◎ It’s… a New Year’s gift ◎

The cream on the tip of her nose started to melt as the heat from her face rapidly rose, its smooth, cool sensation causing a slight tickle in her nose, which made her heart flutter.

Tao Xiaoxi couldn’t step back any further. She tilted her head forward, rubbing her nose against his high, straight nose. There was a bit of cream on it too. She blew lightly on the cream, “You’re talking about the body, but that range seems a bit broad. Do you want to give a specific location?”

Chen Fang’s eyes suddenly darkened.

Suddenly, there was the sound of a password being entered at the door. Tao Xiaoxi quickly pushed against the person in front of her. But as she did so, she lost her balance and was about to fall sideways. Chen Fang reached out to catch her, but she instinctively pushed his arm away, thinking that if the old lady came in and saw them holding each other, it would look bad. She thought she could steady herself.

However, she overestimated her balance. Not only did she fall to the ground, but she also pulled someone down with her.

First, there was the sound of bones hitting the ground, followed by a muffled grunt. Tao Xiaoxi winced just hearing it.

The two of them fell, one on top of the other, onto the ground.

Tao Xiaoxi anxiously asked if he was okay, but Chen Fang covered her mouth.

Yan Qiufang hummed a tune as she entered the door. “Xiaoxi, is Chen Fang back?” She spotted shoes at the entrance.

The brightly lit room was silent, and no one answered the old lady.

Tao Xiaoxi crouched under the dining table, holding her breath as she heard the footsteps of Yan Qiufang moving closer. Her heart raced as she wished she could just teleport them both outside.

Just then, she felt a warm breath on the tip of her nose.

He… was licking the cream off her nose.

Now, a drumbeat seemed to echo in her ear—”thump, thump, thump”—getting louder with each beat, reaching a peak that kept growing.

She tried to stop him with her eyes, but he didn’t stop. In fact, he only intensified it.

Tao Xiaoxi felt like she was about to faint. She simply closed her eyes, turned her head, and buried her face in his shoulder. She thought, let her just pass out. If the old lady found out, at least she’d be unconscious and leave him to clean up the mess.

Yan Qiufang had already reached the living room, still unable to see anyone. “Where is everyone? Upstairs?”

As she was about to turn toward the dining table, Tao Xiaoxi silently prayed, wishing she could use invisibility magic.

There was definitely no invisibility magic, but then, unexpectedly, Yan Qiufang’s footsteps stopped. She turned and walked toward the bedroom, muttering to herself, “I need to use the bathroom.”

Tao Xiaoxi, hearing this, felt the tension in her chest loosen. She collapsed in relief, leaning against Chen Fang.

Yan Qiufang spent about ten minutes in the bathroom. When she came out, she heard sounds from the kitchen. Chen Fang came out holding dishes and met her eyes.

The old lady gave him a stare, then pointed at him quietly, her voice intentionally raised, “So you two were in the kitchen. No wonder I didn’t see anyone earlier.”

Chen Fang responded, “Yeah, the range hood was on, so we didn’t hear you come in. Has Chuntao come back?”

Yan Qiufang nodded. “Yes, she just arrived today. I think she’s not too eager for a relationship. She wants to take the adult university exam, so she’s not in a hurry to find a partner. Studying is good, so I didn’t press her any further.”

Tao Xiaoxi also came out of the kitchen, her face now back to normal.

Yan Qiufang told Tao Xiaoxi, “Xiaoxi, Chuntao said she has some questions she doesn’t understand. She wants to come over to ask you when it’s convenient for you.”

Tao Xiaoxi replied, “Sure, I should be free in the evenings during the holiday.”

“Then I’ll have her come after dinner.”

Yan Qiufang was delighted. She had never had much education, but she loved seeing young girls working hard to study. She also had a smart granddaughter-in-law who could teach others, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt hopeful for the future. She even had an extra bowl of soup with dinner, thinking she needed to stay healthy. She had a feeling that she would soon become a great-grandmother.

The earlier incident under the table was naturally forgotten with the mention of Chuntao. Tao Xiaoxi thought Yan Qiufang hadn’t noticed, so the guilty feeling subsided a little. However, she was still unwilling to accept the chopsticks handed over to her. She pushed her bowl aside—after all, she had her own hands. Why should she eat the food he offered?

That night, Tao Xiaoxi wrapped herself up in her blanket, creating a barrier with a pillow to divide the bed. She set a strict line and forbade any part of his body from crossing it.

“What if I cross the line?” Chen Fang leaned against the headboard, watching her fuss and asking leisurely.

She hadn’t thought of that yet, but she was firm—no crossing. With her hands on her hips, chin raised, and her hair tied into a loose bun, she tried to look authoritative, like a brave warrior drawing a line in the sand. In reality, she was just a cute girl playfully acting tough.

