The New Year in Shuojing City is coming soon.

At the end of last year, He Yan was in Liangzhou and could not come back. After the new year this year, she was going to get married again, so He Sui bought a lot of New Year's goods and insisted on celebrating the New Year at home. Unfortunately, he was not from Shuojing. Since Mrs. He passed away, the family had fewer relatives and there were not many people who could visit relatives.

However, the neighbors were very enthusiastic. They would send dried fruits and food from time to time. One family would send a plate of dumplings, and another family would send a piece of pickled meat. They would often hold He Yan's hand and say, "Yan Yan, when you marry into the Xiao family and become a young lady, don't forget us neighbors. I held you in my arms when you were little."

"Yes, yes, yes, I even sewed small clothes for you!"

Thanks to Xiao Jue, we don’t have to buy any meat this year.

However, He Yan still bought some things with her own money and asked someone to give them to Wang Ba and his men to take, and also gave New Year gifts to several coaches. They were in the camp outside the city, and could only spend the New Year with the soldiers. She was going to get married on the tenth day of the first lunar month, and He Yan wanted Xiao Jue to allow them to take a leave. Shi Tou and his group were all her friends from Liangzhou Wei, and He Yan wanted to invite them to attend her wedding banquet.

However, since Xiao Jue showed up when she met Chu Zhao that day, she hadn't seen Xiao Jue in the past few days. She thought he was busy with the aftermath of the Mingshui case.

The sky gradually darkened, and the sound of firecrackers and fireworks could be heard in the distance. It was a clear night without snow. He Sui moved the table to the courtyard and asked He Yan and the others to come for dinner. He Yan wanted to help with the New Year's Eve dinner, but He Sui refused. He Sui said, "You will get married after the New Year, why should I let you work? Sit down! Yan Yan, just eat."

He Yunsheng rolled his eyes secretly.

There was a large table of food, including green plums. There were only four people, but there were five pairs of bowls and chopsticks. The empty pair of bowls and chopsticks belonged to the deceased Mrs. He.

He Sui poured a small cup of sweet wine for everyone. This was a New Year gift from his host family when he was a guard. He Sui took a sip from the wine glass and looked at the empty bowl and chopsticks. His eyes softened and he sighed: "If Ah Hui was still alive, I don't know how happy she would be to see Yan Yan get married."

"Ah Hui" is the deceased Mrs. He.

He Yan felt a little sad. The real Second Miss He was no longer around. However, all she could do now was to live well on behalf of Second Miss He and protect He Sui, He Yunsheng, and Qingmei.

"Dad, let's not talk about this on such a happy day," He Yunsheng frowned, "Besides, maybe my mother was a deity in heaven who blessed my sister so that she could get married smoothly. Look at her condition. If it weren't for God's blessing, I think she would have to quarrel with me at home for the rest of her life, and no one would be willing to marry her."

He Yan smiled at him and said, "Yes, yes, but Yunsheng, I see that you are not young anymore. I wonder what kind of girl you will marry in the future? Will the girl be happy to fall in love with you? If you don't change your temper, you may only be able to quarrel with Xiangxiang at home in the future."

"You are talking nonsense, I..." He Yunsheng immediately retorted.

He Yan leaned closer with his chin on his hand: "Oh, so do you already have a girl you like? Tell me about it?"

When it comes to verbal battles, He Yunsheng has never won over He Yan. He was so angry that he turned around and looked for He Sui: "Dad, look at He Yan!"

"There's nothing wrong with what your sister said." He Sui always stood on He Yan's side, "You should learn from your brother-in-law."

He Yan was sipping his wine with his head down, and he almost choked when he heard this. He called him "brother-in-law" all the time, and he said it very fluently.

He Yunsheng looked at her with a saccharine look, while Qingmei covered her mouth and laughed softly.

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about this anymore," He Sui raised his cup, "In the new year, I hope we all have good luck and happiness!"

The afterglow of fireworks can be seen far away in the night sky, and the new year is approaching.

He Sui didn't allow He Yan to drink too much, so He Yan only drank a small cup, just for fun. But He Yunsheng drank quite a lot. They had originally agreed to stay up together as a family, but the father and son fell down before the time came. He Yan and Qingmei had to work very hard to get them back to bed, and then went back to the main room and lit the stove.

