Chapter 197: New Year’s Eve Dinner
Chapter 197: New Year’s Eve Dinner
Threads of Power of Faith drifted down like light rain falling into a lake.
Gao Jing sat inside his car, sensing the changes within the Bronze Anchor’s Faith Pool, feeling quite emotional.
This Power of Faith came from Gao Yuanyuan and Ge Guizhi.
Though Gao Jing had never intended to gain Power of Faith from his sister,
her feedback made his efforts feel truly rewarded.
This filled him with warmth.
Gao Jing found himself recalling the few times he’d met his sister before.
Memories once faded and distant now felt vivid and alive!
Ring ring ring~
A sudden phone chime snapped him out of his thoughts.
Gao Jing checked the call: an unknown number, identified by the system as Dongfeng Courier Service.
No recent online orders!
Slightly puzzled, he answered. “Hello?”
“Gao Jing? We have an urgent parcel requiring pickup at our service point. Please collect it personally.”
An urgent parcel?
Gao Jing frowned. “Where’s your service point?”
“I’ll text the address.”
“Thank you.”
After hanging up, Gao Jing quickly received the location. Checking, he found it wasn’t far, so he drove straight there.
At the service point, he collected the so-called urgent parcel.
Peeling back the thick packaging revealed
a pretty rectangular gift box.
Its design looked like a stationery case, pressed with the artistic words: “Meet the Best Youth”.
Opening the box showed an exquisitely crafted invitation.
The “Meet the Best Youth” crew invited Mr. Gao Jing to the film premiere at Shanghai Grand Theatre, 7 PM, January 25th.
Zhong Yunxiu!
Gao Jing realized immediately.
He’d thought this famous Huhai beauty wouldn’t contact him again, yet here the invitation was.
Alongside the premiere, the crew offered a guest banquet plus a business suite stay at Shangri-La Hotel.
Thumbing through this expensive invite, Gao Jing chuckled. Urbanites sure knew how to enjoy themselves!
Ring ring ring~
His phone rang again.
Zhong Yunxiu called: “Uncle, got the invite?”
Her cheerful voice showed no trace of past awkwardness.
Gao Jing replied, “Just now.”
“You must come!”
Zhong Yunxiu insisted. “If not, I’d be so disappointed.”
Baffled, Gao Jing said, “We barely know each other…”
“How can you say that?”
Her voice turned wounded, thick with complaint: “I invited you kindly…”
“Fine.”
Gao Jing gave in: “I’ll attend. Thank you.”
With acting this convincing, the film probably wasn’t awful. Since he had nothing planned New Year’s Day, why not catch some fun?
“Ha!”
Instantly bright, Zhong Yunxiu chirped, “Be punctual! See you in Huhai!”
“Hm.”
Gao Jing shook his head helplessly, storing the invite in his Storage Space.
Next day.
New Year’s Eve.
Evening approached. Across the Provincial Capital, streets entered their emptiest moment of the entire year.
Most shops closed; streets lay deserted. Even normally jam-packed main roads saw few vehicles, letting cars easily reach top speed limits.
Driving from Minglan Grand View to Jinghuayuan Community took Gao Jing barely thirty minutes.
Zhang Ying’s meticulous planning had registered his G-Class with the property managers.
So the security guard handed him an electronic pass card,
plus a dedicated parking spot.
After parking underground, Gao Jing took the elevator directly to the tenth floor, knocking at apartment 1001.
He’d given Ge Guizhi all three door keys Zhang Ying provided.
“Brother!”
Gao Yuanyuan opened the door.
Seeing Gao Jing, her face lit up with pure joy, eyes curving into smiles.
Utterly adorable!
Smiling, Gao Jing offered her a bouquet.
Though still thin and a bit sickly, her complexion today showed more color. Gone was the fragile, darkened look in her eyes.
Replaced by youthful freshness.
Watching his sister this way filled Gao Jing with happiness.
“Thanks, Brother.”
Cradling the flowers, Gao Yuanyuan turned inside.”Mom! Brother’s here!”
Her voice carried new energy, less timid than before.
“Gao Jing.”
Ge Guizhi leaned out the kitchen, apron tied, beaming. “Come in! New Year’s Eve dinner’s almost ready. Yuanyuan, get your brother seated first.”
