Chapter 60 New Year

Chapter 60: New Year

With Xie Xinyi's mother and Xie Xinhuan joining in, the Gu family's Chinese New Year celebration was exceptionally lively.

After being here for several years, Xie Xinyi had grown accustomed to the atmosphere where firecrackers started going off early in the morning and people started visiting before noon.

She lay lazily in bed, listening to the sporadic sounds of firecrackers outside the window.

A "pop" would sound, then after a while, another "pop."

Unlike the electronic firecrackers of later generations that would crackle incessantly before falling silent, most firecrackers in this era were set off one by one.

The nice thing about these firecrackers lay in their unpredictability—you never knew when one would end and when the next would begin.

Xie Xinyi's favorite part was being able to sleep in, just lying in bed counting the firecrackers.

Only after counting eighty-eight pops did she lazily get out of bed, wash up, and get ready for lunch.

Since Xie Xinyi's mother arrived to help improve her diet, her pregnancy reactions gradually shifted from morning sickness to sleepiness.

She was like a sleepy little pig.

This was the latest conclusion her younger sister had drawn about her.

She woke up naturally every morning, was cared for by specialized help, and didn't even have to come downstairs to eat—meals were brought to her bedside by the farmhand.

No one in the Gu family said anything about it, especially Gu Yu, who was in charge of delivering supplies. By day, he took meticulous care of her, and by night, he had to take care of his own needs.

After a week, Xie Xinyi successfully gained back her pre-pregnancy weight, while Gu Yu looked noticeably worn out. In fact, he suddenly began vomiting on the day Xie Xinyi could eat and drink normally again.

Gu Yu sat on the sofa, looking at the oil-braised shrimp Gu Ying had brought him with disgust.

"Ugh... get... get that away..."

Just like Xie Xinyi's morning sickness, the man would turn pale at the mere smell of cooking oil, vomiting as if he'd vomit up his guts. Afterward, he would return to normal, as if he hadn't been vomiting at all. Xie Xinyi's mother, worried, pulled Xie Xinyi aside and asked, "Did you wear Gu Yu's slippers on your wedding night?"

What did wearing Gu Yu's slippers have to do with his vomiting?

She was puzzled and couldn't remember whether she had worn his slippers.

That was two years ago, and besides, she had been too nervous that night, and it was completely dark—how could she possibly remember whose slippers she had worn?

Xie Xinyi picked up a shrimp the man had peeled for her while covering his nose and mouth, popped it in her mouth, and said, "Maybe he caught a cold?"

He was so fidgety every night holding her—no wonder he caught a cold.

She gave him a sympathetic look but never gave Xie Xinyi's mother a straight answer.

After the meal, Xie Xinyi's mother and Wen Shuhua busied themselves in the kitchen preparing the New Year's Eve dinner.

Once the smell of cooking oil faded, Gu Yu returned to normal, as if nothing had happened. He took the paste Grandma Gu had prepared and went to the door to put up the Spring Festival couplets.

The couplets were handwritten by Grandma Gu. Gu Yu cleaned the areas where they were to be pasted and was about to put them up when Zhang Xin showed up, drawn by the commotion.

"When will you be done?" he asked Gu Yu, who was standing on a ladder. "I need to talk to you about something."

Zhang Xin was usually laid-back, so his sudden formality made Gu Yu think he had something important to discuss. "Almost done," he replied honestly, working faster.

"No rush, take your time."

Zhang Xin leaned against the ladder, neither hurrying him nor moving. He made conversation with Gu Yu, chatting about everything from what his family would eat that night to whether Gu Ying would visit her aunt's house for New Year's.

Gu Yu glanced at him several times from the ladder. Seeing how relaxed Zhang Xin seemed, he couldn't help but ask, "What did you want to talk to me about?"

Xie Xinyi had been standing in the doorway watching the two for a while, munching on sunflower seeds.

By the time Gu Yu asked, the couplets were already up, but Zhang Xin's attention was entirely on Gu Ying, who was helping in the vegetable garden. He didn't notice the annoyed expression on Gu Yu's face.

Seeing no response, Gu Yu came down the ladder and walked up to Zhang Xin. "You can go back now," he said, clearing his throat near his ear.

"Oh," Zhang Xin replied automatically. Then, realizing what Gu Yu had said, he quickly followed him into the house. "Wait, I really need to talk to you."

This time, Gu Yu didn't even ask what it was about. He simply stopped and turned to look at Zhang Xin.

"Um, well..." Zhang Xin scratched his head sheepishly.

Xie Xinyi thought he was about to say something important, but instead, he pointed to the paste in Gu Yu's hand. "I don't know how to make paste," he said earnestly. "Can I use what's left of yours?"

Xie Xinyi: "!!!!"

Gu Yu: "..."

Who said Zhang Xin was a normal person?

The man gave this "normal person" a look in frustration before thrusting the remaining paste into Zhang Xin's hands.

Zhang Xin, pleased with his gain: "Thank you!"

He smiled gratefully at Gu Yu, who was seething with frustration behind his back. The two were clearly not on the same page, and Xie Xinyi couldn't help but laugh so hard she doubled over.

