This actor has something

Chapter 352 Another Year

There's a reason why they're expensive. Zhou Huimin hadn't used her lighters for over a year, but today He Daqi found a dozen of them, and they still work.

The pure gold lighter is inlaid with a layer of red frosted paint, and the Givenchy logo is in the lower left corner, giving the lighter a simple and elegant aesthetic.

It's a little bit heavy, after all, it's pure gold, so it's a bit inconvenient to hold with just two fingers.

Two little ones were standing on either side of He Daqi's legs, staring at him intently without saying a word. They looked as if they were afraid of startling He Daqi.

The wind was quite strong at the entrance of the villa, causing the flame on the lighter to sway back and forth. Sometimes, when the wind blew hard, it even made a hissing sound, like shaking a rag.

He Daqi cheerfully lit the fuse, then threw the firecracker into the snow with a forceful toss. The two little ones immediately covered their ears, their eyes fixed on the firecracker as they followed it to the snow in the distance, eagerly waiting for it to explode.

Boom! ! !
Snowflakes flew everywhere, blasting a crater into the once smooth snow surface. White smoke slowly rose from the crater. There were already six or seven similar craters nearby, but those craters were no longer emitting smoke.

The two little ones jumped and danced with excitement, tugging at He Daqi's trouser legs and clamoring for him to put one more on.

As He Daqi pulled out another firecracker, the two of them resumed their cautious demeanor, barely daring to breathe, their eyes fixed on the firecracker in He Daqi's hand, ready to cover their ears at any moment.

He Daqi's mischievous side kicked in again. He held a firecracker and rubbed it against the lighter. Every time the firecracker got close to the lighter, the two little guys would quickly raise their hands to cover their ears. But after a long time, He Daqi just wouldn't light it. Only then did the two little guys realize that their dad was teasing them.

Just as the two children were about to whine and complain to He Daqi, they suddenly heard He Daqi scream, and then saw the firecracker in his hand fall to the ground.

Well, the two little ones were so frightened that they turned around and tried to run back into the house, but their legs went weak. They ran a couple of times but couldn't move, and ended up falling onto the thick carpet. Then they just lay there on the carpet, heads in their hands and bottoms sticking up, not moving an inch.

He Daqi was practically laughing his head off, grinning silently, his body twitching. He didn't know how scaring his own child could make him laugh like that.

After a while, the two little ones heard no sound behind them, so they carefully let go of their hands covering their ears and turned around. Then they saw the firecrackers on the ground that hadn't been lit at all, and their father's hateful face.

That won't do; both little ones pouted at the same time.

Before He Daqi could even happily go over and comfort her, Zhou Huimin happened to walk out of the bedroom yawning. The little girl got up and ran towards Zhou Huimin, while the little boy was a beat slower and only got up to catch up after his sister had run a couple of steps.

"I'm never going to be best friends with Daddy again! Daddy scared me." The little girl hugged Zhou Huimin's leg and choked up.

That pitiful look perfectly captured the little girl's heartbreak after He Daqi betrayed her trust.

The baby boy was alright; he didn't cry, but he pouted and looked aggrieved, clinging to Vivian Chow's other leg, wanting her to stand up for him.

Just woken up, Vivian Chow felt both annoyed and amused. She put her hands on her hips, glared at He Daqi, and loudly questioned, "He Daqi! Haven't you grown up yet? Have you forgotten that today is the first day of the Lunar New Year? Why are you scaring the child?"

The little girl, just like Zhou Huimin, turned around, put her hands on her hips, tilted her head back, and huffed at He Daqi. Looking at her puffed-up face, it would take a hundred comforting words to coax her.

Unfortunately, the mother and her two children underestimated He Daqi's shamelessness.

He Daqi completely ignored Zhou Huimin, cheerfully squatted down beside her, and poked the sulky little girl: "Lele, are you really not going to be friends with Daddy anymore?"

The little girl put her hands on her hips, turned her head away, and didn't even look at He Daqi.

He Daqi suppressed a laugh, then turned and pinched his precious son's cheek: "Huanhuan, are you still as close to Daddy as the best in the world?"

The beloved son didn't say anything, but just hugged Zhou Huimin's trouser leg, pouted, and shrank back, expressing his feelings through his actions.

"That's a pity." He Daqi stood up and sighed dramatically, then said, "Looks like I'll have to set off the firecrackers by myself tonight. Oh dear, I bought about ten large fireworks. What am I going to do if I have to watch them all by myself tonight?"

How can this work!

