Chapter 78

When Jinyi was pulled up by Xiahouchongying, her face turned a deep shade of red, even reaching her neck, and her heart raced like a fawn, almost leaping out of her throat.

Jinyi stood up gently and followed Xiahouchongying out.

"Come on, Pani, aren't you coming?" When Xiahouchongying and Jinyi reached the door and saw Huang Meiyi still leaning on the table smiling, he let go of Jinyi's hand and waved to her.

When Xiahouchongying released her hand, Jinyi felt a wave of disappointment and was also quite annoyed that he had invited Huang Meiyi along.

"Big Brother Zhongying, you two go ahead, I won't go. It's so cold outside, I'd rather stay warm at home." Huang Meiyi, assuming they were a couple, naturally didn't want to be a third wheel, and smiled at the two of them.

"That's right, it's still snowing outside." Xiahouchongying remembered the white expanse outside when he went out in the morning, with snowflakes still falling. He had practiced martial arts, making his body much stronger than the average person, so he didn't mind much. When he was young, his master even made him practice in the snow without clothes. But Jinyi was a girl, and not wearing enough clothes could easily make her catch a cold, which would be troublesome. He turned to Jinyi and said, "Then let's not go, Jinyi, it's cold outside."

"Big Brother Zhongying, I'm fine, I'll just put on another layer of clothes, wait for me." Jinyi, who had finally gotten a chance to be alone with Xiahouchongying, was upset when he suddenly changed his mind. Without waiting for Xiahouchongying to respond, she ran back to her room to get a coat.

Not long after, Jinyi came out of her room fully dressed in a thick coat and a thick scarf, holding a card camera.

"Big Brother Zhongying, let's go take pictures of the snow." Jinyi waved the camera and said with a smile.

"Brother, Sister, wait for me, I'll go too." When Jinyi heard they were going to take pictures, she also stood up.

Jinyi was so frustrated she wanted to bang her head against the wall, cursing her sister in her heart for ruining her plans.

"Jinyi, you're young, your body isn't as strong as your sister's, you'll easily catch a cold if you go out, so don't go." Jinyi tried to persuade her.

"Sister, I'm fine, I'll just put on another layer of clothes, wait for me." Jinyi's response, except for the title, was almost identical to what Jinyi had just said. Without waiting for Jinyi to respond, she also ran back to her room to get a coat.

Jinyi was almost on the verge of breaking down, feeling like crying but unable to, wondering why her sister was so clueless and didn't know that interrupting a date was a very impolite thing to do.

"Ha ha," Huang Meiyi couldn't help but laugh, finding it too amusing. With Jinyi joining, she wouldn't be a third wheel, and she might even be able to create an opportunity for the two of them, so she stood up and said, "Since everyone is going, I'll go too."

"Everyone, let's go." Jin Zhiyong also stood up and went to his room to put on a coat.

"That's right, it's more fun with more people, we can build snowmen and have snowball fights." Xiahouchongying said with a smile.

In Jinyi's frustration, the five of them left the Jin family home and headed to the bus stop.

The time for a private moment was interrupted by her sister, and Jinyi was somewhat gloomy and unenthusiastic throughout the journey. It was New Year's Eve, and there were few people on the bus, and the scenic spots were deserted, with the ticket sellers closed for the holiday. After visiting a couple of places and taking a few pictures, they all felt it was quite boring.

Jinyi kept complaining that it wasn't fun at all, wishing she could just go home and continue playing Hanafuda. Jinyi was so frustrated she wanted to strangle her.

"Big Brother, take Jinyi home first, I'll take Big Brother Zhongying and Pani for a walk." After listening to her sister's constant complaints, Jinyi couldn't take it anymore and suggested that her brother take Jinyi home first, while praying that Huang Meiyi would also leave.

Perhaps Jinyi's prayers were answered, or perhaps Huang Meiyi was considerate. After Jinyi finished talking to her brother, Huang Meiyi said with a smile that she would also go home, making Jinyi secretly happy. Now she could finally be alone with Big Brother Zhongying without being interrupted. However, Xiahouchongying's next words were like a bucket of cold water, almost making her burst with frustration.

"Let's go back, there's no one around, it's not fun at all." Xiahouchongying said.

"Great, great, let's go home and continue playing Hanafuda." Jinyi's face lit up.

Jinyi was so frustrated she almost vomited blood, and when they got home, she still looked angry.

When they started playing Hanafuda again, Xiahouchongying and Jinyi made it clear that he would only cover her losses, not her winnings, which made Jinyi quite disappointed for a while.

Xiahouchongying knew his card skills weren't very good, so he let Jinyi take the lead, while he handled the money. Jinyi, once in the game, continued her previous good luck, defeating the three of them so badly that they demanded Xiahouchongying play himself, and refused to accept Jinyi's advice, otherwise it would count as a loss for him. Their insistence made Xiahouchongying laugh and cry, thinking they were being too unreasonable, willing to win his money at any cost.

