Chapter 74

Lu Jianbo knew that his brothers-in-law wouldn’t say anything too harsh, but the tension in the room was unbearable. Having someone sit beside him would ease the discomfort.

Among everyone in the house, the only person who could truly give him a sense of comfort was Jiang Yueru. But right now, sitting next to her wasn’t an option. After some thought, Xu Zhiyi seemed to be the best choice—she had the ability to ease the tension when it mattered most.

At the dining table, Jiang Sixun held Xu Zhiyi back, not allowing her to move. He strode confidently toward his father. “I’ll sit next to you, Dad. Let me take on the burden of your past mistakes.”

Jiang Lao Da grumbled, “See? Even your son knows it’s all your mess!”

Lu Jianbo didn’t bother to argue.

When it came to the past, whether it was brought up or not, it always seemed to stir up painful memories. If it was mentioned, it reopened old wounds, and if it was left unsaid, each brother seemed to harbor unspoken resentment.

“I was the one who wronged Yueru, tore apart a good family…” Lu Jianbo sighed.

Before he could continue, Jiang Yueru interrupted, looking toward her eldest brother. “Big Brother.”

She only needed to say one word, and there was no need for further explanation. Jiang Lao Da immediately understood. The past was the past. Let it go. No matter what, he and his brothers had always been powerless when it came to their youngest sister. If they had been a little harsher back then, perhaps they could have stopped her from going to Hong Kong, and maybe things wouldn’t have turned out the way they did.

She wouldn’t have been sad for so many years. But the facts were now set in stone, and regretting it now would be useless.

Jiang Lao Da waved his hand. “It’s all in the past. Let’s eat.”

As for Sixun’s wedding, he thought for a moment before speaking. “Nothing to discuss. Both families will handle their own. As for the Hong Kong ceremony, Little Four, Little Five, you two can go.”

The three brothers would never attend. As for the younger generation, whoever wanted to go could go; he didn’t care.

During their annual reunion dinner, seating arrangements were usually fixed, but since it was Xu Zhiyis first time, she looped her arm through Jiang Yueru’s. “Mom, I’m sitting with you.”

Jiang Yueru smiled. “I’ll sit with a few of your aunts.” She gestured her chin toward Lu Jianbo. “You should go over there and sit with him.”

Lu Jianbo, wedged between Second Brother and Third Brother, knew this dinner was going to be especially hard.

She and he were now separate—bridges burned, roads diverged—and there was no point in making things awkward for him anymore.

Xu Zhiyi started toward Lu Jianbo’s side but was stopped halfway by Shen Tang, who pulled her toward their table. “Come sit with us. It’s the most cramped but also the most lively.”

Xu Zhiyi shook her head. “I want to sit with Uncle Lu.”

Using “Uncle” made it clear and simple, whereas “Dad” might not be as easily accepted by the others.

Shen Tang understood and gave a small nod. “Go ahead.”

Lu Jianbo, already dreading the meal, saw a glimmer of hope when he heard Xu Zhiyi’s soft voice calling out, “Dad.”

It was like a ray of light shining through the darkness.

Xu Zhiyi sat down beside him. “I’ll sit with you.”

Finally, having someone to talk to, he felt a little more at ease.

As Xu Zhiyi settled into her seat, Lu Jianbo’s heart, which had been hanging in the air, finally relaxed.

At the family dinner table, Jiang Sixun and his brothers, including Jiang Baichuan and their fifth brother, were always carefully watched by the elders. They weren’t allowed to speak freely, always under the sharp eyes of their older relatives.

Sixun sat directly across from her. Every time she looked up, their eyes met, an unspoken connection passing between them.

Xu Zhiyi gave him a smile, her eyes sparkling with unspoken words.

Sixun returned her smile with a quiet one of his own, but before he could speak, others at the table hadn’t yet settled. He lifted his glass, offering a toast in her direction without a word.

Xu Zhiyi quickly picked up her glass, tipping it slightly as she mouthed a New Year’s greeting.

Sixun read her lips: Happy New Year.

He took a sip of his wine, his eyes lingering on hers as he silently mouthed back: I love you.

A faint smile tugged at Xu Zhiyi’s lips.

In the midst of the loud chatter around them, the only thing that mattered were the two of them, their gaze locked in a moment of shared intimacy.

Off to the side, Lu Jianbo watched everything unfold. He couldn’t help but wonder—if he had spent the past thirty years with Jiang Yueru, if they had sat across from each other at a family meal like this, would they have exchanged loving glances over the dinner table like Sixun and Zhiyi were doing now?

Pouring himself a glass of wine, Lu Jianbo walked over to Jiang Yueru’s side of the table.

She was deep in conversation with her sister-in-law, who was inviting her over to her house on New Year’s Eve for a special Cantonese meal, one that she knew Jiang Yueru loved.

