yournovel Chapter 476 Who told you to miss the boat?
Chapter 476 Who told you to miss the boat?
Chapter 476 Who told you to miss the boat?
Before we knew it, the sun had quietly climbed to its zenith.
The sunlight poured down without reservation, illuminating everything in the world and filling the air with the brightness and warmth of the New Year.
The young couple had just finished visiting relatives and friends and returned home. As soon as Yu Huan stepped onto the threshold, she slammed the door shut behind her and locked it.
He then turned his head and smiled at Lin Yourong beside him, saying, "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, there aren't many people out and about, so the journey to pay New Year's visits has been quite smooth."
Lin Yourong's eyes sparkled with playfulness as she half-jokingly replied, "I think you're just afraid that the villagers will block your door, 'Brother Leader'!"
Hearing this, Yu Huan reached out and gently tapped her smooth forehead, jokingly saying, "More than that, I'm worried about people recognizing my beautiful wife as the famous star Lin Su! That would be quite a scene."
Lin Yourong gave a soft "humph" through her nose, then reached out and took off her mask, revealing a delicate and beautiful face.
Just as Yu Huan turned around to take a step, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of this scene, quickly turned to the side, and raised her hand to cover her mouth and nose.
At the same time, he said in a serious tone, "We still need to cover it up a bit. It wouldn't be good if a relative came to visit and saw it from the backyard."
Lin Yourong's almond-shaped eyes widened instantly, and she bit Yu Huan's hand that was covering her mouth and nose without any hesitation.
Yu Huan winced in pain and quickly let go, feigning grievance as she cried out, "Ouch! You bit me so hard! Biting me on the first day of the Lunar New Year!"
Lin Yourong gave him a coquettish glare, but couldn't help but smile slightly, and obediently put her mask back on as instructed.
After some playful banter, the two arrived at the backyard.
Yu Huan, who was walking ahead, immediately saw that Grandpa Yu was leaning against the wall, with his back to the sun, holding a mobile phone in his hand, smiling, and chatting enthusiastically with the person on the other end of the phone. It looked like he was having a video call.
The Wi-Fi signal is good in this location, but it gets very weak as you move towards the kitchen.
Without even thinking, Yu Huan was certain that it was Yu Chengcheng wishing the old man a Happy New Year.
After all, WeChat wasn't widely used back then; it was mostly used by trendy young people like them, playing with features like "shake" and "drift bottle."
Fortunately, WeChat doesn't have a transfer function yet, otherwise, the old man would probably have been tricked out of a stack of red bills by Yu Chengcheng's clever words.
Sure enough, as soon as the two approached, they could clearly hear Yu Chengcheng's cheerful voice coming from the loudspeaker: "You have to save this year's New Year's money for me, and give it to me all at once next year..."
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan turned around and walked straight to the old man.
He raised his voice and shouted into the phone, "Orange! You're really good at scheming! You're thinking of getting Grandpa to save your New Year's money for you next year. What, are you planning to create a 'New Year's money fund' and make it compound interest?"
As soon as the humorous words were spoken, Lin Yourong couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Grandpa Yu looked up and saw his grandson and granddaughter-in-law arrive. His smile grew even brighter. He continued, following Yu Huan's lead, "Your brother Huan is right. It's your own fault for not being able to keep up. Of course, you won't get it."
Yu Huan leaned forward and peered at the phone screen.
On the screen, Yu Chengcheng was wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, her face almost pressed against the camera, her round eyes wide open, looking quite angry.
Just then, as if suddenly intrigued, Grandpa Yu turned the front-facing camera and pointed it directly at Lin Yourong beside him.
Although Lin Yourong did not speak, Yu Chengcheng seemed to recognize her immediately by her familiar eyes and brows, and her voice instantly took a sweet turn.
"Sister Yourong! You have to do something about him! On the first day of the Lunar New Year, he bullied me, his poor little sister who is far away overseas and doesn't even have any New Year's money!"
Upon hearing this, Yu Huan quickly calculated the time difference in her mind.
It was the middle of the day, but on the other side of the ocean, where Yu Chengcheng was, it would have been the early hours of the morning.
Therefore, it's not surprising that Yu Chengcheng was wearing pajamas.
He smiled and raised an eyebrow, saying with a hint of teasing, "Orange, the US doesn't celebrate Chinese New Year! Are you staying up all night just to call Grandpa right at the last minute to settle the matter of your New Year's money?"
