"Are you burning money?" Shen Mingzhi asked him.

Originally, since he had nothing to do after the college entrance examination, I specifically asked him to buy some raw materials so that he would have something to do and save money to spend abroad.

He's quite something... he bought a whole bag of dresses.

“There are many garment factories in Yangcheng, and these skirts aren’t expensive.” Wang Xinian said, his head down, his tone unease.

"Do you think I need more dresses?" Shen Mingzhi tossed the dress into the snakeskin bag, her tone tinged with helplessness. "Xinian, why did you buy me so many dresses?"

Wang Xinian's heart clenched as he was asked the question, and he unconsciously tightened his grip on the novel.

"Sister-in-law Wang, and your stepfather, have you bought your parents' things?" Shen Mingzhi walked up to him and continued to ask.

Her tone was gentle, yet it carried a heavy weight, making it almost impossible for Wang Xinian to breathe.

He was afraid that Shen Mingzhi would find out about his deepest secret, and then they wouldn't even be able to be siblings anymore.

She must feel disgusted with herself.

She was helping him go to school, but he harbored filthy thoughts towards her.

What if she hates me and avoids me like the plague?

Wang Xinian's throat tightened, and his whole body tensed up.

“I don’t mean to blame you for spending money recklessly, but Xinian… what’s wrong with you? Do I have to remind you all the time? I’ve always thought that you’re very ambitious and sensible for wanting to study until you’re twenty-one, but now I have a feeling that I might have made a mistake,” Shen Mingzhi said softly.

Wang Xinian tapped the book cover with his fingers, remaining silent.

“I can understand if you buy one or two, but buying so many, I think it’s quite strange,” Shen Mingzhi continued.

"I don't know what kind of things you like. I just bought whatever looked good to me." Wang Xinian's voice was so soft that it seemed only he could hear it.

Shen Mingzhi sighed softly, "It's my fault that you can't study at a university in China. It was Shao Chen and I who offended the Song family, forcing you to leave for a foreign land. I feel very guilty... I feel even more guilty if you don't go. It's been so long, and you still don't want to go. I really don't know what to do with you."

Wang Xinian looked up at Shen Mingzhi.

Shen Mingzhi patted his head. "Xinian, there are many benefits to studying. You may not know it now, but you will in the future when you graduate and live a good life. There are only a few days left in the new year, so think about it carefully."

After she finished speaking, she walked to the snakeskin bag, looked at it for a while, and then took the snakeskin bag out.

Jiang Shaochen was waiting for her outside.

Seeing her come out carrying the clothes, he immediately went up to her and asked, "Do you like them?"

"What do you like?" Shen Mingzhi retorted irritably.

She is very worried about Wang Xinian's current situation.

His mind isn't on studying at all... Buying so many dresses is truly appalling.

Most importantly, he probably hasn't spent much money growing up and doesn't know how to plan how to spend it.

Shen Mingzhi understood that he might have bought so much in an attempt to please her.

Carrying a bag of dresses back to her room, she sat down and sighed heavily. "He still doesn't want to go abroad... I really don't know what to do."

"Don't you find it strange that he bought you so many dresses?" Jiang Shaozhen said calmly.

Shen Mingzhi knew, of course, but Wang Xinian's frightened appearance at the time made her lose the desire to ask any further questions.

She did start to regret helping him...

He's young, but he genuinely treats her like an older sister.

But Wang Xinian was too old... he was already at the age where he would understand love and affection.

It's too late to say all this now, and... they're the ones who dragged him down, otherwise he really wouldn't have needed to go abroad.

“It seems you’ve thought it through. I think you should find some time to talk to him and make things clear,” Jiang Shaozhen said.

Shen Mingzhi pursed her lips and said after a while, "Let's do it after the New Year. It'll be New Year's Eve soon, and it'll make him feel awkward."

Of course, she wouldn't accept the dress that Wang Xinian bought for her.

Jiang Yinyin returned half an hour later.

Shen Mingzhi was playing with Niannian in the yard, while Jiang Shaozhen was holding Zhouzhou's hand and teaching him to walk.

Jiang Yinyin walked in carrying a small leather bag, wearing a puff-style jacket and black cotton pants.

"You're back," Jiang Shaozhen said, his tone indifferent.

Jiang Yinyin had suffered for half a year, and she thought her second brother would be very happy to see her return.

As soon as her parents picked her up, they warned her to watch her words when she got home, and not to upset her second brother and Shen Mingzhi.

She understood... Now that her second brother had Shen Mingzhi, he no longer wanted her as his sister!

"I'll go back to the villa after I finish eating, you don't need to worry about me!" Jiang Yinyin said with a hint of grievance, then slung her bag over her shoulder and walked into the main room.

When Shen Mingzhi saw Jiang Shaozhen looking at her, she shrugged, looking indifferent.

As long as she's happy during the New Year, who cares about Jiang Yinyin's feelings?

Jiang Guofu was a little embarrassed. "Her temper hasn't changed at all."

"Zhizhi, it's the New Year, you, as her sister-in-law, should give in to her," Jiang Qing said apologetically to Shen Mingzhi.

“Okay.” Shen Mingzhi readily accepted.

The closer it gets to Lunar New Year's Eve, the more bustling Beijing becomes.

There are firecrackers going off every morning and evening.

On New Year's Eve, Shen Mingzhi got up early and saw Jiang Shaozhen bring out a bowl of steaming hot porridge from the kitchen.

Jiang Guofu stood in front of a table in the courtyard, holding a calligraphy brush in his hand, while red couplets without any writing were spread on the table.

Wang Xinian, who was standing to the side, quickly looked away when he saw Shen Mingzhi, his gaze darting around.

Shen Mingzhi ignored him and walked towards Jiang Guofu's side. "Dad, are you writing couplets?"

“He writes the couplets for our family every year,” Jiang Shaochen said with a smile. “Could you help me carry the bowl? I’ll put up the ‘Fu’ character on the door first.”

“Okay.” Shen Mingzhi immediately took the bowl of batter he handed her.

The batter was cooked until very thick; glutinous rice flour was added to increase its stickiness.

Jiang Guofu wrote many "Fu" characters.

Shen Mingzhi held a bowl of batter in one hand and a stack of "Fu" characters on her other arm.

When Niannian and Zhouzhou heard the firecrackers outside, they waved their hands and giggled.

Shen Mingzhi and Jiang Shaozhen spent the whole morning putting up the character "福" (fortune/blessing) in all the places in the house that should have it.

"Dad, are your couplets ready yet? The porridge is almost done." Jiang Shaozhen returned to Jiang Guofu's side with the bowl and asked him.

Jiang Guofu showed him the table, asking, "How's the writing?"

Shen Mingzhi stood next to Jiang Shaochen, watched for a while, then looked at Wang Xinian, who was lurking around suspiciously, and asked, "You've been looking for so long, but haven't written anything?"

Wang Xinian, who was called to a stop, immediately said, "I don't know... I'm not very good at Chinese."

Shen Mingzhi scoffed, picked up the couplets, and said to Jiang Shaozhen, "Hurry up and put them up."

Jiang Shaochen helped her put up the couplets.

Shen Mingzhi stood in the alley of the courtyard house. Many people in the alley were putting up couplets and cleaning their doorways.

She watched for a while, then went inside to get a broom.

"I scanned it." Jiang Shaozhen stood on the chair, unable to suppress a smile.