The first thing I did was to find out

Chapter 586 This year's Qin family New Year will definitely be a lively and exciting one (Seeking monthly votes~)

In the end, Zhao Cheng'an joined Qin Huai in the fun of making pastries. With Zhao Cheng'an taking over, An Youyou could rest and maybe even scratch some lottery tickets.

Zhao Cheng'an's rigorous training at Zhiweiju during this period has had some effect. Although his skill level has not improved significantly, his state of mind when making pastries has become much more stable. To be precise, he can maintain a high level of concentration for a long time when making pastries.

This was a significant breakthrough for Zhao Cheng'an. You see, when he was still asleep, he would often drift off while making snacks, and he felt uneasy if he didn't gossip while working. Getting him to maintain a high level of concentration was a given; even keeping his mouth shut was difficult.

Qin Huai sighed, "I didn't expect that after not seeing each other for so long, it would be you who has finally come to your senses."

Zhao Cheng'an straightened his back proudly, stretching his neck out, and put on a fake smile: "No, no."

"The main thing is that we're both geniuses, and it's impossible for you to keep figuring things out while I don't."

Qin Huai: ...Brother, you really can't even keep up the act for two seconds.

Seeing Zhao Cheng'an's state, Qin Huai immediately understood why Master Zhou always gave Zhao Cheng'an a cold shoulder. This guy just couldn't handle a nice look; he was best suited to making pastries under pressure. This training method, aside from the possibility of causing the mayfly's rebellious streak to explode and lead him to commit suicide, had no drawbacks.

Zhao Cheng'an is making puff pastry, which is his specialty.

Don't ask why the funeral home's kitchen is so well-equipped; the answer is that Zhou Hu's team did a good job and directly hired people to bring over all the relevant equipment from the Yunzhong Canteen.

Anyway, the canteen in the clouds isn't selling snacks much these days, so we can just keep the most basic equipment for making breakfast.

Pei Xing and Chen An were both busy; they went to the branch venue to make snacks today. Tomorrow, Qin Huai will go to the branch venue to make snacks, and Pei Xing and Chen An will come to the funeral home to make snacks. The reason Qin Huai told Zhao Cheng'an earlier to stay at the funeral home to make snacks tomorrow was to prevent Zhao Cheng'an from getting carried away once he went to the branch venue.

The program over there was absolutely amazing; it was all arranged by Zhao Cheng'an for his own funeral.

"But to be fair, Luo Jun's funeral was quite a spectacle," Zhao Cheng'an said enviously. "I've died seven times, and all seven of my funerals combined probably weren't as lively as his."

"Did you have funerals for those seven times? It seems like you died pretty casually." Qin Huai ruthlessly retorted.

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Ignoring Qin Huai's cold words, Zhao Cheng'an continued with his envious tone: "If only my funeral had been this lively when I died this time. Alas, it's a pity I've already successfully transcended my tribulation and can't be reincarnated to watch the recording of my own funeral. Hey, didn't you hire a professional photographer to record this funeral? What if Mr. Luo comes back in a few years and can't produce a recording of his own funeral?"

“Mr. Luo isn’t as bored as you. He’s not interested in watching his own funeral video. He’d rather spend that time watching TV series,” Qin Huai said.

"That's such a pity. The funeral was so well done, we should definitely watch the video." Clearly, Ephemeral had his own opinion on funerals. "I didn't have the chance to watch the video, and even if I did, I wouldn't have asked someone to record it."

"Hey, Qin Huai, what do you say about me holding my own funeral in advance, and then attending my own funeral?"

Qin Huai: ...?
"Wake up." Qin Huai looked at Zhao Cheng'an. "You're not like Luo Jun. You have your own parents and your own master. If the three of them beat you up together, you might really have to hold your own funeral."

Zhao Cheng'an: ...

Zhao Cheng'an could only tearfully retract his grand idea and continue making pastries.

The two spent two hours making pastries in the kitchen. Qin Huai finished get off work on time, and Zhao Cheng'an, seeing this, also left work immediately. When the two came out of the kitchen, there were still many people coming to pay their respects.

