Chapter 198: Chapter 198: New Year’s Eve 4

An Ning, who was shuffling the cards, was doing two things at once. She was amused when An Guoyang, with great fanfare, played a single three.

"HAHAHAHAHA! A measly little three, what’s so impressive about that? Big Bro, get him."

An Guoming, who had already played all his cards, urged An Guoqing to make a move.

He, An Guoqing, and An Guoping were on one team, while the three brothers, An Guoyang, An Guoqiang, and An Guocheng, were on the other.

Now, it was just down to An Guoyang and An Guoqing. Whichever of them played out their hand first would win for their team.

The atmosphere was tense. Even the people playing mahjong stopped to watch An Guoqing.

An Guoqing stared at the three, cleared his throat, and declared with the force of a thousand-pound weight, "Pass!"

"Hahaha, we—what the heck, Big Bro?"

An Guoming had thought they were about to win, but An Guoqing passed.

Now, it was the opposing An Guoyang’s turn to be smug.

"You’re passing on a three? Well, then I’m down to my last card."

An Guoyang held his last card high in the air and slammed it down with crushing finality.

"A four!"

"I’m out! Guoqing, what are your last two cards?"

Everyone wanted to see the cards in An Guoqing’s hand. An Guoqing spread them out.

"What else could they be? A pair of threes."

An Guoqing threw the pair of threes onto the platform bed, and the room erupted in laughter.

The games inside were in full swing, more lively than in any previous year.

In the kitchen, the cooks would occasionally peek out from the doorway to watch the fun, their faces beaming with smiles.

The game continued inside, with players occasionally swapping out. From the kitchen, the SIZZLE of food being stir-fried, pan-fried, and deep-fried rang out.

A little after one in the afternoon, Lin Cuihua called out.

"Alright, everyone, clean up! It’s time to eat."

"In a minute! Just one more round."

Everyone called back, quickening their movements. The round was over in a few minutes.

"Alright, pack it up, put it all away."

"You guys can clean up."

An Ning and the other members of the younger generation began to pack up the mahjong tiles, wipe the tables, and fetch water for everyone to wash their hands, getting ready for the meal.

Once everyone was ready, two tables were set up inside the house.

One table for those drinking alcohol, and one for those who weren’t.

For the most part, the men all had a drink or two, while the women and children sat at the other table.

The dishes on both tables were identical. After everything was served, An Sancheng, as the host, raised his glass and toasted everyone.

"It’s a new year. I hope all of our lives get better and better, and that each year is better than the last."

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Everyone clinked glasses—those with alcohol and those with soft drinks—raising them high in a toast.

"Alright now, let’s sit down and eat before the food gets cold."

Lin Cuihua urged everyone to take their seats and introduced the dishes.

"This squirrel-shaped mandarin fish was made by Jiang Xia. And that braised pork belly, and the garlic spare ribs... basically, if you see a dish that looks beautiful, that’s one Jiang Xia made."

Over the course of a single meal, Jiang Xia completely won over Lin Cuihua.

Jiang Xia said a few polite and modest words, and then everyone picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.

There was a plate of garlic spare ribs right in front of An Ning. She immediately picked one up and took a bite.

Delicious!

So delicious... and a bit familiar.

An Ning nibbled on the rib, finishing the whole piece in just a few bites. She then switched her attention to the braised pork belly and picked up a piece.

It was also delicious!

Fatty without being greasy, tender and savory.

The flavor was so similar to the meal Jiang Xia had brought her in the provincial capital.

But there was still a slight difference. It wasn’t that it wasn’t good; rather, the two cooking styles shared a clear lineage, yet each had its own unique flair.

An Ning glanced up at Jiang Xia, and their eyes met. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Not only that, but Jiang Xia gave her a mysterious little smile before looking away to continue eating and drinking.

An Ning looked away too. ’How mysterious.’

Throughout the meal, Jiang Xia was showered with praise from everyone.

At the women’s table, they finished eating relatively quickly.

After finishing their meal, they moved to another room, leaving the men to drink at their own pace.

Once everyone was finished eating, they all cleared the tables together, and the task was done in no time.

It was only after all the bowls and chopsticks were washed that everyone remembered: they hadn’t set off the firecrackers Jiang Xia had brought.

An Sancheng looked at the two strings of small firecrackers on the floor and said, "It’s fine. We’ll set them off tonight. We’ll be able to see the flashes of light then."

"Of course. We’ll watch them tonight since we have to stay up for the New Year’s vigil anyway."

After a bit more chatter and a drink of water, everyone began to head back to their own homes.

An Ning carried a bowl of dumpling filling that Lin Cuihua had prepared and walked beside Grandpa Jiang to see them home.

As for Jiang Xia, he carried several plates of food—leftovers that Lin Cuihua had intentionally made and set aside for the grandfather and grandson to eat that evening.

After they reached the courtyard of Jiang Xia’s house, An Ning set down the dumpling filling and said, "My mom said that if you don’t feel like making the dough, she’ll prepare some extra, and I can bring it over for you tonight."

Grandpa Jiang rubbed his forehead, his tone a little groggy. "Why don’t you work it out with Jiang Xia? I had a little to drink, so I’m going to go inside and lie down for a bit."

"Grandpa Jiang, are you alright?" An Ning asked with concern.

"I’m fine, I’m fine. It’s just my age. I just need to rest a little."

Grandpa Jiang walked into the house with a steady gait. Behind him, Jiang Xia secretly pursed his lips.

’An old man who can drink half a jin of liquor in one sitting is going to get tipsy?’

’Who is he trying to fool?’

But Jiang Xia didn’t expose him. Instead, he said to An Ning, "Don’t worry, my grandpa is fine."

"There’s no need for Auntie to make the dough tonight. I can handle it myself. You saw for yourself, my cooking skills are pretty decent, aren’t they?"

In front of An Ning, Jiang Xia reverted to his proud Young Master Jiang persona.

He was finding that bickering with An Ning was becoming a bit addictive.

An Ning watched Grandpa Jiang enter the house steadily and figured he was probably fine.

She looked at Jiang Xia and asked, "Your cooking skill isn’t just a matter of being ’decent.’ You must have secretly trained somewhere, haven’t you?"

"The person who cooked that meal in the provincial capital—what’s their relationship to you? Your cooking styles taste very similar."

Jiang Xia felt a flicker of nervousness, but he feigned a casual air as he asked, "Well then, whose cooking do you think is better?"

An Ning thought for a moment before replying, "How should I put this... That first meal was stunning, but what you made today is more to my personal taste. I guess it’s true that we’re all products of our environment. Since we’re from the same hometown, our tastes are naturally similar."

After An Ning finished speaking, she heard Jiang Xia say with certainty, "That’s true."

Jiang Xia’s smile was a little stiff.

He had done it on purpose, tailoring the flavors to An Ning’s palate, but the proud Young Master Jiang wasn’t about to admit that.

An Ning didn’t notice anything was amiss. She said to Jiang Xia, "I’m heading back now. My mom said we still have to stay up for the New Year’s vigil tonight."

"Okay. See you tonight."

Seeing An Ning’s confusion, Jiang Xia explained, "Aren’t we still setting off those firecrackers?"

"Oh—right. See you tonight."

An Ning left.

The moment she was gone, Grandpa Jiang got up from the platform bed, walked out of the room, and hurried to the bathroom.

Jiang Xia asked, gloating, "Feeling a little tipsy? Need me to help you?"

"Get lost, you little brat!"

Grandpa Jiang hurried out the back door, muttering under his breath.

’That little brat... he’s really hopeless when it comes to this sort of thing.’