Chapter 267 – A Special Birthday Gift

After tossing too many tricks, there wasn’t much time left for Cheng Li and Xiao Ren to eat.

I looked at the table full of food but had no way to eat it, so I ate the cake, chow mein and a few other bites of food, and had to leave with another Coke.

Cheng Ming also put down his chopsticks and sent them to school first.

Tonight it looks like I’m going to have to have a late night snack or I’ll be so hungry I won’t be able to sleep.

Cheng Ming went out and came back, and found a cab parked downstairs, and his dad stepped out of the car, exhaling a strong odor of alcohol from his mouth, and walking a little shakily.

Did you just get back from a dinner party?

Cheng Hongyuan held the wall and went up the stairs, Cheng Ming rubbed his nose and just silently followed behind, he couldn’t do it if he was asked to hold his dad up the stairs or something.

As soon as Cheng Hongyuan entered, he asked, “Dinner just started? I’m not late, am I?”

“We don’t even need to eat when you get home, and you don’t know to put off work on such an important day.” Li Ying complained, “I thought you had changed recently, but it turns out you’re still the same.”

Cheng Ming thought that his dad had changed a lot. If he had been in the past, he would have gotten drunk and unconscious and been carried home by his friends.

“But work is also important ah, how can I support such a big family as ours if I don’t work hard to earn money.” Cheng Hongyuan said with open arms.

Is this by default a member of Auntie Lian and Juan Xu’s family?

Well, that’s pretty much it, but saying it out loud is different.

How dare you? Or is he just drunk and telling the truth?

Mom was quite concerned about that.

But Aunt Lian and Xu Juan were present, and today is still a special day, the old mom will certainly not attack on the spot, first recorded in the small book, it seems that remarriage still has a long way to go.

“I’m back.” Cheng Ming said as he entered the house on his hind feet.

“Xiao Ming, why did you play until now, don’t you know what day today is?” Dad reprimanded with a stern face.

Ah, being used as a stepping stone by Dad to save face for the head of the family, who made him the soft touch of the family disciple position.

“Of course I know it’s Xu Juan’s birthday, I just got back from sending Xiaoli and the girls to their evening study, my dishes weren’t collected, were they?”

“Leave it for you, quickly come and continue eating, so many leftovers don’t know how many days it will take to eat, it’s soon to be Xiao Li’s birthday again, ugh ……”

Lai Ying furrowed her brows and sighed, this was the trouble with happiness.

“Ahem.” Cheng Hongyuan coughed twice awkwardly and reached into the inner pocket of his suit, pulling out a slightly wrinkled red envelope.

“Uncle is busy working and doesn’t know what you like, so go buy whatever you like yourself.”

“Dad, you’re so tacky, just giving this away.” Cheng Ming spat.

It’s practical though is all.

“What are you talking about, don’t you just love it when I give you an allowance to buy your own birthday present?”

“How can this be, we can’t accept it, we usually eat you, live with you, and don’t even pay you, how can we still accept your money.” Aunt Lian excitedly stood up and said.

I can’t say I didn’t give it at all. Cheng Ming was secretly collecting “rent”.

Xu Juan shook her head and pushed the red envelope back.

“One thing leads to another, this is my birthday gift to Xu Juan, this face should be given to uncle, right?” Cheng Hongyuan said firmly.

“Just take it, or else your Uncle Cheng will be too embarrassed to sit down and eat.” Li Ying said.

Cheng Ming also nodded towards Xu Juan, and only then did she accept the red packet with both hands and said, “Thank you, Uncle Cheng.”

“Where are my disposable dishes?”

Cheng Hongyuan asked how come there were no bowls and chopsticks on the table for his special use, which he had gotten used to over the months.

“It ran out, I didn’t buy any more, you like eating with disposable dishes?” Lai Ying asked rhetorically.

“I still like to use normal, of course.”

Who’s okay with wanting to be treated like an outsider.

“You think disposable dishes don’t cost anything? You just eat with regular dishes.”

