In the second dormitory area, deafening firecrackers went off one after another, and the strong smell of gunpowder filled the air, adding to the festive atmosphere.

He Yongqiang stood outside the courtyard, arranged a long string of firecrackers in an "S" shape on the ground, and then carefully lit the fuse with incense sticks.

The fuse hissed and burned, emitting a wisp of smoke.

Ye Linchen and Luo Yongmei hid to the side, covered their ears, and stared nervously at the fuse.

A few seconds later, the sound of firecrackers suddenly rang out, and red firecracker paper flew everywhere, like red butterflies dancing in the air, heralding the arrival of the new year.

The air was filled with the festive atmosphere of the New Year and the scent of joy.

Ye Linchen looked up at the fireworks that were rising into the sky in the distance, and his heart was filled with emotion.

This is her first New Year since her rebirth, and also her first New Year in the true sense of the word.

In her previous life, after returning to the Ye family, she was always busy during the New Year, spinning around in the kitchen like a top, but she never received a word of praise.

They also had to endure their parents' sarcasm and the disdain from Meng Zihan and the twins.

Today, Aunt Shen and her family treat her like family, making her feel the festive atmosphere of the New Year and a long-lost warmth.

As the sound of firecrackers gradually subsided, He Yongqiang picked up the unfinished firecrackers from the ground, preparing to set them off again later.

"Let's go back and eat!"

The three of them chatted and laughed as they returned to Aunt Chen's house. Uncle He had already set out the bowls and chopsticks and invited everyone to sit down.

"Xiao Ye, sit here!" Aunt Chen pulled Ye Linchen to sit next to her.

Ye Linchen looked at the steaming dumplings and sumptuous dishes on the table, and his eyes welled up with tears.

"Thank you, Aunt Shen; thank you, Uncle He; thank you, Brother He and Sister Luo."

She said it from the bottom of her heart.

"No need to thank me. If you have nothing to do in the future, come and visit with your Aunt Chen often. Come on, have some dumplings! Try the filling that your Sister Luo made."

Uncle He said with a smile.

Ye Linchen picked up a dumpling and took a small bite.

The delicious broth, infused with the aroma of chives, filled her mouth, whetting her appetite.

"Delicious!" Ye Linchen exclaimed sincerely.

"Eat more if you like it," Aunt Chen said with a smile.

Luo Yongmei picked up a plump dumpling and praised, "Xiao Ye, your dumplings are so beautifully made. I really need to learn from you."

"Okay, I'll agree on Xiaoye's behalf. I'll have her come over whenever she has time to teach you how to wrap bags. How about Xiaoye?"

"Okay! No problem."

Ye Linchen chewed on the dumpling in his mouth and nodded vigorously.

This is the taste of home!

In her past life, she had never experienced the warmth of a home; now, she finally understood it.

The air pressure inside the Ye family's house was lower than the temperature outside.

In the corner of the living room, a folding cot stood alone, with a blanket haphazardly thrown on it.

The sheets were wrinkled; it was obvious someone had slept in them.

Ye Zhenghua has been sleeping here all this time, and he and Meng Xueyun have completely separated.

Ever since Meng Xueyun was slapped by Ye Zhenghua, the two have been in a cold war and haven't spoken a word to each other.

Although they live under the same roof, they treat each other as if they are invisible.

If they really had something to say, they relied on the twins as messengers to relay the message.

Ye Zhenghua's heartless and ungrateful attitude made Meng Xueyun feel very wronged, and she spent her days lost in thought.

She was already imagining Ye Zhenghua remarrying after divorcing her, and she was so upset that she had no mood to cook New Year's Eve dinner!

The few plates of vegetarian dishes and the bowl of wilted vegetarian dumplings on the table were made with the help of her twins.

The two brothers' cooking skills were really bad, barely better than pig feed, and they made no one's mouth water.

Ye Zhenghua stood in the cold wind outside Ye Linchen's rented room all afternoon, but she didn't show up. His stomach was growling with hunger, and he couldn't stand it any longer, so he went home.

I was hoping to have a hot meal when I got back, but instead I was presented with a table full of tasteless food!

He was already holding back his anger, and now it finally exploded.

He slammed his chopsticks on the table and roared, his face ashen, "Meng Xueyun, if you don't want to live this life, then don't!"

All the pent-up grievances she had been holding back suddenly welled up inside her, and Meng Xueyun, no longer willing to swallow her anger, yelled at him.

"I'm done! I've long since given up on this!"

"It's Chinese New Year, I'm too lazy to argue with you. If you don't want to continue the marriage, fine, we'll get a divorce after the New Year!"

Ye Zhenghua stopped eating, left those words behind, turned around and slammed the door shut, leaving Meng Xueyun alone at the table, covering her face and crying bitterly.

Upon seeing this, the twins quickly went after Ye Zhenghua.

Meng Zihan looked at the crying Meng Xueyun with a disapproving expression.

"Auntie, are you really determined to get a divorce?"

Meng Xueyun raised her head, her eyes brimming with tears: "It's not that I want a divorce, but look at your uncle's condition, how can he live like this?"

Meng Zihan, with a cold face, comforted her, "Auntie, just bear with it a little longer. Once school starts, I promise I'll make Uncle regret it, and I promise I'll make sure Ye Linchen can't stay in school."

That's right, she was confident that she could ruin Ye Linchen's reputation!

A country bumpkin who hasn't even established himself yet, and he thinks he can fight her?

dream!

Ye Linchen, we'll see!

...

Ye Linchen was unaware that Meng Zihan had already challenged her to a meal. After having dinner at Aunt Shen's house, she politely declined Aunt Shen's offer to stay and headed home.

Firstly, she wanted to go home and study. Although it was Chinese New Year, she still didn't want to slack off.

Secondly, today is a day for family reunion, and she wanted to give Aunt Shen and her family some space to reunite.

When we left Aunt Chen's house, it was completely dark. The winter night wind was even more biting than usual, and people were constantly setting off firecrackers and fireworks by the roadside.

In particular, there is a type of firecracker called "skyrocket," which shoots into the sky with a whooshing sound and then explodes in mid-air, which is quite frightening.

Ye Linchen kept a close watch, lest one of them jump onto him.

This is the only cotton-padded coat she owns; it would be a real problem if it got damaged in the explosion.

Ye Linchen wrapped his rather thin cotton-padded coat tighter around himself, thinking to himself that he would need to buy some new clothes once he found a job.

The thought of work dampened her spirits.

After all this time, she still hasn't found a suitable job.

Instead of going straight home, she went to the newsstand.

There have been quite a few job postings in the newspapers lately, but they either require long working hours or very strong professional knowledge.

She is not competent enough for either.

Today's job postings were the same, which made Ye Linchen feel somewhat discouraged.

Although I now have the money Ye Zhenghua gave me, it's still far from enough to last until the college entrance exam, let alone cover the expenses after I get into university.

Ye Linchen hesitated as he looked at an advertisement for a seafood restaurant hiring waiters.

How about I work as a waiter for a few days first?

She took out a pen and paper, wrote down the restaurant's address, and planned to go check it out after the New Year.

She turned around to go home when she heard someone call her from behind: "Xiao Chen!"