Since it was already Chinese New Year, everyone didn’t want to talk about work.

So her uncle promised to inquire about renting the land after the New Year.

Xu Han wasn’t in a hurry either.

Before they knew it, it was New Year’s Eve.

The village was filled with a festive atmosphere on New Year’s Eve.

Firecrackers were going off everywhere, making lively sounds that turned the usually quiet mountain village into a bustling place.

The New Year spirit was strong.

She had sold almost all of her vegetables, earning a good amount.

Xu Han could now relax for a while.

During the day, enjoying the warm sunlight, she gave Koukou a bath and dressed herself in a pretty new outfit.

She had bought the new clothes during her last trip to the city.

It was a thick onesie made to look like a cute bear, brown overall with a white belly and a short little tail.

There were pink paw prints like kitten’s on the soles, and the hat had a cute bear face with two pointed ears, warm and adorable.

“Wow, where did this adorable bear come from? Did you grow up eating cuteness?” Xu Han kissed Koukou’s fragrant face and teased him.

Koukou now understood people’s words quite well and knew his mom was praising him.

He laughed happily and imitated Xu Han, kissing her face.

“Aww~” Koukou made a cute sound with his mouth.

“Come on, baby, let’s take a beautiful selfie.”

Xu Han took out her phone, switched to selfie mode, and lightly leaned her head on Koukou’s shoulder, taking a photo.

Qiao Wanqing was beautiful, and Koukou was adorable.

They both looked great in photos, even without using any beauty filters.

Their looks were stunning.

Koukou saw her using the phone and reached out to play with it.

Xu Han had let him hold it last time, but he accidentally dropped it, cracking the screen.

Another drop and it might be unusable.

Xu Han put the phone aside and said, “Baby, this isn’t a toy.”

“Ah, ah,” Koukou didn’t care, he just wanted it.

Xu Han reached out and rubbed Koukou’s little belly. “You little troublemaker, you’re so naughty.”

Koukou giggled as Xu Han rubbed his belly, feeling ticklish.

His attention was instantly diverted, and he opened his mouth, laughing, and grabbed Xu Han’s hand.

A droplet of saliva trickled down his mouth and landed on Xu Han’s hand.

Xu Han sighed and wiped her hand with a towel.

Koukou also reached out his little hand to wipe it.

Xu Han wiped it for him twice and said, “After the New Year, Koukou will be one year older. You’re now a two-year-old little grown-up.”

Koukou stood on her leg, giggling as his mom rubbed his belly, tickling him.

His little feet kept stepping on Xu Han’s leg.

His little feet had grown strong and sturdy now.

He could stand with support, although he couldn’t stand independently yet. With someone’s help, he could stand for a while.

“Ouch,” despite Koukou being small, he was well-fed and chubby, so he had some strength.

Stepping on her leg, Xu Han winced in pain, intentionally putting on a stern face and said, “You little troublemaker, you’re hurting mommy.”

Unless someone really scolded him loudly, Koukou never felt scared.

He always thought people were playing with him, so he stepped more joyfully.

Xu Han: “…”

At that moment, Grandma Qiao brought a small triangular red packet and pinned it on Koukou’s new clothes.

She said, “Koukou, you’ve grown one year older. Be a good boy in the new year, don’t cry, don’t make trouble, and stay healthy.”

“Dada,” Koukou imitated Grandma Qiao’s words.

Grandma Qiao smiled and gently touched his little cheek.

“Grandma, what’s this?” Xu Han asked curiously, looking at the item Grandma Qiao pinned on Koukou’s clothes.

She found that the elderly here had many traditional things.

“It’s a little lucky packet, to bless Koukou,” Grandma Qiao replied.

“Oh,” Xu Han found it quite interesting. “Then bless me with one too.”

“You’re already grown up, you don’t need this. But during the Lunar New Year, we’ll go to the temple nearby to pray, to ensure a smooth and prosperous year ahead.”

“Okay.”

Xu Han was actually an atheist but didn’t mind going to temples or shrines for fun.

In the village, everyone started eating their Lunar New Year’s Eve dinner at three o’clock, for some unknown reason.

Xu Han and the others started a bit later, at 4 o’clock.

Xu Han and Grandma Qiao prepared the New Year’s Eve dinner together.

They had chicken, duck, fish, and even roasted the fiercest goose they had.

The goose they raised had firm meat that didn’t scatter.

After roasting, it had a crispy brown skin with oil oozing out with each bite.

They made flatbreads without oil but with water bubbles, filled with freshly picked lettuce and shredded cucumber.

Each bite combined the crispy fragrance of the goose and the crispness of the vegetables, flavorful and refreshing.

After finishing dinner, it was only a little past 5 o’clock.

Koukou suddenly wanted milk, though Xu Han’s milk supply had decreased since she had a cold once.

Normally, Koukou didn’t feel full after drinking from two breasts and needed powdered milk.

Xu Han nursed Koukou while her mind wandered elsewhere.

If she hadn’t crossed over to this place, she would probably be celebrating the New Year with her parents right now.

She wondered how her parents were doing in the current world—whether she was considered dead or something else.

Luckily, she wasn’t an only child.

She had an older brother back home, and just before she came here, he had started dating someone.

He should bring her home this New Year, making their parents happy and comforting them in their daughter’s absence.

Back when she was at home, she used to complain that New Year celebrations weren’t lively enough.

Now, this was what truly meant not lively at all.

Grandma Qiao loved her dearly, but they didn’t have much in common to talk about.

