As the New Year approached, students went on break, and nearby companies held their annual parties early, creating a festive atmosphere.

For several days, the restaurant had few customers. Xie Huai closed the farmhouse restaurant on Little New Year’s Eve and bought beef and tomatoes to make dumplings at home.

He tried to make the dough himself but ended up with a wet, paste-like mess after much effort, and called Xia Xia for help.

Xia Xia had just gotten off work and couldn’t help but laugh when she saw the photo Xie Huai sent while standing at the subway station.

The temperature in South City was gradually dropping. Xia Xia stood with her arms crossed outside the yellow line at the subway station, chatting casually with Xie Huai.

Her reflection showed in the glass doors before her – jeans, a loose white sweater with large holes, an army green coat, and a round wool hat on her head.

In the reflection, the girl was fair and pretty, with bright almond-shaped eyes. Her hair had grown longer, falling in loose waves to her waist, with fluffy, unruly strands framing her face.

Xia Xia tucked the wayward strands behind her ear.

Her appearance hadn’t changed much over these years, but her style had evolved considerably. At first glance, she no longer looked like a naive schoolgirl, carrying a more mature air, yet when she spoke and smiled, her girlish charm remained completely intact.

Xie Huai: “Why are you coming home so late today? Maybe I should just pick you up from now on.”

Xia Xia switched her phone to the other ear as she squeezed into the subway with the crowd: “No need.”

The weather was getting colder, and the Civil Affairs Bureau was far from home. Xie Huai’s immunity had weakened from staying up late watching the store, and making two trips in the cold wind every day to pick up and drop off Xia Xia had caused him to catch several colds this winter. Xia Xia wouldn’t let him come pick her up anymore, choosing to take the subway to and from work instead.

As soon as Xia Xia opened the door, Xie Huai embraced her fully.

He put down her bag and pulled her inside: “Save the dumplings—”

His dough was like mud. Xia Xia washed her hands and properly kneaded the dough, then re-chopped the meat filling that Xie Huai had roughly prepared, adding seasonings and mixing well.

“You might as well have bought frozen dumplings,” Xia Xia lay on the sofa wailing, her back aching from chopping meat, “You just love torturing me. I’ve been sitting all day, my waist is killing me.”

“Don’t be ungrateful, I wanted to make dumplings for you by hand.”

“I think you just wanted to exhaust me,” Xia Xia said, “Give me a massage.”

Xie Huai obediently said: “Okay.”

He walked over, and Xia Xia caught his expression as she looked back, instinctively saying: “Never mind, ah—”

Xie Huai smiled mischievously, and Xia Xia wailed again: “I asked you to massage my waist, don’t touch elsewhere—”

Xia Xia’s face turned red from his teasing, her tearful expression is both innocent and alluring. Xie Huai was more childish than a child, tickling her after the massage. Unable to escape, Xia Xia could only pretend to cry, but she hadn’t acted pitifully for so long that her acting skills had severely deteriorated. Xie Huai didn’t believe her at all and tickled her again until Xia Xia cried from the tickling.

Seeing the girl crying while cursing him made Xie Huai’s heart ache terribly. He didn’t dare tease her anymore, but Xia Xia couldn’t stop crying, as if she’d suffered a great injustice.

Xie Huai swore to heaven that he’d be a dog if he ever tickled her again, and after making her laugh, he honestly went to cook the dumplings.

On the twenty-ninth of the lunar month, Xia Xia started her holiday.

Xie Huai woke early to move the suitcase to the security booth downstairs, then returned to wake Xia Xia.

Last night, using the excuse that they wouldn’t be able to do as they pleased at home due to poor soundproofing and Qiao Ru’s light sleep, Xie Huai had coaxed Xia Xia into some unspeakable activities, only falling asleep satisfied while holding her at dawn.

When Xie Huai woke her, it was only five in the morning, and her eyes were dazed.

Xie Huai pushed her to brush her teeth in the bathroom. Still drowsy, Xia Xia was weak in both hands and feet, hanging onto him like a soft doll.

Xie Huai turned on the electric toothbrush and put it in her mouth. Xia Xia became slightly more awake.

She had been anxious all night about meeting Xie Huai’s parents, afraid that his mother wouldn’t like her. She suggested letting Xie Huai go back alone while she stayed in South City for New Year. No matter what Xie Huai said, she kept shaking her head and even tried to take out her phone to cancel the tickets, only behaving after Xie Huai disciplined her.

