Chapter 57 "Who will tie whom up is still uncertain."...

As dusk fell, snow fell softly from the eaves. The frost was heavy, and the snowflakes hanging on the branches looked like silk made of white clouds. All around was quiet, except for the sound of the servant sweeping the snow.

A drop of ice water splashed into Qian Yingyi's hair, trickling down the back of her neck, making her giggle softly. She then buried her face under Qin Lizheng's cloak, saying, "Tell me quickly, are you nervous?"

She was so adorable when she acted coquettishly that Qin Lizheng couldn't help but smile. He fulfilled the expectation that had been floating on her earlier, leaned down, brushed his nose against her cheek, and lightly touched her lips before letting his lips fall unsteadily. "Yes, I'm so nervous. I'm so nervous I'm almost dying of joy."

Qian Yingyi felt an itch as he rubbed against her, and her lips unconsciously followed his. The fire hidden under her thick eyelashes made her face flush red. When she saw him backing away, she suddenly bit his lips.

Suddenly feeling a tightening around her waist, Qian Yingyi was pulled in front of him by that strong and powerful hand. His other hand cupped her cheek and gently rubbed it back and forth, and a bit of ice on the silver ring made her tremble slightly.

Qin Lizheng's eyes held a measured hint of mockery. He feigned a cold laugh, his voice growing even deeper, "You've got some nerve, daring to bite me?"

The first time she expressed her feelings, she bit his lip. Qian Yingyi can still recall that kiss, which had a hint of rust and made her dizzy.

She had just opened her mouth, about to tease him a bit.

Before she could speak, Qin Lizheng lowered his head and pressed his lips heavily against hers. This kiss was more intense than any before.

When Qian Yingyi was out of breath, the pressure on his lips eased again, and he gently kissed her lips.

He even maliciously asked, "Did you count how many kisses I gave you? Was it an even number or an odd number?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't asked, but once she did, things escalated. Qian Yingyi felt an itch in her heart, like insects were crawling inside her, and her whole body became extremely uncomfortable. She lightly stepped on his boots with her phoenix-head shoes, "Oh dear, you're so cunning. How would I remember?"

Those bright, clear eyes looked up directly at Qin Lizheng, as if inviting him to lower his head again. This time, she would definitely remember it.

Qin Lizheng intertwined his fingers with hers, looked down at her, and saw that her slightly pouting lips were still wet with moisture. He couldn't help but cup her face and rub it against hers, then lightly pecked her cheek twice. "I'll remember for you, even number, you should go back now."

Qian Yingyi was startled, her face flushed red as she looked up at him. Qin Lizheng laughed even more unrestrainedly, pointing to the corner, "You think your snow-sweeping servant can't hear us talking over there?"

"...You actually know when to avoid suspicion?" Qian Yingyi stared at him in disbelief, then rolled her eyes at him. "When we had no relationship before, you didn't know how to avoid suspicion, but now that we're getting married, you're... Hey, hey, what are you doing?!"

Her body suddenly felt light as a feather, and he swept his arms around her legs, making a move to walk around the corner. "Who said we had no relationship before? When have I ever had no relationship with you?"

Qian Yingyi thought he was utterly unreasonable and ridiculous. She clenched her fist and punched him, but her lips curled up in a smile. "It's related, it's related. You fell in love with me at first sight, couldn't bear to part with me at second sight, and were completely smitten at third sight, so I feel the same way about you. Is that enough? Hurry up and put me down! You sauerkraut spirit!"

A sudden gust of wind blew snow, and the resident at the other end of the corner abruptly opened their door, startling Qian Yingyi. She hurriedly patted Qin Lizheng, who calmly put her down. She immediately pushed him away, said nothing more, a smile playing on her lips, and left, clutching her skirt. This gave Qin Lizheng the illusion that if spring came, her smile would surely outshine all the blooming flowers in the garden.

This smile came just as the year was drawing to a close. Qian Lanting led his second wife and her family back to the capital. They first went to the palace to pay their respects to the Emperor, and then stayed at the Qian residence for a short while.

It was midday, and wet snowflakes were falling heavily. Inside the house, a stove was burning warm charcoal.

Qian Lanting, who was sensitive to the cold, held a hand warmer in his arms. He lifted the curtain to look at the young people playing in the snow outside. After a while, he lowered the heavy curtain again, turned around and smiled. "Young people are still the best. Come to think of it, the last time I saw snow was on the day Xing'er got married."

