Chapter 158 Holding Your Hand and Growing Old Together

The dishes were almost out of the pot and on the table, and Zhang Wan was right next to them. Xu Xian could no longer find a suitable opportunity to fight back against him, so he could only wait for the opportunity to strike.

They did not do a perfunctory job in preparing the New Year's Eve dinner for the three of them. The rectangular dining table was filled with delicious food and the aroma was everywhere.

Several people raised their glasses together to bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. They chatted about family matters at the table and had a great time.

Zhang Wan saw that Xu Xian needed Jiang Shibai's help to cool down his soup before he was willing to drink it. The couple behaved very intimately. It was not the first time she saw this, so she knew that she was spoiled by him.

Seeing the helpless smile in his eyes, he felt relieved.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, they sat in the living room and continued chatting while the Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV.

Not long after, it was Zhang Wan's usual sleeping time and she couldn't resist the sleepiness.

Maybe it’s because I’m in a good mood, the pain in my body has eased a bit today and I feel more sleepy.

Her body couldn't hold out until twelve o'clock, so she stayed with them downstairs to celebrate the New Year.

Zhang Wan handed the red envelopes of lucky money to the two of them, and opened her slightly pale lips. "I hope you two will be healthy, happy, live in harmony, and grow old together."

"Thank you, Mom." Xu Xian held the thick red envelope in his hand, his beautiful eyes and eyebrows showing tenderness, and he couldn't stop smiling.

Her mood was different from when she was a child. She was not happy about the amount of the red envelope, but that her mother gave her a red envelope this year.

Three years ago, her family fell into poverty. Every New Year, she would take her mother to the rental house to celebrate the New Year. Even though it was just the two of them, they were very happy.

She has received red envelopes every year since she was born.

For her, this is not just a New Year's red envelope, but more like an emotional sustenance.

Then she glanced at the red envelope in Jiang Shibai's palm, which was obviously twice as thick as what was visible to the naked eye in her hand.

"Mom, you are partial to your son-in-law." Xu Xian pouted pretending to be unhappy and glanced at his red envelope.

The clear eyes showed obvious intention as they stared at his red envelope.

Jiang Shibai raised his eyebrows when he saw this. His deep voice was very pleasant. He raised the red envelope and said, "It's mine, not yours, my dear."

He couldn't hand over the red envelope directly in front of his mother-in-law, but that didn't stop him from saying this. After all, they were husband and wife, and their property belonged to each other.

"How can they be the same?" Xu Xian pouted, acting like a child, and asked Zhang Wan for an explanation.

The red envelope I make for my daughter is not as good as the one I make for my son-in-law.

Is she still her precious daughter?

Zhang Wan glared at her and was about to hit her, but she dodged it easily.

"Mom, it's fine if you don't give me a big red envelope, but why do you hit me?" Xu Xian covered his chest with lingering fear, his heartbroken expression looking pitiful.

Zhang Wan said in a stern tone, "Being hit is not a big deal. Why are you so angry?"

"I've given you red envelopes for over twenty years... so naturally I have to give Shi Bai a big one. And you can't take his red envelopes, understand?"

The warning voice had no deterrent effect, but Xu Xian didn't dare to go against her wishes. In fact, she didn't mind the amount of the red envelope, it was just to make her happy.

"Okay, okay, please go upstairs and rest. I'll push you." Xu Xian handed the red envelope to Jiang Shibai and pushed the wheelchair.

Jiang Shibai did not stop her from showing off and followed them silently. The mother and daughter had their own way of getting along with each other.

After deciding to bring Zhang Wan home for the New Year, Jiang Shibai arranged for someone to place equipment such as a ventilator and an electronic monitor in the room, connecting them to the hospital's mobile phone and their own mobile phones.

Once there is an abnormal fluctuation in the data, they can receive the message in time.

The room was in perfect order. Jiang Shibai and Xu Xian put the instrument on Zhang Wan according to the doctor's instructions. The ticking sound was like a testimony to the existence of life.

Seeing that she closed her eyes and prepared to go to sleep, the two of them did not stay in the room and went back downstairs. The mess in the kitchen was not cleaned up.

Jiang Shibai washed and cut a plate of fruit and put it on the coffee table. The Spring Festival Gala continued to play on TV. Knowing that Xu Xian didn't like watching it, he handed her a tablet.

