As the Lunar New Year approached, Aunt Liu and Uncle He gradually became busier. They went out to buy New Year's goods bit by bit every day, and the kitchen was soon piled full. Yu Shulin had already finished his winter vacation homework ahead of time, so he followed Aunt Liu around to various supermarkets and markets every day, helping to carry bags and pay for things.
The devaluation of currency was already beginning to show, and Aunt Liu kept grumbling along the way about how money didn't go as far as it used to, looking quite worried.
Yu Shulin was a little rich kid. He had never worried about money growing up. Although his previous life had been miserable, he hadn't really had the chance to fret over money either. In this life, he directly held onto the assets his mother left behind, sought refuge with his loaded older brother, received ample pocket money, and only ever dipped into his mother's money to buy gifts for his brother. So, he didn't really have any strong feelings about currency devaluation.
He was just a little worried. His brother's clothes and belongings all seemed very expensive. With his own limited funds, it seemed like he couldn't buy many more gifts... He felt so poor.
Liang Zhou had finally bought Yu Shulin's exam gift—a brand new, latest-model computer.
Now, chat software like QQ was becoming popular among students. Many classmates in his class had QQ numbers. Now that he had a computer, he applied for one too.
In his previous life, his high school years were tough. Although he occasionally went online, his exposure was limited, and he wasn't even very proficient at typing. Liang Zhou stood behind him, watching him type slowly, one key at a time. A slight smile touched Liang Zhou's lips as he carefully memorized Yu Shulin's QQ number before returning to his study.
The sound of a friend request notification suddenly rang out. Yu Shulin stopped typing and curiously clicked it open with the mouse. The person requesting to add him was a new, blank account. The name field boldly displayed the words "Liang Zhou." He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and clicked accept.
Three days before New Year's Eve, He Long moved into the villa to celebrate the New Year together with everyone.
On New Year's Eve itself, Liang Zhou dressed Yu Shulin up nicely and took him to the Zhou family's old house for the reunion dinner.
Yu Shulin felt uneasy, hesitating even as they were about to leave.
"Maybe I shouldn't go... I'm just an outsider. It wouldn't be appropriate..." Given his status, going to the Zhou family's reunion dinner felt somewhat awkward.
"You're not an outsider. You're my brother." Liang Zhou wrapped a scarf around him for him, nudged him into the car, then walked around to the driver's seat and got in. Leaning over, he helped Yu Shulin fasten his seatbelt. "Relax, it's just a meal."
"But..."
"No buts." Liang Zhou straightened up and ruffled his hair. "Both my uncles know you're living with me. When they called to invite me, they specifically told me to bring you along. Don't worry, they're easy to get along with."
With things put that way, Yu Shulin couldn't refuse any further. He nodded, feeling a bit more relaxed inside.
The Zhou family's old house was located on the other side of the city. Liang Zhou drove for over an hour before they arrived. As time passed, Yu Shulin's recently relaxed nerves gradually grew taut again.
The car entered the old city district. This area was full of old houses, and the roads were somewhat narrow, forcing Liang Zhou to slow down. After many twists and turns, they reached the entrance of an alley where the car could go no further. Liang Zhou got out, carrying the New Year gifts, and led Yu Sh inside.
Along the way, children were playing with firecrackers. One cracker happened to explode right by Yu Shulin's feet. He jumped in fright, nearly dropping the gift box in his hand.
Liang Zhou swiftly steadied him. Glancing at the situation along the road, he frowned, then simply transferred all the gifts to his right hand and took Yu Shulin's hand in his left. "Be careful," he said in a low voice. "There are a lot of kids in this area. It's a bit lively."
Yu Shulin nodded, looked down at their joined hands, and smiled, his eyes crinkling—he liked this kind of atmosphere; it was very lively.
Zhou He was bouncing around at the entrance of the courtyard house, setting off firecrackers with loud pops and crackles. Spotting Liang Zhou leading someone by the hand from a distance, he tossed down his firecracker and ran over with a grin. He gave Liang Zhou an exaggerated bow and stretched out his hand. "Cousin! Wishing you a happy New Year and all the best! Red envelope, red envelope, hand it over!"
Perhaps infected by the festive New Year atmosphere, a rare smile touched Liang Zhou's face. He took a thick red envelope from his pocket and handed it over. "You're the slickest one. Here you go."
