Li Rong’s hands were somewhat cool. When they touched his skin, it allowed his consciousness to barely maintain a few traces of clarity.

But whether it was the fireworks blooming in the sky or the young lady standing on tiptoes with closed eyes before him, both made him unable to help feeling momentarily dazed, as if all past events were nothing but a nightmare that had never happened. He was just twenty-year-old Pei Wenxuan, and the person before him was just eighteen-year-old Li Rong.

“Rongrong…”

He didn’t know how, but his voice carried a few traces of choking emotion. He raised his hand, one arm gently encircling her waist, afraid she would slip down. His other hand rested on the back of her head, allowing her to bear the force he applied.

Following his gentle yet lingering teasing, provoking, and entwining, Li Rong’s breathing grew heavier. Her hands lost their strength and slid down from his face, wrapping around his neck. Her entire person relied on the hand at her waist, unable to help stepping backward.

Pei Wenxuan followed her movement forward, forcing her back against the table.

He made no excessive movements. He hoped this kiss conveyed emotion, not desire. So he used all his rationality, forcing himself not to do more. He only wanted to kiss her, then let her feel from the kiss the ultimate joy and all the tenderness this world could offer.

In Li Rong’s memory, the fireworks that year lasted very long, rising and falling one after another.

That kiss was different from the past.

She had indulged herself for many years. In those later years, whether occasionally recalling youthful kisses with Pei Wenxuan or touches with Su Rongqing, they were more about desire than love. She couldn’t remember, or rather had never known, what it felt like when affection was added to such things.

Yet at this moment, she suddenly understood—that tenderness falling fine and dense on her heart like spring rain, softening all the hardened soil. Thus, within desire came restraint, and in that dance of closeness and distance came heart-fluttering excitement and irrepressible joy.

No matter how many times, how many years, regardless of age or weathered experiences, all of it suddenly transformed her into a young girl in that kiss.

She felt both shy and moved. When boldly pursuing the other person, she was infected by their almost caring attitude, adding a few traces of trepidation and bashfulness.

When the two stopped, the fireworks had already ceased for who knows how long. Li Rong sat on the table, lowering her head to look at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan’s lips carried moisture. His face bore white flour she had smeared on him with her hands. His handsome eyes looked up at her, restraint mingled with joy, bright and shining, exactly like a young man before his beloved.

Li Rong lowered her head to look at him. The two said nothing. After gazing at each other for a long while, Li Rong raised her hand, using her sleeve to wipe his face, saying with a smile, “You’ve got flour all over your face.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled. “This must be Your Highness’s revenge.”

Li Rong raised her eyebrows. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to wipe the white flour from Li Rong’s face. “Not satisfied being a little painted cat alone, you had to drag me into it too.”

Li Rong’s movements froze, as if only now realizing her own face also had flour on it. Just then, Jing Mei’s voice rang out from outside. “Your Highness, are your dumplings ready?”

She didn’t rashly enter. She still understood this much propriety. Hearing the voice, Li Rong quickly jumped down from the table. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to brush off the flour for her. Li Rong coughed lightly, afraid those outside would detect something unusual in her voice, and called out, “What is it?”

“Your Highness,” Jing Mei’s voice carried a smile, “Sister Jing Lan made dumplings and asks if Your Highness needs service.”

“No need.” Pei Wenxuan spoke and turned to wash his hands. “You all eat first. I’ll call someone in a moment, and you can come get the dumplings to eat together.”

Speaking thus, Pei Wenxuan placed the dumplings plate by plate into the water.

Jing Mei received the instruction and agreed. She didn’t enter, turning instead to go outside the courtyard. Outside, a group of maids and servants pointed at the kitchen, winking and making faces at Jing Mei. Jing Mei shook her head and instructed in a low voice, “Your Highness’s dumplings are ready. Don’t worry.”

They had been afraid these two pampered people would spend all afternoon making dumplings, starve themselves, and lose their tempers.

The dumplings dropped into the pot. Li Rong observed curiously, propping up her chin and watching the dumplings. “Pei Wenxuan, does your family celebrate New Year like this?”

“Mm.”

Pei Wenxuan smiled and raised his head. “What about Your Highness?”

Li Rong thought about it. Previously in the palace, New Year didn’t have much atmosphere. It was nothing more than the palace hosting a family banquet, with the Emperor and Empress leading the princes and unmarried princesses to eat and drink.

The dishes were all rich meat and fish, brought out course by course. Every year required new innovations, but every year these innovations felt meaningless.

Delicacies from land and sea—anything she liked eating, she could eat on normal days too. Those new creations often just had auspicious meanings, like blessing characters assembled from tofu or phoenixes carved from melon rinds. Very beautiful to look at, but nothing particularly delicious.

“Just like the palace banquets you’ve seen,” Li Rong sighed, “terribly boring.”

“Does Your Highness receive New Year’s money?”

Pei Wenxuan was somewhat curious. Li Rong said carelessly, “Yes, all sorts of rewards. They’re all sent to the storeroom. I don’t even remember what they are. Oh, one year Mother Empress gave me a pair of vermillion bird hairpins. I quite liked those.”

Pei Wenxuan listened, thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Li Rong raised her hand to point at the dumplings in the pot. “Are these dumplings boiling apart?”

Pei Wenxuan turned back to see the dumplings were cooked and had all floated up. Li Rong stared at the dumplings, quite worried. “This palace sees some dumplings have already burst open. That’s one thing, but why are so many floating belly-up on the water? Can they not be eaten anymore?”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “that means they’re cooked.”

“Cooked?” Li Rong was somewhat surprised. “So that’s what cooked means. I was wondering how you know when dumplings are cooked. So that’s how.”

