AGN -Chapter 265 New Year’s Eve

“Here you go, Uncle Ma—your Four-Joy Tangyuan.”

“What? A bag isn’t enough for your family of six? Don’t worry, there are eight in this bag. That should be plenty.”

“Here you go, Aunt Liu—your Four-Joy Tangyuan.”

“Your younger sister is joining you for New Year’s, so there’ll be twelve people? Eight isn’t enough?”

Before she could say more, Zhao Rong, standing nearby, immediately put her hands on her hips and entered battle mode.

“Liu Xiaojuan, if you want them, take them. If not, move along. My Huai got off the high-speed rail after five this afternoon. He only just finished making these tangyuan. They were originally all meant for Director Qin at the orphanage. We’re only giving you a bag out of neighborly kindness, and now you’re complaining there aren’t enough?”

“One bag. Take it or leave it. If you don’t want it, I’ll give your share to Qin Mutou.”

The Qin-family neighbor standing behind Liu Xiaojuan instantly lit up with joy.

Liu Xiaojuan quickly grabbed the bag, her face full of apologetic smiles. “Yes, yes, of course I want it! Huai, you’ve worked so hard. Come by Aunt Liu’s house sometime during the New Year for some peanuts!”

The Qin-family neighbor immediately looked crestfallen.

The distribution of the Four-Joy Tangyuan continued until 11:31.

Old Master Qiao had already collected his first portion during the normal distribution. His second portion, however, was obtained at 11:48, when he sneaked back in quietly.

A covert transaction right at the doorway.

Qin Luo pressed herself against the door, peering through the peephole. Only after confirming that it really was Old Master Qiao—wearing his hat—who had taken the tangyuan did she relax.

Having completed her mission, Qin Luo was still basking in the joy of suddenly becoming rich. She skipped happily to the bedroom door and asked Zhao Rong, “Mom, are we going to the bank tomorrow morning to cash the check?”

“That’s right.”

“After cashing it, are we taking our family van to Grandpa and Grandma’s house, or are we taking the bus?”

“We’re taking the bus from the station. You know how rough the road is to your grandparents’ place. Your dad’s old van would probably shake itself apart.”

“Then tomorrow night, you can’t tell Grandpa and Grandma about the red envelopes I’m giving them ahead of time. I want to surprise them at the New Year’s Eve dinner!”

“Fine, fine. Whatever you say. Now go to sleep. Your brother’s already asleep. He still has to make pastries at your grandparents’ house tomorrow, and you’ll be helping him.”

Half asleep and exhausted, Zhao Rong was in no state to refuse any request her daughter made.

Qin Luo happily returned to her room and went to bed.

New Year’s Eve. Clear skies.

After handing out the Four-Joy Tangyuan, washing up, and going straight to bed, Qin Huai slept wonderfully.

When he got up, he glanced at the two packed suitcases already sitting in the living room. Holding the red New Year outfit Zhao Rong had bought for him in advance, he sat in the living room waiting his turn for the bathroom.

That’s just how New Year is—everything has to be washed.

Clothes, bedsheets, curtains, quilt covers. If the family has cats or dogs, even they get sent to the pet shop for a bath.

And on New Year’s Eve, before the reunion dinner, everyone must wash from head to toe. The old countryside house wasn’t well insulated, so bathing there was freezing. The Qin family always bathed at home on New Year’s Eve morning, changed into new clothes, and only then headed to the countryside.

As for Qin Huai, who would have to go straight to the kitchen after bathing and spend hours steaming buns until the room was filled with clouds of steam like some heavenly palace…

Well, never mind whether the bath would still count.

The important thing was: you bathed first thing in the morning.

Sitting in the living room with his new clothes in his arms, Qin Huai began reminiscing about the absurd dream he’d had the night before.

In the dream, he had gone from Master Qin back to Little Qin.

