Li Rong's hand was a little cold, and its touch on his skin allowed him to remain somewhat lucid.

But whether it was the fireworks blooming in the sky or the girl standing on tiptoe with her eyes closed in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a little dazed for a moment. He felt that the past was just a nightmare and it had never happened. He was only the 20-year-old Pei Wenxuan, and the person in front of him was only the 18-year-old Li Rong.

“Rongrong…”

He didn't know why, but his voice was choked with sobs. He raised his hands, one hand gently holding her waist to prevent her from slipping, and the other hand on the back of her head to let her bear the force he applied.

As he teased, fiddled and entangled her softly and lingeringly, Li Rong's breathing became heavier, and her hands lost strength. They slid down from his face and circled around his neck. She leaned on the hand at his waist and couldn't help but take a step back.

Pei Wenxuan followed her movements and forced her against the table.

He didn't do anything too much, he hoped that this kiss would give him love, not lust. So he used all his reason to force himself not to do more, he just wanted to kiss her, and then let her feel the ultimate joy and all the tenderness that the world could give from the kiss.

In Li Rong's memory, the fireworks that year lasted a long time, rising and falling one after another.

That kiss was different from the others.

She indulged herself for many years, and in the later years, whether she occasionally recalled the kiss with Pei Wenxuan when she was young, or the touch with Su Rongqing, it was more about desire than love. She couldn't remember, or never knew, what it felt like to have love added to this matter.

However, at this moment she suddenly understood that the tenderness that fell on her heart like the spring rain had softened all the hard soil, so there was more restraint in her desire, and the ambiguity was filled with a pounding heart and uncontrollable joy.

No matter how many times, how many years, how old, how much hardship I have experienced, in that kiss, I suddenly became a little girl.

She was shy but excited. When she bravely pursued him, she was infected by his almost caring attitude, which made her feel a little more nervous and embarrassed.

When the two stopped, the fireworks had stopped for an unknown amount of time. Li Rong sat on the table, looking down at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan's lips were watery, and his face was smeared with white powder by her hands. He looked up at her with his handsome eyes, restrained but joyful, and sparkling, just like a young man in front of his sweetheart.

Li Rong looked down at him. The two of them said nothing. After staring at each other for a long time, Li Rong raised her hand and wiped his face with her sleeve, smiling and saying, "The dust is all over your face."

Pei Wenxuan laughed: "This must be your highness's revenge."

Li Rong raised her eyebrows, and Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to wipe the white ash off Li Rong's face: "It's not enough for you to be a little cat by yourself, but you also have to drag me along."

Li Rong froze, as if she had just realized that there was dust on her face. At this moment, Jingmei's voice rang out from outside: "Your Highness, are you done with the dumplings?"

She didn't come in rashly, she still understood this little bit of etiquette. When Li Rong heard the sound, she quickly jumped down from the table. Pei Wenxuan raised his hand to brush off the dust for her. Li Rong coughed lightly, afraid that the outsiders would hear something unusual in her voice, so she raised her voice and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Your Highness," Jingmei said with a smile, "Sister Jingmei has made some dumplings and would like to ask if Your Highness needs any help."

"No need." Pei Wenxuan said, turning his head to wash his hands. "You guys eat first, I'll call someone later, you guys come and get the dumplings and eat together."

As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan put the dumplings into the water one plate at a time.

Jingmei responded to the request, but did not come in. She turned around and went outside the courtyard. A group of maids and servants pointed to the kitchen and winked at Jingmei. Jingmei shook her head and whispered, "Your Highness, the dumplings are ready. Don't be afraid."

They were afraid that these two people would become pampered and get angry because they were hungry after making dumplings for an entire afternoon.

The dumplings fell into the pot. Li Rong watched curiously. She propped up her chin and looked at the dumplings and said, "Pei Wenxuan, is this how you celebrate the New Year?"

"Um."

Pei Wenxuan smiled and raised his head: "Where is His Highness?"

Li Rong thought about it. In the past, there was no festive atmosphere during the Chinese New Year in the palace. It was nothing more than a family banquet where the emperor and empress would bring the princes and unmarried princesses to eat and drink.

The dishes are all big fish and meat, served one after another, with new ideas every year, but every year it feels like these new ideas are boring.

If you like delicacies from land and sea, you can eat them every day. Those new things are often just auspicious, such as the word "Fu" made of tofu or a phoenix carved out of melon rind. They look good, but they are not delicious.

"It's just like the palace banquets you see every day," Li Rong sighed, "very boring."

"Will Your Highness receive any New Year's gift money?"

Pei Wenxuan was a little curious, but Li Rong said nonchalantly, "Yes, there are various gifts, all of which were sent to the warehouse. I don't even remember what they were. Oh, my mother gave me a pair of Suzaku step-shakes one year, and I liked them very much."

Pei Wenxuan listened, thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Li Rong pointed at the dumplings in the pot and said, "Are these dumplings overcooked?"

Pei Wenxuan turned around and saw that the dumplings were cooked and had floated up. Li Rong stared at the dumplings and was quite worried: "I saw that some of the dumplings were already rotten, but that would be fine. Why are there so many of them floating on the water with their white bellies turned upside down? Are they inedible?"

