Chapter 47: Happy New Year

In the end, Cheng Xingye refused to accept the money, insisting it was a New Year’s gift for her.

A few days later, New Year’s Eve arrived.

Lu Qingyue’s family were true locals, and most of their relatives lived in Jiangcheng or nearby cities, so they celebrated the holiday at home each year.

That evening, her grandparents and her uncle’s family all gathered together.

After a whole semester, Lu Ming seemed to have grown even taller. He was sixteen, just like Lu Qingyue, but when they stood side by side, he was a full head taller.

Lu Qingyue was exasperated. How annoying!

But they had outgrown the age of comparing heights during the New Year; now, the talk was all about grades.

So during dinner, Lu Ming’s exasperated father—Lu Qingyue’s uncle, Lu Jiaqi—mercilessly exposed his shortcomings at the table.

“This kid is lazy beyond belief. He’d rather laze at home than review for exams. This time, he only ranked four hundred-something in his grade. He can’t even compare to Diandian.”

Lu Ming, busy fishing out meatballs from the hotpot, looked genuinely baffled. “Why do you say I’m lazy? I didn’t even do anything!”

Lu Jiaqi was nearly driven mad. Of course he was calling him lazy because he didn’t do anything!

Fearing the father and son were about to quarrel at the table, Xi Yu quickly stepped in to smooth things over. “But Lu Ming has many other strengths!”

“Such as?” Lu Jiaqi asked doubtfully.

He’d raised his son for over a decade and truly hadn’t noticed any particular strengths.

Handsome? Well, there was Lu Yi before him, who was even more striking. Smart and quick-witted? There was Lu Qingyue after him—this little girl was truly sharp and clear-minded. Her grades might not be the very top, but getting into a top university was no problem.

Xi Yu had only meant to say something polite, but Lu Jiaqi pressed her for specifics. She paused, seemingly at a loss for words, but soon found a way out and sincerely praised him, “Well… he’s healthy. Children as robust as him are rare these days. Come, eat more, keep up the good health.”

She then placed a large chicken drumstick in Lu Ming’s bowl, watching him eat with a kind, satisfied smile.

She thought to herself, what a great reason. Isn’t this what health is all about?

After all, who else could eat three big bowls of rice in one go?

Lu Jiaqi could only stare helplessly. If you really can’t think of anything to praise, you don’t have to force it, okay?

This little episode quickly passed amidst the family’s laughter and conversation.

After the reunion dinner, the healthiest member of the Lu family loudly announced he was going out to meet friends and dashed off before anyone could stop him.

Lu Jiaqi, chasing after him in slippers, didn’t even manage to grab a strand of hair and returned fuming.

With the adults clearing the table and chatting in the dining room, Lu Qingyue, uninterested in their topics, turned on the TV in the living room, slouched onto the sofa, and busied herself sending out New Year greetings to her WeChat friends.

Many people had already sent her greetings—most of them acquaintances who’d simply copied messages from the internet.

Lu Qingyue was well-versed in this routine: she’d take the blessing from A, tack on her name and send it to B, then take B’s message and send it to C, replying to all her contacts without missing a beat, feeling quite clever about the whole thing.

Her smugness lasted only three seconds before she received a voice message from her uncle Yan Lun.

[Uncle]: Diandian, I got your New Year’s wishes. I’ll do my best to stay healthy, but there’s no need for academic progress.

Lu Qingyue froze. She quickly scrolled up to check the message she’d just sent and, sure enough, amid all the four-character blessings, she’d actually included “academic progress” as well…

Darn it! She’d been careless! That was meant for her classmates; she hadn’t checked carefully before forwarding it to her own uncle.

Mortified, Lu Qingyue scrambled to salvage the situation.

[Lu Diandian]: Academic progress is important for you too! Didn’t grandma say you’ve been taking classes at the Senior College lately?

[Uncle]: You believe what your grandma says? I’m only fifty this year—what am I doing at a Senior College? Just focus on your own studies and don’t worry about your uncle! Remember to come early tomorrow for your red envelope!

[Lu Diandian]: Thank you, Uncle!

Thinking of the red envelope she’d get the next day, Lu Qingyue happily drew her feet up onto the sofa, only to be flicked on the forehead by someone.

Lu Yi walked over from the kitchen with a bottle of cold Coke in hand, his palm icy. The flick made Lu Qingyue yelp in pain.

“Ow—why’d you flick me!”

Lu Yi lazily kicked her foot, putting on his big-brother act, “It’s New Year’s. Are you rebelling? Get your feet down!”

Lu Qingyue protested, “I’ve showered! They’re not dirty!”

Besides, when she was little, she used to jump on the sofa. Her parents never minded—why did her brother have to control everything?

Lu Yi brushed her feet aside and sat down at the other end of the three-seater sofa, continuing mercilessly, “It’s not about cleanliness. What kind of girl sits like that?”

Grandma Yan Yuan, hearing their voices, hurried over from the dining room to defend Lu Qingyue in her gentle way, “It’s our own home—sit however you’re comfortable.”

The Lu parents were never the type to favor sons over daughters, but Yan Yuan doted on girls. She’d had two sons and always regretted not having a daughter. So when she finally had a granddaughter, she poured all the affection meant for a daughter into the family’s littlest one.

Seeing his grandmother once again backing up the little rascal, Lu Yi grumbled, “Go ahead, spoil her. If she can’t get married in the future, I’m not taking care of her!”

Lu Qingyue retorted, “How do you know I won’t get married?”

After all, Cheng Xingye just complimented her on how pretty she looked in a dress! Surely, that counted as a little bit of liking, right? Lu Qingyue thought, not entirely certain.

Lu Yi snorted, about to continue teasing her, but Yan Yuan stepped in to smooth things over, “Alright, enough! It’s New Year’s—don’t argue with your sister.”

Lu Yi said, “I’m not arguing. I’m teaching her, so she won’t get mocked for being so rough when she’s out in the world.”

Lu Qingyue fell silent.

The phrase “so rough” suddenly triggered some rather embarrassing memories. She remembered when she first met Cheng Xingye—every time she ran into him, she was either being punished by her brother with push-ups on the ground, or climbing over walls and falling flat on her face…

It dawned on her, belatedly, that she’d probably left a deeply ingrained impression of being clumsy and wild in Cheng Xingye’s mind.

So, back then, was he secretly laughing about her with Lu Yi?

A strange sense of being scrutinized by Cheng Xingye made her heart skip a beat. She quickly put her feet down and sat up straight.

Remembering she hadn’t sent him a New Year message yet, Lu Qingyue opened WeChat, tapped into that almost never-used chat, and hesitated for a long while before typing.

If it had been anyone else, she’d have just copied a blessing off the internet and sent it. But Cheng Xingye was different. He was so sharp, it was as if he could see right through her. Lu Qingyue had no intention of giving him any more ammunition against her in the future.

After much hesitation, she finally sent him the simplest message.

[Lu Diandian]: Xingye, Happy New Year!

After sending it, she exited the chat.

Suddenly, she realized—all her other chats were filled with elaborate, flowery greetings and emojis, but to him, she’d only sent a simple Happy New Year. It was as if she were saying: I like you.