“The year-end exams are coming soon and they’re currently busy revising. How has Jinxi been? Will he be having his exams soon? Jixia Academy’s syllabus is different from normal schools, but I wonder if their exam dates are different as well,” the old principal said. The table had been filled with cut fruits that she had prepared for the children earlier.
“Their exams are on the same dates. Jixia Academy follows the examination rules of the city, so exams and holidays are all on the same dates. Jinxi already managed to catch up with schoolwork, and his results were quite good. He took some time to adapt as the syllabus were different from his previous school, but Jinxi had been very hardworking,” said Lin Chu.
“That’s true. That child would never make anyone worry regardless of where he goes,” the old principal laughed as she said. You could see from the look in her eyes that she missed Mo Jinxi a lot.
“Jinxi said that he misses all of you and for you not to worry about him. He will come back to visit whenever he is able to,” Lin Chu said. She did not know how to tell the old principal that Liang Xiulin did not want to bring Jinxi back to the orphanage as she did not have the heart to do so. Thus, all Lin Chu could do was to let the old principal know that Mo Jinxi did not forget about his promise.
“I know. I did raise him, after all. I know how he is. I knew the moment he left that Madam Mo would not want him to visit us. The Mo family and the orphanage are two different worlds, so it’s understandable of Madam Mo to be wary of outsiders. Whenever Jinxi called me in the past, I could always hear Madam Mo calling for him in the background. I knew then that Madam Mo did not want him to stay in contact with us, and I’m fine with that. When you have the opportunity, do tell Jinxi not to worry about it too much. I know his situation. Tell him to study hard and focus on what he needs to do. There will be plenty of chances to meet in the future,” the old principal smiled. She was not too sad, but she did feel a slight sense of loss.
Lin Chu nodded. Right then, the doorbell rang.
Teacher Wang went out to open the door whereas Lin Chu turned to look out the window and see the road that led to the gates of the orphanage.
Her eyes widened when she spotted Liang Xiulin walking behind Teacher Wang. However, Mo Jinxi was not with her.
Lin Chu was surprised. She had no idea what Liang Xiulin was doing here, so she could not help but turn to look at Yan Beicheng.
Yan Beicheng frowned and said, “If she is here with bad intentions, I’ll have a talk with Mo Jingsheng. At the very least, Mo Jingsheng has some say at home.”
Lin Chu nodded. Then, she heard Yan Beicheng say to the old principal, “If Madam Mo says anything rash, please don’t take it to heart. She is not the decision-maker in the Mo family. Police Chief Mo and Mo Jingsheng are the ones that have the final say in their family. Whatever she says does not represent the Mo family. If they did, she would not be here alone.”
The old principal knew that Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng were on her side. “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter if she comes with good news or bad news. Whatever it is, it will have something to do with Jinxi, but as long as Jinxi is doing well, then I’ll be fine.”
Teacher Wang brought Liang Xiulin in at that very moment, ending their conversation on the spot.
Liang Xiulin was wearing a long fur coat and had paired it with long, cape-like Chinese style upper garment underneath. She had on a pair of leather gloves and was holding a clutch bag in her hands. Liang Xiulin was dressed exquisitely and came in with an air dominance; she looked totally different from when she had picked up Mo Jinxi from the orphanage.
Lin Chu knew from her appearance that Liang Xiulin had come bearing bad news.
The old principal was an elder and was much older than Liang Xiulin, so she sat on the sofa and did not move. However, Yan Beicheng and Lin Chu stood up and politely greeted Liang Xiulin.
Liang Xiulin took off her fur coat and placed it casually on the sofa before taking a seat.
Lin Chu and Yan Beicheng sat next to the old principal.
However, when Liang Xiulin started speaking, Lin Chu began to think she might have misread Liang Xiulin’s intentions.
Liang Xiulin did not show any resemblance of her previous attitude of looking down on the orphanage. All she did was press her lips together and say, “I’m here because of Jinxi.”
