Chapter 127 Boring Modern Years
Two days later, on the day before New Year's Eve, Lu Zheng took the high-speed train back to his hometown.
"You're back just in time, my best friend's daughter is also back. Clean yourself up and come have a meal with me," Gu Ling said.
"What?" Lu Zheng was dumbfounded.
"I said you should come with me to have dinner with friends." His mom said calmly.
"No, the sentence before that?"
"Told you to tidy up."
Lu Zheng squinted his eyes at his mom, who seemed to have become younger after drinking Reishi Mushroom Wine for over a month, and said helplessly, "The one before that."
Gu Ling blinked and thought for a moment, "My best friend's daughter is also back?"
"So I didn't hear it wrong." Lu Zheng nodded, "I'm not going."
He placed his suitcase in the corner, opened it, and carefully took out four bottles of wine, placing them on the table.
Lu Hui's eyes lit up, "Reishi Mushroom Wine?"
Seeing Lu Zheng nod, he swiftly put away the wine with lightning speed.
Why is that?
No reason, the effects are quite evident.
"I must say, you really get what you pay for." His dad clicked his tongue in appreciation, "This medicine wine costing hundreds of thousands is truly different."
Lu Zheng laughed, "I bought it from a friend who does overseas herbal business. After the medicinal effects of these herbs are fully extracted, there will be new ones. You and mom keep drinking to ensure good health and longevity."
"I have no objections to longevity, but if you want me to be more blessed, obediently come with me to dinner." Gu Ling tugged on Lu Zheng's ear, "Did you hear me?"
"Mom, I don't want to go on blind dates."
"I know you're planning to settle in Hai City, my best friend's daughter also works there," Gu Ling said. "Why are you so indifferent to blind dates? I see other young men are quite enthusiastic about them."
Because none of those young men have a policewoman girlfriend or a thousand-year-old Peach Blossom Princess as a confidante!
...
Lu Zheng still hadn't mentioned Lin Wan, because if he didn't say anything, it would just be two meals. If he did, there would be more to come.
Various inquiries, various probes, leading to urging to sleep, urging to marry, urging to have children... At this moment, Lu Zheng and Lin Wan were in sync and didn't want his mom to disrupt it.
So in the end, Lu Zheng was dragged out by his mom for dinner.
Luckily, nothing out of the ordinary happened during the meal, and Lu Zheng politely chatted with his mom's best friend's daughter without even exchanging contact information.
"Sigh!" Gu Ling sighed, "How come you never get it?"
Lu Zheng laughed, "I don't even have a formal job in Hai City, do you really think anyone would fancy me? But if you were to say I bought a large flat outright, I guess she might give me a chance."
Gu Ling scoffed, "I told you, you make money from writing programs and bought a two-bedroom apartment with a down payment, just have a bit of a repayment pressure."
If that's not acceptable, I wouldn't want her in our house either."
Lu Zheng gave a thumbs up, "Nice, mom, you're so clear-headed!"
Gu Ling pursed her lips, "It's not about being clear-headed, it's mainly because there are still two more of my best friends to meet, and their daughters work in Hai City and Hang City."
Lu Zheng: (꒪⌓꒪)
"Mom, how come I never knew you had so many best friends before?"
"Do you find it weird that I, your mom, am a music teacher and participate in various musical and dance activities organized by the education bureau, and have many best friends?"
Lu Zheng shook his head, "Not weird at all!"
"Alright then, Liu Qian's daughter will be back tomorrow. We'll continue tomorrow."
Lu Zheng, "..."
Finally, after enduring the few days before the New Year, the New Year period brought another wave of bombardment from relatives.
Luckily, Lu Zheng didn't have to keep his earnings a secret from relatives, so most of them praised him, concluding that he would definitely find a girlfriend in the coming year.
Lu Zheng: "..."
I'm not even sure if you're praising me or mocking me.
...
Lu Zheng was originally pondering whether there would be a reunion with high school classmates during the New Year.
Turns out, while they would have various reunions during university holidays, after graduating from university, they mostly lost contact.
It's not surprising, really. Everyone leaves school and starts working, having their circles, and shared topics become less and less, plus they're not yet of the age to reminisce, so naturally, there's less communication.
But how many true friends can you find at work after leaving school?
In modern times, with such high mobility, you might joke and chat with colleagues, but once one resigns, you'd all probably part ways immediately.
Maybe after working for years, with a phone full of contacts and lively social media, there's hardly anyone to talk to.
"What am I sighing about? I don't even have a job, yet not as strong as others!"
After a tiring New Year period, once his parents' holiday ended and they went back to work, Lu Zheng quickly returned to Hai City.
After getting back, Tong Muxuan arranged a gathering, and Lu Zheng had a brief reunion with his three university roommates.
When Lu Zheng could first cross worlds, he had gathered with his roommates a few times, especially playing live-action role-playing games with Tong Muxuan. But since Lin Wan's incident, Lu Zheng has been busy on both ends, keeping in touch mostly by phone.
After returning from the New Year, none of them brought partners. They joked about work, chatted about university and work life, and then dispersed.
Immediately after...
Lu Zheng entered the festive atmosphere of another world.
Experiencing the New Year twice a year, aren't you jealous?
Compared to modern Hai City winters, which rarely have snow, and his own hometown where there's not much either, Tonglin County truly was a winter wonderland, snow-covered and enchantingly beautiful!
If modern New Year, spent with family, feels warm and comforting, the ancient emotions are leisurely and pleasant.
Lu Zheng donned a casual outfit, carried a large bamboo basket on his back, and Liu Qingyan also changed into simple attire. The two wandered through the market together shopping.
"Top-quality pheasants! Selling cheap! Only one hundred cents!"
"Winter bamboo shoots! Wild vegetables! Chestnuts!"
"Firecrackers! Crackling firecrackers!"
From daily necessities, chicken, duck, fish, meat, couplets, firecrackers, to sweets and toys, everything was available.
Lu Zheng noticed Liu Qingyan swallowing while looking at the pheasants, so he cleverly bought all three pheasants from the hunter.
Liu Qingyan blushed, "Qing Quan mainly loves eating them..."
Lu Zheng nodded repeatedly, "Exactly, exactly."
Along the way, they encountered roasted chestnuts. Lu Zheng tasted one, found it delicious, and bought a few pounds.
There was also cured meat. While Liu Qingyan didn't seem too interested, Lu Zheng liked the taste and bought a few pounds.
What? You say Uncle Li has already prepared some? More preparations won't go to waste!
The two made their way through the entire market, with Lu Zheng's bamboo basket filled to the brim with goods, and the three pheasants in his hands occasionally struggling.
Liu Qingyan also carried a lot in her hands, and her glowing face radiated with the satisfaction of shopping.
Returning home, Lu Zheng handed all the pheasants to an old servant of the Liu Family, then bid farewell to Liu Qingyan and headed back home with his belongings.
The New Year Festival is just around the corner.