The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

The moonlight outside the window spilled into the courtyard, reflecting off the bluestone slabs on the ground, creating a quiet and warm atmosphere.

Shen's father and younger brother made more than a dozen trips before finally finishing moving all the things.

"Yaoyao, what are these boxes? There aren't any labels on them!"

"These are the new clothes I bought for you. We'll take them back to your grandparents' house later and you can wear them tomorrow. They're all very understated styles."

"good!"

"Yaoyao, take all these things to the countryside for New Year's visits."

"it is good."

"Hurry, hurry, your grandparents are urging us!" Mr. Shen had just hung up the phone.

According to family tradition, we all go back to our ancestral home, which is my grandparents' home in the countryside, for the Lunar New Year, and stay there until the Lantern Festival before returning to our own homes.

Shen Qingyao's family used to live in the countryside. Shen's father built a self-built house in the countryside more than ten years ago, and later bought a second-hand house in the city so that his children could go to school.

When Shen Qingyao's second father and first father got married, they bought a house in the city.

Grandpa Shen had three sons, each of whom started their own families, and each son and daughter-in-law had a son and a daughter.

This large family has fourteen members.

The family quickly packed their things and drove to the countryside to celebrate the New Year.

As the car drove into the old house in the countryside, the red lanterns at the gate were already lit, reflecting off the green bricks and gray tiles, creating a festive atmosphere.

As soon as Shen Qingyao opened the car door, she was surrounded by a burst of laughter.

Grandpa and Grandma, leaning on their canes, waited on the porch. "Grandpa and Grandma!"

"You're finally back!" Grandma held her hand, her palm rough but warm. "We've been waiting for you to have our reunion dinner."

"Have you finished with school matters?" Grandpa asked.

"Okay, all done!"

"Our Yaoyao has lost weight! She must be working hard at school!"

"Yes, you've worked so hard!" Shen Qingyao pretended to be innocent, making her grandparents laugh.

Shen Xizhou went straight to his room as soon as he got out of the car. His younger cousin and two younger cousins ​​were playing games in the room.

Two large round tables were set up in the main room, and the dishes were almost all served. The braised fish was steaming, the stewed pork knuckle was glistening with oil, and there was also lotus root soup, seafood, egg dumplings, and meatballs. The table was full of food.

Shen Qingyao went to the backyard to greet her second uncle and stepfather who were chatting, and then went to the kitchen to greet her second aunt and stepmother.

Since Shen's mother returned late, she stayed in the kitchen to help out.

Mr. Shen also joined his two younger brothers in their conversation.

Shen Qingyao entered the air-conditioned room, and her younger cousins ​​came over to greet her, "Big Sister!"

"Hmm! What are you doing?"

"Playing Honor of Kings!"

"I knew it!"

Shen Qingyao's phone rang. "Yaoyao, I had someone deliver some cigarettes to you. They're already at your grandparents' door. Go pick them up!"

"I promised to set off fireworks with you on New Year's Eve, but it looks like I'll have to break my promise!"

"It's alright! I'm just happy that you remembered me!"

"Yaoyao, you need to be more worthy of me. If I don't do what I promised you, you can tell me. I don't want you to be disappointed in secret."

"Okay, I got it!"

"What are you doing right now!"

"Play chess with my grandpa!"

"I won't bother you anymore, I'm going to talk to my family!"

Shen Qingyao asked her younger brother to bring in the fireworks from the doorway, saying that she had bought them herself but forgot to bring them in.

The younger brother didn't suspect anything either.

Shen Qingyao was holding her youngest cousin, her stepmother's son.

Born in March of this year, he is now ten months old.

The little one was so cute, babbling away.

Around 11 p.m., the New Year's Eve dinner finally began.

Everyone was hungry.

Adults sat at one table, children at another, the whole family laughing and chatting as they enjoyed delicious food.

Halfway through the New Year's Eve dinner, Grandpa raised his glass, his face beaming, and said, "This year, the whole family is reunited, I'm so happy! I wish everyone a peaceful and prosperous New Year!"

"Cheers!" Amid the clinking of glasses, Shen Qingyao looked at her family members gathered around the table and suddenly realized that this lively and festive atmosphere was perhaps the most authentic aspect of the New Year.

Afterwards, everyone toasted each other and exchanged words of blessing.