Min Qin nestled close to Xu Jun; the two were very close. Upon hearing this, they smiled and Min Qin chimed in, "Then Father has arrived just in time. The Imperial Observatory said that the snow will fall until the end of February, making it a rare heavy snowfall in recent years."

Speaking of February, Qian Lanting disagreed, pointing at Qian Jinnian with her finger and saying, "Why set the date so hastily?"

Qian Jinnian pursed his lips and glanced outside. "I was thinking of keeping her until spring or summer before she got married. But would she agree to that? Father, you didn't see it. The day she came back, she caught me talking to Yu Hou about her marriage. She climbed on top of him right there outside. If I were to say that I should postpone it, it's not impossible that she would climb on top of me and beat me up."

Thinking of Qian Yingyi's appearance, Qian Lanting couldn't help but chuckle, "Mischievous and clever." He then asked, "Is the dowry all prepared?"

These words made Xu Jun laugh out loud, “Oh dear, Father, if you can’t bear to part with Yingyi, just say so. Why ask this and that in such roundabout ways? How could my elder brother and sister-in-law not have prepared a dowry for Yingyi?”

Qian Lanting scolded her, "You're such a clever little devil!"

The elders in the room burst into laughter instantly, and the rest of their words were nothing more than—

“I still have some shops in the capital. When Xing’er got married, I gave her half of them. Jin Nian, you take care of this and give the other half to Ying Yi.”

"Dad, don't you want to save some money for your retirement?"

"Oh my, what are you saying? You're a dignified third-rank prefect now, and you'll be climbing the ranks in the future. Can't you afford to support your father?"

Before long, the sound of Min Qin and Xu Jun laughing loudly came from inside the room, seeping through the curtain and being blown into Qian Yingyi's ears by the wind.

She was making a snowball, listened intently, and laughed, "What are Grandpa and the others saying? They're laughing so happily." Then, taking advantage of Qian Linye's momentary lapse in attention, she suddenly threw a snowball at his face.

"Qian Yingyi!" Qian Linye was so angry that he wanted to curse. He had repeatedly fallen for his sister's tricks and was unwilling to accept it. He rolled up a snowball and was about to throw it.

Upon seeing his sister's face, he felt reluctant to part with her, and with a flick of his wrist, he threw the object at Qian Qiyu, who was chuckling.

"..." Qian Qiyu retorted angrily, "Cousin, you cheated!"

Qian Yuxing, who was leaning against the tree and laughing, saw that her two cousins ​​were having a good time fighting. She quickly called Qian Yingyi to her side, touched Qian Yingyi's begonia earring, and immediately changed to a sneaky expression. She asked in a low voice, "Hey, I'm asking you, did Mother give you anything?"

Qian Yingyi asked suspiciously, "What?"

Qian Yuxing quietly glanced around, then pulled a small booklet, no bigger than the palm of her hand, from her sleeve. "This is what my mother gave me when I got married. She didn't give it to you?"

Qian Yingyi took it without a second thought, casually peering at it in the sunlight, saying, "Let me see what this thing is..."

Before she could finish speaking, she slammed the booklet shut, her eyes wide with a mixture of surprise and astonishment as she glared at Qian Yuxing, her ears gradually turning red. "It's still early! Why are you giving me this at this hour!"

Qian Yuxing covered her mouth with her handkerchief and laughed. When she caught sight of Qian Linye walking over, she hurriedly pushed Qian Yingyi, saying, "Brother's here, hurry up and put it away."

Startled, Qian Yingyi hurriedly stuffed the snow into her bosom. Her hands had just grasped the snow when it became icy cold. She scrambled into her outer robe and pressed it against her inner garment, her body trembling slightly from the cold.

Qian Linye walked up behind his sisters and called out, "Stop playing. Tuan'er should be asleep by now. I'll go call your sister-in-law out. Let's build a bonfire in the garden and have roast chicken for dinner, how about that?"

As night fell and the snow stopped, several young people sat around in the garden, the firelight reflecting on their faces, making them look especially carefree.

Chuntang and Xiao Daimao returned from outside at this time.

The young couple traveled to the capital by land with Qian Lanting. Neither of them had ever been to the capital before, and they were very curious about everything there. In the past few days, they had been going out to play together.