Zhou He quickly took it, gauging its thickness. His smile widened even more as he fawned over Liang Zhou, offering to carry the gifts. "Cousin, you're the most generous! Come on, come on, carrying all this stuff must be heavy. Let me help you."
Seeing him approach, Yu Shulin greeted him with a smile. "Zhou He, Happy New Year."
Zhou He deliberately put on an exaggerated look of surprise and exclaimed, "Wow! From far away, I thought cousin had brought a cousin-in-law home! So it's Shulin. Welcome, welcome! Happy New Year! Come on, I'll show you the new game console I got!" He reached out to grab Yu Shulin, pulling him towards the house.
Hearing the words "cousin-in-law," Liang Zhou's grip on Yu Shulin's hand tightened briefly before he let go, allowing Zhou He to pull him away. "Xiao He, don't tug. Shulin is still carrying things," he reminded.
"Got it, got it!" Zhou He waved his hand dismissively and led Yu Shulin into the courtyard.
A group of people in the courtyard were brushing paste onto Spring Festival couplets. Seeing Zhou He noisily rushing in, a handsome young man standing on the outermost edge smiled and said, "Xiao He, finally done playing with firecrackers? Come help paste the window decorations. Huh? Who's this, your classmate?"
Yu Shulin quickly stopped and greeted him. "Hello, I'm Yu Shulin. Happy New Year."
"Ah, so you're Shulin?" The handsome young man was momentarily taken aback, looked him over, then his smile broadened as he greeted him warmly. "I'm Zhou Qi, the eldest son of the main branch. You can just call me cousin like Zhou Zhou does. By the way, why are you alone? Where's Zhou Zhou?"
Pulled along by Zhou He, Yu Shulin wasn't sure if he should call the other 'cousin,' so he nodded vaguely and said, "Happy New Year. Brother is outside."
Zhou He, being impatient, just pointed behind him. "Cousin's outside, go see for yourself! I'm taking Shulin inside to put the stuff down first. You guys paste the window decorations yourselves. Come on, Shulin, let's go inside. Ignore them."
"You rascal, always slacking off," Zhou Qingren, who was brushing paste, laughed and scolded him good-naturedly. He gave Yu Shulin a friendly nod and said warmly, "Go on inside. Have some hot tea to warm your hands."
"Mm." Yu Shulin nodded obediently, unable to suppress a smile.
The others busy with the couplets had also stopped working, greeting Yu Shulin one by one with smiles. For a moment, the atmosphere was harmonious, truly carrying the feeling of a family reunion.
Liang Zhou came in a step later. Seeing this scene, his gaze warmed slightly. After greeting his relatives in the courtyard one by one, he was just about to follow Yu Shulin inside when Zhou Qi grabbed his arm and promptly enlisted him for labor.
In the main room sat Grandma, talking with the female relatives gathered around her. Her face was glowing, and she looked very hale and hearty.
Zhou He dragged Yu Shulin in and immediately started rummaging through the sofa. "Sis, have you seen my bag? I remember putting it here," he asked casually.
A gentle and refined woman stood up from beside the old lady, shot him a disdainful glance, and smiled warmly as she greeted Yu Shulin, "I've heard Zhouzhou mention you for a long time. It's Shulin, right? Come, have a seat."
Yu Shulin hadn't expected everyone to be so friendly towards him and quickly responded, "Hello, Happy New Year."
The woman smiled, came over to take his hand, and said kindly, "I'm Zhou Shi, you can call me Cousin." She then began introducing the people in the room, "This is Grandma, this is Eldest Aunt, and this is Youngest Aunt. Just follow Zhouzhou's lead in addressing them. You're Zhouzhou's brother, which makes you part of our Zhou family. Make yourself at home."
Yu Shulin nodded, feeling a bit shy but warmed inside. Thinking of Liang Zhou outside, he finally shed his awkwardness and followed Zhou Shi's lead, greeting each person one by one with a smile and offering New Year's wishes.
The old lady looked him up and down, a smile spreading across her face. She took a red envelope from her pocket and pressed it into his hand. "Good child, you look like a well-behaved and obedient one. Treat this place as your own home, alright?"
The old woman's hands were somewhat rough but very warm. He accepted the red envelope and thanked her politely. The two aunts also seemed like gentle-natured people and each gave him a thick red envelope.
After receiving the red envelopes, Zhou He led Yu Shulin out of the main room.
"Tsk tsk, my aunts and my mom are so biased. Your red envelopes are much thicker than mine. What's in Grandma's envelope? It doesn't look like money. Open it quickly and let's see," Zhou He said, holding his game console, a mix of jealousy and curiosity in his voice.
