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Chapter 357: 357

Chapter 357: Happy Holiday

On the afternoon of new year’s eve, Cai Zixuan also returned to his hometown of Nan Ling’s Guang Ting City . Once he landed, Chinese New Year song assaulted his senses . His face lit up with a smile . This was part of the Chinese New Year tradition . Similar to other departments, the Spell Department took holiday in shifts . While a batch of members returned home for celebration, the others had to stay to guard the base . Cai Zixuan’s holiday was from New Year’s Eve to the second day of New Year, he was lucky to be given such a wonderful shift .

Of course, some of the other members volunteered to celebrate the New Year at the base . They included people like the monitor, Uncle Dan and Deng Ximei . Even though the recent months were peaceful, they should not let their guard down . In any case, should nothing happen, they would celebrate the new year at the base .

It was noon when he reached home . Cai Zixuan just greeted his family when his phone vibrated non-stop . It was Tycoon Jun giving away gift cards! Tycoon Jun was Tycoon Jun for a reason . The total amount given away was up to several thousands . The timing though was extremely cunning . Tycoon Jun chose to release the gift cards around noon when most people were busy with lunch . So the biggest benefactor was Wu Siyu . ‘They probably planned this together,’ Cai Zixuan suspected . ‘Ah, young love . ’

Uncle Dan, “Hey, give us some more! Also, Miss Wu, stop cheating!”

Peacock, “Thank you Boss Gu, Happy New Year . ”

Kathlyn, “Thank you Boss Gu, Happy New Year . ” The girls shared a body but they each had their own phone and social media account . Cai Zixuan had witnessed for himself how the girl managed to operate both phones simultaneously with one on each hand . Uncle Dan was only joking but the next wave of gift cards soon arrived . Instantly they were swept away, but the biggest winner was still Wu Siyu .

Uncle Dan, “Now I’m not even sure you’re spreading new year cheer or dogfood . ”

Peacock, “Thank you Boss Gu, Happy New Year . ”

Kathlyn, “Thank you Boss Gu, Happy New Year . ”

Cai Zixuan sat on the couch, looking through the message while he chatted with his girlfriend, Jiang Banxia . Yes, he had a girlfriend . They were in a relationship for a year already . Currently, their relationship was long-distance . Jiang Banxia was still studying at Eastern State Medical University, her request to join the Spell Department was denied .

“Friends, the game shall continue tonight!” Tycoon Jun announced . That bit of money was nothing for Tycoon Jun . Phecda members enjoyed lucrative salary, and for someone like Gu Jun, the bonus he received would be in the astronomical range . After a while, Lou Xiaoning suddenly appeared, “What’s this?! I was absent for both times?! Encore, encore!”

Cai Zixuan chuckled and shared some of the gift cards that he got from Tycoon Jun . “Happy New Year!” Instantly, they disappeared . This time, the fastest member was Uncle Dan, followed by Wu Siyu . Lou Xiaoning still got nothing .

Uncle Dan, “@Wu Siyu @ Gu Jun, I see that Miss Wu is not the fastest this time . If this is not evidence of your wicked plot, I don’t know what is . ”

Peacock, “Thank you Zixuan, xoxo, happy new year . ”

Kathlyn, “Thank you Zixuan, xoxo, happy new year . ”

Lou Xiaoning, “Motherfucker…” Cai Zixuan chatted with them a while longer before he was called for lunch . Their family tradition was to have tang yuan on New Year’s Eve morning . When he was at school and at the base, Cai Zixuan was the designated cook . But at home, most of the time, he waited around for food . The tang yuan was handmade by his mother . There were different fillings . Some were vegetarian and others filled with seafood and pork .

“They smell so delicious . ” Before starting the meal, like all young people these days, Cai Zixuan snapped a picture and sent it to his girlfriend and shared it among the chat group . He racked up plenty of likes .

Gu Jun, “I am salivating . What I have here is merely a bowl of sunflower seeds…”

Wu Siyu, “You should be thankful that I’m willing to share them with you . But while you taste sunflower seeds, I taste the tang yuan . The taste is salty, I like it a lot . ” Cai Zixuan knew about Siyu’s synaesthesia . She could taste something by looking at them . His mother’s tang yuan was of the Nan Ling kind which was famed for their slight saltiness .

“Mom, many of my colleagues praised you for your scrumptious looking tang yuan . ” Cai Zixuan said . His mother laughed . The other family members joined in the laughs . Sitting there at the table, Cai Zixuan also tasted something . It was not saltiness but the taste of his childhood, the taste of togetherness . After what he had been through, Cai Zixuan gained a new appreciation of what he had . A family reunion sounded common enough but that was an impossible dream for some families this year . So he knew to appreciate a moment like this .

“I’m going to watch the New Year Special tonight, anyone want to join me?” Cai Zixuan asked, “There will be a feature from Phecda . ” Their family did not have the tradition of tuning into the new year special . Due to the dialect difference, his grandparents did not understand most of the program so usually they would go out to see the fireworks . Cai Zixuan’s personal reason for watching it this year was because there would be a program where Phecda members from different departments would take the stage to greet the audience a happy new year . Even though the Spell Department was still a secret, initially Gu Jun and Wu Siyu were part of the line up . But once the Public Relations Department got wind of Gu Jun’s condition, naturally his attendance was no longer required . Since Gu Jun bowed out, it seemed inappropriate for the rest of his teammates to show up without him . But Phecda would assign a Special Mobile Force to monitor and observe this program . Lou Xiaoning was one of the guards .

Secondly, the New Year Special would have a memorial segment where they would connect through live tv to places most affected by legionella pneumonia last year . This would be the first new year celebrated by San Hai City after they were hit by the tragedy . The city held many memorial events . After the lockdown loosened, many locals who moved away returned . At the same time, the government encouraged fresh blood to move into the city to help rebuild the place .

“I will, I will!” His little sister was the first to raise her hands . His parents smiled and obliged . Cai Zixuan nodded happily . He’d explain the program to his grandparents if they did not understand it .

They took a rest after lunch . Then they went to replace the spring couplets . The spring couplets posted on the door announced brightly, “Heaven adds time and people get older; spring fills the world and blessing fills the door . ”