The two little ones immediately became anxious, whimpering and tugging at Vivian Chow's pants, signaling her to quickly control He Daqi and not let him secretly set off the fireworks.

"Don't pay any attention to him. Mom will take you to set off fireworks tonight." Zhou Huimin patted the two children's heads to comfort them, then stretched out her hand and said to He Daqi, "Where are the firecrackers? Give me two, and I'll take them to set them off for fun."

He Daqi smacked his lips, took out a handful of firecrackers from his pocket, and handed them to Zhou Huimin.

Zhou Huimin led the two bouncy little ones back to the villa entrance. Under the expectant eyes of the two children, she paused for a moment, then turned around and called out to He Daqi, "What did you order?"

He Daqi walked over with a smile and took out a lighter for her.

Seeing her commemorative pure gold lighter covered in burn marks from the firecrackers lit by He Daqi, Zhou Huimin curled her lips, glanced at He Daqi sideways, and, too lazy to waste words with him, took the lighter and lit it.

Then, just like He Daqi, she held the firecrackers up and down for a long time without lighting them, leaving the two little ones bewildered, wondering what Zhou Huimin was doing.

"You're not afraid to release it, are you?" He Daqi asked cheekily.

"Who said that?!"

Zhou Huimin gritted her teeth and lit the fuse. In a panic, she threw the lighter away and prepared to cover her ears. Fortunately, He Daqi reacted quickly and snatched the lit firecracker from her hand and threw it into the snow. As the firecracker went off with a bang, Zhou Huimin's face visibly turned from white to red.

Shame on you! What a shame!
She pursed her lips and looked at He Daqi without saying a word. He Daqi tried hard to suppress his laughter, and it was very difficult for him. His body trembled and shook.

A few seconds later, Vivian Chow burst out laughing, speechless. Then, as if a switch had been flipped, He Daqi started laughing so hard he couldn't catch his breath.

"Hahahaha... Ouch! My stomach hurts! You... Hahaha... What do you mean by throwing the lighter away?"

"Stop laughing!"

"Tell me quickly, hahaha... what do you mean by throwing away the lighter?"

"I said! Stop laughing!"

A flurry of small fists rained down on He Daqi, but even so, it didn't make He Daqi's smile disappear.

……

It's approaching noon.

He Daqi led the way, with Zhou's mother and Zhou Huimin each carrying a child behind them.

The snow crunched underfoot, and the two little ones were incredibly impatient, constantly begging Zhou's mother and Zhou Huimin to let them get down and walk in the snow. Unfortunately, their pleas were in vain, and the two children could only look at the snow with longing eyes and fantasize.

The whole family was bundled up tightly, with only their eyes showing. They wore woolen hats and scarves covering everything below their eyes.

He Daqi walked ahead and greeted everyone he met with a Happy New Year, regardless of whether he knew them or not. People would immediately reply, and if they were more outgoing, they would say a few auspicious words, mostly praising how cute your child is.

The greetings and the red paper wrappers of firecrackers at the entrances of various buildings in the community all contribute to the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

The family arrived at He Bing's house in less than five minutes.

We arranged to spend the Spring Festival at He Bing's house this year. Grandpa He and Grandma He are living with He Bing now. Before the Spring Festival, their courtyard house in Guangminglou was demolished, so the two of them moved here.

This is convenient, as we don't have to rush here every morning anymore. It's just a pity that we can't get together with our old neighbors anymore. In the first few days after the old lady moved here, if she met He Daqi, who was up early, when she came to pick up the children from the villa, she would chat with him about this. After all, they had lived in the same courtyard house for almost their whole lives, so it's normal for them to feel uncomfortable when they first moved here.

This is because times are changing, and ordinary people can only go with the flow.

The changes in Beijing in the past two years can be described as rapid and dramatic. You might not have been in a place for four or five months, and then one day you suddenly find that the place has been completely demolished, and even a new building has been half-built.

He Daqi awkwardly pushed open the door of the central villa with his shoulder, then used his back to block the door, letting Zhou's mother and Zhou Huimin, who were carrying the child, come in. After they entered the house, he turned around and closed the door.

"Is it snowing again outside?" The old lady asked as she took the child from Zhou Huimin's arms, noticing the snowflakes on He Daqi and the others.

"Yes, it rained halfway down, and it was quite a fall. Luckily, we were nearby," Zhou Huimin replied.

Li Haiyang smiled and replied, "Sit on the sofa and warm up. The food will be ready soon. Everything is prepared and we're just waiting to cook it. Daqi, go into the kitchen and tell your uncle to start cooking."