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But Gu Yu ignored her and went straight to the kitchen to help.

With the bright red couplets pasted and the elaborate New Year's Eve feast spread out, the festive atmosphere grew even stronger.

Since Nanny Wang had to return to her younger daughter's home for the New Year's reunion, the responsibility for this year's New Year's Eve dinner fell completely to Wen Shuhua and Xie Xinyi's mother, with Xie Xinhuan assisting.

By 5 p.m., everything was ready, and the New Year's Eve dinner began.

The table was filled with dishes: Grandma Gu's favorite chicken stew with mushrooms, Gu Ying's favorite sour meatball soup, Xie Xinyi's favorite oil-braised shrimp, and the traditional braised carp for every New Year's Eve dinner...

Before even starting to eat, Xie Xinyi could already smell the wonderful smells. After Grandma Gu finished her words of blessing, everyone began to eat—except for Gu Yu, who was still vomiting badly.

New Year's Eve dinner, a reunion meal.

The Gu and Xie families sat together, enjoying the rare leisurely time.

Even Gu Haoting, for once, let down his stern demeanor and calmly discussed Gu Ying's work with her.

Father and daughter rarely had such conversations. Whether it was because they were treading carefully or because it was inappropriate to get angry during the New Year, the atmosphere seemed harmonious enough.

Wen Shuhua, worried that Xie Xinyi's mother might feel out of place, kept busy either serving her food or assuring her to make herself at home.

Xie Xinhuan, unlike her first visit to the Gu family, was much more relaxed. From the start of the dinner to the later dumpling course, she stayed close to Grandma Gu, chatting and laughing happily—the old and the young were clearly enjoying each other's company.

Xie Xinyi, who was pregnant, was also delighted because she found a coin in one of the dumplings she ate.

"It seems Xie Xinyi will have all her wishes come true this year," Wen Shuhua said, picking another plump dumpling and placing it in Xie Xinyi's bowl. "Eat more while you're not feeling nauseous."

Xie Xinyi took a bite and found another coin.

She looked at Wen Shuhua with delighted surprise and spent the rest of the evening immersed in the joy of repeatedly finding coins in her dumplings.

As they leisurely enjoyed the New Year’s Eve dinner, midnight approached. Gu Yu, who had been feeling nauseous all evening, took the firecrackers he had prepared earlier and went to the yard to set them off.

A string of six hundred firecrackers was set off, symbolizing smoothness and good fortune in the new year.

Though the 'Four Olds' were being eliminated, many families still preserved these traditions.

Just as their family finished setting off the firecrackers, the sound of firecrackers came from the Zhang family next door.

This year, Uncle Zhang and Aunt Luo were not home, but Zhang Xin and his sister still celebrated the New Year lively. When Gu Ying had taken her to visit their neighbors earlier, she saw not only the house decked out in red decorations but also a table full of eight dishes prepared by Zhang Juan for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Now, Zhang Xin had set off two hundred more firecrackers than Gu Yu, making a total of eight hundred.

Gu Yu stood in the yard listening for a while, then gritted his teeth and muttered, "That's so childish." Xie Xinyi, standing by the door, covered her mouth, laughing so hard she could barely straighten up.

Zhang Xin and Gu Yu had grown up together. They were thick as thieves but could also not speak to each other for days over something as trivial as setting off two hundred more firecrackers.

When it was time to sleep, Gu Yu laid out the new quilt Wen Shuhua had made, still stewing over Zhang Xin setting off two hundred more firecrackers than him. "I should’ve set off a thousand firecrackers earlier," he grumbled.

He snorted coldly, still unable to let it go. Xie Xinyi just smiled without teasing him. She placed the lucky money that her mother had given Gu Yu under his pillow and then got into bed.

"You can keep sulking. I’m going to sleep first."

She yawned and was about to undress and sleep when the man came up behind her. "Are you going to sleep already?"

His arm gently wrapped around her waist, and his slightly husky voice whispered by her neck, carrying an intimate tone. Xie Xinyi instantly got goosebumps. "Stop it, our baby is watching."

After so many nights together, she knew exactly what he meant.

She loosened his hand and turned to face him. Seeing him persistently nuzzling her ear, she used the doctor’s words to stop him. "Have you forgotten what the doctor said?"

"I haven’t," Gu Yu murmured, pressing a kiss by her ear.

It was still the early stages of pregnancy, the most critical period. No matter how much he wanted to, he couldn’t act on his desires at this time.

Gu Yu understood what was at stake, but whenever he was near Xie Xinyi, his pride in rationality and self-control wavered. Often, just the sight of her would draw him in, making him want to hold her close and hold her tightly in his arms.

Like now, he had no other intentions—he just wanted to hold her, breathe in her unique scent, and feel as if nothing else in the world mattered except the two of them.

Under the dim light, Gu Yu held her like this, without any urgency or seductive gestures. He simply lowered his head until their noses touched, then held her close, gently swaying.

When the clock struck midnight, Xie Xinyi heard him say solemnly in her ear:

"Xie Xinyi, Happy New Year."