Pei Wenxuan had long known Li Rong couldn’t distinguish the five grains. He wasn’t surprised. Smiling, he called in the people outside. Plate by plate of dumplings were scooped out and sent to the dining hall.

The other people at the Princess Manor had been cooking in the small kitchen and had already prepared the dishes. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan’s dumplings were brought out last. After the dumplings were set down, the two also arrived at the dining hall. In the courtyard outside the dining hall, several tables had been temporarily set up. The household servants who hadn’t returned home for New Year all remained here. Pei Wenxuan turned to look at Li Rong and explained to her, “This was my instruction. Is it acceptable?”

“You’ve already given the instruction. Could I possibly contradict you in public and make you lose face?”

Li Rong spoke and sat down together with Pei Wenxuan, raising her hand to everyone. “Everyone, please sit.”

After Li Rong finished speaking, everyone bowed respectfully, then sat down.

This was Li Rong’s first time sitting together with servants. She felt somewhat unaccustomed and couldn’t help turning back to glance at Pei Wenxuan beside her. Pei Wenxuan placed a dumpling in her bowl and smiled. “Your Highness should say something auspicious? Consider it a New Year’s blessing, so everyone won’t be nervous.”

Li Rong paused for a moment, hesitated briefly, then said, “Then I wish everyone fortune rolling in next year, family health and safety. For those of marriageable age, may you find good matches. For those already married, may you have precious children soon and be happy and fulfilled.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

After Li Rong spoke soft words, everyone finally completely relaxed and responded with smiles.

“Let’s eat.”

Li Rong spoke and picked up the dumpling in her bowl.

With Li Rong present, although everyone had relaxed, they were still somewhat restrained. Seeing this, Pei Wenxuan called out to everyone, “Don’t be restrained, everyone. Those who should drink wine, drink wine. Those who should eat dumplings, eat dumplings. However lively things usually are, show Your Highness that liveliness. Today, whoever eats a copper coin will be rewarded!”

Just as he finished speaking, Li Rong made a “hiss” sound, and a copper coin rolled out of her mouth. She hadn’t expected Pei Wenxuan to actually put copper coins in the dumplings. This was all folk custom. The palace wouldn’t casually stuff such things in food. She hadn’t been prepared. With one bite down, she felt her tooth was about to break in half.

“Pei…”

Li Rong held back tears, hurting so much she raised her hand to throw down her chopsticks. Pei Wenxuan had quick eyes and hands. One hand grabbed her hand throwing the chopsticks, the other covered her mouth, and he called out loudly, “It’s actually Your Highness who ate the copper coin! Your Highness will have great fortune this year!”

After saying this, Pei Wenxuan said in a low voice, “Your Highness, save me some face.”

“What face!”

Li Rong pushed him away with one hand, covering her mouth angrily. “Putting copper coins without giving advance notice—my tooth is almost broken!”

“I didn’t expect Your Highness to eat so ferociously. I was just about to say…” Pei Wenxuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Li Rong normally looked undisciplined, but actually the discipline was hidden in the details. For example, when eating, she always chewed slowly and carefully. When sleeping, she always lay flat with hands folded on her abdomen. Who knew that today, being very hungry, she actually couldn’t care about deportment and bit down in one go.

Li Rong felt she was in the wrong and didn’t argue with Pei Wenxuan. She only extended her hand to ask for the reward. “The reward?”

Pei Wenxuan smiled and raised his hand to give Li Rong a red envelope from his sleeve.

This was Li Rong’s first time receiving this kind of direct red envelope. Finding it somewhat novel, she opened the red envelope in front of everyone to look, discovering there wasn’t much inside. She shook it, finally shaking out one tael of silver into her palm.

Looking at the one tael of silver, then thinking of her tooth, Li Rong immediately felt dissatisfied. “A one-tael red envelope and you have the nerve to give it?”

“Alright, alright.” Pei Wenxuan was afraid of her. He pulled out another red envelope on which he had hand-drawn a golden phoenix. “This is actually yours. That other one was an extra.”

Li Rong saw that beautiful phoenix and felt somewhat moved. Without courtesy, she extended her hand to take it. Pei Wenxuan moved the red envelope to the side and smiled. “Your Highness, to get New Year’s money, you must say something nice.”

“Prince Consort is joking.” Jing Lan laughed from the side. “When you give Your Highness a red envelope, how can it be called New Year’s money?”

“You don’t understand this.” Pei Wenxuan turned to glance at Jing Lan, then turned back to rest his gaze on Li Rong with a smile. “Your Highness is young. I normally look after her, just like looking after a younger sister. This New Year’s money must be given.”

Hearing Pei Wenxuan’s words, everyone burst into laughter. Li Rong raised her eyebrows. “You dare lead people to laugh at me?”

“I wouldn’t dare.” Pei Wenxuan quickly said, “This is laughter symbolizing New Year joy, absolutely no intention of mocking Your Highness.”

“Red envelope.” Li Rong was too lazy to say more to him, unwilling to banter with him in front of the servants. Pei Wenxuan held the red envelope and smiled. “Doesn’t Your Highness know how to say nice things?”

“That’s right.” Li Rong directly raised her hand, lazily speaking, “So just give me the red envelope and be done with it.”

“If you don’t know how, I’ll teach you.”

Pei Wenxuan spoke, leaning forward slightly, delivering the red envelope into Li Rong’s palm while simultaneously leaning close to her ear.

“I like you and want to celebrate New Year together with you every year.”

“Your Highness,” Pei Wenxuan asked in a very small voice, “have you learned it?”