By the time Ji Yuzhou and Jiang Xunyu arrived at the ancestral home, it was already Lunar New Year’s Eve.  

Despite living alone, Li Hanqiu had kept the house meticulously organized and had already arranged a festive New Year’s dinner.  

The winter evening fell quickly. After a bit more light-hearted chatting, the sky outside had darkened, and the meal arrived right on time.  

Seated at the dinner table, Jiang Xunyu still appeared uneasy.  

Li Hanqiu favored warm tones, from the furniture to the lighting. Under the bright orange glow of the chandelier, Jiang Xunyu felt as if he were on a grand stage, entirely out of his element.  

He wasn’t used to this kind of lighting, nor had he ever shared a New Year’s meal with anyone before.  

He held his chopsticks timidly, head lowered, silently eating the white rice from his bowl. Every move spoke of his discomfort.  

Noticing this, Ji Yuzhou was about to say something when Li Hanqiu, using a serving spoon, placed a large shrimp onto Jiang Xunyu’s plate.  

“Xunyu, why aren’t you eating the dishes? You’re still growing—eat more. What else do you like? Auntie will get it for you.”  

Caught off guard, Jiang Xunyu quickly picked up his bowl to accept the shrimp. “T-Thank you, Auntie Li.”  

Ji Yuzhou shook his head with a helpless smile. His mother was even more enthusiastic than he had expected.  

The last bit of worry in Ji Yuzhou’s heart disappeared completely. His guess was correct; his mother truly liked Jiang Xunyu a lot.

Before long, Li Hanqiu picked up a small bowl from the table: “Xunyu, do you like drinking pork rib soup? Here, drink some to nourish your body.”

A little later, she added, “Xunyu, try this Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, it’s stewed, very tender and flavorful…”

…

Eventually, seeing the mountain of food piled up in front of Jiang Xunyu, Ji Yuzhou could no longer hold back: “Mom, let him do it himself.”

Jiang Xunyu, who had been dazzled by Li Hanqiu’s actions, came to his senses and quickly agreed: “Thank you, Aunt Li, I’ll serve myself.”

Li Hanqiu put down the serving chopsticks and looked at Ji Yuzhou with a disapproving glance: “It’s all because of you. Xunyu is so thin, it’s definitely because you haven’t been feeding him properly. He’s at the age where he’s still growing; how can he not eat more? Also, children should be a bit chubby, it makes them cuter and luckier. Chubby kids are more lovable.”

Ji Yuzhou wisely kept quiet.

By the time dinner was over, Jiang Xunyu was so full his stomach was round, his mouth stuffed like a little hamster. He wanted to cover his bowl with his hands and tell Li Hanqiu that he really couldn’t eat any more.

Li Hanqiu was finally satisfied: “This is much better, Xunyu. You should eat more from now on. If Ji Yuzhou doesn’t let you eat, just tell me and I’ll scold him for you.”

Jiang Xunyu swallowed the food with difficulty and nodded like a bobblehead.

….

Li Hanqiu usually lived alone, and aside from her, Ji Yuzhou was the only one who stayed here. So, the other rooms were filled with various flowers and plants, and only one room was left for guests.

This was Ji Yuzhou’s first time bringing someone home for the New Year, and he completely forgot about this matter. He had forgotten to remind Li Hanqiu to prepare a room. So, the two of them had to temporarily stay in one room.

The quilt was aired out by Li Hanqiu beforehand. It was bright red, very festive, and still smelled faintly of sunshine—soft and fragrant.

After dinner, the two of them went to the room to tidy up. Jiang Xunyu was practically holding his stomach as he climbed upstairs.

Ji Yuzhou sat on the wooden chair in the room, watching him: “Are you full? Do you want more…”

“No, no!” Jiang Xunyu immediately refused out of reflex, only then realizing the teasing tone in Ji Yuzhou’s voice.

He awkwardly sat beside Ji Yuzhou: “Aunt Li is too enthusiastic…”

Ji Yuzhou chuckled lightly: “I told you she would definitely like you.”