Qingmei rubbed her hands and said, "I didn't expect the young master and the old master to be drunk so early."

He Yan didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He Yunsheng had suggested staying up all night to celebrate the New Year, but he was sleeping soundly. So he just thought of it as keeping up the night for him.

"Do you want to eat?" He Yan handed a roasted orange to Qingmei.

Qingmei took the orange peel and put a slice in her mouth. The He family did not treat Qingmei as a servant. There were no master-servant rules like in rich families. The orange was a little sour. Qingmei squinted her eyes and swallowed it before saying, "I didn't realize it before, but today is the New Year, and I feel that the family is a little deserted. The old master and the young master are not here, so there are only the young lady and I, the servant."

Looking at other families, the whole family is having fun and it’s very lively.

He Yan didn't think there was anything wrong with this. She had been alone a lot, so she wasn't as disappointed as Qing Mei. Instead, she looked at Qing Mei, nodded, and said, "We should have called Chi Wu over."

Qingmei was stunned: "What does this have to do with the Chiwu guards?"

"It does matter." He Yan also took an orange and ate it while saying, "He lived here every day some time ago, and you didn't say it was lonely. Now that he's not here, you say it's lonely. You're missing him."

Qingmei was stunned and denied without thinking: "I didn't, girl, don't talk nonsense."

"It's nothing, actually." He Yan put the peeled orange peels next to the stove to roast, and the hall was immediately filled with fragrance. "When I go to the Xiao family, you are the only girl in our family, so of course you have to go with me. Then you and Chi Wu will see each other every day, and you won't feel lonely anymore."

"Miss," Qingmei stamped her feet anxiously. "I really didn't mean that."

"I think Chi Wu is not bad," He Yan teased her deliberately, "He is good-looking and a member of the Nine Banners Camp. He might even be able to become an official in the future. And he listens to you very much. I see he swept the floor when you asked him to, and hung out the clothes when you asked him to. If he didn't have that kind of intention towards you, why would he be so obedient?"

"Young lady!" Qingmei was annoyed and her face flushed red. She stood up suddenly and stopped eating the oranges and keeping watch all night. She just said, "I didn't mean that. Young lady, please don't talk nonsense. There's nothing between me and the Chiwu guard." She put the oranges back and ran away.

"Hey?" He Yan asked from behind, "Are you not going to observe the New Year's Eve?"

"I won't defend it anymore!"

He Yan felt a little regretful, as if she shouldn't have teased her like that. Now she was the only one keeping watch. She picked up the orange that Qingmei had just put down, threw it up, and sighed, "What a hypocritical little girl."

Someone's voice rang out: "You know a lot."

He Yan turned around and saw Xiao Jue leaning against the front door of their house, looking at her with his arms crossed and a half-smile on his face.

"Xiao Jue?" She was overjoyed. "Why are you here?" She looked outside again: "You came in directly?"

"I knocked on the door," Xiao Jue said as he walked inside, "but you don't have guards at home, so it doesn't make much difference whether I knock on the door or not."

This is the honest truth.

He Yan pulled him to sit down next to the stove and stuffed an orange into his hand. "Want to eat?"

Xiao Jue took the orange and just held it in his hand without eating it.

"Why are you here?" He Yan asked, "Aren't you staying at home with your brother and sister-in-law?"

"I came to see you after the New Year's Eve dinner." He said, and looked around again, then asked thoughtfully: "Why aren't your father and brother here?"

"Don't talk about it. I'm drunk. I helped them go to the house to sleep." She looked at Xiao Jue, "If you had come a little later, I would have slept too."

Xiao Jue: "You were waiting for me, why are you sleeping?"

"I wasn't waiting for you." He Yan was puzzled.

Xiao Jue turned his head to look at her and said "Oh" indifferently.

He Yan was so surprised that she grabbed his arm and said sincerely, "How do you know I'm waiting for you? I waited until everyone was asleep before I finally saw you! Now there's no one here, it's just right..."

"Just what?"