He spent the whole night making pastries. Not only that, he had to serve tea to the master chef, run errands, chop firewood, stoke the stove, and clean the kitchen.

Honestly, the master chef in that dream had it pretty good.

Whenever Qin Huai made pastries during New Year, the only one helping him with firewood and tending the stove was his little sister. His parents handled the kitchen cleanup. No one ever served him tea or waited on him hand and foot.

Just as he was savoring the memory, Qin Luo emerged from the bathroom, having completed her New Year’s Eve bathing mission.

She was dressed in bright red from head to toe, looking festive and cheerful.

Qin Huai glanced over. Even her socks were red—the exact same red socks as his.

Most likely part of a “three pairs for ten yuan” deal Zhao Rong had found at the county clothing store.

Already bundled up into a round, fluffy, red little ball, Qin Luo cheerfully declared, “Happy New Year, Brother!”

“Mom and I are going to the bank. Are you cashing your check too?”

“No rush. You go ahead,” Qin Huai said as he headed in for his bath.

Fifteen minutes later, the Qin family of four—each dressed in bright red, round, and fluffy—gathered at the only bus station in Qiu County.

They boarded a dusty little minibus with no air conditioning and set off for the countryside.

The roads in the countryside were rough. Since Qin Congwen had dawdled before leaving, they’d only managed to buy seats in the back.

Qin Huai and Qin Luo, the two red-clad siblings, sat in the last row.

Wrapped in festive, fluffy, and round cotton jackets that looked warm but actually weren’t very insulating, they resembled two red lanterns slumped in their seats, bouncing along with the jolting ride.

One of those red lanterns was gnawing on a corn cob.

Bought at the bus station entrance—eight yuan for one ear, a shameless holiday markup—Qin Luo, who had already eaten two high-speed rail boxed meals, generously bought herself an ear of corn and a tea egg, making her the hungriest passenger on the bus.

“Brother, want a tea egg?” Qin Luo asked.

Qin Huai waved his hand. The bus was bouncing so much he was afraid he’d throw up halfway through eating.

Seeing he didn’t want any, Qin Luo happily alternated bites of tea egg and corn.

“Brother, what pastries are we having tonight?”

The Qin children were like this: on New Year’s Eve, they didn’t care much about the main reunion dinner dishes.

Those weren’t important.

Braised pork knuckle, grouper, giant lobster, abalone, scallops—those elaborate hot dishes were mostly just for taking pictures.

The real focus was the pastries.

They simply loved pastries.

“Since it’s New Year, of course we’ll have Four-Joy Tangyuan, chicken noodle soup, Dream-Fulfillment Shaobing, Three-Diced Buns, Five-Diced Buns, fermented rice steamed buns, guo’er, apple mian guo’er, and all kinds of buns and shaomai.”

“But let me make one thing clear—there won’t be time to make cheung fun today. If you want cheung fun, go buy it in town or mooch some from the neighbors.”

Qin Luo listened so intently that her corn almost started tasting like meat.

After spending more than half a year seeing the wider world, cheung fun no longer held any special place in her heart.

“No, no, I only want what you make, Brother!”

Then she asked, “But didn’t you say yesterday that the Four-Joy Tangyuan wasn’t as good because you didn’t make the red bean and black sesame fillings yourself? Don’t those fillings need to be prepared in advance? Will there be enough time to make them today?”

Qin Huai gave her a mysterious smile.

“You’ll see when we get to Grandpa and Grandma’s house.”

Qin Family Village was a fairly large village, and the bus driver kindly dropped everyone off right at the village entrance.

During New Year, many returning villagers carried huge amounts of luggage. If they had to walk another mile or two from the stop, it would take forever.

The moment he got off the bus, Qin Huai saw them:

Grandpa Qin, Grandma Qin, his aunt Qin Xiuli, Uncle He Hua, and cousin He Cheng.

All of them were dressed in the same style—bright red, fluffy, and round.

