The next day, the people of Bianjing began preparing for the New Year.
Every household started putting up Spring Festival couplets and hanging red lanterns.
Once again, the entire city of Bianjing was steeped in a lively, festive atmosphere.
The world was vast, and so was Bianjing. Even if the sky collapsed in the east and the earth caved in the west, it would not stop people in the south from singing or those in the north from dancing.
Everyone had their own lives to live.
“Big Brother.”
Yan Liangyu spread a sheet of trimmed red paper across the writing desk. “Big Brother, how many pairs of couplets should we prepare this year?”
Pearl ground the ink.
Yuanbao stood nearby with scissors and colored paper in hand.
Yan Tongshu thought for a moment. “Let’s write twenty pairs to start. We’ll do it together.”
“All right.” Yan Liangyu smiled sweetly.
Ever since Yan Tongshu had broken off her engagement with the Zhou family, she had watched Yan Liangyu grow happier by the day. Even her cheeks had filled out, unlike before, when she had been so frail that merely looking at her made one ache with concern.
She opened *The Complete Collection of Spring Festival Couplets*, picked up her brush, and wrote:
*Plum blossoms bring tidings of spring, a thousand clusters of green;*
*Bamboo heralds good news, bringing joy to ten thousand homes.*
Yan Liangyu glanced over, smiling sweetly, the two dimples at the corners of her mouth making her look especially adorable.
She said, “Big Brother, your handwriting gets prettier all the time.”
Yan Tongshu smugly lifted her chin a little higher.
Of course it did.
When she had first transmigrated here, her handwriting had been different from the original owner’s. In order to write memorials impeaching officials, she had copied them stroke by stroke, forcibly reproducing the originals. Her calligraphy had improved by leaps and bounds as a result.
Now eight years had passed—nine would soon be complete. If her handwriting still had not improved, she would have been ashamed to look at it herself.
Yan Tongshu handed the brush to Yan Liangyu. “You write one too.”
“All right.” Yan Liangyu nodded. She picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote:
*The sun shines bright upon a thousand gates and ten thousand doors;*
*Old peachwood charms are replaced with new.*
Their handwriting and styles were entirely different.
Yan Tongshu’s was more orderly and free-spirited, while Yan Liangyu’s was gentler and softer.
Yet both were beautiful.
After they had been writing for a while, a message arrived from the gatekeeper: someone had come to see Lord Yan.
Yan Tongshu set down her brush and went to the reception hall.
Lu Xi stood in the center, dressed in plain clothes.
Yan Tongshu walked over and looked around to either side.
His Majesty hadn’t come?
Upon seeing Yan Tongshu, Lu Xi respectfully bowed and presented her with an envelope in both hands. “Lord Yan, His Majesty instructed this servant to give this to you.”
Yan Tongshu asked, “Do I need to kneel?”
Lu Xi smiled and shook his head. “Since it was not delivered through official channels, this is a personal matter.”
Who wanted a personal relationship with that damned emperor?
Yan Tongshu grumbled inwardly, but she maintained a respectful expression as she accepted the letter with both hands.
Lu Xi gave her a meaningful hint. “Lord Yan, General Meng once saved His Majesty’s life. His Majesty also found this decision difficult to make.”
With that, Lu Xi bent at the waist, turned, and left.
Yan Tongshu blinked.
Why was he telling her this?
How baffling.
She squeezed the envelope. There was something hard inside. It did not feel like a letter.
She opened it and tipped it downward.
Jing-jing-jing.
Five copper coins, threaded together with red string, tumbled out.
Yan Tongshu tilted her head.
What did this mean?
Was it the reward for the Meng Yi case?
Giving her only five copper coins was far too stingy.
Hmph!
Never mind. Five wen is still money.
Yan Tongshu slipped the five copper coins, strung together, into the blue purse.
Outside, dawn had broken beneath a clear sky.
Lu Xi came out and reported back to Qin Yi. Qin Yi merely acknowledged him with a faint sound before walking toward the road ahead.
This vast land of rivers and mountains, these countless homes glowing with the warmth of human life—
He wanted to take another good look at it all.
Just as he had gone back over the records from the twenty-sixth year of Qianfeng, revisited the bandit case, and reviewed so many things from the past, he had also redressed the wrongs done to those who had been unjustly accused in the twenty-sixth year of Qianfeng.
He had overlooked far, far too much before.
Qin Yi moved through the crowds.
With the New Year approaching, every household was busy preparing for the Spring Festival.
Three days after New Year’s Eve, there would also be the Lantern Festival.