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "It's cooked."

"Cooked?" Li Rong was a little surprised. "So this is cooked. I was wondering how you guys know whether dumplings are cooked or not. So this is how you do it."

Pei Wenxuan had known that Li Rong was a person who didn't know the difference between grains, so he was not surprised. He smiled and invited the people outside to come in, and brought out plates of dumplings and sent them to the restaurant.

The other people in the princess's mansion were cooking in the small kitchen. The dishes had already been prepared. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan's dumplings were the last to be served. After the dumplings were placed, the two of them went to the dining room. Several tables were temporarily set up in the yard outside the dining room. The servants who did not go back home for the New Year stayed here. Pei Wenxuan turned around and looked at Li Rong, explaining to her, "I ordered it. Is it okay?"

"You've already given me the order, how can I offend you in public?"

Li Rong said as she sat down with Pei Wenxuan, raised her hand and said to everyone, "Everyone, please sit down."

After Li Rong finished speaking, everyone bowed respectfully and sat down.

This was the first time that Li Rong sat with servants. She was not used to it and could not help but look back at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan gave her a dumpling and said with a smile, "Your Highness, can you say something festive? It can be regarded as a New Year's greeting, so that everyone won't be nervous."

Li Rong paused for a moment, hesitated for a while, and then said: "Then I wish everyone a prosperous year and good health for their families. Those who are suitable for marriage will find a good partner, and those who are already married will have a son soon and live happily."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

After Li Rong said some soft words, everyone felt relieved and responded with a smile.

"Let's eat."

Li Rong said this as she picked up the dumpling from the bowl.

Although everyone was relieved by Li Rong's presence, they were still a little reserved. Pei Wenxuan saw this and said to everyone, "Don't be reserved. Drink when you should drink, eat dumplings when you should eat. Show His Highness how you usually do it. If anyone gets a copper coin today, there will be a reward!"

Just after she finished speaking, Li Rong let out a "hiss" and a copper coin rolled out of her mouth. She didn't expect Pei Wenxuan to put copper coins in the dumplings. This was a folk custom and the palace would not casually stuff such things into food. She was caught off guard and took a bite. She felt like half of her tooth was about to break.

“Pei…”

Li Rong held back tears and raised her hand to throw the chopsticks in pain. Pei Wenxuan was quick to grab her hand that was throwing the chopsticks and cover her mouth with the other hand, saying loudly: "It turned out that Your Highness ate the copper money. Your Highness will have good luck this year!"

After that, Pei Wenxuan whispered: "Your Highness, give me some face."

"What kind of face are you giving me?"

Li Rong pushed him away and covered her mouth with her hands, angrily: "You put the money in without informing me in advance. My teeth are about to break!"

"I didn't expect that His Highness is so ferocious when eating. I was just about to say..." Pei Wenxuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Li Rong usually looks unruly, but actually her disciplines are hidden in the details. For example, she chews slowly when eating and sleeps lying flat with her hands on her belly. But who would have known that she was so hungry today that she ignored her manners and took a bite.

Li Rong felt that she was in the wrong, so she didn't argue with Pei Wenxuan and just stretched out her hand to ask for a reward: "Where's the reward?"

Pei Wenxuan smiled and raised his hand to give Li Rong a red envelope from his sleeve.

It was the first time that Li Rong received such a red envelope. She felt a little curious and opened it in front of everyone. She found that there was nothing inside. She shook it and finally got out one or two taels of silver in her palm.

Looking at the silver and thinking of her teeth, Li Rong suddenly felt dissatisfied: "How dare you give me a red envelope of only one silver?"

"Okay, okay," Pei Wenxuan was afraid of her and took out a red envelope with a golden phoenix drawn on it. "This one is yours. The other one is a bonus."

When Li Rong saw the beautiful phoenix, she was moved and reached out to take it without hesitation. Pei Wenxuan moved the red envelope to the side and said with a smile: "Your Highness, you have to say something nice to get the New Year's money."

"You are joking, Prince Consort," Jinglan laughed at the side, "How can you call the red envelope you gave to His Highness a New Year's gift?"

"You don't understand this," Pei Wenxuan turned his head to look at Jinglan, then looked back at Li Rong with a smile, "Your Highness is young, I usually take care of her like a younger sister, this annual bonus must be paid."

Everyone burst into laughter when they heard Pei Wenxuan's words. Li Rong raised her eyebrows and said, "How dare you lead others to laugh at me?"

"I dare not," Pei Wenxuan said quickly, "This is a smile that symbolizes the joy of the New Year. It is definitely not meant to mock Your Highness."

"Red envelope." Li Rong was too lazy to talk to him any more, and didn't want to be rude to him in front of the servants. Pei Wenxuan took the red envelope and said with a smile, "Your Highness, don't you know how to say nice things?"

"That's right." Li Rong raised her hand and said lazily, "So just give me the red envelope and that's it."

"You don't know how to say it. I'll teach you."

Pei Wenxuan said as he leaned forward and handed the red envelope to Li Rong's hand while whispering in her ear.

"I like you and want to celebrate the New Year with you every year."

"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan asked in a low voice, "Have you learned it?"