novelraw Chapter 537 - 417: Ming Chao with a Head as Big as a Bucket (Part 2)
Chapter 537 - 417: Ming Chao with a Head as Big as a Bucket (Part 2)
"Little Fish, are you full?" Ning Youguang asked her brother with concern as he left the table so quickly.
"I’m full." Ning Youyu ran off without looking back.
"What’s he up to?" Ning Yi asked his wife curiously.
"I don’t know," Ming Jinxin laughed, "Why don’t you ask him later?"
Soon, the Ning family learned what little Ning Youyu was up to after leaving the table so fast.
"What’s this?" Ning Youguang looked at the big red envelope her brother handed her, puzzled.
Ning Youyu stood in front of her, smiling with eyes curved, "A red envelope."
"I know it’s a red envelope," Ning Youguang asked amusingly, "Why are you giving me a red envelope?"
"Courtesy demands reciprocity, don’t you know?" Ning Youyu looked at his sister with his hands behind his back, "This is my New Year gift to you."
"Oh my, Little Fish actually prepared a New Year gift for me," Ning Youguang’s delicate face changed from confusion to surprise.
She never expected, at her age, to still receive a red envelope.
The most important thing is — this red envelope comes from her little brother, who’s just a grade-schooler.
Ning Youyu giving Ning Youguang a red envelope was indeed unexpected for everyone in the family.
After the initial shock, Ning Yi and Ming Jinxin couldn’t be happier.
"Well done, baby!" Ming Jinxin couldn’t help but plant a kiss on her little son’s fair, chubby cheek, "You used ’courtesy demands reciprocity’ well too."
Ning Yi also put down his chopsticks, laughing heartily, "Little Fish gave such a big red envelope to his sister, does it mean you’ve spent all your pocket money? Dad will reward you with an even bigger one later!"
Ning Youyu covered his small face, already feeling quite ecstatic with all the praise.
"Thank you, Dad."
And now hearing that Dad would give him an even bigger red envelope, he felt even happier!
Ming Jinxin looked at her youngest son, laughing so much his eyes squinted, and felt that her education efforts weren’t in vain; he really is sensible.
— More sensible than his brother.
Thinking of this, she turned her head to look at her eldest son sitting like a lazy lord on the side, and her freshly risen sense of pride immediately diminished quite a bit.
She thought it over for a while and couldn’t help but go over to him and gently suggest, "It’s Xiaoshi’s first time celebrating the New Year at our house, he thoughtfully prepared personalized gifts for each of us. As his elder brother, are you really not going to reciprocate? Even Little Fish, being a younger brother, knows about courtesy demands reciprocity. What about you as the elder brother?"
"..." Ming Chao.
So he couldn’t escape the fate of preparing gifts for the whole family, right?!
Seeing that her heartfelt advice fell on indifferent ears, with her son still sitting like a stone-faced lord, Ming Jinxin’s patience was waning, "Son, as the elder brother, if you have time, shouldn’t you also prepare some gifts for your siblings?"
She carefully reminded him, "Don’t forget Xiaoshi too, although he’s not married to Youyou yet, Youyou brought him home for New Year, and he’s practically family now."
"..."
Ming Chao looked complexly at his mother, who might as well have ’Shi Wangyue is like half a son’ plastered over her face.
He hadn’t thought of treating Shi Wangyue as a brother, had he?!
Even though he’s indeed younger than him, he’s practically stepped half a foot into their family.
It’s not that he finds him disagreeable... nor agreeable...
"Damn..."
Ming Chao rolled his eyes internally.
The main thing is, Shi Wangyue, from head to toe, exudes a vibe that makes it impossible for him to see him as a brother, alright?!
He replied to his mom expressionlessly, "Understood, I’ll prepare something."
Ming Jinxin was satisfied with the definite answer from her eldest son.
Gracefully, she turned to continue warmly inviting Ning Youguang and Shi Wangyue to eat.
"Xiaoshi, if you like this shrimp, eat more."
While Ming Jinxin was satisfied, Ming Chao was getting a headache.
He turned his head and frowned, looking at the far-off living room, scattered with opened boxes, and the various New Year gifts and goods on the table that Shi Wangyue and Ning Youguang brought for the family, and his headache worsened.
Where was he supposed to find gifts for his siblings during the New Year?!
The issue is, even if he solves where to buy the gifts, what exactly should he give them?
He disliked cumbersome formalities, but from today’s incident with his sister’s New Year gift, it was clear that his mom and stepdad really enjoy receiving filial gestures from their children.
So, could he just listen to his mom and prepare gifts for his siblings but not for the old couple?
Now the real issue is —
Shi Wangyue and Ning Youguang bought gifts for everyone while out shopping.
Young couples go out shopping, discuss things, see a lot, have many ideas, and preparing family gifts was smooth and effortless for them.
But he was different.
First, he disliked shopping, second, he feared trouble.
He hated the back-and-forth of exchanging gifts.
It’s too troublesome.
Yet, now he’s suddenly been given the task by his mom to prepare gifts for the whole family.
And with such high standards set before him!
He’s really struggling!
Ming Chao, with his head aching like a giant watermelon, furrowed his brow sitting at the dining table, staring at the exquisite spread, suddenly losing his appetite.
His furrowed expression looked like he was contemplating how to secure a multi-billion-dollar project.
"Brother, what’s wrong?" Ning Youguang was the first to notice Ming Chao’s dour expression.
"It’s nothing," Ming Chao snapped back from his chaotic thoughts, picked up his chopsticks again, and absentmindedly continued eating.
After Ning family breakfast was over.
Ning Youguang noticed her brother’s expression still hadn’t improved.
Moreover, after leaving the table, he silently sat on the sofa, seriously scrolling through his phone.