Mr. Xiao, can I borrow your wedding invitation?

Chapter 417 Self-defeating
The Xiao family, on New Year's Eve.

Lanterns and colorful decorations were put on, and the atmosphere was full of joy.

The Xiao family sat around the dining table to begin their New Year's Eve dinner. Everyone tacitly added red elements to their outfits. Jiang Rourou wore a high-profile red dress, Su Ying chose a more conservative red dress, and even Lan Ruo, who usually dislikes crowds, brought a red scarf to add to the festive atmosphere.

Grandpa Xiao handed out red envelopes to everyone one by one, a tradition he maintained every New Year's Eve for good luck.

Jiang Rourou couldn't stand the leftover steamed buns in the doghouse, so she immediately took the red envelope to the bathroom and secretly opened it. The moment she opened it, her smile vanished.

Five hundred dollars?
Only five hundred yuan!

I'm sending out beggars!

She found Xiao Jiayang in annoyance and said, "I said, the old man only gave me a 500 yuan red envelope, which isn't even enough for me to get a manicure. The Xiao family is so rich, he's so stingy, it's hilarious!"

"Grandpa just wants good luck, do you really expect to get rich?" Xiao Jiayang teased her.

Jiang Rourou rolled her eyes. "Anyway, your Xiao family is just picking their noses, hmph!"

Staying up all night on New Year's Eve is a tradition that has continued for many years with the old man. In the past, it was Lan Ruo, or Uncle Xiao and Third Master Xiao. This time, Lan Ruo had a migraine and had to go back to rest. Third Master Xiao was deeply missing his deceased wife and naturally had no mood for it. Uncle Xiao was called away on official business. Originally, Chen Wanru was quite happy to go, but the old man thought she was too noisy and sent her back to rest.

So now only some younger generations remain.

Xiao Jiayang instinctively stepped back, while Xiao Ruonan and Su Ying volunteered.

"You two aren't feeling well, you should get some rest!"

“It’s okay, Dad. It’s just the first half of the night. I won’t be able to sleep when I get back!” Xiao Ruonan said.

"Alright, then let Sakura stay!"

Su Ying: “…”

Xiao Ruonan: "..."

"Grandpa, do you like Xiaoying or hate her? It breaks my heart!" Xiao Shen joked, letting loose all sorts of things.

The old man glared at him and said, "If you're worried about the cost, then behave yourself when you're out there!"

Xiao Ruonan covered her mouth and sneered mercilessly, "Dad's right, brother, you'd better behave yourself from now on!"

Su Ying also felt a surge of anger, realizing that Xiao Shen was indeed not her biological son.

After returning home, Jiang Rourou was still secretly rejoicing, "That idiot Su Ying, her belly was already sticking out and she was still pretending to be filial, how disgusting, so pretentious and hypocritical!"

Xiao Jiayang glared at her with a look that left him speechless. "What do you know? She's trying to please Grandpa. In the Xiao family, as long as you keep the old man happy, that's a trump card. You can walk sideways in the Xiao family without anyone daring to say anything. Su Ying has foresight, wisdom, and methods, unlike you, you're such a fool. All you do all day is compare useless things. That's why I say you can't beat Su Ying. Your IQ can't keep up!"

Jiang Rourou was so angry she almost jumped up. "Who are you calling stupid? I just didn't want to argue with her. Who does she think she is!"

Xiao Jiayang deliberately used reverse psychology, "Okay, then go keep Grandpa company and try to win his favor. As long as you can win over Grandpa, you'll win, and Su Ying will never dare to ride roughshod over you again!"

"Tch! Fine, I'll go then, you just wait!"

Jiang Rourou acted immediately, calling Su Ying out from the old man's place, "This is none of your business, you, go back to where you came from!"

"Oh! Why have you suddenly become so filial?" Su Ying feigned surprise.

Jiang Rourou said impatiently, "What's it to you? Get out of here!"

"Are you sure you can handle things with the old man?"

Jiang Rourou snatched the tea box from her hand, "It's just brewing tea, why are you acting like you're the only one in the world who knows how!"

"Alright then, thank you for your hard work!" Su Ying waved goodbye and left.

He turned around, shook his head, and wished him well! Old Master Xiao was still awake, reading at his desk, when he heard the door open and looked up.

"Grandpa, your tea is ready!"

The old man looked outside and asked, "Why is it you? Where's Xiaoying?"

“She…” Jiang Rourou’s eyes darted around a few times, “Oh, Su Ying said she was too tired and couldn’t keep going, so she called me over. It’s alright, Grandpa, we’re both the same. I’m so happy to be able to keep watch with you!”

"Oh, I see. Okay!" The old man said thoughtfully.

"Grandpa, please drink the tea while it's hot!" Jiang Rourou obediently served the tea to the old man.

The old man pinched the lid of the teapot, stirred the tea leaves lying on it, and took a sip.

"puff!"

In an instant, he vomited it all up again.

"Grandpa, what's wrong with you?"

"How much tea leaves did you put in this?" The old man hadn't paid attention to the color of the tea earlier. The concentration was almost as strong as soy sauce. Luckily, he reacted quickly and spat it all out, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sleep all night.

Jiang Rourou clenched her fists. "I... I only put two spoonfuls into the cup!"

"What? You put it in the cup? And two clips of it? You..."

Jiang Rourou disagreed, "Isn't that right? Grandpa, did I put in too little?"

The old man nearly fainted. "First of all, tea leaves aren't put directly into the cup, they're put into the teapot, and the second infusion is the only one that can be used. Besides, you should be using lukewarm water, right? The temperature isn't high enough, so the tea leaves haven't fully unfurled!"

"Huh? I need to use boiling water too? Nobody told me!" Jiang Rourou was so embarrassed she could practically dig her toes out of her seat.

The old man was speechless. Was this some kind of question about giving instructions or not? This guy was clearly slow-witted, had poor self-care skills, couldn't even brew a tea, what else could he do?
"I'm sorry, Grandpa. I'll definitely learn from them from now on. How about this, you don't have to drink this cup, I'll make you another one!"

"no need!"

"That won't do! Trust me, it'll be quick!"

Jiang Rourou didn't hold the cup properly and it tipped over, instantly wetting the book next to her with the dark tea.

The old man's face turned green.

"I'm sorry, Grandpa, I didn't mean to. Let me wipe it for you!"

Jiang Rourou kept wiping, but the wetness only increased, and she was so anxious that she broke out in a sweat.

The old man pressed his hand to his temple. "Never mind, you can go now!"

The voice clearly indicated restraint.

Jiang Rourou felt as if she had been granted a pardon and quickly fled.

I heard that everything in the old man's study is an antique, so that book... it's really in trouble now!

It's all that bitch Su Ying's fault! She did it on purpose, just you wait!
At 11 p.m., fireworks lit up the Xiao family compound, an annual tradition. But this year was different, probably to celebrate the Xiao family's upcoming birth of a child. The fireworks were longer and more spectacular than ever before.

Jellyfish-shaped fireworks burst open in the night sky, their colorful ice powder illuminating the entire sky. They lasted for quite a while before going out, and everyone spontaneously gathered in the courtyard to watch.

"Make a wish?" Xiao Shen reminded Su Ying.

Su Ying said irritably, "These are fireworks, not shooting stars!"