With Lin Yijing's help, what was originally expected to take an hour to wrap dumplings ended up only taking half that time. After finishing the first major task of New Year's Eve, Lin Yijing busied herself with cleaning up the basin and cutting board, and worked alongside Liu Shuxian in the kitchen, preparing the side dishes for the dumplings.
Seeing Lin Yijing tying her hair into a ponytail with an elastic band and getting ready to chop vegetables, Liu Shuxian quickly stopped her. "Ah? Jingjing, you go watch TV! You're a guest, how could I let you work?"
Lin Yijing smiled at Liu Shuxian as she tied her long hair up. "It's alright, Auntie, I'm used to doing this at home. Let me help you, it will be faster."
"Well... alright, just be careful with the knife."
As Liu Shuxian washed the vegetables, she couldn't help but glance at Lin Yijing, who was skillfully chopping away. Her excellent cooking skills and gentle personality had completely won her over. She found herself liking Lin Yijing more and more, while Tang Guo, the newly acknowledged "god-daughter," was quickly forgotten in the process.
"I can't stand this! I want to cook too!" Tang Guo had been watching the activity in the kitchen closely and was growing increasingly jealous of Lin Yijing's "competing for affection." She stood up and dashed into the kitchen.
XU Mo, quick on his feet, grabbed her just in time. With a helpless laugh, he said, "Miss Tang, can you please give us a break this New Year's?"
Tang Guo's intentions were mostly to join the fun. She had no real desire to cook—she was well aware of her own cooking abilities—but she still pouted and turned her head away stubbornly.
This was probably the liveliest New Year's Eve at Xu Mo's home. With Tang Guo's charm and Lin Yijing's graceful demeanor, the two stunningly beautiful girls brought vibrant colors to Xu's predominantly male household. The atmosphere was filled with energy, and even the usually stern Xu Nanshan had a few extra drinks. Liu Shuxian, who was sandwiched between Tang Guo and Lin Yijing, smiled so much that she couldn't close her mouth.
Xu Mo knew exactly what his mother was thinking, but since both Tang Guo and Lin Yijing were present, he couldn't outright call her out. Instead, he just focused on eating the dumplings and pretended not to notice the awkward "mother-daughter trio" situation unfolding before him.
No feast lasts forever, and after the clock struck midnight, both Lin Yijing and Tang Guo excused themselves to leave.
At that hour, it was hard to catch a taxi, and Xu Mo originally planned to send them both off. However, Tang Guo told him that a private car was already waiting outside, and she had volunteered to take Lin Yijing to the hospital.
After sending Tang Guo and Lin Yijing off to the waiting black Audi sedan at the community entrance, Xu Mo returned home to find his parents sitting on the sofa in the living room, waiting for him. Xu Nanshan still wore his usual "standard" expression, while Liu Shuxian seemed unusually excited and wide awake despite the late hour.
Seeing the setup, Xu Mo immediately guessed that the "three-inquisition" was about to begin. Without waiting for his parents to speak, he yawned and waved his hand. "No need to ask, they're just ordinary friends, no special relationship… It's late, let's all get some sleep."
"Hey! Don't leave so quickly!" Liu Shuxian, still brimming with excitement, wasn't willing to let Xu Mo brush things off with a single sentence. She hurriedly called him back and said, "No special relationship is fine, but they both seem like good friends, so we can take things slow! When you were out sending them off, your dad and I discussed it. Even though he doesn't approve of you dating too early, he does think both Tang Guo and Lin Yijing are excellent girls. It's rare to have such good opportunities—when you can, you should seize them! A girl like that doesn't come along every day..."
"Dad, that doesn't sound like something you'd say… Are you sure Mom didn't add her own spin to this?" Xu Mo was quite surprised, looking at Xu Nanshan.
To his surprise, Xu Nanshan nodded seriously. "That's basically what I meant... Maybe you think I'm old-fashioned, but I'm not rigid."
Seeing her husband's support, Liu Shuxian was even more eager. She motioned for Xu Mo to sit next to her and grabbed his hand. "Mo, tell me, which of these two girls do you like more? Lin Yijing is so capable with household chores, has a great personality, and a perfect figure—she'd make a great wife. Tang Guo is a bit more lively, but she's a true lady with poise, and she's the only daughter in a wealthy family. If you marry her, you'll save twenty years of hard work..."
Xu Mo felt like his mother was trying to sell him off. He weakly waved his hand and helplessly said, "You two, please stop meddling. They're just ordinary friends... And Lin Yijing is fine, but Tang Guo is only thirteen. Legally, she's still a child. Are you trying to get your son into trouble?"
"Thirteen?" Xu Nanshan froze for a moment, muttering, "I didn't realize… today's kids grow up so fast..."
Liu Shuxian wasn't at all concerned. She firmly said, "So what if she's thirteen? With a little care, she'll grow up!"
Xu Mo broke out in a cold sweat… He never thought his mom would be so bold.
Although Xu Mo never gave a clear answer, Liu Shuxian had definitely taken an interest in both Tang Guo and Lin Yijing. She even half-jokingly forced Xu Mo to give her their phone numbers, planning to call them occasionally for casual chats under the guise of "emotional investment."
Xu Mo could only let his mom do whatever she wanted. Time would eventually make her calm down.
...
From the first to the fourth day of the New Year, Xu Mo spent his time visiting relatives with his parents. On the fifth day, he rested at home, and on the sixth day, following his father's return to work, Xu Mo used an excuse to leave the house and headed straight for the Shang Shan City train station.
Since the third day of the New Year, the train station in Shang Shan City had once again seen the peak of post-holiday travel. The station's square was crowded with tens of thousands of migrant workers eager to return to the big city in search of work. They sat in groups, surrounded by bags and bundles wrapped in plastic, anxiously waiting for trains that never arrived on time while discussing their dreams of the beautiful cities they would one day call home.
Amid the packed crowd, finding Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong seemed like searching for a needle in a haystack. Left with no choice, Xu Mo called them to meet at the least crowded place inside the station, a McDonald's.
By the time Xu Mo finished his ice cream cone, Du Zhizhang and Chang Zitong, dressed casually, rushed in and greeted him. After handing him a train ticket directly to Nanzheng City, Du Zhizhang said, "Here you go."
Xu Mo looked at the ticket in surprise. "Du Ge, you're amazing! I just went to the ticket booth, and they told me all tickets were sold out a week ago. Did you book this in advance?"
"What amazing?" Du Zhizhang took a big gulp of iced cola, holding back his frustration. "After you left, I stayed up all night to book tickets but was told everything was sold out. The three tickets I got today were all from scalpers, with an extra fifty bucks per ticket. Damn it! A ticket to Nanzheng City is only seventeen, but now it's sixty-seven!"
Xu Mo shrugged nonchalantly and smiled. "Well, that's just how the state-run trains work in China, been like that for decades. You should be used to it by now. Besides, Du Ge, soon you'll be a millionaire businessman. Don't get upset over a few bucks. It's beneath you!"
"Ha ha, Xu Mo, don't joke with me. What I have now is all thanks to you and Sister Chang..." Du Zhizhang said with a self-deprecating laugh, getting up as Chang Zitong returned with take-out. "Looks like the train is about to arrive. We should get going."