let our eldest nephew have a peaceful New Year. They’ll be leaving right after the holiday. It’s not easy for him out there on his own. For the few days he’s home, just let him have some peace and quiet."
When Li Xiu got home, he saw that Zhou Lian had already mixed the filling and kneaded the dough, and was about to start wrapping the dumplings. He opened his mouth to speak, but then he saw Grandma sitting nearby holding his daughter. He clamped his mouth shut and went to wash his hands. ’Better to just make dumplings with my wife. If I say too much, I’ll just make her angry again!’
Zhou Lian looked up and saw her husband quietly washing his hands without a word. She smiled with satisfaction. ’It’s rare for him to be so perceptive and not try to tease me.’ However, Zhou Lian didn’t consider that with Grandma sitting right there holding their daughter, would Li Xiu even dare to run his mouth? When Zhou Lian got truly angry, she wasn’t so easily placated!
They wrapped dumplings, talking and laughing. With Nuonuo’s childish chattering and laughter beside them, the family of four formed a harmonious picture. The kind old woman smiled, watching the gurgling baby in her arms, her eyes overflowing with love. The tall, handsome young man rolled out dumpling wrappers, his gaze gentle as he watched his wife, who was laughing along with their daughter. The woman wrapping dumplings was sweet and pretty, gentle and graceful.
While Zhou Lian stir-fried some dishes, Li Xiu boiled the dumplings. Soon, they had prepared a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner. As the family sat at the table, Zhou Lian brought out a bottle of wine that Li Xiu had made himself, which she had retrieved from the cellar. She smiled at Grandma Li and said, "Grandma, let’s have a little something to drink tonight, too. Nuonuo’s dad made this wine. It’s low in alcohol, so it won’t go to your head."
Grandma Li looked at the wine in her granddaughter-in-law’s hand and also smiled. "Alright, let’s have a little. Tonight, we’ll let Nuonuo’s dad watch Nuonuo, and we two can have a drink."
Li Xiu watched his happy wife and grandmother with a beaming smile, feeling as if a lifetime had passed. ’Did my wife and grandmother ever have such a happy moment in my last life?’ He placed his sleeping daughter on the kang bed. Listening to his grandmother take his wife’s hand and thank her, Li Xiu knew what she was thankful for. It was for his father-in-law’s family not looking down on him when he had just split from his family, leaving with practically nothing to his name. It was for his wife treating him just the same even after she got into university. And it was for his wife giving him happiness. He remembered how in his last life, his grandmother had said that he almost never smiled, that he only learned how after he had a wife and child. It was the same in this life. Grandma could see it clearly: his happiness came from his wife. That was why she was thanking her tonight.