"You play by yourself first, I'll go clean up the kitchen."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xian immediately put down his tablet, uncrossed his legs from the sofa, slipped his clean white feet into the slippers on the carpet, and pretended to stand up, "I'm going too."

It's impossible for him to be the one who cooks and cleans the kitchen at the same time.

"There's no reason to let Mrs. Jiang clean up the mess." Jiang Shibai touched her head as usual, and the smile on the corner of his lips was hard to hide.

"But..." Xu Xian wanted to fight for it unwillingly.

Before she could finish her words, he interrupted her with, "No buts, besides, it's just cleaning the dishes and wiping the table, it doesn't take much effort."

As he spoke, he forked a cherry and handed it to Xu Xian. After she took the fork in a daze, he kissed her smooth forehead and pushed her back to the sofa with an attitude that did not allow for rejection.

It was not until the man's broad back disappeared from his sight that Xu Xian came back to his senses and put the red cherries with water droplets on them into his mouth in a daze.

The sweet and sour juice splashed in her mouth, and she opened her tablet to find a variety show.

After eating the cherries, she picked up a peeled orange with the white lines on it cleaned off.

The next second, her whole face wrinkled, and she tore off a piece of tissue without saying a word, spat out the yellow orange segments, and threw them into the trash can.

The orange was quite sour, which made her shudder and the sour feeling rushed to her head.

Staring at the neatly arranged oranges in the fruit plate, Xu Xian had a bad idea. He picked up a piece of orange and rushed into the kitchen.

The man moved quickly and had already put the dishes into the dishwasher. He was washing the rag with the hands that had signed billions of contracts. Under the light, the countertop was so clean that it reflected light.

Xu Xian didn't deliberately make her footsteps light, her footsteps were rather light, brisk and cheerful.

Jiang Shibai's ears caught the sound of slippers tapping. The warm water from the faucet fell, wetting the rag in his hand. He wrung out the water stains on the rag and asked without turning his head, "Have you finished eating the fruit?"

"I'm not a pig." Xu Xian put his hands behind his back, carefully pinching the top of the fork. The corners of his lips twitched, and a trace of silence flashed across his face.

Neither of them could finish the plate of fruit.

Jiang Shibai smiled without saying anything. Of course he knew that she couldn't finish the fruit, he was just teasing her.

After folding the rags neatly, he squeezed out the hand soap. The smooth liquid produced fine foam when rubbed with his fingertips. He turned around slowly, his tall figure lazily leaning against the edge of the dining table.

"Since you didn't come to the kitchen to find food, then you came to keep me company." His nonsensical tone sounded frivolous, and it was obvious that he was teasing her.

He used an affirmative tone, not a question.

Xu Xian didn't follow his words and fall into his trap. He glanced around the kitchen seriously and said in a serious voice, "Mrs. Jiang is inspecting Mr. Jiang's work."

She did not state her purpose directly.

"Then Mrs. Jiang, take a look around. Are you satisfied?" Jiang Shibai smiled when he heard that. His cold eyebrows became very gentle and he looked at her with affectionate eyes.

Then he turned his back, washed the foam off his hands, and wiped them clean with a tissue.

Xu Xian suppressed a smile, his lively eyes slightly curved, "Mm, clean and tidy, no odor, Mr. Jiang is indeed a good man who manages the household."

"So I'll give you an orange slice as a reward."

As she finished speaking, she brought the orange behind her to his mouth.

The bright yellow orange segments were very tempting. A metal fork pierced the flesh, and a drop of orange juice flowed out. Jiang Shibai raised an eyebrow, and the smile in his dark eyes deepened. "I'm just offering flowers to Buddha, and this is how Mrs. Jiang will get rid of me?"

He deliberately dragged out the last word, with a half-smile on his face.

Xu Xian twirled her fork. She hadn't peeled the orange, so she could only come up with an excuse. "I delivered this to you personally, so how can it not be considered a reward?"

Sounds like a foolproof reason.

Seeing that his expression remained unchanged and he was staring at her unmoved, Xu Xian glanced at the orange petals, released a smoke bomb, and said in a low voice, "Since someone doesn't appreciate it, then I'll eat it myself."

As she finished speaking, she made a gesture to withdraw her hand.

The next second, Jiang Shibai's cold hands easily grasped the slender wrist bone, and his rough fingertips twisted the delicate and smooth skin. The rough touch caused ripples in her heart.