Clearly, this year’s New Year outfits had been bought together.

The instant He Cheng spotted Qin Huai, his eyes welled up with tears as he rushed forward.

His voice was full of anguish, his emotions overflowing, his expression dramatic enough that it looked like he might throw himself at Qin Huai’s legs and wail.

“Brother, you’re finally back! Do you know how I’ve survived these past six months?!”

Luo Luo isn’t human, I swear. Posting on social media is one thing, but she posts close-ups—and always at night!

“Brother, how did you suddenly learn so many new pastries?”

It was obvious that He Cheng had been paying very close attention to Qin Luo’s social media for the past half year.

Qin Huai, being the caring older cousin, immediately asked, “So, Xiao Cheng, how did your final exams go? Did you pass math? I happen to know some excellent tutors. Luo Luo studied with them in Suzhou for just over ten days, and her grades improved dramatically. She even brought practice papers back with her this time. Want some tutoring too?”

For years, He Cheng’s grades had always been about the same as Qin Luo’s—just slightly better.

A moment ago, his crying had been fake.

Now he genuinely felt like crying.

The moment Qin Luo realized her cousin might be joining her in tutoring, she became instantly enthusiastic.

“That’s right! The teachers are all wonderful. I absolutely love tutoring!”

Everyone: ?!

He Cheng: !!!∑(°Д°ノ)ノ

Qin Xiuli had originally rushed over to warmly greet her nephew. But after hearing Qin Huai and Qin Luo, the words on the tip of her tongue immediately changed.

“It’s really that effective? Huai, do those teachers only teach in Suzhou?”

“How much does it cost? Your mother mentioned it the other day. It’s one-on-one tutoring, right? That must be expensive.”

“Auntie, it’s not expensive. This holiday’s tutoring is already over, but during summer vacation, bring He Cheng to Shanshi. He can study together with Luo Luo—one hour for Luo Luo, one hour for Xiao Cheng. It won’t cost much. Consider it my New Year gift to him.”

Given the rates charged by the tutors Gong Liang had recommended, Qin Xiuli and her husband definitely couldn’t afford them.

But Qin Huai was doing very well financially now.

Since he was already paying for his sister’s lessons, adding his cousin wouldn’t make much difference.

Money was no longer a problem.

As one of only two beneficiaries of Qin Huai’s miraculous “cure for infertility,” Qin Xiuli had always treated her eldest nephew exceptionally well over the years. New Year’s lucky money, everyday pocket money, clothes, snacks, toys—she never missed a thing.

Since Qin Congwen and Zhao Rong were always busy running the breakfast shop and rarely had time to take the children out, back when Qin Huai was still the studious type, every winter and summer vacation Qin Xiuli would take Qin Huai, along with little Qin Luo and He Cheng, on trips. The amount of effort she put into looking after them went without saying.

“Alright then, I’ll thank you on Xiao Cheng’s behalf. Next summer, I’ll bring him to Shanshi,” Qin Xiuli said. Since Qin Huai had said it, she believed him without question and readily agreed.

Uncle He Hua quietly picked up the luggage and continued serving as the family’s background porter.

He Cheng knew the matter was settled. Resistance was futile. Besides, going to Shanshi wasn’t bad at all. If he spent the summer there, he wouldn’t have to drool over Qin Luo’s social media posts anymore—he’d actually get to eat the pastries himself.

He quietly asked Qin Luo, “Are those tutors really that good? Are they strict? Mean? Do they assign a lot of homework?”

Qin Luo replied, “If you finish your worksheets, you get pastries.”

Immediately, He Cheng felt life was worth living again.

The family walked merrily toward the village.

Grandpa Qin’s house was located right in the center of the village. For many years, all the villagers had agreed that it was built in the perfect spot—ideal for everyone to stop by and exchange New Year’s greetings.

As a side note, Grandpa Qin’s name was Qin Xiong, and Grandma Qin’s surname was also Qin—her name was Qin Ya.