The old principal nodded. “I guessed as much.”
“I previously did not like the idea of Jinxi coming over because he does not really belong here. His future is going to be different than that of a regular person, so he’s very much different from the children here. Jinxi and the children in the orphanage are from two different worlds and they will eventually walk down different paths and see different things. There will eventually be gaps between their characters and personalities as well. Nevertheless, he has deep-rooted emotions toward this place and also toward the children here. He is always talking about the old principal, and his brothers and sisters. For example, whenever Jinxi has good food, he would always mention that he wants to bring it to the orphanage to share it with his brothers and sisters.”
The old principal smiled with consolation. “No matter where Jinxi is, his heart will never change.”
Liang Xiulin was happy to hear Mo Jinxi being praised. Her lips curved up into a smile. “That’s true. I am actually very grateful to the orphanage for bringing him up well. After living with him at home for the past few months, I have come to realize that this child had never been bullied at the orphanage. His upbringing may not be like that of our families, but it’s no different from that of regular families. He has good manners and does not feel inadequate to others which proves that he had grown up in a very healthy environment. Not only did the orphanage pay attention to his schoolwork, but you also took the time to develop his good character. He has grown to be a very likable child and does not have a bad bone in his body. It’s thanks to all of you that he was able to grow up healthily until we managed to track him down again.”
The old principal stayed silent. She did not know what to say because she did not expect Liang Xiulin to say these things to her. Liang Xiulin had never acted like this before.
“It may seem cold that I don’t allow Jinxi to come here, but I have my concerns. Children are naïve but things will change once they grow up. Their relationship with Jinxi will change. I don’t think I need to say much about this because we know that such things happen quite often. Wasn’t there a girl named Zhu Hexuan who turned out this way?” Liang Xiulin let out a laugh.
“There’s no need to look surprised. I know who Zhu Hexuan is. Even though Jinxi claims to have had a good life here after we found him, even if he kept telling us that he lived happily in the orphanage and that everyone treated him well, I was still worried. Thus, my son had gotten someone to investigate Jinxi’s life in the orphanage, whereby Zhu Hexuan was just a by-product of the investigation. I imagine Zhu Hexuan was just as pure-hearted when she was a young girl, but she must have wanted more once she grew up. Life is not easy, and people will start to lament its unfairness. People will change because of life, because of their environment, and because of society. I don’t want Jinxi to be hurt in the future, and the more importance he places on his brothers and sisters, the more disappointed he will be in the future if he gets betrayed. I think you can understand that as Jinxi is a very sentimental child.”
“Madam Mo, what do you really want to tell us? Why don’t you just be direct about it? I’m quite old now and my mind can’t think that fast. I’m not a fan of racking my brain too much and I can’t really follow your twists and turns. You might as well tell me straight and save all of us some time,” the old principal slowly stopped smiling as she sighed.
Liang Xiulin pressed her lips together and said, “Okay, I’ll get straight to the point. Don’t blame me for saying this, since I’m doing everything for Jinxi’s sake. I won’t stop Jinxi from seeing you. You were the one who brought him up and it’s a good deed you’ve done for our family. However, you’re the only that can meet Jinxi. I won’t allow him to see the other children. If you want to see Jinxi, sure. I’ll get my driver to pick you up to see him, or I’ll let Jinxi come when the other children are not around.”
“Does Jinxi know of your decision?” The old principal asked.
Liang Xiulin paused. There was an uncomfortable look in her eyes as she pouted a little, seemingly out of annoyance. She replied, “He’s just a child and does not really know much. He will need his elders to look out for him.”
“That does not mean that you shouldn’t ask him about his feelings on it and simply make the decision on his behalf. Madam Mo, no one can really predict the future. You won’t be able to see for yourself nor predict what will happen to the children in the future. Moreover, they are just pure, naïve little children right now. How can you assume so easily that they will grow to have bad intentions in the future? I really think that you should trust Jinxi’s judgment and believe that he will be able to handle matters accordingly in the future.
