mtl008 Chapter 456 A Feast of Wine
Chapter 456 A Feast of Wine
The scenery outside the window flashed by quickly. Amid the roar of the train, Li Xiangyang and Li Xiaoyun took turns holding Xiao Wangchen, afraid of disturbing his sweet dreams.
The journey of several hours passed quickly. After getting off the train, the setting sun cast its golden rays onto the platform. Li Xiangyang carefully took the child from Li Xiaoyun's arms and said softly, "Are you tired? Let me hold you."
Li Xiaoyun stretched and nodded with a smile, "Yeah, the ride was a bit bumpy, my back is sore from sitting."
“I’ll take you home on my bicycle later. You can sit on the back and hold the child. I’ll ride slowly, so don’t be afraid on the way,” Li Xiangyang said as he carried the child home.
After arriving home, Li Xiangyang said goodbye to his mother and sister, then carefully pedaled his bicycle towards the village.
Along the way, Li Xiangyang deliberately avoided bumpy sections of the road, and the bicycle traveled exceptionally smoothly.
As the sun set, the family returned to Xiaoliang Village. They saw several elderly people sitting under the big locust tree at the village entrance, enjoying the shade. When they saw them return, they waved to them.
"Xiangyang's back?" Grandpa Liu, who was smoking his pipe at the village entrance, asked loudly.
Li Xiangyang rode up, stopped his bike, and replied with a smile, "Yes, Uncle Liu, I just got back from Xiaoyun's parents' house."
"Congratulations on the birth of your son, young man! You've grown up! Let me see the baby, what does he look like?" Grandpa Liu leaned forward, squinting as he looked into Li Xiaoyun's arms.
Li Wangchen was just awakened. His two big, dark eyes looked at the stranger warily, and his little mouth twitched as if he was about to cry.
This little rascal is quite shy. "Don't cry, sweet baby..." Seeing this, Grandpa Liu said awkwardly, "Hurry back, the child is still young, don't let him catch a cold."
After saying goodbye to Grandpa Liu, Li Xiangyang pushed the stroller and carried the child home.
The closer they got to home, the more familiar faces they encountered. Everyone gathered around to check on the child. Li Wangchen was so frightened by so many unfamiliar faces that he started crying. The two of them frantically tried to soothe him before he calmed down.
After arriving home, Li Xiangyang had just put down his luggage when he heard a knock on the door.
It was Wang Ergou and Ma Hongxia who arrived.
"I heard you were back, so I rushed back to the village!" Wang Ergou grinned, carrying two fish in his hand. "Here you go!"
Li Xiangyang smiled helplessly: "Honestly, why are you all being so polite?"
Ma Hongxia smiled as she looked at the baby in Li Xiaoyun's arms, her eyes full of envy: "Xiaoyun, the baby is so cute, can I hold him?"
Li Xiaoyun nodded gently and carefully handed Li Wangchen to her, saying, "Be gentle, he just fell asleep."
Ma Hongxia took the child, but her movements were a little clumsy. Li Wangchen seemed to feel the embrace of a stranger, and his little face scrunched up as if he was about to cry.
"Oh dear, what should we do?" Ma Hongxia panicked and looked at Li Xiaoyun helplessly.
Wang Ergou came over and made a face: "Little guy, look at Uncle Ergou!"
Li Wangchen was so frightened by the sudden appearance of the strange face that he burst into tears. Ma Hongxia quickly handed the child back to Li Xiaoyun, who skillfully patted the child's back and gently comforted him, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we're all family."
"Look at you, you pathetic sight!" Li Xiangyang glared at Wang Ergou, annoyed. "You've scared the child to tears."
"This isn't the first time I've met a child," Wang Ergou said, scratching his head, somewhat embarrassed.
Just then, footsteps sounded in the courtyard again, and Li Daqiang and Zhang Weiping walked in one after the other, each carrying something in their hands.
"We heard you were back, so we came to see you!" Li Daqiang said with a smile, placing a basket of eggs on the table. "My mom asked me to bring these; she said they're good for Xiaoyun's health."