After a night’s sleep, Xia Xia’s anxious thoughts surfaced again.

“What if your mom doesn’t like me? What if she thinks I’m not pretty or capable enough? What if she can’t stand me?” Xia Xia’s face crumpled as she put psychological pressure on herself, her features scrunching together, “What if she offers me five million to leave you? Maybe I shouldn’t go—”

“Five million?” Xie Huai said coldly, “That would require her to have that much money first.”

Xie Huai bundled Xia Xia into a taxi and then bundled her onto the plane.

When the plane landed in Zhang City, it was snowing.

Xia Xia hadn’t breathed northern winter air for a long time. Walking out of the airport, she shivered in the cold wind and continued shaking even after getting into the taxi.

Xie Huai asked: “Is it that cold?”

Xia Xia was terrified: “What if your mom hates me? She’s been a rich woman for so many years, she must like refined girls, right? I grew up rough and wild in the village, she definitely won’t approve of me.”

Xie Huai: “…”

“You’re rough and wild?” He pinched her face, “Do you have some misunderstanding about yourself?”

Xia Xia’s eyes darted to the window, suddenly shouting: “Driver, stop!”

She got out and ran to a roadside flower shop: “I should buy a gift for Auntie, what flowers does she like?”

Xie Huai scratched his head: “Don’t know, never bought any.”

Xia Xia picked several lily buds, added baby’s breath, and had them wrapped in light-colored paper into a bouquet.

Near the New Year, winter flower market prices were exorbitant. The lilies were forty-one yuan each, and Xia Xia’s bouquet cost several hundred yuan. When Xie Huai tried to pay, Xia Xia stopped him.

“I’ll pay,” she insisted.

Xie Huai: “They’ll wilt in a few days, you might as well buy me meat with that money.”

“I have to buy them,” Xia Xia said softly, “It wouldn’t be right to visit for the first time without a gift.”

She had seen Qiao Ru’s photos on Xie Huai’s phone – wearing a bean-green linen top, her hair pinned up in a high bun with a wooden hairpin. Time hadn’t left many marks on this woman in her forties. She had an elegant and dignified air, and her smile was like a mountain breeze, refreshing just to look at.

Qiao Ru had once lived a refined life, skilled in flower arranging and tea ceremony, spending her free time baking and doing yoga.

Xie Huai rarely mentioned life after bankruptcy to Xia Xia, but she could guess some details.

Xie Huai lived in his uncle’s old house, paying monthly rent. Their former possessions had been seized by the court, and the house and car under Qiao Ru’s name had been sold to repay high-interest loans.

Xie Huai regularly sent twenty thousand yuan home each month. Qiao Ru had been a full-time housewife all her life and wasn’t good at household chores, but necessity had driven her to rent a small shop and open a baking classroom.

A refined woman like Qiao Ru must love flowers, Xia Xia was certain.

She was also certain that Qiao Ru hadn’t bought herself flowers for many years.

No one had cleared the snow in the old residential complex, leaving only a line of footprints in the middle of the path from people coming and going. The cold weather had turned melted snow into ice, making each step slippery. Snow piled thick on the pine trees along the path. As they passed, Xie Huai childishly hugged a trunk and shook it, showering Xia Xia with snow.

Xia Xia’s expression was serious, more nervous than during a job interview.

Qiao Ru opened the door, and warm air rushed out from inside, yet Xia Xia’s hands and feet were ice cold.

Qiao Ru looked even younger in person than in photos, her skin fair and delicate, her condition no less than the twenty-year-old Xia Xia.

Her eyes were bright without a single wrinkle at the corners, though many white hairs had grown behind her ears.

Directly opposite the door in the living room stood a shrine with a Buddha statue. Qiao Ru had just lit incense before they arrived, filling the room with rich sandalwood fragrance.

Just as Xia Xia was about to bow in greeting, Qiao Ru came over in cotton slippers and hugged her.

She wore home clothes and was thin, but her body was warm. She affectionately nuzzled Xia Xia’s shoulder with her chin and stroked the back of her head.

“Hello, Xia Xia.” Qiao Ru’s voice was gentle, “I’m Xiao Huai’s mother.”

In her embrace, smelling the sandalwood scent that clung to her from the house, Xia Xia’s nervousness instantly melted away.

