NOVPUB"How is it, does it look good?" Xu Qingfan walked out of the room dressed in blue robes and white garments, shaking his long sleeves as he asked.
"It’s a bit big. It’ll fit perfectly by next year." Zhang Chunxue’s eyes lit up as she nodded and said.
"Da-da-da-da!"
Just as she finished speaking, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi walked out hand in hand from another room, "Hehe~ Do we look pretty?"
Both of them were wearing festive, traditional red cotton jackets with the hems reaching their calves, decorated with antique and elegant embroidery patterns.
Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi both exuded an air of charm and intelligence, making them look like the daughters of a wealthy family from ancient times. 𝓃𝓸𝓋𝓅𝓊𝒷.𝓬𝓸𝓂
"You look gorgeous!" Xu Qingfan was stunned for a moment, then quickly responded.
"Clothes look good because the person is good-looking." Zhang Chunxue affectionately pinched their little cheeks.
"Brother Qingfan looks handsome too!" Lin Wanning’s eyes sparkled as she looked at him.
"Brother, handsome!" Zhang Yiyi echoed with a smile.
With Zhang Chunxue present, he did not dare to boast with phrases like "When am I not handsome."
"Saying nice things won’t help, you actually came back secretly without telling me." Xu Qingfan pretended to be angry.
While still in Yanjing, Lin Wanning had mentioned on the phone that Yiyi was bringing them gifts and a little secret.
The gifts, as it turned out, were the outfits they were wearing. As for the secret, it was that Zhang Yiyi was returning to the country on the fifth day of the new year, which they had kept from telling him.
"It’s a surprise~" Lin Wanning clung to his arm, acting cute.
"A surprise!" Zhang Yiyi pressed a beautifully crafted fox mask to her face, then removed it close to Xu Qingfan’s face.
"This better not happen again." Xu Qingfan lightly patted their heads.
"Hehe~"
Zhang Chunxue watched their interaction with interest, resting her chin on one hand.
"You three stand together for a photo. Auntie will take one for you." Zhang Chunxue opened her phone and said to them.
"Mom, I want one too!" Zhang Yiyi handed her phone to Zhang Chunxue, indicating she also wanted a photo on it.
All three of them stood properly, with Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning standing on either side of Xu Qingfan.
"Wanning, look at the camera, don’t always look at Xiao Fan." Zhang Chunxue glanced from the screen and tilted her head towards Lin Wanning.
"Okay, okay!"
"Xiao Fan, open your fan, let’s take another one." Zhang Chunxue made an ’OK’ gesture, smiling.
"Alright."
"Ningning wants to see!" Lin Wanning eagerly ran over.
They all crowded together, heads close, looking at the two photos on the phone.
After setting one of the photos as the screensaver, Zhang Chunxue took out two red envelopes from her bag, "Happy New Year, Xiao Fan and Ningning. These are your red envelopes from Auntie."
"Thank you, Auntie!"
"Happy New Year, Auntie!"
Both of them happily accepted the red envelopes.
Xu Qingfan felt the thickness and knew it was definitely over a thousand yuan inside.
"If I had known the clothes would fit so well, I would have bought two more sets." Zhang Chunxue said, looking at her new screensaver with satisfaction.
"Auntie, where did you buy these clothes?"
There were few stores that still insisted on handmade sewing nowadays. Machine-made clothes were more economical, and even the wealthy would choose luxury brands for custom orders.
Stores that handcrafted traditional Hanfu were almost extinct.
"I saw them while shopping in Chinatown, from an old man in his seventies. I don’t know if he’ll still be there next year."
Xu Qingfan’s mouth formed an ’o’ shape as he nodded repeatedly.
One had to admit, overseas Chinese paid more attention to traditional culture than those in the country, otherwise Korea wouldn’t have been able to beat them in claiming so many traditional festivals and intangible cultural heritage items.
Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi went back to their room to play with their braids, leaving Xu Qingfan and Zhang Chunxue alone in the living room.
"By the way, Xiao Fan."
"By the way, Auntie."
They both spoke at the same time, then smiled at each other. Xu Qingfan gestured for Zhang Chunxue to speak first, "Auntie, you go first."
Zhang Chunxue smiled softly, "Well, tomorrow Yiyi is going with me to her grandpa’s house. I want you to come along, Xiao Fan, are you free tomorrow?"
Without thinking, Xu Qingfan agreed, "Sure, Auntie. What time tomorrow? I’m free."
"Around nine in the morning, I’ll come to pick you up."
"Okay, okay!" Xu Qingfan nodded.
Except for the year Zhang Yiyi was born, when she brought her back to the family for New Year, Zhang Chunxue had spent all the subsequent years abroad with her daughter for New Year.
It was more about avoiding family pressure than just celebrating the New Year abroad.
Zhang Chunxue’s family was a prominent and well-established one. Her great-grandfather had survived a turbulent period, and both her family and Yiyi’s father’s family had been close for generations.
In such a family, marriage alliances were a natural choice to consolidate their position. Zhang Chunxue had been childhood sweethearts with that man, and they registered their marriage right after graduating from college, soon expecting Zhang Yiyi.
The problem arose because Zhang Yiyi turned out to be a girl, and her father’s family had no other sons in that generation. If Yiyi was born, the couple wouldn’t be able to have any more children.
The fines for having more children meant nothing to their families, but the man, wanting to succeed in his career, couldn’t afford to have any black marks like that.
This created a conflict, and both families tried to persuade Zhang Chunxue to abort the child, but she resolutely refused.