Lanterns were among the best-selling goods these days.
Those with money hired craftsmen to make custom lanterns. Those without simply pasted one together with paper and bamboo strips. As long as it looked festive, that was enough.
The streets on either side were crowded with vendors.
Everyone was doing their utmost to earn a little extra money so they could have a good New Year.
Qin Yi casually picked out a few things and bought them, leaving Lu Xi to carry them.
“Young master.”
Qin Yi turned at the sound of the voice. A boy in thin clothing, both hands covered in chilblains, gazed at him pitifully.
“Young master, would you like to buy a kitten?”
He raised the bamboo basket in his hands. It was lined with dry straw, and curled up on top of it was a frail little white cat.
The kitten had mismatched eyes. It cowered in the corner, shivering from the cold.
“Young master, please buy Little White,” the boy pleaded. “Little White is the last one.”
As he spoke, his nose began to run. He wiped it with his sleeve, then looked at Qin Yi imploringly.
Qin Yi crouched down and reached out to stroke Little White’s head with his forefinger. Little White shrank back.
He smiled and asked, “Was she born to your family’s mother cat?”
The boy nodded. “Our mother cat was bred by some tomcat and had five kittens. They’re all more than two months old now, and the others have already been sold. Little White is the thinnest and smallest, so she’s the last one left. We don’t want much—just five copper coins, enough to cover what we spent feeding the mother cat.”
The boy’s clothes were patched all over. The cotton stuffing was still soft rather than hardened, but there was very little of it. It was clear that his family was not well-off.
Life was already so difficult, yet they had still managed to raise five kittens. They had even taken the trouble to find homes for all five in the biting wind. They were evidently a kindhearted family.
Qin Yi reached out to stroke the kitten again. Little White puffed up and hissed angrily. But when she caught sight of his deep, somber eyes, she timidly shrank back once more.
She was rather like someone he knew.
“Little White has a very good temperament,” the boy said. “She’s only afraid because she’s never seen you before. Spend more time with her and feed her plenty, and she’ll definitely come to like you.”
After thinking for a moment, Qin Yi asked Lu Xi, “I seem to recall that Yan Tongshu has a cat too.”
Lu Xi lowered his voice. “Yes. A little tabby named Yuanzi.”
Qin Yi lifted Little White into his arms. The timid creature immediately stopped moving.
He examined her. Her entire body was snow-white, and her mismatched eyes were as clear and bright as gemstones.
As for Yan Tongshu’s cat, it had a black spot on its nose, and its eyes were exactly like its owner’s—always pretending to be foolish and playing dumb.
Hmph.
If he raised this cat well, it would definitely look better than Yan Tongshu’s fat, round Yuanzi.
After all the grievances he had suffered at Yan Tongshu’s hands, he had to beat that fellow at least once.
Qin Yi stroked the little white cat in his arms. “Pay him.”
Lu Xi handed the boy a tael of silver.
The boy dared not take it. He nervously rubbed the hem of his clothes. “It’s too much, Young Master. I don’t have change.”
Qin Yi lowered his head and stared at the little white cat. “It’s worth that much.”
“My master likes this cat,” Lu Xi said with a smile. “You can keep the extra as a reward.”
At that, the boy immediately accepted the money with great delight and thanked Qin Yi profusely. He picked up his bamboo basket and instructed the little white cat, “Little White, you’re going to live a good life from now on. Make sure you don’t get into mischief, all right?”
With that, he ran off happily.
Lu Xi smiled and reached out toward the cat. “Young Master, let me carry it. Once we’re back, the physician at the residence can examine it. After we make sure it isn’t sick, we’ll put it in the animal garden.”
Qin Yi was just about to hand the little white cat over when it immediately tightened its grip on his clothes and buried its head in his chest.
This little fellow adapted incredibly quickly—but once it got used to something, it refused to move.
Qin Yi couldn’t help laughing.
It looked honest enough, but its shamelessly demanding manner was remarkably similar to a certain someone.
“All right.” Qin Yi lifted the little white cat a little higher. “You can stay there for now. But you can’t keep the name Little White…”
After thinking for a moment, Qin Yi said, “I’ll call you Snowfluff.”
The name sounded both white and soft, unlike someone’s fat tabby cat, which was called Yuanzi.
Anyone who didn’t know better might think it was named after a meatball meant for eating.
Qin Yi gently scratched Snowfluff’s tiny chin. “Little fellow, grow up properly. I’m counting on you to make me proud.”
