NOVPUB
Chapter 475: 465
With two capable housewives, the reunion dinner was served a little after twelve noon.
Besides the customary dishes for the New Year, Shen Yunfang had especially made pearl meatballs, Kung Pao chicken, honey-glazed chicken nuggets, and tender fried mushrooms with homemade tomato sauce for the kids.
The children of the Liu family had never even seen these dishes, let alone eaten them, they were completely stunned just by looking at them.
"Auntie, what are all these?" Shuanzi voiced what everyone in the Liu family was thinking.
Not only did the Liu children not know what these dishes were, Liu Jianjun didn’t know either. Only Li Xianglian, who had watched Shen Yunfang prepare the meal, was not so surprised.
"You haven’t seen these before, have you? This is pearl meatballs. There’s a meat filling inside, and I’ve coated them in glutinous rice before steaming them. They’re delicious, but you can’t eat too much; they’re quite greasy. This one is Kung Pao chicken..." Shen Yunfang introduced the dishes to the Liu family one by one.
"Alright, everyone stop just looking, start eating. Try them all and see which one you like best; I’ll make it for you again in the future," she encouraged.
"Well then, I’ll try each one," Shuanzi said, unabashedly reaching for the pearl meatballs with his chopsticks. He had never seen them before and had wanted to try them as soon as they were brought to the table.
"Haha, don’t be shy, everyone. You’re at your auntie’s place, not someone else’s home. If there’s something you want to eat, don’t hide it. Go ahead and eat. Auntie will only be happy if you finish it all," Shen Yunfang said as she picked up a pearl meatball for Li Jia. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
"Mommy, I want one too," Manman quickly said, holding up her little rice bowl, seeing that her mother had only served her sister.
"Okay, here’s another little piggy from my family. Eat more today," Shen Yunfang said with a smile, placing a meatball into her daughter’s bowl as well.
The table began to eat, and since it was the New Year, Shen Yunfang also brought out some white wine, setting a small wine cup in front of each of the three adults. It was the New Year, and they needed some festive atmosphere—even if they drank little, it was the sentiment that counted.
As they were eating, Li Xianglian suddenly sighed, "It would have been nice if Hongqi were also home."
Shen Yunfang’s outstretched chopsticks paused, and it took her a while to turn her attention to another dish closer to her, trying her best to conceal the trembling of her hands.
"Oh, come on, your brother Hongqi has work, the nation needs him, and that’s why he can’t come back. Why do you have to bring this up?" Liu Jianjun hurriedly cut off his wife’s topic. Some people just didn’t know how to read the room, bringing up exactly what shouldn’t be mentioned. Yunfang, of course, wasn’t oblivious; it was the New Year after all, she must be missing Hongqi. The mood was merry and busy before, but her mention had brought it all back.
Li Xianglian saw her husband signaling to her repeatedly; she glanced towards Yunfang and understood that her words were ill-timed. Yunfang was probably the one in the family who most wished Hongqi could come home for the New Year; her words would surely make Yunfang sad.
"Oh dear, look at me, babbling nonsense. Come on, Yunfang, eat up. What do you call this dish? It’s really tasty," Li Xianglian quickly tried to mend the situation.
Shen Yunfang forced a smile, "This is Kung Pao chicken."
"Yes, Kung Pao chicken, it’s delicious, you should eat more." Li Xianglian said as she piled a large helping onto Shen Yunfang’s plate.
"Big sister, you don’t need to serve me, I can reach it. You eat more too. Since Hongjun has duties and can’t come back, we need to celebrate the New Year well on his behalf. When he comes back, we can make him envious." Shen Yunfang forced a smile to say a few words, in fear of creating a tense atmosphere.
"Yeah, that lousy job of his, I don’t even know what keeps him so busy every day, and he’s not allowed to talk about it. Always running around outside, he doesn’t take care of home at all. What’s so great about that job? But he just insists on doing it, what can you do?" Li Xianglian thought that by speaking her mind everything would be fine, so she bluntly started talking about her younger brother’s situation.
Liu Jianjun hurriedly nudged her from below. What kind of self-awareness does she have, not seeing how forced the smile on Yunfang’s lips was. And she’s still going on? She didn’t know when to stop her endless chatter.
Li Xianglian looked at her husband. What was he doing, always nudging her? Following the direction he was nudging her, Li Xianglian finally realized belatedly that she might have said something wrong. Just as she was about to say something to recover the situation, Liu Jianjun took over the conversation.
"Yunfang, your big sister and I have been in the Capital for a while, and after discussing it, we’ve thought about going back to our hometown after the fifth day of the New Year," Liu Jianjun hurriedly spoke, fearing his wife would bring his sister-in-law to tears if she continued. He changed the subject to ease the mood, hoping Yunfang would stop thinking about it.
"You are leaving so soon? Big sister, brother-in-law, you’ve come all the way to the Capital; it wasn’t easy to get here, and you haven’t had a proper tour around. Take some time to sightsee before you leave," Shen Yunfang said, trying to be spirited and chat with them, while actually knowing their concerns. She pretended to speak nonchalantly to prevent them from worrying, but deep down she was really feeling troubled.
"No way, this year’s New Year is late, and if we return any later, we’ll miss out on the spring planting. Besides, we’ve been here quite a while, and we’re concerned about home. It’s better to go back earlier," Liu Jianjun said earnestly, discussing the plans to return home.
Shen Yunfang thought it over. There was nothing much after the New Year here, and since the New Year was late this year, even if they went back after the fifth day, they would reach home around the twenties— it really wasn’t early to prepare for the spring planting, so she didn’t insist on them staying.
"Alright, as long as you and big sister have discussed it, that’s fine. Now that I have a little money at hand, when you two go back, don’t work too hard and ruin your health. What does it matter if you have a little more or a little less, right? Also, you’re bringing back quite an amount of money this time, so I think it’s better not to pay off your debts right away when you get back. Letting people know you have money on hand can cause trouble," Shen Yunfang hinted at the kind of trouble she meant without saying it, but Liu Jianjun and Li Xianglian understood.
If others knew they suddenly had money, they would definitely come looking for a share, not to mention others, even Qiu Shuping, because of Li Hongqi’s house, would ask her eldest daughter for money. If by then you claim to be without money, and a fight breaks out, that’s undesirable. Better not let people know in the first place. They could gradually pay off those private debts quietly.
Liu Jianjun also understood these concerns and nodded in agreement, "Hmm, we came here this time just to visit relatives." With that, he set the general tone.
"Yunfang, don’t worry about us, we will be fine. You too, be careful here, and if you have any issues while Hongjun isn’t around, don’t hesitate to turn to Liguo and his wife, I think they are good people," Li Xianglian started expressing her concerns for Shen Yunfang again.
"Hmm, I know, big sister. You don’t need to worry about me. I shuttle between school and home every day here, so I don’t have much chance to offend anyone. Besides, with Ma Liguo and his wife, one working for the neighborhood committee and the other at the police station, and living so close, I certainly won’t be at a disadvantage. You can rest assured," Shen Yunfang was quite satisfied with her current living environment. Although there were one or two bad apples, where in this vast world could one find a perfect sanctuary? So, it’s best to just overlook these small blots.
At the large dinner table, everyone chatted in their own small groups, and the meal lasted over two hours. Of course, in the end, only Shen Yunfang and the other two adults were left at the table; the children had finished eating and gone inside to play.