Grandma Qin, eager to bring the children home, led the way at the front, with Grandpa Qin close behind. Qin Huai and Qin Xiuli walked in the middle, where Qin Xiuli consulted him about whether Qin Luo’s tutors would also be suitable for He Cheng, given that he didn’t attend an international school.

He Cheng and Qin Luo drifted off to one side, whispering among themselves. Zhao Rong had fallen behind to retie her shoelace, and Qin Congwen and He Hua brought up the rear, silently acting as the family’s pack mules.

Having just made a small fortune, Qin Luo could barely contain her smugness.

“Have you paid back the money you owe Brother yet?” she asked He Cheng.

In the Qin family, even siblings—and cousins—kept clear accounts. If He Cheng ate pastries beyond his allotted share, he had to pay for them.

Over the years, Qin Xiuli and her husband had always been very relaxed about their son’s lucky money and allowance. They never confiscated it, because their son had never once managed to fully pay off what he owed Qin Huai.

“I’ve saved up a lot!” He Cheng declared. Having gone more than half a year without pastries, his main goal this New Year was debt repayment. “Once I get my New Year money, I’ll pay Brother back. Then I’ll only owe about two thousand!”

“I’ve already paid mine off!” Qin Luo boasted proudly.

He Cheng was stunned, his face screaming, How could you betray the organization?!

Weren’t the two of them supposed to be comrades in debt? Hadn’t they spent the whole year as the “poor duo”? How had she secretly gotten rich behind his back?

Where was justice? Where was fairness? And most importantly—where was the path to wealth?

“You mean…”

“That’s right! This New Year, I’m going to eat as much as I want! Hahahahaha!”

Qin Luo’s triumphant laughter echoed throughout the village.

While Qin Luo laughed in the back, the group at the front had already entered the house.

Anyone visiting Grandpa Qin’s home for the first time would be shocked upon stepping into the courtyard, because the newest, most expensive-looking, and best-built single-story structure in the compound was actually…the kitchen.

Yes, the kitchen.

Grandpa Qin firmly believed in one principle: a general can’t go to war without a weapon, a student can’t enter an exam without a pen, and his precious grandson Qin Huai couldn’t make pastries without a proper large kitchen.

Originally, the Qin family kitchen hadn’t been this large.

Anyone familiar with rural kitchens would understand: they were usually just a side room attached to the main house. Not exactly tiny, but certainly not spacious either.

Aside from the traditional earthen stove and a refrigerator, there usually wasn’t much else. More organized households might have a couple of shelves for ingredients; less organized ones simply left vegetables on the floor and stored meat in the fridge. Most of the open space was occupied by stacks of firewood and bundles of dry straw for kindling.

At first glance, such kitchens looked messy and dirty.

Upon closer inspection… they were still messy and dirty.

But the Qin family kitchen was different.

It was enormous.

In terms of floor space alone, it was nearly comparable to the back kitchen at Huang Ji. Not only was it large, it was also spotless—and even divided into functional zones.

Anyone skilled in dough work knew that dough couldn’t ferment properly if the temperature was too high. If it was too close to a heat source, the fermentation would suffer.

So the Qin family kitchen had separate areas: one for kneading dough and one for steaming pastries. The dough area even had air conditioning, while the steaming area still used the traditional earthen stove.

The large open space in between wasn’t wasted either. It was intentionally left clear so that relatives and friends visiting during New Year could come into the kitchen, chat with Qin Huai, and express their concern—without getting in the way of his work.

Every year, when Qin Huai steamed pastries in this massive kitchen, he could fill it with so much steam that it resembled a celestial palace among the clouds.

That alone said enough about his skill.

As another side note, this new kitchen had been built during Qin Huai’s freshman year of college, after Grandpa Qin made the executive decision and invested heavily in its construction.