Koukou was still young, and if it weren’t for advanced communication tools allowing her to chat with Tang Yueyue( Tang Hei ) and others, Xu Han felt she would go crazy.

Luckily, making money was a source of happiness.

After the New Year, she planned to grow more vegetables with the help of her uncle and aunt, while focusing her efforts on the vegetarian restaurant.

She felt she was soon going to realize her dream of becoming wealthy.

Just thinking about it made her happy.

After pondering various things, Xu Han’s mood improved.

She adjusted Koukou to nurse on the other side and took out her phone to open her social media, preparing to post the selfie from the afternoon with Koukou and pictures from the New Year’s Eve dinner.

That’s when she heard someone calling her from outside.

“Qingqing, Qingqing.” It was Aunt Li’s voice. Shortly after, Aunt Li pushed open the door, which was blocking the cold wind.

She held a porcelain basin and said, “My daughter said she wanted to eat tangyuan (glutinous rice balls) for the New Year. She made too many, so I brought some for you.”

“Thank you, Auntie. Please have a seat,” Xu Han replied warmly.

“Ai,” Aunt Li placed the bowl on the table, sat down on a chair, and complimented Koukou again for being cute and growing up fast.

Then she said, “There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Sure, Auntie, go ahead.”

“It’s about my nephew. He’s turning 32 after the New Year, never been married, bought a house in the county town, and is planning to buy a car. He asked if you’re interested. He’ll come visit our place in a few days, so you can meet.”

Xu Han: “…”

A divorced single mother like her was this popular?

Xu Han felt like she needed to hang a sign outside saying, “This woman is not worried about getting married. Suitors, roll away.”

“Aren’t you busy with farming and selling vegetables at home? If needed, he’s willing to come back and help with the heavy work. He’s very hardworking,” Aunt Li continued.

“Auntie, I haven’t thought about marriage in these past few years. Koukou is still young. Let’s talk about these things when he’s older,” Xu Han politely declined.

Aunt Li said, “It doesn’t have to be marriage right away. Just get to know each other. If it’s right, everything else will follow naturally.”

“…Auntie, what I mean is I’m not interested in a relationship right now. Let’s talk about this in three to five years.”

“Oh, you don’t want to? Ai, okay then. It’s fine not to meet,” Aunt Li reluctantly agreed.

Seeing Xu Han’s persistence, Aunt Li left with regret.

Xu Han sighed in relief.

People here really loved matchmaking and meddling in others’ lifelong affairs.

And a 32-year-old unmarried man with seemingly good conditions willing to marry someone like her who had a child—Xu Han knew there might be more to this than met the eye.

After Aunt Li left, Xu Han picked up her phone again to update her social media with a selfie of her and Kouko.

“Single life isn’t easy, being divorced and having a child even prompts matchmakers to hurry marriage (picture).”

Xu Han didn’t mean anything else by it; she just wanted to post and reflect on it.

After posting, she logged out of her social media.

By this time, the sky had darkened, and households started burning incense and setting off fireworks.

Every night these days, the village would set off fireworks.

Today being New Year’s was especially lively, with the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers everywhere.

Kouko loved watching fireworks, and every time he saw colorful fireworks bursting in the sky, he would be very happy.

Whenever there was a noise outside, he would shout to be carried out to watch the fireworks.

Xu Han moved a chair to the courtyard, holding Kouko and letting him watch the fireworks while she checked various groups on her phone to snatch red envelopes.

With Kouko entertained by the fireworks, he wouldn’t try to grab her phone.

During the New Year, red envelopes were everywhere.

Although they were just a few cents or a few dimes, grabbing a red envelope brought great joy.

Even though she might not grab more than 10 yuan all night, every year Xu Han couldn’t help but wait in various groups, eagerly anticipating the red envelopes from the big shots.

Chinese New Year here was evidently the same.

“Ding.” Just as Xu Han was happily snatching a few cents and dimes, she received a WeChat message from Gu Yanqing.

Gu Yanqing added her on WeChat, usually not bothering her unless she was idle, except for that one time when she returned from the city.

He didn’t even say anything else most of the time.

Today being New Year’s, he probably sent a blessing as a matter of course.

But no, he directly sent a transfer of fifty thousand yuan, saying it was Koukou’s New Year’s money.

Fifty thousand yuan should be the limit on WeChat transfers.

Xu Han suddenly felt a little curious. If there were no limits, what would the other party send?

Then the author stepped in to explain that Gu Yanqing himself was also a victim, and giving money was already generous.

Moreover, giving too much money would improve Qiao Wanqing’s life, making it unsettling to think that such a malicious supporting female character could get so much money.

So after careful consideration, the author decided on 200,000 yuan.

It seemed quite reasonable.

Gu Yanqing then sent two more messages consecutively:

— Transfer.

— New Year’s money for Koko, not much, use it to buy him some clothes and toys.

— I saw someone say something intimate to you on your friend’s circle?

— Don’t just settle.

Cough, President Gu, are you this gossip-mongering?

But considering that Gu Yanqing might be thinking that she would find a bad stepfather for Kouko who would mistreat his son, so he would advise her not to just settle.

Xu Han didn’t want to reply to him at first, but when she saw this message, she couldn’t help but send one back to him.

Xu Han: Don’t worry, President Gu. I will definitely find someone who treats Kouko well, like a real son. I won’t let Koukou suffer any grievances. After all, Koukou is my everything.

On the other end of the phone, Gu Yanqing: “……”

He felt he was being impulsive again.