Happy New Year
Yin Bai and Professor Sun played with their two little friends for a while. Sun Mingrui finally brought the steaming hot dumplings to the table and exclaimed, “Come on, the dumplings are here!”
“Wenwen, Tongtong, hurry up and tidy up the dishes and chopsticks, get ready for breakfast!”
Sun Mingrui placed the freshly steamed dumplings on the table and turned to shout at the two children.
“Coming, coming!” Upon hearing that there was food, Comrade Sun Jingwen couldn’t care less about the game anymore. She reached out and pulled her younger sister, running excitedly to the kitchen to wash their hands and tidy up the dishes.
Yin Bai sighed, leaning on her cane as she got up slowly, and followed the two children to the kitchen to wash her hands. She moved slowly while watching the two children’s figures and helplessly said, “You two, slow down.”
Don’t rush and pounce on it like a hungry tiger, so nervous and eager.
After preparing the meal together and getting everything ready, everyone gathered around the dining table, waiting for the “head of the family,” Sun Mingrui, to uncover the pot. When the lid of the steamer was lifted, a wonderful fragrance filled the air. After the rich food steam dissipated, Yin Bai leaned over and saw the rows of translucent crystal dumplings in the steamer. She thought they looked quite appealing.
Uniform in size, plump bellies, resembling transparent caterpillars, but she wondered how they would taste.
Just as Yin Bai was thinking this, Sun Mingrui began to serve everyone dumplings in bowls. She first picked a bowl for Professor Sun, then proceeded to Yin Bai and the two children.
Yin Bai lowered her head and looked at the chubby “little fat worms” in her bowl. She poked them with her chopsticks but didn’t dare to take a bite. She turned her head and discreetly glanced at Professor Sun sitting opposite her, wanting to see her reaction.
Little did Yin Bai know, her older friend shared the same mindset. When their eyes met, Professor Sun looked at her with an expression that spoke volumes.
Alright then, her friend with the picky palate seemed worried about her eldest daughter’s cooking skills.
The two of them exchanged a secret glance, shifting their gaze towards Wenwen. Finally getting her share of dumplings, Wenwen joyfully picked up one and blew on it twice before taking a big bite, with her younger sister silently watching beside her.
The rich broth flowed in her mouth, and as she tasted the delicious flavor, she was also hit by the heat of the food. Wenwen quickly waved her hand near her mouth, saying, “Good…good…”
With each “good” she uttered, the expectant gazes from everyone focused on her brightened a little bit.
Yin Bai couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. What did Wenwen mean by “good, good, good”? Was it too hot, too spicy, or too difficult to eat?
Wenwen completely failed to grasp her companions’ anxious emotions. After chewing on the dumpling for a while, she swallowed it and tears welled up in the corners of her eyes as she said, “It’s too hot…”
Sun Mingrui sighed and gave her a helpless look. “Who told you to eat so quickly? Weren’t you snacking just now? How come you’re still not full?”
Sun Jingwen giggled, “Because Mom’s dumplings are delicious!”
Upon hearing these words, Yin Bai breathed a sigh of relief. She and the other three people at the table picked up their chopsticks together, picked up a dumpling, and took a bite. Just as they were about to chew, they suddenly heard Wenwen objectively say, “But Mom, it seems like you put too much salt, it’s a bit salty.”
As Wenwen uttered those words, Yin Bai’s mouth was soaked in a salty broth, tasting saltier than salted fish…
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Extremely salty…
Yin Bai’s face immediately changed. She couldn’t spit it out, nor could she swallow it. So, with determination, she gulped down the entire dumpling.
The slightly hot dumpling slid down her throat like a fireball. Yin Bai felt a slight burning sensation from her esophagus to her stomach.
It’s over! It’s so hot!
Yin Bai anxiously wanted to find water to drink when she heard Sun Jingwen’s puzzled voice, “Hey, is it really salty? I think it’s okay. What do you guys think?”
Professor Sun, who had just swallowed a dumpling, nodded and gave an objective assessment, “It is a bit salty…”
Professor Sun preferred milder flavors, but Sun Jingwen decided not to accept her opinion. She looked at Tongtong with a smile and asked, “What do you think, Tongtong? Is Auntie’s dumpling salty or not?”
Tongtong sweetly smiled, “Not salty at all. Auntie’s dumplings are really delicious, just as good as Mom’s.”
Sun Mingrui breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that her “moderate” amount of salt was probably right. However, as soon as she relaxed, Tongtong jumped off her chair and hurriedly ran towards the tea room, saying, “I want to drink some water.”
Sun Mingrui’s expression immediately stiffened.
With Tongtong starting the trend, Yin Bai also spoke up, “Tongtong, pour me a glass too.”
“Okay!”
With Tongtong leading the way, everyone moved away from the table and went to the tea room to get water.
Sun Mingrui watched everyone’s reactions and suddenly realized that the dumplings were indeed salty. But she refused to believe it and insisted on taking a bite herself, murmuring softly, “Are they really this salty…”
As she took a bite, the broth unleashed a fiercely salty taste in her mouth, and her facial expression became even more vivid.
Well, it was indeed salty.
Sun Mingrui felt a bit guilty. When everyone returned, she hesitantly said, “I didn’t expect to put too much salt. Maybe we shouldn’t eat these anymore. How about having something else?”
Professor Sun poked a hole in a dumpling, soaked it in lukewarm water, and reassured her, “It’s fine, don’t waste it like this. We can still eat them by rinsing them in water.”
Yin Bai and the two children followed suit, “Yeah, rinsing them can make them edible. Let’s not waste the food.”