Ji Yuzhou felt that bringing the boy back was the right decision. His mother was a person who really feared being alone, but after his father passed away, she had locked herself away. Although she never said it, Ji Yuzhou knew she was always thinking about his father.

Ji Yuzhou himself was cold by nature and didn’t know how to cheer Li Hanqiu up. Their New Year’s dinner had still felt a bit lonely in the past years.

It had been a long time since he had seen his mother being so chatty and so warm toward someone.

It wasn’t just because Jiang Xunyu’s father had saved his life. Ji Yuzhou could see from Li Hanqiu’s expression that she truly liked Jiang Xunyu.

That was good, Ji Yuzhou thought. He hadn’t planned to send the boy away. If Jiang Xunyu proved to be trustworthy enough in the future, he might consider bringing him back more often to accompany Li Hanqiu.

Jiang Xunyu lowered his head and remained silent for a while, his fingers gently stroking his round belly. Slowly, he murmured, “Thank you.”

“Hm?” Ji Yuzhou looked up at him. “Why are you thanking me again?”

Jiang Xunyu clenched his teeth and whispered, “I feel… like I’m dreaming.”

Since his parents’ passing, he had never imagined there would be an opportunity like this—sitting down to a warm and comforting New Year’s dinner.

He had always hated his blue eyes, feeling that it was unfair of the heavens to give him a defective body. But now, he found himself somewhat grateful. It was precisely these eyes, which he had despised, that had led him to meet Ji Yuzhou and his mother.

He couldn’t figure out what he had done to deserve such treatment, subconsciously thinking of it as a long, undisturbed dream.

Jiang Xunyu’s expression betrayed his inner thoughts, and Ji Yuzhou’s heart ached. He reached out and gently rubbed his soft head, speaking in an incredibly gentle tone: “Do you feel it now? Do you still think it’s a dream?”

The warm, reassuring touch traveled from his scalp to his pounding heart. Jiang Xunyu nodded hard, and when Ji Yuzhou wasn’t paying attention, he wiped his eye with his sleeve.

….

The snowstorm outside showed no signs of stopping, and the howling wind roared. Inside, however, it was peaceful. On the bed, two red quilts lay side by side, looking very harmonious.

Jiang Xunyu had eaten too much, and Ji Yuzhou wasn’t in a hurry to sleep. He let the boy walk around the room while he casually browsed news on his phone.

Around midnight, there was a sudden knock on the door.

Li Hanqiu walked in with a smile, holding a red envelope wrapped up and handed it to Jiang Xunyu.

“I almost forgot, here’s your New Year’s gift, Xiao Xunyu.”

Jiang Xunyu didn’t know whether to accept or refuse, his fingers hovering in mid-air as he instinctively glanced at Ji Yuzhou.

Before Ji Yuzhou could say anything, Li Hanqiu was already unhappy: “What are you looking at him for? This is for you.”

Ji Yuzhou nodded: “Take it.”

Jiang Xunyu reluctantly took it and softly thanked Li Hanqiu.

Li Hanqiu patted his shoulder in satisfaction and went back to bed.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Jiang Xunyu suddenly remembered something and was still holding the bulging red envelope: “Shouldn’t I… should I wish Aunt Li a Happy New Year?”

He hadn’t really thought of the New Year as a holiday for a long time and had completely forgotten about the customs. When he was young, relatives would give New Year’s money, and the children would have to bow and wish them a Happy New Year.

Thinking about it, Jiang Xunyu suddenly became nervous, afraid he had forgotten some essential etiquette.

Ji Yuzhou didn’t really care: “Our family doesn’t worry about these formalities.”

Jiang Xunyu hesitated, still wanting to say something, but Ji Yuzhou had already started changing his clothes.

He calmly removed his jacket, and the sight of his well-defined abs caught Jiang Xunyu’s eye. His face immediately turned red, and he forgot all about the customs, quickly turning his head away in embarrassment.

Ji Yuzhou noticed his bashful reaction and chuckled softly. “You’re such a kid.”