This afternoon, Qin Nanfeng originally planned to drive the girl to visit Auntie Ping and the others.
However, after learning where the two were going, Qin Nanfeng’s parents also wanted to express their thanks properly.
After all, these past few years, Auntie Ping and Uncle Ming had taken good care of the youth, so the couple was naturally grateful. They even brought along many expensive gifts.
But Qin Nanfeng knew Auntie Ping’s temperament well—there was no way they would accept them, so he directly refused.
Compared to that, it would be more practical to give Auntie Ping’s restaurant extra support in the future…
Qin Nanfeng’s parents thought about it and agreed.
They put away those things, and before heading to Fulai Restaurant, they followed Qin Nanfeng’s advice and first bought a lot of ingredients, including many expensive delicacies.
Since it was close to the New Year, Fulai Restaurant had already closed.
It was only because they heard that Qin Nanfeng and the girl were coming that Auntie Ping and Uncle Ming waited early.
When they saw Qin Nanfeng’s parents, Auntie Ping and the others were surprised but also very warm.
They felt embarrassed about the things the group had brought.
And although they scolded Qin Nanfeng a bit, just as the youth had guessed, they didn’t refuse.
That evening, Auntie Ping rejected Uncle Ming’s suggestion to cook.
After all, her husband had been busy all year, and during the New Year, he deserved a good rest.
She let Uncle Ming go chat with the father and son, while she took Lin Xinyuan and Jiang Ningyue to work in the kitchen.
For a time, Uncle Ming’s home on the second floor of the restaurant, usually quiet, became completely lively.
The men sat on the sofa drinking tea and chatting, while the women worked busily but orderly in the kitchen, occasionally laughter drifting out.
Lin Xinyuan was handling ingredients, and from time to time, the two elders teased her, making her small face flush with embarrassment.
“Auntie… Auntie Ping! Don’t… don’t talk nonsense!”
The girl bit her pink lips lightly, her face red to the roots of her neck.
What’s with these elders, always joking about her having children!
I… I don’t have such thoughts yet!
Even if I get married, I feel like it’d be two years from now? Why are they talking about having kids…
Besides… I’m scared… and I don’t have that idea at all…
“Alright, alright, Auntie won’t say anymore. Look how shy our Xiaoyuan is~”
Jiang Ningyue chuckled, and Auntie Ping was also full of smiles.
In this atmosphere, the three chatted while cooking, which was both efficient and never boring.
At 7:30, the meal was finally ready, and it was time to eat.
Although large fireworks were not allowed in the urban area of Tianbei City, small fireworks were permitted.
In the alleys of Chengzhongcun, children were laughing and playing, and the sound of firecrackers rang out from time to time.
Even though it wasn’t yet the New Year, the festive atmosphere was already thick.
The dining table was filled with laughter and cheerful conversation, lasting until after 9 PM before finally ending.
Auntie Ping and Uncle Ming reluctantly saw them off.
“Come by whenever you have time!”
Auntie Ping waved to Qin Nanfeng and the girl in the car, then nodded to the Qin couple.
“Okay, Auntie Ping. Happy New Year in advance.”
Qin Nanfeng said with a smile, and the girl also joined her boyfriend in sending New Year greetings to the two elders.
After a brief exchange, it was finally time to say goodbye. The car slowly drove away, leaving only Auntie Ping and her husband.
Only when the car was completely out of sight did they exchange a knowing smile, feeling a bit of loss as they went back inside and closed the door…
Before they knew it, it was the day before New Year’s Eve. The Qin family, including Qin Qingge, who had just returned not long ago, took the girl along and drove toward Quancheng.
It was exactly the New Year period, and the day after tomorrow was the New Year itself.
The roads were indeed congested, but they still arrived at the Qin family’s old home in the early morning of New Year’s Eve.
“Grandpa!”
As soon as they arrived, Qin Qingge, who hadn’t seen her grandfather in a long time, called out toward the large iron gate.
Grandpa Qin had been watching the outside all along.