Before that, although Qin Huai also made pastries during New Year, he had still been a student. His primary duties were studying and having fun. The family would never let him work too hard—just enough to make some treats for everyone to enjoy.

But in his freshman year, Qin Huai revealed his true abilities for the first time.

It was no exaggeration to say that the entire village was shaken.

All the villagers wanted nothing more than to squat in the Qin family courtyard with bowls in hand from the first day of the New Year until the fifteenth.

That was also the year Grandpa Qin realized, deep in his heart, that the family kitchen was simply too small. It was limiting his eldest grandson’s potential. Worse, the poor kitchen environment wasn’t worthy of such talent.

So he spent a considerable sum to build a brand-new kitchen dedicated solely to pastry-making.

Since the Qin family property wasn’t large enough, they even borrowed part of a neighbor’s yard. That neighbor went so far as to tear down his own courtyard wall.

There were three neighboring households around the Qin family, and all three nearly came to blows over who would get the honor of removing their wall.

In the end, the winner was Grandpa Qin’s cousin’s family. Taking advantage of their close kinship, they demolished their wall first—striking before anyone else could.

“Huai is back!”

Almost the moment Qin Huai stepped into the courtyard, the neighbor next door—Grandpa Qin’s second cousin, whom Qin Huai addressed as Sixth Grandpa—appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

Because his family had torn down their wall early enough all those years ago, he had consistently outperformed the rest of the relatives by securing pastry access on New Year’s Eve itself.

Though already over sixty, Qin Tianhe was still remarkably agile.

“Happy New Year, Sixth Grandpa,” Qin Huai said with a smile.

“Happy New Year! Here, these are morel mushrooms your Uncle Dazhuang sent back. Your Sixth Grandpa can’t bear to eat them himself, so they’re all for our Huai.”

Qin Tianhe cheerfully handed over two gift boxes of morels.

Qin Dazhuang was Qin Tianhe’s younger son. He had settled in another city and returned with his whole family every New Year.

“Uncle Dazhuang isn’t coming back this year?” Qin Huai asked.

“Couldn’t get train tickets. He won’t arrive until the third day of the New Year,” Qin Tianhe replied.

Despite being the one who should have had the advantage, Qin Dazhuang would have to wait until the third day to get home and eat pastries. From afar, he harbored equal resentment toward everyone who had managed to secure a ticket home for the holiday.

After exchanging a few pleasantries with Qin Tianhe, Qin Huai got down to business.

“Grandma, did all the packages I told you to watch out for arrive?”

“They all did. It’s one thing that you sent back so many fillings, but why did you buy so many pastries too? They’re all in the refrigerator. Our own fridge couldn’t hold everything, so I even borrowed one from your Sixth Grandpa.”

Qin Tianhe chuckled. “We’ve got plenty of fridge space at home!”

As a matter of fact, Qin Tianhe’s eldest son sold refrigerators.

“That’s all the pastries we’ll be eating this year. Some are uncooked and can be steamed directly. Since I came back late this year, there wasn’t enough time to prepare all the fillings in advance, so I had to ship them home.”

“And did all the fruit arrive?”

“It did. There’s so much we can barely fit it in the house,” Grandma Qin replied.

“Good. That’s exactly how it should be. A friend of mine specially sent it to our house for you and Grandpa to use when visiting people during New Year.”

“That friend of yours is very thoughtful,” Grandma Qin said with a sigh. “There were also lots of pastries in those packages. Some of them got crushed. We can buy those in town, you know. Shipping them all the way here seems like such a waste.”

“They’re delicious, Grandma. I’m heading to the kitchen now to start making pastries. You and Grandpa haven’t tried them yet, have you? Once you do, you’ll understand. Those were made by my friend too.”

Grandma Qin nodded. Then, noticing that the others were still lagging behind, she leaned out into the courtyard and called, “Xiuli! Hurry up! Huai’s about to start working!”

“We’re waiting for you to help chop the vegetables!”