Xin Wenwen slowly stood up and asked hesitantly, "So, should I really go?"
Dai Jiaozhi nodded and said, "Go and call her. Do you think she's so petty as to hold a grudge against a junior?"
Upon hearing Dai Jiaozhi's words, Xin Hailan's previously beaming smile vanished.
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Author's Note:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 19:31:06 on March 14, 2022 and 22:40:00 on March 15, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who threw the grenade: 55157345 (1 grenade);
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: YUN初见 10 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 55
There was a knock on the study door.
Lin Leyao exchanged a few words with the person outside the door before closing it, then turned to look at Xin Ying.
Xin Ying looked at her and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Lin Leyao slowly said, "They're making tangyuan outside. Xin Wenwen came over and asked if we wanted to go?"
Xin Ying lowered her eyelids.
It's obvious who Xin Wenwen was asking on behalf of.
Xin Ying didn't hesitate and stood up, saying, "Then let's go out and wrap some with them!"
The two of them went downstairs together.
The housekeeper downstairs saw the two of them appear and immediately and diligently arranged seats for them.
Ever since Xin Wenwen was sent to fetch Xin Ying, Xin Hailan's attention has been entirely focused on the entrance connecting the restaurant and the lobby.
When she saw two tall, slender figures appear in her line of sight, her mind suddenly focused, and she instantly sat up straight.
Dai Jiaozhi seemed surprised that Xin Ying came down so quickly. Her eyes flickered as she looked at the two walking side by side.
Dai Jiaozhi took the initiative to say, "Come on in, please sit down. If you don't know how, Aunt Zhang will teach you."
Xin Ying hummed in agreement and sat down on the other side of the rectangular dining table, the side furthest from Dai Jiaozhi and Xin Hailan.
When Xin Hailan saw her appear, she called out, "Auntie."
Xin Ying gave a light "hmm" and said to her, "From now on, you should also call her 'Auntie'."
Xin Ying was referring to Lin Leyao, who was standing next to her. Xin Hailan had been very curious about Lin Leyao from the very beginning.
From the stories her father had told her about family members since she was little, there was no such person among the relatives. So when Lin Leyao came home and greeted her grandmother, she was very puzzled. This puzzle remained unanswered, so much so that when she heard Xin Ying say this, Xin Hailan hadn't reacted yet and blankly called out to Lin Leyao, "Hello, Aunt."
Lin Leyao forced a smile and said, "Hello."
The previously cheerful atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly disappeared. Although the number of people making glutinous rice balls and dumplings had clearly increased, the atmosphere was even more desolate than before.
No one spoke first, and Xin Wenwen sat anxiously scratching her head in the oppressive atmosphere.
She finally couldn't hold back and said, "I'm going to the restroom."
After saying that, Xin Wenwen immediately grabbed her phone from the table and ran into the bathroom.
Xin Wenwen took a few breaths to ease her embarrassment, and quickly took out her phone to make a call.
The person on the other end answered quickly.
As soon as Xin Sinan said "hello," Xin Wenwen couldn't wait to ask, "Fourth Uncle, do you know who's coming to the house today?"
Meanwhile, Xin Si Nan was sitting in a private room at the entertainment club, casually replying, "Who is it?"
"Xin Hailan! Third Uncle's daughter!"
Xin Si Nan, who had been leaning back on the sofa in the private room, immediately sat up straight and asked with wide eyes, "She's back in the country?"
Xin Wenwen: "That's right!"
"And what about your third uncle?"
I didn't see him.
Having finished their conversation, Xin Sinan quickly calmed down and instructed Xin Wenwen, "Don't worry about adult matters. If you can't stay in the old house, go back to where you live."
Xin Wenwen hummed in agreement and asked, "Fourth Uncle, aren't you coming back? Grandma asked me to call you back to make tangyuan!"
Xin Si Nan frowned: "Making tangyuan?"
Xin Wenwen hurriedly nodded in agreement. It was too awkward for her to stand alone between them. She was willing to try and get one of them back if she could.
Xin Sinan wasn't falling for her tricks. She immediately frowned and said, "I don't care if you're making glutinous rice balls or dumplings, I'm not getting involved in this mess! Tell your grandma I won't be going for a month!"
Xin Wenwen couldn't help but say, "But Fourth Uncle, she's going to stay in China for the New Year. You should stay away from home for at least two months to avoid getting involved in this mess."
Xin Si Nan abruptly hung up the phone, preferring to ignore it.
The call was unilaterally ended by Xin Sinan. After lingering in the bathroom for a long time, Xin Wenwen finally walked out slowly.
The glutinous rice balls on the outdoor tables are almost all wrapped up.
Xin Wenwen looked around and found that Xin Ying and Lin Leyao hadn't made tangyuan (sweet rice balls), but instead made dumplings that Dai Jiaozhi had abandoned halfway through.
Lin Leyao was clumsily pinching the edges of the dumpling wrapper, while Xin Ying next to her was wrapping dumplings slowly, but each dumpling was round and plump, and looked very nice.
