noffsinger Chapter 142 Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion
Chapter 142 Mid-Autumn Festival Reunion
On the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the bright moon hung high, casting its silvery light and illuminating the earth as if it were daytime. On this festival symbolizing reunion, Su Yuning, along with her second brother and sister-in-law, embarked on their journey home, eagerly anticipating spending the festival with their parents and her eldest brother's family.
When they stepped into the house, it was already filled with a festive atmosphere. However, the observant woman noticed that one person was missing and asked curiously, "Yu Ning, why didn't Bei Chen come back with you that night? Did you two have a fight?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yuning's face immediately lit up with a bright smile, and she gently shook her head, saying, "No way, you're really overthinking it. Recently, the business at Ni Chang Pavilion has been exceptionally good, it can only be described as booming, so he really can't get away and can only stay in the city to take care of the business."
Upon hearing this, the woman frowned slightly, revealing a hint of dissatisfaction. She muttered, "Even if business is busy, he should still come back during the holidays. It's ridiculous to leave him all alone in the capital!"
Su Yuning quickly stepped forward and took the woman's arm, gently comforting her, "Mother, don't worry. Although he couldn't come back, he has capable subordinates and guards by his side, as well as good friends to keep him company, so he won't feel lonely. Let's just have a happy Mid-Autumn Festival."
Just then, a cheerful shout rang out: "Time to eat mooncakes!" It was Princess Wan'er running over with a smile to remind everyone. Immediately afterwards, Su Muyang laboriously carried over a giant mooncake the size of a round table, drawing gasps of amazement from everyone.
Seeing this, the eldest son of the Su family quickly stepped forward, took the sharp kitchen knife, and carefully cut the mooncake into even small pieces. Princess Wan'er, standing nearby, obediently picked up a plate, placed the mooncakes on it, and then, following the order of elders to juniors, distributed the cut mooncakes to everyone in the family. The whole scene was incredibly warm and filled with laughter.
"Sister-in-law, don't be shy! Now that we're here, we're all family. Come on, come on, try these delicious mooncakes!" Princess Wan'er greeted her warmly with a big smile.
The woman called Miss Leng smiled slightly, revealing two shallow dimples, and softly replied, "Okay, thank you, Sister Wan'er." She gracefully extended her jade-like hand, gently picked up a mooncake, and put it in her mouth to chew slowly.
At this moment, Princess Wan'er seemed to suddenly remember something, her expression turned serious, and she turned to Su Yuning beside her and asked, "Sister-in-law, according to custom, married daughters and sons-in-law should send gifts to their parents' family during festivals, right? Could it be that Ye Beichen doesn't even understand this basic etiquette and hasn't prepared any festival gifts?"
Hearing this, Su Yuning merely smiled and didn't reply. This infuriated Princess Wan'er, who pouted and muttered, "Hmph, that's outrageous!"
Just as everyone fell silent, the woman, who hadn't spoken until now, quickly smoothed things over with a smile: "Oh, what's all this talk about holiday gifts? As long as you children can take some time to come back and have a reunion dinner with us old folks, we'll be more than happy!"
Just as the family was sitting happily in the middle of the courtyard, gazing up at the bright moon and chatting, a rustling sound suddenly came from the doorway. Looking closely, they saw, lo and behold, large, menacing crabs slowly crawling into the yard through the crack in the door!
Princess Wan'er had never seen anything like this before. She was terrified and screamed repeatedly, "Oh no! Danger! Danger! So many crabs are crawling over here!"
"Don't be afraid, honey, I'm here. I'll definitely protect you! Watch how powerful I am! I guarantee I'll catch every single one of these little crabs!" Su Muyang said confidently, while quickly rolling up his sleeves to reveal his strong arms, and lunging at the rampaging crabs.
Just then, the eldest son of the Su family, not to be outdone, swiftly joined the crab-catching frenzy, moving with the agility of a cheetah. The two brothers worked together, engaging in a fierce chase with the crabs.
However, these crabs were not easy to deal with. They were very cunning, sometimes darting into crevices in the rocks, sometimes quickly crawling into corners, making them impossible to guard against. But Su Muyang and the eldest son of the Su family did not give up. They used all their skills, sometimes bending down and sometimes leaping up. After a hard-fought battle, they finally captured all the dozens of clawing crabs.
Afterwards, the two were panting heavily, but their faces beamed with victorious smiles. They carefully placed the crabs one by one into the bucket, and looking at the bucket full of lively crabs, they felt a great sense of accomplishment.
Just as everyone was taking a short break, a hearty laugh rang out. It turned out that Ye Beichen walked in with a big smile on his face.
"Haha, Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! Come and see what I've prepared for you all!" Ye Beichen said proudly.
However, Princess Wan'er glared at him angrily, her eyes wide with fury, and scolded, "You naughty boy, you're so mischievous! These crabs you brought almost scared me to death!"
Hearing this, Old Su was also furious. He pointed his finger angrily at Ye Beichen and loudly rebuked him: "Hmph! As the only son-in-law of our Su family, this is all you've prepared for our wedding? And you even let these crabs crawl into the house on their own! What kind of behavior is this! Even if you don't prepare them into a delicious dish, you should at least tie them up securely with rope and put them in a nice gift box, right? This is far too perfunctory!"
"Father-in-law, please calm down! I only wanted to prepare a small surprise for everyone to liven up the atmosphere. The real gift is yet to come, so please be patient and bear with me a little longer." Ye Beichen looked nervous, hurriedly cupped his hands in a bow, and earnestly responded to his father-in-law's question.
