Once Jiang Chengzhou's winter vacation began, the family prepared to set off for the capital to visit their relatives.
Su Lang took the two children to the post office to mail the New Year's gifts back to their godparents.
Lin Zhilan stayed behind to continue packing.
The more she packed, the more things there seemed to be.
Gradually, half the room was piled high with luggage.
When Su Lang returned, he took a look around and chuckled, "Wifey, are you planning to move our whole house over there?"
Lin Zhilan put her hands on her hips and looked around. "Is it that much?"
Hmm, it did seem like a bit much.
"It's my first time meeting your parents. No one ever complains about getting too many gifts, right?"
"Alright, whatever you say."
Su Lang estimated the volume of the items, borrowed a truck from the logistics department, and loaded everything up. He took Bai Yang and drove to the train station, found the conductor, paid the freight fee in full, and had the items loaded onto a coal car heading for the capital ahead of time.
Lin Zhilan wasn't idle on her end either.
She took the children to pay early New Year visits to Wang Rou, Liu Chunhua, and Aunt Hehua.
Knowing the family was returning to the capital for the New Year, everyone gave them plenty of local specialties to take back to Su Lang's parents.
Her two apprentices, Lin Zijun and Qin Qing, also brought New Year's gifts for their master.
By the time Su Lang returned from shipping their luggage, another pile of items had appeared in the house.
Lin Zhilan sighed helplessly. "These are all tokens of everyone's goodwill. Let's just send them through the post office; it doesn't matter if they arrive a bit late."
Su Lang nodded and did as she suggested.
On the day of their departure, Wang Rou's eyes were brimming with tears, and Nannan was crying her eyes out.
Lin Zhilan and Linlin each comforted their respective friends. Su Lang and Jiang Chengzhou exchanged a glance. "Where's your good buddy?"
Jiang Chengzhou looked at Li Xuan nearby.
Li Xuan didn't even spare him a glance.
He turned his head and saw Yan Yuan standing outside the door.
Jiang Chengzhou ran over excitedly. "Yan Yuan, you came to see me off?"
"Yeah."
Yan Yuan glanced at Linlin, who was comforting her older friend, and handed Jiang Chengzhou a bracelet woven from grass beads. "This is for Linlin. Give it to her for me."
"Grass beads" was the local slang for Job's tears.
They symbolized warding off evil, keeping one safe, and blocking misfortune.
Elders often made them for children to wear, saying they would protect the kids from illness and evil spirits.
Yan Yuan had heard this from somewhere and made such a bracelet for Linlin.
Jiang Chengzhou tucked it away and held out his hand. "Where's mine?"
Yan Yuan pursed his lips. "Yours isn't finished yet. I'll give it to you when you get back."
"Make sure you remember," Jiang Chengzhou reminded him. "I'll be back right after the New Year, and I'll ask you for it then."
"Okay..." Yan Yuan nodded, swallowing hard. "Tell Linlin that it was my first time making one, so it's not very good. Next year, I'll make her a better one. Tell her to remember to come back."
Yan Yuan vaguely knew that the capital was a very nice place.
He was worried that once Auntie Lin and Linlin went there, they would never return.
Having comforted Wang Rou, Lin Zhilan turned around and finally noticed Yan Yuan.
"Little Yuan," Lin Zhilan waved at him. "Come here for a second."
Jiang Chengzhou ran over first. "Auntie, this is the bracelet Yan Yuan made for my sister. Mine isn't ready yet; he'll give it to me after the New Year."
Yan Yuan walked over. "Auntie, there's one for you too. I'll give it to you next year when it's done."
Lin Zhilan patted his head. "Thank you, Little Yuan."
Su Lang didn't know him very well, but he knew Lin Zhilan cared a lot about this boy.
He walked over and teased him, "What about mine?"
Yan Yuan looked up at him. "Do you want one, Uncle?"
"Yes." Su Lang deliberately kept a straight face. He had a strong, imposing aura and had even scared Nannan to tears before.
Most kids were a bit afraid of him.
Yan Yuan took a step back and looked him straight in the eye. "If you want one, Uncle, I can make one for you too."