“Forget the children from the orphanage, can you guarantee that the children from Jixia Academy are all pure and kind? Will they all be worth keeping as lifelong friends? After all, those children have more to think about than regular children. Jinxi is now one of them and I believe this is something he will learn there. If the children do choose different paths and their relationship changes in the future, then that is something that the children will need to face on their own. Jinxi will have to make his choice and he will learn what to do. Madam Mo, I know you are doing this for Jinxi’s sake, but you can’t protect him forever. He has to grow up someday. When none of you are around anymore, he will have no one to protect him. He will need to face life on his own, both the good and the bad,” replied the old principal.
Liang Xiulin kept quiet. It was hard to tell from her expression if she was mulling over the old principal’s words.
“Besides, Shi Tou and Tian Tian are pure and good children. They have never changed since the day I first met them. If you judge them now, you’re just being unfair to them. Madam Mo, I hope you will think about this. You want Jinxi to be happy too. Loving him does not mean controlling him. If you don’t like Jinxi coming to the orphanage, I am okay with that since I know that Jinxi will always remember us, and that will be enough for me. However, I won’t leave the children here just to see him alone. If it’s possible, just let us have more phone calls with each other,” said the old principal.
Liang Xiulin’s face burned slightly. She did not expect the old principal to find out that she had purposely interrupted their last few calls.
Liang Xiulin could no longer take it as she looked at the old principal’s kind and forgiving face.
Thus, she stood up and tidied her collar. “I understand. I will go home and consider this.”
That night, Mo Jinxi called Lin Chu excitedly. “Chu Chu, do you know? Grandma promised me today that she would bring me to visit the orphanage during Lunar New Year!”
“Did she?” Lin Chu was surprised as well. She had not expected Liang Xiulin to really agree to this. She had managed to think things through in such a short time.
“Yes. I think Grandpa told Grandma about it since Grandpa came home early today and had a long talk with Grandma in the bedroom. When they came out, Grandma said that we can visit the orphanage during Lunar New Year,” Mo Jinxi said. Lin Chu could not see it through the phone, but Jinxi had a wide smile on his face.
Police Chief Mo had discussed this to Liang Xiulin. He had been busy the last few days, leaving home early and returning late. However, once Police Chief Mo’s busy period was finally over, he came home at his usual after-work time and brought up the matter of taking Jinxi to the orphanage for a visit.
Police Chief Mo did not forget about his promise to Mo Jinxi, especially since Mo Jinxi had done well in schools. Therefore, Police Chief Mo took the initiative to raise the matter with Liang Xiulin.
Liang Xiulin was hesitant about it. So, she told him about what had happened at the orphanage earlier that day, including her thoughts and the old principal’s words.
Liang Xiulin may be a little snobbish when it came to family heritage, but the one thing good about her was that she would never hide anything from Police Chief Mo. She would always tell him the truth.
Police Chief Mo agreed with the old principal after hearing what she said.
“Children are meant to grow up, especially for those in families like ours. Something will happen sooner or later that will turn them into adults. If not this, then perhaps something else that might be worse than this. The old principal is right. We can’t protect him forever since he will be the one that loses out if we shelter him too much. He won’t be able to take care of himself in the future,” Police Chief Mo said.
That was why Liang Xiulin had agreed to take Mo Jinxi to visit the orphanage.
…
Time flew by and it was soon time to celebrate Lunar New Year. Meanwhile, Lin Chu had one more month to go before her due date.
This was Lin Chu’s first Lunar New Year with Yan Beicheng. Last Lunar New Year’s Eve, or rather, the first day of Lunar New Year, was not counted as Yan Beicheng had come looking for her on that day.
This was also the first time they were celebrating it with the Yan family. Even though it was not as busy as the orphanage, the atmosphere was still cheery.
