Every year, Yan Ji would celebrate his birthday at home. On that day, his uncles, aunts, uncles, cousins, and so on, who he might not even see twice in a year, would all come over for dinner. There were a total of 30 to 40 relatives, and there were three long dining tables in the garden downstairs. It was a spectacular sight.
Yan Ji drove into the house. Before the car stopped, Ceng Cuicui, who was dressed like she was ten years younger, quickly walked up to him with a Kelly bag made of emerald crocodile skin. The first thing she said was, "Where's Little Lu?"
Yan Ji got out of the car expressionlessly and said casually, "Oh, he's not feeling well, so he won't be coming."
Yan Su's mother was shocked and asked carefully, "Did you have a fight?"
"— — Of course not. What are you thinking?" Yan Ji laughed and stuffed the red wine he brought from home into his mother's arms. "Your son is so charming, and your daughter-in-law can't wait to love me. How dare she fight with me?"
Madam Ceng Cui rolled her eyes, trying to restrain herself. She saw Yan Xuan enter the door like a wisp of smoke. His footsteps did not stop as he carelessly shouted, "Hello Uncle!" "Good Cousin!" "Yes, Second Aunt has become younger again!" Like a whirlwind, he passed through the crowd and went to the storeroom on the second floor. Ceng Cuicui thought he was looking for something, but a moment later, she saw him rushing downstairs like a whirlwind, holding a mahogany box in his hand and walking out without stopping.
"You wastrel!" Ceng Cuicui chased after him and shouted, "You stole your father's treasured collection again, didn't you?"
Yan Ji didn't even turn his head. "My father said that everything he has will eventually be mine!"
Ceng Cuicui put her hands on her hips and was about to scold her son when she heard Yan Ji add another sentence from afar, "Except for his most beloved wife!"
"…" Madam Ceng Cui's pretty face turned red, and she forgot all the curses in her stomach. After a while, she resentfully spat out, "Both the old and the young are not serious." Then, she secretly went back to the house to find her husband.
Yan Ji put the mahogany box containing the four tea cakes into the utility box under the passenger seat, clapped his hands and closed the door. He thought to himself that this would at least make Jiang Stops yearn for it for a whole year. However, according to Jiang Stops' style, she would not be willing to open the second cake for a while. He estimated that she would drink other cheap tea for a few weeks first. Then, on a quiet night, she would secretly open the old tea and drink it behind his back. She would lick her mouth with satisfaction and then pretend that nothing had happened.
After all, Yan Ji was still young. When he thought of Jiang Stops, his heart started to heat up. He didn't even realize that the corners of his mouth had already curled up.
"Hello, Third Uncle and Third Aunt!"
"Thank you, Auntie!"
"Yes, yes. Cousin, you've grown taller again. How did you score on the final exam?"
…
It was a fixed process every year, and Yan Xue was already very familiar with it.
The real managers of the Yan Family were Yan Ji's parents. He didn't participate in the business at all. In the future, he was destined to be a hands-off boss who hired a professional manager. All kinds of interest disputes and business dealings almost had nothing to do with him. The main purpose of his appearance at the family banquet every year was to announce that he was still alive. He neither died in the line of duty, nor was he kicked out by his parents for being an old leftover man. That was enough.
Third Aunt leaned over from the other side of the table and said earnestly, "Yan Ji is one year older. You're not young anymore. Pay attention to starting a family!"
Yan Ji smiled and agreed.
"Look, your second cousin has already found a girlfriend. Your eldest cousin sister is about to be pregnant. Why are you still single? You should start a family early if your job is dangerous. A man needs to have a stable family to concentrate on his career. Do you understand? "
Yan Ji said, "Yes, yes, yes …"
In the past, every time at this time, Yan Xue would be scolded by a group of elders. However, this year, Yan Xue's father had quarreled with his wife twice. Suddenly, he straightened his neck and put down the bowl. He righteously interrupted, "Who said my son can't get married? My son already has a girlfriend! "
Third Aunt almost jumped out of her skin when she heard this.
"The girlfriend is also from the city bureau. She has a very good job and is about the same age. She is also very handsome! Yesterday, she even cooked for us at home! " Yan Ji's father showed off calmly in front of the surrounding relatives. "If you don't believe me, you can ask Cuicui. Am I right, Cuicui?"
Yan Ji, "…"
Yan Xuan's mother would never embarrass Yan Xuan's father in front of others. She immediately took out her mobile phone under the shocked gazes of the people around her. She opened the photo album and pulled up the photos taken at Yan Xuan's house yesterday, such as deep-fried prawns, stewed beef with potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, pork ribs soup, and so on. All the relatives at the table passed them around one by one.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's just that she might not be able to give birth." Yan Ji's mother said modestly to the relatives, "But we have already agreed to go to the United States to give birth to three children. It's good to have both a son and a daughter! I agree that they can have one child with the surname Zeng … "
All kinds of complicated feelings surged from the bottom of Yan Ji's heart. He couldn't tell if it was funny or sad. At this moment, his little cousins who were screaming and running all over the floor, his little niece who was crying in her swaddling clothes at the next table, and his distant future brothers-in-law whom he couldn't even recognize, all made him feel a strange yearning and melancholy, even though he himself couldn't tell where the confusion came from.
Yan Ji stood up quietly and left the hall. He stood by the corridor of the backyard and lit a cigarette. He held his phone in a daze for a long time before he finally opened WeChat. Countless unread messages were lined up with red dots. They were birthday congratulations from his colleagues in the Municipal Bureau. Deputy Bureau Chief Wei, Gou LI, Qin Chuan, Technical Investigator Huang Xing, Ma Xiang, Gao Panqing …
Yan Ji clicked on "Mr. Lu" and hesitated for a long time. He typed and deleted several times before finally pressing the send button.
[Where are you?]
Jiang Stops didn't reply immediately.
The sound of drinking, shouting, laughing, and teasing each other came from the direction of the hall. Although there were all kinds of disagreements and unhappiness in private, when they gathered together, it was still lively like a big family.
Yan Ji held his phone and walked down the corridor aimlessly. At this time, it was already late. The light on the corridor was on, the fragrance of the water lilies in the garden wafted over, and the night insects were chirping in the grass. Yan Ji didn't know when, but he walked to the kitchen door. Through the glass window, he saw a carefully prepared three-layer cake on the round table. The beautiful flower arrangement was like a piece of art, and the fresh cream glowed slightly orange under the light.
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