Rest assured, sir

Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing didn't return from their trip to Shanghai until just before the end of the year.

February 8, 1937, the 28th day of the 12th lunar month of 1936, two days before the Lunar New Year.

As soon as Ji Yuxing entered the door, he started wailing, "It's so deserted! There's no festive atmosphere at all!"

"Have Xin Jie take some time to invite Feng Yue over for the New Year," Ji Yuxing muttered as he walked. "Having a woman at home makes the New Year much more enjoyable than having a grown man like you."

Zhang Chenglin walked behind him, watching him act as if he were the guest and didn't consider himself an outsider at all, and asked, "Didn't you celebrate the New Year in the years before we got married?"

Ji Yuxing paused in his steps, then turned around and sighed, "Even after getting married, I still can't go home for the New Year."

After a long time, when the two of them had already gone inside, Zhang Chenglin spoke again: "Don't you plan to bring Sister Xue over for the New Year? Or you and Aqiong can go back."

“Forget it,” Ji Yuxing said, warming his hands by the fire, a hint of melancholy on his face. “It’s too much trouble, and I’ll also be able to see He Zhonghua and Zheng Mingzhe here.”

Seeing his expression, Zhang Chenglin remained silent.

"Hey, I'm not kidding!" Ji Yuxing seemed to suddenly perk up and shouted at Xin Jie sitting next to him, "Are you really going to let Xin Jie pick up Feng Yue later for the New Year? It'll be more fun with more people!"

Zhang Chenglin glanced at him discreetly, and upon receiving Xin Jie's questioning look, nodded slightly.

Although Ji Yuxing didn't say it, Zhang Chenglin knew that Ji Ruqiong had returned to China this year and was currently at Ji Yuxing's home in Shandong, where she would definitely be spending the Spring Festival.

Ji Yuxing came to Zhang Chenglin's house for the New Year, and it was impossible for him to leave her alone at home. However, Zhang Chenglin's house was full of men, and Ji Ruqiong would definitely feel uncomfortable there. Therefore, having Fengyue come over was the best solution to this problem at present.

He just didn't expect that some better solutions would always appear unexpectedly.

After having lunch at Zhang Chenglin's house, Xin Jie had already picked up Feng Yue and brought her back. Before Ji Yuxing could even say a word to her, the door to Zhang Chenglin's house was pushed open from the outside again.

Ji Yuxing was startled and turned to look at Xin Jie: "You didn't lock the door when you came in?"

Xin Jie scratched his head: "...I forgot."

Ji Ruqiong walked in like an old man, with someone following behind him.

Neither Ji Yuxing nor Zhang Chenglin paid attention to who the person behind them was. Ji Yuxing immediately asked, "Coming to your brother Lin's house for a free meal again?"

After hearing his words, Ji Ruqiong rolled her eyes: "You're the one who freeloads here, how dare you criticize me?"

Ji Yuxing: "..."

“Ah Xing.”

The person behind Ji Ruqiong took two steps forward and appeared in front of everyone.

Apart from Feng Yue, who had never met Chai Feixue, and Ji Ruqiong, who already knew the situation and remained calm, everyone else, especially Ji Yuxing, was shocked.

"How did you get here?!"

Zhang Chenglin turned to look at him, his face beaming with joy, and he almost jumped up with excitement when he said those words.

Chai Feixue smiled and said, "Mom and Dad were worried that it wouldn't be lively for you and Aqiong to celebrate the New Year here, and they were also worried that Aqiong wouldn't be used to it since she just came back, so they asked me to come and spend the New Year with you."

Upon hearing Chai Feixue's words, Fengyue understood. It seemed that this was the Chai Feixue that Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing occasionally mentioned, the child bride and current wife of Ji Yuxing.

“We’ve already agreed to spend the New Year at Zhang Chenglin’s house. It’s just in time that you’re here; it’ll be more lively with everyone together,” Ji Yuxing explained to Chai Feixue with a slightly silly smile.

“When did I agree to this with you?” Zhang Chenglin stood to the side, bluntly pouring cold water on his enthusiasm.

“You…” Ji Yuxing turned to look at him, angry but not daring to speak: “I don’t care, I’m going to stay at your house for the New Year this year.”

Zhang Chenglin: "..." I don't know who he learned this from, he's so shameless.

When Ji Yuxing turned to look at Zhang Chenglin, he happened to see Feng Yue. After obtaining Zhang Chenglin's consent with his eyes, he introduced her to Chai Feixue: "This is Feng Yue, a friend of mine and Alin's. She will also be spending the New Year at Alin's house this year."

Upon hearing this, Chai Feixue greeted her with a smile, saying, "Hello."

Chai Feixue smiled so brightly that even the most romantic moods seemed to be affected by her. She smiled and said, "Hello."

After watching them greet each other, Ji Ruqiong, who had been silent all along, finally spoke up: "Your house is so quiet, there's no festive atmosphere at all. Fengyue, my sister-in-law, and I will go out and buy you some New Year's goods."

As Ji Ruqiong pulled Feng Yue and Chai Feixue out, she turned back and shouted to Zhang Chenglin, "Remember to reimburse us when you get back!"

Zhang Chenglin had no choice but to nod and say, "Okay."

"Just spoil her then." Ji Yuxing was very disdainful of Zhang Chenglin's accommodating attitude.

“Damn it,” Zhang Chenglin turned to look at him, frowning as he spoke, “Do you think I’d dare say no?”

After Zhang Chenglin finished speaking, he walked into the main room first, saying as he went, "Remember to reimburse them when they come back. Don't spoil her."