Lin Chu had wanted to go to the orphanage and help the old principal make dumplings. They need to make a lot as there were a lot of children, so it was quite a tiring, but joyous, chore.
However, the old principal did not allow her to go over as she was about to deliver. She told Lin Chu that Teacher Wang and Teacher Yuan would help with the dumplings in the morning and would head home after they were done.
At the old mansion, it was not convenient for Lin Chu to do anything as she was heavily pregnant. Old Lady Yan simply made her sit aside and play with her phone.
Lin Chu felt bad about this since everyone was busy with work. Even Yan Zhiqing was helping out. She was the only one not doing anything, which made her feel very uncomfortable.
Finally, Old Lady Yan let her help with the dumplings. Lin Chu gave it a thought and decided that it could be count as her helping out.
Yan Zhiqing’s legs had pretty much healed by now as she sat with them at the round table, helping with the dumplings. She had never made dumplings before, so she constantly either put too much stuffing into the dumpling skin and burst it, or put too little and made it fall flat.
In the end, Old Lady Yan could not take it anymore and pushed a bowl toward her. “These are chestnuts and sticky rice cake pieces. You can use them as stuffing instead, it’s easier. All you need to do is wrap it in the dough.”
Yan Zhiqing, “…”
Lin Chu had taken the time during her maternity leave to watch television programs and go online to find new ways of being creative with dishes. She had also followed a few social media accounts that specialized in cooking. There were a few that taught their followers how to make Jade Cabbage Dumplings where the trick was to make the dumpling skin look the color of jade cabbage.
Lin Chu had taken notes and brought over spinach today. She crushed them into a juice before kneading the juice into the dough. After this, she separated a piece of jade-colored dough and a piece of white dough.
Old Lady Yan, Aunt Chen, Yu Zi, and Yan Zhiqing followed Lin Chu’s lead and mixed both colored doughs together. They kneaded the dough before picking out a small portion to use as the dumpling skin. The outcome really did make the dumpling look like a little jade cabbage.
Meanwhile, Yan Ningbai was busy playing with firecrackers with the other children outside the house. The adults did not allow them to play with dangerous ones, so they were given a box of mini crackers which were wrapped up in white paper and looked like tiny buns. You would just need to throw it at the ground with some gusto and it would make a very small explosion whilst letting out a loud noise. However, it was not dangerous to play with it at all. At the same time, there was a sense of satisfaction that came with the noise which brightened the atmosphere tremendously since the children loved playing with it so much.
The fireworks were the main event of the night, so Yan Ningbai played like crazy for more than an hour outside the house. By the time he had finished his mini crackers, his little face was frozen from the cold. Then, he ran back into the house with a bright red face.
When he got into the house, he happily took off his gloves, coat, and hat before throwing them onto the sofa and rushing into the dining room.
Yan Ningbai quickly saw that the dumplings looked different this year. They were all jade green in color and looked really pretty.
Yan Ningbai was not really a fan of dumplings as the stuffing was all the same. What he loved were the meatballs. If the stuffing from the dumplings, which consisted of vegetables and meat, were to be pan-fried, then it would make his mouth water. However, once the stuffing was wrapped inside the dumpling skin, then the flavor would change and he did not like it at all.
That being said, he did love biting into the dumplings and finding coins inside.
This year, the jade green dumplings looked especially appetizing to him.
Yan Ningbai moved closer out of curiosity and reached out with his fat, little paws to grab one for closer inspection.
Slap! His hands were slapped away by Yu Zi.
“Wash your hands first before touching them,” Yu Zi continued folding the dough for the dumpling skin after slapping him.
Yan Ningbai grunted obediently and went to the dining room. There, he stood in front of the sink on his tiptoes to wash his hands. There was no hand towel available, so he looked left and right before taking two pieces of tissues to wipe his hands dry and running back to the table.
Then, he reached out with his fat, tender, fair hands to carefully pick up a dumpling. “It’s so pretty!”
