When A-Heng stood at the front door of the Wen family home, she felt somewhat uneasy, reflecting that their recent journey had indeed been a bit excessive.

“Why aren’t you going in?” The young man stretched out his thickly gloved hand and pressed the doorbell.

A-Heng carefully took a step back, resisting the urge to run away.

Zhang Sao opened the door.

“What perfect timing! I was just discussing with Yunyi whether we should include you two for dinner, and here you are,” Zhang Sao said with a smile, glancing back toward the living room.

“Does everyone know we…?” A-Heng asked Yan Xi quietly.

“We weren’t running away from home. I already informed Grandfather Wen before we left,” Yan Xi replied, looking unwell as his long legs stepped toward the entrance. Remembering something, he paused and asked Zhang Sao, “Zhang Sao, are my old man and Mama Li here?”

Zhang Sao nodded, taking A-Heng’s hand with a smile: “Of course they are. Every New Year, our two families celebrate together. It’s been our tradition for so many years—how could that change?”

A-Heng let out a sigh. She had indeed harbored thoughts of running away from home, but her scheming had been in vain. This meant Yan Xi must have known about her little plan earlier but simply couldn’t be bothered to address it.

Led by Zhang Sao’s hand, A-Heng changed into cotton slippers, feeling somewhat dejected. She had imagined returning to find the house full of police discussing how to find her; grandfather sighing in distress; mother heartbroken; Si Wan furrowing her beautiful brows in concern for her safety; and Er Er with tears in her eyes. But instead…

Ah, how disappointing…

“What are you thinking about?” Yan Xi asked with a half-smile, looking at her teasingly.

A-Heng’s face reddened.

Entering the living room, they found a lively atmosphere. Grandfather and Grandfather Yan were playing Chinese chess, slamming pieces down with gusto. Upon seeing the two of them, they asked a few quick questions before returning to their intense battle. Mother and Uncle Li were in the kitchen making dumplings. When Uncle Li saw Yan Xi, his face lit up with joy and love. He fished out two pieces of pork ribs that were cooking in the pot, placing one in Yan Xi’s mouth and feeding the other to A-Heng.

Mother Wen asked about A-Heng’s journey, and upon learning she had returned to Wushui, showed no particular reaction. Toward Yan Xi, however, she was much more affectionate, holding the young man’s hand and asking endless questions.

A-Heng looked around but didn’t see Si Wan and Er Er. She went upstairs to Si Wan’s door, which was slightly ajar. After hesitating for a moment, she pushed it open.

Si Wan sat at his desk, flipping through a thick book. He turned to see A-Heng, his expression freezing momentarily before he awkwardly spoke: “You’re back? Was the journey smooth?”

A-Heng nodded, feeling somewhat embarrassed. She walked to the young man’s front, slightly lowered her head, glanced at his book, and asked with a smile: “What are you reading?”

Si Wan pressed his lips together slightly, his tone characteristically polite and gentle: “Nothing much, just reading for fun.”

They stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say to ease the overly tense atmosphere.

“I brought white sugar cake,” A-Heng said sheepishly, pulling out a paper package from her pocket. She had bought it specially for Si Wan before leaving, thinking that since Yan Xi liked it, Si Wan must like it too.

The young man looked at the package in surprise.

A-Heng stared at her palm, her expression becoming unnatural. The white sugar cake had been in her pocket all day, compressed out of shape, with all the oil seeping out, looking terrible.

“It should be… edible…” A-Heng’s voice grew increasingly quiet as she became dejected.

Si Wan frowned, his expression poor, but still maintained his patience: “It’s almost lunchtime, you should put away these snacks for now.”

A-Heng withdrew her hand, which was covered in oil, sticky, and extremely uncomfortable. The white sugar cake burned hot in her hand, and she had an urge to throw it away, wash her hands clean, and pretend nothing had happened.

“Wen Heng, you’re not fair,” a light laugh echoed in the room. “I stayed up all night for your birthday yesterday, yet you’re hoarding white sugar cake for someone else.”

It was Yan Xi. The young man leaned against the doorframe, smirking coldly.

A-Heng’s face grew even more embarrassed.

Hehe… she’d been caught.

“Give it here,” Yan Xi lazily crooked his finger.

“It’s not… edible anymore,” A-Heng held onto the white sugar cake, mortified.

A pair of slender, fair, and well-proportioned hands reached out, deftly snatching it away. Those hands skillfully opened the paper package, revealing a deflated and wrinkled cake-like object, appearing shy and bashful.