Now that Chuntang is a young lady, no one in the entire household treats her like a maid. They all greet her with smiles and respectful bows, making Chuntang feel quite embarrassed.

As soon as the two sat down around the fire, Xia Ling grinned and moved closer to Chun Tang, snuggling against her affectionately. Then she turned to the little tortoiseshell and asked, "How is it? I wasn't joking with you, was I? Isn't the capital much more luxurious than Jinling?"

Little Tortoiseshell warmed his hands over the fire, a slightly pleased smile on his face. "That's impressive. I've never seen anything like it before. Next time, I'll bring my parents and mother-in-law along for a visit."

Once his hands were warm from the fire, he took out a bag of roasted chestnuts from his pocket, peeled the chestnuts, heated them over the fire, and then fed them to Chuntang.

Xia Ling feigned disgust, disliking the young couple's affectionate display. She subtly tugged at Qian Yingyi's sleeve and whispered in her ear, "Miss, I was so happy to come back that I forgot to tell you. When Boss Chen found out you were back in the capital, he felt his financial lifeline had been cut off, and he was so anxious that he paced back and forth at Yinbaoge. Then, for some reason, he came to me again and asked me to bring you the congratulatory gift. He also asked me to pass on a message: when his Yinbaoge opens in the capital, he hopes you will be lenient with him."

Qian Yingyi smiled secretly and replied softly, "He also wants to come to the capital to do business with me, which suits me just as well."

The two whispered for a while before Qian Linye yelled at them to come back to their senses, "Hey, you two are all huddled together talking, are we even going to eat this roast chicken? No daydreaming!"

The garden was covered in snow, and the red embers crackled and popped in the snow. Several young people burst into laughter, all the heaviness and bitterness gone, replaced by pure joy.

As the Imperial Astronomical Bureau had predicted, this snowfall was indeed a rare sight in recent years. On New Year's Eve, the whole family sat around the table in a lively atmosphere, with plum blossoms gently lying on the snow. The house was filled with the frequent toasts from the two brothers, Qian Jinnian and Qian Younian.

"Bang--"

A few days earlier, Qian Linye had invited a craftsman who made firecrackers and fireworks to his home. Fireworks burst in the sky, and the air was filled with the smoke of firecrackers, which attracted everyone in the house to lift the curtain and come out to watch. Tuanjie was also excitedly babbling in Ren Yuqing's arms.

Ever since Qian Lanting was transferred back to Jinling, the whole family has only been able to reunite completely now. The two Qian brothers hugged each other and laughed and sighed. As the fireworks gradually stopped, the sound of urging each other to drink began again.

Min Qin and Xu Jun circled around Tuan Jie'er, their faces beaming with joy. While teasing Tuan Jie'er, Min Qin glanced at Yu Cheng out of the corner of her eye, smiled meaningfully, and gently poked Tuan Jie'er's fist while softly saying, "Tuan Jie'er, Tuan Jie'er, aren't the fireworks beautiful? Isn't it a bit lonely for a little girl to watch them?"

Qian Yuxing understood her meaning, her ears turned red, and she secretly nudged Yu Cheng with her elbow, whispering, "Mother is calling on us."

Yu Cheng chuckled, taking advantage of everyone's attention on Sister Tuan, he tightened his grip on her waist, and breathed warmly into her ear, "Sister Tuan is lonely. I went to Jiangnan and was quite lonely too. Will you keep me company more often?"

Embarrassed, Qian Yuxing's cheeks flushed red. She glared at him reproachfully, then turned and grabbed her skirt, heading into the house.

The colorful sparks from the fireworks fell onto the snow, like a thick layer of petals. Perhaps because her wedding was approaching, everything seemed festive to Qian Yingyi.

She looked up at the sky, her eyes seemingly still holding twinkling stars. She paused, smiled, and then suddenly twirled her skirt and ran outside.

No sooner had she stepped off the stone steps at the entrance than she caught sight of a figure standing quietly in the snow. Qian Yingyi was secretly delighted and couldn't suppress the laughter in her voice, "How long have you been standing here?"

Qin Lizheng wore a dark black cloak over a dark black right-fastening robe, with a net scarf tied around his forehead and a silver crown. He had clear, bright eyes and a handsome appearance.

He held a rabbit lantern in his hand, and when he saw her come out, his quiet eyes immediately filled with smiles. "I guessed you would go out, so I didn't have to wait long. Shall we go for a walk?"

