The firecrackers outside the alley had not stopped all night. The red pine charcoal in the brazier had burned down to its hottest point, no longer giving off smoke, only the dry fragrance of wood.
Ji Zhaoxi had sworn that morning that she would stay up all night, but before long, drowsiness began to overtake her.
Sensing her sleepiness, Wen Shubai gently pulled her into his arms. Her breathing gradually evened out.
When the hour of midnight arrived and the bells drifted down from the sky, enormous fireworks exploded above the Ji residence. Almost instinctively, Wen Shubai reached out and covered her ears.
Ji Zhaoxi felt it in her half-conscious state and instinctively rubbed her face against the crook of his neck.
A wave of tenderness surged through Wen Shubai. Holding his breath, he lowered his head and slowly bent down, pressing an extremely gentle kiss to the center of her brow.
If only he could stay with his Junior Sister forever, then nothing else would matter...
Ji Yingjin had been about to come in and ask whether they were hungry, but before she could even step inside, she witnessed the scene. Her eyes widened in shock, and she quietly turned around and left.
The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, Liu Dazhuang kicked open the courtyard gate and led Ji Zhaoxi in piling up branches and firewood. The flames leaped high at once, while the cypress branches crackled in the fire, filling the courtyard with a fresh, fragrant scent.
“Girl, on the first day of the New Year, you absolutely have to burn cypress branches. They ward off evil and keep disasters away,” Liu Dazhuang declared gruffly.
The pork shop would belong to his daughter in the future, so she had to learn these things.
Ji Zhaoxi yawned. “I know, Father.”
They had barely gotten a moment’s peace before someone came to buy pork.
“Give me a little more. I didn’t buy enough for my family a few days ago,” an older woman called out.
Liu Dazhuang deftly chopped off another piece.
Although everyone said that pork was not sold during the New Year holidays, people still came asking from time to time. Sometimes the meat they had bought elsewhere had not tasted good; other times, they simply had not bought enough before the New Year.
Liu Dazhuang was used to it. Every year, he set aside some meat so that everyone else could enjoy a good New Year as well.
The older woman gossiped, “Master Liu, is that immortal really your son-in-law?”
Liu Dazhuang chopped off the meat, looking unbearably pleased with himself. “Of course he is. My daughter would naturally choose the very best.”
The older woman flattered him. “I knew it! When I saw the two of them flying down from the sky that day, I thought they looked perfectly matched. A handsome man and a beautiful woman.”
Liu Dazhuang was delighted to hear it.
After praising them for a while, the older woman suddenly grinned. “With such wonderful news this year, why don’t you give me a discount on the pork?”
The smile immediately vanished from Liu Dazhuang’s face. He looked at her seriously. “Fifty copper coins.”
The older woman: “...”
All that flattery had been for nothing!
After watching her leave, Liu Dazhuang snorted.
The pork from the Ji family could never be sold cheaply. The quality was far too good. If he sold it at a discount, those pigs’ souls would never rest easy underground. They might even come back to question him about why he had sold their meat so cheaply.
Besides, his pork had never been discounted, nor had its price ever been raised. It had always been this expensive!
As midnight arrived, the streets on both sides were hung with dense strings of colorful lanterns, and every corner was filled with festive cheer.
The townspeople walked through the streets in their new padded jackets. All around them were stalls of every kind, and the air was thick with the sweet, enticing aromas of food.
A large crowd had gathered around the opera stage in the distance. As soon as a song ended, waves of applause and cheers rang out.
“Spin the wheel, and I’ll draw whatever it lands on!”
At the street corner, an old master swayed a spoonful of maltose in a golden ladle. Before long, he had outlined a small animal.
A group of children crowded around him, chattering excitedly.
Ji Zhaoxi watched intently while Wen Shubai stood beside her, a smile spread across his face.
“What would my Junior Sister like to spin for?”
Ji Zhaoxi hesitated for a moment before a mischievous idea suddenly struck her. “Master, draw one that looks like him.”
She pointed at Wen Shubai, who froze.
