"What the hell are you meowing for? Are you a cat or what? Why are you meowing like that?"

He caught Jide, who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, pinched its large face, rubbed it, and skillfully tucked it into his bosom.

The sudden appearance of Ji De, who had been missing for a long time, surprised Shen Suqing. He was also puzzled, but seeing the little girl smiling and enjoying the snow under the plum tree while holding a cat, he did not want to disturb this peaceful scene.

The courtyard was peaceful and serene, but inside the hall, ghosts howled and wailed.

When those starving ghosts finally finished eating, Shen Suqing, whose obsessive-compulsive disorder was acting up, went to clear the table and found that every bowl, plate, and dish was so clean it looked like it had been licked clean, gleaming and shiny. Even the tablecloth looked like it had been pulled off and chewed a couple of times...

Suddenly everything went black, and I felt dizzy.

He pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. The three black lines on Shen Suqing's forehead stretched even longer, and his face suddenly turned extremely ugly.

Never mind, never mind...

He tried to convince himself to be more tolerant during the Chinese New Year, but he didn't even want the table anymore, let alone the bowls and chopsticks!

What kind of friends does Ah Zhi keep making?! Wang Cai is becoming increasingly outrageous!

This is outrageous! It's an insult to civility! It's utterly incomprehensible!

The virtuous Grand Tutor Shen, with a dark face, was cleaning up the mess as the patriarch of the family, while over there, the few who had finished eating had already started causing trouble—

"Buhao!! I ate too fast just now and I think I accidentally swallowed a few of the Spring Condensation Pills I always carry with me. As for what Spring Condensation Pills are, you'll understand from the name...hehehe~~~"

As she spoke, Yan Yuyao, with her contrasting aloof and Buddhist-like face, rubbed her hands together in a lewd manner, exaggeratedly sprawled to the side, her cheeks flushed and slightly tipsy, and glanced at Cui Wanzhao beside her with a reproachful look in her eyes.

He was clearly out of his mind after drinking two jugs of apricot blossom wine, and now he's acting crazy and drunk.

"So, is there any kind lady who can help this divine physician counteract the effects of the medicine? Hmm?"

Yan Yuyao raised an eyebrow and made a face.

Wangcai, standing to the side, widened his eyes: "Doctor Yu, why do you carry this with you? Holy crap, that's so tacky."

Qiao Qiao looked at Yan Yuyao with a complicated expression, as if she were looking at a pervert, and shrank back behind Zhan Xinjia in fear. Cui Wanzhao, on the other hand, had a cold face, rolled up her sleeves and strode forward.

"You're using traditional Chinese medicine, right? Okay, my adoptive mother taught me a folk remedy that can theoretically suppress the effects of all other medicines temporarily."

After saying that, she didn't hesitate to give two big slaps.

"Slap! Slap!"

Yan Yuyao stared wide-eyed in disbelief. First, she covered her burning face and looked at Cui Wanzhao with a wronged expression. Then, she looked at the innocent-looking little girl next to her, who was holding a cat.

He gritted his teeth.

"No, what exactly did you teach her?!"

Zhan Xinjia shrugged innocently.

Putting everything else aside, just tell me whether this method will work or not!

A sleeping potion? Two slaps to wake him up. Aphrodisiac? Two slaps to wake him up. Poison? Two slaps to wake him up... well, that's still debatable.

In short, the simplest operation yields the ultimate enjoyment. When someone is not in a conscious state, giving them two slaps is the fastest antidote.

Thinking of this, the little girl smiled gently.

Since arriving in Canghan, I've never seen such a lively scene—

Qiaoqiao leaned against Zhan Xinjia, watching the snow and plum blossoms. Wangcai was studying the small pills he took out of Yan Yuyao's pocket. Yan Yuyao had been beaten but still had to smile and coax Cui Wanzhao, but Cui Wanzhao just ignored him.

"Meow."

The orange cat lying in the little girl's arms let out a lazy meow.

Shen Suqing, who was sweeping the floor, glanced outside upon hearing the sound, a smile in his eyes, then shook his head helplessly and returned to tidying up.

Later, the group started acting crazy and playing around in the courtyard, chasing each other and setting off some novel fireworks. In the end, they all got so drunk that they staggered and fell asleep wherever they could find a place to lie down.