"Just in time..." He Yan was just making it up, and didn't continue. When she raised her eyes, she met his bright eyes.

"That's great. I'll treat you to an orange." He Yan held his hand and held the orange to his chest.

Xiao Jue looked at her for a while, then tilted his head and laughed softly.

He Yan felt that he might be a kind of pistachio. Xiao Jue, who was usually unkind and arrogant, was always amused by him. This was also an ability that ordinary people did not have.

"It's boring to sit inside. Do you want to sit on the roof?" He Yan invited him warmly.

"The roof?"

He Yan grabbed his hand and walked out: "Yes!"

The He family's house was not an expensive one, and the roof was not very high, so she could easily reach it with a single leap. She and Xiao Jue sat side by side, with their hands clasped behind their backs, looking up into the distance.

There were fireworks being set off everywhere in the main streets of Shuojing city. It was too far away to see clearly, and one could only see bright stars flashing across the sky.

"When I was a kid and hadn't joined the army yet, I loved climbing the roof." He Yan said, "The roof of the He family is higher than here. My kung fu wasn't that good at that time, so I couldn't fly up there, so I could only use a ladder. Once I fell down halfway up, and I didn't dare to make a sound for fear of being discovered by Madam He. Later, my back hurt a lot during that period of time."

Xiao Juewei: "Why do you like climbing the roof?"

"Because it's high enough," He Yan made an archery gesture, "If you climb high enough, you can reach up to the sky to grab the moon and pick the stars with your hands."

He laughed: "Childish."

"Who wasn't childish when they were little?" He Yan retorted, "Besides, I haven't climbed onto the roof for years."

After I joined the army, I lived in tents, so there was no roof to climb. After I got married, it was even easier. Now that I think about it, climbing on the roof was a long time ago.

"If you want," Xiao Jue said, "the roof of the Xiao family will belong to you in the future."

He Yan looked at him sideways and asked tentatively, "Is it okay to climb after I get married?"

"OK."

"Is it okay to take you with me?"

"OK."

"Holding food..."

Xiao Jue interrupted her: "Whatever you want to do, it's fine."

He Yan blinked his eyes, lowered his head and smiled. He couldn't hide his smile, which expanded in circles like ripples on water.

Xiao Jue glanced at her, seemingly speechless. After a moment, he said, "Are you so happy just to climb to the roof?"

"Of course," He Yan replied, "I am a very content person and I don't have any expensive interests. I just want to have food, clothes and roofs to climb."

Xiao Jue smiled and did not comment.

"Hey," He Yan touched his arm, "How's the situation with Xu Xiangyu's party?"

Xiao Jue's smile faded, "Some of it went to Chu Zilan."

This was something He Yan had expected. She asked, "You mean, Chu Zhao's previous act of killing his own relatives for the sake of justice was intentional?"

"Nine out of ten." Xiao Jue looked into the distance, "He should have replaced Xu Jingfu's position in the prince's heart."

"Do you know what the emperor thinks of the Wutuo people?" He Yan asked, "After this incident, the emperor will no longer accept the Wutuo people's proposal for peace, right?"

Xiao Jue didn't say anything. After a while, he shook his head gently.

In fact, He Yan knew in his heart that Emperor Wenxuan was no longer the most important thing. The conflict between the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince would probably be planned more quickly because of Xu Jingfu's death. It would not be long before the struggle would be exposed.

Xiao Jue and Crown Prince Guangyan are enemies. If they really want to... in the future, they will definitely stand on the side of the Fourth Prince. However, it is not right and proper to do so. If the Emperor plans to issue an edict to pass on the throne, at least in name, they will suffer.

"Don't worry," Xiao Jue said calmly, "I know what's going on."

He Yan smiled and said, "That's right. Today is New Year's Day, so it's better not to think about these things."

"The wedding dress has been prepared," Xiao Jue suddenly changed the subject, "and someone will deliver it to your house in a few days."

"So soon?"

Xiao Jue glanced at her and said, "We're getting married in less than ten days. How can it be fast?"

He Yan smiled awkwardly: "That's true, but..."

I don't usually feel this way, but when I heard him say that, I suddenly felt a little nervous as if I was about to perform.