The man's fingers were very long, with beautiful and symmetrical joints. Faint blue veins spread across the back of his hands, which were quite sexually charged, like carefully sculpted works of art.

He held her hand in an unyielding gesture, the orange slices suspended in the air. He lowered his head, took a bite of the fork, and rolled it into his mouth with the tip of his tongue.

Seeing that his conspiracy had succeeded, Xu Xian pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Is it sweet?"

After the man bit off the orange segment, he chewed it roughly a few times, his face remained calm and there was no sign of any emotion. Even after he swallowed it, he did not show the embarrassed reaction she wanted to see.

I wanted to take revenge on him with sour oranges, but when I saw his frustrated expression, I didn't expect him to be completely unmoved.

Facing her suspicious gaze, Jiang Shibai reached out and ripped the fork from her palm, then casually threw it into the sink beside him, saying in an unclear tone, "The fruit isn't sweet."

"But you're sweet."

Men are used to being patient. Xu Xian didn't see the scene he expected, and his answer was perfect, with no fault to find, so he wasn't particularly disappointed.

Since she couldn't avenge what happened in the kitchen before dinner, she put it aside for now. Silver Bell's voice was very pleasant, "Okay, you're sweet."

As she spoke, she tried to pull her wrist back with some strength, but her hand was not freed and she was also trapped.

The man easily embraced the soft body in his arms and turned it. Her lower back touched the edge of the table without any warning. His big, bony hands rested on both sides of her body and slapped the table.

The distinct finger bones are a cool white that matches the pure white countertop.

As the distance between them shortened, her upper body unconsciously leaned back, but in return the man pressed closer and closer. She took a step back, and he took a step forward, until there was no room for retreat.

After doing it so many times, she was not flustered at all. Xu Xian's body straightened slightly as he leaned back, and her lips almost touched the sexy Adam's apple. The fragrant breath floated, and the man's Adam's apple rolled up and down.

She raised her eyes slightly, and the pair of black phoenix eyes unexpectedly fell into her sight, the surging fluctuations in the eyes were frightening.

After a while, Jiang Shibai hugged the slender waist and said in a hoarse voice: "Since I'm sweet-mouthed, would you like to have a taste?"

"Varied--"

The rest of Xu Xian's words were stuck in her throat. The man was familiar with every part of her body and skillfully held her delicate and tempting red lips.

His hands were also very dishonest, touching her all over, making her lose the strength to resist in an instant. The iron wall built up by her tiny resistance instantly collapsed into slag, allowing him to take whatever he wanted.

The faint sobs and sweet words echoed in the kitchen, swallowing up the silence of the night.

Since keeping her head down was affecting his performance, he simply picked up the weak woman with one hand and sat her on the table, spreading her slender, straight legs. She was like a broken doll, being manipulated and controlled, and being asked to do whatever he wanted.

There were more than just the two of them in the villa, so no one dared to act recklessly in the kitchen. The spark of an accidental discharge was ultimately overcome by the man's strong rationality, and the corners of his eyes were bloodshot.

Ever since he fell ill, their intimate behavior has been suspended. If they set a precedent now, there's no way they'll stop at night.

Since she didn't get to see the New Year's Eve fireworks, she must not miss the fireworks tonight again.

Jiang Shibai held the woman in his arms, washed her hands carefully, and sat down on the sofa with her, who had a face full of lust and moist eyes.

They restarted the paused variety show, and laughter came from the tablet, but not a single sound reached the ears of either of them.

Jiang Shibai took out the ring from his trouser pocket and placed it in his trembling palm.

"Please put the ring on me."

The woman's hands were slender and graceful, her porcelain-white skin brighter than white snowflakes, and the tiny white diamond on the ring's band sparkled in the light.

Xu Xian sat on the man's hot thighs. It took him a long time to recover and he glared at him in a reproachful manner.

In the end, she didn't scold him. She pinched the ring with her slightly red fingertips and put it into the man's slender knuckles.

After putting the ring on his finger, she reached for her cell phone with trembling hands.

Many large and small groups on WeChat were sending blessings and red envelopes. Xu Xian joined in the fun in the small group run by his secretary, and then sent out a red envelope with a normal amount of a few hundred yuan, just for fun.

The whole group exploded again. After grabbing the red envelopes, they first exchanged New Year greetings, and then started discussing who had the best luck and who had the worst luck.

Xu Xian didn't stay in the group for long. After replying to a few blessings from friends she often contacted, she went to their private group.

