Chapter 253 - 250: Peaceful Night, Family Reunion
Chapter 253: Chapter 250: Peaceful Night, Family Reunion
Ye Ling went into the room and told Ning Ruoxi about his plan to leave Pingjiang a bit later.
"Around what date?" Ning Ruoxi asked.
"Around the fifteenth, I expect."
Ye Ling calculated the time in his head and replied.
"Okay, I’ll let my parents know," Ning Ruoxi nodded.
Obviously, she had already discussed it with her father, Ning Tianliang, but she wasn’t angry about Ye Ling’s sudden delay.
In her eyes, it wasn’t important. What difference did it make when she brought Ye Ling home?
She wasn’t the kind of girl who liked to cause a scene for no reason. On the contrary, she was very understanding!
Ye Ling, of course, really appreciated this about her.
Her sweet and compliant nature was truly captivating.
"Sorry about this."
Ye Ling said apologetically, putting his arm around Ning Ruoxi.
Pfft.
Ning Ruoxi’s face bloomed into a smile as she asked, "Why are you being so polite all of a sudden? It’s just a few days’ delay, it’s no big deal!"
"I’m just afraid of upsetting my little sugar mama, who might then press me to repay my debts."
Ye Ling teased her with a smile.
"Hmph!"
Ning Ruoxi huffed adorably. She knew Ye Ling was teasing her and added, "Well, in that case, you’d better do a good job of buttering me up!"
"Yes, my little princess."
Ye Ling planted a loud kiss on Ning Ruoxi’s cheek.
...
「That night.」
Everyone sat around the table, happily enjoying the reunion dinner.
Tomorrow was the Spring Festival, which meant today was New Year’s Eve, and the dinner on New Year’s Eve is called the reunion dinner!
"Dad, Ruoruo and I will probably have to stay in Pingjiang for a few more days. We have something to take care of."
Ye Ling said.
"Sure, you can stay as long as you want."
Ye Feng agreed without hesitation.
To be honest, he wished Ye Ling would stay for even longer!
Although he acted like he was annoyed with Ye Ling every day, this was his son, after all. He hadn’t seen him in so long since he went to college, so he undoubtedly hoped Ye Ling would spend more time with him.
However, he would never say something like that out loud. It was just a thought he kept to himself.
A parent’s love for their child should be about protecting their growth from behind the scenes, watching them go out into the world, not about keeping them tethered to their side.
Otherwise, what’s the difference between a child and a pet?
Ye Feng did very well in this regard. No matter what Ye Ling wanted to do, as long as it was the right thing and not a major misstep, he would support him!
"Since you’ll be in Pingjiang for a few more days, why don’t we go to the temple fair the day after tomorrow?"
Ye Feng said, having thought of something.
Temple fairs are ancient, traditional folk-culture events. Pingjiang had them too, usually held during the New Year period. You could stroll around, or go to burn incense and pray for blessings in the new year.
"Ooh, yes! I’ve never been to a temple fair before!"
Hearing this, Ning Ruoxi’s eyes lit up, and she immediately chimed in.
"Let’s go to the temple fair, then."
Ye Ling thought about it. Even though he had grown up in Pingjiang, he had honestly never been to a temple fair.
As for the reason...
If he had to dig deep, it all came down to one word: lazy.
"Hurry up and eat. After we finish, we’ll go set off some firecrackers and fireworks."
Ye Feng said with a chuckle.
"Fireworks?"
Ning Ruoxi was taken aback.
"We’re allowed to set off fireworks here since we’re in a small country town," Ye Ling explained.
"Oh, goodie!"
Ning Ruoxi nodded eagerly.
To protect the environment, Xia Country had been gradually implementing policies banning fireworks in recent years, so Ning Ruoxi hadn’t set any off in a very long time.
Although she knew it was for a good cause, she still felt it was a bit of a shame. After all, setting off fireworks was a must during the New Year when she was a child!
As they ate, the sporadic sound of firecrackers could already be heard outside.
Listening to the firecrackers outside and eating the delicious reunion dinner, Ye Ling and the others felt an immense warmth.
This was the feeling of home!
Many foreigners could never experience this, because not every country was like Xia Country, with such a strong culture of family.
