The warm atmosphere at the Lin family ho continued to thrive, and the elders couldn't help but smile at every little exchange.
Her small action deepened the smiles on the elders' lips. "I sll marriage soon," Grandpa Lin whispered to Lin Daxia, barely containing his chuckles.
Lin Jianjun guffawed loudly, slapping his thigh as if a great joke had just been told. "This old brain of mine was always worried my old grandson here would live the rest of his life as a monk! But thankfully, he's finally been enlightened! Now I can rest in peace!"
"Grandfather!" Lin Yicheng, who had been quietly nibbling on his dumplings, pouted at the teasing.
"I was joking, Little Cheng. I need to see you grow up first!" Grandpa Lin chuckled, patting the little boy's hand affectionately. His mirth echoed through the room.
Lin Daxia, who had been wiping her mouth with a napkin, added with a smirk, "Right, Father-in-law. I've been thinking the sa thing. We'll have to work on our 'blockhead' here."
Lin Weihao shot his grandfather a helpless look.
"That grandson of mine is stubborn in many ways," Lin Jianjun continued, winking. "If he ever upsets you, co to , and I'll set him straight!"
Nanzhi wasn't expecting the elders to be so chatty and friendly.
Perhaps it was due to her past experiences at family gatherings, where the atmosphere had always been more tense. But here, in this warm and welcoming family, everything felt lighthearted. "I think that's not necessary. He's very good and sensible. More importantly, he's not stingy," Nanzhi joked, her eyes twinkling as she glanced at Lin Weihao.
"Really?" The elders' eyes crinkled in amusent, and Lin Weihao couldn't help but smile proudly.
Feng Ran, Yu Baoyin, Lin Yicheng, Bingwen, and Hei Qian decided to step away from the table, heading toward the living room to play so traditional New Year gas. It was ti for so fun.
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The living room began to get noisy with a mahjong ga going on.
"Lu Nanzhi, my son and my little darling have been talking a lot about you," Lin Daxia began, her tone soft. "I heard from them that you saved both of them from the car crash. If my son hadn't hidden the matter, I would've rushed over to thank you personally."
Lin Weihao didn't deny it.
Just then, Lin Yicheng ca running in with a glass of milk in hand. He overheard his grandmother's words and, sensing a chance to defend his uncle, imdiately piped up, "Grandmother, don't be too hard on Uncle! He was just worried about your health and didn't want to make you anxious. I wasn't hurt at all, thanks to Uncle's amazing driving!"
"Okay, okay," Grandma Lin chuckled, patting him on the head. "I won't be angry at your Uncle anymore. But did you thank your Big Aunt already?"
"Yes! We also brought gifts!" Lin Yicheng bead, clearly proud of himself.
"Good, darling!" Lin Daxia winked. "That's the spirit!"
Lin Jianjun followed suit, nodding and giving Nanzhi a warm smile. His words may have been brief, but the gratitude in his eyes spoke volus. "I know it's late, but if you ever need anything in the future, co to . I'll do my best."
Nanzhi, feeling the warmth of the family's acceptance, smiled back. "Thank you in advance. If you ever need sothing from this junior, you can co to too."
Mother Lin and Grandpa Lin exchanged amused glances, leaning in to tease, "We certainly do! How about staying here for good?"
"Grandpa. Mother," Lin Weihao called out softly. How they demand sothing so arbitrarily.
"You're so uptight!" both of them replied, grinning. "It was just a tease! But rember to call us from ti to ti, like… every day!"
He knew that in the world they lived in now, keeping him in the base wasn't ideal. He had to grow and improve outside the safety of their walls.
Later in the evening, the family gathered in the living room to enjoy so traditional New Year gas. Grandpa Lin, eager to prove his skills, announced, "Alright! Let's play a ga of Mahjong!"
Mother Lin, who had been lounging in a corner, perked up at the suggestion. "Mahjong, huh? Well, I've got a winning streak going tonight. Don't get too cocky, kids!"
The elders sat down at the table, and soon, the clattering of tiles echoed through the room. As the ga progressed, there were a lot of playful banter.
The first mahjong was won by Grandpa Lin.
Lin Weihao, concentrating on his hand, joked, "Grandpa, are you sure you're not using so ancient thod to cheat?"
"I'm just using my wisdom, my boy," Grandpa Lin said with a mischievous grin, shuffling the tiles around. "Wisdom that only cos with age… and maybe a little bit of luck."
Pan Chen, sitting beside him, couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, Old Master, don't be so humble. We all know you've been practicing this for decades."
Nanzhi chid in, "You know, we should make this interesting. How about whoever loses the ga has to be sared with charcoal?"
Feng Ran spat his wine. What a daring sister-in-law!
Mother Lin had always been bold, she quickly said, "I'll take that bet!"
Grandpa Lin also joined, rolling his sleeves. "Okay! This one doesn't back down in any fight!"
The ga continued with much laughter, but eventually, Nanzhi, the guest, ended up winning. While all the other faces were full of charcoal.
"How do you keep winning?" Lin Weihao asked in the low voice, curiously. Even his face didn't escape bad luck. His Mother and Grandfather Lin were very savage and drew two pandas circles in his eyes and huge mustaches.
"Tell , granddaughter! How did you it!" If he can know the secret then he can always win rounds from old coots!
"I need to know the secret too!"
Nanzhi only mysteriously smiled. It was no problem for her to win as she could see every tile using the appraisal skill.
The rest of the charcoal faces people let out playful groans as they cleared the table, unable to beat Nanzhi.
As the tea was slowly drained, Grandpa Lin lifted his cup, his gaze scanning the group. "Let's have a toast—to family, to good friends, and to a new year filled with happiness and health."
Everyone raised their glasses—so filled with wine, others with tea—and echoed, "Cheers!"
Later that evening, after a wonderful day spent with family, Nanzhi and Lin Weihao returned to Unit 1502. The mood was somber as they lit incense sticks in front of two wooden tablets, paying their respects to those they had lost.
You may not be my biological Mother and Father but you have given a life full of love.
Thank you for everything and I'll make sure to have Lu Chenyu pay the due.
As they stood there in the stillness, a soft breeze suddenly swept through the room, causing the incense smoke to swirl and dance in the air.
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