Chapter 11

My hand, which was sticking out from under the covers, was jolted by the cold. I quickly grabbed the clothes on the bedside table, stuffed them into the still-warm blankets, and that was really exciting.

"Hiss! The cold wave has brought another drop in temperature."

Before her hands had even warmed up, she went out again to retrieve the phone that had just turned on automatically. The first time Li Ye had ever had electronic devices, she couldn't control her playtime, which resulted in her being caught by Ms. Li for staying up late at 11 p.m. for the first time.

After that, Li Ye set timers for turning his personal tablet and phone on and off, but not for his computer, mainly because it wasn't that convenient to use a computer, greatly reducing the possibility of sitting in front of it late at night when he had nothing to do.

After thinking about a bunch of random things, I finally managed to warm my hands and clothes a bit. I huddled in the blankets and put my upper body on first, then shivering as I put on my pants. After getting all my gear ready, the residual warmth in the blankets also warmed the phone's casing, so it was just the right temperature to hold without freezing my hands.

Checking the weather forecast, the temperature had indeed dropped below zero. With the end of the year approaching, there were still a lot of things to do at home.

This year, Li Ye started learning from Ms. Li and Teacher Li what to do during the Chinese New Year. There are many things to be busy with.

At this moment, she was very fortunate that there were several walls and two gates separating them. Zhou Yuan only called her after she woke up each day, and Li Ye sent him text messages before she went to bed, but he didn't drag her out to play. Even if Li Ye really liked Zhou Yuan, she wouldn't go out with him, and she wasn't just bored.

Strangely enough, ever since Zhou Yuan successfully made that cake at the Zhou family's house, Zhou Yuan has made some cookies, egg tarts, cupcakes and other snacks. When Li Ye asked to go and get some, eight out of ten times it was Zhou's mother who opened the door.

"Xiao Ye, you've come to get some food, right? Today Yuan Yuan made cookies/egg tarts/cake..."

"Xiao Ye, come in quickly. Yuan Yuan did a great job this time. Take some more back with you."

"Xiao Ye, is there any dessert you'd like to eat? Yuan Yuan has been practicing lately and has made a lot. Feel free to take whatever you want."

This attitude hasn't changed much; Zhou's mother is still very kind in daily life, but she is prone to clashing with Ms. Li. The two middle-aged women each account for half of the reason for this.

Li Ye only felt that the scrutiny in her words had decreased a lot, and the observation in her eyes had increased during their conversations, especially when she was standing with Zhou Yuan.

Zhou Yuan is already this age, surely his mother wouldn't be so strict about him dating?

Holding her phone and comparing it to her schedule, Li Ye made a list of her plans for the day at her desk. The main tasks were spring cleaning, buying New Year's goods, and signing for the New Year's goods she had ordered online.

Year-end cleaning is a major challenge for her family. Only at this time of year can she see the original state of all the furniture under the knitted mats all at once; at other times, they are cleaned in batches.

Fortunately, we have two large washing machines and a dryer at home. We also have a small washing machine specifically for underwear. Families with frequent cleaning needs are among the most knowledgeable about washing machines.

After enjoying a warm and comforting meal of spicy soup and large meat buns at the table, the family of three divided the tasks and began discussing how to make arrangements this year, with Ms. Li and Teacher Li filling in any gaps.

"First, wash the curtains and wipe the windows. The tasks for each room are divided into two parts: mainly cleaning the remaining five walls except the floor and cleaning the light fixtures, then dusting various things, and finally sweeping the floor."

The kitchen was thoroughly cleaned yesterday after frying meatballs, and the balcony was left for last as there were many things to do.

Then we were assigned rooms. I was in charge of my bedroom and bathroom, Ms. Li was in charge of the living room and dining room, and Ms. Li was in charge of your bedrooms and study.

"Is it alright? Is there anything I missed or didn't mention?" Li Ye was a little nervous, his breathing was even more rapid than when he checked his final grades.

Ms. Li easily pointed out the part that Li Ye had overlooked: "Who's going to take care of the washing machine?"

Although washing machines run for a long time each time, there are still times when they need to be manually operated.

For example, even the largest washing machine can only hold the curtains of one room at a time. When there are many items to be washed, the order of washing and timely replacement of laundry become things that need to be managed.

"Mine, mine! Washing things and picking up packages are all mine."

It's better to leave the running around to the younger generation. Thinking of the weight of the curtains and the two middle-aged people's slender figures, Li Ye didn't plan to go to the hospital again before or after the Lunar New Year.

The curtains that had all been taken down were quickly piled up at one end of the balcony. Each room had a different style of curtains, making them easy to distinguish. The curtains in the two bedrooms were washed first, while the screens that had also been taken down were taken care of by Teacher Li, who was busy in the living room.

Next, it was time to clean the windows. Three small basins were lined up in a row. Li Ye carried the green basin back to the bedroom. Before the washing machine finished its first job, only the bedroom floor was left to be swept.

Carrying a basin of grayish-brown dirty water to the balcony, Li Ye noticed that Teacher Li cleaned the screen windows before wiping the glass. Currently, she was wiping the living room chandelier, carefully avoiding that area.

Luckily, we have plenty of basins at home. Just for drying one curtain, another curtain is piled up in the basin, so we need at least three empty basins. And that doesn't even include the pile of cushions in the living room and dining room. The four-piece bedding set has also been changed.

Having to stare at the balcony all day, Li Ye thought it was perfect. It allowed him to put aside his thoughts on the planning and arrangements, and shift his focus. For example, the arrangements for today's deep cleaning had more than just the one flaw that Ms. Li pointed out.

