As a working professional, Jiang Mo was naturally looking forward to the arrival of the New Year holiday.
Besides the time off, there was also the year-end bonus to consider, though since she hadn't been at the law firm for very long, her bonus this year wasn't particularly large.
Li Canxia, as the boss of the law firm, generously approved two extra days of leave, extending the original nine-day New Year holiday to eleven days.
After finishing her last workday, Jiang Mo tidied up her things, said goodbye to her colleagues, and hurried downstairs.
Gu Ye was already waiting downstairs for her.
Once in the car, Jiang Mo asked him, "We're going off to eat by ourselves—did the two little ones not complain?"
"Auntie is at home cooking for them," Gu Ye started the car. "It's been so long since we've had time to go out just the two of us. Besides, you're going back to your parents' house tomorrow."
With the New Year just two days away, Jiang Mo and her brother couldn't very well stay at Yanjiang Bay anymore and needed to return to their own home.
Hearing this, Jiang Mo scratched her head. "So, what day did you say you were planning to come to my house?"
"I'll come on the second day of the New Year. Isn't that the day when a son-in-law accompanies his wife back to her parents' home?" Gu Ye shifted his gaze from the road ahead to look at the passenger seat. "Don't worry, I've already prepared all the gifts for the visit."
Jiang Mo: ...Back to her parents' home...
"Alright then, I'll let my parents know."
After having dinner out, since the restaurant was by the river with a nice view from the terrace, the couple snuggled together and took quite a few photos, which they then posted on their social media.
Since Gu Ye had only recently stepped back from the public eye, Jiang Mo was still somewhat hesitant about posting clear photos of the two of them together on her social media. Even when she did share pictures, they were usually ones where their faces weren't clearly visible.
Gu Ye, on the other hand, had practically turned into a photo-sharing fanatic. Almost everyone in his social circle knew within days of his stepping back that he had a beautiful childhood sweetheart for a girlfriend.
However, to protect Jiang Mo's privacy, he also chose to rarely share clear frontal photos.
When they returned home, Gu Xuan was standing on the sofa with his hands on his hips. "Second Brother, you went out for a nice meal without us! I saw it on social media."
Meanwhile, Li Zheng eagerly ran over and took Jiang Mo's bag from her. "Sis, was it cold outside? Go rest on the sofa. I'll get you some warm water."
Jiang Mo nodded. "Okay, make it lukewarm, not too hot."
Gu Ye was puzzled. "How did you train your brother? He acts like a devoted servant, while my little brother acts like a little lord."
"Hehe, got used to being a servant since I was little," Li Zheng declared loudly. In reality, with the New Year approaching, he was eagerly anticipating a big red envelope, so he had to make sure his older sister was thoroughly pampered.
Gu Ye shot a sidelong glance at Gu Xuan. Seeing that Li Zheng had switched sides, Gu Xuan's defiant posture weakened. He sheepishly climbed down from the sofa, patting at nonexistent wrinkles on the cushions. "Second Brother, you must be tired. Please, have a seat."
"Get me a glass of water," Gu Ye ordered.
Gu Xuan pouted but went to fetch the water anyway.
Watching the interaction between the two brothers, Jiang Mo suppressed a smile. She looked at the cat that had run over and asked, "Should I take the cat back with me for the New Year?"
Gu Ye nodded. "Sure, pack its food and water."
Gu Xuan, returning with the water, overheard this and asked, "Sis Mo, are you going back home?"
"Yes, the New Year is almost here. You and your second brother need to go back to the old family house too," Jiang Mo replied. "But if you have nothing to do during the holiday, you can come with your brother to visit my family."
Gu Xuan nodded vigorously. "Great, great!"
...
The next day, Jiang Mo and Gu Ye returned to her home. The two of them first gave the place a thorough cleaning.
In the evening, Wang Xia and Li Daming also returned. Upon learning that Gu Ye planned to visit on the second day of the New Year, Wang Xia immediately assigned tasks to all three family members.
"Tomorrow, we're doing a deep clean of the house. Throw out what needs to be thrown out, replace what needs replacing. Old Li, you come out with me tomorrow to buy some more things."
"Come on, what's our house like? Xiao Ye has seen it before. Is it really necessary to make such a fuss? Keeping it simple would be better," Li Daming grumbled, but ultimately yielded under Wang Xia's stern look.
Jiang Mo and Li Zheng didn't dare to argue either and could only quietly get to work.
