145: The first New Year's greeting call came from Baoqiang.

In the afternoon, the weather was fine and the sun was shining brightly outside, though it was still a bit cold.

Yang Mi and Chen Le sat leaning back in the courtyard, soaking up the sun and chatting.

"Old Chen, it's all your fault. Who told you to be so naughty yesterday?" Yang Mi said with a slight blush.

Although she hadn't been pulled aside for a talk, she still felt very embarrassed.

"Hey, how can you blame me? How was I supposed to know the walls had such poor soundproofing? They could hear us even across the living room," Chen Le said, looking at Yang Mi with a playful glint in his eyes.

Seeing this, Yang Mi's face instantly turned red, and she said through gritted teeth, "What? Are you blaming me instead?"

Seeing her reaction, Chen Le quickly shook his head. "No, no, my mistake. I'll be quieter next time."

"Go on, you're already thinking about a next time? Let's wait until we're back in Beijing," Yang Mi scolded playfully.

Hearing this, Chen Le frowned and said, "That won't do. That's too long."

"Do you want to be pulled aside for another talk?"

"A talk is fine!"

"Get lost!"

The two of them bickered.

Inside the house, Mother Chen heard their bickering, and an auntie-like smile appeared on her face.

Time quickly passed, and New Year's Eve arrived.

In the morning, Father Chen took the Spring Festival couplets and dragged Chen Le along to put them up.

Yang Mi had also gotten up and was watching from the side.

Seeing Chen Le climb the ladder, Yang Mi said worriedly, "Old Chen, be careful."

Hearing this, Chen Le turned back and grinned. "Don't worry, I'll be careful."

After finishing the couplets on both sides, he took Yang Mi to put up the red banners above the doors.

Then, they put the upside-down 'Fu' character on the front gate.

At this time, Mother Chen and Uncles wife were preparing the dishes for dinner.

The New Year's Eve dinner was very sumptuous. Especially since Yang Mi was there, Mother Chen had put in a lot of effort, wanting to give Yang Mi a satisfying New Year's Eve.

She had even specifically asked about Yang Mi's taste preferences.

As a result, the meals over the past few days were tailored to Yang Mi's tastes; while delicious, they were a bit light.

On the other hand, after putting up the couplets, Chen Le had nothing left to do.

They didn't have to worry about anything else, just wait for the evening.

Just then, the sound of a motorcycle came from not far away.

Chen Le looked over; it was his Uncle and Chen NiNi.

The motorcycle came to a steady stop at the entrance.

Chen NiNi got off the bike and, seeing Yang Mi, came running over with a hop and a skip.

"Hello, Sister-in-law!" Chen NiNi looked at Yang Mi very happily. After finding out a few days ago that Yang Mi was the same Yang Mi from TV, she had been so excited she couldn't sleep all night after going home.

She originally wanted to come find Yang Mi sooner, but her father wouldn't bring her, fearing she would bother them.

Now that it was New Year's Eve, she could finally come to see Yang Mi.

Hearing Chen NiNi's words, a smile appeared on Yang Mi's face.

"Nini! Hello, you're so cute!" Yang Mi praised with a smile.

Chen NiNi was very happy to hear Yang Mi's praise.

"Sister-in-law, can you give me an autograph? Many of my classmates like you," Chen NiNi said excitedly.

Seeing this, Yang Mi smiled and nodded. "Of course!"

Hearing Yang Mi's response, Chen NiNi immediately pulled out several postcards and a pen from the small bag she was carrying.

Clearly, she had come prepared.

She then handed the postcards and the pen to Yang Mi.

Yang Mi took the pen and signed her name on them.

Having received the autographs, Chen NiNi jumped for joy while holding the postcards.

Seeing her so happy, Yang Mi couldn't help but smile as well.

Time quickly reached the evening, and Yang Mi heard the sound of firecrackers.

"Little Le, go down to the Ancestral Hall with your father to burn some incense," Mother Chen called out.

Yang Mi looked at Chen Le with some confusion.

Chen Le explained with a smile, "This is a custom here. We usually burn incense to offer sacrifices to our ancestors during the New Year."

"Isn't ancestor worship for the Qingming Festival?" Yang Mi asked, puzzled.

"During Qingming, we worship the elders and relatives of our own direct lineage. During the New Year, we worship the ancestors of the whole clan," Chen Le continued to explain.

"Oh, I see!" Yang Mi nodded, indicating she understood.

Then, Chen Le followed Father Chen to the Chen Clan Ancestral Hall, carrying offerings like chicken and duck, along with incense and firecrackers.

The atmosphere of these customs was still very strong now. Every year at this time, the smell of incense and firecrackers meant that the New Year had arrived.

It was only later that this atmosphere grew thinner, as if the spirit of the New Year was gradually fading away.

By the time they returned from the Ancestral Hall, it was already getting late, around six o'clock.

When Chen Le and Father Chen returned home, his grandparents had also arrived.

The whole family sat gathered around.

Looking at so many people sitting together, Yang Mi felt very warm inside; the New Year atmosphere here was even stronger than at her home.

Just as everyone was eating, the sound of fireworks suddenly came from outside.

Colorful lights reflected into the house from outside.

"Come on, let's go watch the fireworks!" Chen Le pulled Yang Mi into the courtyard.

"Old Chen, is it really okay for us to come out holding our bowls like this?" Yang Mi looked at Chen Le, feeling it was a bit inappropriate since the elders were still inside eating.

"It's fine. I used to do this all the time when I was a kid," Chen Le said with a smile.

Mainly because he had brought Yang Mi along, he wasn't worried about being scolded; if he had run out by himself, he definitely would have been.

"Look at the fireworks!" Chen Le shouted.

Yang Mi looked up and saw a rain of fireworks filling the sky.

There were still more fireworks now than there would be a few years later; basically every household would set them off.

After dinner, it was past eight o'clock.

The two of them went up to the second floor.

The Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV, but since Elder Zhao wasn't in it this year, Chen Le had no desire to watch.

Mother Chen brought a set of new clothes and handed them to Yang Mi, which surprised her a little.

"My mom bought these specifically for you. Once she knew you were coming to our house for the New Year, she asked me in advance what size you wear," Chen Le explained with a smile.

"Okay." Yang Mi gladly accepted.

After she changed into the new clothes, Mother Chen handed Yang Mi a red envelope.

Yang Mi was surprised again and looked at Chen Le.

Chen Le rubbed his nose and said, "Just take it. I don't even get a red envelope; I'm the one who has to give them to my parents."

After all, he was the one out working.

Hearing this, Yang Mi flaunted the red envelope in front of Chen Le.

Seeing this made Chen Le really want to snatch the red envelope away, because he could see it was quite thick, meaning there was definitely a lot inside.

Just as he was thinking this, his phone rang.

He looked at the caller ID; it was from Wang Baoqiang.

"Boss, I'm calling to wish you a Happy New Year!" Wang Baoqiang's distinctive voice rang out.

"Baoqiang, Happy New Year!" Chen Le was a bit surprised that Baoqiang had called so early this year to give his greetings.

"Boss, I'm the first one to wish you a Happy New Year, right?" Baoqiang said with a laugh.

Hearing this, Chen Le smiled and nodded. "Yes, you're the first."

"Haha, that's good then!"

After that, Wang Baoqiang hung up, and immediately after, New Year's calls from Zhang Songwen, Zhou Yiwei, Lin Jialong, and Bai Ke came in one after another.

It made Chen Le think they had conspired to call him one by one like that.