“Haha, it looks like I’m still in Juan’s good graces today.”

Cheng Hongyuan sat down with a big smile and said, “Lai Ying, help me get the wine out of the house, I’ll toast Xu Juan and wish her a happy birthday.”

“Your mouth is full of alcohol, it stinks, still drinking?” Li Ying pinched her nose and said, “Don’t use Xiao Juan as an excuse if you want to drink, I’ll go cook you a bowl of sobering soup.”

Cheng Hongyuan saw Li Ying walk into the kitchen and secretly went to take out the hidden wine himself, poured a cup, clinked it with the cup full of cola in front of Xu Juan, drank it all by himself, got up and said, “You guys take your time to eat, I’ve already eaten a meal outside, I’m going to rest first.”

Lai Ying, who came out with the sobering soup, did not see Cheng Hongyuan and asked, “Xiao Ming, where is your father?”

“Go back to your room and sleep.” Cheng Ming said as he pointed to the study behind him.

“I was kind enough to make him a sobering soup, and he’s not going to sleep until he drinks it, and if he’s already asleep, he shouldn’t wake up again.”

“Ahhhh ……”

Dad’s miserable screams came from the den, woken up by Mom in some way, I don’t know what.

If it wasn’t Xu Juan’s birthday today, Dad would have been kicked out of the house by his mom and slept in his new home, and his efforts would have been in vain.

Li Ying clapped his hands and walked out of the study, saying, “Your father just owes it to him to clean up, forgetting the pain after a good wound, Xiaoming, you can’t be like your father in the future.”

“Uh-huh.” Cheng Ming answered vaguely, he definitely wouldn’t be like his dad.

But whether it will be worse than Dad’s I don’t know.

This meal took longer than ever, the food was taken to be warmed up twice, and both Lai Ying and Lian Ying opened their boxes and talked about the past.

“When Xiaojuan was little, she saw other kids having birthday cakes and clamored that she wanted one too, so her dad told her you be good and obedient and I’ll buy you one when you grow up, but it turned out that neither she nor I could wait for that day ……”

As she spoke, Aunt Lian’s eyes were filled with tears, and she didn’t cry out in front of Xu Juan, parents always don’t want to show their weakness in front of their children.

“You wait until ah, it is today, next year, the year after, the year after that, the year after that …… we also want to spend the children’s birthday together, make all kinds of cakes.” Old mom said as she hugged Aunt Lian’s shoulder.

Xu Juan’s small hand under the table gripped the hem of her skirt, which was seen by Cheng Ming, who sideways whispered beside her ear:

“Are you so moved that you want to cry? It’s okay, cry out if you want to cry, I won’t laugh at you, Auntie Lian will only show a pleased smile, even if she cries, they are tears of joy.”

Xu Juan inclined her head, not looking at Cheng Ming, biting her lips tightly, still not crying.

After the meal, Xu Juan took the initiative to clean up the table, was the mother took away the hands of the dishes, said: “You go to play, or go to write homework, wearing such beautiful clothes. If you dip into the oil and water, here to us on the line.”

Mom also made a wink towards Cheng Ming.

The understanding Cheng Ming took Xu Juan’s hand and said, “I haven’t given you my birthday present yet, right, let’s go.”

The Christmas atmosphere in Nanming City is not strong, only the busier downtown shopping streets and big shopping malls and supermarkets are hanging up colored lights, putting up a plastic fake Christmas tree, putting snowflake stickers on the windows, and organizing Christmas promotions.

No savvy businessman would miss such a money-making holiday.

“Xu Juan, guess what I’ll get you for your birthday?”

Xu Juan shook her head with lackluster interest.

Cheng Ming pointed at the flowery and green women’s lingerie store and said, “This is the place, go and pick a few pieces you like, if you don’t I’ll pick them for you.”

Mom sends outside dresses and skirts, then Cheng Ming sends inside, this wave of cooperation is perfect.

Xu Juan’s underwear were all rather old and uncute styles, and it was about time to change them.