Chapter 164 New Year's Day

The lazy morning light shines through the window onto the quilt.

January 1st, this is the first day of the new year.

Jiang Ning woke up from her sleep and was confused for a while before her eyes slowly came into focus. She closed her eyes and dozed off, then sat up after a while.

On the side, Jiang Yao was still sleeping in.

Jiang Ning usually wakes up at seven in the morning and goes to bed at eleven at night. Her biological clock is very clear.

Throughout last year, she slept in the mornings only a few times, and those times were all related to Chen Yuan.

After she sat up, she first moved away the heavy thighs of her stinky sister beside her.

Let’s look at Jiang Yao.

One leg was still on her sister's body, half of her fair cheek was hidden under the pillow, and her body was still lying prone.

She slept so soundly, as if even the falling sky could not affect her.

The soft quilt on the bed barely covered her waist. Since she was only wearing a suspender nightgown, her skinny shoulders were exposed to the air. Fortunately, there was heating in the house. Otherwise, she would definitely catch a cold after sleeping like this all night.

The unrestrained hair was messy.

Perhaps she sensed the sound of Jiang Ning getting up beside her, Yaoyao wrinkled her nose slightly and quietly tucked her soft and fragrant feet into the quilt.

Jiang Ning rubbed her numb waist and gave the other person a resentful look.

This is the most vivid scene after the two of them get up. It has been repeated countless times. Since childhood, Jiang Ning has encountered such scenes countless times every time she wakes up in the morning.

Yaoyao was either hanging on her like a koala, or with her arms around her neck, or with her long legs completely pressed against him. Jiang Ning felt miserable at first, but later she quietly got used to this oppression.

If one day she goes on a business trip and Jiang Yao is not around, she might even feel uncomfortable.

Rubbing his slightly messy hair, he stepped on the ground with his long legs twice, searching for the direction of his slippers.

Jiang Ning's cheeks were a little pale. She staggered to open the bedroom door and went to wash up. Facts have proved that no matter how beautiful a woman is, she will look haggard when she wakes up in the morning. When Jiang Ning stood in front of the mirror and looked at her plain self, she widened her eyes and hurried to look at her swollen eye sockets.

It’s all Yaoyao’s fault. She had to drag her outside to blow the cold wind in the middle of the night, which resulted in the mask not being applied properly. Otherwise, her eyes wouldn’t be swollen.

Soon, the sound of rushing water was heard.

The curtain of the New Year has officially opened.

……

"Happy New Year."

"Here's a red envelope. Take it and go find grandma. Don't run around."

Jiang Ning leaned down slightly and touched the well-behaved watermelon-headed boy beside her leg, with a peaceful smile on her face.

The Liu family's reception room was bustling with people, including many young people who came to pay New Year's greetings.

The candy plate on the coffee table was knocked over by the naughty children, and melon seeds and peanuts were scattered everywhere.

In a lively and unusual atmosphere.

Jiang Ning and Jiang Yao were undoubtedly the focus of attention.

The two people were wearing clothes of exactly the same style, except that Yaoyao's knee-length down jacket was navy blue, while Jiang Ning's was light purple.

A short-haired woman holding a baby walked in from the side door.

When the two sisters saw the baby, they walked over together.

"Oh, whose baby is this? So cute~"

"Call me auntie, can you speak?"

The young child blinked his black eyes and looked at the two aunts who seemed to have the ability to split themselves into two, with a confused look on his face. For a moment, he didn't know which one to look at.

"This is your Aunt Ningning and Aunt Yaoyao, do you recognize them?" The young woman asked gently, shaking the baby.

"Then she definitely doesn't recognize me. She was just born when we last met," Jiang Ning handed over a red envelope and waved it in front of the baby, "Do you want a red envelope?"

He stretched out his fat hands to grab, and even leaned his body, showing that he was not afraid of strangers.

Jiang Ning was immediately touched by the cuteness, and pursed her lips and murmured, "How cute! Let auntie hold your hand and I'll give you the red envelope, okay?"

The slender jade fingers clasped together with the fat, radish-like hand.

Jiang Yao even rubbed the baby's thin hair, which was not much to begin with.

The two of them are full of maternal love, which may be a woman's nature.

Not long after they arrived in the living room, a group of curious children gathered around them to ask for red envelopes. Perhaps they had a crush on the pretty aunt, or perhaps they were curious about the twins' identical faces.

After playing with a group of kids, both of them felt their waists were a little sore.

The elders of the Liu family were going to the main hall to entertain the guests, and the men were going outside to welcome the guests, leaving the women and children to chat in the living room.

There were people sitting together in groups, some were married, some had just entered college, and as for those who were not married at the same age as Jiang Yao and Jiang Ning, there were only these two.

