A song from Chengdu revived a closed-down pub.

The car drove all the way towards Qin Province.

The three of them took turns driving, and they ate at service areas and rested several times along the way.

We set off at seven in the morning, and by the time the car entered the orphanage, it was already past seven in the evening.

The lights were on at the entrance of the orphanage, and two red lanterns swayed gently in the wind.

As soon as the car came to a stop, the children's shouts came from inside the house.

"Brother Fan is back!"

"Sister Shanshan is back too!"

Su Fan opened the car door, and before he could even stretch, a group of little ones came to greet him.

"Happy New Year, Brother Fan!"

"Happy New Year, Sister Shanshan!"

Several older children saw Xiao Ran and came over with smiles: "Brother-in-law, Happy New Year!"

Xiao Ran beamed with joy at being addressed as "brother-in-law" repeatedly, and quickly replied, "Happy New Year, and Happy New Year to you all too."

Yuan Shanshan, standing beside him, couldn't help but laugh, "Alright, your mouth is practically stretched to your ears, where's the red envelope?"

"It's all ready."

Xiao Ran quickly took out a red envelope from his bag.

Su Fan and Yuan Shanshan each took out their prepared portions.

The children's eyes lit up immediately, but no one reached out to grab it. They just stood there one after another, tilting their little faces up and waiting.

Su Fan squatted down and handed the red envelope to the little boy at the front: "Happy New Year, hold on tight, don't drop it when you run around."

The little boy accepted it with both hands, smiling broadly and revealing his missing front tooth: "Thank you, Brother Fan!"

Xuanxuan was at the back of the line, but when it was her turn, she didn't rush to take the red envelope. Instead, she said earnestly, "Brother Fan, we saw you on TV."

Su Fan asked with a smile, "How was your singing?"

"It sounds great!" Xuanxuan nodded vigorously. "We even made a sign for you that says 'Go, Brother Fan!'"

"That's great? Let me see it in a bit."

Xuanxuan immediately cheered, took the red envelope and turned to run into the house, but after a few steps, she was called back by Yuan Shanshan.

"What's the rush? Your sister hasn't even taken hers yet."

The little girl quickly turned back, holding the red envelope in both hands, and thanked them profusely.

Finally, I went to Xiao Ran to wish him a Happy New Year.

This time, she neatly stacked the three red envelopes together, carefully stuffed them into her pocket, and patted them through the fabric.

Aunt Liu stood at the door, watching the lively scene in the courtyard, her smile never fading.

After the three young people finished distributing the red envelopes, she said, "Alright, it's cold outside. Come inside. Dinner has been ready for a while, just waiting for you to come back and eat."

Su Fan stood up and stretched his legs: "I'm so glad I can finally eat your cooking. I've been thinking about it the whole way here."

Aunt Liu glanced at him with a smile: "Stop being silly. You've been driving for so long, hurry up and wash your hands and eat. Put the food down first, and you can move it after you finish eating."

Yuan Shanshan stepped forward and took her arm: "Aunt Liu, what delicious food have you made?"

"These are all your favorite foods." Aunt Liu patted her hand, then turned to Xiao Ran, "Xiao Ran, come in quickly too, don't just focus on taking things."

The children ushered the three of them into the house.

The curtain was lifted, and the steaming heat of the food wafted out.

The table was set with bowls and chopsticks. As soon as Su Fan sat down, Xuanxuan ran over with the slightly curled playing card and carefully placed it in front of him.

"Brother Fan, look."

"I saw it, it's really well written."

At this moment, Zhao Jie came out of the kitchen with the last dish, placed it on the table, and greeted you with a smile, "We've finally waited for you to come back."

Fang Cheng was distributing chopsticks when he heard this and laughed, "It's only when everyone is here that it's truly Chinese New Year."

Xiang Hong poured drinks for everyone, finally pouring one for Xiao Ran: "Today is a day to celebrate, and Xiao Ran is welcome to come here."

Xiao Ran quickly held the cup with both hands and said with a smile, "Thank you. When I came in, I was a little embarrassed to see so many people waiting for us."

Zhao Jie pulled out a chair and sat down, saying casually, "What's there to be embarrassed about? Shanshan grew up here, this is her family home. From now on, when you come back with her, just come in and eat."

Yuan Shanshan added with a smile, "Also, don't wait for people to serve you food. Help yourself to what you want to eat. If you're too polite when you eat here, you'll really go hungry."

Fang Cheng casually moved the dishes in front of him closer: "Don't worry, I'll make sure you're well-fed today. Aunt Liu started preparing this afternoon, and the rest of us just helped out."

Aunt Liu had just finished wiping the children's hands when she heard this and said with a smile, "I'm so happy you're back. Alright, everyone, start eating. The food won't taste good if it gets cold. Oh, and you three, have some noodles first."

Su Fan and Yuan Shanshan picked up their bowls of noodles and started eating.

Xiao Ran was a little puzzled, because only the three of them who came back from outside had noodles, while the others did not, and he was too embarrassed to ask.

Su Fan noticed his confusion and said, "Dumplings before boarding, noodles upon arrival—that's the rule. Whether we're setting off or returning, we follow this set meal."

Xiao Ran suddenly realized: "I see."

After finishing the noodles, Su Fan started eating other things. He picked up a piece of vegetables, chewed it a couple of times, and nodded with satisfaction: "This is the taste. I've eaten so much outside, but I still miss the taste of home."

Aunt Liu's smile deepened: "Then eat more."

Xiang Hong raised her glass and said, "Let's have a toast first. I wish Aunt Liu good health, and I wish us all a smooth and prosperous New Year."

Everyone raised their glasses, and the children also picked up their small cups, chattering away and wishing each other a Happy New Year.

Xiao Ran sat down next to Yuan Shanshan and clinked glasses with her.

As soon as he put the cup down, Zhao Jie asked him if he ate spicy food. Fang Cheng then brought over the dish that was far away from him and asked him to try it.

Before long, he joined in the conversation with everyone.

Aunt Liu sat at the table, watching the children eat while listening to the conversation of several young people.

When someone's bowl is empty, she reaches out and takes it to add more rice.

Occasionally, when I hear something funny, I laugh along.

After finishing his meal, Su Fan stood up and said, "Please sit down first, I'll go get something."

Seeing this, Zhao Jie and Fang Cheng also went out.

As soon as the trunk was opened, Fang Cheng laughed: "Goodness, no wonder you said you'd drive back. It's really hard to bring all this stuff on a plane."

It took the three of them two trips to carry all the bags and boxes into the house.

The children, who had been talking to Yuan Shanshan, gathered around curiously when they saw so many things.

Su Fan opened the box and took out the paintbrushes, notebooks, scarves, and gloves one by one, saying, "Come on, see if there's anything you like."

The little ones immediately perked up, but they all stood still and looked at Aunt Liu first.

Aunt Liu smiled and nodded: "Take it, and remember to say thank you."

A cheer immediately erupted inside the room.