Chen Fang asked again, “What if you cross the line?”

Tao Xiaoxi lay back down, wrapped tightly in her blanket. “I definitely won’t cross it.”

She said it so firmly, but before midnight, her body, seeking warmth, crossed over the pillow and ended up in his arms. Automatically, she snuggled deeper into his embrace.

The next day, Tao Xiaoxi refused to admit that she had rolled into his arms. She didn’t admit that she had been restless in her sleep and blamed him for everything.

Chen Fang didn’t mind. After all, he had no problem with taking the blame. “I’ll wait for you to settle accounts with me,” he said, looking amused, as if she were afraid of not blaming him.

Tao Xiaoxi threw a soft punch at the bed, got up from the blanket, and threatened, “Just wait.”

Chen Fang spread his arms, inviting her to do whatever she wanted.

New Year’s Eve was busy but lively. Early in the morning, Chen Fang took Tao Xiaoxi to her mother’s house, delivering a truckload of New Year goods. Together with his father-in-law, they put up the couplets and lanterns outside. Tao Xiaoxi helped her mother stick the ‘Fu’ characters on the walls. They worked quickly, and when they finished, Chen Fang watered the plants and checked Tao Xiaoxi’s ‘Fu’ characters, making sure they were straight. Then he took his mother-in-law and father-in-law back to his home.

Meng Qing felt a bit happy, not just a little, but really happy.

Early in the morning, she was already feeling quite upset. The reason was that as soon as Tao Wenyong woke up today, he sat on the edge of the bed and let out a sigh. “With one less person at home, I usually don’t notice it, but when the New Year comes, it feels so empty.”

Meng Qing was annoyed that Tao Wenyong started sighing first thing on New Year’s Eve morning, and his words made her feel even worse. When Tao Xiaoxi wasn’t married, seeing her during the New Year irritated her. Now that she was married and Meng Qing couldn’t see her, she couldn’t help but miss her. Although they lived nearby, they were still two separate households now. If nothing else, just putting up the Spring Festival couplets showed the difference. Other families had both children and adults bustling around, creating a festive atmosphere, while their place felt cold and quiet. Even when Tao Wenyong put up the couplets, he couldn’t get them straight, wobbling on the stool as his legs trembled.

Chen Fang arrived just when Meng Qing was about to lose control of her anger and was about to use force against Tao Wenyong. Chen Fang didn’t need a stool—he simply took the couplets from his father-in-law’s hands and easily posted them.

The neighbors, seeing Tao Xiaoxi and her husband, remarked, “Wow, you two are really early with your New Year’s greetings. Why come over today?”

Tao Xiaoxi handed a string of sugar-coated hawthorns she hadn’t touched to the little one who was staring at her.

Meng Qing answered the neighbor, “We’re just here to have her take us to their place to celebrate New Year’s Eve.”

The neighbor smiled, “Well, that’s good. Xiaoxi has good taste. She found you a great son-in-law—handsome and tall, and thoughtful of his elders.” After saying this, she lowered her voice and glanced downstairs. “Did you hear? Huihui is fighting with her husband over a divorce. They say he’s seeing someone else. I don’t know what her mother was thinking, pushing her daughter into a burning pit like that.”

Meng Qing shook her head. “I didn’t hear about that.”

Even if she had, she wouldn’t have acknowledged it. After her argument with Huihui’s mother, every time they ran into each other, the woman would snort coldly at her, and she couldn’t be bothered to respond, just treating her like air.

She wasn’t interested in whether the girl got divorced or remarried. There was already enough to handle at home and in the hospital—she didn’t have the time or energy to worry about other people’s affairs.

However, the neighbor was right about one thing—Tao Xiaoxi did have good judgment. Having the daughter and son-in-law come to pick them up made the experience feel very different from driving there themselves. Tao Xiaoxi might have thought of coming to pick them up, but Chen Fang accompanying her was clearly not her idea.

The anger Meng Qing felt because of Tao Wenyong completely disappeared the moment she saw her son-in-law. Her gaze toward Chen Fang grew increasingly kind, a warmth even Tao Xiaoxi had never experienced before.

At the New Year’s Eve dinner, Tao Xiaoxi quietly nudged Chen Fang’s arm. “What did you say to your mother-in-law? Why do I feel like she’s treating you better than me now?”

Since Tao Xiaoxi could remember, Meng Qing had never helped her with anything at the dinner table. She always served herself whatever she wanted. But just now, her mother had even served a piece of food to Chen Fang. Tao Xiaoxi’s father had probably never gotten such treatment from her mother.

Chen Fang whispered back, “I don’t need to say anything. Since ancient times, mothers-in-law have always spoiled their son-in-laws.”