Often, these people are the focus of discussion.

Because they did not follow the mainstream, whether it was criticism or concern.

Jiang Ning knew that she would have to face this hurdle eventually. It was just a routine task in recent years.

The group of women sat together with their legs crossed, cracking melon seeds and discussing other things. Jiang Yao was happily discussing with a college girl nearby, who was studying at the Kyoto Film Academy.

"I really envy Ningning's skin, it looks so good. We are obviously about the same age, but look at me, not only is my skin sagging, but my figure is also out of shape... What's the good of having children? If I had known, I would not have gotten married."

"Heh, two years ago you advised Ningning to find a partner and get married quickly, and you posted about your happy married life on your Moments all day long."

Why are you not happy now?

"Yes, I am not happy anymore. I regret it. I should have known that enjoying my youth for a few more years is the most important thing. Since I got married, my life has been tied up by my husband and children. I don't have time when my sisters invite me to play, so I can only refuse."

"That's not bad. It's a happy trouble. There are many people who find out their husbands are not good people after getting married. That's even more tormenting. At least you married into a good family."

"Don't talk about this, it makes me annoyed. We were really happy when we were newly married, but as the daily necessities of life go by, I always feel that my husband is not as passionate about me as before."

Maybe it's burnout.

"It's normal. How can they be so inseparable every day? They are still normal people."

The women were chattering about it.

Seeing that the topic was getting further and further away from her, Jiang Ning was about to breathe a sigh of relief, but the next second the other party brought the topic back, "By the way, what method do you use to take care of your skin, Ningning? I want to learn from you. I really envy your skin. Look at yours and Yaoyao's. Your face is as clean as a peeled egg."

"I don't really take care of my skin. I just apply facial masks, moisturize my skin, and eat less greasy food."

"Then you have to have some way to maintain your figure?"

"Yes, I exercise every day. I spend an hour in the evening, mainly focusing on my abdomen, legs and back."

"Tired?"

"Of course it's a bit tiring, but I got used to it over time."

"It seems that the biggest reason why I've gotten out of shape is laziness."

The short-haired young woman who had been married for only a few years sighed.

A woman next to me said, "You finally got the point. There are no ugly women in the world, only lazy women."

Suddenly, all the girls burst into laughter.

"Are you and Yaoyao still in Lanjing now?"

"Correct."

"Why don't you go back to Mingzhu City to develop? It's much better here than here in my hometown. The city is more prosperous."

"Uh..." Jiang Ning thought for a moment, "I think these are all okay. The main reason is that my application for employment at Lanjing University was approved. The requirements for colleges and universities in Shanghai are higher, and you can't just get in if you want to."

She was undoubtedly lying.

When she submitted her resume, she applied to a number of decent universities in China.

But none of them are in Pearl City.

The purpose is to take Jiang Yao to a farther place.

"If you ask me, it's better to stay at home. At least I can work and find a partner at the same time. Even if I find a partner outside, it's hard to get married."

"Ah, why?" Jiang Yao raised her face in confusion after hearing this. "Because I'm from another place!"

"Cough cough cough-"

These words almost choked Jiang Yao to death, and she turned her face away speechlessly.

I totally cannot understand the thoughts of these girls of my age. We couldn't talk to each other before, and it's even more so now. We are only able to maintain our relationship through shallow kinship.

If it weren't for this relationship, she wouldn't want to sit here at all.

Jiang Yao doesn't care about family, age, education and the like. Whether she is in love or getting married, she only cares about whether she likes it or not.

As long as she likes it.

I don’t care whether Chen Yuan is carrying manure or gold.

"To put it bluntly, a woman's youth only lasts a few years. It's a good thing you two didn't get married, otherwise you'd be old and ugly like me after having a child."

This young lady seems to have a low emotional intelligence, but she is very interested in talking.

As soon as she said this, the girls around her fell silent.

Some were eating melon seeds, some were playing with their cell phones, and some were taking care of their children.

Fearing that she would be embarrassed, Jiang Ning quickly agreed: "Indeed, I remember that you had a good figure before you got married."

"Of course not! I was really as thin as a bolt of lightning at that time, even thinner than you two are now." She pulled Jiang Ning's arm and nodded as if to be sure, "At least one lap."

The woman was obviously quite pleased with herself, and the tips of her eyebrows were raised.

Jiang Ning smiled, thinking that the matter was over.

But the next second, the other party spoke again.

"That's what you say, but you two really need to hurry up and get married. You're both considered old now. After you're thirty, you won't be able to compete with the young girls nowadays," she pointed at a college girl next to her, "just like my younger sister. How can we compare to her youthfulness?"

"Yes, girls in school are at their best age, bright and energetic. I have experienced this deeply during my time at Lan University."