"After tomorrow, I won't see you again."

He Yan: "Why?"

"Newlyweds cannot see each other a few days before the wedding." Xiao Jue replied.

He Yan whispered, "You are not usually such a well-behaved person."

Xiao Jue raised his eyebrows.

"What I mean is," He Yan grabbed his hand and spoke sincerely, "You are absolutely right. It should be so. I feel relieved to have you take care of everything so well."

She now understood that Xiao Jue was a person who would be easily persuaded by soft words, and would be very happy if she just said a few nice words to flatter him. If she had known that this person was so easy to please, He Yan thought, she should have hugged his thighs and flattered him more when she was in Xianchang Hall. She might have taught him swordplay, horse riding, and other skills in addition to swordplay.

Her acting was poor, but Xiao Jue just looked at the hand that was grabbed by He Yan, paused for a moment, and then covered her hand in his palm again.

"He Yan." He called her name.

"ah?"

"Happy New Year." He said lightly, his black pupils filled with stars in the night, more fascinating than the fireworks in the sky.

He Yan was stunned for a moment.

A warm satisfaction gradually rose in her heart, and she suddenly felt that this New Year was truly a new year.

"You're welcome." She tilted her head, leaned on Xiao Jue's shoulder, and rubbed him vigorously, "Happy New Year to you too."

…

At the end of the street, the sound of firecrackers came from afar.

New Spring Festival couplets are posted on the doors of every household.

This year, however, the atmosphere at Shi Jinbo's mansion was particularly desolate.

Originally, according to this time, the Chu family should have had a new bride marrying into the family, which would have been a perfect day for both of them. Unexpectedly, something happened to the Xu family not long ago, and the Chu family also suffered. Although Chu Zhao finally escaped the disaster for the sake of justice, Shi Jinbo became the laughing stock of the capital because of his marriage with the Xu family. Chu Linfeng was very proud and did not leave the house during the whole year. There was no joy in the mansion during the New Year, and it was extremely deserted.

Chu Zhao's yard was even quieter.

In the first few days after Xu Pingting arrived, she learned the truth about Xu Jingfu's death. She scolded Chu Zhao for being heartless and repaying kindness with ingratitude. Later, she was taught "rules" by the maid in the yard for a few days, and she became much quieter. However, in this way, the only bit of liveliness in the whole yard disappeared.

Chu Zhao sat in the house. The sound of fireworks was far away. Outside the house and inside the house seemed like two completely different worlds.

Someone came in from behind, and the servant said, "Fourth Master, there's a letter from Miss Ying Xiang."

Chu Zhao took the letter and read it. After a while, he placed the letter in the flame of the oil lamp and it gradually burned out.

There was also a strange-shaped stone on the table, flat as a human palm, and upon closer inspection, it seemed to be in the shape of a horse, except that the broken part looked rough and uneven. It didn't fit in with the other decorations on the table.

Chu Zhao's gaze fell on the stone, and his expression gradually became distant.

The servant paused, struggled for a moment, and finally couldn't help but speak: "Fourth Master, when you saw Miss He that day, why didn't you use Madam Xu as bait to keep Miss He?"

He Yan values ​​He Xinying so much. If he uses He Xinying as a threat, it is possible that He Yan and Xiao Jue’s marriage may not be successful.

"It's no use." Chu Zhao replied.

The servant was puzzled and looked at the man in front of him. The man was sitting alone at the table. The light from the oil lamp was dim, making his figure look thin and lonely. It seemed that he was the only one in the huge house, and he was going to sit alone here forever.

"She is a woman who can control her own destiny." After a long while, Chu Zhao smiled and said, "No one can force her."

"I can't, Xiao Huaijin can't, and He Xinying can't either."

The night market in the water city of Jiyang appeared before his eyes. A bright-eyed girl was walking on the street. The crowds were surging and the lanterns were as bright as the sunset. She was standing there, different from the others, like an eagle about to spread its wings. One glance and you could tell that what she longed for was the sky, not a cage.

He is a person who cannot control his own destiny, so he is inexplicably and hopelessly attracted to her, but he is destined to be abandoned.

Because, as she said, they are not the same kind of people.

Never.