With the money issue resolved, Su Xiaotian played chess with Chi Ge.
The two sat facing each other, not speaking much, only the occasional sound of chess pieces colliding could be heard.
One old, one young, both patient people, the morning passed quickly amidst the sounds of chess.
The two finally finished a game.
"Not bad, Xiaotian's chess skills have improved again!" Chi Ge praised with a smile.
The child's talent was indeed high. No matter what she learned, she was much faster than other children.
It hadn't been long since she started learning chess, and she was already a worthy opponent for him.
Su Xiaotian smiled and said, "You flatter me, it's because you taught me well."
Playing chess was Grandpa Chi's hobby, especially during the months when Chi Yiyuan was abroad. Besides spending time with the children at the orphanage, Chi Ge's remaining time was spent with Go.
Su Xiaotian understood the feelings of lonely old people. After all, in her previous life, she had been alone in a big city, and that feeling was unbearable.
To accompany Chi Ge, Su Xiaotian found several chess manuals to study.
Her comprehension was astonishing. After reading them twice, she could generalize. Coupled with Chi Ge, a good teacher, Su Xiaotian quickly learned to play chess.
"This child always says things that make people feel comfortable," Chi Ge said with a grin. "You'll have dinner with us today."
Su Xiaotian smiled and agreed, "Of course, I came today to have dinner with Grandpa Chi."
Chi Ge ate with the children. There were two dishes, one meat and one vegetable, with steamed buns and rice to choose from.
Each child got a portion and ate happily.
Su Xiaotian looked at the smiles on the children's faces with great satisfaction.
Her mood became even more cheerful when she saw the satisfied smiles on the faces of Tan Zishi and his wife.
Li Yunniang had a difficult life and no children. If taking care of these orphans now could make her happier, it was worth it.
Li Yunniang patiently fed the youngest child, taking care of him as if he were her own grandchild.
Tan Zishi was also helping to look after the children and maintain order.
However, it was clear that the children had the couple's personalities completely figured out. Even when Tan Zishi deliberately put on a stern face, they did not show any fear.
Su Xiaotian and her two siblings did not return home until evening.
Throughout the entire winter break, Su Xiaotian was even busier than when she was in school.
As the Lunar New Year approached, the factory was very busy, and many foreign companies came to negotiate business. Although the factories now had their own translators, they trusted Su Xiaotian's translation skills and adaptability more.
Therefore, they were willing to pay more to hire Su Xiaotian as a temporary translator.
Su Xiaotian wanted to refuse, but after so many years of relationship, she couldn't. She had to accept it.
As a result, for the more than twenty days before the Lunar New Year, she was busy from dawn till dusk.
However, she also earned a lot of money.
Looking at the stacks of "Da Tuanjie" (a denomination of Chinese currency), Su Xiaotian felt that her efforts were not in vain.
The three girls in the dormitory also helped out at Yiming Pavilion as temporary waitresses and cashiers during the holiday.
Grandpa Su was greatly liberated and spent more time listening to operas with his eyes half-closed.
Since this year, Grandma Su had also handed over most of the kitchen work to Liang Xiu, only providing guidance.
The elderly couple was now living a semi-retired life, which Su Xiaotian felt was how it should be.
Grandpa and Grandma had suffered their whole lives; they shouldn't have to worry tirelessly for their children in their old age.
As for the rest of the Su family, they were all busy at their respective posts.
Even the four brothers, Sixth, Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth, who did not have grand businesses to start, were properly arranged with work by Su Xiaotian.
They had to take care of the farm and the processing plant.
Eighth and Ninth went to learn on the job.
Sixth and Seventh were taken to Licheng by Su Ciliang.
They could only take care of the factory in Licheng during the holiday.
After all, relying entirely on outsiders, even with Chen Zian's occasional oversight, they couldn't be completely at ease.
Days of busyness always passed quickly.
Soon, it was the twenty-sixth day of the twelfth lunar month.
This year, the Su family did not plan to return to their hometown for the New Year. They would only close Yiming Pavilion on the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, then prepare New Year's goods in Beijing, and finally have a family reunion for the New Year.
However, as the New Year approached, Qian Xiaobei, Li Jianhong, and Qi Xiaofang, who were working and not returning home for the New Year, began to feel homesick.
"Where do you think we should go if we don't go home for the New Year?" Qi Xiaofang asked hesitantly.
They couldn't possibly spend the New Year with the Su family, could they?
In their hometowns, there was no such thing as spending the New Year at someone else's house. If word got out, they would be laughed at for being unrefined.
Yiming Pavilion would close in two days and would not reopen until the eighth day of the first lunar month.
For ten days, they were too embarrassed to eat and live at the Su family's expense for nothing.
They had nothing to do, so they felt they couldn't just stay at the Su family's house.
Yiming Pavilion did not have staff dormitories. The girls had been staying at the Du family's house during this period.
Yu Ruiyuan had cleared out the courtyard house's main room at the Du family's siheyuan and converted it into staff dormitories for the girls to stay in temporarily.
The large heated brick bed and the warm stove were much more comfortable than the dormitory.
But it was still someone else's home, and staying there during the New Year felt a bit awkward.
"We can't go back now and come back on the eighth, can we?" Li Jianhong asked hesitantly.
The bumpy journey would cost money, and the rush would be tight. It would be better to save this money and send it home to solve some practical problems.
It was awkward to stay at other people's houses, and the dormitories were not allowed to be occupied during the holiday, so their going or staying became a problem.
"How about we stay at a guesthouse for a day or two during the New Year?" Qi Xiaofang suggested.
She was a bit reluctant to spend money, but one had to know propriety and advance or retreat.
As the girls were talking, Su Xiaotian happened to overhear.
"You can stay at Grandma Du's house, and come to our house to celebrate the New Year together." With this sentence, Su Xiaotian settled the matter.
The girls were surprised that Su Xiaotian would say that.
"Xiaotian, that's not good, we are outsiders after all," Qian Xiaobei said hesitantly.
"It's okay, Grandpa Chi, Grandpa Du, and Grandma Yu will all come to our house for New Year's Eve dinner."
The three girls looked at each other, clearly not expecting that the Su family would have so many people celebrating the New Year.
Moreover, it would truly be several families gathering to celebrate the New Year.
Did the customs in Beijing mean that several families had to celebrate the New Year together for it to be considered a reunion?