“Sure,” Jiang Yueru replied with a smile.

“Yueru.”

Her conversation was interrupted. She turned around to find Lu Jianbo standing there, holding a glass of white wine. In their younger days, he had only ever drunk red wine—beer and white wine were never his choice.

He lowered his glass, clinking it gently with hers.

Now, after all these years, love and resentment had lost all their meaning. He wasn’t sure what to toast to anymore, so he simply clinked glasses, said nothing, and downed the drink in one go.

He drank a little too quickly, and after a few seconds, he turned and headed back to his seat.

There would be no more chances like this.

Lu Jianbo tasted every dish on the table tonight. Some of them were dishes his ex-wife used to talk about often, and tonight, he finally understood what all the fuss had been about.

Sitting next to his second brother-in-law, he didn’t have much to say, mainly because his second brother-in-law wasn’t exactly interested in talking to him. Thankfully, Zhiyi was nearby, so he reached for the serving chopsticks and placed some food on her plate.

“This dish is quite good.”

“Thank you, Dad.”

Throughout the evening, Xu Zhiyi barely had to pick up her own chopsticks. Her plate was constantly replenished, a sign that she was being taken care of.

No matter where they were dining, both Lu Jianbo and Xu Zhiyi were never ones to waste a good meal. And tonight, it was no different.

Across the table, Jiang Sixun finally couldn’t hold back, leaning toward his father with a quiet warning. “Dad, you might want to take it easy. Fourth Sister-in-law isn’t a gastroenterologist. If you overeat, she won’t be able to help you.”

Lu Jianbo could only stare, speechless.

“What good is raising him, anyway?”

Xu Zhiyi calmly responded, “It’s fine. I have digestive tablets.”

“…”

Someone—nobody knew who—let out a loud laugh.

The tension that had weighed down the meal finally started to lift, as the mood lightened.

Xu Zhiyi’s second uncle was still baffled by the idea of her and Xu Heng fighting. One was thirty-two, the other twenty-six, nearly sixty between them. How could he possibly understand how two grown adults could get into a fight?

So, he asked Xu Zhiyi, “Zhiyi, how exactly did you and your brother fight?”

Xu Zhiyi swallowed a bite of meat, then answered seriously, “With hands and feet.”

“…”

Her second uncle stared at her, blinking.

Jiang Baichuan, his voice slow and drawling, added, “You don’t actually think Zhiyi has some kind of martial arts skills, do you? That she could just blow a little fairy dust and knock Xu Heng down?”

“Hahaha!”

The laughter came from Jiang Xiaomi and Zheng Zheng, who were both nearly choking on their food.

Her second uncle, left without a retort, shot them all a stern glare. “I swear, none of you wants to eat anymore!”

Lu Jianbo couldn’t help but feel the warmth of this family atmosphere—a kind of feeling he’d never experienced at the Lu family home.

Back then, his ex-wife had said one thing the most: “I’ll take you to my house someday so you can see what a real family feels like.”

Too bad, back then, he was too much of a fool to understand the meaning behind her words.

Now, being here, eating a New Year’s dinner, he was only here because of Sixun and Zhiyis wedding.

But what about next year?

Next year, if he came back, would he even be able to cross that threshold?

…

It was nearly 10 p.m. when the New Year’s dinner finally wound down. Jiang Sixun’s car waited outside, with the others’ cars parked in the yard. He and Zhiyi were the first to leave.

The snow from the other day hadn’t fully melted, and fresh snowflakes began to drift down again.

Once inside the car, Xu Zhiyi asked, “Are you going to visit Dad at the hotel?”

Jiang Sixun shook his head. “No need. He’s got his own plans.”

She leaned into his shoulder, and even she felt like tonight’s family dinner was almost like an unworldly dream—let alone Sixun, the one actually involved.

It was, after all, the first time in Sixun’s life that he’d shared a New Year’s dinner with his parents.

Suddenly, Jiang Sixun tapped her, urging her to look outside.

Startled, Xu Zhiyi straightened and peered out the window. In the center garden of the estate, she saw a person building a snowman, accompanied by two or three children.

As her eyes focused, she recognized the figure of her second uncle, with the children likely being from her elder siblings’ families.

Sixun asked, “Do you want to stop and say hello?”

Xu Zhiyi shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

When they were little, every year when it snowed, Qi Zhengchen would always build snowmen with her. Each time, he’d make a whole row of them.

They stood in a line, like nesting dolls, from largest to smallest. The tiniest snowman could easily fit in the palm of your hand.

He would take care of making the snowman, while she searched for twigs, peeled carrots, and shaped them into arms and noses.

As the car slowly passed by, she couldn’t see her second uncle anymore.

Qi Zhengchen had made six snowmen tonight, two for each child.

One car after another passed behind them, some lowering their windows to wave at him. He turned around and waved back. With so many people from the Jiang family gathering together, they must have come early for the New Year’s dinner.