Everyone started comforting Sun Mingrui, saying things like, “You don’t cook often, so it’s okay. You’ve always helped Xiaoyou with the cooking, and the presentation was always great. Cooking is like conducting an experiment, and it’s natural to have failures when trying new things. Just practice a few more times.”
After being comforted, Sun Mingrui felt deeply moved and decided to properly control the quantities of various seasonings tonight and prepare a feast for everyone.
When everyone heard her confident words, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of impending doom, as if lifting a stone only to drop it on their own feet…
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Even Yin Bai, who was not known for being considerate, couldn’t bring herself to discourage Sun Mingrui any further and reluctantly agreed to the plan.
However, in order to give Sun Mingrui a special understanding of the phrase “moderate amount,” everyone decided to have her start with a few vegetables as a test, conducting an experiment to find a general concept.
As a result, the whole afternoon was spent crowded in the kitchen. They abandoned their games and hurriedly assisted Sun Mingrui, checking recipes and keeping an eye on her seasoning.
Everyone worked together and prepared a decent dinner.
In the evening, around six o’clock, they laid out the well-prepared dinner on the table, lively and ready to enjoy the New Year’s Eve feast. During dinner, Yin Bai had Tongtong bring out a tablet and made a video call, connecting everyone with Zuo Jingyou through video.
In contrast to the liveliness of everyone, Zuo Jingyou, who was sitting in the car on the way to the venue, appeared lonely. She lowered her brows and eyes, expressing her deep envy, saying, “I also want to eat, I also want to go home for the New Year.”
She didn’t want to work. Although the Spring Festival Gala was an excellent opportunity to increase her popularity, if given a genuine choice, she just wanted to be by her loved one’s side during the reunion!
Seeing the envy in her eyes, everyone chimed in, urging her to come back and even mentioning Sun Mingrui’s salty dumplings from earlier in the day. The children boasted about how much they had helped today, and they received gentle praise from Zuo Jingyou.
Soon, the car arrived at the venue for the evening event, and Zuo Jingyou temporarily ended the video call. With them still eating, Zuo Jingyou had dinner, then Professor Sun followed the tradition by distributing red envelopes to everyone.
Yin Bai also gave red envelopes to the two children according to their family’s tradition.
After completing the traditional activities of New Year’s Eve, the two children wanted to play games with Yin Bai. However, at that moment, Yin Bai received a phone call. After a brief moment, she stood up and bid farewell to Professor Sun and Sun Mingrui.
Professor Sun was a little curious, “Do you have other plans for the evening? Are you going to meet friends?”
Yin Bai shook her head and said with a smile to Professor Sun, “I’m going to the capital to pick up Teacher Zuo and bring her home.”
Professor Sun looked at her helplessly, her eyes filled with affection. “You youngsters really keep yourselves busy. Go ahead, take care on the road…”
“Okay.”
Yin Bai nodded, and Sun Mingrui stood up, accompanying her to the door.
After having dinner, Zhang Yu, who had already made arrangements, drove to Zuo Jingyou’s house to pick up Yin Bai and take her to the airport. After Sun Mingrui saw Yin Bai off, she watched her leave before heading back home.
As she walked back, Sun Mingrui couldn’t help but think: her sister’s lover really loves her.
After spending the New Year with her family at home, Yin Bai immediately went to find Xiaoyou. The Gu family is indeed romantic… She really has a good eye for choosing a partner this time.
Yin Bai, accompanied by Zhang Yu, boarded a private plane and arrived in the capital city after a two-and-a-half-hour flight. On their way to the venue, it happened to be Zuo Jingyou’s turn to perform.
Due to Zuo Jingyou’s role in the film 《Dawa》, she performed a dance routine with girls from the Tibetan region during the Spring Festival Gala.
She had professional dance training and her dancing was incredibly elegant and beautiful. Yin Bai watched the performance with admiration. After switching back to Weibo, she liked and praised all the performances that praised Zuo Jingyou. Then, she carefully calculated the time to send a message to Zuo Jingyou when she would have time to check her phone: “Come to the backstage waiting area at 11 o’clock. I have a New Year’s gift for you. Hurry up and come to pick it up.”
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Around 10:30PM, Yin Bai was led into the backstage waiting area. After the person in charge found her a quiet spot to sit, Yin Bai opened her phone and realized that Zuo Jingyou hadn’t replied to her messages all this time.
So she waited and waited, anxiously tapping her cane in the waiting room. Unable to wait any longer, she asked someone to call Zuo Jingyou, who was watching the Spring Festival Gala at the front stage.
Close to 11:30PM, the sound of footsteps finally echoed outside the room. Yin Bai recognized the familiar footsteps and instantly stood up, leaning on her cane. After adjusting her new scarf and coat, she looked towards the door and exclaimed loudly when Zuo Jingyou appeared, “Surprise!”
“Zuo Jingyou, Happy New Year’s Eve!”
Zuo Jingyou was dressed in a vibrant red Tibetan costume, adorned with jewelry from head to toe, standing at the doorway, looking at Yin Bai with delight and surprise.
Her eyes quickly filled with joyful light, and her lips curved into a slight smile as she said, “Looks like I’ll have to cancel my ticket tonight.”
Huh? Cancel the ticket? What does that mean?
Before Yin Bai could react, Zuo Jingyou took a few steps forward, embraced Yin Bai, and with great joy, clasped her slender waist, saying, “My dear Xiaobai, Happy New Year’s Eve!”
“Being able to embrace you before the arrival of the new year is truly wonderful!”