On the morning of the second day of the Lunar New Year, Qin Tian drove his mother back to their old hometown to pay their respects.
His mother's siblings were much like the Xia family, with two sons and one daughter each. The only difference was that Xia Nuannuan's father was the eldest, while Tang Xiuxia had an elder brother and a younger brother.
His maternal uncle had always stayed in their hometown, managing some farmland and fish ponds. While not wealthy, he was doing better than average in the village.
His maternal uncle was more business-minded and had established a business in Pingjiang. He later bought a car and a house there, married a beautiful wife, and only returned for the Spring Festival each year.
His uncle’s family had two sons. One was studying at a university out of town, and the other had already graduated and started working.
Neither of the two older cousins had returned for the summer promotion celebration, so Qin Tian hadn't met them. He had only received congratulatory calls from them that day.
Additionally, his uncle had a niece about the same age as Xia Xue, who was a high school freshman in Pingjiang.
Years ago, after his uncle had made a small fortune, he funded the reconstruction of his parents' house, a four-story building that was the envy of many villagers.
In front of the building, a large open space had been enclosed, paved with bluestone, making parking very convenient.
As Qin Tian drove into the courtyard, a whole family emerged from the house.
His mother, sitting in the passenger seat, rolled down the window and called out with a smile.
“Dad, Mom, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year!”
His maternal grandmother responded first with a beaming smile.
Under his uncle’s direction, Qin Tian parked the car. He and his mother then got out.
Grandfather, Grandmother, Uncle, Aunt, Uncle, Aunt…
Qin Tian smiled broadly and paid his respects to each of the elders.
The elders responded with smiles, their eyes filled with relief as they looked at him.
“Chen Ge, Heng Ge, long time no see, Happy New Year!”
Qin Tian greeted his two older cousins.
“Happy New Year!”
His elder cousin, Tang Chen, who had entered society and was more composed, nodded with a smile.
“Happy New Year, little brother. You’ve changed so much in a year. If you weren’t still so handsome, I wouldn’t have recognized you.”
Tang Heng stepped forward, patted his shoulder, and teased him with a chuckle.
“You’ve changed a lot too, Brother. You’re even more handsome.”
Qin Tian smiled and returned the compliment.
“Haha… of course.”
Tang Heng laughed heartily.
“Heng Ge, you actually believe what Tian Ge says? You’re so vain.”
His cousin Tang Wen, who was pretty and delicately dressed, teased him with a smile.
Tang Heng glanced at her and said with mock annoyance, “Little sister, you’re getting worse at talking as you get older. You should learn from Qin Tian!”
“Tch… I’m just speaking the truth!”
Tang Wen rolled her eyes and looked at Qin Tian, saying, “It’s true that Tian Ge is getting handsomer, but you should probably forget about it!”
Her remark amused everyone, and the lively chatter filled the air with laughter.
“Let’s go inside, it’s quite cold out here!”
His grandfather said kindly with a smile.
“Yes, yes, inside, inside.”
His grandmother echoed with a smile.
The elderly couple eagerly awaited the annual Spring Festival reunion, and the harmonious scene of their family together now made their hearts bloom with joy.
“You all go in first, I’ll get the things.”
Qin Tian quickly walked to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and began taking out the wine and gifts he had prepared.
His two cousins and his niece rushed over to help.
“Tian Ge, you bought so many things! I heard Auntie opened a clothing store this year, and it’s doing very well, right?”
Tang Wen said with a smile.
“The business is doing alright!”
Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
“Little brother, we also heard you have a girlfriend, and she’s a wealthy beauty?”
Tang Heng asked enviously.
Tang Wen’s eyes lit up, and she looked at Qin Tian like a curious baby.
Qin Tian nodded with a smile.
“Tian Ge, why didn’t you bring your girlfriend back to visit?”
Tang Wen asked eagerly.
“She has to pay her respects to her own family today, so she definitely couldn’t come!”
Qin Tian replied.
“Oh, right.”
Tang Wen suddenly realized and nodded, then continued, “Do you have any photos? Can you show us? We’ve heard Grandpa and Grandma mention her so many times, we’re very curious!”
“Let’s go inside first!”
“Okay, okay… Hurry, hurry.”
…
…
After entering the house, the family sat drinking tea, chatting, and nibbling on the snacks his grandmother had prepared.
Qin Tian also took out his phone, found a picture of himself and Xia Nuannuan, and handed it to his eager cousin.
As expected, two exclamations were heard.
“Wow, Sister-in-law is so beautiful!”
“Little brother, you’re truly blessed. I’m so envious.”
His elder cousin Tang Chen didn’t say anything, but his gaze towards Qin Tian was full of envy.
The three of them had heard the elders talk about her many times. Not only was the girl beautiful, but she also had a good personality and family background. It was also said that her parents approved of their relationship and had even bought Qin Tian the BMW outside for hundreds of thousands of yuan.
Qin Tian smiled somewhat proudly and took a sip of tea from his paper cup.
The elders sitting there smiled as they chatted with each other.
“Sister, in the year since I last saw you, Xiao Tian has really changed a lot.”
His uncle couldn’t help but sigh.
“Indeed, he seems much more mature. I thought he was just a child when I saw him last Spring Festival, and now he’s suddenly become a grown man.”
His aunt chimed in agreement.
“He has changed a lot this year. You wouldn’t believe it, but when he brought back a few exam papers and suddenly said he’d gotten first place in the entire class, I was stunned.”
Tang Xiuxia looked at her son, her face beaming with pride and self-satisfaction.
“The top scorer in the college entrance examination! I never imagined our family would produce such a talented scholar.”
His uncle chuckled and looked at his elder brother, saying, “When Big Brother called me about it, I couldn’t believe it. It’s a shame I was so busy then. If I had been notified a little earlier, I would have definitely made time to come back for the wedding.”
“Have a few more drinks later, it’s the same thing,” his uncle said with a smile.
“That’s right, we’ll definitely have to drink a few more,” his uncle nodded.
“Sister, are Xiao Tian and his little girlfriend completely settled?”
His aunt leaned closer to Tang Xiuxia and asked curiously.
Tang Xiuxia nodded with a smile and replied in a low voice, “I’ve formally met his in-laws, and we’ve discussed it. We’ll have them get married as soon as they graduate from university. We’re all waiting to hold our grandchildren!”
“Oh my gosh, that’s so efficient!”
His aunt covered her mouth in surprise.
“Sigh, compared to that, my eldest son is such a worry. He’s twenty-five this year and doesn’t even have a girlfriend!”
His aunt sighed with a look of helplessness.
“Sister-in-law, these things are about fate, you can’t rush them. Perhaps Xiao Chen already has a girlfriend and just hasn’t told you yet. Maybe he’ll bring her back next year.”
Tang Xiuxia comforted her with a smile.
“Yes, yes, young people working in big cities are like this now. They only bring a girlfriend home if they’re serious about marriage.”
“Sigh, I hope so!”