Chapter 30.2

The gala had already begun, with singing and performances. A skit was being shown on TV, featuring four foreigners speaking fluent Chinese, eliciting rounds of applause.

The people sitting in the mall plaza didn’t react much; they just found it a bit novel. Someone even remarked, “These foreigners speak pretty smoothly, but it’s not funny.”

Jiang Rou didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

On TV, the camera occasionally panned to the audience, and Jiang Rou spotted a few familiar celebrities. She couldn’t recall their names, but she remembered them as they appeared when they were older.

Li Xiao, seemingly uninterested, looked down at his daughter. Jiang Rou pulled out a handful of sunflower seeds from her pocket and handed them to him.

Li Xiao noticed and turned his head to look, but Jiang Rou wasn’t paying attention to him; her head tilted back, watching the TV intently.

Even while watching TV, she didn’t forget about him.

Li Xiao’s eyes overflowed with smiles, and he stretched out a hand to take some food.

Jin Dayou, who was sitting next to him, saw it and wanted to take some from Li Xiao, but Li Xiao avoided his hand and said, “It’s not enough; go ask Zhou Jian for some.”

“….” Why are you so stingy with a few melon seeds?

Jin Dayou turned his head to look at Zhou Jian on the other side and then noticed Zhou Jian was whispering something to his wife.

Tsk, can I still live with these sights?

Soon, Zhao Benshan’s skit appeared.

Jiang Rou had also watched Zhao Benshan’s skits when she was young—the one with Xiao Shen Yang, who wasn’t short on money. It had made her laugh so hard that her stomach hurt. However, she didn’t see him much at the Spring Festival Gala later on, and as she grew up, she rarely watched the gala anymore.

As soon as Zhao Benshan appeared, the entire square instantly fell silent. Those who had been eating melon seeds and chatting became excited and exclaimed, ‘Zhao Benshan is here.’

-o-o-o-o-

It wasn’t until midnight that the event ended, but no one wanted to leave. Jiang Rou never imagined that she would one day sit outside for several hours in the winter just to watch TV.

She turned her head and looked around. The faces of the people around her were lit up with smiles, and their clothes appeared festive under the dim streetlights. 

From a distance, the streets were covered with firecracker fragments, couplets, and red lanterns, full of New Year’s atmosphere.

Li Xiao handed the sleeping child to Jiang Rou and picked up the bench.

With so many people around, they walked out slowly. As Jiang Rou yawned, she accidentally spotted He Wenhua.

He Wenhua was walking with a somewhat lame old man, and the two were heading out together, but she didn’t see Lin Meiru.

Jiang Rou couldn’t help but poke Li Xiao’s arm in front of her, indicating him to look.

Li Xiao followed her gaze and saw the father and son. He smiled slightly.

Jiang Rou asked him softly, ‘Are we going to pay New Year’s visits tomorrow morning?’

Li Xiao snorted lightly, ‘Of course, why wouldn’t we?’

Jiang Rou wasn’t sure what he was thinking and chose not to say anything.

She thought to herself that she needed to eat well before going out the next day.

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was already 12:30 in the evening when they got home, but Jiang Rou still cooked a few dumplings and shared them with Li Xiao.

Li Xiao looked at her curiously while eating. “What’s with this? Eating dumplings in the middle of the night?”

Jiang Rou didn’t know how to respond. In the past, her mother would always make dumplings for them at noon on Chinese New Year.

Her tastes were similar to her mother’s—she loved eating dumplings during the holiday but couldn’t stomach glutinous rice balls. Eating just one or two made her feel slightly nauseous.

Her brother and father, on the other hand, had a sweet tooth.

Since her mother was the one who cooked at home, she would make the dumplings herself but would buy the glutinous rice balls from the supermarket.

Unable to explain it clearly, Jiang Rou shot a glare at him and said, “Just eat yours.”

Li Xiao stopped talking.

-o-o-o-o-

After a sleepless night, the next morning both of them slept in and woke up around eight.

On the first day of the New Year, firecrackers were set off. Other families would rise at four or five in the morning to set them off, but when Li Xiao got up to do the same, the surroundings were already silent.

Jiang Rou couldn’t say much because she had slept in as well.

According to local customs, on the first day of the New Year, rice balls were traditionally eaten in the morning.”

This tradition was a bit challenging for Jiang Rou. After all, glutinous rice balls could easily be bought from supermarkets, where they came in many flavors, and the homemade ones never seemed as tasty as those from the store.

A few days ago, she did see them being sold at the vegetable market, but the prices were quite high during the New Year. Jiang Rou thought that since she had glutinous rice flour and black sesame at home, she decided not to buy any.

Jiang Rou thought it should be quite simple. Recalling the glutinous rice balls she had eaten before, she used the small mill at home to grind the glutinous rice and black sesame into powder. To ensure the glutinous rice powder had a good texture, she ground it twice.

She then mixed the glutinous rice powder with water, kneaded it into a dough, and added black sesame and sugar as the filling.