Coincidentally, their family was also having a meal together tonight.

After that, he didn’t look back again, knowing that Jiang Sixun’s car had probably driven on.

“Second Uncle, I want a very tiny snowman.”

His niece, Little Mango, tugged on his arm.

Qi Zhengchen came back to his senses, adjusting his niece’s gloves. “Alright, I’ll make you a tiny snowman, but you can’t play with the snow anymore. Be careful, or your fingers will freeze off.”

Little Mango nodded obediently.

Qi Zhengchen grabbed a handful of fresh snow and started rolling it into a snowball.

Little Mango leaned against him, batting her eyelashes, watching intently.

It made him remember how Zhiyi used to be so well-behaved when she was little.

Back then, she had said, “Second Brother, I want to take a small one home.”

Once the tiny snowman was ready, he found two of the thinnest twigs, stuck one on each side as arms, and placed a few small pebbles on its face for eyes and a nose.

Little Mango’s eyes widened in excitement as she cradled the tiny snowman like a treasure in her hands.

Without warning, Qi Zhengchen scooped her up and turned to his older nephews. “Let’s go back.”

Unconsciously, his eyes flickered to the distant cars, wondering which one she was in.

“Second Uncle, what are you looking at?” Little Mango asked, curious.

Qi Zhengchen turned back to her and smiled, “I’m looking for someone I lost.”

Little Mango was too young to understand what he meant.

As the snow grew heavier, Qi Zhengchen wrapped his arm around his niece and adjusted her hat.

Large flakes settled onto his coat, and Little Mango gently brushed them off with her little hands.

The snow fell thicker, and when Jiang Sixun’s car pulled up to the gate, a layer of white had already settled on the roof.

There, beside the gate, was a snowman they hadn’t noticed before. From the car window, he caught a quick glimpse. It looked strangely familiar, but he didn’t think too much of it.

“How did a snowman get here? Did Auntie make it?” Xu Zhiyi asked, surprised.

Jiang Sixun nodded, “Most likely.”

There was no one else, and the property management wouldn’t be distributing snowmen to each house.

The driver stopped the car and let them out first.

Xu Zhiyi pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos. When she looked at them later, her brow furrowed. The eyes and nose on the snowman were familiar, yet the memory that flashed in her mind was elusive and hazy.

She was certain the blurry image that flickered by had nothing to do with her second uncle. In the past, whenever he made snowmen, it was always she who shaped the nose. But this snowman—it had a more intricate carrot nose than she ever remembered making.

Just then, her aunt heard the sound of the car and hurried outside. She turned to Jiang Sixun, saying, “Sixun, someone sent a snowman over tonight. They didn’t say their name, but they said you’d know who it was when you saw the snowman.”

Jiang Sixun paused. “…”

No wonder the snowman looked so familiar—it resembled the ones Shen Yin had posted on her social media before.

He didn’t expect that Shen Yin actually sent one over.

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. “How bored are you?”

Shen Yin laughed. “Pretty bored, so I thought I’d find something to pass the time.”

He sighed. “My mom set me up for a blind date on the 28th of the Lunar New Year. Do you think I’m crazy enough to go? By the way, Xu Heng has a blind date on the 2nd, right? Just like me, he won’t go. You better let Uncle Xu prepare himself. Tomorrow, Xu Heng is coming with me and Qi Zhengchen to the southern hemisphere for some fishing.”

“Fishing?” Jiang Sixun asked.

“Yeah. Both Qi Zhengchen and I are nursing broken hearts. Xu Heng owes it to us to keep us company. And the best part? He’s more than happy to do it.”

Jiang Sixun was left speechless.

Just before hanging up, Shen Yin added, “Take good care of that snowman. It fell apart halfway, so I had to rebuild it when it reached your house. It took me over two hours.”

The truth was, the snowman wasn’t really for Jiang Sixun to see.

---

The next morning, Jiang Sixun and Xu Zhiyi returned to Shanghai.

Xu Heng boarded his flight to the southern hemisphere, where he had plans to meet up with Shen Yin and Qi Zhengchen for some fishing by the sea.

In their family group chat, Xu Heng informed his parents:

“Qi Zhengchen still hasn’t gotten over his heartbreak. Shen Yin is the son-in-law you picked out, and he’s seriously pursuing the marriage. The problem is, Zhiyi doesn’t like him. Out of fairness and duty, I have to look out for them.”

His words were confident, and He Yi’an responded: “You’re just avoiding your blind date, aren’t you?”

Xu Heng didn’t deny it.

“When are you coming back?” He Yi’an asked.

“Not sure yet. Mom, can you give me two more years? Zhiyiand I didn’t even spend that much time together. In the future, I’ll have my own family, and she’ll have hers. Just like you and Big Uncle—you both got married, had kids. Do you think you could still go back to how things were?” Xu Heng’s voice was calm, but firm.