Perhaps because of the shuttle bus service, many office workers near Yunzhong Community who didn't know who Luo Jun was, but had heard his legend and knew that Luo Jun was a super-connected person in Qinhuai and had a very good relationship with Qinhuai, came to pay their respects after get off work.

Because these people didn't know Luo Jun, the enthusiastic elderly people at the Yunzhong Canteen introduced him to Luo Jun's name, life story, and glorious deeds.

Luo Jun single-handedly challenged all the takeout vendors near Yunzhong Canteen, leaving indelible marks in the review sections of each one, attracting thousands of onlookers. His glorious feat of leaving behind a trail of negative reviews, worthy of being recorded in the annals of the review community, couldn't be kept secret. Many office workers had heard of this extraordinary person, but didn't know it was Luo Jun, expressing their amazement and remarking that Luo Jun's negative reviews were truly effective.

Luo Jun's negative reviews are practically a bible for ordering takeout for office workers in the area, especially new employees. When you're unsure which restaurant to order from on your food delivery app, just browse through Luo Jun's negative reviews, see if there are any issues that bother you, and with a little research, you can order a takeout meal that satisfies you.

"Mr. Luo was a seemingly eccentric but actually very kind and lonely old man."

"He once held the record for the longest time he stayed indoors in our Yunzhong community. He seemed to like giving bad reviews to food delivery services, but in reality, it was because he was lonely and wanted to communicate with the outside world in this way. He is the most authoritative fruit selector in our Yunzhong community. The boutique fruit store he has been buying fruit from for a long time is still the store with the highest positive review rate in our neighborhood."

"In addition, Mr. Luo is also enthusiastic about public welfare. A children's welfare home in the suburbs has been receiving long-term assistance from Mr. Luo, and he has provided the children with..."

As Qin Huai watched Xu Tuqiang vividly recount Luo Jun's glorious deeds during his lifetime, he felt fortunate that a professional photographer hadn't been hired to capture the funeral scene. Otherwise, if Luo Jun were to be reincarnated and discover that he had received such high praise in his previous life, he might be so angry that he would be reincarnated on the spot.

Zhao Cheng'an was completely bewildered. He turned to Qin Huai and asked, "Who is Grandpa Xu introducing? Mr. Luo? Is he the Mr. Luo I know? Could there be someone with the same name at the funeral home today?"

Qin Huai sighed: "The funeral was so grand and expensive, and we didn't even receive much money in the form of gifts. Everyone should at least say a few kind words."

"The guy in black is a staff member. You can ask him for two scratch-off lottery tickets secretly. Be careful not to get caught."

Zhao Cheng'an immediately stepped forward cautiously, acting like a spy making a rendezvous, tiptoeing around as if the words "guilty conscience" were written all over his face, showing no trace of the former king of thieves in Beiping.

Right, why doesn't Zhao Cheng'an just take them directly? He can just take two books, and with his skills, he could easily take 200. It's a piece of cake.

It can only be said that the mayfly showed too much respect for Luo Jun's funeral.

Qin Huai had been making pastries all day but didn't really feel like eating any himself, so he went to the serving station, grabbed a plate, and picked up some hot dishes. As Qin Huai was debating whether to take two pieces of roasted lamb chops or more lamb spine, a familiar voice rang out behind him.

"elder brother!"

Qin Huai turned around, and Qin Luo pounced on him. Qin Huai dodged, and Qin Luo missed. She then pounced on the dessert stand with Basque cakes, picked up a small plate, and used tongs to put three pieces of cake on it for herself.

"Luo Luo, there are vegetables in here, why are you running around like this? What if you knock them over and waste them?" Zhao Rong's scolding voice came from outside the door.

Qin Luo was wearing a blue and white school uniform, while Zhao Rong and Qin Congwen were both wearing black clothes, presumably changed into them specifically for the occasion.

Zhao Rong's worried gaze fell on Qin Huai, but seeing that Qin Huai seemed to be in good condition and looked normal, she was relieved.