She blushed and said softly: “Hello, Auntie.”

Qiao Ru pulled her inside, helping her take off and hang up her coat.

Xie Huai followed slowly behind, slightly unhappy to see Qiao Ru pull Xia Xia away from him, but held his tongue.

Qiao Ru had cleaned the house before they arrived – it was spotlessly clean, with the floor heating at just the right temperature, sending dry air up through the floorboards.

The coffee table was full of cherry tomatoes, kumquats, nuts, and candied melons that Qiao Ru had prepared.

Qiao Ru pulled Xia Xia to sit on the sofa, her gaze never leaving the girl’s pretty face, her eyes full of affection.

Only when Xie Huai coughed did Qiao Ru remember she had a son.

Xie Huai handed her the lily bouquet: “These flowers are from Xia Xia.”

Qiao Ru accepted them, gently touching the unopened buds: “How beautiful, thank you, Xia Xia, I’ll arrange them right now, perfect for displaying in the living room during New Year.”

The blush that had spread across Xia Xia’s face had barely faded, her voice still small: “Thank you, Auntie.”

Xie Huai: “?”

Qiao Ru paused, looking at her tenderly.

Nervous, Xia Xia had misspoken and quickly waved her hands: “…No, not thank you, Auntie, I meant you’re welcome, I’m glad you like them, Auntie, I… I’m very happy.”

Qiao Ru couldn’t help but smile. Seeing Xia Xia’s nervousness, she considerately took the vase to the kitchen to arrange the flowers, leaving the living room to the two of them.

Back home, Xie Huai sank onto the sofa, pulling Xia Xia into his arms: “What character are you playing today, Sister Xia? A shy little cutie whose eyes tear up when speaking? It is quite cute, come here and let me kiss you.”

Xia Xia said softly: “You don’t understand.”

“You used to live in wealth, and although you can’t go back now, the experiences that life gave you can never be erased,” Xia Xia lowered her eyes, “When I look at Auntie, I can completely imagine what kind of life she used to live, completely imagine how refined and elegant she used to be, those traces are engraved in her bones.”

“But me…” she paused, “If it were my mother, my family, I wouldn’t dare to imagine. I’m afraid to meet your family, and also afraid to let you meet mine. Whether your mother doesn’t like me, or my parents don’t like you, I would be very sad.”

Xie Huai smiled: “You weren’t like this before.”

Xia Xia was quiet for a moment, then asked softly: “Do you want me to act like a sweetheart? That’s your mother, and although she might not like the real me, I don’t want to put on an act to deceive her.”

She didn’t say it directly, but Xie Huai understood her meaning.

All the money earned from Xie Huai’s farmhouse restaurant went toward filling the hole of high-interest loans. The couple wasn’t well-off, rarely eating meat dishes at home except for occasional indulgent meals out on leisurely weekends.

Xia Xia was used to being poor since childhood, and Xie Huai was poor too. Two poor souls living together was interesting in its way. Xia Xia had never felt anything wrong with this life, being cheerful every day. However, when she entered Xie Huai’s former social circle and met Qiao Ru, the fear of not being accepted, hidden deep in her heart, spread uncontrollably.

Xie Huai was poor, but he was different from her.

His education and life experiences from childhood had given him sufficient knowledge and confidence to handle any setbacks and hardships. He remained composed in the face of storms, his backbone always straight. Meanwhile, Xia Xia had crawled through the mud to reach where she was today, with savagery beneath her sweet exterior.

Xia Xia felt inferior to Qiao Ru’s elegant demeanor as a former wealthy housewife, worried she wouldn’t accept her true self.

“Auntie is only being polite to me because of you,” she said dejectedly.

“You’re silly,” Xie Huai laughed, “My mom isn’t being polite because of me, she’s trying to win you over. Knowing I owe so much money yet still willing to stay by my side as my girlfriend – if such a fool runs away, the next one won’t be easy to find.”

Xie Huai pinched her face: “Do you understand what I mean?”

“Xiao Huai,” Qiao Ru called from the kitchen.

Xie Huai leaned in, stealing a kiss on Xia Xia’s lips while Qiao Ru’s back was turned, threatening: “If you keep thinking nonsense, Brother Huai will deal with you tonight.”

Qiao Ru arranged the lilies in a pale blue long-necked vase, trimming the stems and leaves.

