Although they had settled in Jingjiang, they still returned to their home in Yushi for the Spring Festival as usual.
This is an immutable ironclad rule.
Because of the long distance, Mango stayed at home during the few days she went home for the Chinese New Year, and was taken care of by a nanny.
Since Pei Zhi and Jiang Cheng took on the responsibility of cooking, their family has never eaten out for New Year's Eve dinner; the two of them have always been in charge of the cooking.
Even the dumplings were made by hand, starting with kneading the dough.
Pei Zhi still couldn't shake his habit of gossiping to Jiang Cheng while cooking. Pei Xi and Pei Ruoyun were sitting on the sofa in the living room watching TV, and they could hear the two of them talking from the island TV next to them.
"This isn't how you pinch the dough; it's too big."
"Not big."
"You have too much filling in this bun. It will leak when you put it in the pot to boil."
"Won't."
"Your technique is wrong; the dumplings you're making won't look good."
"I think it's pretty good."
"You..."
The two of them argued for a long time, but then chatted intimately while making dumplings.
To be precise, it was Pei Zhi who kept talking, while Jiang Cheng occasionally offered a few words of rebuttal.
Pei Xi sighed silently. How come these two have been working together for so many years and still haven't reached an agreement?
She felt it was necessary to uphold justice.
She quickly got up, walked over, and rolled up her sleeves as she went, saying, "Let me help you."
After arguing for a while, the two looked at her and said in unison, "No need."
Pei Xi: "…………"
"………………"
"………………"
Okay, okay, what can she do when she's a kitchen disaster?
No good-for-nothing has the right to get involved.
Pei Ruoyun noticed the commotion, turned around, waved to Pei Xi, and said with a smile, "Let them wrap it up. We'll eat whatever they wrap it up. We women don't need to join in the fun."
"Mom is right, you should go and rest." Pei Zhi also waved to her.
"Let's watch TV together," Jiang Cheng said, looking at her.
Pei Xi: "...Alright then."
She walked back and focused on watching TV, deciding to ignore them altogether.
The dumplings were quickly made, steaming hot and white, looking incredibly appetizing.
Pei Xi ate most of the plate without realizing it.
After dinner, the group gathered in front of the TV, tuned it to the Spring Festival Gala, and chatted while watching.
The show happened to be showing a popular idol singer's singing and dancing performance. Pei Xi recognized the name; he seemed to have heard Zhuang Tiantian mention it before.
Zhuang Tiantian used to dance to this person's songs.
Pei Xi subconsciously glanced at it a few more times.
Pei Zhi suddenly spoke up from the side: "Who is this person?"
Pei Xi said, "It seems to be a very popular celebrity right now."
Pei Zhi pouted and shook his head: "I don't know him."
Turning her head, she saw Pei Xi's focused expression and frowned, asking, "Do you think he's handsome?"
Pei Xi pondered for two seconds and then commented objectively, "He's quite handsome."
Pei Zhi raised an eyebrow. "Am I more handsome than you?"
Pei Xi: "".
She looked Pei Zhi up and down, then shook her head and commented honestly, "It seems like there really isn't."
Upon hearing this, Pei Zhi immediately tilted his head back, his joy evident in his eyes.
Pei Xi smiled, glancing at Jiang Cheng beside her out of the corner of her eye.
He was looking down at her, not saying a word, just gazing at her quietly, his eyes dark and deep.
Pei Xi leaned closer to him, took his arm, and whispered in his right ear, "Not as handsome as you."
Jiang Cheng's eyes flickered, and he suddenly smiled.
The party was boring. Pei Xi watched for a while and found it uninteresting. Suddenly, he remembered the sparkler he bought while shopping in the afternoon.
She stood up from the sofa and excitedly suggested to Pei Zhi and Jiang Cheng, "Let's go outside and set off sparklers together?"
Upon hearing this, Pei Ruoyun nodded in agreement, "Perfect, you three kids can go out and play. This show isn't very interesting anyway."
Jiang Cheng immediately stood up, and Pei Zhi also stretched and slowly stood up.
Pei Xi had already brought over the sparklers. She took out a few and handed them to Pei Zhi and Jiang Cheng. Pei Zhi held the things and examined them, asking, "What did you call this thing?"
Pei Xi replied, "A fairy wand."
Pei Zhi: "..."
Is it appropriate for a super straight man like him to play with sparklers?
Pei Xi noticed his resistance and frowned, saying, "Although it's called a fairy wand, it's not something only girls can play with."
She looked up at Jiang Cheng again.
Jiang Cheng immediately nodded and agreed, "Yes, I like to play."
Pei Zhi: "…………………"
“…………………”
“…………………”
He felt like he had become part of a certain young couple's play.
But he had no evidence.
Reluctantly clutching a handful of sparklers, Pei Xi went outside into the yard. Just as he was about to light them, he realized he had forgotten to bring a lighter.
"I'll go get it," Pei Zhi volunteered, turning around and going back into the house.
Watching his figure disappear through the door, Pei Xi turned around, stood on tiptoe, and suddenly kissed Jiang Cheng on the lips.
Jiang Cheng was taken aback.
Then a smile spread across his eyes, and he glanced playfully in the direction of the gate, indicating that she was in her own yard and that there were other people inside.
Pei Xi chuckled, a mischievous glint in her amber eyes, and whispered in his ear, "I wanted to kiss you in the room just now, and I couldn't resist."
Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng's heart stirred. Looking at her bright eyes in the night, he leaned down and kissed her cheek.
Unbeknownst to the two, a person behind them was holding a lighter. He had barely uttered the word "I" when he immediately turned around and ran back into the house as if fleeing.
Inside the house, Pei Ruoyun heard footsteps and looked over with a smile. She glanced at Pei Zhi, then looked out the window, her face full of understanding.
Then she casually said to Pei Zhi, "You should hurry up and find a girlfriend, so you won't always be a third wheel."
Pei Zhi: "..."
After a two-second pause, he scratched his head and said, "...I understand."
Pei Ruoyun gave a soft "hmm" and then said, "It would be best if our family could have another set of bowls and chopsticks next year for the Spring Festival."
Pei Zhi: "..."
"It's not that easy to find," he muttered weakly, looking down at the lighter in his hand.
Looking at her mentally challenged son, Pei Ruoyun sighed silently.
After a while, she couldn't resist any longer, so she took out her phone and edited a post on her WeChat Moments.
—I have a single young man in his early twenties, handsome, well-read, and of good character. If any eligible young women are interested in becoming his partner, please feel free to contact me.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
