Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âBrother, isnât this braised fish especially delicious?â Looking at her brother, Nian Xi felt like she was a puppy getting fed by its owner.
Nian Junting raised his chin proudly and said, âJust average. Thereâs still room for improvement.â
Luosang snorted silently.
âIf itâs just average, why are you taking such large bites?â she thought.
She never saw him with such a big appetite when Sister Lan cooked his meals.
âYou call that average?â Nian Xi hated his dishonesty, so she put the rest of the fish into her own bowl and said, âSince you think itâs average, Iâll eat it all. I havenât had such delicious fish for a long time.â
âNian Xi, canât you pay a little attention to your manners?â Seeing that his favorite fish was gone, Nian Junting became so angry that he nearly choked on his rice.
Nian Xiâs large eyes were filled with innocence as she responded with, âWeâre family. Why do we have to act so reserved? Brother, you like the fish, donât you?â
âI donât,â said Nian Junting.
âThatâs what I thought,â continued Nian Xi while eating happily. âSister Luosang, I decided to come here more frequently to bum meals off of you. The food in the police station is a disaster,â she said to Luosang.
âI donât want you here,â said Nian Junting through clenched teeth.
âI donât need you to,â responded Nian Xi carelessly.
Nian Junting felt speechless.
This was definitely the worst meal he ever had.
Sitting beside him, Luosang observed his tightened, handsome face. He seemed to be on the verge of losing his temper, but he knew that he shouldnât; it was like he was suffering constipation. Seeing the complicated look in his face, Luosang lowered her head and smiled.
Luosang believed that being arrogant and sharp-tongued was a disease. She couldnât cure this disease that he had, but his sister probably could.
...
The morning before New Yearâs Eve, Luosang arrived at the family home of the Nian Family with Nian Junting and his sister. It was a manor, located about twenty miles away from Xia City. The manor was designed to resemble Suzhou traditional gardens, decorated with rockery and pavilions, and had a man-made stream running around. However, different from the other part of the manor, the villa was a foreign-style building, built during the Republic China period, and seemed to contain a wealth of culture.
It was almost New Yearâs Eve, so couplets were put up on both sides of the gate of the villa. They made the entire building radiate with joy.
A couple of cars had parked in the parking lot. Some were luxurious, and some werenât. The only thing in common with these cars were their special license plate numbers.
Luosang wheeled Nian Junting into the villa. Around ten people were already there. Some of them were playing mahjong, some were chatting, and some children were frolicking about. They were all members of the Nian Family.
âTingting, Xi, youâre back!â An old lady walked over on a crutch with red eyes and said, âTingting, I heard that you had a car accident. I wanted to go and see you, but your father didnât let me. Look at you, youâre even sitting in a wheelchair. When will you recover? How could they tell me that you werenât hurt badly?â
âIâll rest for a while, and then Iâll be full of vigor again. Donât worry.â
Once he finished his words, a middle-aged man sitting on the couch snorted coldly and said, âI told you to not to be a businessman, but you insisted. Look at you now. You havenât recovered from the car accident yet, but yesterday, someone tried to pour piss on you in public. I heard from Director Yao that you were attacked by over ten people. Youâre lucky that they didnât disable you.â
âDad, it wasnât so bad. They were just trying to frighten my brother. Everyone knows who he is and no one dares do anything to him, unless they want to die,â said Nian Xi smilingly.
âAlright, donât you blame Tingting,â Nian Juntingâs grandma gave her son a threatening glance, then said, âBeing a businessman is safer than being a politician at least. Donât forget that Tingting almost died in the army.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
âPlease donât mention these unhappy things during New Yearâs Eve.â Nian Juntingâs grandpa changed the topic and said to him, âTingting, you should talk to your mother, and tell her to come back for the New Year. Itâs been so long since theyâve separated. Are they really gonna get divorced?â
âI donât know, and Iâm too lazy to care.â The look on Nian Juntingâs face instantly turned cold.
He turned his head slightly, then pointed at the grapefruit on the tea table and said to Luosang, âPeel some for me.â