Chapter 591 - 241: The Silly Boy at Li Zhi’s Door (4)
Chapter 591: Chapter 241: The Silly Boy at Li Zhi’s Door (4)
Time slipped by quietly amidst the noise and a faint sense of anticipation.
Shen Yuan played cards with Yang Yishui and the others while texting with Li Zhi on his phone.
The adults had the TV on, chatting idly around the coffee table or busying themselves in the kitchen.
Shen Yuan could occasionally hear Zhang Yuyan’s voice telling Old Shen to grab her all sorts of things.
As the lively commotion continued, the afternoon sun slanted lower, stretching the shadows inside the house.
At four in the afternoon, Shen Ming and Shen Yuan were summoned.
"Shen Ming! Shen Yuan! Go close the main doors!"
Shen Yuan immediately put down his cards and sent a message to Li Zhi.
Shen Yuan: "Time for New Year’s Eve dinner~"
After closing the doors and windows, Shen Yuan turned on all the lights in the house.
A loud voice called out from the dining room: "Come and eat!"
"Coming, coming."
Yang Yishui, nestled in the sofa peeling a satsuma mandarin, answered without looking up.
Eldest Female Cousin raised a hand. "Help Her Highness to her feet."
"Coming~" The younger male cousin immediately darted to her side.
Shen Yuan looked at the tightly shut main hall doors. Light filtered in through the small transom window above, casting a small, hazy patch of light on the floor.
Behind the doors, the world was reduced to the warm clamor of his family and the ever-thickening aroma of food.
That patch of light also grew fainter as the sun set.
The lingering, mortifying embarrassment from being called a "silly boy" and the secret anticipation sparked by Li Zhi’s suggestion to "set off fireworks tonight" were temporarily buried beneath the warm clamor. All that remained was a profound sense of security and the tranquility before nightfall.
The evening of New Year’s Eve was thus sealed tightly by the heavy doors, cocooned within this small, warm space.
Outside, the daylight gradually sank into a cold, inky blue.
Shen Yuan walked into the dining room, which was instantly filled with a toasty clamor and an even richer aroma of food, as if the entire spirit of the New Year had been sealed within this small space.
Under the warm yellow glow of the incandescent lights, the huge round table was almost completely covered with all kinds of bowls and plates.
Shen Yuan’s eyes immediately landed on his favorite reunion rice cakes.
There was no fuss about seating arrangements; you just sat wherever you wanted.
There were fourteen people at the table. Although it felt a bit crowded, the atmosphere was full of joy and laughter.
Shen Yuan poured himself a beverage, then saw his Eldest Female Cousin slide her glass over.
Shen Yuan rolled his eyes at her.
"What, you don’t have hands?"
But despite his words, Shen Yuan still poured a glass for Yang Yishui.
When it came to his younger male cousin, however, he just told him to pour his own.
Just then, Shen Yuan’s uncle raised his glass. "Come, come, everyone raise your glasses! Another year, another reunion dinner. To a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year for the whole family!"
"Happy New Year!"
"To good health!"
"May all your wishes come true!"
The sounds of clinking glasses and well-wishes intertwined, and the New Year’s Eve dinner began amidst shared drinks and the older generation’s care for the younger one.
Shen Yuan focused on piling food onto his plate. Meanwhile, his younger male cousin was contentedly gnawing on a chicken leg, his Eldest Female Cousin was chatting about something with Shen Ming, Old Shen and his mom were talking in low voices, and his grandfather was happily sipping rice wine...
Everything was just like the New Year’s Eves in his memory—the warm and comforting taste of home.
Just then, his phone, tucked in a pocket beneath his thick sweater, gave a very faint buzz.
Shen Yuan’s movement as he picked up some food paused almost imperceptibly.
He didn’t even have to think to know who it was.
Using the motion of lowering his head to drink some soup, he quickly pulled his phone out under the table and swiped open a corner of the screen.
Sure enough, there was a small red dot next to the pinned profile picture.
The corners of Shen Yuan’s mouth couldn’t help but curve up slightly. The residual embarrassment from Grandmaster Li calling him a "silly boy" was completely washed away.
The message made Shen Yuan feel as if his heart had been lightly tickled, leaving a tingly, itching sensation.
The warm yellow light reflected in his eyes, shimmering with a secret and brilliant anticipation unique to a boy on this particular night.
The lively noise of the New Year’s Eve dinner continued, but for him, his own night was just beginning.
Time flowed on. The warmth in the room and the rich aroma of food began to dissipate a little.
The elders put down their chopsticks, leaned back in their chairs with satisfied sighs, and began to make small talk.
The Spring Festival Gala was on TV... alright, no, it wasn’t.
Shen Yuan listened absently as his Eldest Female Cousin beside him drilled his younger male cousin on his English. Under the table, his fingers unconsciously tapped the phone in his pocket again, feeling the fervent anticipation of what was to come.
Just then, his uncle cleared his throat. His quiet conversation with his father and younger uncle-in-law came to a halt, and his face broke into the benevolent smile unique to the holiday season.
He fumbled around for a few moments in the inner pocket of his jacket, which was hanging on the back of his chair, and pulled out a stack of brand-new red envelopes.
"Alright, alright," his uncle’s voice boomed. "Come, come! Time for red envelopes, time for red envelopes!"
As his uncle’s words fell, Shen Yuan’s heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously sat up a little straighter, his gaze fixed on the conspicuous stack of red.
Beside him, Zhao Yueyang’s eyes instantly lit up like searchlights. Even Yang Yishui, who had just been about to continue her "debate" with the younger male cousin, stopped mid-sentence.
His grandfather Shen Songde’s wrinkled face was filled with an unconcealable smile of gratification, and he slowly took out several bulging red envelopes. His grandmother, Zhao Qin, also smilingly produced her own share.
Everyone had their red envelopes ready.
The atmosphere instantly switched from satisfied leisure to another subtle heat, tinged with anticipation and a small, simmering excitement.
Even twenty-eight-year-old Yang Yishui completely shed her usual competence as a teacher at this moment, a trace of childlike anticipation showing in her eyes.