Yu Chengcheng quickly shook her head, her expression becoming serious as she earnestly said, "I just missed you all so much, and it's Chinese New Year, so I really wanted to chat with Grandpa and maybe get some lucky money. I'm abroad, so I can't have the lively New Year's Eve dinner at home, and I can't happily set off firecrackers with you. I finally got this chance to video chat with you, and you still say this to me!"
Her tone was full of grievance and pitifulness.
Lin Yourong listened from the side, her heart filled with heartache.
She raised her hand and patted Yu Huan's arm, saying with a hint of reproach, "You, stop teasing Chengcheng. She's all alone abroad, in a place she doesn't know, it's not easy for her."
Yu Huan shrugged helplessly, spread his hands, and said with a wry smile, "Do you think I can still tease her?"
Lin Yourong gave him a light glare, then leaned closer to her phone screen and said gently, "Chengcheng, don't listen to your Huan-ge, he's just joking with you. Are you doing alright over there? Are you taking good care of yourself?"
Seeing his granddaughter-in-law and granddaughter being so affectionate, Grandpa Yu's smile grew even wider.
He turned slightly to the side, adjusting the angle of his phone to make it easier for the two of them to communicate.
"I'm doing fine, Sister Rong," Yu Chengcheng replied with a smile. Then, she suddenly asked, "When are you guys coming to visit?"
Hearing this, Yu Huan noticed a hint of doubt flash in the eyes of the old man and Lin Yourong.
He quickly chuckled and said rapidly, "Orange, your invitation is too sudden! This isn't something you can just do on a whim! We both have our own jobs to do. Besides, international travel involves a lot of complicated procedures, like booking flights and hotels, and all sorts of preparations. You simply can't do it without advance planning."
Hearing this from thousands of miles away, Yu Chengcheng immediately understood and wisely changed the subject, instead loudly proclaiming, "Grandpa, it's a promise, you have to give me double the New Year's money next time!"
Seeing Lin Yourong straighten up from her forward lean, the old man casually pointed the camera at his nostrils and replied with a smile, "No problem, as long as you come to me in person to collect it! You won't be shortchanged by a single penny of your New Year's money."
“Okay! It’s a deal, Grandpa! That’s all for now, I should go to sleep.” Yu Chengcheng’s voice still lingered in the air when she raised her voice and cheerfully emphasized, “Happy New Year to Huan-ge and You-rong-jie! Good health and all the best!” Yu Huan and Lin You-rong smiled at each other and then responded in unison, “Happy New Year.”
Just then, Old Yu, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, strolled leisurely out of the kitchen doorway.
With a smile on his face, he addressed the crowd, "Hanging up?"
"I'm hanging up." Old Master Yu gently waved his phone, then looked down at the time, a hint of surprise on his face. "Oh, I didn't expect to chat with Chengzi for over an hour!"
"The technology is really advanced now. Even though we're thousands of miles apart, video calls are just like chatting face-to-face," Old Yu said, the cigarette in his mouth swaying slightly with his movements, a small ash trembling in the wind as if it might fall at any moment.
"That's right. Back then, your mother and I could only contact our relatives in Yanjing by writing letters. It would take anywhere from ten days to a month to receive a reply. It's nothing like how convenient it is now. We can video call anytime, anywhere, and see and hear each other." Old Master Yu shook his head, his face full of reminiscence of the past, with a slight sigh.
Yu Huan said with a smile, "Life is getting better and better now. Chengcheng is abroad, but she can contact us anytime, which makes us feel much more at ease."
Grandpa Yu wholeheartedly agreed, nodding and saying, "That's right, technology is developing so fast. Things we never dared to imagine before have now become reality. It's not easy for Chengcheng to be alone abroad. Being able to video chat with her often and hear her voice makes me feel much more at ease."
Seeing that the old man's hand unconsciously reached into his pocket as if to take out a cigarette, Old Yu quickly said, "The dishes are all prepared. Now that Huanhuan and Yourong have returned from their New Year's greetings, let's eat."
Grandpa Yu glanced up into the kitchen, but his hands didn't stop moving. He successfully pulled out a cigarette and then a lighter.
He replied with a smile, "No rush, the dishes haven't even been served yet. Let me have a smoke first."
At the same time, Yu Huan twitched her nostrils, sniffed the aroma of food filling the air, and said with a smile, "Let's eat! Standing here, the aroma is so strong it's making my stomach rumble."