With that, Qin Yi continued on his way with Snowfluff.
……
As Yan Tongshu was the acting prefect of Kaifeng, he had solved several major cases in succession, and the Yan residence was particularly prosperous this year.
From dawn until nightfall, people came to their door at every hour to deliver New Year’s gifts.
As the only man of the Yan family, Yan Tongshu accompanied Lady Yan in receiving each guest.
By afternoon, Yan Tongshu was utterly exhausted.
Pearl and Jinbao were sprawled out in exhaustion as well.
In the past, the Yan residence had been quiet, with hardly anyone visiting. Even the Zhou family never came by.
This year, everyone they knew—and plenty of people they didn’t—had shown up.
There were so many New Year’s gifts that they could barely finish taking inventory.
The three of them were in the middle of collapsing where they stood when Zhou Zhengxun and his tagalong, Pei Jin'an, arrived one after the other to deliver their gifts.
Zhou Zhengxun still wore that same miserable, aggrieved expression, while Pei Jin'an had a smile plastered across his face that made everyone feel cheerful just looking at him.
Yan Liangyu truly couldn’t understand it. She had already made everything perfectly clear, so why was Zhou Zhengxun still coming around to make himself unwelcome?
The moment she saw Zhou Zhengxun edging toward her, Yan Liangyu immediately turned away and moved to sit beside Lady Yan.
Lady Yan took her hand and smiled warmly at Pei Jin'an. “Young Master Pei, it’s already dark. Why don’t you stay for dinner before you leave?”
Pei Jin'an clasped his hands and bowed. “To have the honor of tasting the Yan residence’s cooking is a blessing indeed.”
Today, Pei Jin'an wore a brocade orchid-blue robe embroidered with orchids. A thick layer of white fox fur trimmed his sleeves, setting off his fair, jade-like complexion and handsome, distinguished features.
To top it all off, Pei Jin'an came from a good family with upright traditions, and the more Lady Yan observed him, the more she liked him.
However, feelings between the younger generation could not be forced. She could only create opportunities for them, not compel them.
Since she still had other guests to receive, Lady Yan smiled and said that the wintersweet in the courtyard was in full bloom and smelled wonderful. She suggested that Yan Liangyu and Pei Jin'an take a walk in the courtyard and bring back a few branches to display in the room.
“Yes.” After bowing, Yan Liangyu went to the courtyard with Pei Jin'an.
Once the two had left, Lady Yan turned to Zhou Zhengxun. “Young Master Zhou, our Yan family has received your gifts. We’ll have someone deliver our return gifts to the Zhou residence tomorrow. You may go now.”
Zhou Zhengxun looked as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, he merely gazed mournfully in the direction Yan Liangyu had gone before turning and leaving the room.
However, he did not leave with the servant. Instead, he went to the front courtyard to find Yan Liangyu and Pei Jin'an.
He stood there watching them, his heart aching with jealousy.
Pei Jin'an was like a shadow, following Yan Liangyu wherever she went. His eyes seemed practically nailed to her, and he kept calling out, “Sister, Sister,” over and over.
It was simply too blatant and far too lacking in restraint.
Pei Jin'an snapped off two branches of wintersweet. “Sister, what do you think of these two?”
“They’re beautiful.” Yan Liangyu nodded with a bright smile. “Wait here. I’ll get the pruning shears. Then we can trim away the extra branches and choose a few more to arrange with them.”
Pei Jin'an nodded, calm and gentle. “All right.”
Yan Liangyu turned and went to fetch the shears.
Zhou Zhengxun stepped through the snow and approached Pei Jin'an. “Young Master Pei.”
Pei Jin'an responded with a hum. He carefully placed the wintersweet in his hand beneath the tree before looking up at Zhou Zhengxun.
There was still a smile on his face, but Zhou Zhengxun felt that compared with the smile Pei Jin'an had shown Yan Liangyu just moments ago, this one carried a hint of mockery.
Zhou Zhengxun bowed. “Young Master Pei, Liangyu and I merely had a misunderstanding. We were engaged for three years—almost four—and we share deep feelings for each other. I believe that once the misunderstanding is cleared up, our engagement can continue.”
Pei Jin'an idly plucked a wintersweet blossom and toyed with it between his fingers. “The betrothal documents have already been returned. What engagement is there left to continue?”
Zhou Zhengxun frowned. Why did he suddenly feel that Pei Jin'an’s entire air had changed?
“Feelings cannot be changed overnight,” Zhou Zhengxun said. “I believe Young Master Pei is not the sort of petty man who would take advantage of someone in a vulnerable position.”