She smiled: “How did mommy do?”

Xie Huai grinned playfully: “Not bad, deserves a reward.”

“Xia Xia seems a bit nervous, is that okay?” Qiao Ru worried, “Was I too stern earlier?”

Xie Huai: “Not stern, just…”

He said seriously: “I didn’t want to say this, afraid it would affect your mother-in-law relationship, but mom, could you not hug Xia Xia right away? And always holding her arm – we’re in our honeymoon phase, you’re doing everything a boyfriend should do, what about me?”

Qiao Ru: “Oh my, look at you, jealous of your mother.”

Qiao Ru had already prepared lunch ingredients – four dishes and a soup, all Xia Xia’s favorites that she’d learned about from asking Xie Huai beforehand.

She finished arranging the flowers and set them aside: “Will Xia Xia sleep with me tonight or in your room? If in your room, I’ll find a blanket for you this afternoon, and you can sleep on the couch.”

“The couch?” Xie Huai said, “You’re joking.”

Qiao Ru: “If not the couch, where will you sleep? You’re already twenty, it’s not appropriate to sleep in mommy’s room…”

“Who wants to sleep in your room?” Xie Huai said smugly, “Xia Xia will sleep with me.”

Qiao Ru paused briefly, then hit him on the head: “She’s just a young girl, don’t you dare try anything.”

Xie Huai rubbed his head: “I won’t, we’ll just sleep holding each other, I know my limits.”

“Also, Mom,” Xie Huai examined her linen clothes.

The clothes were of excellent quality. Though she’d worn them for many years, they didn’t have a single pill, remaining proper and comfortable, looking nothing like loungewear – suitable even for going out.

“It’s just the three of us at home, you can dress casually.”

“You’re scaring Xia Xia, you know? She’s already nervous, and you’re dressed so formally, she’s almost frightened into a quail.”

Qiao Ru looked at her outfit and went back to her bedroom to wash up.

A few minutes later, she came out wearing Xie Huai’s old middle school shorts and a white undershirt with frayed edges.

She smiled and pushed the fruit toward Xia Xia: “Xia Xia, eat more.”

Xia Xia’s meet-the-parents syndrome finally eased after having a meal with Qiao Ru.

She wanted to help Qiao Ru cook, but Qiao Ru absolutely wouldn’t allow it, finishing the cooking quickly by herself. During the meal, she was careful with her words, never mentioning Xia Xia’s family. She occasionally asked about their school life but mostly told Xia Xia about Xie Huai’s embarrassing childhood stories.

Xia Xia had never experienced such a family atmosphere, finding it both warm and tearful.

After the meal, Qiao Ru wouldn’t let her wash dishes either, sending Xie Huai to the kitchen instead. She took Xia Xia to see her succulents and aloe, excitedly telling her the narcissus would bloom soon.

The twenty-ninth of the lunar month was time for New Year shopping, and in the afternoon, Xie Huai took them both to the mall to buy clothes.

Qiao Ru didn’t talk much with Xie Huai, nor did she hold onto Xia Xia anymore. She quietly walked behind them until Xia Xia, feeling it wasn’t right to let her walk alone, deliberately slowed down to link arms with her. She seemed more like mother and daughter with Qiao Ru than with Xie Huai.

Qiao Ru maintained a gentle smile, taking Xia Xia into stores to try clothes without even looking at prices, having Xie Huai pay for anything she found suitable.

Xia Xia’s most expensive piece of clothing was the thousand-yuan coat Xie Huai had bought her from his street singing earnings. In the fitting room, she secretly checked the price tags on clothes Qiao Ru had picked for her, nearly having a heart attack at seeing 5,600 yuan.

Too embarrassed to accept such expensive clothes from Qiao Ru, she didn’t even try them on, planning to tell Qiao Ru they didn’t fit.

Xie Huai and Qiao Ru were talking around the corner from the fitting rooms.

“Haven’t I taught you how to treat a girl?”

Qiao Ru’s tone was displeased as she held Xia Xia’s coat in one hand while feeling the fabric with the other.

“This is the kind of clothes you buy for Xia Xia?”

Xia Xia blushed. That jacket was an off-season clearance item she’d bought in summer for just over a hundred yuan. Girls at school didn’t have much allowance, all dressed similarly, and Xia Xia saw nothing wrong with it, but the coat didn’t meet Qiao Ru’s standards.

