NOVEL NEXT Chapter 41: New Year
Today is a new day.
At the same time, it’s also a new year!
“Mmm hmm~~~”
Xiao Yan, dressed in new clothes, opened the window of his room, taking in the morning air and feeling unusually refreshed.
(Today is… New Year’s Day…)
The voice of Yao Chen from within the ring sounded softly, and Xiao Yan responded with a smile.
“Senior Yao has always been curious about today, right? Let me tell you in advance, the New Year’s Day is so much fun~”
(I can tell.)
Yao Chen’s voice sounded somewhat helpless. Xiao Yan’s attitude today has returned to the character he should have at this age, unlike the maturity he displayed before, as if he were an adult.
No…
Yao Chen paused and corrected himself in his mind.
Perhaps it’s just for today.
Only today, Xiao Yan completely set aside his past responsibilities and future pursuits, returning to being a carefree child of the Xiao Clan without any burdens.
“Hey! Cousin Xiao Yan! Are you up yet?”
At that moment, Xiao Ning’s voice came from outside the door, and Xiao Yan responded immediately.
“Coming!”
Xiao Yan opened the door and saw Xiao Ning standing outside, hands on hips, giving Xiao Yan a casual nod of acknowledgment.
“Let’s go, everyone has already gone to help.”
“Oh!”
Xiao Yan closed the door and walked towards the Xiao Clan’s courtyard together with Xiao Ning.
As soon as they entered the Xiao Clan’s courtyard, they saw that it was already filled with stoves and tables. All the elders of the Xiao Clan, regardless of gender, were busy preparing food, while Xiao Yu and Qing Lin were also helping. Those who couldn’t cook were assisting with moving things and preparing the courtyard.
The elderly members of the Xiao Clan were sitting together in a corner, chatting and laughing about the interesting events of the past year, watching the busy people in the Xiao Clan courtyard.
“Xiao Yan, good morning~”
Upon hearing this greeting, Xiao Yan turned his head and saw Nalan Yanran slowly approaching with a bundle of firewood in her arms. Xiao Yan looked at her and smiled.
“You Little Glutton, are you here to help too?”
“Don’t call me a Little Glutton!” Nalan Yanran instinctively retorted, then answered, “Although I am a guest, I will be marrying into the Xiao Clan in the future after all. Since this is a tradition of your Xiao Clan, I should get used to it early.”
At that moment, another voice came from the other side.
“Hey! We’re running out of firewood! Who can bring some more?”
“Coming!” Nalan Yanran immediately responded, “I’ll talk to you later!”
Leaving these words behind, Nalan Yanran carried the firewood and ran towards the source of the voice.
Watching Nalan Yanran’s figure disappear, Xiao Yan touched his neck and chuckled softly.
It’s true… even the future young mistress of the Yunlan Sect has come to help out at our Xiao Clan.
Under normal circumstances, Xiao Yan would never let a mere guest help out.
But today, Xiao Yan didn’t care about all those formalities. As long as the other party was willing, it was enough.
“Little Yanzi! Xiao Ning!”
Suddenly, Xiao Li’s voice sounded, and Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning turned their heads to see Xiao Li, wearing an apron and holding a kitchen knife, shouting loudly near a stove in the distance.
“We’re running out of meat! Go buy two cows from the market! And get about ten big fish too!”
“Understood!”
Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning responded in unison, then turned and left the Xiao Clan, heading towards the market.
On the way, thinking about Xiao Li’s appearance just now, Xiao Ning couldn’t help but sigh.
“To be honest, with Xiao Li’s personality, I never thought she would be the best cook in our Xiao Clan.”
“You’re right.”
Xiao Yan agreed softly.
Although Xiao Li had a carefree and uninhibited personality, more like a man than a woman, unexpectedly, her cooking was delicious and could already rival the best restaurants in Wutan City.
On the other hand, Xiao Yan’s eldest sister, Xiao Li, looked gentle and elegant, but when it came to cooking, it was a disaster without any talent. She could barely avoid blowing up the kitchen.
