When I got home, steam was rising from the kitchen.

"Where did you two go? Wash your hands, we're going to eat soon."

Wen Yiquan puffed on his cigarette, took a deep drag, and threw the butt into the trash can. He noticed the bag of snacks in the two people's hands and found it amusing. "Why did you buy so many snacks? Don't we have some at home?"

Wen Mo put down the bag and rested for a while without saying anything. Then he reached into the bag, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, thought for a moment, and handed it to him.

"You're buying me cigarettes now? So you're starting to show me some respect?"

Wen Yiquan chuckled as he took the pack of cigarettes. Upon closer inspection, he realized it had been opened and was empty, just a bare box. He looked up, displeased, and said, "Wait, why are you giving me this if there's not a single cigarette in it?"

Wen Mo glanced at him and shrugged. "There was smoke before."

"What about the cigarettes?"

"I've finished distributing them. I just handed out a lot of cigarettes to a group of uncles at the convenience store."

I originally wanted to bring a pack for my dad too, but then I thought, if one person smokes a whole pack of cigarettes, wouldn't his lungs turn into bacon?

It just so happens that the older men from earlier can also share some of the cost, and they can also give me a good talking point, so why not?

"You should stop smoking. Just eat properly during the New Year. If you smoke every day, your lungs will develop problems in a couple of days."

Wen Mo spoke "auspicious words" without any restraint, subtly pointing out Wen Yiquan's health problems.

My liver is already severely damaged from drinking alcohol; if I damage my lungs as well, then I won't have any good parts left in my body.

"You little brat," Wen Yiquan cursed under his breath.

"Don't use foul language during the Chinese New Year."

"..."

Wen Yiquan stopped talking and went into the kitchen to help out.

"This old man can't even argue with me. Who would believe it if word got out?"

Wen Mo smiled and turned to Xia Lian, shrugging.

Xia Lian has always remained a neutral being, and she has never supported either side in the disputes between the Wen family father and son.

But for personal reasons, I actually lean slightly towards Wenmo's side, and I'm a little bit biased.

My uncle is a very good person, and he's been so kind to me. If I upset him, I'll feel quite unhappy too.

Xia Lian didn't speak. She first moved closer, then grabbed Wen Mo's arm and shook it from side to side, raising her eyes slightly to cast a cautious glance.

"Don't bully your uncle."

"I don't think I bullied him..." Wen Mo scratched his head, stopped talking about what had just happened, put the snacks he bought away, and then plopped down on his grandparents' bed and bounced up.

The home's decor isn't particularly luxurious, but it's a complete transformation compared to before.

My grandparents told me that their old house was made of mud bricks, which was ugly and dilapidated. Later, my grandfather got really into it and spent a lot of money to renovate the whole house.

Ever since Winmer could remember, his hometown seemed to have always looked like this.

After Wen Yiquan's business succeeded, he thought about whether he should build another house in his hometown, but his grandparents refused, saying that they were used to living in this house and might not be used to living in a different place.

"This photo looks familiar."

Wenmo pinched his chin and carefully examined the old-fashioned photo wall hanging on the wall of his grandparents' bedroom.

It's called a photo wall, but it's really just hanging a lot of photos in the same area and putting them in a huge frame.

In the bottom right corner of the photo, a young and beautiful woman is smiling and hugging a handsome man next to her. The man seems a little shy and doesn't dare to look at the camera, timidly turning his face away.

Wenmer took the photo down and examined it carefully in his palm.

Xia Lian seemed to have discovered something, and nudged his shoulder, whispering, "The photo, the back..."

What happened next?

Wen Mo was taken aback, then turned the photo over and saw a date written on the back, which, if he wasn't mistaken, should be the date the photo was taken.

If you do the math, my mom was only in her early twenties at that time.

"Holy crap, so I was already in this photo when it was taken?" Wen Mo asked in surprise.

In the photo, Su Juan's belly is not showing; on the contrary, she is very slim and smiling at the camera. The two are also very intimate.

This must have been a few days after the fact that the decision was made unilaterally.

I saw a few photos of my dad when I was a child, but he was usually covered in dust and dirt. I later learned that he was busy with his business and didn't have time to take care of himself.

It's rare to see such a clear picture of a young, handsome father.

"Is my mom still obsessed with looks?"

Wen Mo murmured, putting the photo back in the frame.

There are so many young men in the village, yet she falls for a penniless, clueless young man who doesn't have much emotional intelligence. Looking at it this way, it turns out he has good looks as an advantage.

No wonder they gave me such good looks.

So it turns out there's a genetic advantage to it.

And back then, Dad looked so incredibly naive, like a silly boy being entangled with a mischievous girl, the kind who blushes easily.

I'm so lame to be teased like an idiot by Mommy!

Just as Wen Mo was deep in thought, Xia Lian stared blankly at the large photo frame for a long time without saying a word.

What's wrong with you?

Wen Mo waved in front of her, and Xia Lian finally came to her senses.

“Photographs,” she said suddenly, pointing to the photos on the table.

"I know this is a photo. Do you want to take a photo too?"

"Taken with a mobile phone?"

Xia Lian tilted her head, seemingly a little confused.

"No, back then we didn't have such advanced mobile phones. We would take pictures with a camera beforehand and then print them out."

Wen Mo explained with a wry smile, pointing to the photos on his phone, "But we can take photos now, though if you want physical copies, you'll have to go to a specialized shop to print them out."

"Look, this is a photo of us hugging."

"This is our family... Let's not watch this for now, it's not suitable for children."

Since meeting Xia Lian, my phone has accumulated a lot of photos, but most of them are about her. Whether I'm eating out or just taking a walk, I always feel like taking pictures.

Over time, the number of photos increased to countless.

But she still likes to stare at Wenmo's profile when taking pictures, just like now.

Xia Lian stared at him for a long time, then suddenly looked up at the photo wall, her gaze shifting back and forth between the two.

Seemingly understanding her meaning, Wen Mo raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you want to hang our photos in Grandpa and Grandma's bedroom as well?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Lian cautiously raised her eyes, seemingly a little shy because her thoughts had been guessed, but after a few seconds, she nodded imperceptibly.

"think……"

"Alright, then pick the best photo we took, and we'll get it developed in town in a couple of days," Wen Mo said with a smile, handing her his phone.

Xia Lian watched for a while.

"I want this one."

"...Let's skip the kissing photos."