On this auspicious day, Shen Zhiheng didn't want everyone to dwell too much on the unhappy past; he simply wanted to remind them not to forget.

He quickly continued, "I hope that no matter what happens in the future, we can all be as united as we are today, facing external threats together and protecting those who need protection. Alright, let's have a drink and welcome our new beginning!"

Everyone raised their glasses together, and smiles returned to their faces.

The Lunar New Year is meaningful to everyone, especially after experiencing a life-threatening ordeal, having family by your side makes it all the more precious.

Shen Xingmian was worried that Xiao Yanyue might feel uncomfortable in this atmosphere, so she quietly tugged at his arm and pulled him closer to her.

Her poor little thing absolutely cannot be truly pitiful.

When her grandfather announced that dinner was served, she immediately put a piece of candied sweet potato on Xiao Yanyue's plate, as she knew his food preferences quite well.

I know that he doesn't talk much on the surface and looks cool with a serious face, but he secretly loves sweets.

She noticed it the first time she gave him grapes.

In this time of family reunion, she selfishly didn't want him to think too much about his family, or to dwell too much on painful memories amidst the laughter of others.

Some people will definitely be remembered, but she still hopes that he could have a few more happy moments.

Xiao Yanyue looked at the candied sweet potato in the bowl. The temperature in the room was still low, so there was no need to dip it in cold water. The sugary coating on the outside of the sweet potato had already become crispy.

He picked it up, took a small bite, and savored the sweet taste, feeling a sweetness spread through his heart.

He understood the intention behind Mianmian's every move, knowing that she didn't want him to suffer because of the past, and that she knew he hadn't fully integrated into the Shen family yet, fearing that this family reunion atmosphere would only make him feel more lonely.

But she didn't know that with her by his side, those pains could no longer hurt him.

As he grows older, it will be harder for other things to hurt him.

The atmosphere at the dinner table was great, because Shen Xingmian's superpower could help metabolize alcohol, so they were allowed to drink freely and without worry.

If anything happens, she can wake people up quickly.

With such assurances, everyone relaxed and drank baijiu and wine in turn, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

As a "little kid," she didn't touch a drop of alcohol, but instead brought out a big watermelon and cut half of it into a large plate.

While others chatted, she quietly ate her melon seeds.

She loves eating iced watermelon the most. When it's very hot in the summer, taking a bite of it is simply the ultimate enjoyment.

But right now, it's still great, just I don't dare eat too much, afraid it'll be too cold and upset my stomach. But now that she has superpowers, she's not afraid of getting a stomachache anymore.

The adults were talking about their family history. At this time, the person who was absent was the most miserable, because everyone would unanimously talk about the silly things they did when they were young.

Yes, this unlucky fellow is my second uncle.

Shen Yunlan was a very unruly child, even more disobedient than Shen Yunting. It is said that she was often beaten by her grandmother when she was young.

Among the spoiled young masters in the capital, he was the most playful. He was often scolded by his teachers at school and often beaten by his grandmother at home. He was good at admitting his mistakes, but also very difficult to change.

Based on their previous brief encounter, Shen Xingmian hadn't noticed any signs of this change; her second uncle was completely different from the man she knew in her youth.

Perhaps it's the path he chose that's allowing him to grow so quickly.

His chosen path was indeed very different from others, even leaving many noble young masters in the capital speechless and making him the subject of much ridicule.

They say he didn't want to be the proper second young master of the general's mansion, but instead chose to debase himself into the life of a merchant, even marrying a merchant's daughter and becoming tainted with the stench of money. It's utterly shameful.

Shen Xingmian admired her second uncle for this.

She felt that the integrity of ancient literati was admirable, but that an overly pedantic integrity was unnecessary.

He looks down on this and despises that, but in the end, he achieves nothing and is utterly useless.

Her second uncle made great sacrifices for the family; without his help, the North would not have survived until now.

Speaking of her second uncle, she would naturally also mention her sickly little brother whom she had never met.

She had been thinking about the child a lot, but she figured that with her own special potion, he should have recovered by now.

They'll be able to communicate and meet again once the roads are open next spring.

Shen Xingmian has high hopes for next spring. She still has many seeds in her space that she plans to distribute.

Whether it was distributed to farmers or given to people in the military to reclaim wasteland and cultivate the land, she was very supportive.

Food is the most important thing for people, and grain is the foundation for people to live and work in peace and contentment.

The ironware can be finished this winter; with her there, things will be much simpler.

She tried it out, and with her current level of superpowers, she could conjure an iron arrow in just a few seconds.

When working at full capacity, they can make several thousand arrows a day, which is much more efficient than a blacksmith's shop.

At this rate of efficiency, it seems that equipping all the soldiers in the entire camp with weapons and armor wouldn't take even a whole winter.

If we can maintain peace with the Northern Barbarians next spring, we can let our soldiers clear land and cultivate the surrounding area.

By then, her own pressure will be a little less.

She had no intention of taking on all the burdens of everyone's food, clothing, shelter, and transportation. After helping them through the difficulties, it would be up to them to support themselves.

While the adults were still chatting happily, Shen Xingmian, having finished her meal, started to feel sleepy. She had originally planned to help everyone sober up if anything happened, but unexpectedly, she was the first one to fall asleep.

That's really unreliable.

Seeing that she was still sleepy and her eyes were brimming with tears, Xiao Yanyue couldn't help but suggest, "Mianmian, you go to sleep first. I'll call you if I need anything. I'm not sleepy at all, and I'll definitely wake you up in time."

Shen Xingmian knew he was reliable, but she always felt like he was exploiting child labor, as if he were hiring children to work for her without pay.

Xiao Yanyue noticed her hesitation and continued to reassure her, "Don't worry, there are so many people here, nothing will go wrong."

Shen Xingmian finally listened to the advice. She suspected that it might be because her body was still small that she couldn't resist being sleepy and fell asleep very quickly.

She didn't dare go back into her spatial dimension, so she placed a small bed outside and, amidst everyone's conversation, quickly drifted off to sleep.