Chapter 13: Love from Family

Lan Mo returned home with the soy sauce and found a crowd of people, young and old, gathered inside. She was momentarily stunned—who were all these people?

The two elderly folks were good people, and Su Mei’s parents were also the original host’s nominal maternal grandparents.

The other two men in their forties or fifties were the eldest and second uncles. They looked quite similar, so she had to carefully recall who was who.

Suddenly, a loud voice rang out, “Momo’s back!”

Lan Mo decided not to worry about who was who and simply greeted everyone in turn.

“Grandpa, Grandma, Eldest Uncle, Second Uncle, Eldest Aunt, Second Aunt… Cousins and cousins-in-law, hello!”

A good-natured man, who might have been the eldest or second uncle, said with a smile, “They say a girl changes eighteen times as she grows up, but our Momo just keeps getting prettier!”

“Su Wu, stop talking nonsense. Our Momo was always pretty.”

“You’re right, dear. Our Momo has been pretty since she was little!”

Only then did Lan Mo realize that the two joking were the eldest uncle and aunt.

“Eldest Uncle, Eldest Aunt, please have a seat. I’ll just put the soy sauce back in the kitchen first.”

“Momo, you’re wearing such a pretty dress—you shouldn’t go into the kitchen. Su Xiaoting, go help your cousin take the soy sauce to the kitchen.”

“Auntie, you’re always picking on me.”

“Eldest Aunt, it’s just a few steps—no need to trouble her. Xiaoting, you all sit down first.”

The eldest aunt’s enthusiasm was a bit overwhelming for Lan Mo, so she quickly took the soy sauce and headed toward the kitchen.

Su Mei was already preparing dinner. Seeing Lan Mo walk in, she hurriedly stopped her:

“Momo, the kitchen is full of smoke and oil. You should go out. You don’t need to do these chores.”

Lan Mo knew that if she stayed in the kitchen any longer, her mother would not only worry about her but also fret over the dress she was wearing.

“Mom, then you go ahead. I’ll go make tea for Grandpa and the others, then start setting the table.”

“Alright, go ahead. When your sister-in-law comes back, tell her to come in and help serve the dishes.”

“I’ll call her to serve when I get back.”

Lan Mo returned to the living room and made a cup of jasmine tea for each of the guests, except for the children.

Second Uncle Su Qiang looked at the hot tea beside him and said, “Momo, you should save this tea for the New Year. Why did you make a cup for each of us on such a hot day?”

“Second Uncle, we can buy tea for the New Year when it comes. I couldn’t just let you drink plain water when you’re here!”

“The autumn heat is sweltering. We can’t even drink this hot tea right now…”

Su Qiang was about to say more when Old Master Su quickly interjected, “Second son, you’re a guest here today. Momo making tea for you shows she respects you as her second uncle. Why are you complaining so much?

If you think the tea is too hot, drink it after dinner! This tea is good. Maybe after dinner, it’ll help you shed a few pounds.”

“Hahaha…” Everyone burst into laughter.

“Dad, I’m not even fat…”

“Not fat? Among the kitchen staff, you’re the heaviest. When you cook, you don’t sneak bites while you stir-fry, do you?”

Su Qiang’s face flushed red. His dad was really something—he was almost fifty, and his father was still embarrassing him.

Lan Mo smiled. This big family really got along well. She wondered if they were always this close at home.

Just then, Lan Jingtian walked over with a box. “Dad, Mom, Elder Brother, Second Brother, Elder Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, you’re here!”

“Jingtian, you’re back!”

Lan Jingtian waved to Lan Mo, “Momo, come over quickly, see what Dad bought for you!”

Lan Mo walked over and called out, “Dad!”

Lan Jingtian opened the box and pulled out a Haishi brand women’s watch with a silver dial and a brown strap.

“Put it on quickly. This is your twentieth birthday gift from Mom and Dad.”

A watch costing over a hundred yuan was bought just like that—Mom and Dad were so good to her. Thinking of this, Lan Mo’s eyes reddened again.

“Thank you, Dad!”

“Come on, put it on and show everyone.”

Lan Mo took the watch and put it on her right hand. Her younger cousin, Su Xiaoting, walked over.

“Cousin, your watch is really pretty. No, look how good Uncle is to Cousin—you don’t care about me at all.”

Su Qiang spoke up, “What do you, a student, need a watch for? Momo works at the hospital now; without a watch, it’s hard to keep track of time.”

“We students need watches even more to keep track of time so we won’t be late for class.”

Second Aunt Zhao Yun persuaded, “Alright, alright. When you get married later, ask your partner to buy you one. Your mom doesn’t have a job, and your dad’s money has to support the family.”

Her family also had three children: the eldest was a son, the second and third were both girls, though the second had already married. Now only the third was still in school; if she weren’t studying, she’d have to go to the countryside.

Li Pingping said with a smile, “Little cousin, study hard. When you get into a good university, Mom and Dad will definitely buy you a watch.”

Lan Mo knew that before long, the college entrance exam would be canceled. Those progressive youths wouldn’t just be unable to attend school—they might even have to go to the countryside.

Su Xiaoting had just started high school; she’d have to wait a long time to take the college entrance exam.

