Chapter 246

Old Bao said: "Fine. How about we go pay a New Year's visit to Professor Qin together that day?"

Su Xinghui said: "Sure, I'll call you when I get to Jiangcheng."

Old Bao said: "Okay, I'll contact the others in the next few days."

Su Xinghui said: "Fine, I also wish your whole family a happy New Year and all the best!"

Old Bao also said thank you, and the two hung up the phone.

After hanging up, Su Xinghui felt a bit of a headache. They were back to work on the seventh day, but he had to go to Jiangcheng on the fifth to visit Lu Zhenghong's family. Lu Xiaoya also wanted him to stay in Jiangcheng for two more days. Thinking about it, there were quite a few people to visit in Jiangcheng—Professor Qin, Professor Rao, and others. He also had to visit his aunt's house and meet up with these classmates. Thinking it over, it would be impossible to rush back to Meng Hu Ling by the seventh.

Therefore, he called Chen Hongfu's house to send New Year's greetings and mentioned that he was going to Jiangcheng on the fifth to visit some elders, including Professor Rao and others. He said he might not be able to get to Meng Hu Ling by the seventh.

Upon hearing this, Chen Hongfu told him to go ahead and that it didn't matter if he was a couple of days late for work. He also thanked Su Xinghui for calling to send New Year's greetings and wished his whole family a happy New Year.

Just as Su Xinghui hung up the phone, the phone rang again. He picked it up and found it was a call from Lu Xiaoya. She happily wished Su Xinghui a happy New Year and wished his whole family all the best.

Su Xinghui thanked her repeatedly and asked if Lu Zhenghong was home. Lu Xiaoya said he had gone out to attend an event and wasn't home. This was normal; Lu Zhenghong was the Secretary-General of the Provincial Party Committee, and the busier it was, the more he had to work. Naturally, he couldn't be like ordinary people, staying home to keep the vigil with his relatives. This could be considered a trade-off.

After finishing the call with Lu Xiaoya, the phone rang continuously. There were more and more people calling to send New Year's greetings. Xue Qin, Zhang Cheng, Xu Xiaoguang, Wu Jun, and others all called Su Xinghui to send New Year's greetings. Su Xinghui naturally wished them all a happy New Year one by one.

After answering a dozen calls, things finally quieted down. By this time, it was almost midnight. Su Xinghui went to the kitchen to check on the soup simmering on the stove. By now, the lotus root soup had been simmering on low heat for several hours. As soon as he lifted the lid, the fragrance was overwhelming—it was incredibly delicious.

Su Xinghui used chopsticks to test a piece of rib and a piece of lotus root. The ribs were stewed until the bones were soft and the meat was tender, and the lotus root was stewed until it was powdery and glutinous. Taking a sip of the soup, it was fragrant, rich, and sweet—the taste was simply perfect.

Su Xinghui served a bowl of lotus root soup for everyone in the family. Every year during the New Year's vigil, people in Shangjun had to drink a bowl of lotus root soup. Without it, it felt like something was missing.

While they were drinking the soup, the countdown to midnight had already started on the TV. Su Xinghui quickly brought out a string of firecrackers, went outside, and got ready. The second the countdown on the TV ended, he lit the firecrackers. At this moment, the sound of firecrackers across all of Shangjun County erupted into a cacophony. This sound meant that the traditional Chinese Lunar New Year had arrived.