Although the war is uneven, the New Year is always to be celebrated, especially this year, the second young master, who has been away from home for a long time, is about to bring his future wife home for a reunion, and the Zhou family has been busy preparing for two weeks.

The ancient and magnificent courtyard of the Zhou family is decorated with lights, even the flower pots, branches, and flower branches are also glued with red blessing characters, and the corners that accumulate dust on weekdays are also cleaned spotlessly, especially in the Yongmei Garden. There are bright red lanterns hanging in front of and behind them.

The second elder of the Zhou family kept sending people to inquire at the gate, and even went to the street to wait.

"Oh, why haven't you come yet!" Master Zhou took out his pocket watch and looked at it again, and the sky was gradually darkening.

The wife was also restless and restless, and Ryan was silent on the side.

Mei Ruojun has been busy in the kitchen since early in the morning, in fact, she has been uncomfortable for the past few days, and often feels dizzy, but Mrs. Zhou specially instructed Ruojun to be in charge of the kitchen herself, and Mei Ruojun had to hold on to it in the kitchen.

"Grandma, I see that your face is not good, why don't you go and rest first, we are here." Zhao's mother said.

Mei Ruojun shook her head and said with a smile: "It's okay, I'm fine." While speaking, a plate of crystal meat was cut, and the pieces were placed as a peacock to open the screen, and a peacock head carved with carrots was placed in the center of the meat, and then around the plate, with salted green olives, cucumber shreds to decorate, Zhao's mother looked at it on the side and was amazed: "Grandma, you are really ingenious, we can't think of such a attention, look, it's just a plate of meat, you swing at will, it has become a peacock to open the screen, oops, it's really admirable." ”

Ruojun smiled slightly: "You guys take it out, it's almost time." I'm going to get the scented duck. ”

Before her words fell, there was a joyful shout from the courtyard: "The second young master is back, the second young master is back!" ”

The people in the kitchen rushed out curiously, only Ruojun was holding a spatula, staring at the big iron pot and the bare duck in a daze. The sound of firecrackers sounded in his ears, just as lively as when he welcomed her in the door last year.

Mother Zhao sighed and patted her arm, Ruojun barely came to her senses, Mother Zhao looked at pity, shook her head and said, "Don't be sad, it's all fate, it's all fate." ”

The little girls outside ran in the garden and shouted: "Oh, the future second young grandmother is so beautiful and magnificent." ”

"Yes, they're here to make cars, it's really magnificent, I've never seen a car up close."

"Also, her clothes are so beautiful, do you see her hat? I've only seen it in pictorials. ”

"Ah, it seems that the future second young grandmother has an extraordinary family background!"

Ruojun didn't know what the expression on her face was, she only knew that her heart was sore and painful, she was happy for him, but she didn't want to face him, it was too difficult, it was too difficult, she would mess everything, she couldn't attend the dinner, she had to avoid him, but, tonight was the New Year's dinner, how could she avoid it?

"Grandma, the oil is rolling!" Zhao's mother said.

"Ahh Good! Ruojun refocused on the stove in despair, pushing the ginger and garlic into the hot oil, and her heart was churning and tormenting in the hot oil like those ginger and garlic.

There were bursts of joyful laughter in the hall, and you didn't need to look to know how happy the second elder of the Zhou family was, if you didn't have the heart to share their joy, she would rather be a cook in the kitchen and cook exquisite food for them.

"Oh, why did you arrive so late, it's really something that makes my mother's heart jump out." Mrs. Zhou took her son's hand, touched her son's face with tears in her eyes and said, "You have lost weight, Ruikang." ”

"Auntie, don't be surprised, in fact, we only returned to Beiping from Shanghai in the afternoon, and then my father had to go south again and say goodbye, so it was late." Xu Manlin said with a smile.

Master Zhou and Mrs. Zhou knew from the posture of the two of them as soon as they entered the door that Xu Manlin must have been from an extraordinary background, and saw that she was beautiful, exquisite, fashionable, generous, and generous, and she had already liked 110,000 people in their hearts.

Xu Manlin and everyone saw the ceremony, and then distributed the big bags and small bags of gifts to everyone, the important people in the family, such as Zhao's mother, will also have a special gift, and the other people are heavy red envelopes, in short, money, this cold, lifeless thing, at this time it is omnipotent, omnipotent, omnipotent.