Xia Xia felt embarrassed, but hearing Qiao Ru’s next words made her eyes grow hot.

Xie Huai, clueless about fabric quality, said bewildered: “She bought it herself.”

“What about your clothes?” Qiao Ru asked coolly, comparing the higher quality fabric of Xie Huai’s clothes.

Xie Huai: “Xia Xia bought those too.”

Qiao Ru: “You’re not alone anymore, can’t you be more thoughtful about your girlfriend?”

She scolded Xie Huai with a stern face: “Things are different from before, you don’t need to be so stingy with money. The girl is willing to share hardships with you, can’t you treat her better?”

Xie Huai said frustratedly: “Stop making things up, tell me how I’m not good to Xia Xia? I don’t understand these things, I just wear what she buys.”

After a while, he asked: “Did Hu Shurong leave?”

“Your uncle asked around, they say Hu Shurong ran to the south…”

The curtain of the adjacent fitting room opened, and a beautiful girl walked out carrying several tried-on clothes.

She didn’t see Xia Xia standing around the corner, looking up to see Xie Huai and Qiao Ru.

Chen Manxi: “Xie Huai? Are you shopping with Auntie? Hello, Auntie.”

Qiao Ru knew her. Her willow-leaf eyebrows raised slightly as her indifferent gaze passed over Chen Manxi as if she hadn’t heard her speak, turning to look at the trash can instead.

Chen Manxi felt awkward and looked at Xie Huai again: “When did you come back?”

Xie Huai’s indifferent gaze matched his mother’s perfectly. He curved his lips in a smile but said nothing.

Seeing Xia Xia come out, Qiao Ru took the clothes from her hands and passed them to the clerk: “Please wrap these up, my daughter-in-law likes them.”

Chen Manxi: “…”

At night, the wind was cool. Chen Manxi took the elevator to the basement parking lot, her pretty face frosted with cold.

She’d driven her family’s car to shop, but finding the cars on both sides parked too close, and not being a particularly skilled driver, backing out would likely cause scratches.

Seeing someone in the adjacent car, she rolled down her window and knocked on their glass.

The person inside didn’t respond.

She got out of her car and furiously hit their window with her purse: “Can’t you move? How is anyone supposed to get out when you park so close?”

As soon as she finished speaking, two men in black hoodies and masks got out of the car and roughly grabbed her, dragging her into their vehicle.

Chen Manxi was shocked, kicking with her feet until one of the men punched her in the stomach. She curled up like a shrimp in pain, becoming docile as sweat dripped down.

The driver turned around, leering at her: “Boss, this is Chen Manxi.”

Chen Manxi found the voice familiar and looked up to see a face she seemed to have seen before, but couldn’t place immediately.

The man in the passenger seat wore sunglasses, his face hidden under a low baseball cap, and merely grunted in response.

He removed his sunglasses, his sharp gaze meeting hers in the rearview mirror.

Chen Manxi felt inexplicably cold.

“Xie Huai’s woman?” he asked.

Chen Manxi’s face turned pale as she instinctively shook her head: “No, I’m not.”

The driver said: “Fuck, you’re talking shit. Even if you’re not Xie Huai’s woman now, you’re the woman he cares about most, right? What he did for you back then was sensational, you dare say he doesn’t like you?”

Chen Manxi clutched her stomach, finally remembering who he was.

She gritted her teeth: “Sun Feng.”

Hu Shurong played idly with his sunglasses: “You should know Xie Huai owes me money. Planning to lay low for a while, but cash is tight, want him to clear his debt in one go. Without some substantial leverage though, doesn’t feel quite secure.”

“We’ll have to trouble you to come with us.”

Chen Manxi: “I’m not close to Xie Huai anymore. His mother’s at home, why don’t you kidnap her?”

The man beside her sneered: “That year when we kidnapped his mother, I ended up in intensive care for half a month. Who dares touch her now?”

“Then you can kidnap his girlfriend!” Chen Manxi screamed, “His girlfriend is upstairs in the mall, they were just shopping together! Xie Huai and I broke up in high school, he doesn’t like me anymore, kidnapping me is useless.”

She cried in fear: “I’m telling the truth, his girlfriend is called Xia Xia, and they go to the same university.”

“Xia Xia should be staying at his house now, you can go check if you don’t believe me!”