BXBX NOVEL Chapter 599: Peace and Joy
Gu Zi watched Su Li with interest, her gaze shifting between him and the group of children nearby. A hint of skepticism lingered in her eyes. Seeing his mother’s doubtful expression, Su Li promptly issued a command to his young followers. “This is my mother,” he said. “When you see her, you must greet her. Quickly, call her ‘auntie’ and wish her a happy new year.”
No sooner had Su Li’s words fallen than the group of children chorused in unison, “Hello, Auntie! Happy New Year, Auntie!”
Gu Zi hadn’t expected such a grand display. She couldn’t help but laugh, reaching into her bag to pull out a stack of red envelopes. How could this not be considered a New Year’s greeting? The small red envelopes she had prepared in advance could finally be put to use.
Gu Zi walked over and distributed the red envelopes among the children. “Come, come, one for each of you,” she said. “Since you’ve all wished me a happy new year, I can’t be stingy. Here’s a small red envelope for each of you. I hope you all grow up healthy and happy in the new year!”
The children accepted the red envelopes, their eyes still somewhat dazed. It was clear they hadn’t quite processed what was happening. After all, this was the first time many of them had received a red envelope from someone other than a family member. Some had never received a red envelope at all. The sudden happiness was almost overwhelming, enough to bring tears to their eyes!
Su Li was also taken aback. His mother was handing out red envelopes, and he hadn’t even received one from her yet. His eyebrows furrowed slightly, but the next second, his mother returned to his side and pressed two small red envelopes into his hand. He felt a gentle pressure on his head, as if a warm breeze had brushed past him. “How could we forget about our second child?” she said. “Take these for now. I have a bigger red envelope for you tonight.”
He looked up at his mother, a hint of bitterness in his eyes. Yes, when had his mother ever forgotten to take care of him? He was just being too petty.
He then noticed his older brother approaching, also holding two small red envelopes. His brother’s hand was clasped around Little Lele’s, who was also holding two small red envelopes. A surge of emotions welled up in his chest, finally manifesting as a tearful smile.
He rushed over to hug his mother, then, blushing, ran off to return to his post as the eldest brother. The children had received red envelopes from their leader’s mother, and their respect for him increased. They even consulted Su Li on how to spend their red envelope money.
“Boss, let’s go on an adventure to the supply and marketing cooperative now. We all have money. Let’s buy snacks together!”
“Boss, this is the first time I’ve received a red envelope. It’s actually fifty cents. That’s too much. I don’t want to spend it all at once. Can I take it home to my mother? It’s enough to buy a good meal.”
“Boss, I want to buy a comic book. Can I get one for fifty cents?”
Su Li cleared his throat and straightened his back. “My mother once said that every child should establish their own view of money from a young age. That is to say, we should have our own opinions about money, understand? So how you want to use your money is up to you. For now, let’s all go home. I need to stay and help my mother with some work.”
The children hadn’t expected to part ways with their leader so soon. They watched Su Li with reluctant eyes, but he kept waving them off, telling them to go home. Only then did they leave, some even taking Su Li as an example, saying, “I’m going to go home and help my mother too. I want to learn from the boss!”
Because many children had received red envelopes, many more came to play at the red brick house after dinner. Of course, these were not the same children who had received red envelopes. It seemed that word had spread among the children. Knowing that there was a ‘boss’s’ mother here who would give out red envelopes, they came to try their luck. In any case, the area around the red brick house was quickly becoming a children’s kingdom.
During the New Year’s Eve dinner, Gu Zi gave her three children, Su Bing and his siblings, large red envelopes. Their father, grandfather, and uncle also gave the siblings large red envelopes. The siblings could say that they had received so many red envelopes that their hands were sore. The children were happy, and Gu Zi, as a mother, naturally beamed with joy.
She saw that she still had many prepared red envelopes, so she deliberately went out for a walk. Whenever a child greeted her with a lucky phrase, she would give them a red envelope. This made her happy, and the children were also able to receive small red envelopes. It was lively and festive, a wonderful New Year’s Eve. Gu Zi felt as if she had returned to her childhood.
Before she had transmigrated into this book, her hometown had a tradition of children greeting adults with lucky phrases during the New Year, and the adults would give red envelopes in return.
Back then, from New Year’s Eve to the seventh day of the New Year, Gu Zi loved to play in the neighborhood with her friends. Whenever they encountered familiar uncles, aunts, grandpas, and grandmas, they would greet them and say lucky phrases. Almost all of them would give red envelopes.