“Oh?” Pei Jin'an looked at him with interest. “Why do you think I’m not?”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean is…” Pei Jin'an tossed aside the wintersweet in his hand and advanced toward Zhou Zhengxun step by step. “I’ve liked Sister for a very long time. If I hadn’t been transferred away from the capital with my father three years ago, I would have stopped at nothing to make you disappear from her sight.”
Zhou Zhengxun was stunned by Pei Jin'an’s sudden change in demeanor.
“You actually have two faces!”
Pei Jin'an sneered. “I’m no match for Young Master Zhou. You’re a petty man through and through, inside and out.”
At that moment, Pei Jin'an caught sight of Yan Liangyu’s shadow as she came around the corner. He leaned backward and fell heavily into the snow.
The servants at the Yan residence regularly cleared the snow. As a result, the middle of the courtyard was bare, with the snow piled along the sides.
Pei Jin’an had landed more or less directly in a heap of snow.
There were dead branches and small stones buried in it as well.
His hand scraped against one of the branches, and a red mark appeared instantly.
Yan Liangyu had just turned the corner when she saw Zhou Zhengxun with his back to her and Pei Jin’an sprawled at her feet.
She hurried over and helped Pei Jin’an up. “Are you all right?”
Pei Jin’an shook his head. “Sister, I’m fine. I just tripped and fell. It had nothing to do with… Young Master Zhou.”
He shot Zhou Zhengxun a covert, provocative glance.
Zhou Zhengxun was stunned once again.
Wasn’t this the sort of underhanded tactic women used in the inner household?
How could a man be so shameless?
Zhou Zhengxun hurried to explain. “He—”
But after getting only that one word out, he closed his mouth.
Pei Jin’an had never said that Zhou Zhengxun had pushed him. He had only said that he’d tripped and fallen. How was Zhou Zhengxun supposed to defend himself against that?
Zhou Zhengxun fell silent.
Yan Liangyu shot him a furious look. “Young Master Zhou, our engagement has already been called off. I have no intention of being friends with a former fiancé. From now on, whether it’s an ordinary day or a festival, please don’t come to the Yan residence anymore. Pei Jin’an has nothing to do with what happened between us, so please don’t take your anger out on anyone else.”
Zhou Zhengxun was speechless. “You suspect me?”
Yan Liangyu said, “We’ve all known Pei Jin’an since childhood. He’s shy, timid, and easily bullied… You… Forget it. You’ve always been like this.”
Yan Liangyu was far too disappointed in Zhou Zhengxun to waste another word on him.
She helped Pei Jin’an leave, then sent a servant to fetch some wound salve and warm water so she could clean his injury and apply the medicine.
Pei Jin’an lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Sister. I lied to you.”
Yan Liangyu raised a brow at him. “You pretended to fall just to deceive me?”
Pei Jin’an gave a meek little hum of acknowledgment. “He insulted you, Sister. He said you were a snob, and that you still couldn’t get over him—that all he had to do was crook his finger and you’d come running back to him. I was so angry that I pretended to fall and framed him.”
Yan Liangyu shook her head. After applying the medicine to his hand, she said, “I used to be foolish, but I won’t be anymore. You shouldn’t act foolishly either. That angle is visible from the turn.”
She put the medicine away. “My elder brother once told me that the best way to strike back is to make someone else hurt, not to hurt yourself in the process. What you did was wrong. No matter what happens, you mustn’t harm yourself.”
Pei Jin’an obediently admitted his mistake, his attitude exemplary. “I understand. I won’t do it again, Sister.”
Pei Jin’an lifted his head and gazed at Yan Liangyu with a pair of pleading puppy eyes. “Sister, stop looking at him. Look at me instead, all right?”
“Don’t joke around.”
Yan Liangyu avoided the question. “Come on. We still have wintersweet to pick.”
Yan Liangyu wasn’t willing to give him an answer for the moment, and Pei Jin’an didn’t press her. He simply smiled and went with her to gather the wintersweet.
After dinner, Pei Jin’an rose to take his leave. Lady Yan asked Yan Liangyu to see him out.
Once she had escorted him away, Yan Liangyu sat alone in the room, staring blankly into the brazier.
Yan Tongshu handed her a piece of poria paste. “What’s wrong? You don’t like Pei Jin’an? Then Mother can have you meet someone else.”
