Translator: SJade, Editor: Dj22031
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Not long after the winter vacation began, it was the Spring Festival.
Even the weather was kind enough to snow on the first day of the new year, covering the ground with a vast expanse of white.
Tan Mo especially loved snowy days.
This reminded her of the time she spent on the snowy mountain in her previous life.
It was a pity that the snow in the capital was too light and didn’t accumulate thick enough on the ground.
They went to their grandmother’s house on the second day of the New Year, walking on the snow that had accumulated from the first day of the New Year and had not yet melted.
It was a custom during the Spring Festival for a married daughter to return to her parents’ home on the second or third day of the Chinese New Year.
Tan Mo had shoulder-length hair today.
A few days ago, Xu Mingzhen took her to get a French wave perm. Her long, soft hair took on a chestnut color in the sun, just like the sun shining on the rippling waves.
She wore a pumpkin-coloured beret tilted on her head. Her long hair and the beret together covered a small part of her delicate white cheeks on both sides, making her round face, which was already beginning to show a little tendency towards a pointed chin and a small oval face, look even smaller.
She was wearing a red woollen cloak and a white woollen scarf around her neck, which covered her small chin quite a bit.
The way she stood in the snow, dressed in red and white, looked like a sprinkling of cinnabar in the vast snow.
However, although Tan Mo was dressed in joyful clothes, there was no smile on her face. She lowered her head and rubbed the snow under her feet with her toes.
Xu Mingzhen saw it and squatted down to comfort her: “We are just going to take a look. We won’t stay long. We will be back soon after lunch. Lunch wouldn’t take much time.”
“I know.” Tan Mo lowered her head, still lacking interest.
She didn’t like going to her grandmother’s house and was unhappy every time she went there.
Xu Mingzhen sighed and looked at his three sons, who also looked as if they were facing a formidable enemy.
Now that Tan Jinqi was older, he could control his emotions and not show them on his face.
But Tan Jinsheng and Tan Jinyi still looked as if they were girding themselves to go to battle.
Tan Jinsheng said to Tan Mo: “Momo, it’s okay, we are here. If you have any problem, come to us, we will protect you!”
He said this as if he was going to fight an enemy.
Not to mention that the children didn’t like to come, even Xu Mingzhen herself didn’t like to come either.
But she was her mother after all. No matter how unhappy she was, she couldn’t not visit her all year round.
It was the New Year, so she had to go over to show her appreciation.
“Let’s go.” Tan Wenci came out and said.
Xu Mingzhen sighed deeply and said, “No matter what my mother says, just pretend you can’t hear her. Don’t take her words to heart.”
“You say this every year.” Tan Wenci smiled and held Xu Mingzhen’s hand as they walked towards the car. “Don’t worry, it’s been so many years, and we only stay there for a few hours every year at this time. Why can’t we tolerate it?”
After all, she was Xu Mingzhen’s mother, but the old lady didn’t treat Xu Mingzhen very well, and Xu Mingzhen usually didn’t bother to go over to her.
Therefore, they didn’t have to endure Old Mrs. Xu often.
The family returned to Xu family house with extremely heavy hearts.
When they arrived at Xu family house, Aunt Xu opened the door for them.
She had just walked in and hadn’t seen anyone yet, but she could already hear lively laughter coming from the living room.
Mixed in with the laughter was Yuan Keqing’s soft voice.
“You are so kind and lovable.” Old Mrs. Xu’s laughing voice also came over.
When the Tan family entered the living room, they saw Old Mrs. Xu sitting on the sofa, and Yuan Keqing nestled in her arms.
When she saw the Tan family come in, the smile on Mrs. Xu’s face suddenly disappeared.
“Mom.” Xu Mingzhen felt very uncomfortable when she saw Mrs. Xu’s reaction, and her greeting became even colder.
“Why did you come just now? Why didn’t you wait for Auntie to finish cooking and notify you before you came?” Mrs. Xu accused unhappily, and then looked at the Tan family children behind Xu Mingzhen with even more disgust, “You didn’t even greet your elders when you come. Where are your manners?”
“Grandma, you’re blaming us before we’ve even had a chance to say hello.” Tan Jinqi stood in front of his younger brothers and sister.
“Are you blaming me?!” Old Madam Xu pointed at Tan Jinqi, her arm shaking all the way to her fingertips. “Look at the son you taught. This is how he treats his elders!”
“Mom,” Xu Mingjing advised hurriedly, “It’s New Year’s Day, you can’t scold the children right at the beginning. It’s not that they came late, it’s that we came too early. You have to give the children a chance to say hello to you.”
Xu Mingjing quickly winked at Tan Jinqi: “Come quickly, wish grandma a happy new year.”
“Happy New Year, Grandma.”
The four siblings of the Tan family, although reluctant, still greeted in unison.
Old Mrs. Xu turned around and patted Xu Mingjing’s hand: “You are filial, that’s why you came early.”
“Since your aunt is speaking for you, then this matter is over.” Old Mrs. Xu pointed to the floor in front of the coffee table, “Kowtow.”
The three brothers of the Tan family are really fed up with the idea of kowtowing to receive red envelopes during the Chinese New Year.
Every year, Old Lady Xu would ask them to kneel down, kowtow, and say some auspicious words.
It was okay when they were young, but now they really didn’t like this kind of old customs, especially having to kowtow to people who didn’t like them.
The three brothers lined up and knelt down, and each said something.
“Happy New Year, grandma. I wish you good fortune as vast as the East Sea.”
“Happy New Year, grandma. I wish you a long life.”
“Happy New Year, grandma. I wish you all the best.”
Tan Mo was the last one to come over: “Happy New Year, grandma. I wish you a long life.”
After the four people gave their blessings, Mrs. Xu took out four red envelopes from her pocket and handed them to them one by one.
The red envelope was so thin, as if there was nothing inside.
This year was the first time that Tan Mo received New Year’s money from Grandma Xu. Grandma Xu’s rule was to give New Year’s money only after the children started elementary school.
The four brothers and sister were too lazy to check how much money was in the red envelope, so they gave it all to Xu Mingzhen.
They had enough pocket money, so this was not a big deal.
Although Xu Mingzhen was used to it, when she felt the thickness of the red envelope, she still turned to look at Tan Wenci with some embarrassment.
Tan Wenci smiled indifferently, patted Xu Mingzhen’s hand to comfort her, and said nothing.
At this time, Yuan Keqing also walked to the front, knelt on the mat, kowtowed, looked up and said: “I wish grandma a happy new year. I kowtow to grandma every year, for many years.”
Unlike her coldness just now, Mrs. Xu now had a big smile on her face and took out a red envelope from her pocket.
This envelope was visibly very thick.
“Thank you, grandma.” Yuan Keqing happily took the red envelope.
Then she heard Mrs. Xu say, “I heard from your mother. You did very well in the exam this time. This is a reward for you.”
Xu Mingzhen touched the thin red envelopes in her bag, and still felt unhappier.
She stood up with the bag and went to the bathroom before taking the red envelopes out of the bag.
The names were written on the red envelopes.
The three brothers of the Tan family each had 200 yuan.
And the last person Tan Mo only had a pitiful 100 yuan.
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