"Fang Chu, I'm sincere. Every word I say to you is without a trace of falsehood. I know it's a little inappropriate to be so direct with you all of a sudden. Don't worry, I'm not trying to get anything from you. I just want to tell you that I'm sincere to you."

With every extra word he said, Zhao Fangchu's cheeks turned a little redder. In the end, he was so embarrassed that he didn't know where to look. Fortunately, there was no one around, otherwise Zhao Fangchu would have been so embarrassed that he would have hidden in the house and dared not see anyone.

The hand warmer was just fine a moment ago, but now it felt a bit too hot. Zhao Fangchu wanted to stick his head in the snow and whispered, "I know, stop it."

Yang Anchen's smiling eyes never left Zhao Fangchu. He gently agreed, "Okay, okay, I won't tell you. Just you and I know it."

Sometimes Yang Anchen felt that he was not good to him. It was fine that Zhao Fangchu was young and naive and didn't care, but he and he had been in love for so long, he should have asked his parents to propose marriage and give Zhao Fangchu an explanation. However, Yang Anchen was still worried about what Zhang Lanzhen said at the time.

Yang Anjin and Zhao Fangyu's wedding is approaching, and they cannot tolerate any mistakes during this period. Yang Anchen intends to wait until the two are married before mentioning his affair with Zhao Fangchu. That way, even if there is any criticism in the future, it won't matter if he takes the blame for Zhao Fangyu.

But Zhao Fangchu is just a young man, and he has been flirting with him for so long. If someone with ulterior motives sees him and throws dirty water on him, he will be the only one to blame. He is so innocent, and if he is insulted for no reason, Yang Anchen will feel like he is not a human being just thinking about it.

Most of the villagers like to flatter the powerful and look down on the weak. His status as a scholar has given him a lot of protection. Otherwise, Zhang Lanzhen would not have said that the villagers only gossiped about him and only cursed the Zhao family.

Since the identity of a scholar is so useful, being a scholar alone is not enough. The autumn examination held every three years is approaching, and there will be a provincial examination in August after the New Year. If I can pass it then, wouldn't it be more glorious to welcome Zhao Fangchu into my family?

If anyone else said something at that time, they would hold back for his sake.

Yang Anchen’s idea was right, but this delay would require another year of waiting. He could afford the delay, but he didn’t know whether Zhao Fangchu was willing to wait for him.

Zhao Fangchu didn't know that he had thought so much. He also knew that he was old enough to get married. Since the two of them had made it clear, he was looking forward to when Yang Anchen would come to propose.

He could never hide his feelings. Seeing Zhao Fangchu's delighted face, Yang Anchen hesitated and said, "After the Lunar New Year, August will be the Autumn Examination. I want to wait until after I pass the provincial examination before telling Auntie about you and me. Are you still willing to wait for me?"

"Why?" Zhao Fangchu was a little puzzled, but then he thought, doesn't the storybook often say that scholars like to be pure-hearted and have few desires? Once they are entangled with love, their career will be bumpy and their knowledge will be poor. Could it be that Yang Anchen is also worried about this?

Thinking of this, Zhao Fangchu nodded sensibly: "It's only a year, there's nothing to wait for."

Yang Anchen didn't want Zhao Fangchu to think about those bad things. Before he could find an excuse, he saw him nod in agreement unexpectedly. He was so happy that he couldn't contain himself: "Really? You really agree?"

"Of course, since I like you too, why not wait a few more days?" Zhao Fangchu was still a little embarrassed to say such straightforward words at the moment, but even so, he quietly finished the rest of the sentence: "I have only liked you, and I am willing to wait even if it takes three or five years."

"Fang Chu..."

Yang Anchen was disturbed by these sincere words. He called out his name in a hoarse voice. He felt extremely guilty. At this moment, it was unnecessary to say anything. He said solemnly: "I will not let you down."

When Zhao Fangchu heard his name being called out from his mouth, he felt as if his heart was being gently tickled by a small hook, making it itch.

Zhao Fangchu nodded gently, his round eyes full of smiles. He raised the lantern in his hand and asked, "I want to go hang lanterns. Do you want to come with me?"

The branches of the trees were bare in winter, bent by the accumulated snow. It had snowed all day and it had stopped at some point. Yang Anchen shook off the snow on the branches, took Zhao Fangchu's lantern and hung it high up.

It is said that the higher the wish is hung, the more likely it is to be heard by God. Zhao Fangchu clasped his hands together and seriously added Yang Anchen to his wish.

The candles in Yang Donghu's house had been extinguished long ago. The two of them were very careful when hanging up the lights, for fear of waking up the people who were resting in the house.

Yang Anchen accompanied him through the midnight hour. At the beginning of the new year, the two of them made a wish together under the peach tree. They tacitly did not ask, but they could guess the meaning from the smiles they exchanged.

The next day, Yang Donghu was awakened by the sound of firecrackers before dawn. It was not a good idea to stay in bed on the first day of the new year, so he wrapped himself in thick clothes and got up early.

The dumplings made yesterday can be cooked directly in the morning. Zhao Luochuan was busy in the kitchen alone. Today was a rare sunny day. Yang Donghu hugged the hot water bottle tighter in his arms.

"Huh? Where did this lantern come from?" Yang Donghu walked carefully to the peach tree, looked at the words on it carefully, smiled knowingly, and went to the kitchen to find her busy husband.

Zhao Luochuan had gotten up earlier than him and had already seen the lantern. He replied, "It was hung up this morning. Fang Chu couldn't have written this. Someone must have written it for him."

Zhao Luochuan doused the dumplings three times in water and waited for them to float. "Why didn't I think of that yesterday? I should have made you a lantern. I'll make it up to you on the fifteenth day of the lunar month."

Yang Donghu rinsed his mouth and waited by the pot for the dumplings to cook. It was too cold outside, but the fire in the kitchen made it feel quite warm. He stood beside Zhao Luochuan and said with a smile, "Okay, I want one with both of our names on it, too."

"Okay, although I'm not very knowledgeable, writing names is no problem for me. Let's write our names together then."

The aroma of the dumplings wafted from far away. It was too cold outside, so Zhao Luochuan didn't let the old lady come out and brought the dumplings to the bedside.

After the Chinese New Year, it is time to visit relatives and friends. They don’t have many relatives at home, so they can eat slowly at home without worrying about someone suddenly coming to visit.

Zhao Fangchu came over in a hurry and begged Yang Donghu to hide the lantern with him in a somewhat embarrassed manner. He was afraid that Zhu Cuilan would see it and scold him again.

Yang Donghu agreed, but he kept asking Zhao Fangchu for a long time. He was worried that there was nothing new to relieve his boredom, so he stopped only when Zhao Fangchu's face turned red with embarrassment.

Zhao Luochuan also saw the hand warmer in his hand and thought that it was better than a hot water bottle. He asked him where he got it and wanted to buy one for Yang Donghu.

Zhao Fangchu smiled awkwardly and said nothing.