Zhang Weiping, not to be outdone, pulled a small cloth tiger from his pocket: "I bought this at the market; they say it can ward off evil and bring peace."
The room suddenly became lively as several young people surrounded the newborn baby, chattering away.
Li Wangchen was awakened by the voices of the crowd, but he neither cried nor made a fuss. He simply opened his big, dark eyes and curiously looked at these unfamiliar faces.
"Look how smart he is, he doesn't cry at all." Li Daqiang bent down and teased the child.
Li Xiangyang stared at the lively scene, somewhat lost in thought. Everything was so wonderful, something he could never have dreamed of in his past life...
"Xiangyang, what are you daydreaming about?" Wang Ergou's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hurry up and make some arrangements. We'll get together tonight to celebrate the kids' birthday."
“Okay, then let’s eat at my place. I’ll go kill a chicken,” Li Xiangyang said with a smile.
Li Xiaoyun looked up at her husband and said softly, "You just got back, aren't you tired?"
Li Xiangyang held his wife's hand and said softly, "I'm not tired. I'm so happy to see you both doing well."
Turning to Wang Ergou, he said, "Ergou, go and call your friends in the village. Tell them we're having a get-together at my house tonight."
Wang Ergou patted his chest and said, "Leave it to me!"
"Xiaoyun, I'll go with you to rest for a while. These grown men are making too much noise here." Ma Hongxia took Li Xiaoyun's hand and walked into the inner room.
Li Xiaoyun nodded, picked up the child, and followed Ma Hongxia into the house.
"Come on, I'll go kill the chicken, you guys help me." Li Xiangyang waved to Li Daqiang and Zhang Weiping, and the three of them walked towards the yard together.
Just as they were busy, another commotion came from outside the courtyard. Wang Ergou led a large group of people in, including the village's old Party Secretary, production team leader Zheng Dehou, and several villagers who were on good terms with Li Xiangyang.
"Li Xiangyang, congratulations!" The old Party Secretary walked forward with a smile, carrying a large red envelope. "This is a small token of my appreciation; I'm buying the child something nice."
"Old Party Secretary, you're too kind." Li Xiangyang quickly dried his hands, accepted the red envelope, and felt a surge of gratitude.
Zheng Dehou also stepped forward with a smile and patted Li Xiangyang on the shoulder: "Young man, you've got potential! Having a son at such a young age, that's great!"
……
The courtyard suddenly became lively. Soon, the food and drinks were ready, and a large group of people sat around the table, clinking glasses and laughing.
"Come on, let's drink to Li Xiangyang's newborn son!" Zheng Dehou raised his glass and led the toast.
"Cheers!" Everyone raised their glasses together, and Li Xiangyang returned the toasts one by one, his face beaming with smiles.
After a few drinks, the atmosphere became even more lively, and Wang Ergou couldn't stop smiling. "Haha, my baby should be born in a couple of months, Xiangyang, then our two families' kids can play together!"
Li Xiangyang put his arm around Wang Ergou's shoulder and raised his glass: "Come on, let's drink to Ergou becoming a father soon!"
Everyone burst into laughter and raised their glasses.
Just then, Li Xiaoyun came out from the inner room and said softly, "The child is asleep, please keep your voices down."
The people inside immediately lowered their voices, and Li Xiangyang quickly went over to support his wife: "You've had a long day, are you hungry?"
Li Xiaoyun shook her head and smiled, "I'm not hungry. Thank you everyone for coming to celebrate Wangchen's birthday."
The old Party Secretary chuckled and put down his wine glass. "Xiaoyun, sit down and rest for a bit. Don't stand. Xiangyang, quickly get your wife a stool."
Li Xiangyang quickly brought over a chair and helped Li Xiaoyun sit down.
Ma Hongxia also came out from the inner room and brought Li Xiaoyun a bowl of chicken soup: "Drink it while it's hot, it'll nourish your body."
Li Xiaoyun gratefully accepted the bowl, took a small sip, and exclaimed, "It's delicious! Thank you, Hongxia."
After several rounds of drinks and dishes, the atmosphere in the room became increasingly lively.