Chapter 138: The Fourth Day of the Lunar New Year (3)

Starting at ten o’clock, relatives began to arrive one after another.

This year, the eldest cousin-in-law had just given birth to a daughter. After washing the dishes and heading out, Yu Qian took the fair, chubby baby from her cousin-in-law’s arms. Despite being less than six months old, the little girl had quite the appetite; her face was round, and her arms and legs looked just like lotus root segments.

"She’s really heavy."

"Indeed, this little one eats so much. It looks like she’s destined to be a foodie," the cousin-in-law said with a hint of worry. She fretted over what would happen if the girl grew up to be as stout as her own husband.

Looking at the eldest cousin’s round belly and round face, Yu Qian naturally arrived at the same concern.

Infants shouldn’t eat just anything, and they couldn’t handle the spirit-infused items she had on hand either.

After playing with the baby for a while and returning her to her mother, Yu Qian went back to her room and pulled out her phone to message Taishang Laojun.

[Shallow Water Fish]: "Laojun, Laojun, is there any way to nourish an infant’s health from a young age?"

[Taishang Laojun]: "Aside from pills and talismans, I have nothing suitable for infants. You might want to ask Venerable Guanyin."

[Shallow Water Fish]: "Got it, thank you, Laojun."

She found Guanyin in her friends list.

[Shallow Water Fish]: "Venerable One, may I ask if there is any way to nourish an infant’s constitution from early on?"

Yu Qian had very little contact with Guanyin—or rather, very little contact with anyone from the Buddhist sphere—so she kept her tone very polite.

Guanyin did not waste words and sent over a jade pendant directly.

[Guanyin]: "Soaked in the holy vase; it is harmless."

[Shallow Water Fish]: "Thank you, Venerable One."

After accepting the red packet, she sent one thousand points of merit to Guanyin.

Those in the Buddhist realm cultivated merit, so every transaction with them was settled through such exchanges. As for snacks, they were all vegetarians, so they would only compete for vegetarian food.

Before lunch, Yu Qian hung the jade pendant around the little chubby one’s neck. "Little one, I wasn’t here for your one-month celebration, so this is a belated gift from your aunt."

This remark was intended more for the cousin-in-law than the baby. Yu Qian could see that the cousin-in-law felt awkward accepting something so valuable. Now that she framed it as a gift from an aunt to her niece, it would be hard to refuse.

"Just keep it; she can handle it," Wen Yu said as she walked out with a dish. Having happened upon the scene, she also encouraged her to accept it.

When an elder spoke, the younger generation could not refuse. One does not decline a gift from an elder.

...

After the meal, the relatives from Sichuan didn't have any special activities planned—there was only one thing to do: play cards!

Aside from mahjong and poker, there was also "Er Qi Shi."

Yu Wen loved playing Er Qi Shi, but since almost no one in the provincial capital knew how, he had been itching to play for a long time. Now that the whole group was finally gathered together, how could they not play?

Yu Qian had looked into Er Qi Shi before; truly, very few people knew how to play it. Even among those who did, two-thirds were concentrated in the neighboring city, and even in Meizhou, almost no one played it. As for why so many people in her hometown, this small county, knew how to play, it was because this county had once been under the jurisdiction of that neighboring city.

The county’s location sat right between the neighboring city and Meizhou, so it had always been influenced by both.

Since her previous life, Yu Qian had never learned to play cards, but Wen Xiu was different. During her first year at the Yu family home, she had learned every game. Thus, today, she too was battling at the card table.

And she had surprisingly good luck, winning consistently. It was fortunate that they were just playing for fun among relatives, at one yuan per round; otherwise, her winning streak would have moved the others to tears.

Wen Xiu was beaming with joy, while Wen Yu was the exact opposite. Sitting at another table, she had already lost quite a bit.

Yu Qian didn’t know how to play and had no interest in learning, so she simply stayed on the sidelines with her cousin-in-law, playing with the baby.

This atmosphere of a large family enjoying themselves was a scene that, after her parents passed away in her previous life, had only ever appeared in her dreams.

Wen Yu’s cousins also sighed with emotion; the Yu family was truly easy to get along with, and as for the Wen family, they really were not decent people.