As the New Year's Eve dinner drew to a close, the countdown began on television for the Spring Festival Gala: "Ten, nine, eight... three, two, one, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year! Ms. Shen, thank you for appearing in my life." Meng Jiangyu sent his New Year's greetings right at midnight.

Happy New Year, Mr. Meng! (Copy and paste!)

"Um?"

"Copying and pasting means agreeing with your thoughts and understanding your feelings! In short, it means me too!"

"Okay, Yao Yao!"

After the New Year's Eve dinner, everyone went to the courtyard to set off fireworks.

Grandpa and Grandma are old, so they went straight to their room to sleep.

The younger father also bought some fireworks, which he set off together with the fireworks that Meng Jiangyu bought.

There are sparklers, Gatling guns, handheld fireworks, little bees, and more.

The fireworks were dazzling, and in this festival of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, they seemed to have taken on a deeper meaning.

At this moment, colorful fireworks are twinkling in the night sky, it's absolutely beautiful.

Shen Qingyao stood in front of the fireworks, holding a sparkler, and asked her cousin to take a picture for her. The girl smiled radiantly.

Shen Qingyao sent it to Meng Jiangyu, who immediately saved it, exclaiming, "So beautiful, baby!"

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Meng!"

After the fireworks were finished, everyone took turns washing up, and the rest of the people chatted in their rooms.

Shen Qingyao's parents went back to their own home to offer incense.

Shen Qingyao sat next to her stepmother; the two had a very good relationship.

"Yaoyao, are you dating anyone?" the stepmother asked, cracking sunflower seeds.

Shen Qingyao stammered, "No!"

"Now that you're in college, you can start dating!" the younger father chimed in.

"It's just that I haven't met the right person yet!"

"Those who are eligible to date don't, and those who aren't eligible date recklessly!" Second Uncle joked.

"Lily is in a relationship?" Shen Qingyao was somewhat shocked.

"Yes, you know about this!"

"I don't know. It can't be Yangyang, she's only in sixth grade!"

"That's right, your second aunt is furious!"

"It's normal to be at the age of first love!"

The second aunt came in from outside, "What's so normal about it? She's so young, why is she even talking about dating instead of studying!"

"I think you're just talking without understanding the situation. You got into university, so you don't have any pressure now."

"I think you just want your younger siblings to be worse off than you, to focus on dating and neglect their studies!"

"As the eldest sister, instead of guiding your younger siblings in their studies, you're making sarcastic remarks."

Second Aunt kept talking.

Shen Qingyao didn't even get a chance to speak.

Second Uncle, being a reasonable man, spoke up to stop her, "What are you doing? You're just unhappy, why are you talking back to Yao Yao!"

The second aunt immediately fired back, "How dare you talk to me like that! You've got some nerve!"

My little cousin was fast asleep when the noise woke him up, and he started crying loudly.

The father picked up the child and comforted him.

Second Uncle pulled Second Aunt back into the room. "I apologize on your behalf, Yao Yao!"

"It's nothing!" Shen Qingyao said, looking completely bewildered.

Shen Qingyao had a good relationship with her second father, and he treated her well. However, her second mother was a troublesome and unreasonable person.

"What are you saying to her...?"

After Uncle and Aunt left, Stepmother, who usually had a good relationship with Shen Qingyao and was also very emotionally intelligent, said, "Yaoyao, don't mind her, that's just how she is!"

"Mmm! It's okay!"

"Yaoyao, this coat is so beautiful! The material feels so comfortable. Where did you buy it?"

Auntie's fingertips brushed against the fabric, her eyes filled with delight.

"I just bought it randomly, I forgot which store it was from, it was near the school." Shen Qingyao laughed it off. This dress was custom-made by Meng Jiangyu, and she was afraid that saying it would be too eye-catching.

"This cashmere looks so high-quality," Auntie San exclaimed. "It really makes you look elegant in it."

"Really? I'll buy you one when I get back to school!"

"Okay!" the father called to the mother to breastfeed the younger brother.

Shen Qingyao went to the next room to call her younger brother to go back to sleep, and her brother took her cousin back to the room to sleep as well.

My two cousins ​​are sleeping at my grandparents' house.

The grandparents' house has four rooms: one for the grandparents, one for the second uncle and aunt, one for the younger uncle and aunt, and one for the two cousins.

As is customary in previous years, Shen Qingyao would sleep with her two cousins.

But I just got back today and my second aunt scolded me for no reason, so I'm really not in the mood.