After Li Ye cleaned the entire bedroom and the bathroom was completely transformed, the washing machine and dryer finished their work. He then took the curtains from the master bedroom and went into the room, where the cleaning was also finished.

"Let's wash them in batches, otherwise we'll waste the whole day on this. We agreed to go shopping for New Year's goods together this afternoon."

Parents start tempting their children by inviting them out to play, secretly buying snacks together, and even bribing them with a new set of clothes.

Li Ye said the temptation was ineffective: "Didn't we already buy new clothes for the New Year?"

“It’s not like we can only buy that one new dress. We can just have my husband stay home and do these things later.”

Ms. Li, who was passing by, said, "Weren't we supposed to be buying New Year's goods in the afternoon? Why did we suddenly switch to buying clothes?" She was ruthlessly silenced by Ms. Li.

Lunch was a simple family hot pot. Afterwards, the couple drove out to buy New Year's goods, while Li Ye waited at home for the delivery to arrive.

Starting at 8 a.m. and ending at 2 p.m., looking at the three basins full of fabric in front of me, this part is considered washed. The remaining knitwear and four-piece bedding sets can be washed in batches, and then I can just keep an eye on the dryer.

Just then, Li Ye's phone rang. It was a package that had arrived, and there were quite a lot of things to pick up. He had to go downstairs to get them.

While grabbing her phone and keys, she hurriedly went downstairs with her trolley. On her way back, she ran into Zhou Yuan at the bottom of the building, who was also carrying a large pile of express delivery boxes.

"Good afternoon, did you buy so much stuff?" As usual, Li Ye greeted him first.

Zhou Yuan: "Alright. Let's celebrate the festival."

Tilting his head to look at Zhou Yuan behind the deliveryman, Li Ye asked in confusion, "Did your family also buy New Year's goods online this year?"

Zhou Yuan looked at Li Ye's cart, which was full of food, and replied, "Many gifts."

"Oh, I see." Li Ye wasn't sure what she knew, but she probably wanted to stall for time and casually started a new topic.

Has your mother's attitude towards me changed a little? I mean for the better.

As soon as the words left his mouth, Li Ye realized he hadn't thought them through. What kind of question was that? However, Zhou Yuan's attention was already drawn to the question, and he gave a noticeably puzzled look.

"?"

"Your attitude was bad before?"

This is bad; Zhou Yuan has misunderstood the situation. Li Ye can only step in to explain: "I didn't mean to say that Auntie was bad in the past, it's just..."

"Upon closer examination, there hasn't been a significant change in attitude; it's just that there's been a subtle reduction in pressure and a slight increase in curiosity, making people feel more relaxed."

"..."

This time, Zhou Yuan was truly silent. He didn't ask where this feeling started, but only that there were many factors at play recently. Could it be a positive change?

“I feel like Auntie has let go of something and seems more relaxed. It’s not just me who feels this way, but I just noticed it first.”

Li Ye affirmed this, saying, "It will be a good thing."

Taking the elevator upstairs, there were only two households on each floor. Li Ye planned to unpack the packages outside the door, but she found another forgotten spot: the area outside the front door hadn't been cleaned yet. She decided to clean it up after unpacking the packages.

How are your plans for celebrating Chinese New Year this year?

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zhou Yuan go home and put his things away, then come out and stand here watching Li Ye unpack the package. So I pulled out two small folding stools from the doorway, which looked like the ones Teacher Li used for fishing. I gave him one and I gave him one.

Zhou Yuan's large frame made him look a little cramped sitting on the small stool, but Li Ye's timely question shifted their focus.

"Same as every year." His family's festival activities have been the same for decades.

"Is it still your violin performance?" The Li family tries to come up with something new every year, and this year it's about tasting local specialties from other places.

"Hmm." Zhou Yuan seemed to remember something and discussed it with Li Ye, "Should the two families live together?"

"What kind of wonderful idea came to you? You mean about the birthday present?"

Li Ye remembered that Zhou Yuan had mentioned that he had learned to make cakes recently in order to give her a gift. Let's assume it was a birthday present for her. "I've given her gifts at midnight before, so this time I'll just do it right on time. We don't need to celebrate together."

"Is there anything you need to arrange in advance?"

Rejected, Zhou Yuan accepted this expected outcome and officially threw out the smokescreen that had been laid out long ago.

"I'll make the New Year's Eve birthday cake; it's one of the gifts."

Li Ye acknowledged receiving it, but added, "It's just one of them. There are many more gifts, aren't there?"

"More holidays mean more gifts."

Zhou Yuan's words sounded familiar to Li Ye, and he wanted to ask a few more questions, but Zhou Yuan packed up his small stool and went home, leaving Li Ye alone to sort out the local delicacies and specialties.

The local specialties were all moved indoors. Li Ye was tidying up the cardboard boxes from the express delivery, which were not allowed inside. The doorway also needed to be cleaned.

The person who was unpacking the cardboard box heard Zhou Yuan run out again, holding two heated egg tarts, and squatted down to offer them to Li Ye's mouth.

"It's cold, have something hot."

Li Ye hesitated for a moment, "My hands are dirty. I'll eat later, thank you."

“It’ll be cold, I’ll feed you.” Zhou Yuan’s attitude hardened, and you couldn’t tell that the tips of his ears, which were covered by his hair, were already bright red.

Li Ye naturally understood what was being said, so he simply followed Zhou Yuan's posture and bit into the crispy tart crust, his face flushed as if from the heat.

This is the first time the two of them have done this as adults, especially since their relationship is still unclear and will likely continue until at least next year.

The person who returned to the living room could no longer hear the sound from the television, only remembering that there was a red-faced monster outside the door who was greedy for pleasure and whose name was Li Ye.