Chapter 212: Chapter 212: New Year's Eve Dinner and Red Envelopes

By the time the two of them got back, most of the food on the table had already been eaten. Luckily, Gu Qinghuan had set aside some clean dishes for them.

After finishing their meal, Gu Qinghuan and Xu Huaian didn’t linger for even a second—they patted their butts and left right away.

There was still a mountain of things to do at home: preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner, delivering New Year’s gifts to friends and neighbors, and boiling water to wash the kids’ hair and give them baths.

That morning, Gu Lanting had gone to shovel cow dung and, on her way back, brought her grandparents and Zhong Zijun’s family over.

Gu Qinghuan also had Xu Huaian give Ji Linhai’s family a heads-up ahead of time, telling them not to cook at home that evening and to come over and join the festivities instead.

Gu Qinghuan divided up the New Year’s gifts and she and Xu Huaian set off to deliver them separately.

They’d already brought a roast chicken to the Xu family at lunchtime, so there was no need to bring anything extra.

For Xu Huaizhi’s family, Gu Qinghuan put together a bottle of her homemade wild grape wine, a box of Beijing-style pastries she’d brought back from the capital, and a small piece of mutton. Xu Huaian delivered these himself.

Although Lin Xiaomeng wasn’t exactly trustworthy and they weren’t close, Xu Huaizhi was still Xu Huaian’s eldest brother, and had always treated him decently growing up. Even if it was just for appearances, they had to keep up the gesture.

After Xu Huaian delivered the gifts, he came back with a box of candied fruit Lin Xiaomeng had made herself, a big bag of roasted sunflower seeds, and a dried wild rabbit.

Lin Xiaomeng had reciprocated based on what Gu Qinghuan had given her, offering up some of her own homemade specialties.

As for wild rabbits and pheasants, she actually had quite a few at home—all hunted herself in the mountains during autumn and early winter, then either dried or frozen and kept in her space. Now was the perfect time to bring them out and eat.

Back then, her luck was good—every trip to the mountains yielded something, so she’d built up quite a stockpile and even managed to sell some for extra cash.

So even though she’d lost her “Lucky Spring” water, with her space and her previous savings, she wasn’t too worried about the days ahead.

Though life had changed suddenly and she’d had a good cry, it actually brought her a moment of clarity, sweeping away her previous gloom and depression.

At least things were getting better now. Especially since Xu Huaizhi was clearly more understanding and supportive than in her previous life, and her son was obedient and sensible.

That was enough—what more could she ask for?

As for that scoundrel Xu Huaiyu, karma would take care of him. She’d just wait and see—if not this year, then next; if not in two years, then three; if not in three, then a lifetime. He was bound to get what he deserved.

Gu Qinghuan had no idea that by helping the King of the Underworld reclaim Lin Xiaomeng’s Lucky Spring, she’d actually helped Lin Xiaomeng achieve true clarity and return to the right path.

Right now, she was at Erdan’s house delivering New Year’s gifts.

She’d already brought some pastries to Chen Fengqin earlier, so this time she brought a bit of mutton and a bag of fruit candies.

Chen Fengqin gave her a bag of homemade pine nut candy and a piece of roe deer meat in return.

Finally, Gu Qinghuan made a stop at Qian Caihua’s house.

In the village, she was about the only one Gu Qinghuan had any real friendship with, and since her kids had enjoyed Qian Caihua’s snacks the other day, it was only right to return the favor.

She brought a small piece of mutton and a bag of fruit candies to Qian Caihua’s family as well.

Qian Caihua seemed surprised that she’d brought New Year’s gifts, but quickly invited her in to sit.

Remembering how Tugeng had tried to get close to her before, Gu Qinghuan politely declined.

Now that Qiu Shuxia had married him, she hoped the two of them would live well together and not stir up any more trouble.

Qiu Shuxia, who had offended Gu Qinghuan in the past, was now a bit embarrassed to see her, and managed an awkward smile.

Qian Caihua gave her a big bowl of homemade steamed buns in return.

