Chaochao had just finished eating and was comfortably resting in her little chair when she heard her father's words. Her eyes widened immediately, and she quickly took out a small handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her nose back and forth many times before asking uncertainly, "Is it clean, Dad?"

His serious expression suggested he was undertaking a major task.

Xie Yan smiled and nodded, saying, "It's clean now, very clean." But he was still very curious: how did Chaochao end up eating it on her nose?

Yu Yue was well aware of Xie Yan's little scheme. She smiled, picked up Chaochao's bowl, and handed it to Xie Yan.

Xie Yan only glanced at it before instantly understanding why he had ended up eating the tip of the nose.

Chaochao licked her little bowl clean; it was so clean you could use it as a mirror.

Xie Yan was a little puzzled. She had never mistreated the child, so how did he learn to lick the bowl?

He thought Chaochao hadn't eaten enough, so he asked with concern, "Chaochao! Are you full? Do you want Daddy to make you some more noodles?"

Chaochao swallowed subconsciously, a hint of hesitation flashing in her little eyes, but she still shook her head firmly, patted her round little belly, and said, "I'm full."

The baby's belly was round and plump, like a little ball. Xie Yan found it really hard to lie and say that the child hadn't eaten enough.

Yu Yuehui was also full of curiosity. Neither she nor Xie Yan usually had the habit of licking their bowls clean. Where did this little girl learn that habit from?

Chaochao tilted her head back and said innocently, "Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle, and Aunt all licked the bowls clean!"

"Moreover, even though Chaochao's belly was full, his mouth was still very hungry, so he licked the bowl clean."

"What's wrong, Mom? Is this not okay?" she asked, looking at Yu Yuehui with her big, watery eyes and a bewildered expression.

Xie Yan was speechless for a moment. In fact, if you think about it carefully, in Xiliu Village, or even in the current social environment, licking the bowl is indeed a very normal thing.

But he had a vague worry in his heart. If Chaochao developed this habit, she would inevitably be ridiculed by others when they returned to the city.

He wanted to tell Chaochao directly that this wasn't a good idea, but when he met his daughter's bright, expectant eyes, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue and stammered, "Well...it's okay too!"

Chaochao kept her eyes glued to Xie Yan, her little face full of anticipation, waiting for her father's praise.

In her little world, she felt that she had not only solved her cravings but also hadn't wasted a single grain of food, making her a super well-behaved and excellent child.

However, at this moment, Xie Yan was still unable to keep up with his daughter's train of thought and had no idea what Chaochao was thinking.

Seeing that she was staring at him, he subconsciously turned his head and looked at his wife with pleading eyes.

Yu Yuehui was focused on devouring the remaining food. She skillfully rolled up the last bit of roast duck and side dishes and stuffed them into her mouth. Inadvertently, she caught Xie Yan's pleading look.

She turned to look at Chaochao and praised her somewhat perfunctorily, "Wow! Our Chaochao is so amazing! She ate the bowl so clean. She's the most amazing little baby ever."

Upon hearing this, Chaochao recognized the praise she had been waiting for. Her lips instantly curled into a smile, and she nodded proudly, thinking to herself, "That's right! I am the most amazing little baby."

Xie Yan watched this scene, "..."

He secretly gave his wife a thumbs-up.

The amount of cloth brought back from this thank-you banquet was astonishing, totaling more than fifty bolts.

After having Yu Yue carefully select some fabrics that she liked and those that she planned to give to relatives and friends, Xie Yan sold the rest on the black market.

With this transaction, Xie Yan made a small profit, which just covered his expenses in Beijing. Combined with the money Yu Yuehui had worked hard to earn during this time, their combined savings reached 1,700 yuan.

Xie Yan carefully placed the savings into a small box in his spatial storage, thinking to himself, "If I save a little more, maybe I can buy another small courtyard near the school when I go to Beijing next year."

If his wife gets into university, they can live near the school.

Thinking about it this way, Xie Yan's motivation to save money increased again.

This year, thanks to an abundance of fabric, everyone was able to wear new clothes during the Lunar New Year.

Especially for Chaochao, Yu Yuehui specially made her a set of red cotton clothes with rabbit ears, and asked the skillful Zhang Shiyu to embroider a soaring phoenix on it.

The phoenix embroidered on it is so lifelike, it seems as if it is about to spread its wings and fly away at any moment. The whole outfit is really beautiful.

On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, before dawn, Chaochao couldn't wait to get up early, quickly put on her beautiful new clothes, and skipped out to show them off like a happy little bird.

Yesterday, a heavy snow fell, and the whole world was covered in silver, with thick snow piled up on both sides of the road.

Wearing that bright red dress, Chaochao walked in the middle of the road like a lively little red dumpling. The surrounding white snow made her look as beautiful as a little princess who had stepped out of a fairy tale.

On the way, Chaochao happened to meet Maodan, who was also overjoyed and ready to show off his new clothes to his younger sister.

Today, Maodan was also wearing a red cotton-padded jacket, similar in style to Chaochao's, but his hat was made in the shape of a little tiger, making him look adorable.

The brother and sister's eyes lit up as soon as they met.

They first chatted back and forth, praising each other's clothes without reservation, and then, hand in hand, they walked happily toward someone else's house.

Most of the village children had never seen such brightly colored and exquisitely made clothes. Children have their own sense of aesthetics, and when they saw Chaochao and Maodan's new clothes, they were all extremely envious, their eyes filled with longing.

Some children who are pampered at home, upon seeing the new clothes, immediately began to dislike their own and started clamoring to have the same clothes as Chaochao and Maodan.

Of course, he wouldn't get away with it without getting a beating.

The fat woman's grandson, however, had a different mindset. At home, he was pampered like a little emperor, and every year during the New Year, he would wear new clothes and proudly show them off to other people's homes.

This year was no exception. When he heard the sound of many people talking coming from Da Niu's house not far away, he walked in with his head held high, like a proud little rooster, eagerly anticipating the envious glances from everyone and receiving countless praises.

When he entered the house, he found everyone gathered around Mao Dan, praising him highly, and no one paid any attention to him.

He immediately turned red with anger, a nameless rage welling up inside him.

He glared angrily and charged forward, determined to show these "uncultured" people his clothes.

But as he approached and saw Mao Dan's eye-catching clothes, and then glanced at Chao Chao's even more beautiful and eye-catching clothes next to Mao Dan, the flames of jealousy burned fiercely in his heart.