As soon as he finished speaking, he flew into the kitchen as fast as the wind.
As soon as Yu Huan entered the kitchen, she saw Teacher Wu lifting the lid of the steamer, the rising steam carrying an enticing aroma.
Hearing footsteps, Teacher Wu turned around and looked at Yu Huan, who had walked up to her. She smiled and said, "Perfect timing, you can help serve the dishes."
"okay!"
Yu Huan readily agreed, her gaze falling on the two dishes on the top shelf of the steamer: Mao-style braised pork and sweet and sour pork ribs.
The braised pork belly has an enticing reddish-brown color, and looks even more delicious under the steam.
His craving was immediately aroused, and he couldn't resist reaching out to pick up a piece and taste it.
With quick reflexes, Teacher Wu lightly patted Yu Huan's hand and said, "You're already married with a wife, yet you're still acting like a child! Wait until it's on the table before you eat, it won't make a difference if you wait a little longer."
Lin Yourong, who had just stepped inside, couldn't help but chuckle softly upon seeing this scene.
Teacher Wu chuckled and teased, "Look at how impatient you are! If You Rong sees this, she'll laugh at you!"
"Mom, you have no idea, I've been thinking about your cooking the whole way here while I was visiting relatives for the New Year." Yu Huan said sweetly, then turned around quickly, found a clean cloth, picked up a plate, and prepared to bring the dishes to the table.
As he strode toward the dining table, he winked at Lin Yourong: "Wife, try Mom's braised pork and my favorite sweet and sour pork ribs later. The taste is absolutely divine! I guarantee you, once you've had one piece, you'll definitely want to have a second one."
Lin Yourong couldn't help but chuckle at Yu Huan's silly antics. She gently removed her mask and said with a smile, "I think I heard you mention before that you really wanted to go home and eat your mom's sweet and sour pork ribs!"
"Really?" Teacher Wu was taking out bowls and chopsticks from the cupboard when she heard this. Her face immediately lit up with a bright smile. "When Huanhuan was little, he really loved sweet and sour pork ribs. Every time I made this dish, he would eat an extra bowl of rice."
Just then, Old Yu, who had finished smoking in the courtyard, slowly walked in. As soon as he saw Lin Yourong helping him get the bowls and chopsticks, his face immediately lit up with a kind and friendly smile.
He asked gently, "You Rong, how was your New Year's visit today? You must all be home, right?"
Before Lin Yourong could even speak, Teacher Wu chided her, "How could you not be home on the first day of the Lunar New Year?"
The elderly couple had a brief, light argument. Lin Yourong smiled, picked up her bowl and chopsticks, and strode toward the dining table.
As she walked, she said, "They're all at home, and they're incredibly welcoming. Even though I'm wearing a mask, they don't seem to mind at all."
"It's good that you don't mind." Old Yu nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
Yu Huan brushed past Lin Yourong, then quickly returned to the stove to continue serving dishes, busily saying, "Anyway, I received 11,000 yuan in red envelopes during this New Year's visit. My uncle gave me 3,000 yuan, and the other families each gave me 2,000 yuan. My aunt even secretly told me that the other families had originally agreed to give 2,000 yuan each, but she secretly added 1,000 yuan for me, and specifically told me not to tell anyone."
Old Yu thought of his older brother, who never cared about family matters, and nodded with a smile: "That's just like your aunt. She's always been very fond of you since you were little."
"That's right, I spent the most time at my uncle's house today, we chatted for a long time..."
Everyone chatted idly as dishes were served one after another.
After finishing his cigarette in the courtyard, Old Master Yu strolled in leisurely.
As Ms. Wu was pouring coconut juice, she looked up and saw him, and quickly greeted him, "Dad, please sit down."
"Okay." Old Master Yu nodded, not caring about who was the host or not, and casually sat down with his back to the door.
Old Yu picked up a plastic cup, half-filled with baijiu (Chinese liquor), and scanned each face with a smile as he spoke.
"Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and it's a rare occasion for our family to get together. In this new year, I hope everyone will be safe and healthy. Huanhuan and Yourong, I wish you both success at work and happiness in your lives. Dad, please take care of yourself and be happy every day. Come on, let's have a toast!"
"Good! Cheers!" Old Master Yu echoed.
Lin Yourong raised her glass with a smile, feeling like she had become part of this family.
(End of this chapter)