"Hey boss, who are you calling outside? Come in quickly, everyone’s chatting inside, why are you being so aloof on your own?"
Inside, Bo Qin’s mom’s voice came through. Bo Qin responded that he’d finish the call and continued to ask Secretary Zhou, "Take some time tomorrow to deliver some New Year’s goods to Jian Dan. Whatever’s good, things she likes to eat, ask Aunt Lin and send more of it."
Send some snacks that young girls love, too. If it’s not convenient for you, let Meng Xue come along with you. I remember that Meng Xue’s family is also from the capital."
Secretary Zhou wouldn’t dare refuse, "I understand, Mr. Bo. I’ll arrange it tomorrow, don’t worry. Aren’t you planning to meet the young miss for the New Year this year?"
Bo Qin was silent for a moment, then refused, "No need, she’s grown up now, she should have her own life. I really can’t give her some false expectations now, lest she can’t extricate herself later."
Bo Qin hung up the phone, still feeling down. Holding the phone, he thought of the first time he had dinner with Jian Dan, how timid the young girl was. He had brought her to the capital and hadn’t properly taken care of her for even a day. In the end, he had left her alone in the capital, avoiding her from afar, feeling inexplicably complicated.
"What are you doing? Didn’t I tell you to come inside?"
At some unknown point, Bo Qin’s mom came up behind him and patted his shoulder. Bo Qin smiled at her, "Yeah, I’ll head in now."
Lai Wei’s mom had visited Jian Dan’s house before. Aside from being impressed by the luxury, what surprised her the most was the coldness. A young girl living there, it lacked any sign of life.
She felt a bit sorry for Jian Dan. After having dinner with Lai Wei, she busied herself with making dumplings. Since her health wasn’t good, Jian Dan let her watch TV in the living room while she and Weiwei stayed busy in the kitchen. Weiwei was a master of household chores, whereas Jian Dan wasn’t the type to do chores, given her family’s financial standing and lack of opportunity.
Weiwei was teaching her how to wrap dumplings. At first, they didn’t turn out well, being quite ugly and fat.
They’d even split open, but after a few demonstrations from Lai Wei, they started to look more decent.
After successfully making a perfect dumpling, the joy on her face was the happiest she’d been in a while. She beamed at Lai Wei, "Weiwei, Weiwei, look, don’t you think I did it well?"
Lai Wei nodded, continuing to roll out the dough beside her, "Keep going, who knew you had a knack for cooking, young lady."
"Of course, I’m not stupid."
The dough was prepared by Aunt Lin, Lai Wei’s mom made it, and the subsequent work was left to Lai Wei. Lai Wei told Jian Dan, "When we make dumplings at home, we put coins in them. Whoever eats the one with a coin will have good luck and prosperity in the coming year.
Wanna try? Do you have any coins at home? Just wash them, and you can use them."
Jian Dan, full of curiosity, nodded and ran to the living room, fetching a handful of coins from the drawer, about a dozen by her estimate.
Lai Wei took them to wash them clean and then hugged them back to put into the dumplings.
Mixing them with the previously wrapped dumplings, but only three in thirty dumplings.
You could still tell which ones had coins now, but once they’re boiled, you couldn’t tell anymore, purely relying on luck.
Jian Dan rested her chin in her hands, "I hope to eat the dumpling with a coin."
Lai Wei laughed, "Well, that depends on your luck. We’ll cook thirty, and see who’s the luckiest to eat three, or just one."
Jian Dan nodded, "Great, I’ve never been part of this before, didn’t know it was so fun, Aunt Lin never told me, guess it’s because customs are different."
After wrapping a bowl of dumplings, Lai Wei took out divider boxes from the fridge and neatly arranged the dumplings in them, thirty per layer, a total of six layers.
Lai Wei said with a smile, "I wonder how long these dumplings will last you, let’s freeze them first."
"Okay, I love eating dumplings."
In the evening, they were waiting up for the New Year. The two of them sat on either side of Lai Wei’s mom, who was quite happy about celebrating the New Year. In previous years, it used to be just her and Weiwei, but this year, with the addition of Jian Dan, it felt especially warm.
At midnight, there would be a fireworks show visible from the roof of Jian Dan’s villa.
They weren’t in a hurry. Jian Dan started feeling sleepy around eleven. Lai Wei poked her, making Lai Wei’s mom laugh and tap her daughter’s hand gently, "What are you doing? Just wake Jian Dan up later, let her sleep for a while. She looks like she’s lost a lot of weight lately."