Chapter 28: Family Reunion for the New Year

Ansi is in the northwest of Huaguo. Since the beginning of winter, it has continuously been snowing, leaving everything covered in a silver-white blanket, with snowflakes flying everywhere. During winter, everyone goes outside wearing fur hats, thick floral coats on the outside, and several layers tightly wrapped underneath.

There isn’t much work to do in the fields during winter, so the Liu family decided to let Luo Yue move in with them for the winter. Otherwise, with his frail physique, if he had to make the daily trip to the Liu family for meals, he would likely catch a cold.

Shuxin had her supernatural abilities to rely on, so she didn’t feel the cold as much. However, Luo Yue’s weak constitution might struggle. It was a perfect opportunity for her to go to Hushi and buy some nutritional supplements, as the ones she bought last time were nearly finished, and she wanted to replenish his stock.

It was snowy and icy in Xinyang County, but as they traveled south by train, it got warmer and warmer. By the time they arrived in Hushi, they no longer needed to wear padded coats.

This was a pleasant surprise for the staff accompanying the train; even during winter, their enthusiasm for working increased a bit, unlike previous years when they were more lethargic.

Shuxin first went to the black market to sell the goods she had on hand. With less than a month until the New Year, she needed to take advantage of the bustling business season to make some extra money.

The festive atmosphere was palpable in Hushi with the upcoming New Year; the malls were noticeably busier than usual. This time she aimed to stock up on New Year goods; otherwise, the next time she came, it would be just days before the New Year, and she certainly couldn’t compete with the throngs of women shopping.

She bought some malt milk and milk powder. As the New Year approached, everyone wanted to wear new clothes, so she stocked up on fabric and gathered some fruits and snacks.

When Shuxin arrived at the station, she was covered head to toe with packages; no one criticized her because everyone was the same. With the New Year approaching, even the leaders turned a blind eye, and she had secretly bought some items herself.

As New Year’s approached, Shuxin and her colleagues just finished the last train shift before the holiday. This year was the first year for train operations, and while the trains were still running, staff members could choose to take a break but had to ensure at least one person was present in each car.

However, the training for backup staff had already been completed, so Shuxin’s rest wouldn’t affect train operations. She continued to work on the train, and her salary doubled while those on leave naturally wouldn’t receive a salary. Thus, this year, Shuxin had a 15-day holiday for the New Year.

After work, Shuxin planned to ride home and then the next day bring Luo Yue with her to the Huang family to pay New Year’s visits. She had already informed Huang Yao that she had a partner, and everyone in the Huang family knew about it. Huang’s parents expressed their desire to see Shuxin’s partner during the New Year.

On the way home, it began to snow again. By the time Shuxin arrived home, Luo Yue hurried to help her take off the snow-covered clothes and quickly had her change into a warm cotton coat he had by the fire. He then took out the roasted sweet potatoes from the fire and offered them to Shuxin to help warm her up.

Although Shuxin wasn’t cold, seeing Luo Yue busy taking care of her made her heart feel warm and content. The Liu family watched Luo Yue’s attentiveness without interfering, allowing him to show off his capabilities. Initially, they thought of lending a hand, but later realized he was more meticulous than they were, so they stopped meddling.

Shuxin sat by the fire, while the women of the Liu family went into the kitchen to prepare dinner, and Luo Yue followed them in to learn how to cook. Shuxin thought that once they got married and moved in together, it would be fine for him to learn.

Luo Yue considered the fact that after spring, he and Shuxin would be getting married and living alone, and since Shuxin wouldn’t be cooking at home all the time, he had to learn how to cook himself. It wouldn’t be realistic to keep going to the Liu family for meals after all. He recognized that while he was pampered, he also needed to acknowledge reality. Currently, he had no servants to do the work for him, so he had to step up.

He had learned some cooking skills previously at the Marquis’s residence, but back then he was a precious young master who would marry into a family of equal status, which meant he didn’t need to do anything himself—just direct others with his words.

So while he had theoretical knowledge about cooking, he lacked practical experience. However, he considered himself adept. After Liu Mama personally taught him once, he quickly mastered the tasks.

