Huayu 2021: Isn’t he in the technology field?

Chapter 302 New Year's Eve Dinner: It's All Your Daughters-in-Law!
The next day, it officially became Lunar New Year's Eve.

The festive atmosphere of the Lunar New Year was so strong in Qianchuan County that it was impossible to shake off the smell. The air was filled with the smell of firecrackers, the aroma of stewed meat wafting from each kitchen, and the screams of children chasing and playing.

The "Luzhoufu" residential community is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and brand-new "Fu" characters and couplets are pasted on the entrance of each unit.

Jiang Qing parked the car, took a deep breath, picked up the bags full of gift boxes, and walked towards her apartment building.

Soon, he arrived at the gate of his own courtyard.

Jiang Zhao, the father, is a math teacher at a high school in the county town, and Zhang Yi, the mother, is a Chinese language teacher at a middle school. They had always lived in the teachers' residential area. It took Jiang Zhao and Jiang Nan a lot of effort to persuade their parents to move to this new residential area.

Or perhaps it was a deliberate attempt to cater to their preferences. Zhang Yi likes growing flowers, while Jiang Zhao wants to keep a dog, which is why she ultimately compromised on the one-story house with a yard that he had specifically chosen for her.

In the distance, withered vines climb the wrought iron fence of the courtyard, and a few pots of hardy camellias in the corner are topped with a few red flowers.

Pushing open the half-closed courtyard gate and stepping onto the cement path, Jiang Qing felt a little uneasy.

I didn't get home until the afternoon of Lunar New Year's Eve. Even though I had just finished the company's annual meeting the day before, this reason seemed weak in front of my parents.

In the morning, he tidied up the house in Binhu Shuangxi, put up the "Fu" character and couplets, and then drove to the company to visit the employees on duty before embarking on his return journey.

"Brother! You've finally decided to come back from your tech kingdom!"

A clear, cheerful voice rang out.

Wearing a bright yellow Pikachu onesie, Jiang Nan sprang out of the house like a nimble electric mouse. Two Pikachu ears, one on each side, stood up on her fluffy hat and trembled with her movements.

She put her hands on her hips, deliberately keeping a straight face, but her eyes curved into crescents, full of mischief.

"If we stay any later, the New Year's Eve dinner will turn into a midnight snack! Dad's face is practically rolling on the floor!"

She lowered her voice and gestured towards the house.

Before Jiang Qing could answer, her mother, Zhang Yi, quickly came out upon hearing the noise.

She wore a simple floral apron, exuding the warmth of a kitchen, her smile gentle, and even the fine lines around her eyes radiated warmth.

"Just come back."

Zhang Yi gave Jiang Nan a reproachful look and reached out to take the heavy thing from Jiang Qing's hand.

"Come inside quickly, it's cold outside. Give me the food, and go wash your hands. The food will be ready in a little while."

"Mom, I can do it myself."

Jiang Qing avoided her mother's hand and placed everything in the entryway.

"There wasn't much stuff, mostly food and household items, and some tea I bought for Dad."

Under the warm yellow light of the entryway, Jiang Qing, having changed into slippers, walked into the living room.

Father Jiang Zhao was sitting on the large sofa watching TV, the news channel's broadcasting voice echoing in the room.

He wore a dark gray wool sweater and a pair of reading glasses. His profile was serious, and his posture was upright, reflecting the temperament that had been cultivated over decades of teaching and educating students.

Hearing the noise, he turned his head and looked over his reading glasses, his gaze landing on his son.

"dad."

Jiang Qing called out and walked to the sofa.

"Ah."

Jiang responded with a sound of agreement, but his tone betrayed little emotion.

He picked up the remote, turned the TV volume down a bit, and then gestured with his chin toward the mahogany tea tray in front of him.

"Freshly brewed, Taiping Houkui tea, while it's hot."

On the tea tray, a cup of clear green tea is steaming.

"Eh."

Jiang Qingyi sat down on the single sofa next to her, picked up the cup of hot tea, and the familiar aroma of the tea soothed her heart and dispelled some of the unease she had felt before entering the room.

Jiang Nan, hugging a cushion, huddled at the other end of the sofa, her big eyes darting between her father and brother, looking on with anticipation as she waited for the "show to begin."

The only sound in the living room for a moment was the low murmur of the news broadcast from the television.

Jiang Qing held the teacup, feeling the warmth from her palms, waiting for her father to speak.

Sure enough, Jiang Zhao picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Jiang Qing through his glasses.

"Is everything settled at the company?"

"Everything is arranged. After the annual meeting, everyone was given a holiday, and all the bonuses and benefits that should have been paid out have been delivered."

Jiang Qing answered cautiously and thoroughly.

"Ah."

Jiang Zhao nodded and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest of the sofa.

"That show, what's it called? Lighter? Is filming going smoothly? Won't it interfere with company business?"