Mrs. Zhou is a Guanyin necklace of the old pit glass species, Mr. Zhou has an English Dunhill pipe and a box of top-quality tobacco, and what he gave to Ryan is the finest inkstone, Hui ink. When she took out a small box like a trick, she looked around and asked with a smile, "What about my sister-in-law?" ”

This question caused the laughter in the hall to stop suddenly, and after a few seconds of silence, Mrs. Zhou smiled and said, "Oh, she's busy in the kitchen, and you'll see you when we're going to eat." ”

"Yo, sister-in-law is really skillful, I can only eat, not cook." Xu Manlin said with a smile, and everyone also laughed, only Ruikang sat there dull and silent.

Mrs. Zhou hurriedly smiled and said, "Ahem, you and Ruikang are both college students, and this kind of rough work is not what you should do." Come, sit down at the table, and I'll take a look at the kitchen. ”

Mrs. Zhou walked to the kitchen with a gust of wind and gave an order: "Let me go out." Close the door, I have something to say to my grandmother. Everyone retreated.

"Mother!" Mei Ruojun saw Mrs. Zhou's stern face, and couldn't help but shake her whole body, "Hurry up...... Come on, you guys eat first. ”

Mrs. Zhou looked her up and down, pale, haggard, thin, with a shiny face, a few strands of hair hanging from her temples, an apron, and sleeves. Mei Ruojun was uncomfortable with her looking, and pulled down her sleeves astringently.

"Do you want Ruikang to see you, and then feel sorry for you and pity you?" Mrs. Zhou said sternly.

"No, it's not, look in the kitchen, I'm ...... I'm just trying to .......," Mei Ruojun glanced at the messy kitchen.

"Hmph, I know your thoughts very well, let me tell you, tonight is the first time Ruikang has brought the woman he likes home, if you dare to have the slightest inappropriate words and deeds, and ruin his good deeds, I will not let you go."

Ruojun bowed her head and said silently, Mrs. Zhou said again: "When you are done, go change your clothes, dress up, and attend as soon as possible, don't make the girl embarrassed and suspicious?" ”

"Mother, there are a lot of things in the kitchen, can I not attend?" She asked in a low voice, so weak that she could barely hear herself.

"Can't! You are Ruikang's sister-in-law, how can the reunion dinner be without you? ”

"Mother, just say I'm sick. I...... I'm not going to eat...... I don't want to cause any trouble. ”

"No way!" Mrs. Zhou said categorically, a vicious smile rose at the corner of her mouth and said: "I tell you, I just want you to watch Ruikang talk about marriage with others and have children, you think you can play with my two sons between applause, hehe, Ruikang is smart by nature, sooner or later he will see through your tricks and see clearly what kind of cheap woman you are." You don't deserve him at all, and you never get him. ”

Mrs. Zhou turned around and left, Mei Ruojun only felt that the world was spinning, and she held the stove with one hand, but accidentally touched the boiling kettle, she didn't even cry out for pain, because she didn't feel pain at all, and her distress had already overshadowed all the pain.

"Yo, grandmother, you're burned, come on, smear some soy sauce." Mother Zhao walked in, poured some soy sauce from the soy sauce bottle and smeared it on her a few times, and said, "Mrs. asked me to take over the affairs here, you can go change your clothes and eat." ”

Mei Ruojun nodded in a daze, and returned to the chrysanthemum garden as if she was stepping on cotton.

Like a wandering spirit, she unconsciously changed her clothes, washed her face, recombed her hair, drew her eyebrows a few times casually, wiped some rouge, and walked slowly towards the hall helplessly.

The closer she got to the hall, the more harsh the joyful laughter came from inside, and she had to keep cheering herself up, and kept saying to herself: "He has walked out of the past, his life has opened a new chapter, the past has become a cloud of smoke, this is a good thing, a happy event, I must not show any horses......

"Grandma! Why are you standing there in a daze? A little girl interrupted her thoughts, and hurriedly said, "Come in, everyone is waiting for you." ”

Mei Ruojun finally stepped into the hall, with a gentle smile on her face, politely greeting everyone, keeping her head down, trying to avoid Ruikang's gaze.

