Chronicle of the 70s-Chapter 370 - 348: New Year’s Reunion Part 2

Xu Wu saw the two sullen children and said, "Eat up and go to sleep. When you get up, Uncle will take you out to play for a bit."

The little ones’ eyes lit up, looking ready to go out and play right away, but Li Xianglu, unable to bear it any longer, exclaimed, "Eat first, go play after you wake up from your nap, and you can only play for one hour!" She then gestured with her fingers to show them.

Ba Yi copied her mother, gesturing the number one with her little finger and nodding incessantly, as if afraid the adults might change their minds.

After dinner, everyone went to rest. Li Xianglu was mixing the meat filling for the lotus root sandwiches and couldn’t stop looking out the window at the increasingly heavy snow, truly worried.

Sister Xing, seeing this, comforted her, "It’s okay. Didn’t they say they set off this morning? They’ll definitely arrive by tomorrow afternoon."

Li Xianglu forced a smile and nodded, hoping for a smooth journey.

At noon, the two of them were too anxious to rest, frying up the lotus root sandwiches, and finally using the remaining oil to fry some fish and a big bowl of ribbonfish.

Sister Xing wouldn’t come over this afternoon and would only return after the seventh day of the lunar new year. Li Xianglu brought out a prepared basket full of chicken, duck, fish, and meat. She had already sent over a bag of rice a few days earlier and now also handed her a red envelope with twenty yuan. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Sister Xing hesitated at first but eventually accepted the gifts and left.

Li Xianglu checked the time and it was already past four in the afternoon. Looking at the thick snow outside the door and feeling somewhat worried, she never expected to hear the sound of a car horn.

Li Xianglu couldn’t help but freeze in her tracks, looking at the corner, knowing deep down that Qin Xi couldn’t possibly be back this early. It would take at least a day’s drive from Beihai to the capital, but she couldn’t suppress the fantasy in her heart.

Yet, the car actually turned and entered and indeed - the person in the passenger seat was Qin Xi. Li Xianglu’s eyes widened in shock, her face etched with disbelief – he had actually returned.

Qin Xi, not expecting to see Li Xianglu at the gate, greeted her with a face full of surprise. Getting off the car, he quickly hailed the driver who had another engagement, prompting Li Xianglu to come to her senses and express her thanks.

When the car left, Li Xianglu suddenly rushed over. Seeing this, Qin Xi quickly opened his arms to embrace her. Li Xianglu sniffled, her voice tinged with a slight grievance as she said, "Why did you come back early?"

Qin Xi chuckled as he pinched Li Xianglu’s slightly red nose, teasingly asking, "What, you didn’t want me to come back so soon?"

Li Xianglu playfully smacked Qin Xi’s shoulder with some annoyance. Qin Xi grunted before saying, "I came back on a military helicopter, Jianqing is back too. Didn’t you say Leng Qing went back to sort out the house? He went straight there."

Li Xianglu raised an eyebrow; so that was the case – a real surprise indeed. Filled with air, she stood on her tiptoes and bit Qin Xi’s cheek, causing him to yelp in pain and jerk back, only to hear chuckling sounds.

Li Xianglu quickly released her bite, and the laughter grew louder. Then, they saw the twins emerge from the neighboring yard, with Xu Wu standing behind them, sporting a mock-serious smile.

Embarrassed and annoyed, Li Xianglu complained to Qin Xi, "These two naughty boys have been fussing about going ice skating all morning. I told them only for an hour, but look at the time now. Husband, you need to discipline them properly."

Seeing his twin sons about to plead with sad faces, and his wife with a look that said, "You better discipline them or there’ll be no sleep for you," Qin Xi immediately reached out his ’evil hand’ towards the children.

Qin Xi’s return made everyone at home happy. They called Mr. Qin and Qin Zhen to tell them that Qin Xi was back, then quickly heated up the pot, ready to make a lamb stew for the evening.

Eventually, everyone sat together. Li Jianqing and Leng Qing were expected, but with no phone contact, the wait grew longer. Seeing the two children who couldn’t stop sniffing at the aroma, the old man said, "Let’s start eating. If they come, we’ll just make some more." After all, it was already past seven.

Li Xianglu nodded, turned up the flame to make it bigger, and started serving everyone dishes. The meal ended with everyone sweating profusely, Da Li leaned back in the wicker chair with a round belly, sighing with satisfaction – so full. Xu Wu, irritated by the sight of him, shot a glare his way. Today, Da Li was bold enough not to care, even shamelessly asking for the old man’s good tea to drink.

After dinner, Mr. Qin and Su Yan didn’t drink tea. Li Xianglu poured honey water for them and the children, then said with a hint of concern, "Grandpa, you don’t think something happened to the third brother, do you?"