Just as Zhao Rong was about to give Qin Congwen a son and everything was fine, so he could relax, Qin Congwen, completely unaware of his wife's gaze, strode forward and asked with concern, "Huaihuai, how are you now? Are you in a good mood?"

"Should Mom and Dad ask Luo Luo to take a couple of days off so she can stay here and chat with you?"

Qin Luo: !!!
Qin Huai, holding his tray, said helplessly, "Dad, I'm perfectly fine. Where did you hear that I'm not doing well?"

“Yesterday, Lao Xu and Lao Ding came back and said that you were like a lost soul. You just sat there in the afternoon and didn’t react when people talked to you. I didn’t dare to tell your grandparents. If they found out, they would definitely ask Zhang the sorceress to call your soul back.”

Yes, Grandpa Qin and Grandma Qin really do enjoy indulging in feudal superstitions.

By the way, Zhang the fortune teller's soul-summoning is very cheap, only 80 yuan per session. She doesn't feed people talisman water, so it's very safe and nothing has ever happened.

"Your parents know you and Mr. Luo had a good relationship. Ever since you came to Shanshi, Mr. Luo has taken good care of you. Last year during the Spring Festival, he even sent us so many boxes of fruit. He also sent us fruit regularly; we have more fruit than we can eat." "You must be having a hard time accepting Mr. Luo's sudden departure. You've always been a sensitive and fragile child. When your mother and I first adopted you, Director Qin repeatedly warned us that you were mentally sound, just a bit prone to crying. Even when you were over 10, you would sometimes hide in your room and cry by yourself."

Qin Luo: ! Is that even possible?
Qin Huai: Absolutely not!
"Director Qin also said that when you were 8 years old, your best friend in the orphanage was..."

"Dad." Seeing that Qin Congwen was getting more and more outrageous and was about to start reminiscing about Wang Gensheng's past, telling the story of how Qin Huai cried loudly while holding the child his friend gave him in the orphanage because he couldn't bear to part with his friend who was being adopted, Qin Huai quickly interrupted, "I'm fine, really."

Qin Congwen simply didn't believe it. His son was such a fragile person; he would cry for days after parting with his friends, let alone experience a true separation of life and death.

"Huaihuai, if you're feeling down, you should talk about it. It's easy to keep it bottled up inside..."

"I'm really not upset," Qin Huai said clearly, his face filled with pleading, "Dad, please stop talking, believe me, please believe me. To be honest, I just inherited Luo Jun's estate."

Qin Congwen & Zhao Rong & Qin Luo: ?

Qin Huai took out his phone and showed the three of them a quick look at the cash portion. If Zhao Rong hadn't covered Qin Luo's mouth quickly enough, Qin Luo's scream would have ripped the roof off.

"Mom and Dad, this is the buffet area, it's crowded and noisy, why don't you eat something first? Luo Luo, the snacks are next door, you can have some hot dishes to tide you over before you have the snacks. I have something to do here, so I'll head over first."

Qin Congwen and Zhao Rong could only nod in shock, covering their mouths as they did so.

Qin Huai was actually fine; he just wanted to find a place to eat. He found a relatively quiet corner, finished his dinner, put down his plate, and then turned to go to the mahjong room to see what Chen Huihong and the others were doing.

Sure enough, they were locked in a fierce battle at the mahjong table.

Today's lineup is Chen Huihong, Chen Gong, Shi Dadan, and Gong Liang—an all-star lineup. Qu Jing and Zhao Cheng'an watched nervously from the sidelines, while An Youyou reportedly went to a small room to lie down and play on her phone.

The battle is very intense.

Upon seeing Qin Huai arrive, Chen Huihong gestured for him to sit down. Before Qin Huai could even pick up his teacup to take a sip of hot tea, she asked, "Qin Huai, did you used to cry a lot when you were little?"

Qin Huai almost choked to death from the heat.

"You could hear me even through the room?" Qin Huai was dumbfounded.

There were originally four mahjong tables in the room. Since Chen Huihong and the others wanted to talk about supernatural topics while keeping vigil and didn't want others to hear, they contacted the funeral home to rent the adjacent mourning hall and moved the other three mahjong tables, the TV, and the PS5 from the room to the next room so they could talk freely while playing mahjong.