In a daze, Zhan Xinjia felt a sweet smell lingering around her. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Master Shen was smiling at her.

She had been carried back to her room without her noticing.

The room was lit by a dim candlelight, and the charcoal stove filled the room with warmth. The half-open door blocked out the noise of firecrackers outside, but the faint sounds of laughter, the rustling of snowflakes breaking branches, and the wind could still be heard from outside the alley…

This is a lively and warm New Year, a peaceful and prosperous scene worth cherishing.

Perhaps she came to Canghan to protect this simple happiness that belongs to every household.

Seeing that Azhi opened her eyes, Shen Suqing helped her up and put two soft pillows behind her, then let her lean on his shoulder. He then took the freshly made hangover soup from the side, blew on it gently, and patiently fed her a few spoonfuls.

After she drank half a bowl, seeing that she was so sleepy that she could barely keep her eyes open, Shen Suqing could only helplessly pinch her cheek.

"Don't sleep yet, I'll go get some water to wash your face."

Confused and disoriented, Zhan Xinjia didn't care about anything else. As the footsteps faded into the distance, he collapsed and lost consciousness.

Half-asleep, she felt a warm handkerchief gently wiping her cheeks and hands. She mumbled a few words, trying to dodge, which made the young man chuckle softly.

Her clean hands were tucked back into the warm bed.

It was late at night, and the first day of the Lunar New Year was just around the corner, marking the beginning of a new year.

A hand landed on the top of her head, stroking it tenderly, followed by a light, gentle kiss on her brow and eyes, tender and reverent.

"Sleep well, Ah Zhi, see you next year."

——

The sunlight outside the window was bright, and everything was a vast expanse of white.

If the sunlight hadn't been so dazzling, Zhan Xinjia felt she could have slept until the afternoon, and her head still ached a little when she woke up.

Oops, I had too much fun last night and drank a bit too much...

Yelling sleepily, Zhan Xinjia rubbed her eyes and groggily bent down to pick up the shoes and socks from the bench. The socks seemed to have been warmed on the charcoal stove beforehand, and they were still warm to the touch.

Where is Master Shen?

What about everyone else?

She walked to the window and pushed open the lattice window. The fresh, cool breeze that came in dispelled some of her drowsiness and made her more alert.

She turned to put on her coat and go to the kitchen to find Master Shen, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw something on the windowsill—

It was a slightly melted, chubby little snow rabbit with two green leaves stuck in its ears, eyes dotted with cinnabar, and a three-lobed mouth that was slightly grinning. It was as cute and adorable as a little dumpling.

Zhan Xinjia's eyes instantly lit up.

She held the little snow rabbit in her palm for a while, then smiled and carefully placed it back on the windowsill.

Hehe, besides her silly brother, who else would make her a goofy snow rabbit?!

In the past, when she was sick in winter and her mother strictly forbade her from going out to play in the snow, her brother would always secretly make a snow rabbit and put it on her windowsill at night to cheer her up.

So, my brother actually came over last night too...

Feeling a warmth in her heart, Zhan Xinjia went back into the room and looked around. She hadn't looked carefully when she got up because she was too sleepy, but now she noticed that there were several conspicuous red envelopes next to her pillow.

Qiaoqiao gave it to her; inside was her meager salary, and a small sachet containing a lucky charm.

The rougher one must belong to Wangcai. He was a poor soldier who had traveled a long way to this harsh land and didn't have much savings. He stuffed a large handful of copper coins into the bag.

As for the one decorated with gold leaf, it was obviously left by Miss Cui. When Zhan Xinjia opened the remaining one, he was shocked to find that it contained neither silver notes nor copper coins, but a bank account statement.

"A hundred million... less than thirty thousand taels?!"

Upon receiving the letter, Jia's pupils dilated in shock. She clutched the paper in disbelief, her hands trembling.

Good heavens, those imperial relatives are really generous! It seems selling Yan Shi Lao Fang really made him money.

Actually, with Yan Huishi and Yan Xiyue by her side since she was little, theoretically Zhan Xinjia couldn't have been that poor. But back then, she was a proud and arrogant brat with a strong sense of self-respect, preferring to eat dry biscuits rather than accept other people's sympathy and help. Now, she doesn't care anymore.

Hehe, being likable is a skill in itself!

Happily putting away his secret stash of money, Zhan Xinjia dressed and hummed a little tune as he limped out.