A-Heng grew even more mortified.

Yan Xi casually tore off a piece, walked to Si Wan’s front, and commanded imperiously: “Open your mouth.”

Si Wan was surprised but still obediently opened his mouth, having been long accustomed to being bullied by Yan Xi, he had no potential for resistance.

“Close your mouth, chew.”

Si Wan tried to maintain his composure as he chewed with stiff cheeks.

Yan Xi wiped the oil from his hands onto Si Wan’s coat, carelessly ordering: “One, two, three, swallow. How is it? Can it poison you or not?” Yan Xi smirked, hands in his pockets, looking at the young man with eyes cold as water.

Si Wan craned his neck and said nothing.

“Silly child doesn’t know what’s good,” Yan Xi’s expression softened as he sighed, hooking Si Wan’s shoulder and childishly lamenting, “White sugar cake, such a delicious thing!”

A-Heng felt guilty and weakly raised her hand, sniffling as she awkwardly spoke: “Yan Xi, I… I still have another piece hidden, originally kept for… myself. Do you want it?”

Si Wan couldn’t help but burst out laughing, looking at her as if winter’s first ray of sunlight had melted away the previous frost.

A-Heng laughed too.

Yan Xi rolled his eyes.

Tch, these Wen family kids, all such silly children.

A-Heng hadn’t seen Er Er yet. She learned from Zhang Sao that after Si Er recovered, Grandfather Yan had a talk with her, and she returned to where she used to live.

Why was it, Grandfather Yan?… A-Heng couldn’t quite figure it out.

No wonder Si Wan had that attitude when he saw her earlier.

1999 was the first New Year A-Heng spent with the Wen family.

When it was time to put up spring festival couplets on New Year’s Eve, the adults were busy playing mahjong, cooking, and watching TV, so they let the three of them handle it.

Yan Xi was too lazy to move, and she wasn’t tall enough, so the task fell to Si Wan.

“Too low, too low,” Yan Xi said, and Si Wan raised his arm a bit.

“Too high, too high,” Yan Xi squinted, and Si Wan lowered his forearm.

“It’s crooked, crooked, a bit to the left.” Si Wan tilted to the left.

“Ah! How can you be so stupid, that’s too far left!” Yan Xi glared, puffing up his cheeks.

A-Heng watched for a long while, held back for a long while, and finally said one sentence: “Yan Xi, you’re standing at an angle. From the beginning, Si Wan was putting it up correctly.”

Standing crooked, seeing crooked.

Si Wan looked at Yan Xi with reproach.

“Oh, well, just put it up however you want, I’ve never been one to pick on people’s faults,” Yan Xi said calmly, straightening up from the doorframe he was leaning against, dusting off his back, and floating into the house, noble and invincible.

Si Wan pouted: “A-Xi is always like this…” Though the young man’s words were complaints, they carried resignation and indulgence.

It’s because you all spoiled him this way, A-Heng thought.

But at that time, this child never imagined that later, she would spoil Yan Xi to the bone, surpassing Si Wan’s level by hundreds of times.

However, at this moment, with Yan Xi gone, the couplets were quickly put up.

Si Wan got gold powder all over his hands and went to the bathroom to wash them, leaving A-Heng to clean up the paste and other materials.

She was looking down when she heard footsteps, and when she raised her head, her heart inexplicably warmed.

It was a man in a proper naval uniform, travel-worn, with a few strands of white at his temples. His eyes looking at her were loving and gentle.

“You’re… A-Heng, right?” The man’s bronze skin tone suggested long exposure to sea winds and harsh sun, but his gaze was profound and upright.

A-Heng nodded, her heart almost certain of something, becoming excited.

“I’m Wen Anguo.” The man smiled, with fine lines at his eyes, sharing the same pure warmth as Si Wan, and that hint of spirit she saw every time she looked in the mirror.

A-Heng smiled, joining the man in laughter.

He wasn’t surprised by her existence, and even ruffled her hair with his large hand, asking her: “Why aren’t you calling me Dad?”

A-Heng paused, tears almost coming out. She looked at the man and said softly, but with a heavy sense of belonging: “Dad dad dad dad dad dad…”

She kept calling out, looking at him, tears flowing freely, but her gaze never wavered.

These calls almost filled the gap between heaven and earth for her.

For the first time, without reason, she believed that in this world there was a faith called blood kinship that could defeat all reasonable logic.

Her father was the first relative to truly accept her. The other Wen family members had merely left a crack for her, wearing suitable masks, watching her from afar. But this man opened his heart to her without reservation.