Yan Liangyu took the bowl of poria paste and nibbled at it. “If we’re talking about marriage, the Pei family really is quite a good choice. Pei Jin’an treats me very well, too—he always indulges me. The Pei family has forbidden concubines and bedchamber women ever since the time of his great-grandfather. It’s just that…”
“Hmm?”
Yan Tongshu watched her intently, waiting for her to continue.
Yan Liangyu pursed her lips, her expression troubled. “Mother said that Boss Qian and my two older brothers have prepared a great deal of dowry for me. Even if I don’t want to marry, I could use that dowry to support myself for the rest of my life.”
So she didn’t want to marry?
Yan Tongshu didn’t quite understand what Yan Liangyu meant, but he still said, “If you don’t want to marry, I can support you for the rest of your life, too. We should both follow our hearts.”
“No.” Yan Liangyu looked at him, her eyes hazy with uncertainty. “I’m just a little lost. Big Brother, do you think I have any path to take besides being supported by someone? I know Mother meant what she said, but other than marrying and being supported by a husband, or being supported by my family, is there really any other path for me?
“Ever since I was little, I’ve been taught the zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, as well as the Four Books and Five Classics. I was taught how to support my husband and raise children. But after what happened with Zhou Zhengxun, and after what happened to Sister and… Brother-in-law… I can’t help wondering whether there’s another path I could take. But I can’t think of one.”
Yan Tongshu froze.
Another path?
Working the fields and farming? Running a shop? Becoming a female tutor or a woman physician?
Were there any other possibilities?
Yan Tongshu returned to his room and tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
It seemed he couldn’t think of many options either.
On New Year’s Eve, Yan Tongshu rose early, dressed in a red padded jacket, and began handing out New Year’s money.
In this dynasty, however, it was not called red-envelope money. It was called evil-suppressing money.
Copper coins or little lumps of silver were arranged and wrapped in red paper, with each bundle counting as one envelope.
Pearl and Jinbao had been waiting outside the door since early morning. In unison, they called out, “Happy New Year, Young Master! May your wealth roll in throughout the coming year!”
Yan Tongshu immediately handed each of them one of the red envelopes he had prepared.
“Thank you, Young Master!” Pearl and Jinbao exclaimed.
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Go on and have fun.”
Before long, one servant girl and house servant after another came to ask for their New Year’s money. Yan Liangyu joined in the fun as well. “Big Brother, I want one too.”
Yan Tongshu immediately placed the largest sealed red envelope in her hands. “I prepared yours long ago.”
Yan Liangyu gave him a sweet smile. “I love Big Brother the most.”
Just then, Yuanzi leaped onto the table and meowed, “Meow~”
Yan Tongshu understood at once. He opened the festive padded coat Yuanzi was wearing and placed a red envelope inside one of its pockets.
The padded coat had been made by Chen Meirong. She was very thoughtful and had sewn a small pouch onto both the front and back, each secured with a button so the New Year’s money inside would not fall out.
After a while, the two of them went together to pay their respects to Lady Yan. Lady Yan gave each of them another red envelope.
Now both their private coffers were filled to the brim.
That evening, the Yan residence invited an opera troupe to perform. Yan Tongshu, Lady Yan, and Yan Liangyu sat together and enjoyed a sumptuous reunion dinner.
The troupe performed stunts such as leaping through rings of fire and dancing with a fiery dragon, filling the entire residence with an atmosphere of blazing prosperity.
All the maids and servants of the household came out to watch the spectacle.
At midnight, the largest firework was set up in the courtyard, and Yan Tongshu took a stick of incense and lit the fuse.
“It’s going up!”
“It’s flying!”
Pearl and Jinbao pointed at the dazzling fireworks blooming across the sky, jumping up and down with excitement.
Yan Tongshu held Yuanzi in her arms.
The two of them were dressed in matching bright-red winter outfits embroidered with koi.
The fireworks burst overhead like a sky full of stars.
Yuanzi’s large, round eyes stared at the stars in the sky, and it kept meowing without pause.
After New Year’s Eve, Yan Liangrong returned home for the New Year with Zheng Chun and Zheng Ke. With so many more people around, the Yan residence seemed livelier than ever.
Zheng Ke chased Yuanzi around the courtyard, and before long, his little face was flushed and hot from running.
At first, Yuanzi deliberately lured him on, running just far enough ahead to keep him chasing. Once it had had enough fun, it leaped onto a tree branch and looked down at him from above, meowing smugly as if to say, “Silly! You can’t catch me now, can you?”
“Hmph, you stinky Yuanzi! I’m not giving you any dried fish anymore.”
