Chapter 108 Duckweed Hugs Tightly
Just after the evening hour of You, as the food was placed on the table, the whole ancient city seemed to gradually 'wake up'. Inside and outside the alley, the crackling sound of firecrackers from far and near was very lively, and the festive atmosphere reached its peak at this moment.

"Don't mention it, he really has these two tricks."

At the dinner table, Yu Qing looked at the New Year's Eve dinner that was both beautiful and delicious and couldn't help but smile at Xie Beiling and said, "Master Xie can take a break from now on. He's the only man in the family, so why not use him to death? It's better than asking him to use all his energy outside, right?"

Xie Beiling at the table just smiled and said nothing.

Although others say that Wei Mingqi is a lazy guy, even he himself thinks so, but as a teacher, Xie Beiling feels that her "child" is more than qualified.

She gets up at five in the morning to practice standing meditation, and has never neglected her martial arts. She has never lacked hot water for washing her face in winter, so she has developed a habit of doing so every day when she gets up.

First she came out and said a few words of greeting, and then the hot water was brought. She didn't have to do anything, just wait for the mixed warm water to be brought to her face.

So much so that sometimes he would feel a little guilty when thinking of her. He clearly didn't take care of him for a few days when he was a child, and was absent from his entire growth process, but Wei Mingqi gave most of his "filial piety" to her.

If it weren't for the fact that her 'filial piety' had become slightly corrupted and was causing her headaches, she wouldn't have had many regrets in her life as a teacher.

"He cooks like he's fighting a war, and you still want to use him like a cow."

Not long after Yu Qing finished speaking, a sarcastic voice came from the side: "If you push that bastard into a corner, who knows who will be treated like a cow."

Without turning around, Yu Qing knew who was talking. It must be the "last strong man of the Shi family", the stubborn and lovely Feng Guan'er -

This little girl has been arguing with her all day.

Yu Qing, who was sure to win tonight, was not angry at all. He smiled amiably and said, "What's the problem? He can't let me die, can he? Besides, if that really happens, can you two ignore me?"

When it comes to face, Shi Fengguan will never be able to compare with Xing'er, who has already become black-hearted. Upon hearing what he said, his face turned red with anger, but the other person acted as if nothing had happened.

This shameless woman wants to blame everyone!
She relies on her aunt to make clothes for her children in the future. Master Xie is a cold-hearted person who usually serves her by cooking and sweeping the floor. However, this woman is still not satisfied. She wishes she could have a baby right away and leave everything else to others!

"us--"

"All right."

Shi Fengque spoke up to stop the dispute. She had finally realized over the past two days that her niece was only good at talking, but in reality she was no match for Yu Qing.

She took her niece's hand, who still looked unconvinced, and said, "Today is New Year's Eve. Feng'er and I haven't celebrated the New Year properly for many years. This year, you have taken care of me, but I am too shy to express my gratitude... But whether it is Yu Niang or Master Xie, I will remember your kindness in my heart. If you need anything in the future, just ask us. We, the children of the Shi family, will never refuse."

The words were clear and it was not easy for her to reveal her true feelings. If Wei Mingqi was not there at the time, she would never have said it. But even so, she felt dizzy after saying it, and couldn't help but raise a glass of wine to cover it up:
"I'll give you a toast."

"..."

These heartfelt words surprised Shi Fengguan and Yu Qing. After all, they were so used to bickering at home and the chaotic life that they were not used to being serious.

It was not until the house became quiet and the sound of fireworks and firecrackers outside came in that they remembered what day it was.

"You are very polite."

Temporarily abandoning the somewhat joking title of 'Royal Concubine', Yu Qing picked up the cup and said with some emotion: "But then again, I haven't celebrated a proper New Year for quite some time... I'm not afraid of you laughing at me when I say this, but in previous years I had to find a secluded place to cover my ears at this time, and I couldn't hear the fireworks for many years."

Shi Fengguan's eyes flickered as he heard this, and he couldn't help but fold his hands and said, "Isn't it the same? In the past two years, I didn't want to stay at home during the New Year. On New Year's Eve, I wanted to sneak into the palace to find my aunt, but I was stopped by the imperial guards before I even got close to the palace wall."

"Feng'er..."