He asked about work, but his tone carried a hint of inquiry.

"It went very smoothly. Filming wrapped up the day before yesterday. The shooting schedule was very tight, and the crew was very efficient. With Zhang Bin and his team overseeing things at the company, the core technical framework is stable, daily operations are fine, and important matters can be handled remotely."

Jiang Qing explained carefully.

"Going to film was mainly to observe the process of film and television industrialization up close and to verify some early ideas about the combination of content production and AI. It was a kind of special market research and technology pre-research."

Jiang Zhao remained silent for a few seconds, seemingly processing the explanation.

Just when Jiang Qing thought the topic was about to end, her father suddenly spoke again, his gaze returning to the television screen, as if it were just a casual remark.

"That film, 'The Beginning,' was... well, not bad."

He paused for a moment, then added a word.

"Your acting was alright."

"puff!"

Jiang Nan, who was hugging a cushion and pretending to look at her phone, couldn't help but laugh out loud. She quickly covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.

Jiang Qing was also taken aback for a moment, then looked at her father's still serious profile and felt a warm current well up in her heart. She replied with a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"Thanks dad."

In the time that followed, the father and son began to chat intermittently, mostly about Jiang Qing's busy schedule over the past year.

Jiang Nan, meanwhile, was leisurely playing with the cat, snacking, and using her phone, swinging her toes.

About two hours later, Zhang Yi's voice came from the kitchen.

"Nannan, come help Mom serve the dishes! Dinner's ready!"

"Coming!"

Jiang Nan readily agreed, quickly jumped off the sofa, and slipped into the kitchen, leaving the father and son in the living room to exchange a silent glance. The atmosphere was more relaxed than before.

The lavishness of the New Year's Eve dinner at the restaurant goes without saying.

Zhang Yi's cooking skills are excellent. The table was filled with braised fish, dog meat hot pot, four-happiness meatballs, stewed pork hock until tender, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, cured meat... It was a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

"Eat more. Look at you, you must not have eaten properly while you were out, you've lost weight."

Zhang Yi kept piling food onto Jiang Qing's plate, and soon the bowl was piled high with food.

Jiang Qing smiled and agreed, then buried herself in her food.

They chatted about everyday things at the dinner table, about the changes in the county town, and the recent situations of relatives and friends, creating a warm atmosphere.

However, as they ate, Zhang Yi's topic subtly took a turn.

"Jiang Qing."

Zhang Yi placed another piece of pork rib on her son's plate and asked casually, "Um... the girl who played your girlfriend, her name is Zhang Jingyi, right? I've seen her picture, she's really pretty. You two... you must have a lot of contact while filming, right?"

Her eyes held expectation, reflecting a mother's concern for her son's marriage.

Jiang Qing paused in his chewing motion, his tone indistinct.

"Yes, we've had quite a bit of contact, since we've been filming together and have many scenes together."

What's that girl like?

Zhang Yi followed up with another question.

"She seems to smile a lot, so she must have a good temper?"

"mom."

Jiang Qing smiled helplessly.

"It's just a working relationship, we're just working together on a film."

"Oh~ it's work-related."

Zhang Yi nodded, but clearly didn't give up. She picked up another piece of greens for Jiang Qing and continued their "casual chat".

"What about... that girl named Zhou Ye? I saw you two filming that show together, that girl is so cute, the way she looks at you is so different. And that Meng Ziyi, she's so lively and fun, she complements you perfectly..."

Jiang Qing felt like the ribs she was holding were about to fall into her bowl.

"Mom, TV shows are all filmed in front of the camera, there's a script and everything is arranged, you can't take it seriously."

"Then... what about Chen Duling?"

Zhang Yi had clearly done her homework, rattling off names one by one.

"I heard you two knew each other in college? She's from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, right? That's a good school. This girl has a scholarly air about her, and you two look good together."

She became more and more excited as she spoke.

"And that Tian Xiwei, her smile is so sweet! Oh right, and that Li Shiqing, is her real name Zhao Jinmai? She's a young girl, but she seems so well-behaved and sensible..."

"Cough cough!"

Jiang Qing was so bombarded by her mother's string of names that she almost choked, and quickly picked up her water glass and took a sip.

"Mom, where did you get this gossip from? These are all colleagues and friends I've worked with. There's nothing like the relationships you're thinking. How can you believe all the rumors written online?"

Jiang Nan ate her rice with her head down, and her shoulders began to tremble suspiciously again.

The little voice inside her was screaming: Colleague? Friend? My dear mother, if you knew about your son's romantic escapades, you'd probably faint!
Those names are all your future daughters-in-law!

Seeing her son's somewhat embarrassed expression, Zhang Yi assumed he was just shy, which only fueled her enthusiasm, and she earnestly offered him advice.