They were quite heavy—Gu Qinghuan had a hard time carrying them home.

Strictly speaking, she should have brought New Year’s gifts to Xu Huaiyu’s family too. After all, they were now separate households.

But that morning, she’d already lost a roast chicken saving his wife, Yan Lijun, and besides, Gu Qinghuan really didn’t think much of Xu Huaiyu and had no desire to keep up any contact in the future, so she simply left it at that.

Yan Lijun seemed alright, but she’d married a scumbag like Xu Huaiyu—what could you do?

Once the gifts were delivered, Gu Qinghuan started preparing for the evening feast.

Zhong Zijun and Cheng Shuying came over to help with the cooking.

Zhong Luoning was in charge of boiling water and bathing the kids.

Everyone had their own job, and they worked together seamlessly.

Gu Lanting, for once, had some free time and took Ming Ruxue outside to go sledding in the yard. The two of them laughed and played, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.

Zhong Weiqian and Old Man Ji watched the two youngsters, smiles appearing on their faces.

A boy rides a bamboo horse, circling the bed and playing with green plums—who knows what story these two little ones might have in the future?

For the New Year’s Eve dinner, Gu Qinghuan wanted to do something different.

They’d been eating big-pot meals every day since coming back and were tired of it, so tonight she made things a bit more refined.

Sweet and sour spare ribs, braised pig’s trotters, steamed sea bass, spicy sliced pork, cold pig’s ear salad, scallion oil chicken, pan-fried ribbonfish, shredded pork in Beijing sauce, boiled shrimp, and wild chicken soup with chestnuts and hazel mushrooms.

For dessert: frozen pears and dried persimmons.

The kids especially loved the sweet and sour ribs, steamed sea bass, scallion oil chicken, and pan-fried ribbonfish.

The stronger-flavored dishes catered to the adults’ tastes.

Once the food was ready, Zhong Luoning had finished bathing the kids, and they were all dressed in clean, comfortable clothes, looking adorable.

Since it was New Year’s Eve, Gu Qinghuan had Xu Huaian bring over the kang table from next door. The whole family squeezed onto one kang, using two tables for the meal. It was warm, the food stayed hot, and everyone could be together in the same space.

They truly felt like one big family, exchanging New Year’s blessings with each other.

The food was delicious—everyone found something they liked on the table.

Gu Qinghuan brought out some good wine she’d stored in her space villa and filled the men’s glasses.

The women had a little grape wine.

The kids got milk.

Everyone ate to their heart’s content and was thoroughly satisfied.

After dinner, Zhong Zijun and Ji Linhai’s families got ready to head home.

“These are my New Year’s red envelopes for you. Don’t bother coming over to pay New Year’s visits tomorrow—if people see, it won’t look good.”

Zhong Zijun pulled out the red envelopes she’d prepared in advance. Each person—her daughter and son-in-law, her son, young Miss Ming, her niece, and the kids—got one. Each envelope contained fifty cents, with no favoritism at all.

Gu Qinghuan couldn’t accept her red envelope and quickly tried to give it back.

“Mom, it’s the thought that counts. We’re all adults—no need for red envelopes. Let the kids keep theirs, but as for us, let’s skip it.”

Everyone else tried to return their envelopes too.

It wasn’t easy for Zhong Zijun to save up some money in the countryside—they couldn’t take it from her.

“No matter how old you get, you’ll always be my children. In my heart, you’re no different from the little ones. Just take it—this only happens once a year. Let me show my love,” Zhong Zijun said gently.

Gu Qinghuan wanted to say more, but Cheng Shuying also pulled out her own red envelopes: “Zijun is right. In our eyes, you’re all still kids. It’s rare for us to see you—just take it, or this old lady won’t be happy. We made good money this year, so don’t worry about us! We’ve got plenty!” Cheng Shuying said, patting her purse with a serious face.

Everyone laughed, and after exchanging glances, finally accepted the two heavy red envelopes.

This was the most heartfelt blessing from the older generation."