Take a certain White-headed Eagle Country, for example. According to their culture, family isn’t particularly important. They place more emphasis on independence and on children leaving the nest!
While this is certainly beneficial for a child’s development, it also leads to a problem: the White-headed Eagle Country has a large number of empty-nesters.
A short video once went viral online about an elderly man from the White-headed Eagle Country who called his biological son the day before New Year’s, hoping he would come home to be with him.
But the son refused, saying he was on vacation with his girlfriend.
If something like this happened in Xia Country, he would be absolutely raked over the coals, but in the White-headed Eagle Country, this is actually a common phenomenon.
The old man understood, so he didn’t say much more, simply sitting alone in front of a full table of food. But then, the old man’s adopted son came back and spent the New Year with him!
The old man finally couldn’t help but ask his adopted son why he had come back to be with him. The son replied very naturally, "Isn’t the New Year a time for family reunions?"
That’s right. The adopted son was from Xia Country!
This is the warmth of family culture. At the very least, when you get old, you can still have someone by your side...
...
「After dinner.」
Ye Feng led Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi downstairs. By now, fireworks were blooming intermittently in the distant sky, creating a dazzling spectacle.
"It’s so beautiful,"
Ning Ruoxi couldn’t help but sigh in admiration.
"Let’s set off our own fireworks."
Ye Ling said with a smile, taking the lighter from Ye Feng’s hand.
WHOOSH!
WHOOSH!
Stream after stream of fireworks shot into the sky, bursting with a bang and blooming into beautiful, multi-colored patterns.
Ye Feng stood in front, while Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi stood behind him.
The light from the fireworks cast a red glow on all three of their faces.
"From now on, we’ll spend many, many more holidays together, okay?"
Ye Ling whispered, holding Ning Ruoxi close.
"Okay!"
Ning Ruoxi nodded emphatically and turned to look at Ye Ling.
In the brilliant glow of the fireworks, the young man’s face looked exceptionally handsome.
Ye Ling looked back at Ning Ruoxi, and he couldn’t help but lower his head and press his lips against hers.
Caught by surprise, Ning Ruoxi’s pretty face instantly flushed a faint red. For a moment, she actually forgot that Ye Feng was still in front of them and wrapped her arms around Ye Ling’s neck, kissing him back.
Fortunately, Ye Feng was still watching the fireworks and didn’t notice the couple’s little movements behind him.
"Mmph..."
Ning Ruoxi suddenly found herself out of breath. She pushed Ye Ling away, her watery eyes glaring at him. "You’re always bullying me!"
"Weren’t you just kissing me back?"
Ye Ling whispered, his lips close to Ning Ruoxi’s ear.
His warm breath accompanying his voice made Ning Ruoxi shiver, and her whole body went limp in his arms.
"You’re just bad, anyway..."
Ning Ruoxi lowered her head, her face full of shyness.
"Alright, I’m bad."
Ye Ling chuckled lightly, kissed Ning Ruoxi’s forehead, and pointed to the sky. "Quick, look at the fireworks!"
"Mhm!"
Ning Ruoxi nodded and looked up at the sky as well.
Meanwhile, a faint smile appeared on the lips of Ye Feng, who stood in front of Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi.
’The fireworks were loud, and I really was watching them, but did those two behind me really think they were being quiet?’
He was just deliberately pretending not to have seen anything.
Ye Feng wasn’t a stuffy old man who liked to meddle in everything. The younger generation’s affairs were best left for them to handle.
Besides, he was more than happy that Ye Ling had managed to bring home such a beautiful daughter-in-law!
For a man in his forties, what was happiness?
It was undoubtedly seeing one’s children succeed in life and family!
And wasn’t this situation exactly that?
...
「After the fireworks were finished.」
Ye Feng suddenly pulled Ye Ling aside.
"Ruoruo, why don’t you head upstairs first? I have something to say to this kid."
Ye Feng said with a smile.
"Mhm!"
Ning Ruoxi nodded obediently. Without asking any questions, she went straight upstairs.
"That girlfriend of yours really is well-behaved."
Seeing how compliant Ning Ruoxi was, Ye Feng couldn’t help but chuckle and comment.
"Of course she is. Just look whose son I am, right?"
Ye Ling didn’t bother with false modesty, replying with a sly grin.