When it was time for dinner, he specifically placed the stir-fried vegetables he prepared in front of Shuxin, eagerly awaiting her evaluation. Shuxin took a piece of the vegetable from the plate and, to her surprise, it was delicious—much better than what most people would make.

“Not bad! Yueyue, your first time cooking is almost as good as Grandma’s!”

“Really? Then I’ll learn more from Grandma in the future, and make it especially for you. How does that sound?”

“Alright, then it will be hard work for Yueyue.”

Shuxin felt assured about this. In the days that followed, Luo Yue eagerly assisted the women of the Liu family in preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner. In a short period, he surpassed Liu Grandma in culinary skills, securing the title of the Liu family’s top chef.

However, before that, Shuxin took Luo Yue into the city to pay a New Year’s visit to the Huang family.

Shuxin wasn’t afraid of the cold, but Luo Yue, with his delicate constitution, couldn’t bear it. He donned the military coat Shuxin specially bought for him, layered with a thermal shirt, a sweater, thermal underwear, and wool pants. Although the outfit was bulky, Luo Yue wore it with an adorable, warm, “plump little puppy” look.

Since being with Shuxin, he had been well-fed and taken care of, without doing any work, which transformed his frail body into the delicate appearance he had now. His complexion was rosy and glowing, his skin fair and smooth without any pores, and he looked even more radiant than when he first arrived at Liu Lindadui.

When they came to the Huang family, only Aunt Huang and little Huang Hao were home. Huang Yao and her father were at work and would not be off until the day after tomorrow, which was New Year’s Eve. After chatting with Aunt Huang and playing with little Huang Hao, Huang Yao and her father came home from work.

Earlier, Shuxin had taken the opportunity to inform Huang Yao that they would visit, so both of them made time to have lunch together.

Upon seeing Shuxin’s partner, the Huang family members were secretly amazed. They had all thought Shuxin would find someone more impressive, someone who could keep her in check, but today’s look at Luo Yue was completely different from their expectations.

While he did have a calming effect on Shuxin, it wasn’t through force; upon closer inspection, he appeared frail and delicate, even more so than many women. He gave off the distinct impression of a pampered little wife.

When Luo Yue was with the Luo family, he always pretended to be shy and uncommunicative, which showed that he was quite good at acting. However, now he was done with pretending. He no longer masked himself as an alpha male; he had found a lifelong partner who accepted him for being different from most men. As long as Shuxin didn’t mind, he didn’t care about what others thought of him.

The Huang family respected Shuxin’s choice and treated Luo Yue warmly, without anyone commenting on his unusual demeanor. As they interacted, they discovered that aside from his contrasting appearance, he was quite likeable. In no time, he had built a good rapport with the Huang family, showing that he was adept at winning people over. After all, if the Liu family warmed up to him, it was clear he had certain charms.

After leaving the Huang family, Shuxin took Luo Yue to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative for a quick look around. Since coming to the countryside, Luo Yue hadn’t visited the county town much. Before he met Shuxin, he would sometimes use the little money he had to eat at the public dining hall or trade with fellow villagers for finer grains.

But since he started dating Shuxin, he stopped worrying about such things and no longer felt burdened by the endless chores. His only responsibility now was to be happy.

He wasn’t someone who enjoyed wandering around, so he hadn’t visited the county nearly as much as he might have.

The items in the Supply and Marketing Cooperative weren’t as good as what Shuxin had brought from Hushi, but they still picked up some candies to entertain relatives and friends, saving the best goodies for their own family.

Recently, the aroma of delicious food wafted from every household in the village, with many making meats and snacks, causing the children to be overjoyed as they ran around playing and visiting each other.

In the Liu household, Shuxin was responsible for eating and didn’t face any demands to cook; she was more than happy to enjoy her leisurely time.

On New Year’s Eve, the Liu family’s table was laid out with ten dishes, symbolizing perfection, and included a variety of chicken, duck, fish, and meat.

After dinner, the Liu family happily gathered around the kang to celebrate the New Year. The older brothers of the Liu family invited Shuxin and Luo Yue to join them in playing cards, while the adults chatted away.

As the clock struck midnight, the sound of firecrackers erupted somewhere in the village, and soon after, the sounds of firecrackers began to fill the air, prompting the Liu family to set off their first rocket of the new year.

Happy New Year!