“Our spirits have excellent hearing,” Chen Huihong said. “The self-service room is right next door, so of course they can hear us from that close distance.”

“If Luo Jun were still alive, he could hear it.”

Zhao Cheng'an asked curiously, "Qin Huai, did you really hide in your room and cry secretly when you were little? Why?"

Qin Huai: "...Don't worry about it, that's all from when I was a kid. How would I know what I was thinking back then?"

Qu Jing also spoke up weakly, but she talked about something else: "Qin Huai, are Youyou and Zhou Hu going to your house for the New Year this year? Lao Shi is also going to your house because he eats the breakfast you make every morning."

“Yes.” Qin Huai nodded. “To be precise, Lao Shi doesn’t come to my house for the New Year. He and I are from the same place. He just needs to find an excuse to come to our village for breakfast every day during the New Year.”

Shi Dadan smiled innocently, nodded, and drew a tile by himself.

All the same.

"Can I go?" Qu Jing asked.

"Huh?" Qin Huai didn't expect Qu Jing to want to spend the New Year at her house. "Aren't you going to spend the New Year with your parents this year..."

“I accept them as godparents, but they are not my biological daughters. Although I would like to spend the New Year with them, it doesn’t make sense logically. Aunt Qu said that the welfare home will be renovated this year, and the children in the welfare home have been temporarily sent to other welfare homes. She will not be in Shanshi this year.”

"I have nowhere to go."

It sounds a little heartbreaking.

"Of course, Qu Jing, do you have time off for the Chinese New Year?"

“Our department isn’t busy during the Spring Festival. I already have 7 days of annual leave. If I ask other colleagues to help me adjust my leave, I should be able to have 10 days. In previous years, I hardly took any annual leave during the Spring Festival. I was always helping my colleagues with their shifts. It should be quite easy to ask them to help me adjust my leave this year.”

"That's great. My grandparents have spare rooms, and if all else fails, we can borrow spare rooms from our neighbors. Anyway, there's definitely enough room in our village."

“Jingjing, are you going to Qin Huai’s house for the New Year too? I want to go too.” Chen Huihong said, playing a two of circles. “The food at my house for the New Year is terrible. My mom’s cooking skills are really bad. I want her to eat at a restaurant, but I can’t persuade her to.”

"It just so happens that Huihui has never been to Guangdong Province before. I can take Huihui to Guangdong Province for a trip."

"...Sister Hong, you and Huihui aren't going home for the Chinese New Year this year. Does your family agree to that?"

“Our family doesn’t care about that,” Chen Huihong waved her hand.

Gong Liang followed suit and played a two of circles: "Hearing you say that, I also want to go, but I will definitely spend the New Year in Suzhou. My family eats Huang Ji's New Year's Eve dinner every year."

"How about I go to Guangdong Province on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year? I should be able to make it in time, right?"

Chen Gong calmly replied to the WeChat message and put down his phone: "I can go to Guangdong Province on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year."

Zhao Cheng'an: ? ? ?

"You're all going to Qin Huai's house but I'm not? I... no, I just don't have time. I only have three days of annual leave, and I still have to go to Beiping to be with Xia Murui."

"Could you guys give me a video call then?"

Qin Huai: ...

He initially just wanted to invite Zhou Hu to his home for the Chinese New Year, to build up his goodwill and maybe get some side quests out of him. How did things turn out like this?
For some reason, Qin Huai felt that this year's New Year celebrations at the Qin family's home would be incredibly lively and exciting.

Grandpa and Grandma, your grandson didn't bring a girlfriend home for the New Year, but he brought a lot of friends who aren't even real people home for the New Year!
　I'm going out for dinner with friends today to celebrate New Year's Eve, so I won't be posting any extra updates.
　　Tomorrow is 2026, and I will be holding a giveaway for the last monthly pass of this book at midnight on the 1st, with the winner being a navel orange.

　　Thank you all for your subscriptions and support this year. I hope you will continue to support me next year and vote for me with your monthly tickets.

　　Please vote for me with your monthly tickets for January!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)