Just then, the kind-faced and gentle woman beside him smiled and asked, "Beichen, have you not had dinner yet?" Hearing this, Ye Beichen did not dare to be negligent and quickly nodded, replying, "Yes, Mother-in-law."
Upon hearing this, the woman's smile deepened, and she continued, "It just so happens that today's reunion dinner hasn't been cooked yet. Why don't you stay and enjoy it with us later?" As she spoke, she continued to look at Ye Beichen with a smile, her eyes full of kindness and concern.
Ye Beichen felt a warmth in his heart and quickly clasped his hands in a salute, replying politely, "Alright, thank you for your kindness, Mother-in-law!" Just as he finished speaking, footsteps sounded outside the door. It turned out that the guards were escorting Xuan Yuan Rong'er as she slowly walked in. Everyone had a smile on their face and carried many exquisite gifts in their hands.
Upon entering the house, Xuan Yuan Rong'er and the guards greeted the elders present with their best wishes for the Mid-Autumn Festival: "Uncle and Aunt, we wish you both a happy Mid-Autumn Festival, good health, and all the best!" In an instant, laughter filled the entire room, and the harmonious atmosphere made everyone feel warm and happy.
"Happy birthday to you!" the elderly couple responded with beaming smiles, their laughter seemingly able to pierce the clouds, conveying the joy and happiness in their hearts.
Just then, a strong and sturdy guard strode in, carefully carrying a delicate steamer filled with freshly steamed, steaming crabs. The crab shells were a vibrant red, emitting an enticing aroma. After gently placing the delicacy on the table, the guard turned and fetched a full jar of fine, fragrant wine.
Meanwhile, the beautiful and charming Xuanyuan Rong'er was also busy. With a smile on her face, she carried a large food box and gracefully entered the house. Opening the box, one could see various uniquely flavored mooncakes inside: red bean paste, egg yolk and lotus seed paste, mixed nuts, and more—a truly mouthwatering sight. In addition, she had specially prepared two golden-brown, crispy-skinned, and tender roast chickens and two glistening, plump roast ducks for this reunion meal, making the entire table even more abundant.
Meanwhile, the clatter of pots and pans echoed from the kitchen. It turned out that the skillful woman was busily preparing delicious dishes. Before long, her daughter and daughter-in-law emerged from the kitchen, bringing out plate after plate of beautifully presented and fragrant dishes.
"The first dish is braised fish, our family's signature dish! It symbolizes abundance year after year, and we hope our family will have a prosperous and happy life from now on!" The woman enthusiastically introduced the dish, gesturing for everyone to try it. Then, pointing to another plate, she said, "The second dish is Mapo Tofu. Don't let its ordinary appearance fool you; the taste will absolutely leave you wanting more!"
Then, the woman pointed to the third dish and continued, "This stir-fried bean sprouts, bean sprouts are also known as 'auspicious vegetables,' eating them will bring you good fortune and all your wishes will come true!" She then introduced the other dishes in turn: "This is celery stir-fried with pork, very nutritious; this is cold-dressed pig's head meat, with a smooth and refreshing texture; this mutton soup is nourishing and warming; this cold-dressed beef is tender and delicious; and the last dish is winter melon and pork rib soup, light and flavorful. Add to that the steamed crab, roast chicken, and roast duck that my son-in-law brought, and it's a perfect feast! Everyone, please don't be shy, eat your fill!" After saying this, the woman picked up a piece of fish and put it in her mouth, nodding with satisfaction, her face beaming with a happy smile.
Some are happy, some are sad; this is a common occurrence in the world. Take Old Zhou and Sun Lan from Beijing, for example. Faced with a table laden with sumptuous food, they had no appetite whatsoever. Their beloved son, Zhou Dong, had taken his wife back to their village to live a simple life; and their obedient daughter, Zhou Xi, had married and moved to Yangjiaping. Now, with the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, only the two of them remained at home, feeling utterly lonely, empty, and cold.
"Honey, I want to discuss something with you." Old Zhou said with a stern face and an extremely serious expression.
Seeing this, Sun Lan nodded slightly and replied, "Okay, go ahead and tell me, what is it?"
Old Zhou took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, then solemnly said what was on his mind: "How about we... have another child? Otherwise, during holidays, it's just the two of us staring at each other, it's really too lonely."
Upon hearing this, Sun Lan was stunned, her face showing a blank and bewildered expression. She subconsciously asked, "Huh? Where are we going?"
Old Zhou was momentarily speechless when asked the question, but he quickly recovered and hurriedly explained, "Oh dear, look how anxious you are! I don't mean to find a child outside to raise, but rather that my husband and I should have another baby, so that we can have a little one to keep us company in the future."
However, to Old Zhou's utter surprise, no sooner had he finished speaking than Sun Lan burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. Between laughs, she gasped for breath and said, "Hahahaha! Oh my, old man, you're getting funnier and funnier! Think about it, the two of us combined are already over a hundred years old, how could we possibly have the ability to have a child!"
Just then, a hint of embarrassment appeared on Old Zhou's weathered face. He slowly lowered his head and said softly, "You're absolutely right. We're both getting on in years, and it seems unlikely we'll have another child." He sighed helplessly, as if his heart was filled with disappointment and regret.
Sun Lan, standing to the side, smiled warmly, her kind gaze falling on Old Zhou. She gently comforted him, "That's right. The children have all grown up; they each have their own paths in life and ways of living. All we two old folks can do is take care of each other and keep each other company. As parents, as long as we don't cause trouble or hold our children back, that's already a great deed." As she spoke, Sun Lan's smile grew even brighter, as heartwarming as a flower blooming in spring.