Xu Ye had no real interest in the Spring Festival Gala.

He used to look forward to the sketches, but ever since Zhao Benshan stepped back they had almost all been made to the same template — funny for the first half, tugging at the heartstrings for the second, with a few of the year’s memes worked in. They were painful to watch.

While the rest of the family watched the Gala, Xu Ye spent the whole evening chatting in group chats and sending red packets. He started with the company group, where he sent several thousand out over the course of the night; Jiang Wei, Ruan Xiaolu, Xia Minghui and the rest grabbed at them and had a wonderful time. He talked with them for a while, then sent a few small red packets into the class group as a gesture. Later, seeing that Zhang Ruowei and Jiang Yu were talking in theirs, he dropped a two-hundred-yuan packet into the girls’ dorm group as well.

Zhang Ruowei: /thanks boss/

Jiang Yu: thank you, Boss Xu

Shen Xinyi: Boss Xu is generous

Chen Qingqing: they all got so much and I only got ten-odd yuan

Xu Ye: @Qingqing — I’ll send you one separately in a bit

Zhang Ruowei: no fun at all. it’s New Year and I still have to watch you two showing off

Shen Xinyi: are you all watching the Gala?

Zhang Ruowei: no. what’s good about the Gala? I’m at home playing mahjong with my mom and a few of my aunts

When they all went quiet after a while, Xu Ye assumed they had gone off to do their own things. He put his phone away and went to brew himself a pot of strong tea.

…

Red Leaf Estate.

For the first time in six years, Chen Qingqing sat down to New Year’s Eve dinner with both Chen Hansong and Jiang Meilin. In other years there had only been two people at that table, and the fireworks going off everywhere outside had just made the house feel emptier. This year was different. It was one person more, that was all — but to Chen Qingqing, it made the family whole.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Qingqing even asked for her New Year money.

Chen Hansong was in such a good mood that he burst out at once, “Yes, yes, of course you’re getting it. But Dad hasn’t got any cash on him today — can we push it to tomorrow?”

Chen Qingqing even made a joke of it. “Then there’ll be interest~”

“Ha. No problem.”

Seeing the smile on her daughter’s face left Jiang Meilin dazed for a moment, and the knot she had carried all these years loosened a little. She came back to herself and was about to put some food in Chen Qingqing’s bowl when she caught Chen Hansong watching her. She kicked him under the table. “Go and pour the bone broth into the hotpot.”

Chen Hansong trotted off to the kitchen.

Once dinner was over, the three of them sat down on the sofa to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Chen Qingqing had no real interest in it either, and kept taking out her phone to check the time.

Jiang Meilin had already noticed every one of these little movements.

And she was puzzled by them. By rights, a boy as sharp as Xiao Xu ought to have called to wish her a happy New Year. It was past eleven, and there had been no call — not so much as a WeChat message.

At that same moment.

Xu Ye drained his cup of strong tea in one go and asked Old Xu for the keys to the Santana. Old Xu looked baffled. “What do you want the car keys for?”

“I’m going to wish my future mother-in-law a happy New Year.”

Old Xu was about to say something when Zhang Hong cut in. “Give them to him, give them to him. This boy’s heart left this house a long time ago.”

Xu Ye took his mother’s face in both hands, kissed her on the forehead and grinned. “Mom, don’t you worry. I’ll love you forever.”

Zhang Hong pulled a face, wiped her forehead, and smacked him on the backside. “Get lost.”

“Got it.”

“Be careful on the road.”

“Don’t worry. There’s hardly any traffic on New Year’s Eve.”

Xu Ye changed his shoes, jogged down the stairs and drove Old Xu’s Santana all the way to Red Leaf Estate. Once he was outside the gate he sent Chen Qingqing a message — and in the living room, the moment she saw it, she was up and out the door.

One look at how excited she was and Jiang Meilin knew Xu Ye had arrived.

It surprised her. It was New Year’s Eve, after all; she hadn’t expected him to come over this close to midnight.

When Chen Qingqing saw him she went straight over to meet him. Perhaps because she was in such a good mood, there was a smile in her voice. “I thought you weren’t going to come.”

“Not a chance. When have I ever not done something I said I’d do?”

“Come on. Let’s go and wish your mom a happy New Year first.” Xu Ye reached for her hand, but she dodged him. She stepped aside and looked up at him pitifully.

Xu Ye laughed. “Still shy?”

Chen Qingqing nodded hard.

“All right. We’ll go in together, then.”

She fell in beside him and they went back into the living room.

Sure enough, Chen Hansong still hadn’t left.

“Xiao Xu’s here, is he?”

“Mm.” With his usual thick skin, Xu Ye walked up to Jiang Meilin, bowed ninety degrees and said cheerfully, “Auntie Jiang, I hope the new year brings you peace, everything you wish for, and plenty to smile about.”

Then he cheekily stuck out his hand.

Chen Hansong had no idea what was going on. “What are you doing?”

“I want my New Year money.”

Chen Hansong was lost for words. “I’d like to know if there’s anyone your age with less shame than you. Turning up at someone else’s house on New Year’s Eve and asking for New Year money the moment you’ve finished your greeting.”

Xu Ye was about to answer when Jiang Meilin patted his hand and cut in, smiling. “Xiao Xu, don’t listen to him talking nonsense. I’ll go and get your red packet right now.”

“Auntie, just a token is plenty.”

Before long Jiang Meilin did come back down from upstairs with two red packets, and handed one to Xu Ye and one to Chen Qingqing.

She asked, in a joking tone, “New Year’s Eve, and your mom still lets you out?”

“She does. Why wouldn’t she? When I said I was coming over here, my mom would have chased me out with a broom if she could.”

“Does your mom know about you and Qingqing as well?”

“She’s known for ages.”

Jiang Meilin looked up. “Qingqing, have you ever been to Xu Ye’s house?”

Chen Qingqing was too embarrassed to answer, so Xu Ye explained for her. “She’d never have the nerve. Anyway, it’s early days yet. There’s no rush.”

Chen Hansong was thoroughly fed up. From the look of Jiang Meilin, she couldn’t wait to pack their daughter off to somebody else’s house. He wanted to cut in with something sharp, but then it occurred to him that Jiang Meilin hadn’t told him off once all day, and that if he annoyed her now, the next time he came he would probably get nothing but cold looks. So all he could do was stare at Xu Ye and try to warn him off with his eyes.

Xu Ye paid the threat no attention at all. His expression said something like: Old Chen. You don’t imagine you rank higher than me in this house, do you?

While they talked and joked, the Spring Festival Gala was drawing to a close.

When the hour hand reached twelve, the whole sky above the city lit up at once with countless fireworks. Xu Ye turned to look out of the window, then caught Chen Qingqing’s hand, stood up and smiled. “Come on. Let’s go outside and watch the fireworks.”

And so Chen Qingqing was led away by the hand, in front of both Jiang Meilin and Chen Hansong.

Right then, from any corner of the city, so long as you were out in the open, you could look up and see fireworks of every color woven together, turning the night sky into a magnificent ink-and-color painting.

Chen Qingqing looked up at it and smiled. “It’s beautiful~”

Xu Ye tightened his hand around hers, turned to look at her, and smiled too. “No firework could ever be as beautiful as you.”

(End of Chapter 193)