Perhaps, this is what they call contrast.
Just as Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning arrived at the market, they ran into Xiao Xun and Xiao Mei. Both of them were carrying a large bag filled with various vegetables.
“Cousin Xiao Yan!”
Seeing Xiao Yan, Xiao Mei’s eyes instantly lit up, while she paid no attention to Xiao Ning. She was about to pounce on Xiao Yan but was stopped by Xiao Xun.
“Mei’er! We need these vegetables at home!”
“Oh! I almost forgot!” Xiao Mei suddenly realized, then crossed over Xiao Yan while hugging the bag of vegetables, “Well, cousin Xiao Yan, we’ll go back first!”
“Xiao Yan, see you later, cousin.”
As Xiao Mei left these words, she headed back, leaving Xiao Yan behind.
Xiao Yan rubbed his neck and smiled lightly as he watched Xiao Mei’s figure.
.
“Xiao Yan, let’s go.”
Xiao Ning pulled Xiao Yan’s sleeve and walked towards the bustling market.
Today is the New Year, a day for reunion and joy. Xiao Yan and his family will celebrate together, forgetting about the troubles and enjoying this precious moment.
Xiao Xun’er also bid farewell to Xiao Yan and followed Xiao Mei’s footsteps, holding vegetables as she hurried towards the Xiao Clan.
Meanwhile, Yao Chen, witnessing this scene from within the ring, couldn’t help but feel emotional.
During these days, Yao Chen had noticed that among all the members of the Xiao Clan, Xiao Mei was the one who clung to Xiao Yan the most. Every time they met, she would pounce on Xiao Yan as if it had become a habitual behavior for her.
It seems like today is a special day for everyone in the Xiao Clan. Even that little girl Xiao Mei has changed her usual behavior and went straight home.
“Let’s hurry as well.”
Xiao Ning smiled lightly at Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan nodded.
The two of them walked quickly towards the meat market, selecting the items they needed amidst the crowded crowd.
After about fifteen minutes, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning each carried a cow, with their arms also adorned with ten large sea fishes. They headed towards the Xiao Clan amidst the indifferent gazes of the onlookers.
In the beginning, the residents of Wutan City might have found this scene strange, but as the Xiao Clan celebrated the New Year every year, they became accustomed to this peculiar sight.
In fact, influenced by the Xiao Clan, some residents also began to enjoy the tradition of celebrating the New Year. They would call their family members back home to reunite on this day. This was also why the meat and vegetable markets were bustling. Thanks to this, the business of meat and vegetable vendors in Wutan City would skyrocket every year on this day.
Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning returned to the Xiao Clan, throwing the cows they were carrying to the ground. Xiao Yan immediately shouted at Xiao Li, who was continuously flipping a large black iron pot.
“Second sister! We’ve brought the things!”
“I’m busy here!!!”
Perhaps it was the heat from the stove that made her feel irritable, or perhaps it was the cacophony of noise that caused Xiao Li to shout at the top of her voice.
Upon receiving Xiao Li’s response, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning exchanged a glance and shrugged their shoulders in unison.
No choice, let’s do it ourselves.
Fortunately, they had cooked for three months on the mountain before. Leaving aside other things, Xiao Yan and Xiao Ning were already adept at dissecting the beef.
Xiao Yan went to the kitchen and found two kitchen knives, then handed one to Xiao Ning. The two of them squatted on the ground and skillfully began dissecting the meat.
Meanwhile, Yao Chen in the ring observed the busy scene in the Xiao Clan courtyard. Instead of finding it noisy, a deep sense of warmth and envy welled up in his heart, and he couldn’t help but sigh softly.
How lively… Despite the fact that the scale couldn’t compare to any banquet Yao Chen had witnessed before, and the preparations were messy and lacked elegance, it could deeply attract her and make her want to be a part of it.
At that moment, a thought suddenly emerged in Yao Chen’s mind.
When I return to the physical world in the future, perhaps I should celebrate the New Year as well.