Leng Yuan tilted his head slightly, his heart stirring as he looked at the woman speaking before him.
Ever since his parents passed away, he had been all alone. The New Year had never felt any different from a regular day to him. But today, this Little New Year’s Eve, had found new meaning because of Gu Jiaojiao.
His expression softened as he gazed at Gu Jiaojiao with earnest sincerity.
"From now on, I’ll spend every Little New Year’s Eve with you."
A brilliant smile blossomed on Gu Jiaojiao’s face. The lingering melancholy she’d felt before dissipated considerably at Leng Yuan’s words.
Sweet Girl quickly patted her chest and promised, "Me too! For every Little New Year’s Eve from now on, I’ll definitely come back to have dinner with you and Brother-in-law!"
Xiao Yang just nodded. ’Yes, what my sister said is what I wanted to say, too.’
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, tradition called for staying up for the New Year’s vigil.
Gu Jiaojiao didn’t make the two children stay up, sending them off to bed. As for herself, she planned to keep the vigil with Leng Yuan.
But Gu Jiaojiao had overestimated herself. By midnight, she had fallen asleep, leaning against Leng Yuan.
Leng Yuan gently and quietly carried his wife to bed. He remembered the sight of her red-rimmed eyes in the kitchen and let out an almost inaudible sigh.
’Can’t you trust me yet?’
His wife had clearly been crying, but she refused to tell him why. Leng Yuan had always been sharp, but he was completely at a loss when it came to his wife.
In the end, he knew nothing about his wife’s past. The secrets Gu Jiaojiao kept in her heart, and the sense of distance she exuded from time to time, made Leng Yuan feel deeply insecure.
This man, who had always been incredibly self-assured, had suddenly begun to lose his confidence after getting married.
’After all, his wife was so wonderful. She was beautiful, and even more so when she smiled. She could cook, and her food was incredible. She could even make skincare products—a single set sold for two hundred yuan.’
’And what was he? Just a teacher who knew how to hunt. These skills, which seemed so impressive to the villagers, meant nothing to the educated youth from the city.’
He lowered his head and gazed at his wife’s sleeping face for a long, long time.
The kerosene lamp burned all night, and Leng Yuan watched his wife all night. The next day, as the sky began to grow pale, Leng Yuan finally placed a kiss on Gu Jiaojiao’s forehead. He then got up to light the fire for the heated kang and went to check the coal stove in Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang’s room.
Once everything was taken care of, he went to the kitchen to make breakfast.
By the time Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang got up, breakfast was ready.
Gu Jiaojiao woke up too.
She could laze in bed on normal days, but not on the first day of the New Year.
There was an old saying: if you don’t get out of bed on the first day of the New Year, you’ll be lazy for the entire year.
Gu Jiaojiao wasn’t superstitious, but she thought being lazy for the whole year sounded pretty good. ’Is it really so necessary to get out of bed?’
Still, she wanted to eat the first meal of the New Year with her family. After washing up and going over, she found that Leng Yuan had already set all the food on the table.
As the four of them sat down, Gu Jiaojiao’s heart ached when she noticed the faint dark circles under the man’s eyes.
"You should get some sleep after we eat."
Leng Yuan shook his head. "I’m taking you out to pay New Year’s visits later."
This was a custom in the Qingshan Team. On the first day of the New Year, everyone would go out to visit people they knew. If you brought children along, they could receive red envelopes. Correspondingly, adults making visits had to carry enough red envelopes with them.
The amount didn’t have to be much; a cent or two was just a token of good luck meant to make the children happy.
Gu Jiaojiao thought for a moment. She actually had quite a few friends in the village now, so she really did need to go out and pay them a visit.
"Alright then. We’ll go out together after we eat."
Before they started eating, Leng Yuan took out some red envelopes.
"Sweet Girl, Xiao Yang, these are for you."
Leng Yuan said, handing over two red envelopes. Just as Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang were about to decline, Gu Jiaojiao spoke up.
"You have to accept New Year’s envelopes."
Only then did Sweet Girl and Xiao Yang accept them, their faces breaking into smiles.
Leng Yuan then took out another, larger red envelope and, under Gu Jiaojiao’s surprised gaze, handed it to her.