It turned out that the decision of Jin Zhiyong, Huang Meiyi, and Jinyi to exclude Jinyi from the game was indeed wise. Once Xiahouchongying took over, his poor card skills were no match for the three of them. Seeing the pile of money and coins in front of them grow, the three of them were overjoyed, while Jinyi was anxiously pacing around Xiahouchongying.

"You're bullying me." Seeing Xiahouchongying lose more and more, Jinyi couldn't help but say angrily to the three of them, "No, Big Brother Zhongying, you step aside, I'll take over."

"No, Sister, you can't interfere." Jinyi, enjoying her winnings, naturally didn't want Jinyi to help Xiahouchongying, and the other two also opposed it.

"If you don't let me interfere, then we won't play anymore." Jinyi grabbed a handful of cards and stuffed them into her pocket, glaring at the three of them.

Xiahouchongying, sitting next to Jinyi, also nodded in agreement, putting pressure on the three of them. If they didn't let Jinyi interfere, they wouldn't play. Although he didn't mind losing a bit of money, he didn't need to give it away.

The three of them looked at each other, and had no choice but to reluctantly agree to let Jinyi give advice from the side.

Jin Father, watching Jinyi's efforts to protect Xiahouchongying, felt secretly pleased. It seemed that inviting Xiahouchongying to Jeonju was a wise decision. Seeing their默契 (close cooperation), it was clear that their relationship had become much closer.

"Get ready to eat, you've been playing all day." Jin Mother came out of the kitchen and saw the five of them still shouting and playing Hanafuda, and couldn't help but frown and scold them, "Jinyi, come help me with the dishes."

"Okay, I know." Jinyi looked at the time and realized it was already 5 PM. She quickly got up and ran to the kitchen to help with a smile.

"I'll go too." Huang Meiyi also stood up.

"Pani, you don't need to come, Jinyi and I are enough, just sit there." Jin Mother, seeing Huang Meiyi stand up, was startled. Remembering that she had broken several plates the day before, she quickly stopped her.

"Ha ha, Pani, you don't need to come, if you come, I'm worried we won't have enough bowls for dinner." Xiahouchongying laughed.

Everyone else also laughed at Xiahouchongying's words.

Korean New Year's Eve dinner has many traditions, the most important being that all the food is traditional and prepared by the wife. The family eats "five-grain rice," made from a mix of mung beans, soybeans, red beans, black beans, and rice. They also make "rice cakes" and "Korean steamed buns." The main dish is grilled meat, along with a variety of mountain vegetables or kimchi.

During the meal, Xiahouchongying watched Jin Father, Jin Mother, and Jin Zhiyong leisurely drinking and eating grilled meat, feeling quite envious. Seeing Jin Father finish his small glass of alcohol, he quickly straightened his body, picked up the bottle, and said, "Uncle, let me pour you some more."

"Okay." Jin Father nodded in satisfaction.

Xiahouchongying held the glass in his right hand and supported his right arm with his left, filled the small glass, put down the bottle, covered his chest with his left hand, and handed the glass to Jin Father.

Jin Father nodded, took the glass, and drank it in one gulp.

"He he, Uncle, can I have some too?" Seeing Jin Father's relaxed and happy face after drinking, Xiahouchongying swallowed and asked with a smile.

"Sure, it's New Year's, if you want to drink, go ahead, but don't drink too much." Jin Father smiled, handed the empty glass to Xiahouchongying, and poured him a glass.

Xiahouchongying was delighted, took the glass with both hands, turned his face slightly to the left, and drank it in one gulp, then handed the glass back to Jin Father and poured him another.

"You seem to know our Korean drinking etiquette quite well." Jin Father was surprised for a moment, then smiled.

"He he, in China, I often went to parties with my father to drink, and I've been to a few in Korea, so I know." Xiahouchongying smiled.

"Right, I forgot that underage drinking isn't prohibited in your country." Jin Father nodded, "Since that's the case, have a few more glasses with me."

"Yes." Xiahouchongying happily agreed, and raised a glass to Jin Father, then to Jin Mother and Jin Zhiyong.

"Zhongying, although underage drinking isn't prohibited in your country, you shouldn't drink too much, as it's not good for your health." After Xiahouchongying had about five or six glasses, Jin Mother quickly stopped him, much to his disappointment, as he had just started to enjoy the alcohol.

"Right, tomorrow is the first day of the New Year, and we will have a family ancestral worship ceremony. Zhongying and Pani, you two should also wear hanbok. Zhongying and Zhiyong are about the same size, so you can wear Zhiyong's. Jinyi, get a set for Pani too." Jin Mother said.

Xiahouchongying was surprised. Were he and Huang Meiyi, as outsiders, also expected to participate in the Jin family's ancestral worship? He didn't know the rules of Korean family ancestral worship, but thought that guests visiting during the New Year might also be expected to participate. Considering that the Jin family had been very kind to him and had caused them some trouble over the past two days, he thought it would be fine to pay respects to their ancestors, so he nodded in agreement.