"Ruikang, why don't you introduce Miss Xu to your sister-in-law?" Mrs. Zhou said with a smile, but her eyes were full of provocation.

Ruikang sat still, as if he hadn't heard his mother's words, his eyes staring straight into Ruojun's face.

Mrs. Zhou was about to speak again, but Mei Ruojun hurriedly stepped forward and nodded to Xu Manlin with a smile and said, "Miss Xu, hello, my name is Mei Ruojun, and I am Ruikang's sister-in-law." ”

Xu Manlin looked at Mei Ruojun, nodded slightly, and said with a smile: "Hello, my name is Xu Manlin." "I don't know why, she doesn't like Mei Ruojun, her beauty, her weakness, makes her feel threatening, this feeling is only understood by women, although she doesn't know her past with Ruikang at all, and it's the first time to see her, but she just doesn't like her, in addition to the inexplicable sense of threat, it may also be because of the kind of poverty on Mei Ruojun's body, their backgrounds are more than 108,000 miles apart.

Everyone took their seats, the reunion dinner finally began, Ruojun respectfully followed the rules, stood up to serve the food, and gave the second old man of the Zhou family vegetables.

"What's wrong with your hand?" Ruikang suddenly burst out as he saw the red on the back of her left hand, and blurted out in a hurry. The eyes of the whole family were focused on Mei Ruojun's hands.

She subconsciously glanced at him, and when the two of them looked at each other, they were both stunned, Mei Ruojun's hand shook, and she almost spilled the soup bowl in her hand.

"Oh, it's okay, I just burned it in the kitchen. It's okay. Mei Ruojun smiled as casually as possible.

Mrs. Zhou glared at her fiercely, Mei Ruojun just trembled in her heart and lowered her head. Mrs. Zhou said, "If your hand hurts, sit down." ”

"Yes." Ruojun quickly sat down.

Rui An'an took her hand and looked at it carefully, and asked gently, "Does it hurt?" ”

Ruojun smiled and shook his head, and said softly, "It's okay, don't worry." ”

The intimacy between the two of them made Ruikang's heart very unbalanced, how deep the couple's affection, how sweet and warm, he also had companions, he also had people who loved him, he picked up a piece of crystal meat and put it on Xu Manlin's plate and said: "Eat more, my sister-in-law's craftsmanship is very good." ”

Master Zhou was very relieved to see that his two sons had their own destinations, especially Ruikang and Xu Manlin, who really wished they were married at this time, and looked at him with a smile while drinking.

"Old man, it's the first time that Man Lin has come to the door, and you look at people like this, which makes people embarrassed." Mrs. Zhou said with a smile.

"It's okay, aunt, when Ruikang went to my house, my dad looked at him like this." Xu Manlin smiled generously, she was very good at talking.

"Look, you can talk a lot, Manlin, is your father still satisfied with my Ruikang?" Master Zhou squinted his eyes and asked.

Xu Manlin squinted at Ruikang, and said, "I'm not satisfied, my dad said that he is too upright and not a businessman." ”

"Oh?" The second elder looked at her a little nervously. Xu Manlin sneered and said: "But my dad also said that Ruikang has a straightforward temperament, a sense of justice, and a literary style, so he is suitable for literary creation, so I appreciate him very much." ”

"Oh, hahahaha." Xu Manlin's words made the two laugh.

Old Man Zhou took a sip of wine and said: "This is a fact, our Zhou family has been scholarly for generations, and Ruikang's grandfather was once ranked in the fourth grade ......."

Master Zhou began to talk about the glorious history of the family with great interest, and the cold dishes were pulled on the dinner table, one after another, Ruojun and Ruikang were separated by a big round table, and bursts of white smoke rose from the hot dishes, separating the two of them, and no one could see who clearly.

Ruojun has no appetite at all, her head is dizzy, but she still holds on, taking care of Ryan and Xunmei with a smile, and Shu Zhi, she just wants the dinner party to end quickly, but where will the Chinese's Chinese New Year's Eve end so quickly, such a festive reunion day, everyone wants to let this happy time stay at this moment and never slip away.