Qin Shuren held his wine glass, his words filled with emotion, his eyes moist, looking at his son before him.
"Dad didn't go to school much, so I can't think of any flowery words to express my gratitude and pride!"
"But what I want to say is, Xiao Chuan, you are truly your father's pride! The pride of our entire family!"
As Qin Shuren spoke, tears actually streamed down his cheeks. Jiang Cuihua, sitting beside him, also cried, as did Li Ya and Wu Yanyan.
Women are emotional, and even though Li Ya hadn't personally experienced the Qin family's disaster, hearing Qin Shuren speak such simple yet heartfelt words moved her deeply!
Eldest brother Qin Yang and second brother Qin Gang, these burly men, also felt a sting in their noses at that moment, forcing themselves to control their emotions.
Jiang Cuihua wiped the tears from her face and also raised her wine glass.
"Son, your dad is right, we really must toast you with this wine!"
"Because without you, our old Qin family wouldn't have the good life we have today!"
"Without you, your dad might even be lying in a hospital bed, suffering from illness every day!"
"Without you, Mom and your eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, second brother, and the others absolutely wouldn't be living the life we have now!"
"No matter what our relationship is, we must toast you with this wine!"
"You are the pride of our entire family!"
Qin Chuan didn't know how long it had been since he had shed tears, but now, he tasted tears again.
Salty, but upon tasting carefully, it held a sweetness.
This feeling was simply too wonderful, proving that his rebirth this time was not in vain. At the very least, it had reunited his family completely, filling the biggest regret of his previous life.
"Dad, Mom, your son is also proud to have parents like you!"
Qin Chuan raised his wine glass, grinning broadly.
He had actually been waiting for this day for a long time...
"Xiao Chuan!"
"Third Brother!"
Different calls sounded at the same moment. Qin Yang and Qin Gang also stood up from their stools, raising their wine glasses.
"We must toast you with this wine too!"
Qin Chuan's gaze swept over his eldest and second brothers, smiling and nodding firmly.
"Alright, then our family will have a collective toast!"
Witnessed by Li Ya and Wu Yanyan, the wine glasses of the four members of the Qin family clinked together, a clear sound in their ears, and then everyone tilted their heads and drank it all down.
"Good!!!"
Li Ya and Wu Yanyan applauded enthusiastically together. Seeing the Qin family of five showing such mutual affection and respect warmed their hearts.
Wu Yanyan felt she had married the right man and found good in-laws, while Li Ya felt even more strongly that her judgment was correct.
This family, not only Qin Chuan but everyone else was excellent. It was the kind of family she yearned for.
"Xiao Ya, it's your first time spending the New Year at our house, and you have to witness this scene. I'm so sorry!"
After drinking, the emotions of the Qin family gradually calmed down, and Jiang Cuihua said apologetically to Li Ya.
"Auntie, please don't say that!"
Li Ya quickly replied, "Being able to witness your family helping each other, loving each other, and respecting each other is a wonderful thing."
"This New Year's celebration is truly memorable!"
As Li Ya finished speaking, everyone smiled along with her.
"Come, come, everyone, don't just chat, eat! Eat! The food will get cold soon!"
Qin Shuren enthusiastically urged.
"Come, everyone pick up your chopsticks!"
"Happy New Year!!"
"Happy New Year!!!"
Amidst the lively atmosphere, the New Year's Eve dinner officially began.
During the meal, everyone chatted and laughed merrily. Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua said that they, as an elderly couple, were already very satisfied with their current life.
Their biggest wish for the coming year was to maintain their current business well and for Qin Gang to quickly find a girlfriend.
In their words, if the third son had already found a girlfriend, how could their second son, as an older brother, still be single!
For this, Qin Er Ge could only sit there silently and take the scolding, his face as dark as coal, making everyone burst into laughter.
On New Year's Eve, both in the North and by the men, it was customary to stay up late, also known as "ao nian" (staying up for the year).
This meant that whether adults or children, no one would go to bed early that night. If they could stay up past midnight before sleeping, it would bring good fortune for the coming year.
As they chatted and laughed, the footsteps of 1999 grew ever closer.
During this time, Qin Chuan and Li Ya received many messages and phone calls wishing them well. Qin Chuan took the opportunity to go to the restroom and had a long phone call with Teacher Yang, wishing her a Happy New Year.
"Let's go, let's set off firecrackers!"
Seeing that it was only one or two minutes until midnight, and they would soon enter 1999, Qin Er Ge quickly slipped away and went to the corner of the wall.