“Jiang Qing, I’m not pressuring you or trying to interfere. I just feel that you’re focused on your company’s research. Work is important, but you can’t keep putting off your personal life! If you meet a suitable girl with a good personality and character, you should get to know her. Look at Nan Nan, even though she’s still studying, there’s a whole line of guys chasing after her…”

"mom!"

Now it was Jiang Nan's turn to blush, and she interrupted her mother reproachfully.

"Why are you dragging me into this! My brother is Jiang Shen, a tech upstart, a rising star, how can you compare them? The number of people chasing him could circle the earth three times! He's not in a hurry at all!"

She deliberately emphasized "Jiang Shen" and "newly crowned top star" and even winked at Jiang Qing.

Jiang Qing received the "good luck" signal in her sister's eyes, and could only grit her teeth and continue to deal with it.

"Okay, Mom, I know what I'm doing. Don't worry about it, let's eat, the food's getting cold."

He tried to silence his mother's questions with food, and then put a large meatball on her plate.

Jiang Zhao ate his meal in silence, listening to his wife's interrogation of their son and his son's awkward responses. Occasionally, he would glance at them, and the corners of his mouth would seem to turn up slightly, but he would quickly return to his serious expression.

He picked up his wine glass, took a sip of his homemade rice wine, and didn't offer any opinion, but his eyes clearly showed his concern for his son's personal life.

The New Year's Eve dinner finally drew to a close amidst Zhang Yi's occasional "subtle probing," Jiang Qing's evasive "clarifications and explanations," and Jiang Nan's smug, gossipy laughter.

Jiang Qing felt more tired than if she had attended a full-day strategy meeting.

After cleaning up the dishes, the family moved to the living room, where the coffee table was covered with sunflower seeds, peanuts, snacks, and fruit.

The annual Spring Festival Gala on TV has already begun with lively singing and dancing, and amusing skits.

The dazzling stage lights shone through the screen onto everyone's faces.

Jiang Qing leaned back on the sofa, watching TV with her parents.

Jiang Zhao watched with great focus, occasionally offering a comment on a particular program.

While knitting the half-finished woolen hat for Jiang Nan, Zhang Yi chatted with Jiang Qing about the party's content from time to time, temporarily refraining from mentioning those sensitive names.

Jiang Nan was holding her phone, her fingers flying across the screen, probably exchanging New Year's greetings and grabbing red envelopes with classmates and friends, occasionally glancing up and giggling along with the crosstalk and skits on TV.

The living room was warm and cozy, filled with a festive atmosphere.

The faint sound of firecrackers rose and fell outside the window, while fireworks exploded in the night sky, casting fleeting shadows of colorful light through the glass window.

Although fireworks are banned in the city, some people still sneak off to set them off.

Just as the skit reached its climax and the audience burst into laughter, Jiang Qing's cell phone, which was in his pocket, suddenly began to vibrate violently, the buzzing sound still clearly audible amidst the lively television background noise.

He calmly took out his phone, the screen lit up, and a video call request popped up.

He glanced quickly at his parents.

Jiang Zhaozheng was amused by the skit and showed a rare smile, while Zhang Yi also stopped her knitting and watched with great interest.

Jiang Nan glanced at him, her eyes showing understanding.

Jiang Qing coughed lightly and stood up as naturally as possible.

"Dad, Mom, I need to take this call. It might be an urgent matter at the company."

He waved his phone screen, and without waiting for his parents to look closely, he quickly walked towards his room.

"Go on, go on, you still have things to do during the New Year."

Zhang Yi nodded understandingly, then turned her attention back to the television.

Jiang Zhao hummed in agreement and refocused his gaze on the television screen.

Jiang Nan watched her brother's retreating figure, a wide smile curving her lips.

Jiang Qing strode into her bedroom, gently closed the door behind her, and locked it with a click.

The noise from the living room was shut out, and the room instantly became quiet, with only the faint sound of fireworks coming from outside the window.

He leaned against the door, looked down at his phone screen which was still vibrating persistently, and swiped his fingertip across the answer button.

The screen lit up, the image flickered briefly, and then stabilized.

The image that appears in the frame is a delicate and charming face, seemingly in a cozy room, with a corner of a festive paper-cut window decoration visible in the background.

She seemed to have just removed her makeup, her face was bare, her skin was so fair it seemed to glow, her long hair was casually draped over her shoulders, she was wearing a soft pink loungewear, and she was holding a huge strawberry-shaped pillow in her arms.

Hello, Jiang Qing! Happy New Year!

A clear voice came through the receiver, filled with boundless joy, and her clear eyes curved as she looked at him on the screen.

"Have you finished your New Year's Eve dinner? I hope I didn't disturb your family reunion?"

"I've finished eating, no."

Jiang Qing chuckled softly at the girl on the screen.

Happy New Year, Ono.

(End of this chapter)