“Lunch is ready, A-Heng, come in!” Zhang Sao called from the kitchen.

“Perfect timing arrived before getting sealed outside by the couplets,” the man smiled, looking kindly at the freshly hung couplets. Then, he extended his hand—warm, rough, and calloused—firmly gripping her hand, warming her soul, “Come with Dad, let’s have our reunion dinner.”

A-Heng gently gripped her father’s hand back, like a newborn baby seeing clearly for the first time, grasping the first ray of light in this strange world.

Her father naturally held her hand, walking through the front door again, giving her enough courage to no longer face her grandfather, mother, and Si Wan from a position of looking up.

For her, only such treatment was fair and respectful.

Her father’s return was expected by everyone. He only had one long holiday each year, during the New Year.

Before the New Year’s Eve dinner, when it was time to set off firecrackers, Si Wan lit the fuse while Yan Xi ran far away.

Pop pop bang bang, pop pop bang bang.

A-Heng stood close by, staring absent-mindedly at the festive red brilliance, and before she could react, the firecrackers went off.

She jumped in surprise, and spun around in circles with nowhere to hide—the two young men had already disappeared without a trace. She stamped her feet and ran into the house, only to find Si Wan and Yan Xi hiding behind the door, snickering. She blushed in embarrassment and laughed.

“This girl, completely hopeless,” Si Wan cupped his hands, looking mischievous.

You’re the hopeless one! Born from the same parents, why call me hopeless?

A-Heng wasn’t pleased, rolling her eyes slightly as she looked at Si Wan, showing a bit of fox-like craftiness.

After dinner, A-Heng watched as Yan Xi, despite his round belly full of food, unhesitatingly dropped to his knees before Grandfather Yan: “Old man, old man, New Year’s money!”

“Could we ever shortchange you? Is this all you care about!” Grandfather Yan scolded with a laugh, but his hands moved quickly, pulling out three red envelopes, one for each child.

A-Heng hugged her red envelope, her face as red as the envelope itself. Since she was ten years old, she hadn’t received New Year’s money.

“Grandfather Wen, congratulations on your prosperity!” Yan Xi said with a smile, dropping to his knees again before Grandfather Wen.

“Good, good!” Grandfather Wen had been in a good mood ever since his son’s return, smiling as he prepared a red envelope for the young man, with A-Heng and Si Wan naturally receiving their share as well.

Yan Xi then turned to Mother Wen, who had always doted on Yan Xi, and her red envelope was generous and bold.

“Uncle Wen, after not seeing you for a year, you’ve become even more handsome!” Yan Xi turned to Father Wen, laying on the sweet talk.

“Little rascal, wanting to earn my money without kowtowing to me? It’s not that easy,” Father Wen teased.

Bang! Yan Xi kowtowed earnestly, smiling innocently, his smile seemingly about to fly to the heavens, making all the adults laugh.

Unfortunately, Yan Xi’s joy turned to sorrow—he had been kneeling too long, and when he stood up, his vision went black, losing his balance and crawling on the ground, pointing in the direction where A-Heng was standing.

A-Heng clutched her newly warmed red envelope tightly: “Don’t bow to me, I don’t have any money…”

The room erupted in laughter.

Yan Xi’s face darkened, losing his previous pretense of cuteness before the adults: “Young master here doesn’t even have money yet still bought you pork rib noodles and birthday cake! How can you be so ungrateful!”

A-Heng complained pitifully: “You… also ate my white sugar cake…”

“You let me eat it, if you hadn’t let me eat it I wouldn’t have wanted to!”

“Clearly… you… wanted to eat it…”

“Which eye of yours saw that I wanted to eat it?”

“My… both eyes… 2.0…”

Si Wan on the side was laughing so hard he was punching the sofa.

“Yan Xi, can’t you let your sister have her way!” Grandfather Yan shouted at the young man, though he was grinning so much his mouth was almost crooked.

Yan Xi’s big eyes were bright and shining as he glared at A-Heng for a long time.

Their eyes met.

Finally, unable to hold it in, he burst out laughing, his black hair trembling slightly with his laughter.

A-Heng also giggled, her eyes flowing like a landscape painting.

This year, who quarreled and bantered with whom, chatting about the wind, laughing about life, would still be remembered tomorrow…

This night, who kept whom in their hearts, staying up for the New Year, celebrating the festival, would still be cherished next year…

Little girl, little boy, oh you all, so forgetful, these moments upon moments, whose pen stroke will record the flowing years…