Ji Yuxing: "..."

Three women make a drama. They went out for an afternoon and it seemed like they bought a whole market. Zhang Chenglin's big yard was piled high with the things they bought.

Ji Yuxing and Zhang Chenglin stood side by side at the entrance of the main room, looking at the three women in the courtyard outside who were busy but enjoying themselves. They both saw helplessness in each other's eyes.

Ji Ruqiong, Feng Yue, and Chai Feixue returned from shopping and began putting everything back in its proper place. At the same time, they unceremoniously dragged Zhang Chenglin and Ji Yuxing out to put up Spring Festival couplets.

The group worked until after 10 p.m. before finally finishing.

Ji Yuxing and Ji Ruqiong sat on the sofa in the main room of Zhang Chenglin's house, too tired to move a single finger.

Chai Feixue and Feng Yue still had plenty of energy and were making dinner in the kitchen.

Yes, I was so excited about setting things up this afternoon that I forgot about dinner.

Watching Feng Yue bustling around in the kitchen with practiced ease, Chai Feixue couldn't help but ask, "Do you often cook for A-Lin here?"

"Hmm?" Feng Yue was stirring the eggs in his hand when he turned to look at her.

“You seem quite familiar with this place. You know exactly where everything is in the kitchen,” Chai Feixue said with a smile, her eyes filled with an envy that Feng Yue couldn’t understand. “So I guess you often cook for Alin here.”

"No." Fengyue whisked the eggs, chopped some scallions and put them in the bowl before saying, "He caught a cold a while ago, and I took care of him here for a few days. I don't trust food prepared by others for someone like him, so I cooked for him myself."

"That's wonderful." Chai Feixue exclaimed sincerely, as if she had suddenly opened a floodgate of words: "Ji Yuxing and I used to be like this."

Fengyue paused for a moment after hearing her words, unsure how to respond.

"Later, he went abroad to study, and after returning to China, he went to Shanghai with Alin. Soon after, he came to Shandong. I had fewer and fewer opportunities to see him," Chai Feixue said, her tone inevitably tinged with frustration.

Then he laughed and said, "But I can understand. They are all people who are going to do great things, and he certainly can't be by my side every moment."

“Yes,” Feng Yue’s smile faded slightly as she softly repeated Chai Feixue’s words, “They are all people destined for great things.”

As Chai Feixue listened, she turned her head and met Feng Yue's gaze again, and the two of them smiled.

Zhang Chenglin, draped in a fur coat, stood at the entrance of the main room, watching Feng Yue and Chai Feixue busy under the lamplight in the kitchen across the corridor, remaining motionless for a long time.

"Hey, Brother Lin, what are you doing standing here?" Ji Ruqiong came out of the main room. She was on her way to help in the kitchen, but when she saw Zhang Chenglin standing at the door of the main room, she stopped in her tracks.

Zhang Chenglin glanced at her, then looked back at the kitchen without answering Ji Ruqiong's question.

Ji Ruqiong followed his gaze, and after a long while spoke again: "Everyone is together, how heartwarming..."

Zhang Chenglin knew the unspoken meaning in her words, but he couldn't give her an answer—not because he couldn't, but because he couldn't give it to himself.

"Then you can continue admiring the moon," Ji Ruqiong said, turning her back to him. "I'm going to help with the cooking."

Zhang Chenglin stared at her back for a few seconds before looking up at the dark night sky. It was a cloudy day; there was no moon.

Dinner wasn't lavish, but it was just right, showcasing the Zhang family's hospitality, at least ensuring that Chai Feixue didn't feel neglected.

"It's so delicious!" Ji Ruqiong exclaimed between bites, "I never knew you were such a good cook, Fengyue!"

Fengyue smiled and looked up at her, then explained, "The dish you ate was made by your sister-in-law."

"Oh, I see." Ji Ruqiong seemed to suddenly realize, and praised, "Sister-in-law, your cooking skills have improved again!"

Feng Yue looked at the subtle expressions on her face and said helplessly, "Can't you just praise your sister-in-law directly? Why do you have to drag me into this?"

Ji Ruqiong has been eating Chai Feixue's cooking since she was a child. How could she not recognize that it was Chai Feixue's cooking? Fengyue would never believe it.

"No, no, no," Ji Ruqiong picked up another piece of food made by Fengyue with her chopsticks, "Fengyue, your cooking is delicious too! How could I just want to praise my sister-in-law!"

Feng Yue looked at the little expression on her face, smiled helplessly, and didn't respond to her words.

"You talk too much." Ji Yuxing had been starving all night, and he devoured his food first. Only after putting down his chopsticks did he speak: "Are you trying to tell a stand-up comedy routine here?"

"Hmph." Ji Ruqiong wrinkled her nose at him, looking like she couldn't be bothered to pay him any attention.

After having dinner at Zhang Chenglin's house, Ji Yuxing still took Chai Feixue and Ji Ruqiong home.

Fengyue was cleaning up the table after the meal.

"Just leave it there for now. I'll have Xin Jie find someone to clean it up." Zhang Chenglin looked at her and said, "It's Chinese New Year these days, and there will probably be a lot of people coming to the house. Doing all this is too tiring."

"It's nothing, tidying up the table is just a piece of cake." Feng Yue still had a smile on her face, but her hands didn't stop moving: "Everyone is staying home for the New Year now, who would come out looking for work?"

"I can handle it, sir, don't worry."

Zhang Chenglin wanted to say something, but seeing Feng Yue's determined expression, he swallowed his words.