Chapter 142 - 141: New Year’s Reunion

Chapter 142: Chapter 141: New Year’s Reunion

In the blink of an eye, the Spring Festival arrived. The family of five finally gathered at the old residence, and they were joined by one more—the adorable Gugu.

Everyone else, including Hua Xin, had gone home for the holiday, so today, the role of head chef fell to Huo Yunjing.

Gu Qingyin and Huo Yunjing were in the kitchen boiling dumplings while the three brothers gathered in the living room to chat.

"Finally, a break." Huo Xingchen, sporting dark circles under his eyes, was sprawled on the sofa, half-asleep. He grumbled, "I didn’t get back until after three this morning, and then Mom dragged me out of bed at seven... but forget that!"

He sat up, tugging at his sweater. "What is this? Why am I wearing this?!"

The large persimmon on the sweater was so distorted from his pulling it looked like it would pop off at any second.

Nearby, Huo Xinghai, wearing a revitalizing face mask, glanced at him. "What’s wrong with this sweater? It looks fine, doesn’t it?" As a celebrity, he had worn all kinds of bizarre performance outfits. This sweater was practically normal by comparison.

"But it doesn’t suit my vibe!" Huo Xingchen sulked. ’If the guys from the team saw me wearing something this cute, I’d never hear the end of it for the next year.’

Huo Xinghai let out a short, mocking laugh. "What vibe do you have? Eldest Brother is the one with the most right to say that. Have you heard him complain at all?"

Huo Xingchen looked over at Huo Xingye, who was on the other sofa handling documents on a tablet.

’How should I put it?’ he thought. It was the same adorable sweater, yet Huo Xingye somehow managed to give off the air of a business elite while wearing it.

Huo Xingchen heaved a heavy sigh. ’How is it that the same sweater looks like a cheap knock-off on me, but on Eldest Brother, it looks like a limited-edition New Year’s designer set?’

"The dumplings are ready!"

Gu Qingyin hurried out from the kitchen carrying a large platter of dumplings. She set it on the dining table and called out to her boys, "Xinghai, go wake Gugu. Xingye and Xingchen, come get the dumplings!"

The three brothers sprang into action.

One went to wake up Gugu, while the others went to carry dumplings.

The moment Huo Xingye and Huo Xingchen walked into the kitchen, they saw their father still standing guard by the pot. They both stared at the identical sweater Huo Yunjing was wearing for two seconds, exchanged a meaningful look, and then greeted him nonchalantly before carrying the dumplings out.

Huo Yunjing glanced back at them and reminded them in a flat tone, "The orange plate is your mother’s. Don’t get it mixed up."

Huo Xingye glanced at the plate in his hands, completely accustomed to this sort of special treatment.

"Shrimp and corn?" Huo Xingchen asked.

Huo Xingye nodded. "Yep. You can see the filling right through the wrapper."

Huo Xingchen laughed. "Thin wrappers and stuffed with filling. Dad sure plays favorites." Even as he said it, there wasn’t a hint of discontent in his eyes. He was overjoyed that his parents’ relationship was so good.

Huo Xingye placed the last platter of dumplings on the table just as Huo Xinghai came downstairs with Gugu.

Gu Qingyin looked up, and her eyes instantly lit up.

Unlike the tall men, when tiny Gugu wore the persimmon-themed sweater, it made her little face look fair and rosy. She looked as cute as a strawberry-filled tangyuan, just impossibly adorable.

"Gugu, come here! Sit next to Grandma." Gu Qingyin beckoned with a wide smile.

Gugu glanced at Huo Xinghai, then decisively abandoned her idol and ran to her grandma.

Seeing this, Huo Xinghai dramatically clutched his chest. "Ah! I’ve been abandoned! My heart is broken!"

This was the first time Huo Xingchen had seen him act so theatrically, and he nearly spit out the dumpling he’d just popped into his mouth. He mumbled, "Good thing Second Brother isn’t planning on a career in showbiz, otherwise I can’t even imagine how quickly his public image would collapse."

Huo Xinghai wasn’t bothered in the slightest. "Gotta leave some opportunities for other people."

