Chapter 290: New Year’s Eve

Chapter 290: Lunar New Year's Eve

Lu Hanchuan had no idea about this, but since Xiao Xiao brought it up, he pressed further.

"Want me to send some gifts over?"

Ye Xiaoxiao: "I’ve already sent some. We’ll visit once the baby’s born."

Lu Hanchuan nodded, but his enthusiasm had noticeably cooled.

Ye Xiaoxiao gave him a look, then another.

"You… you’re not thinking about…?"

"Nah, let’s head over there."

Lu Hanchuan replied quickly.

Ye Xiaoxiao figured Lu Hanchuan was itching for a kid.

Folks married young these days—plenty of guys his age in the compound were already dads.

No wonder he was antsy.

But how quick he was to shut it down? Weird.

However, Ye Xiaoxiao soon got sidetracked, and the topic got dropped.

Ye Xiaoxiao didn’t just shop for herself. For most folks in China, the Spring Festival was a major occasion.

She also bought little presents for a few coworkers at the medical office—red scarves or knit caps, inexpensive but festive.

Once she’d picked everything out, her shopping was done.

The army unit was wrapping up too. Their truck was there to haul the rationed goods.

Additionally, Lu Hanchuan had bought some items, all of which would be sent to the canteen as festive perks.

Before returning to the base, Ye Xiaoxiao stopped by the town’s post office and received a package from the Lu family.

Inside were New Year’s clothes.

The capital’s fashion game was way ahead of this place.

Lu Hanchuan remarked, "I’ve been here for two years, and my folks never bothered sending me squat."

Not that he’d given them his address.

But come on, this was his family we’re talking about. Even without him revealing anything, they still managed to send Xiao Xiao here.

Says a lot about where he ranked at home.

Ye Xiaoxiao looked up and retorted, "Hey, there’s stuff for you too."

Lu Hanchuan glanced at them. "Yeah, just one coat for me."

The rest? All Xiao Xiao’s.

Ye Xiaoxiao stashed the items and decided to take a closer look after returning to the base.

She ignored Lu Hanchuan and turned to talk to Li Zhen instead.

Li Zhen hadn’t picked up much, so Ye Xiaoxiao handed over the red scarf she had bought for her.

Even though it was just a plain knitted scarf, for folks here, it was a luxury.

Many raised sheep and cattle and sold plenty of wool every year, but they still couldn’t swing pure wool scarves.

Li Zhen looked at the bright red scarf around her neck, feeling a little embarrassed. “I can’t accept this. I can’t keep taking things from you.”

Ye Xiaoxiao: “I got one for everyone at the clinic. See, Lu Hanchuan has one too.”

Ye Xiaoxiao tossed another red scarf around Lu Hanchuan’s neck.

He wasn’t one for flashy accessories, and the scarf changed his whole look.

Ye Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and nodded in satisfaction.

Lu Hanchuan, who was driving, didn’t budge, letting her have her way.

Li Zhen, however, shot a nervous glance at Lu Hanchuan.

Who knew Regiment Commander Lu was so easygoing—not only driving them personally but also not minding being fussed over like this.

Seeing that everyone had one, Li Zhen finally accepted the gift.

Unbeknownst to Li Zhen, a bigger surprise was in store for her on the way back from the capital.

After returning to the base, Ye Xiaoxiao passed out the gifts.

Then she checked out the Lu family’s care package.

Figuring they were set for food and drinks, this time, only clothes were sent, plus two red envelopes.

The letter said these two red envelopes—

one was for Xiao Xiao, and the other was also for Xiao Xiao.

After reading the letter, Ye Xiaoxiao shot a guilty look at Lu Hanchuan.

Hmm… maybe she should share one with Lu Hanchuan?

Lu Hanchuan, after reading the letter, let out a chuckle. Just looking at Xiao Xiao’s expression, he knew what she was thinking.

“Keep ’em. That’s what the family wants.”

What Lu Hanchuan had said earlier was just a joke.

He was thrilled his family loved Xiao Xiao.

After all, she was his favorite too.

Ye Xiaoxiao pocketed the red envelopes. Just by feeling their thickness, she could tell there was a considerable amount inside.

No chance of losing them in the package.

After tucking away the red envelopes, Ye Xiaoxiao sorted through the clothes that had been mailed.

Indeed, there was only one winter coat for Lu Hanchuan, while the rest of the bulky package was filled with clothes for Ye Xiaoxiao.

Perhaps Yun Chengxiu thought the young girl cared about looking stylish.

Ye Xiaoxiao tried on the outerwear—a perfect fit.

No matter who picked the clothes, they had clearly put thought into it.

Lu Hanchuan’s piece was also nice—a long cotton coat.

Though the design was simple, Lu Hanchuan, standing nearly 1.9 meters tall with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs, was practically a walking mannequin who could pull off anything.

While Ye Xiaoxiao was tidying up, the festive provisions were sent to the cafeteria.

From tomorrow until the fifteenth day of the lunar new year, the base would get special holiday meals.

No matter how the menu was improved, it was definitely better than usual.

In this festive atmosphere, the pop and crackle of fireworks could be heard every night at the base.

Li Zhen didn’t buy much else, but she did stock up on plenty of roman candles.

"You’ve got tastes like a teenage boy," Ye Xiaoxiao couldn’t help teasing.

"Come on!" Li Zhen protested. "It’s just for the New Year’s joy. Gotta bring some life to the clinic."

In previous years, the medical office only had Li Zhen and Yang Juan.

Though Zhao Chunhua was the Head, his family lived nearby, so he always went home to celebrate with them during the holidays.

That left Li Zhen and Yang Juan on duty.

Yang Juan had his nose always in books, and with the age gap, even if Li Zhen wanted to hang out, they never clicked.

Now that Ye Xiaoxiao was here, Li Zhen naturally roped her into the fun.

"Then let’s set off fireworks in an open area—no playing with fire."

As someone who had fire safety drilled into her, Ye Xiaoxiao took it seriously.

Burn down a mountain, do the time.

Fortunately, this area was vast and sparsely populated—hell, you could launch missiles.

Li Zhen knew she’d already scored a win by persuading Ye Xiaoxiao to join her, so she had no further objections.

The next day was New Year’s Eve.

During the day, Ye Xiaoxiao stuck to her usual routine, with one extra addition—hanging the spring couplets.

She had written them herself, and while her brushwork was passable, it wasn’t fit to hold Miao Cuifang and Miao Fengshan’s inkstones.

Yet, even this amateur brushwork drew compliments from Zhao Chunhua.

"Very well written. Not many people can handle a calligraphy brush these days."

Ye Xiaoxiao really wanted to say that in a few decades, when hobby classes became popular again, calligraphy would spark a cultural craze.

So there’s no need to get all nostalgic, old-timer.

In the afternoon, Ye Xiaoxiao felt the joyful atmosphere of the New Year.

The cafeteria even served special holiday dishes for everyone.

There were even fun performances lined up for the evening.

"The base is hosting a show, but nobody told us about it?"

Ye Xiaoxiao figured every department should’ve been included in something like this.

Li Zhen: "Wait, what?"