Compared to the red envelopes of a few hundred yuan in other group chats, everyone in this small group was generous. Bai Han alone gave out tens of thousands of yuan, not to mention the amounts given by other people.

There are more than 100,000 of them, big and small.

Before she could take a closer look, Du Yuanzhou threw out another one, with a total amount of 10,000 yuan.

Xu Xian quickly grabbed one, the amount was one dollar and twenty cents. Hearing the sound of the money being credited to his account, he felt happy and his lips subconsciously opened into a grin.

She doesn't care about the amount at all, it doesn't matter how much or how little, she grabs the red envelopes for fun.

Jiang Shibai held her in his arms, watching her actions clearly. Seeing this, he teased her, "Is one dollar and twenty cents worth making you laugh so happily?"

He even suspected that he had not taken good care of her and had spent a lot of money on her. How could she smile like this for just one dollar and twenty cents?

She smiled even happier than when he gave her the bank card.

"You don't understand. It has nothing to do with the amount. Grabbing red envelopes is just for fun." Xu Xian answered without even looking up.

Du Yuanzhou had a set number of people to receive the red envelope, and Jiang Shibai was the only one left. Seeing this, she immediately picked up his phone on the coffee table, unlocked it with her fingerprint, and grabbed the red envelope for him.

His cell phone had better luck than hers, totaling 3,512, taking the lead.

The group immediately exploded.

Li Nanyan: [You two really have one with the best luck and one with the worst luck.]

Jiang Shixin: [Xianxian, you don't even have a fraction of Shibai's. (laughing and crying.jpg)]

Bai Han: [It seems like if either of them grabs it, Yuan Zhou will be the one who suffers! (Thinking Seriously.jpg)]

Xu Jing: [That makes sense. After all, our assets are all counted together. Yuan Zhou is only one person, so he's weak.]

Li Nanyan: [No, I'm alone too.]

She promised Du Yuanzhou to ignore Bai Han for a week, and she resolutely carried it out.

Du Yuanzhou: [Sister-in-law, you are so considerate. They all bully me. @麗南烟]

Li Nanyan: [Don't bother with any ties to me, I'm Miss Li now.]

Bai Han: [……]

Xu Xian: [Is there a possibility that I also snatched his red envelope? (showing off and putting things in pockets.jpg)]

Jiang Shixin: [I almost forgot about this. Every year, Shi Bai never participates in the red envelope grabbing entertainment activities.]

After seeing this message, Xu Xian glanced at him secretly.

He caught the look in her eyes that she thought was subtle. Jiang Shibai asked, confused, "What look?"

"I'm not looking at you, I'm just curious why you don't grab the red envelope." Xu Xian lowered his head and sent a red envelope of 20,000 yuan in the group, and happily joined in the fun to grab it.

The amount is several hundred times more than one dollar and two cents.

Jiang Shibai picked up the phone with the lit screen and personally grabbed the red envelope for the first time. His luck was average, and the red envelope was worth one thousand yuan.

Then he also sent out a red envelope, which was very cleverly set to 32,000 yuan.

After Du Yuanzhou grabbed the red envelope, he immediately sent a message.

[You young couple are quite scheming, 520! ]

Li Nanyan: [Ouch! Stop being jealous! I'm not jealous either! My baby and I didn't even post a 520 post, and he got there first.]

The next second, Bai Han threw out a red envelope of 52,000 yuan.

Jiang Shixin: [Isn’t it here? @麗南烟]

Seeing this, Li Nanyan, unwilling to be outdone, also threw out 52,000, as if to compete with Bai Han.

Jiang Shibai turned his phone upside down and said indifferently, "You can make more money grabbing red envelopes, but the economic and time cost is not worth it."

The implication is that he looks down on these trivial things.

Xu Xian was about to click on his red envelope, but when he heard the words, the corner of his mouth twitched slightly. His hand paused for only a second before continuing to grab the red envelope.

She didn't know if it was God's blessing on her, but this time she finally became the luckiest player, with a total of thirteen thousand and fifty.

No one would complain about having too much money. The arc of her originally grinning red lips became even wider, almost reaching the back of her head.

She immediately flattered him without hesitation, "That's right, you're a big boss, you have a lot of things to do every day."

He nodded hurriedly, afraid that if he was a second late, the more than 10,000 yuan in WeChat would disappear.