All the children around them tilted their heads up, staring at Ji Zhaoxi in confusion. Their expressions seemed to say only one thing: So you can do that too?
The old master glanced at the silver and raised an eyebrow before chuckling. “No problem.”
He turned to Wen Shubai. “Young sir, would you like one that looks like this young—”
“He doesn’t want one, he doesn’t want one!” Ji Zhaoxi hurriedly cut him off.
Wen Shubai let out a quiet laugh. Hearing it, Ji Zhaoxi looked up at him guiltily. “Senior Brother, don’t you dislike sweets?”
Wen Shubai gave a low hum.
“I want one of her!” a thoroughly unceremonious voice suddenly rang out.
The corners of Ji Zhaoxi’s mouth twitched as soon as she heard it.
“Master, make me a sugar painting of her. I want to eat it!”
Ji Zhaoxi looked over and saw Liu Fuyin standing nearby, chin raised, holding the hand of a child from her family.
Seeing her expression, Ji Zhaoxi let out a mocking laugh. “Liu Fuyin, are you still a child? You’re still playing these childish tricks.”
“You haven’t grown up yet, but I have!”
The children around them munched on snacks as they watched the two girls argue with great excitement.
The old master was starting to sweat. He handed Wen Shubai’s sugar painting to Ji Zhaoxi. “Here you are, miss.”
Liu Fuyin sneered. “If you’ve grown up, then what are you holding?”
“None of your business! I won the sect’s grand examination!” Ji Zhaoxi began talking about the sect examination whenever she could not outargue Liu Fuyin.
Liu Fuyin: “...”
“Ji Huahua, your outfit today is certainly—”
“I won!”
“Hua'er, I never expected you to—”
“I won!”
Liu Fuyin began to feel short of breath. She no longer wanted to speak with her.
Seeing her expression, Ji Zhaoxi was terribly pleased with herself. “Anyway, I’m the one who won.”
With that, she took the sugar painting and dragged Wen Shubai away.
The streets were packed. The fragrance of roasted chestnuts lingered in the air, though no one could tell which stall it came from. People pressed in from every direction, surrounded by laughter and cheerful voices.
“Xixi and Junior Sister Liu have a very good relationship.”
The voice suddenly came from above Ji Zhaoxi’s head.
She instinctively denied it. “No, we don’t! Liu Fuyin and I have never gotten along since we were little.”
Liu Fuyin had definitely bought her sugar painting just so she could bite her head off. That girl was truly childish.
Following the flow of the crowd, they arrived at the Qinghe River. The entire surface was covered with floating lanterns, their flames wavering gently on the water. The river, which had been pitch-black moments ago, now glittered with scattered golden light.
Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai bought two lotus lanterns as well. She closed her eyes devoutly and folded her hands together. Amid the countless lights, she made her wish.
Wen Shubai lowered his head and gazed at her face, which glowed red in the lantern light, his eyes filled with warmth. He did not make a wish. For him, this very moment was already the most perfect prayer he could ask for.
The two watched as their lotus lanterns drifted toward the center of the river and finally joined the countless others.
Hand in hand, Ji Zhaoxi and Wen Shubai continued walking beneath the bridge.
Holding up the sugar figure, she curved her brows into a smile. “Senior Brother, don’t you think this sugar figure looks like you?”
Wen Shubai raised an eyebrow, waiting to see what she would do next.
He wanted to see what her next move would be, after his Junior Sister—who had just called everyone else childish—had declared that she was all grown up.
With a crisp crack, Ji Zhaoxi bit the sugar figure’s head off.
The clean sweetness of maltose burst across her tongue. As she chewed, she proudly lifted her chin at Wen Shubai.
Luckily, she had been clever enough to stop Senior Brother from buying a sugar figure of her.
Otherwise, if Liu Fuyin ate the head of her sugar figurine and Senior Brother ate the head of her sugar figurine too, wouldn’t her head be eaten several times tonight?
Seeing how pleased she looked, Wen Shubai let out a muffled chuckle.
Perhaps it was because he himself was so dull that, no matter what his Xixi did, he found it entertaining.