Qian Yingyi pulled her skirt closer to him, secretly observing his slightly damp hair. Disbelieving his lie that he'd only waited a moment, she scoffed and strode out of the alley. "Let's take a walk," she said. "It's noisy at home. My second uncle and dad are making too much noise drinking. Hmm... let me think... you came from home, didn't you? Speaking of which, I haven't seen your Songsong since we returned to the capital. Is it still with Chu Zhiyan? Let's go see it!"

Qin Lizheng was slightly surprised. He took her hand and hid it under his cloak, but only paused for a moment before smiling and nodding slightly. "Okay, I'll take you there."

After turning out of the alley, Qin Lizheng shone the rabbit lantern on her skirt to light her way. He inadvertently recalled the past and suddenly let out two chuckles from his chest.

Qian Yingyi was bewildered by his laughter. "What are you laughing at?"

Qin Lizheng shook the rabbit lantern, raised an eyebrow at her, and changed the subject, "Didn't you hate the Embroidered Uniform Guard? You said they kicked your rabbit lantern?"

He pursed his lower lip and smiled, "I just remembered how I struggled with whether or not to reveal my identity to you back then. On one hand, I was afraid that you would dislike me because of my identity as a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and on the other hand, I wrote in my handbook that I would never kick your rabbit lantern. I just find it funny now."

Qian Yingyi grinned, glancing at him sideways, her chin held high, "Do you dare kick me?"

Qin Lizheng knew she was in a very good mood, so he pretended to be thinking for a moment, but couldn't help teasing her, "I wouldn't dare kick the rabbit lantern, I don't have the strength."

Sensing the teasing undertone in his words, Qian Yingyi stared at him for a moment, then suddenly grabbed a handful of snow and stuffed it into his collar. "Oh, so you're making fun of me again for not sleeping soundly and kicking you every time, aren't you? You've got some nerve!"

Qin Lizheng smiled and didn't dodge, but grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, saying, "You can get a chill too."

Qian Yingyi chuckled, grabbed her skirt to dodge him, and ran forward, her joy overflowing from her limbs. She waved to Qin Lizheng from a distance, "Hey, hurry up! I can run faster than you!"

After traveling for half an hour, the two arrived at Chu Zhiyan's house. As if sensing something, before the gatekeeper had even opened the door, a whimpering sound came from the crack in the door.

As soon as the door opened, Qian Yingyi saw a red and white figure dart to Qin Lizheng's calves, then circle around his cloak, barking incessantly. It was Songsong, with snow-white fur all over his body, wearing a dark red jacket.

Qian Yingyi chuckled awkwardly and took two steps back. "Ha...haha, it's so lively."

Chu Zhiyan hurriedly followed, smiling as she gave Songsong a couple of kisses. When she couldn't get any more kisses, she simply looked at Qian Yingyi, stretched out her arm to show her what she was holding, and said, "We just happened to run into each other. I was on my way to your house. These are all for Tuanjie."

Qin Lizheng picked up Songsong, gently scratched its chin with his fingertips, and said in a deep voice, "You missed me too, didn't you? I'll take you to meet someone."

He then gently grasped Songsong's head, making it look at Qian Yingyi, and gave Qian Yingyi a reassuring smile, gesturing for her to come closer. But what he was saying was to Songsong, "Go and smell her scent. You'll definitely like it. But you have to remember it well."

Songsong looked up at Qian Yingyi, slowly circled around under her skirt, and the next moment, it barked softly at her, used its paws to dig in the snow, dug a small hole, and lay down in the hole with its belly up.

Qian Yingyi was taken aback and asked in a low voice, "What does this mean?"

Chu Zhiyan laughed, "Perhaps it's because you have a commanding presence on you that it's drawn to you, recognizing you as its master, and inviting you to touch its belly."

"Can I really touch it?" Qian Yingyi rubbed her hands together inwardly. Although she asked the question, she had already squatted down, her skirt fluttering, and with a hint of fear, she carefully placed her palm on her soft belly.

A moment later, seeing Songsong excitedly wriggle her body, she also gradually opened her eyes wide and exclaimed with a hint of surprise, "So soft!"

Before she could react, Songsong had already rolled over and stood up, sticking out his wet tongue to lick her fingertips, which startled Qian Yingyi so much that she fell onto the snow.