“If it’s really that pretty, have more of them later,” Old Lady Yan said as she smiled.
Yan Ningbai nodded vigorously. “How did you make it?”
Lin Chu explained, “We added some spinach juice to it. There’s quite a bit of dough left, so if there are leftovers, I’ll make them into green noodles for you.”
Yan Ningbai nodded immediately. He looked at the raw, jade green dumpling in his hand and held it near the tip of his nose to smell it. “There’s no smell of spinach.”
Spinach tasted bitter in his mouth and he did not like it at all.
“It’s been squeezed into juice, so that’s why the taste is not so obvious when you add it to the dough,” Lin Chu explained.
Yan Ningbai placed the dumpling down and saw Yu Zi was about to stuff another one. He immediately said, “Put more meat! Put more meat in it!”
“Don’t you find it too greasy?” Yu Zi said as she picked up a piece of shrimp to stuff into the dumpling. Her fingers kneaded it nicely and a dumpling was completed.
Yan Ningbai gulped d loudly. “You can put more shrimp in there too.”
“When will Huaian arrive?” Old Lady Yan looked at the time. It was still early.
“He’ll be here soon. I’ve just received his message on WeChat. He is on the way from the office,” replied Yu Zi.
Yan Beicheng had pushed most of his work in the company onto Yan Huaian with the excuse that he needed to take care of the pregnant Lin Chu. This was why Yan Beicheng was able to go on leave while Yan Huaian was forced to work overtime in the office.
Yan Huaian had been complaining about Yan Beicheng at home because of this. He claimed that Yan Beicheng was affecting his progress at making a second baby.
Speak of the devil, the moment Old Lady Yan mentioned him, Yan Huaian walked in. He still had his coat and scarf on and looked like he was freezing as snowflakes covered his black wool coat.
Yu Zi paused. “Is it snowing out there?”
“Yeah, it just started snowing heavily,” Yan Huaian nodded. He wanted to give Yu Zi a hug, but realized that his coat was too cold. Thus, he took it off and came back in to hug Yu Zi from behind.
Yan Ningbai ignored his dad’s loving gesture to his mum and cheered loudly. “I want to go out and see the snow!”
Old Lady Yan stuck her neck out and yelled from behind, “Put on your coat before going out.”
Lin Chu was considering whether to leave the dining room to give Yan Huaian and Yu Zi some privacy since the two of them were being really lovey-dovey right now.
Yu Zi was, of course, calm and collected. Yan Huaian was the one being all affectionate.
Yan Huaian glanced at Lin Chu’s belly and said, “After Lin Chu gives birth and is done with her confinement, let’s work on our second baby.”
Yu Zi, “…”
Nevertheless, Lin Chu could not help but feel curious about this. “Why would you need to wait until I’m done with my confinement?
Yan Huaian glanced at Yan Beicheng, who was sitting in the living room with his back to them, and replied, “Yan Beicheng said he needed to take care of you during your confinement and has no time for work.”
Lin Chu, “…”
After they were done with the dumplings, Old Lady Yan took off her apron and said, “We’re all here. Let’s go.”
Yan Beicheng had told Lin Chu the night before that the entire Yan family had the tradition of paying respects to their ancestors during this period. They would leave on the afternoon of Lunar New Year’s Eve and return just in time for dinner.
The Yan family ancestors were from the Yan Kingdom. B City used to be where the capital of the Yan Kingdom was, but when the Qin Kingdom had destroyed the six Kingdoms, the Yan Kingdom royals went on the run. Many died on the road, but the others were in no condition to bring them home to be buried. Because of this, they had to bury the dead on the spot, leaving only their royal robes and crown behind.
Once the situation stabilized, the royals brought home the the royal robes and crown with them. Then, they found a good plot of land with good Fengshui in B City to bury them. As the age of the dynasties eventually made way for the modern age, the Yan family settled into B City, and all the members of the family were buried here when they passed away.