Shi Fengque, who was standing next to her, grabbed her hand and almost cried.

For those who are separated from their loved ones, every Chinese New Year, a festival that is supposed to be a time for family reunions, is a torment. Fortunately, everything gets through in the end.

Xie Beiling just watched silently beside him.

Rather than describing them as "problem children" as Wei Mingqi had said, she felt that it was more appropriate to describe them as floating duckweed in troubled times.

This is how the world is. When the wind is strong and the rain is heavy, many families are separated and drift with the tide. A piece of duckweed may never find a place to rest and may sink into the sea of ​​suffering.

Although she, as his master, did not encourage Wei Mingqi's behavior of eating and taking more, she had to admit that if it were not for this, people like Yu Niang and Feng Guan'er would not be able to hug each other as tightly as they do now.

"Thank you, Master."

She was watching the situation from the sidelines when she was suddenly dragged into the topic. It was Shi Fengque who looked over curiously: "You were also alone in previous years, right?"

Xie Beiling nodded and said, "I've been alone since my master left."

"Then Master Xie hasn't celebrated the New Year for many years, right?"

"I spent the year alone in previous years." Xie Beiling explained: "I bought a fish, some meat, and made some dumplings. This is how I spent the years."

Shi Fengque's eyes suddenly sparkled.

As expected of Master Xie, he can live a good life alone, but she can't. She has to cover her head and cry every night during the two days of the New Year, so that she gets scared every time the New Year comes.

"It's not the New Year when you spend it alone."

Yu Qing laughed and said, "The meal is ready at night, and we just eat it on the table without anyone to talk to. How can it feel like the New Year? It should be like this, where the whole family gathers together to chat and wait for the donkey to come back to the mill to start the feast. That's what the New Year means."

"..."

Xie Beiling blinked her slender almond-shaped eyes, and before she could say anything, a young man outside the door stepped up and blended into the atmosphere of the room.

"Talking bad about me behind my back—"

Wei Mingqi, who had changed his clothes, sat down beside her in high spirits and handed her the chopsticks while saying, "It's New Year's Day today, I won't argue with you. Eat quickly and then go out to watch the fireworks."

"..."

After taking the chopsticks, several pairs of eyes on the table looked over at the same time. Xie Beiling was stunned for a moment before coming back to his senses. He raised his chopsticks and smiled, "Don't look at me anymore. Let's eat quickly."

"Hmm! I'm already hungry!"

"Wei, give me some fish!"

"You're so fucking lazy."

"..."

The atmosphere was lively. Xie Beiling's nerves, which had been dull due to being busy recently, relaxed. The sound of fireworks, which they had been talking about before, suddenly became clearer. Familiar faces smiled in this lively atmosphere, and people were immersed in it unconsciously.

"Master, what are you standing there for?"

The young man beside her gave her a piece of fish with chopsticks: "The braised carp tastes first-rate, try it."

"Oh……"

Xie Beiling forgot for a moment that Wei Mingqi had used chopsticks. She picked up the fish and put it into her mouth. She took a sip with the tip of her tongue, and the taste seeped into her heart. A smile appeared on her face unconsciously.

"good to eat."

"Come, let's all give a toast to the Taoist Master."

In the strong New Year atmosphere, Yu Qing, who was sitting opposite him, raised his glass and said, "Thank you for your hard work over the past year, Master Dao. You must continue to work hard and keep the family well next year."

"In your eyes, everyone with the surname Yu is your servant!"

"After Daoshou Xie and I have children, we can benefit from each other. You, girl, will be the one who eats and drinks for free in the future."

"you--"

"..."

It was New Year's Day, so a little offense was nothing. Xie Beiling just let them make a fuss while she picked up a glass of water and looked at the frightened young man next to her.

"In the coming year, stay peaceful and don't fight with others."

"..."

Wei Mingqi was originally worried that her two words would be too harsh and make her master angry, but when he saw that she was smiling, he finally felt relieved.

"Master must also be healthy and smile more often."

The two of them touched each other lightly.

bang bang bang-

More and more fireworks are rising around, and on this full moon of the new year, the pieces of duckweed that belong to them are hugging each other tightly, but some are still floating away. They look up at the moon together in the waves.

(End of this chapter)