Chapter 223: Happy New Year

The old year passes amidst the sound of firecrackers, and the spring breeze sends warmth into the Tusu wine.

February 6, New Year's Eve.

This was the first Spring Festival after Shen Ci returned to the age of twenty, and it was also the happiest day since she returned, because the whole family was by her side.

In the kitchen, she helped her mother with the chores. The processed ingredients were piled up, and the lively small green lobsters and king crabs were waving their claws in the sink, causing the mother and daughter to scream and laugh for a while.

In the living room, the TV was on, playing lively Spring Festival programs. A-Li pulled Xingxing to play mobile games, praising her younger brother for being amazing while playing, which made Xingxing's mouth pout.

The sound of frying, stir-frying, and cooking in the oil pan, the noisy and festive atmosphere on TV, and the happy look of the family, if it is said that life is satisfied, this scene is enough.

"Happy New Year!"

On the dining table, Shen Jingjing made twelve dishes today, both cold and hot. In her words, it was a good omen that everything would go smoothly for twelve months next year.

The family raised the red wine in their cups and clinked glasses. Xingxing had the sweetest mouth, and the blessings came out of his mouth. "Wish Mom good health, no illness and no disaster in the new year, and her dancing skills will go to the next level."

"Wish eldest sister beauty as always, career prosperity. Second sister star path is smooth, big red and big purple."

"Finally, I also wish myself to be on the gold list and successfully admitted to Longcheng University!"

A series of words made the three women in the family happy. Shen Ci and A-Li also sent blessings to their mother one after another. "Mom, I hope you get what you want in the new year."

"Mom, I also wish you happiness."

Shen Jingjing looked at the three children, and happiness was completely concrete at this moment. The hard work of many years seemed to turn into a wisp of blue smoke and disappear, and only comfort remained in her heart.

She quickly took out the prepared red envelopes and distributed them to the three children. "One for each, Mom also hopes that everything will go smoothly and as you wish in the new year."

The mother's red envelope had to be accepted, but Shen Ci and Shen Li also prepared red envelopes for their mother.

Shen Li couldn't wait to take it out first. The red envelope was thin, and she stuffed it directly into her mother's hand. "Mom, the final payment for my first drama has been taxed, here is a big red envelope for you."

Shen Jingjing subconsciously touched the red envelope, it was hard inside, not money at all.

After opening it, it was actually a card.

Seeing this, Xingxing's eyes lit up. "My god, second sister, giving a card directly? How much money is inside?"

Shen Li didn't hide it either, looked at her mother and said softly, "There are two hundred yuan inside."

"So much?" Shen Jingjing was also startled when she heard this, and then stuffed the money back to her daughter. "This is the first money you earned, you keep it yourself, Mom has money to use."

"I kept it myself, this is for you!" Shen Li stuffed it back again, with a serious and firm tone. "I didn't expect to earn so much money in the first drama, but Mom, don't worry, I will definitely work hard to earn more money to be filial to you in the future."

Not only Shen Jingjing felt comforted in her heart, but Shen Ci also felt comforted when she saw this scene.

"Mom, accept A-Li's heart, otherwise I don't know if the red envelope I prepared should be taken out."

Saying this, Shen Ci also took out a card she prepared and pushed it to her mother. "This is mine. I didn't come back last year, so I'll make it up for Mom together with last year's."

A-Ci

Shen Jingjing was about to speak, but was interrupted by Shen Ci's righteous words: "You can't refuse. Whether it's Shen Li or me, it is only right and proper to earn money for our mother to spend. Besides, Mom, you have to understand that money is meant to be spent. You need to know how to spend it so that we, as your children, have more motivation to earn it."

Upon hearing this, Shen Li nodded repeatedly from the side: "My sister is right. Don't save it up, Mom. Buy whatever you want."

Even Shen Xing spoke up: "Mom, I'll owe you for now. I'm an adult already, and when I earn money in the future, I'll make it up to you."

Seeing that her children were all so filial, Shen Jingjing didn't want to spoil the mood. Whether she spent it or not was one thing, but she accepted the red envelope today.

"Mom will take it, Mom will take it all. At this age, I've become a rich lady," Shen Jingjing joked with a smile.

This remark made everyone laugh. The laughter drifted out the window and traveled far, far away, blending into the sound of firecrackers in the distance.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Ci received an invitation from a high school classmate to go out for afternoon tea.

The person who invited her was her high school deskmate. During their senior year, the two were together every day reviewing, encouraging, and cheering each other on, so they could be said to have a bond forged in the trenches.

In her previous life, their friendship had lasted quite a long time, only fading away gradually after the other party had a child and became completely consumed by family life.

If one were to count from the time of her previous life, it had been decades since they last met, yet Shen Ci remembered her appearance clearly in her mind.

"A-Ci!"

In the cafe, Shen Ci heard someone call her name the moment she stepped through the door.

She looked up and saw a girl with big eyes wearing a white cotton jacket waving at her excitedly.

In just an instant, the other person's appearance completely overlapped with the person in her memory.

"Weiwei!"

Shen Ci felt a surge of emotion and walked quickly to meet her, embracing Xia Weiwei.

"Oh my, long time no see. You didn't come back last year, and it's been over two years since we last met." Xia Weiwei's tone was slightly reproachful, but tears were swirling in her eyes. During high school, she had considered Shen Ci her best friend.

Shen Ci held her hand and sat down, looking ashamed: "It's my fault, it's my fault. How are you? Have you been doing well in university these past two years?"

Xia Weiwei's grades were excellent; she even scored eight points higher than Shen Ci in the college entrance exam and was admitted to the law department of Linhai University with a full scholarship.

One of them was in Longcheng in the north, and the other was in Linhai in the south, so the difficulty of meeting was obvious; they could only occasionally exchange greetings via WeChat.

"Not bad, just too tired. You know, studying law is the same as studying medicine—one tires the heart, the other tires the body. My dad insisted that I choose between these two." Xia Weiwei said, then asked Shen Ci back: "What about you? How are you?"

As she spoke, her gaze unconsciously scanned Shen Ci's outfit up and down.

Xia Weiwei's family background couldn't be called wealthy, but it was certainly much better than Shen Ci's had been, and most of her clothes and daily necessities were expensive designer brands.

At a glance, she could tell that Shen Ci's outfit today was not simple, especially the bracelet on her wrist—it was covered in diamonds, and the texture didn't look like a knockoff.

"Oh my, this bracelet is really beautiful."

Before Shen Ci could speak, Xia Weiwei had already curiously picked up her hand to examine it: "A-Ci, is this the real thing?"

Shen Ci smiled and nodded: "Cartier."

Xia Weiwei widened her eyes and also showed off her own platinum bracelet: "Mine is this one too, but yours looks very expensive at a glance. Mine only cost a little over a thousand."

(End of chapter)