There were several boxes there, filled with the firecrackers and fireworks he had specially bought.
"Sister, let's go, let's set off firecrackers together!"
Qin Chuan grabbed Li Ya's small hand. This was the first New Year he had experienced since his rebirth, and it held great significance.
"Eldest Brother, Eldest Sister-in-law, Uncle, Auntie, you all come too!"
Li Ya invited them.
"Okay, then let's go together!"
Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua also put on their padded jackets and walked out of the courtyard together.
At this moment, the countdown of stars came from the television.
"Five!"
"Four!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
"Happy New Year!!!"
In the courtyard of the old Qin family, the sound of firecrackers was deafening. Ribbons of fireworks shot into the sky, blooming beautiful light in the dark night, attracting the attention of the entire village.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!!"
Li Ya looked up at the sky, exclaiming happily.
"Hello, 1999!!"
Qin Chuan cupped his hands around his mouth, forming a megaphone, and shouted loudly.
"Hello, 1999!!"
Others also shouted along.
"1999, Happy New Year!!"
"1999, Happy New Year!!"
This was Qin Chuan's first New Year after his rebirth. In this year, he had made up for the biggest regret of his previous life, reuniting his family and preventing a tragedy.
Also in this year, his career began to take off, laying the foundation for his future business empire.
Still in this same year, Qin Chuan met two confidantes who would be entangled with him in a lifelong relationship.
On this night, the entire Qin family, in a joyous mood, had a wonderful evening.
The next day, as Qin Chuan was still sleeping, holding the soft, smooth body in his arms, his mother Jiang Cuihua's voice came from outside the courtyard.
"Xiao Chuan! Xiao Chuan!"
"Time to get up for breakfast!!"
The voice of his elderly mother startled the young couple who were embracing each other in bed, sleeping soundly.
Qin Chuan and Li Ya opened their eyes one after another. Li Ya glanced at the time on her phone and exclaimed, quickly sitting up.
"How is it already eight o'clock!"
After saying that, she hurriedly put on her clothes, her delicate face flushed red.
Last night, when she went to bed, she had planned to wake up early today to help with cooking and boiling water, as it was her first time spending New Year at the Qin family's house, and she had to make a good impression.
Who knew that when they went to bed last night, a certain scoundrel kept touching her, and then dry wood ignited a fierce fire, and in the end, they didn't know what time it was before they fell into a deep sleep.
As Li Ya hurriedly dressed, she noticed Qin Chuan smirking beside her, and her anger flared up.
"It's all your fault! You're still smiling! How embarrassing!"
Li Ya pinched Qin Chuan hard, causing him to wince in pain.
"Hurry up and get up. I think there will be many visitors to your house today..."
Reminded by Li Ya, Qin Chuan frowned slightly, then reluctantly got out of bed and dressed.
For breakfast, in the North, it was almost exclusively dumplings, with all sorts of fillings.
Dumplings had become a staple for festivals, an indispensable dish in every household.
Their shape somewhat resembled ingots, symbolizing abundant wealth.
The filling of dumplings was enclosed within, pressed together, representing reunion.
At the same time, it embodied blessings. In the past, when people were poor, they could only eat dumplings during the New Year. Therefore, every time people ate dumplings, they carried a prayer.
The Qin family sat around the dining table in reunion, eating dumplings on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which was also the first meal of 1999.
During the meal, Qin's father and mother took out the red envelopes they had prepared earlier and distributed them to everyone.
To ensure fairness, everyone received five hundred yuan!
Not too much, not too little.
Li Ya accepted it with a sweet smile, then handed her own prepared red envelope to Tao Tao.
"Thank Auntie quickly!"
Eldest sister-in-law Wu Yanyan told her son to say thank you.
"Thank you, Auntie!"
Tao Tao's tender voice made Li Ya extremely happy!
Qin Chuan also smiled and handed his nephew a large red envelope, as did Qin Er Ge.
The old Qin family now had only this one precious grandchild, and everyone was very close.
Just as Li Ya had guessed, before the Qin family could finish their breakfast, people indeed started visiting.
At first, it was just a few women, and then the visitors gradually increased. Many women were accompanied by pretty young girls, who appeared shy and smiled bashfully.
Qin Chuan completely ignored them, continuing to eat. His second brother and eldest brother did the same, the three brothers having the same idea.
However, as the hosts, Qin Shuren and Jiang Cuihua could not do that. The elderly couple had to put down their chopsticks, with their unfinished meals, and start greeting these enthusiastic villagers.