Moved by his words, Xu Xiangyi replied in the group: “Do whatever you want.”

But there was one condition: “Don’t let it drag on until you’re over thirty-five.”

Xu Heng decided to seize the moment while his parents were moved by the situation and laid everything out on the table:

“I’ve been in contact with Ning Yun. She’s not in a rush to settle down after just breaking up, and she isn’t looking for love or marriage right now. If Ning Dong has any intention of a marriage alliance in the future, I want you to decline it on my behalf. She’s a great person, but we’re not suited for each other.”

He Yi’an had a good impression of Ning Yun, even giving Xu Zhiyi a limited-edition bag—a bag not easily obtainable, one Ning Yun had given as a gift out of her own generosity.

She responded to her son:

“I understand. Jiang Sixun sent Ning Yun an oil painting back then. I remember how much buzz it caused online for a while. If we really try to match you with Ning Yun, our family will end up as fodder for other people’s dinner conversations.”

She could never let her daughter bear that kind of attention.

Xu Xiangyi, confused, asked his wife:

“What oil painting? Why haven’t I heard of this?”

He Yi’an sighed. “Of course you wouldn’t know, you’re not interested in these things. It was six years ago, Ning Yun’s birthday. Jiang Sixun gave her an oil painting as a birthday gift. That painting was not cheap.”

---

Meanwhile, on the plane, Jiang Sixun stared at his mother-in-law’s last message. If He Yi’an hadn’t mentioned it in the family chat, he would have completely forgotten about the oil painting.

“Zhiyi.” He called out to her as she snacked on some fruit.

Xu Zhiyi, carrying a fruit plate, moved from the table to sit beside him. “What’s up? Is my brother still refusing to go on that blind date?”

“Yeah.” Jiang Sixun put his phone down. “Dad has given up. Let him do what he wants.”

He took the fruit plate from her and set it aside. “Let’s talk about us.”

For them, there was only one thing left to discuss— their wedding.

Xu Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead, I’m listening.”

“You owe me money. Do you remember?” Jiang Sixun asked with a sly smile.

---

Xu Zhiyi racked her brain for a moment. “Owe you money?”

It seemed like she had forgotten.

“Oil painting.” Jiang Sixun gave her a hint.

And then, like a lightbulb going off in her head, she remembered—the oil painting he had given Ning Yun as a birthday gift, and it had somehow been counted as a debt from her.

Jiang Sixun gave her a pointed look. “You said you’d pay in installments. Six years have passed, how many installments have you paid?”

Xu Zhiyi laughed. “We’re married now, everything’s shared. No more ‘you’ and ‘me.'”

Jiang Sixun shook his head. “No. The gift was only for you.” He grabbed her white phone from the table and said, “Transfer the money to me now, and I’ll waive the interest.”

Xu Zhiyi only had a rough idea of the amount, so she sent him a round number. “Why did you suddenly remember that oil painting?”

“You should thank Xu Heng.”

Xu Zhiyi quickly typed out a message to her brother:

“Wasn’t I supposed to send you a red envelope for the New Year? Well, looks like I can’t now.”

Xu Heng: “What’s wrong?”

Xu Zhiyi: “I’m out of money. My card is cleaner than my face (heartbroken).”

Xu Heng: “Borrow some from me.”

Xu Zhiyi: “…”

Xu Heng sent her a red envelope: “I’ll lend it to you.”

Xu Zhiyi smiled knowingly. After accepting the envelope, she quickly sent back double the amount: “Happy New Year, always love you :)”

Jiang Sixun glanced at her phone screen, his gaze finally resting on her face. “No money in your card? I’ll give you some.”

“I’ve got money, just teasing my brother,” Xu Zhiyi said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing his lips. “Happy New Year.”

Jiang Sixun pulled her closer into his arms.

As they lay there, Xu Zhiyi brought up the wedding, asking, “Who are you planning to choose as your best man?”

Jiang Sixun replied: “Got two best men already, and I even found you a bridesmaid.”

Xu Zhiyi was curious. “Really? That’s perfect! And who are your best men?”

Jiang Sixun smiled: “Brothers. Shang Wen and his brother.”

“…And the bridesmaid?”

“Shang Wen’s sister.”

“…”

That morning, before Xu Zhiyi even woke up, Shang Wen’s older brother had called. From his tone, it was clear that Shang Yun felt embarrassed about having a brother like Shang Wen. He explained that they had taken care of everything—the best men and bridesmaids were all sorted. He and Shang Wen would be the best men, and his sister would be the bridesmaid. There was no need for them to worry about any of it.

Shang Yun, feeling bad, added: “We’ve also booked the entire convoy.”

Jiang Sixun calmly replied: “No need. This is my wedding.”

Shang Yun: “…”