Power and Wealth
Chapter 1742 – New Year’s Eve
New Year’s Eve.
It was past eight o’clock in the evening.
The Spring Festival Gala had begun. Senior Xie and his family were already eating and watching TV while they ate. At this moment, Dong Xuebing, Xie Hao, Xie Jing, and a few other younger relatives arrived late, laughing and chatting as they sat at the table, picking up their chopsticks and eating. Xie Hao was particularly excited, his mouth never stopping. He was always such an exuberant person.
“Xiao Hao,” Cui Lifen called out.
“Mom, what is it?” Xie Hao turned to his mother.
Cui Lifen looked at him and asked, “What are you chatting about so much? What ‘martial arts exchange’?”
The other elders also glanced at them, clearly not understanding.
Xie Hao chuckled, excitedly saying, “You guys came back too early. Just now, you didn’t see it! Haha, my brother-in-law is amazing. Those three bodyguards of Grandpa wanted to spar with my brother-in-law, but in the end, all three teamed up against him, and my brother-in-law didn’t even fight back. He dodged their attacks for over ten minutes until they couldn’t handle it and gave up.”
Han Jing frowned. “It’s New Year’s Eve, why resort to violence?”
Xie Jing explained, “They insisted on challenging my brother-in-law.”
Xie Ran nodded in agreement. “My brother-in-law said he didn’t want to fight from the beginning and was merciful throughout.”
“He’s amazing,” Xie Hao exclaimed, waving his hands and gesturing. “Dodging punches and kicks, my brother-in-law sidestepped effortlessly, calm as if he were shopping. I’ve always known my brother-in-law could fight, but this was different. These opponents were bodyguards trained by Grandpa. Each one is an exceptional individual. And my brother-in-law didn’t lift a finger; he came out unscathed. It was like watching a scene from a martial arts novel—like Lingbo Weibu!”
Hou Ming: “…”
Dong Xuebing: “…”
Xie Jing couldn’t help but sigh. “Lingbo Weibu is from Tian Long Ba Pu.'”
Xie Hao remained unfazed, unashamed. “Well, it’s the same idea. Brothers, do you think it resembles Lingbo Weibu?”
Dong Xuebing sighed. “Come on, it was just dodging a few moves. Don’t give it a fancy name. I don’t know any martial arts; I’ve never even trained in any.”
But Xie Hao was still immersed in his fantasy. As they say, every man has a martial arts dream in his heart. “If not Lingbo Weibu, then it must be mysterious and unpredictable. Brother-in-law, you really must teach me.”
Dong Xuebing was defeated. “Then I can also teach you the ‘Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms’.”
Xie Hao was immediately ecstatic. “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms! Teach me, teach me!”
Dong Xuebing: “…You believe that?”
Their conversation amused Han Jing. “Eighteen Dragon Subduing Palms? Are we in a martial arts novel? Let’s eat.”
Muttering to himself, Xie Hao commented, “Well, my brother-in-law has some skills.”
At this point, the Spring Festival Gala showed some entertaining programs, including a skit that everyone found amusing. They were all focused on watching, with occasional laughter from the skit and Xie Hao’s storytelling, creating a festive atmosphere.
“This program is great.”
“After all, that skit from earlier was good.”
“They’re all okay. This year’s Spring Festival Gala is pretty good.”
“We’re waiting to see Guo Degang later.”
After dinner, with Senior Xie at the center, everyone continued watching the Spring Festival Gala.
Han Jing, Xia Yanzhen, Cui Lifen, and a few others got up and went to the kitchen, where the maid and servants had set up a table and brought out pre-prepared dough and fillings. As they sat down, Cui Lifen rolled out the dough while Han Jing and Xia Yanzhen wrapped and filled the dumplings. They worked together seamlessly without needing to speak, which was a routine for them every Chinese New Year. Although they could have bought dumplings or had the servants wrap them, making dumplings together for this once-a-year family reunion added a unique flavor and atmosphere. As for the maids and servants, Han Jing gave them time off after accepting the dough and dumpling fillings, allowing them to go home for the New Year. Since many of them were staying here tonight, they didn’t need the servants’ help. They cared for Senior Xie, who couldn’t be managed by just them, which was also their filial duty.
Several female elders were busy with their hands.
After watching a sketch, Dong Xuebing saw that a dance performance was on and lost interest. He glanced around, first looking at Senior Xie’s face, hesitated momentarily, then glanced at Xie Guobang, still pondering, and finally spotted Han Jing busy making dumplings.
It had to be her.
Better ask his mother-in-law.
Dong Xuebing trotted over eagerly. “Mom, hi! Why are you doing this? Let me do it; I can handle it.”
Han Jing said, “Forget it. Your dumplings don’t look good.”
Dong Xuebing sat down. “Then teach me. If you teach me, I’ll manage.”
Language is an art, as is handling tasks. In the eyes of the Chinese, sometimes you don’t need to do the work; not knowing or doing it is fine as long as you can talk about it. This is also why Dong Xuebing has always been quite popular with some people. Despite being immoral and rogue sometimes, he speaks with excellent etiquette and politeness. He knows he doesn’t know how to wrap dumplings, but just saying this one sentence immediately makes Han Jing feel comfortable without Dong Xuebing needing to work.
Han Jing smiled and said, “You want to learn? Alright, bring a chair over. Hehe, but this is all about experience. Even if you learn quickly, you won’t be able to wrap them well today.”
Older people tend to be proud of their various life experiences. Even if they don’t show it off, they are still proud. Dong Xuebing’s request to let his mother-in-law demonstrate her experience made her feel good.
Beside them, Xia Yanzhen smiled and said, “Xiao Bing is so considerate. Look at my son, not even coming over to help, not a hint of initiative.”
Little did she know that Dong Xuebing had other things on his mind, thinking about Deputy Director Wang’s matter.