He almost forgot that Jiang Shibai's time is charged by the second. Now sitting in the living room with her watching variety shows and playing with his phone, according to his previous personality, is a complete waste of time and life.

Jiang Shibai knew that her compliments were not sincere, so he lifted her chin and said in a low voice like the melodious cello in a concert hall, "Are you scolding me in your heart?"

"How could that be! You are as bright as the sun and the moon, and I admire you so much, how could I scold you?" Xu Xian put down his phone and flattered him while holding back his laughter.

Jiang Shibai didn't pursue the topic further after hearing this. Xu Xian thought he had smoothed his mind and didn't care anymore.

In the following time, the two of them snuggled on the sofa and chatted from time to time. Most of the time, Xu Xian was watching variety shows and ignored the inappropriate behavior of the man under her.

He would occasionally kiss her ears which were so red that they looked like they were bleeding, and sometimes he would hold her hands and play with them, and before long he would be kissing her lips again.

Xu Xian couldn't focus on the variety show at all, so she simply suggested going out to set off fireworks to prevent him from making a move.

Fireworks are prohibited in Hai City on weekdays, and New Year's Day is no exception. However, when they set off small fireworks one or two meters high in their own yards, no one can stop them.

She had long seen the box of fireworks of various kinds that Jiang Shibai had specially bought from other places at the entrance, and she had been thinking about it and felt itchy.

Jiang Shibai had no objection. After all, the fireworks were prepared for her, and there was no difference between setting them off now and at exactly 12 o'clock.

He moved all the fireworks to the open space in the yard and took out a lighter.

There are many varieties of fireworks, most of which are spray-flower types, so you can enjoy the beautiful fireworks show without having to do it yourself.

He placed a semicircular fireworks on the ground, asked Xu Xian to stay away from it, then squatted down and lit the fuse.

The tall figure straightened up, and just as he took a step away, beautiful fireworks seemed to be filled with stars, rising into the sky and spreading in all directions, more than two meters high, blooming gorgeously, like a peacock spreading its tail.

As bright as the stars in the night sky, gold and silver intertwined to form a semicircular ring of fire. The crackling sound was not noisy, and sparks fell all over the ground like pearls.

The light of the fireworks spread into Xu Xian's bright eyes. She stood not far away, looking at the scene in front of her. There were both colorful fireworks and his gentle personality.

The man seemed to have telepathy. He turned around and met her affectionate gaze. His dark eyes were dotted with a smile that was more dazzling than the fireworks behind him.

"Are the fireworks beautiful?" Jiang Shibai stood in place, his thin lips slightly parted.

Xu Xian's fox eyes curved slightly, and his smile deepened. He glanced at the fireworks, then glanced at him again, "Beautiful, but not even one ten-thousandth as good as Mr. Jiang."

She said this sincerely.

The dreamlike fireworks in front of me are indeed not as good as Jiang Shibai's smile.

The man's tall figure was hidden in the darkness, and the bright light flickered, occasionally shining on his cold face. His thin lips curved into an arc, like the melting ice and snow on the top of a snowy mountain.

"How can a man be described as handsome?" Jiang Shibai laughed silently, with no disguising the indulgence and pampering in his eyes.

"If I say yes, then it's okay." When Xu Xian couldn't find a reason to refute, he always liked to resort to cheating.

As she spoke, she pulled out two fairy wands more than one meter long, bent them into the shape of half a heart, found the right lighting angle, and handed one of them to Jiang Shibai.

"Hum! Hold it, I'll take a picture."

Jiang Shibai took the fairy wand without knowing why, arranged it into shape according to Xu Xian's instructions, and then lit the fairy wand.

Xu Xian pointed the camera towards the ground and took a picture of their shadows.

In the photo, the lights in the yard illuminate the ground very brightly. In the middle, two intimate figures are close together, one on the left and one on the right, each holding a fairy wand above their heads, forming a complete heart, and the hands holding the fairy wands are also clasped together.

The tip of the fairy wand was burning and sparks of fire were flying.

The man has a slender figure and the woman is tall, and just their dark shadows make them look a perfect match.

Jiang Shibai held two unburned fairy wands, glanced at the photos on his phone, and a light flashed in his warm eyes.

“Send me a photo.”

Xu Xian didn't think much about it and sent it to him directly.

Not long after, she saw this photo in her circle of friends. It was from his WeChat and was also one of his circle of friends. In addition to this picture, there was also a text.

"Holding your hand and growing old together, may our love last forever."