Reaching out, Xia Ning took her phone and tapped in her password. She was able to unlock it the normal way.
The more wrong passwords one typed in, the longer one had to wait to unlock the phone.
That was to say, Qiao Yu didn’t unlock her phone, for she was confident that Qiao Yu didn’t know the six-digit password.
After unlocking her phone, Xia Ning checked her browsing history and when she saw that it was still the way it was when she last used her phone, she was finally relieved.
She then got out of her bed, washed up, then got dressed, and went downstairs.
Because of the holiday, the house had been rearranged for the occasion. A large “Fortune” character had been put up at the center of the French window, which she didn’t notice last night.
Enoch sat at the dining table, counting red packets with a big smile on his face. He didn’t even notice when Xia Ning came down.
Xia Ning went up to him and smiled when she saw the red packets. “That’s quite a lot.”
Turning around, Enoch saw Xia Ning and smiled. “Mummy, Happy New Year!”
Xia Ning rubbed Enoch’s head with a smile. “Happy New Year!”
Looking at Xia Ning, Enoch went quiet for a few seconds, then gave her his hand all of a sudden.
Seeing Enoch’s hand, Xia Ning was baffled. “What? Do you want me to hold your hand?”
“Mummy, where’s my red packet?” Enoch pouted. “Daddy and Grandma gave me theirs. I’m waiting for yours.”
Red packet? Xia Ning searched her memory for past Chinese New Years. She did seem to recall that her dad used to give her and her mum red packets on the first morning of the new lunar year. But when she was abroad, she had no such habit and had never thought much of it.
“What are you two doing?” Gao Wanhua walked in and smiled when she saw the mother and son at the dining table.
Turning her head, Xia Ning saw Gao Wanhua and smiled. “Mum, Happy New Year!”
“Happy New Year!” Gao Wanhua took a red packet out of her pocket, then gave it to Xia Ning.
Seeing the red packet, a lightbulb went off in Xia Ning’s head. The “Happy New Year” was supposed to be followed by a red packet. That was why Enoch extended his hand toward her so readily.
“Thank you, Mum!” Xia Ning said with a smile.
Gao Wanhua nodded, then turned to Enoch. “My dear grandson is so amazing! Look at all the red packets you’ve got there!”
“But Mummy didn’t give me one,” said Enoch with a pout. He looked at Xia Ning in disappointment.
Gao Wanhua glanced at Xia Ning, then recalled that the latter had grown up abroad. She understood right away and smiled at Enoch. “Mummy didn’t forget your red packet, she just forgot to bring them downstairs. She then shot a glance at Xia Ning.
Xia Ning took the hint right away and chimed in. “That’s right. I forgot to bring it here. I’ll go fetch it for you now.” After that, she headed back for the stairs, keeping her gaze ahead. Deep down, she felt sad. They were celebrating Chinese New Year together, but she acted like an outsider. If she had paid more attention, Enoch wouldn’t have been upset today.
Once she was back in her room, Xia Ning found her handbag and took out her wallet, only to find very little cash inside. She took out a bank card, then put it in the red packet Gao Wanhua gave her just then.
When Xia Ning gave the red packet to Enoch, the boy smiled broadly, then reached out to hug Xia Ning.
Xia Ning picked him up and he kissed Xia Ning on the cheek. “Thank you, Mummy!”
Seeing the smile on Enoch’s face, Xia Ning was relieved.
However, when Enoch sat back down and opened the red packet, he looked bewildered when he saw the card inside. After darting his eyes around, he pushed all his red packets in Xia Ning’s direction. “Mummy, these red packets are all for you!”