"Okay." He Daqi replied and turned to go into the kitchen.

Right now, He Bing is working hard in the kitchen, sweating profusely. The worst part is that there's someone standing right next to him, giving orders and constantly correcting He Bing's mistakes, making He Bing more and more flustered and chaotic.

Seeing He Daqi come in, He Bing finally breathed a sigh of relief and turned to the nagging old man, saying, "Dad! If you're not going to help, then go out. No matter what I do, you'll always grumble a bit. Make room for me and let Daqi help me with some work."

"Hey! Can't I even say a few words?"

Grandpa He glared at He Bing, but he didn't linger in the kitchen. When he saw He Daqi arrive, he knew that his two great-grandchildren had also come. He turned around and left the kitchen with a smile to see the children.

He Daqi took off his down jacket, rolled up his sweater sleeves, and walked to the sink to wash his hands and help.

While chopping vegetables, He Bing asked, "Didn't I tell you to come earlier? Why are you so late?"

"The two kids slept in late, they just woke up." He Daqi's ability to lie through his teeth has become increasingly adept.

"You're kidding me. I was out getting a drink when your aunt called your wife, and I heard her clearly say that you took the kids outside and set off firecrackers for half the day."

"I was planning to just come and eat what's served, so what?" He Daqi shrugged like a piece of meat.

"Hurry up! Come over and cook the conch. You can't expect to get it ready-made."

The uncle and nephew bickered as they busied themselves in the kitchen.

Thanks to his increased skill in even cutting fruit, He Daqi's cooking skills have now reached an advanced level. When he stir-fries, he holds the wok and flips the food so vigorously that He Bing is completely dumbfounded.

"You didn't take on a role in a chef movie, did you? And you practiced cooking at home specifically for that?"

"Can't I learn to cook so I can eat better food?" He Daqi asked with a smile.

He Bing looked incredulous and said with a sneer, "With how lazy you are now, you would actually bother to practice cooking? You must have taken on a role in a chef movie."

"No, really. I've only taken on three movies this year. The first half of the year was 'After the Flowers Fade,' the second half was Feng Xiaogang's movie, and there's also a cameo role in Hollywood, but I'm not sure when it will be in the second half of the year."

He Bing clicked his tongue and teased, "Hey, you've even made it to Hollywood? You can't stay in China anymore? You've gone to show off to those foreign devils."

"Uncle, no offense, but do you usually keep everything to yourself during rehearsals or filming, and then wait until you get home to chat with your family? My aunt hasn't slapped you for talking so much!"

"You believe me if I punch you first?"

He Daqi turned around with a grin and said, "I believe you, of course I believe you. Alright, alright, stop nagging and hurry up. Why are you cutting so slowly? I'm waiting to put it in the pot!" He then waved the pot in his hand.

"...You little brat!"

……

Lunch on the first day of the Lunar New Year was very lavish. There were three fish dishes: steamed mandarin fish, braised mixed fish, and fried baby yellow croaker.

There weren't many other hot dishes, only five or six kinds, and the rest were some ready-made dishes, such as sliced ​​braised meats and roast chicken.

After the old lady learned that He Daqi had cooked these dishes, she hugged her great-grandson and ate them with great relish, her eyes crinkling with laughter, clearly overjoyed.

The old lady only has so many wishes: to have the whole family get together for a meal during the Lunar New Year, which is a joyous occasion. Especially now that there are four generations under one roof, the thought that she might even live to see her great-grandson get married and have children makes her even happier.

He Bing was also quite happy. He hadn't drunk any alcohol in a long time. At the last Crazy Stone celebration banquet, he didn't drink a single drop because he had to get up early the next day to rehearse the play. Now, he was drinking one small wine cup after another, and he looked very happy.

"By the way, Uncle, is there going to be a second season of your 'The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner'?"

"Are you really unaware or just pretending?" He Bing's smile froze, and he looked at He Daqi suspiciously.

"What do you mean?" He Daqi was also quite puzzled as to why He Bing reacted so strongly.

At this point, Li Haiyang explained the reason: "The second part started filming before the new year. They didn't cast your uncle because they said that Song Ci in the second part is over fifty years old, and they were afraid that your uncle wouldn't be able to portray the feeling of that age."

"Wow! Really? Uncle, with just a little makeup you look like you're over 60. Does that mean the director can't tell ages?" He Daqi chuckled and teased.

"Get out of here!" He Bing said, taking a sip of his drink in frustration.

(End of this chapter)