This wasn’t something Lan Mo could control, nor would she remind anyone. Given Second Uncle’s stubborn nature, he’d probably send Xiaoting to the countryside.

However, Second Aunt had more ideas. She’d rather marry her daughter off than let her suffer in the countryside.

Generally, among children in a family, wasn’t it the middle child who was the least favored?

After a while, Lan Yuanzhi and Ye Zhen also returned.

Lan Zhiyuan handed Lan Mo a pen case. “Happy birthday, Momo. This is a new fountain pen Elder Brother bought for you. See if you like it.”

“Thank you, Elder Brother! I really like it.”

Seeing Lan Mo receive a Hero fountain pen, Su Xiaoting was filled with envy. She tugged at Su Qiang’s hand and said, “Dad, if you won’t buy me a watch, at least get me a new fountain pen! My birthday is in half a month.”

Su Qiang shook his head and said, “Hah, it’s your birthday? What’s so special about a sixteenth birthday? On that day, ask your mom to boil two eggs for you.”

Ye Zhen interrupted, “Momo, the dress you’re wearing is really pretty. A few days ago, I specially made you a floral maxi dress as a birthday gift.”

“Thank you, Elder Sister-in-law!”

“No need, no need. Just don’t dislike the dress I made because it’s not as pretty as the ones you buy.”

“Of course not, Elder Sister-in-law. Your craftsmanship is excellent, no worse than those old tailors.”

“You’re just flattering me. I’ll go to the kitchen first to help Mother-in-law. Everyone, please sit!”

“Elder Brother, Mom asked you to come back and help her carry the dishes. I’ll set the table.”

Lan Jingtian chatted with his parents and his in-laws’ family, while Lan Mo went to wipe the table and set the dishes.

Soon, all the dishes were served: braised pork belly, sweet and sour spare ribs, steamed sea bass, boiled prawns, chicken stewed with red dates and longan, marinated pork intestines, stir-fried loofah, and red amaranth in superior broth.

Eight dishes filled two large tables. For Lan Mo’s twentieth birthday, Lan Jingtian and his wife had truly spared no expense.

Between hosting a feast and buying a watch, it was fortunate their salaries were high—ordinary families would have settled for a bowl of noodles and two eggs.

For the poor, birthdays might not even include eggs, and perhaps the day itself would be forgotten.

Su Xiaoting picked up a piece of braised pork and exclaimed, “Wow, so much meat! If only Cousin had a birthday every day…”

Zhao Yun tapped Su Xiaoting’s head with a pair of chopsticks. “Just eat and don’t talk so much. No one has a birthday every day.”

“Alright, alright, let’s not dampen the mood. Everyone, stand up and raise your glasses to wish Momo a happy birthday!”

Even though everyone was drinking tea, a sense of ceremony was still essential.

Lan Mo lifted the jasmine tea on the table and said, “Thank you all for coming, thank you Dad, Mom, Grandfather, Grandmother, Elder Brother, and Elder Sister-in-law. Thank you!”

Su Mei pulled Lan Mo to sit down. “Silly child, sit down and eat some meat. It’s your birthday today, so eat a little more.”

Su Qiang from the other table chimed in, “Yes, Momo should eat more. We don’t even have this much meat during the New Year. Thanks to you, we all get to eat meat today.”

“Cousin is twenty now and can get married. Then we’ll have meat to eat again.”

Lan Mo thought Su Xiaoting was a bit foolish—why was she so lacking in ambition? Thinking about this and that, always talking about eating meat, and using her as an excuse—she might as well marry a worker from the slaughterhouse.

“Xiao Mei, Momo is twenty now and can start looking for a partner. Should Elder Brother and Second Brother help introduce someone?”

“Thank you, Elder Brother, but Momo’s marriage is still a long way off. Our second child hasn’t even found a partner yet.”

Su Mei truly couldn’t bear to marry off the child she had raised with her own hands. If fate hadn’t arrived yet, she might as well let her stay by her side for a couple more years!

“…”

Amidst laughter and chatter, in less than an hour, the food on the tables was devoured as if swept away by wind and clouds—not a single dish remained, and even the sauces were used to mix with rice.

After the meal, everyone chatted a while longer before Su’s grandfather led the family, young and old, back home.

Su Mei called Lan Mo into the room. “Here are a few pieces of fabric, two jin of wool yarn, and a pair of leather shoes. Your maternal grandparents and two uncles bought these for you.”

“Mom, I don’t have anything to give them in return.”

“Momo, you’re my child. You don’t need to repay them anything. Dad and I will return these gifts in the future.”

“Mom, I’ll keep the leather shoes, but you can take the fabric and wool yarn for yourselves. Sister-in-law already gave me a yellow floral maxi dress earlier.”

“Momo, you’re working now and at the age to find a partner, so you must dress nicely. I’ll use the fabric to make you a coat, and with these two jin of wool yarn, I can knit you a long-sleeved top—there should still be about three or four liang left…”

Lan Mo didn’t know what to say. She hugged Su Mei tightly and sobbed, “Mom…!”

“Silly child, why are you crying on your birthday?”

She didn’t know why she was crying either—she just couldn’t control her tears.

Perhaps this was the love that came from family?

…