"You can experience it yourself, but think more about marriage. Don't put it off until no one wants you. It will be too late to regret it."

"Don't worry, there are old men who like me at the age of 81. If you are so anxious to get married, you can marry again. I will introduce you to someone." Jiang Yao replied, her lips opening and closing, her smooth pearly teeth shining.

"Hey - Yaoyao, how can you talk like that? I'm thinking about you but you're mocking me..."

"Aren't I thinking about you, too?"

The girls around covered their mouths and laughed. They had never seen Jiang Yao be so confrontational before. It seemed that she had changed a lot in the past two years.

……

"worn out."

Jiang Yao, feeling sore all over, walked into the living room of her home and lay down on the sofa. She had never felt more tired than today in several years.

It’s more tiring than strolling around the streets of Lanjing all day.

What's more, it is the mental fatigue, enduring the bombardment from relatives and dealing with the elders.

Fortunately, it only happens once a year.

If this goes on every day, she will really get depressed.

Lying on the sofa, she stared blankly at the ceiling, as if trying to calm her noisy soul.

"No matter what you say, I won't go out tomorrow. Even if I have to do a 24-hour high-intensity live broadcast, it is better than attending this kind of family gathering..." Jiang Yao said lazily.

"If you don't want to go, then don't go. I'm here anyway. You finally understand how hard I work." Jiang Ning answered in a low voice while rubbing her thigh.

"More than I understand, this incident will stay with me for a whole year. I'll have to find an excuse to avoid family gatherings next year."

"Well, in the end it all fell on me."

"Sister~ don't you feel tired?"

"I'm used to it. These interpersonal interactions are inevitable. Won't you face Chen Yuan's family after marriage? It may be me who faces them."

"Now that you put it that way, it's true." Jiang Yao nodded thoughtfully. "I've never thought about this question. I used to think that marriage was a matter between two people and had nothing to do with anyone else."

"We depend on each other for survival?"

"correct."

"How can this be possible in reality? If two people can really ignore each other, it's just a dream."

After saying that, Jiang Ning poured the brewed tea into the porcelain cup, opened her mouth slightly, blew the rising white mist, and sipped the tea.

Jiang Yao was silent for a while, then suddenly stood up.

"Forget it, let's think about it later. Anyway, I have to go back to my room and call the young master now~"

"Heh." Jiang Ning ignored him.

Jiang Yao jumped happily and ran to the escalator. She turned around and looked at her sister curiously. After a moment, she said, "Hello?"

"what happened?"

"Xiao Ning, why don't you ever grab the video call from me?"

"This... do we need to rob it?"

Jiang Ning tilted her head, unable to understand what her sister meant.

"Don't you miss Chen Yuan? I haven't seen him for so many days since the trip."

"If I want to, I definitely want to."

"Oh, I understand," Jiang Yao raised her eyebrows seriously, "In fact, your feelings for him are not as strong as mine. It's okay even if we don't have a video call. To put it simply, you don't love him as much as I do."

"Then you win again."

"Who says it isn't?"

"Don't make me laugh, Jiang Yao. I just pursue something different from you. There is more than one kind of love. Even if I am not with Chen Yuan all the time, I still have him in my heart, and he still has me in his heart. The bond between two people will not disappear because of a little distance. Do you understand?"

"What a weird, mysterious thing... Isn't love about possessing each other? What you said is not reliable."

"Just tell her straight away that you can't understand." Jiang Ning waved her hands, unwilling to say more, meaning that she should hurry up and go back upstairs.

As the "thump thump" sound of footsteps on the stairs gradually faded away.

Jiang Yao went upstairs by herself and returned to the bedroom.

Her original intention was to show off her power, and she actually expected Jiang Ning to compete with her, so that she would not be so worried. However, Ningning gave her such an answer.

Jiang Yao felt particularly uncomfortable.

"There's no such feeling... Just deceive yourself, stinky sister!"

The clothes fell to the ground and were picked up again.

The exquisite figure is exposed to the air.

Jiang Yao rubbed the clothes in her hands and whispered, "Wait until I win, I'll see how anxious you are and whether you'll still be like this!"

Followed by.

Jiang Yao picked out a light pink suspender pajamas and put them on. She sat in front of the dressing table combing her hair, quietly waiting for the video call to be connected.

beep--

"Young Master!"

Jiang Yao, who originally had a dejected look on her face, suddenly smiled when she saw Chen Yuan, and her three words were full of emotion.

Her sexy collarbone and the movement of her hands on her knees squeezing her breasts were inexplicably charming.

Chen Yuan was drinking water and almost spit it out on the spot.

"What's wrong, did you choke?"

"fine……"

"I miss you so much. I'm so bored staying at home."

……

(End of this chapter)