Because time was a bit tight, Jiang Rou rolled the glutinous rice balls a little larger than usual.

So, in the morning, Li Xiao ended up eating the largest glutinous rice balls he had ever seen.

Even one of them was the size of his fist.

It took him two bites just to reach the filling inside. The outer glutinous rice skin was thick and sticky, and the filling was dry and crumbly. The sugar mixed with the sesame powder had not dissolved and remained as individual grains when he tried to pick it apart with chopsticks.

Jiang Rou urged him to eat quickly: “There are still two in the pot, so finish these. We’re going to your stepfather’s house after this.”

After saying that, she ran away.

“…”

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When Jiang Rou and Li Xiao arrived at the He family’s house, there were others present.

The He family’s house was very small, with only two rooms. So when guests arrived, there was no place to sit inside, and they had to sit in the courtyard and chat.

In addition to the two elderly men and a grandmother, there was also a young woman in her thirties. The woman bore a slight resemblance to He Wenhua. Sitting next to her was a middle-aged man and a boy of about seven or eight years old, while she held a little girl of two or three in her arms.

She looked a bit unhappy, and when Lin Meiru came out to pour tea, she spoke harshly, “Do you have no sense at all? It took you so long to pour me a cup. How do you usually take care of my father and brother?”

Lin Meiru’s expression turned a bit grim, and she stood there without moving.

The grandmother, smiling, interjected, “Xiao Ying, your stepmother has a hard job, busy from morning till evening. You’re a mother too, so you should be more considerate of her.”

She then turned to Lin Meiru and said, “Xiao Ying has a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Meiru, don’t mind her. Sit down and rest. We’re all family; there’s no need to be so formal.”

Hearing this, Lin Meiru’s face softened. She felt that her efforts hadn’t been in vain, and she smiled, saying, “I’m not busy. It’s what I should do.”

She then continued to fetch water and food for them, moving among the crowd until sweat beaded on her forehead from exhaustion.

At that moment, the sound of a child crying suddenly came from inside the house. The elderly man and grandmother told Lin Meiru, “Meiru, go check on An An. He’s crying.”

“Didn’t you see how much she cares? Meiru is a good child, and everyone likes her.”

Hearing these words made Lin Meiru feel as if she had just tasted the sweetness of honey. She went back into the house with a smile to tend to her grandson.

Jiang Rou stood at the door holding An An, unsure of what to say as she watched the scene unfold.

She just felt that the He family was exceptionally skilled at flattering people, from top to bottom.

Li Xiao, on the other hand, maintained a calm expression and walked straight inside.

Jiang Rou followed closely behind him.

As soon as they entered, the entire courtyard, which had been filled with chatter and laughter, fell silent. The He family members naturally recognized Li Xiao.

Li Xiao looked around and asked directly, “Where is He Wenhua? Did he deliberately avoid me because he knew I was coming today?”

Seeing his arrogant demeanor, Wenying’s expression immediately darkened. She angrily said, “What are you doing here? We don’t welcome you here.

Before she could finish, Li Xiao walked over and kicked the man sitting beside her, causing him to fall over.

With a loud “bang,” the scene unfolded so quickly that everyone present was caught completely off guard.

The middle-aged man cried out in pain. Li Xiao looked at He Wenying coldly. “Say it again?”

He Wenying looked up at Li Xiao, who towered over her. She noticed how she had to crane her neck to meet his gaze. Faced with the man’s cold and gloomy eyes, He Wenying found herself at a loss for words.

She couldn’t understand Li Xiao. He clearly despised his mother, yet every time someone bullied her, he would step in to vent his anger on her behalf.

He Wenying’s husband was helped to his feet by two elderly men standing nearby. Taking advantage of their age, they couldn’t resist scolding him: “It’s New Year’s Day! Why are you picking a fight now? ”

“Your mother was right when she said you’re just like your father. Even if you had a falling out with Wenhua, you shouldn’t vent your anger on others.”

Li Xiao shot a cold glance at them, and the two elderly men didn’t dare to speak further. Finally, the grandmother, feeling a bit scared, called out to Lin Meiru.

After shouting several times, her voice grew hoarse, yet Lin Meiru, who was inside the house, didn’t respond, as if she hadn’t heard a thing.

Jiang Rou’s mouth twitched.

She scanned the people in the yard and felt that the old saying was true—the weak fear the strong, and the strong fear the ruthless.

Li Xiao was definitely the ruthless one.

Her eyes inadvertently met a pair of dark, deep eyes, and Jiang Rou was taken aback.

She recognized the person as He Wenhua’s father, He Qiezi. He showed no reaction to his son-in-law being kicked. 

Instead, he looked at her with a strange expression.

Jiang Rou couldn’t describe the look in his eyes; she just felt very uncomfortable.

The old man glanced at her briefly before quickly looking away.

Jiang Rou frowned and looked down at the little girl in her arms, who was dressed so beautifully.

She wasn’t sure if he had been looking at her or at An An just now, but she couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Recalling her earlier suspicions, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of fear.

