Jiang Ran kept silent all along.
Only after it quieted down over there, she subtly glanced at Liu Xiaofen.
Liu Xiaofen was Xu Yufen’s daughter-in-law.
Both their names shared a character, which could be considered a kind of fate.
But obviously, Xu Yufen didn’t regard Liu Xiaofen highly because of this fate.
The remarks Xu Yufen just made, although directly named Liu, also expressed her viewpoint.
As Xu Yufen’s daughter-in-law, what would Liu Xiaofen think upon hearing these words?
Jiang Ran only looked over there for a moment before decisively turning away.
What Liu Xiaofen thinks is her business and has nothing to do with Jiang Ran.
Since there were so many people, it took more than an hour to finish making all the dumplings needed.
At this point, there wasn’t much left to do.
If they were back home, they might have gone to pay respects at the ancestors’ graves, but being away from home, there wasn’t that.
However, they could still offer a few incense sticks.
Watching Wang Cuilan and Pei Baoshan busily at work, Xu Yufen leisurely shelled seeds as she observed.
Not just her, even Pei Baoshu was idle, showing no intention of getting up at all.
Pei Baoshan endured again and again, and finally, seeing that neither of them seemed intending to stand, he couldn’t restrain himself any longer and spoke up.
"This is to offer incense to our parents, why are you still sitting there?"
Hearing Pei Baoshan’s words, Pei Baoshu and Xu Yufen exchanged glances and eventually stood up.
From the day’s events, they understood one thing.
If they dared not stand up, they’d be thrown out right now.
Even though they stood, their leisurely attitude still made Pei Baoshan’s temples throb.
In the end, Pei Baoshan let out a long sigh, avoiding another glance at the two of them.
What’s there to look at!
If these two had even a bit of respect for their parents, they wouldn’t have acted like that back in the day.
More than that, they wouldn’t have disappeared for so many years without a trace.
Now, if life hadn’t become unbearable, if they hadn’t thought they could leech off a good life, they probably wouldn’t have come back.
Thinking of this, Pei Baoshan’s expression towards them turned increasingly indifferent.
It’s best not to expect too much.
Otherwise, it’s not about making things hard for others, but purely burdening oneself.
The New Year’s Eve dinner was not as lively as in past years.
Yet Xu Yufen’s family didn’t feel awkward in the slightest.
They ate, drank, and watched the Spring Festival Gala with enthusiasm, laughing uproariously.
Jiang Ran looked at them and thought they embodied one saying: as long as I’m not embarrassed, it’s others who will be.
Since their family didn’t feel awkward and just went on with their business, the only ones feeling awkward could only be themselves.
Not until after midnight, when the Spring Festival Gala ended, did Xu Yufen’s family, still wishing for more, stand up and head to the West Cross Courtyard to sleep.
Of course, before they left, Wang Cuilan watched them clean up all the peanut and seed shells.
The room finally quieted down, and Wang Cuilan let out a long breath.
"Ranran, don’t take her nonsense to heart today."
Hearing this, Jiang Ran laughed, "Mom, what are you talking about! How could I take it to heart? Honestly, compared to Pei Huai, I feel more like your own child, don’t you think so?"