“Mm.”
Gao Jing quietly shut the door behind him.
The small dining room was brightly lit. The main table in the center already held all kinds of delicious dishes.
Several plates still steamed hotly, and the aroma of cooked food drifted through the air.
“Brother, put your shoes on.”
Gao Yuanyuan bent down and took a pair of large men’s cotton slippers from the nearby shoe cabinet, placing them in front of him.
Gao Jing took off his leather shoes, slipped on the warm, comfortable cotton slippers, and walked into the living room.
He noticed the room had been cleaned spotlessly. A red “fu” character was even pasted on the glass of the balcony door.
Before coming inside, he’d also spotted the spring couplets already pasted by the entrance.
Now this was the taste of a real home!
He was lost in thought for a moment.
He remembered when his grandfather was still alive; every Lunar New Year, the old man would personally write and hang the spring couplets.
Grandfather’s cooking was pretty ordinary, but he always did his very best to prepare a table of good dishes.
Later on, it had become Gao Jing’s job to cook the New Year’s Eve dinner.
Just the two of them depended on each other back then. Though life was hard, it was still joyful.
At least he wasn’t alone.
After Grandfather passed away, New Year’s Eve had lost its meaning for Gao Jing. He often just threw together something quick for dinner.
It wasn’t any different from normal days, except more lonely and cold.
“Brother.”
His little sister’s soft call snapped Gao Jing out of his thoughts: “We can eat now.”
“Yeah.”
Gao Jing smiled and followed her to sit down at the dining table.
Ge Guizhi brought over the last dish and placed it on the table. Wiping her hands on her apron, she said a bit nervously, “Gao Jing, my cooking isn’t very good, please don’t mind.”
“Let me taste first.”
Gao Jing picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of steamed fish.
He sampled a few other dishes too, then smiled. “The flavor is really good, Aunt Gui. You’re being too modest.”
Compared to chefs in hotels, Ge Guizhi’s cooking skill was definitely far behind.
But for a homemaker, it was more than good enough.
And for Gao Jing, the New Year’s Eve dinner didn’t need to be expensive or fancy.
What mattered was who you ate it with!
Seeing Ge Guizhi still standing, he immediately invited her, “Aunt Gui, come sit down and eat with us.”
“Yes, yes!”
Ge Guizhi quickly took off her apron and sat down.
Her face was overflowing with pure joy, making her seem several years younger.
Gao Jing placed a piece of braised pork in his sister’s bowl. “You need to eat more meat.”
Gao Yuanyuan nodded shyly, picked up the pork with her chopsticks, and ate it in tiny bites.
She seemed to be eating very happily and sweetly.
After finishing it, she placed a chicken leg in Gao Jing’s bowl. “Brother, you should have some meat too.”
Gao Jing gave a gentle smile.
This was the first time he and his sister had sat down together for a meal, in his memory.
Though this New Year’s Eve dinner wasn’t particularly lavish or gourmet, he felt happy and comfortable eating it.
It had been a long, long time since Gao Jing had tasted
this warm feeling that belonged to a home.
Halfway through the meal, he brought out the prepared Hundred-Fruit Wine.
He opened it, poured a small amount into each glass for Gao Yuanyuan and Ge Guizhi, and then diluted it with fruit juice.
“Aunt Gui, this is a health tonic.”
Gao Jing said to Ge Guizhi. “From now on, you and Yuanyuan should drink a little of this every day. About the same amount I poured today is enough. Remember not to drink too much. It’s very good for your health.”
Ge Guizhi looked nervous. “This must be expensive, right?”
Of course, she didn’t recognize the Hundred-Fruit Wine, but she had basic judgment.
If the stuff wasn’t precious, why would Gao Jing have specifically emphasized only drinking a tiny bit each time?
It was like those truly old wild ginseng roots, where even half a wisp of a strand was incredibly potent!
“Not that expensive,” Gao Jing answered with a smile. “Anyway, just don’t talk to others about it. Drink it all, and I’ll bring you more later.”
His little sister’s constitution was weak, and the Hundred-Fruit Wine was excellent for improving physical fitness, perfect for her to consume regularly.
Of course, Gao Jing wouldn’t tell them
that just one bottle could fetch tens of millions!