If it had been someone else facing such a gaze, they might have held An An and avoided the situation. But Jiang Rou didn’t; not only did she not avoid it, she tugged at Li Xiao’s arm and complained on the spot, “Li Xiao, your stepfather looked at me with a creepy gaze just now. It was so disgusting.”

“……”

He, Tieshan, probably didn’t expect to encounter someone like Jiang Rou. Before he could react, Li Xiao had already thrown a punch, his voice colder than when he had kicked his son-in-law earlier. “Try looking at her again, and believe it or not, I’ll dig out your eyes.”

Jiang Rou added from behind, “Don’t dig out his eyes; kick him down there.”

Li Xiao paused in his attack and then, without hesitation, kicked him in the groin.

“Ah—”

He Tieshan screamed in pain, and the sound was far more distressing than his son-in-law’s cries. The several men present, regardless of age, had their faces changed.

He Wenying was truly frightened this time. She wanted to intervene but was too afraid to do so. Instead, she demanded angrily, “Li Xiao, what are you doing? Are you deliberately looking for trouble during the New Year? ”

Li Xiao withdrew his hand, sneering, “Only now did you realize? ”

He then looked at her and warned, “Tell He Wen Hua that I’m not done with him.”

With that, he took Jiang Rou and left.

They had arrived quickly and left just as swiftly.

The elderly men and grandmothers were left bewildered. Once Li Xiao had disappeared, they vented their frustration. “I thought things would be better once he got married, but it turns out that family members can’t even get along. That woman doesn’t seem like a good influence.”

“Which good girl would marry him? It must be someone with lots of problems.”

Thinking about how the girl had let Li Xiao kick Tieshan there earlier was quite frightening. 

Ordinary people couldn’t do such a thing.

They then advised He Tieshan and his daughter not to provoke Li Xiao, as they would only be the ones to suffer.

He, Tieshan, pale with pain and covered in cold sweat from the kick, asked his daughter and son-in-law to take him to the hospital. But He Wenying refused: “Why go to the hospital? It was just a kick.”

The man next to her wanted to argue that the kick was severe and still painful, but he hesitated, fearing her reaction.

He Tieshan’s expression darkened. “I’m your father. If I ask you to take me to the hospital, you should take me there immediately. Stop talking nonsense.”

He Wenying laughed in anger. “So now you remember I’m your daughter? Why didn’t you remember that when I didn’t agree to your marriage with Lin Meiru? You want to go to the hospital now? What for? At your age, don’t you feel embarrassed? ”

“If it’s ruined, it’s ruined. Do you and that woman still hide in bed doing that every day? How disgusting.”

He Tieshan was so mad that his body trembled.

-o-o-o-o-o-

On the way back, Li Xiao was silent, and Jiang Rou walked beside him. His right foot, which had been injured recently, had improved significantly, and even though he walked slowly, it was no longer noticeable.

Jiang Rou thought he was in a bad mood, so she took the initiative to ask, “Did you hurt your foot just now?”

Li Xiao turned his head to glance at her. “I didn’t kick with my right foot. What would it hurt for? ”

Jiang Rou nodded and didn’t say anything.

After a while, Li Xiao suddenly asked, “Why did you want me to hit He Tieshan earlier? ”

Jiang Rou has always been a person who doesn’t like to offend people, and he would never let him take the initiative to beat anyone. 

Before coming, he didn’t dare to reveal that he came here to beat someone up.

Wenhua was also smart; he deliberately hid away.

Jiang Rou didn’t know how to respond. She couldn’t say that Li Xiao’s stepfather seemed to look at An An inappropriately. Not only would Li Xiao not believe it, but anyone hearing this would think Jiang Rou was being unreasonable. People in this era were still quite innocent and hadn’t heard of such things.

She could only say, “Because he used to bully you together with He Wenhua.”

Li Xiao nodded and said nothing more.

As they reached the door of the house, Jiang Rou suddenly remembered something and asked, “Can you make a snowman? ”

Li Xiao turned to look at her in surprise.

Jiang Rou smiled. “Last time we visited Zhou Jian’s house, Zhou Hong and a few kids made a snowman. An An saw it and couldn’t take her eyes off it.”

Li Xiao glanced at An An in his arms, and his expression softened.

After they got home, Li Xiao found a shovel in the storage room and built a snowman in the yard. In the end, he made it into a family of three, as Jiang Rou had requested.

It didn’t look very much like a snowman—more like three differently-sized bamboo sticks stuck together.

Jiang Rou stood at the door holding An An and smiled, “Look, Daddy made you a snowman. Isn’t it beautiful? ”

An An seemed to understand and stared at the snowman with her big black eyes and even waved his little arm.

Li Xiao couldn’t help but look up at her. When he heard her say that the snowman he made was beautiful, he became happy.

Looking into Jiang Rou’s smiling eyes, Li Xiao felt for the first time that celebrating the New Year was quite nice. 

-o-o-o-o-o-

T/N: That disgusting old man deserves it.