Tao Xiaoxi: …

Since ancient times, huh? Why not say “from heaven to earth”?

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, it was still early, so they set up a mahjong table in the living room. Tao Xiaoxi was a beginner at mahjong and originally planned to just watch. However, Chen Fang’s phone kept ringing nonstop, and the old lady didn’t want him to be distracted, so she pulled Tao Xiaoxi to the table instead. Once they sat down, there were no parents, grandmothers, beloved daughters, or cherished granddaughters-in-law—winning or losing all depended on one’s own skills.

Tao Xiaoxi was small, and her skills were even smaller. By the time Chen Fang’s phone calls had subsided, she had already lost so much she didn’t know what to do. She wanted to give up her seat and let the experts play, but Chen Fang stood behind her and gently pressed her shoulder, signaling her to keep playing.

The old lady glanced over and said, “No helping her read the cards.”

If he helped, then all her tricks would be completely exposed today.

Chen Fang smiled, “I didn’t say anything.”

He hadn’t spoken, but his fingers were moving. At first, Tao Xiaoxi didn’t get it, but after a few rounds, she realized that whenever she was about to play a card, his fingers would tap her shoulder—sometimes on the left, sometimes on the right. After a few taps, it stopped. Tao Xiaoxi started counting the taps, and when his hand stopped on her left shoulder, she knew it was time to play the card from the left. When she took out the right card, his finger would tap again, confirming that she had guessed correctly.

For the first time in her life, Tao Xiaoxi won at mahjong and almost laughed out loud. She worked hard to keep a straight face, casually taking the money from her parents and grandmother. “Oh my, I’m just a blind cat who finally caught a dead mouse tonight. Not easy, not easy at all. Finally, I won a hand!”

After collecting the money, she turned to look at the person next to her, waving the money slightly and smiling so brightly it looked like a crescent moon with a shining galaxy inside.

Chen Fang held his fist up to his mouth and lightly coughed to hide the grin that was about to break out.

The old lady and Meng Qing exchanged amused glances.

Tao Wenyong slowly took a sip of tea and looked at his daughter, thinking that she was way too easy to please. He’d given her plenty of pocket money and bought her all kinds of good things, but none of that had made her smile as brightly as winning a little money in mahjong.

He glanced sideways at his son-in-law and snorted to himself. Such a smooth talker—he was probably full of tricks. He’d have to have a word with him later. If he found out that he was messing around with other girls, he’d break his legs.

Chen Fang’s mind, however, was entirely focused on his wife. He had no idea that on this New Year’s Eve, he had won his mother-in-law’s heart while losing his father-in-law’s.

Later that evening, Meng Qing and Tao Wenyong still planned to go home. The old lady, not wanting them to feel uncomfortable, had even prepared a room on the third floor. But Meng Qing refused. It was already good enough to have dinner together; there was no reason to sleep at her son-in-law’s place that night.

Tao Xiaoxi also wanted her parents to stay. She had been looking forward to having them with her for the first meal of the New Year. When she thought about how her parents would have to eat alone tomorrow morning, she felt a pang of sadness.

She understood her mother, though—if she said no, there would be no staying. Meng Qing was determined to have her stay behind with Chen Fang to see them off. Tao Xiaoxi reluctantly agreed, “Okay.”

Meng Qing insisted on not letting the old lady see them off, but Tao Xiaoxi, with her coat on, followed her out.

Looking at her daughter’s downcast face, Meng Qing couldn’t help but remember when she used to leave for work, and little Tao Xiaoxi would stand at the door, looking at her with tearful eyes, softly saying, “I’ll wait for you to come back from work.”

She wanted to pat her on the head, but her hand paused in the air before dropping back down. It was time for her daughter to live her own life, and for her to adjust to this change. As parents, they too had their own lives to live. They’d have to get used to this new phase.

Meng Qin pushed the hesitant Tao Wenyong into the car, then got in herself. If they continued dragging their feet, they’d still be at it on the first day of the New Year.

Chen Fang closed the car door and turned to the people behind him, saying, “Go back upstairs. I’ll make sure to send my parents home safely.”

Tao Xiaoxi, who was already feeling a little drained, barely lifted her spirits. “Drive carefully,” she said.

Her eyes were a little red. The excitement of winning earlier had completely faded, and she now looked like a rabbit struck by frost, her ears drooping. Chen Fang pulled the hood of her down jacket over her head and softly said, “Don’t you want to see me wear that new rabbit apron? I’ll wear it when I get back and show you, okay?”

Tao Xiaoxi blinked, and the mist in her eyes seemed to stop, her gaze locking on him.

He gently squeezed her fingers.“It’s… a New Year’s gift.”