Yan Yuan was actually a little intimidated, but he didn't show it.
He knew Su Lang was a soldier.
He wasn't afraid of soldiers.
Yan Yuan used to want to be a soldier very badly, but he knew he could never become one, nor could he ever attend a military academy.
This was the biggest secret between him and his grandfather, and he never intended to tell anyone for the rest of his life.
Lin Zhilan swatted Su Lang lightly. "Alright, go finish packing. Stop scaring the child."
She brought out a pair of boots from the room and said to Yan Yuan, "This is Auntie's New Year's gift to you. Keep them safe."
Yan Yuan put his hands behind his back. "Auntie, I can still wear last year's boots. I don't need new ones."
Lin Zhilan smiled. "That's fine. I specifically bought these two sizes larger than last year's. You're growing right now; it won't be long before you can't fit into the old ones anymore."
Yan Yuan had no choice but to accept them.
Little Linlin lovingly stroked the string of beads in her hands. "Thank you, Brother Little Yuan. Mwah~"
Little Linlin kissed her own palm and blew a flying kiss to Yan Yuan.
Su Lang's mouth twitched, and he immediately stepped in front of Yan Yuan to block him.
Little Linlin pouted. "No kisses for Daddy, only for Brother Little Yuan."
"No way!" Su Lang said sternly.
Little Linlin had a strong sense of gender awareness. She could kiss Mommy, Auntie Wang Rou, and Sister Nannan.
But Daddy and her brother were boys, so she couldn't kiss them!
So, Lin Zhilan had taught her how to blow flying kisses.
At the time, they never expected that Yan Yuan would become the third boy to receive a flying kiss from Linlin, after Su Lang and Jiang Chengzhou.
Completely oblivious to her loving father's protective intentions, Little Linlin blushed and stomped her foot. "Daddy is stingy!"
Stingy it is, then.
Su Lang stood resolutely in front of Yan Yuan.
He completely missed the fact that Yan Yuan's face had already turned as red as a monkey's bottom.
Knowing that Su Lang and Lin Zhilan were bringing the children back, Xu Yueyun had started bustling about early on.
On one hand, she rattled off a list of various supplies and had Su Bingcheng go buy them personally.
On the other, she asked Auntie Yu to tidy up the rooms for her youngest son, her daughter-in-law, her granddaughter, and her grandson.
The small Western-style house was spacious with plenty of rooms, so clearing out two wasn't a difficult task.
Su Ming, the eldest son of Su Lang's older brother, had scored 90 on two subjects in his final exams.
Last time, Fan Biyun's biological mother had angered Xu Yueyun so much that she ended up in the hospital. Even Su Bingcheng had declared that his eldest son's family shouldn't come over anymore.
Xu Yueyun had a good temper and had always been very polite to her daughters-in-law in the past.
Fan Biyun wasn't afraid of her. Instead, she was somewhat intimidated by her father-in-law, Su Bingcheng, who rarely voiced his opinions but wasn't above getting physical with her husband.
This time, since her eldest son had tested well and the New Year was approaching.
Fan Biyun wanted to curry favor with her parents-in-law, so she sent her son over first as an advance guard.
He was their eldest grandson, after all; her parents-in-law surely wouldn't lock him out.
Xu Yueyun was making the bed with Auntie Yu when they heard the doorbell. Auntie Yu quickly set down the quilt. "Comrade Xu, I'll go out and see who's here."
"Alright, go ahead," Xu Yueyun agreed with a smile.
She had been in an exceptionally good mood lately, her eyes constantly crinkling with smiles.
Seeing this, Su Bingcheng and Auntie Yu felt happy too.
When Xu Yueyun noticed that Auntie Yu hadn't returned for a while, she walked out and asked, "Little Yu, who is it?"
"Grandma, it's me."
"Oh." The smile on Xu Yueyun's face faded.
It wasn't that she hated her grandson, but love extends to everything associated with a person, and so does dislike.
Xu Yueyun didn't like the two adults in the eldest son's household.
As a result, even her grandmotherly affection for this grandson had grown cold.
