Chapter 560: Chapter 560

With New Year’s only a few days away, many things had begun to slow down their pace.

The dairy factory had no news for the time being, and both Mr. Zhen and Mrs. Zhen were remarkably quiet. Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu, the siblings, were both staying home every day quietly studying and practicing their calligraphy.

After Han Mingyue had printed out and mailed off the manuscript of his first novel, he too made it a daily routine to visit the Zhen Family, sometimes practicing calligraphy with Zhen Yu, and at other times playing the guitar by himself.

This tranquil life continued until the morning of New Year’s Eve.

Early in the morning, someone knocked on the door of the Zhen Family home.

Zhen Yan and Zhen Yu had just returned from their run and finished washing up, each changing into comfortable home clothes, ready to have breakfast. Hearing the knocking, Zhen Yan had no choice but to put down his bun and get up to open the door.

As he opened the door, he was taken aback! "Mom! How did you get here?! And you brought Xiao Ci!"

"Move and let me in! Don’t let your brother freeze!" Mrs. Zhen’s tone was so natural! She pushed past Zhen Yan and squeezed through the door! Tʜe source of this ᴄontent ɪs novelꜰire.net

Helpless, Zhen Yan stepped aside to let her in and quickly closed the door after she entered.

"You’ve all started breakfast, huh! Why get up so early during the holidays?!" Mrs. Zhen said as she placed her child on the sofa, "I was thinking if you hadn’t gotten up, I’d come over and make something fresh for you!"

Zhen Yu simply glanced at her as she entered, then quickly turned back to continue eating, showing no intention of engaging with her.

Zhen Yan, however, spoke with a not-so-pleasant tone: "We’ve had a habit of morning runs for a long time, don’t you remember?!"

Mrs. Zhen, unwrapping the quilt from her younger son, paused for a moment and then said, "Ah, my memory isn’t what it used to be at my age! Now that you’ve mentioned it, it’s come back to me!"

Hearing this, Zhen Yan neither agreed nor disagreed and went straight back to the dining table to continue eating.

After breakfast, Zhen Yu quickly cleaned up the dishes and slipped into the kitchen.

Taking the opportunity with his sister out of the room, Zhen Yan hurriedly approached Mrs. Zhen and asked: "Why did you suddenly come over?! Where is Aunt Li?"

Mrs. Zhen deftly dodged the question: "Who doesn’t gather with their family for the New Year! I sent her home last night! She’ll come back on the third day of the New Year!"

"Mom!" Zhen Yan’s tone was not very approving: "Didn’t we agree to spend this year separately?!"

"Who agreed with you?!" Mrs. Zhen gave her son a sideways glance, "That was what you said! I didn’t agree! How could I, having both a son and a daughter, spend New Year’s alone!"

"Who’s alone! Isn’t he there as well?!" Zhen Yan blatantly pointed at Little Chengci sitting on the sofa.

"Smack!" Annoyed, Mrs. Zhen raised her hand and slapped Zhen Yan’s hand away, "Is it the same?! He is him, you are you! Xiao Yu is Xiao Yu! Besides, he’s so young, what does he understand!"

Mrs. Zhen’s words left Zhen Yan with no chance to argue back, so he sheepishly changed the subject: "So what do you mean? Are we staying here to celebrate the New Year tonight and leaving tomorrow?"

"Leaving? What for?" Mrs. Zhen didn’t even think before replying: "That rental is expiring soon; I have to move things over in advance! Have your sister watch Little Chengci later. We’ll move some stuff back first! As for the New Year’s Eve dinner with fish, meat and so on, I guess you haven’t prepared, right?! Let me tell you, I’ve bought over ten pounds of beef,"

"We’ve prepared..." Zhen Yan weakly retorted, but Zhen Yu walked out of the kitchen.

Mrs. Zhen immediately said upon seeing this, "Zhen Yu! Come and watch your little brother for a bit, your brother and I—"

"I have things to do! I don’t have time!" Zhen Yu interrupted her mother without thinking and walked straight into her bedroom and closed the door.

Although Zhen Yu was actually really looking forward to spending the New Year with Zhen Yan when he said he would stay, she clearly knew the score! On such an important occasion as the New Year, if Zhen Yan really didn’t go spend it with Mrs. Zhen, she would definitely come over to ’accompany’ her children...

So from the moment she got up early today, Zhen Yu was already prepared for Mrs. Zhen to come knocking at any time.

But Mrs. Zhen has come, and she wants Zhen Yu to help watch the kids???

HA... ’dream on’ and ’don’t even think about it’ are practically no different!

Once the door to Zhen Yu’s bedroom closed, Zhen Yan immediately felt a surge of awkwardness around him.

To give his mother a way to save face, he had to take the initiative and say: "It’s just one dinner! Whatever you need, I’ll go get it myself!"

Mrs. Zhen, her lungs aching from her daughter’s retort, took a couple of deep breaths but still nodded in agreement, and immediately began to instruct her eldest son.

It’s the New Year, and all she wanted was a happy and united atmosphere! She couldn’t stoop to her daughter’s level!

Besides! Even if she wanted to stoop, she couldn’t! It’s been so long, and this daughter of hers only visited her once. She really raised her for nothing...

But in fact, what Zhen Yu said was indeed the truth. She had to deliver the manuscript to the publisher before the start of school on March 1st! Old Lin kept calling from time to time to remind her! How could she not seize every moment to write?

Moreover, once she writes too quickly, the characters can easily become connected! But this is a handwriting practice book for elementary students, where every stroke has to be clear and precise! Even if Zhen Yu could write fast, she had to slow down to write properly!

About an hour later, when Zhen Yu, with sore hands and a desperate need to relieve herself, came out of the bedroom, she saw her brother sitting on the sofa, reading a book while watching the child...

This child, not yet six months old, can already turnover but still can’t sit or crawl, barely reaching the stage where he’s easy to look after. Moreover, as the months go by, he’s no longer fussy! Not only can he sleep through the night in his own bed, but he also doesn’t cry and look for someone to hold him all day long...

Zhen Yu took a quick glance and saw that her brother’s studies were not too greatly affected, so she went straight to the bathroom with a clear purpose.

After coming and going again, Zhen Yu returned to her bedroom and closed the door to continue her busy work.

Around 9:30 or so, Han Mingyue arrived.

After taking out his keys and opening the door, he was immediately stunned! Then, somewhat awkwardly, he smiled at Mrs. Zhen, who was standing in the living room, and bowed, saying: "Happy New Year, Aunt Cheng!"

Mrs. Zhen was also startled! She was moving around trying to lull her youngest son to sleep! The security door was suddenly pulled open... Her daughter was doing who knows what in her room, and her son had gone back to his own room to study, so there was no one to open the door for him. No one?!

"You have the keys to this apartment?!" Mrs. Zhen’s face became very expressive!

Just look at her son and daughter! They always elbow her out!

She’s the mother and hasn’t even got the keys yet! The keys to the apartment were given to an outsider first!

Ugh! She can’t take it anymore! She’s about to explode with anger! After the outsider leaves, she really needs to have a talk!