Yu Shulin took out the red envelope from Grandma, opened it, and poured its contents into his palm.
"Whoa, it's a gold bar! That's some serious favoritism!" Zhou He's eyes widened, feeling rather indignant. The old lady had never spoiled her grandchildren, always giving red envelopes of average value, never more. But now, this comparison... pure bias!
The gold bar wasn't large or particularly thick, but it had a satisfying weight in the hand. Delicate patterns were finely carved on it, giving it an ancient, elegant feel.
Yu Shulin carefully turned it over in his hands, tracing the patterns with his finger. "What are these carvings?"
"It's a peace talisman," Liang Zhou walked to his side, glanced at the object in his hand, and explained, "I have one too. Grandma gave it to me on my eighteenth birthday. I didn't expect her to have prepared one for you as well."
"Cousin, you're slacking off! Are you done putting up the Spring Festival couplets?" Zhou He was green with envy. Why didn't he get a shiny gold peace talisman!
"I'm a guest, you're the host. Shouldn't that be your job? The couplets are done. The paper-cuttings are still waiting for you. Go on," Liang Zhou shooed him away with a wave of his hand, then took Yu Shulin's hand and led him towards one of the small rooms in the courtyard. "I'll take Shulin to rest for a bit. You go help out."
Zhou He was momentarily speechless, caught off guard by his cousin's rare teasing retort. He glared like a frog for a moment, snorted, and ran back to the doorway to set off more firecrackers.
The door to the small room was an old-fashioned carved wooden one, letting out a soft "creak" when pushed open.
The room was spacious, but the windows were somewhat small, so the light inside wasn't particularly bright.
Liang Zhou closed the door, turned around, and helped Yu Shulin take off his scarf. "Did Grandma and the others give you a hard time? We'll head back after lunch. We'll celebrate New Year's Eve tonight with Uncle He and the others, not staying overnight here."
Yu Shulin's eyes sparkled. He rubbed the red envelope gently and said, "Everyone was very kind. Gr—well, Grandma and the aunts all gave me red envelopes. Cousin was also very friendly." He had grown up relying only on his mother. His maternal grandparents had passed away long ago, and his uncle, Yu Xiu, rarely visited, sometimes not even once in several years. Every New Year had been very quiet. He had never experienced a reunion dinner with so many people like the Zhou family... This feeling of a family gathering together was wonderful.
Hearing that he had already started calling her 'Grandma,' Liang Zhou understood that he was no longer shutting himself out from this big family. A smile touched his lips as he ruffled Yu Shulin's hair. "That's good. They are all very good people. Later, come with me to say hello to my uncles and the others. From now on, we're all relatives. Don't be too reserved, okay?"
"Okay." Liang Zhou rarely smiled, but today was an exception. Yu Shulin felt a little embarrassed by his smile and quickly turned to push the door open and walk out. "I'll go help Zhou He put up the paper-cuttings."
Liang Zhou followed, holding his scarf, a secret sense of satisfaction blooming in his heart.
Although everyone had Shulin follow his lead in addressing them to express their acceptance, wasn't this situation also a bit like a new bride meeting the relatives... This was quite nice too.
While putting up the paper-cuttings, Liang Zhou introduced Yu Shlin to the other relatives of the Zhou family. After collecting another handful of red envelopes, everyone finally gathered around the large round table in the main room, waiting for the reunion dinner to begin.
Grandpa Zhou, who had been resting inside, came out. His expression was serious and he didn't seem very easy to get along with. Liang Zhou brought Yu Shulin forward to offer New Year's greetings and received two large red envelopes.
With that, Yu Shulin had finally met all the main relatives of the Zhou family.
After the reunion dinner, Liang Zhou took Yu Shulin to chat with Grandma for a while and then sat for a bit in Grandpa Zhou's room before saying their goodbyes and leaving.
On the way back, Yu Shulin remained excited, repeatedly looking through the red envelopes and stroking the peace talisman over and over, treating it with great care.
Liang Zhou's eyes softened with tenderness. "Do you like it?"
Yu Shulin carefully put the items away and nodded. "I like them." These were tokens of everyone's goodwill, very precious.
"I'll bring you back for the reunion dinner every year from now on," Liang Zhou promised.
Yu Shulin turned his head to look at him and nodded. "Okay." Every year. He liked the sound of that.