Xin Ying successfully made dumplings using her dumpling-making skills from twenty years ago when she was a child. Lin Leyao had never made dumplings before, but instead of learning from Aunt Zhang, she was taught by Xin Ying herself.
Lin Leyao held a round dumpling in her left palm. Most of the dumpling skin was pinched closed, leaving a small opening. No matter how Lin Leyao pinched the edge tightly, a small opening would appear on the edge of the dumpling a few seconds later.
Lin Leyao tried several times, but she couldn't close the opening.
Suddenly a slender hand reached out.
Xin Ying, standing next to Lin Leyao, reached out and pinched the dumpling Lin Leyao had made. No one knew what kind of magic she had used, but this time the dumpling didn't crack.
Lin Leyao's eyes lit up immediately.
Xin Ying looked up and saw Lin Leyao blinking her big, bright eyes at her.
Xin Ying couldn't help but laugh and reached out to pinch Lin Leyao's cheek.
Her hands were covered in white flour, which left several finger marks on Lin Leyao's face.
She was clearly a bright and clever beauty, but this made her look a bit silly and cute. Xin Ying chuckled.
Lin Leyao opened her eyes wide in surprise, her gaze revealing confusion and doubt.
Seeing the confusion in Lin Leyao's bright, watery eyes, Xin Ying smiled and pulled out a tissue to wipe her face.
The white powder on his face was smeared onto a white tissue, making it impossible to see anything.
Lin Leyao was still confused, but from Xin Ying's actions, she understood that there was something dirty on her face.
Lin Leyao couldn't help but reach out and touch her face.
Lin Leyao's flour-covered hands successfully made her face even whiter.
Finally, Xin Ying couldn't help but laugh as she took a tissue and carefully wiped the flour off Lin Leyao's face.
The two remained silent, while Xin Hailan watched them quietly from a distance.
Although he had never heard of Lin Leyao from his father, he could infer from his aunt's previous trending topics and their intimate behavior that his aunt's wife was this woman.
A woman with a striking and flamboyant appearance.
Xin Hailan absentmindedly kneaded the dough in her hands, her mind wandering.
She looked around. Her grandmother wasn't enthusiastic about her aunt's wife at all, and her own sister, Xin Wenwen, hadn't spoken to her either. Although the housekeeper was always proactive, he was a servant and should respect his master.
Moreover, although this person is the sister-in-law's wife, the sister-in-law has not publicly acknowledged her identity, and even in the official announcement, she did not reveal who her wife is.
It seems that the family doesn't value this younger sister-in-law at all, keeping her hidden like this.
After thinking it over, Xin Hailan threw the messy dough in her hand into the trash can under the table and started wrapping glutinous rice balls again.
Finally, there was a little dough and minced meat left.
Aunt Zhang took out a pile of coins that had been soaked in vinegar from the room.
Lin Leyao isn't good at making dumplings, but she's incredibly fast at making glutinous rice balls.
Xin Ying took a handful of coins, Lin Leyao wrapped one in her bag, and she stuffed one into her hand.
Later, seeing that there wasn't enough left to make many glutinous rice balls, Lin Leyao would make one, and Xin Ying would stuff in two, three, and four.
Xin Ying's actions amused even herself, and Lin Leyao couldn't help but cover her mouth with her arm and giggle softly.
Originally, it was thought that Xin Hailan's arrival would plunge Xin Ying into despair, but surprisingly, the two of them were cheerful throughout the entire evening.
It was hard for the two of them to go unnoticed as they laughed and joked around; other people's eyes kept glancing at the young couple.
Dai Jiaozhi glanced at them twice before looking away. She was somewhat surprised that Xin Ying and a girl from a marriage arranged by arrangement could get along so well. Xin Wenwen, who was closest to them, felt a pang of jealousy as she listened to their giggles. Xin Hailan occasionally glanced at the two of them. She could tell that her aunt and her wife had a good relationship, but since the aunt wasn't even willing to give her a public title, it was clear that the relationship was only temporary.
After wrapping the last few, Dai Jiaozhi asked, "What time is it, Aunt Zhang?"
"Madam, it will be midnight in a little over ten minutes."
"Take the glutinous rice balls and dumplings inside and cook them. Old Song, call the master out to eat the glutinous rice balls."
Aunt Zhang and the housekeeper responded and immediately got to work.
Upon hearing Dai Jiaozhi's words, Xin Hailan's gaze, which had been fixed on Xin Ying and Lin Leyao, instantly shifted away.
She had been back at the Xin residence for several hours, and she still hadn't seen her grandfather.
The housekeeper and grandma both said that grandpa was resting in his room, but Xin Hailan wasn't sure if he didn't want to accept her return and therefore didn't want to come out to see her.
Now that she heard that her grandfather was going out to eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls), she was quite excited.
While Aunt Zhang was cooking the glutinous rice balls, Lin Leyao and Xin Ying returned to their bedroom.
Both of their hands had touched the minced meat, and their hands smelled fishy.
The two carefully washed their hands with hand sanitizer.