When he heard their commotion, he was very happy inside—especially knowing that Qin Nanfeng had finally agreed to come back to the Qin family, which made him even more gratified.
But his steps remained unhurried, and he opened the door with calm composure.
Grandpa Qin had a fairly kind smile on his face. He wasn’t surprised to see the girl, who had also come to spend the New Year, since he had known she was coming.
As for Lin Xinyuan’s previous identity, he didn’t feel much about it. He had been a trendy person himself in his younger days and wasn’t so old-fashioned.
He was quite accepting, and his attitude toward the girl was the same as last time, if not even more affectionate.
This made Qin Qingge pout and couldn’t help teasing, “She hasn’t even fully entered the family yet, and Grandpa is already favoring his granddaughter-in-law, ignoring his own granddaughter. So biased!”
Hearing this, except for the girl, who was a bit embarrassed, everyone else smiled knowingly.
Seeing that Grandpa Qin’s expression showed nothing wrong, Lin Xinyuan felt much more at ease inside.
Even if she had known the old man’s attitude beforehand, hearing it and experiencing it in reality were different…
“You little girl! What nonsense are you talking about?” Grandpa Qin scolded with a laugh, no longer keeping a straight face.
However, he was still clearly dissatisfied with his son and didn’t give him a pleasant look.
This made Qin Changkong feel a bit gloomy inside…
No matter how dominant he was in the business world, in front of his old father, he still felt like a coward.
After all, when he was a child—because of his poor talent in culinary arts, clumsy and unable to cook even a simple braised pork dish—he had often been ridiculed by Grandpa Qin.
He even still remembered being spanked by the old man for skipping elementary school…
It was freezing cold, and the reunited family didn’t stay outside long. They soon went inside together.
When lunch was being prepared, just as Lin Xinyuan had expected, Grandpa Qin checked her practice progress again.
Only after seeing that her knife skills had improved did Grandpa Qin nod with satisfaction and praise her without reservation. This relieved her and also made her very happy.
Accepted again…
In the afternoon, the old man took his descendants to visit the nearby market.
All the way, Lin Xinyuan was led by Qin Nanfeng. The intense warmth transmitted from his hand seemed to make all the cold disappear.
Arriving at the bustling market, she saw all kinds of novel snacks she had never seen before at the street stalls. She couldn’t help buying some to try.
Although none were particularly delicious, because she was walking with Qin Nanfeng and the elders who accepted her, it only made her heart feel warm.
Her usually hidden nature surfaced a little, unlike her ordinary self.
Occasionally, many people who recognized the Qin family came up to greet them.
This was because the Qin family was extremely famous in this area. Even the mall in the town was said to have been opened by the Head of the Qin family…
When they saw the unfamiliar pretty girl beside the youth, those people, upon learning Lin Xinyuan’s identity, were full of praise.
This made her face blush, and she couldn’t help shrinking closer to Qin Nanfeng’s side, tightening her small hand that held his big one.
Qin Nanfeng only gazed tenderly at the girl, holding her hand as if he had most of the world in his grasp…
After strolling through the market, they also bought some ingredients before returning to prepare the New Year’s Eve dinner.
During this time, quite a few relatives came to pay New Year visits.
However, since Grandpa Qin was an only child, these relatives were distantly related to their family, and not particularly close.
Previously, those relatives had acted cold and indifferent… It was only after seeing the Qin family rise that they came one by one to curry favor…
But as the saying goes, “Never strike a smiling face.” It wasn’t a big deal to give simple help, to avoid giving others something to gossip about.
This was actually a good thing for Lin Xinyuan, as it meant she didn’t have to face all those aunts and uncles—just a brief meeting was enough.
Of course, Qin Changyin’s family also came.
Xu Ruoruo—whether it was because of Xu He’s lecture last time or because she had given up—still looked somewhat reluctant, but this time she obediently called Lin Xinyuan “Cousin’s wife.”
The girl smiled on the surface, but in her heart she was overjoyed.
Hmph… little brat, still daring to covet my Feng Ge.
If you knew Feng Ge and I had done that, wouldn’t you cry?
Hmph, hmph…
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.