Huo Xingchen scoffed and went back to eating his dumplings.

Gugu sat down beside Gu Qingyin, but when she looked up and saw Huo Yunjing, the little girl was instinctively scared. She grabbed Gu Qingyin’s hand and cried out as if for help, "Grandma!"

Gu Qingyin glanced at Huo Yunjing and explained with a smile, "Gugu, don’t be afraid. This is Grandpa, Uncle Xinghai’s father. He just looks a bit stern, but Grandpa is actually very gentle."

Huo Yunjing tried to cooperate by curling his lips into a smile, but it only made Gugu flinch, her eyes instantly turning red.

Seeing this, Huo Yunjing quickly reverted to his usual deadpan expression. But Gugu thought he was angry, which scared her even more!

Gu Qingyin said, "...Never mind. Yun Jing, just go sit over there."

Huo Yunjing followed her finger and looked toward the end of the dining table—the seat farthest away from Gu Qingyin.

He shot Gu Qingyin a wounded look, then swept a disgruntled glance over Gugu before resigning himself to his fate and walking over.

The three brothers paused their eating to exchange a look, their thoughts perfectly in sync. ’The former head of the great Huo Family... tsk tsk, how pitiful.’

The brothers’ silent communication did not escape Huo Yunjing’s notice, of course. He huffed lightly, tapped the table, and said in a deep voice, "Eat."

The three brothers had no reaction, but Gugu looked up at him in terror and stuffed an entire large dumpling into her mouth.

Huo Yunjing: "..."

Gu Qingyin’s expression was one of amusement. She patted Gugu’s head reassuringly. "Eat up, now. Grandma’s here. No one will dare to bully you."

In Gugu’s lap, Mao Mao was fidgeting restlessly, practically drooling.

Gu Qingyin got an empty plate, picked out a few dumplings of each filling, and set it on the empty seat beside her. "Eat."

Mao Mao shot over with a WHOOSH, moving so fast it left an afterimage.

Gugu was dazed for a moment, not understanding how her lap had suddenly become empty.

Gu Qingyin’s brow twitched. She shot Mao Mao a warning glare.

Mao Mao blinked guiltily before grabbing a dumpling and stuffing it into its mouth.

After the meal, they loaded the dishes into the dishwasher, and the family drove out.

Since there were so many of them, they took a seven-seater van.

Huo Xingchen drove, with Huo Xingye in the front passenger seat. Huo Xinghai took the second row, while Gu Qingyin and Gugu sat in the back. As for Huo Yunjing, he made himself invisible and squeezed in beside Gu Qingyin.

’No one was going to stop him from being close to his wife. Not even a little girl who was scared of him.’

"Grandma, are we going out to play?" Gugu asked, her little face tilted upward, eyes full of hope.

"Nope," Gu Qingyin said with a smile. "We’re going to the supermarket for a big haul!"

Gugu had never been to a supermarket before. She blinked in confusion. ’A supermarket... what’s so fun about that?’

Once they got to the supermarket, Gugu... was a total convert.

’So many toys! So much candy! And a trampoline, a slide, and a ball pit! Oh my gosh, the supermarket is so much fun!’

So, the family split into two groups. Huo Xinghai stayed behind to play with Gugu, while Gu Qingyin and the others went to do the shopping.

But they hadn’t gone far before the shopping party split up again: Huo Xingchen dragged Huo Xingye away to buy snacks.

Once the two brothers were a safe distance away, Gu Qingyin finally shot a sidelong glance at Huo Yunjing next to her.

Huo Yunjing blinked innocently. "Honey, let’s go buy things for the festival together."

Going to the supermarket during the New Year holiday was all about the atmosphere.

Gu Qingyin pushed the cart with a ghost soul invisible to others trailing beside her. She wanted to talk to him several times but stopped herself, afraid people would think she was a lunatic.

Finally, she had an idea. She bought a single earbud, put it in, and pretended to be on the phone. At last, she could talk to Huo Yunjing out in the open.

The supermarket trip was just a spontaneous family activity Gu Qingyin had thought up. But she never would have guessed that before they even made it home, the outing would already be trending on social media.