Zheng Ke took out the fried dried fish he had specially brought for Yuanzi and unwrapped the paper packet. The golden fish immediately caught Yuanzi’s attention. Its big eyes shifted from side to side, and then it leaped down from the branch.
“Meow~”
Zheng Ke teased it with a piece of dried fish. “Not giving you any.”
“Meow.”
And just like that, the tables were turned. Yuanzi began chasing Zheng Ke around instead.
At last, both little fellows tired themselves out. Zheng Ke carried Yuanzi to the pavilion, where he sat and fed it the dried fish.
The fish were wonderfully plump. Zheng Ke had selected them one by one from a whole pile of little fish and then watched the cooks in the residence fry them until they were golden and crisp.
Yan Tongshu, Yan Liangyu, and Yan Liangrong sat inside the house, eating dried fruit and watching the two little ones.
Zheng Chun, meanwhile, was in the reception hall chatting with Lady Yan.
Yan Liangyu teased with a smile, “Ke’er seems much livelier than he used to be.”
A flicker of emotion passed through Yan Liangrong’s eyes. “I haven’t been keeping such a close eye on his studies lately. His father handles that now. But he’s become much more self-disciplined. Whenever he comes home, he finishes his schoolwork first, then brings it to me to check before going out to play. During this holiday, he worked diligently day and night for several days after returning home and finished all his assignments ahead of time. Perhaps being able to play without worrying about unfinished work has helped him relax.”
Yan Liangyu said, “Then, with Ke’er studying this hard, perhaps he’ll pass the jinshi examination even earlier than his father did.”
Yan Liangrong smiled with composed elegance.
Zheng Chun had changed quite a bit as well. He now left early and returned early each day, letting her know wherever he went. But aside from home, he hardly went anywhere at all. He had also become much stricter with Ke’er, taking the initiative to shoulder the responsibilities of a stern father.
His parents had remained as accommodating toward her as ever—or perhaps even more so than before. They had even begun learning to manage the household, voluntarily helping lighten her burden so that she and Zheng Chun could spend more time together.
She, too, had begun to reflect on herself. She no longer kept such a tight rein on her husband and Ke’er, nor did she pressure Zheng Chun into social obligations he was unsuited for. She reminded herself not to be so overbearing or force her own ideas upon others.
Everyone was compromising. Everyone was making an effort to change, hoping to make their lives better.
Indeed, life was getting better. The atmosphere at home had grown much warmer and more harmonious, and even the maids said that after suffering through hardship, she was finally enjoying the good times—and would probably have blessings without end in the years to come.
Yet Yan Liangrong felt uncomfortable, as though ants were crawling and biting all over her body.
There was a frustration lodged in her chest, neither rising nor sinking.
She had never regretted a decision once she made it. Besides, Zheng Chun had truly changed, and even Ke'er had become more sensible.
So the matter of Zheng Chun’s wavering affections had already been put behind them.
But she was still dissatisfied. Uncomfortable. Irritated. Restless.
It was like summertime, when rain was about to fall and the oppressive heat drove people mad. Sweat dampened her body until she felt sticky all over—so unbearably uncomfortable.
She kept reminding herself to be content. Things were already very good now.
What other parents-in-law treated their daughter-in-law so well, putting her first in everything? What other husbands came home after finishing their duties and never stepped beyond the inner or outer gates? What other sons went off to finish their lessons without needing to be nagged, working hard, behaving sensibly, and striving to improve? And in all of Bianjing, how many families were there that neither took concubines nor married secondary wives?
But no matter how she looked at it, something still felt wrong.
Yan Liangrong was nearly driven mad.
When Yan Liangrong remained silent, Yan Liangyu tugged at her sleeve. “Sister, Big Brother is asking you a question.”
“Hm?” Yan Liangrong came back to herself. “What?”
Yan Tongshu smiled. “Sister, I was asking whether you and Brother-in-law are staying here tonight or returning to the Zheng residence. If you’re staying, the three of us can have hotpot together tonight.”
Yan Liangrong curved her lips into a smile. “Of course we’re staying here.”
In previous years, the three siblings—Yan Tongshu, Yan Liangrong, and Yan Liangyu—had always celebrated the New Year together. This year, she did not want to make an exception.
Originally, they had all gathered to eat hotpot and spend New Year’s Eve together. After Yan Liangrong married, however, she had to spend New Year’s Eve with her husband’s family, so the siblings had moved their celebration to the second day of the New Year instead.
The three of them were chatting happily about family matters when Chen Meirong and Qian Buping arrived.