Qin Lizheng hurriedly went to help her, but saw her wave her hand, laugh out loud with trembling shoulders, completely unaware of fear, as if the person whose expression had just changed was not her.

"Come to think of it, I don't seem to be so afraid of dogs anymore," she laughed, stamping her foot to shake off the snow and washing her hands with the snow water. "It's just that they're so enthusiastic, I'm still a little overwhelmed. I'll take it slow, take it slow."

Qin Lizheng nodded slightly, handed Songsong to Chu Zhiyan, and together they picked up a handful of snow to clean their hands. After exchanging a few words with Chu Zhiyan, he picked up the rabbit lantern again. Once the warmth returned to his palms, he took Qian Yingyi's hand and said to Chu Zhiyan, "Go to the Qian family. When you see Mrs. Qian, tell her that Yingyi is with me and that she shouldn't worry."

The two walked hand in hand, passing through the bustling night market and circling around to Jishuitan. Suddenly, a crowd surged and excitedly shouted, "Let's go to Dalongshan Temple! The view from there is great, perfect for watching fireworks while staying up late on New Year's Eve!"

Therefore, Qian Yingyi withdrew her perked-up ears, smiled, and draped herself over Qin Lizheng's arm, saying, "Azheng, let's go too."

"good."

Amidst the crackling of firecrackers and the sounds of laughter and chatter, Qian Yingyi, panting heavily, leaned against the doorframe as she climbed to the top of the pagoda at Dalongshan Temple. She cleared her throat and gasped, "There were so many people! Did you see? I almost got pushed off!"

Qin Lizheng remained calm and composed in front of her. Perhaps it was because he had been with her for a long time, but the sharpness in his eyes had gradually faded, replaced by a sense of peace and gentleness. He looked up at her with a smile and commented, "I'll take you to the Embroidered Uniform Guard camp later, so you can get some exercise."

Qian Yingyi rolled her eyes at him, "I'm talking to you!" It turned out she was annoyed that he hadn't answered her earlier question.

Qin Lizheng habitually brushed aside her stray hairs and tucked them behind her ears, feigning a fierce expression, "Who dares to bump into you? I'll go beat him up right now."

“Oh, don’t pretend,” Qian Yingyi said, her eyes sparkling. She took a deep breath of the cold wind, straightened up with a grin, and pulled him toward the edge of the tower. She pointed to a few lights in the distance. “There, there are lights over there. They look like my house.”

Before long, his gaze swept over another spot, and he excitedly patted Qin Lizheng's arm, "Look, look! That's where I saw you fighting with someone, look, do you remember?"

The two had been traveling for two or three hours. Qin Lizheng turned his head to look at her profile, about to speak, when suddenly a cheer erupted from below, "Happy New Year! May everything go well at the beginning of the New Year!"

The next instant, countless colorful lights shot upwards and burst open not far from the top of the tower.

The streets shimmered with a silvery sheen, firecracker debris littered the ground, every household displayed New Year pictures, and the air was filled with the sounds of family reunions. The exploding fireworks reflected the smiling faces of everyone, as well as their hopes for the coming year, creating a dazzling display of joy.

The snow, which had stopped for half the night, began to fall sparsely again, while children played and chased each other, shouting, "Don't hide! You're not allowed to hide!"

"Ah Zheng, look, isn't that it?"

Qin Lizheng suddenly snapped back to reality, gazing at her every smile and frown once more. He quietly reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal-clear jade bracelet, gently taking her hand and bending down to slip it onto her wrist. "Yes, it's there, the place where our paths first crossed."

"Qian Yingyi," he said, his arms firmly around her waist, his breath close to hers, his calm voice filled with joy, "once you wear my bracelet, you'll have to stay by my side for the rest of your life."

The children below were still laughing and shouting, "Don't run! Don't run!"

His voice floated in Qian Yingyi's ear, "Our marriage was destined long ago. That year, I was only concerned with fighting with someone and didn't pay attention to you. So, this time I will keep you firmly by my side. You can't escape."

Taking advantage of the fact that no one had come up to the top of the tower yet, Qian Yingyi jumped onto him with a grin, her jade bracelet on her wrist pressed tightly against the back of his neck. She relaxed her forehead, gave him a heavy kiss on the cheek, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "Who tied whom up is still uncertain."

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Author's Note: [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]