Xiao Chai lowered his head, seemingly not in the mood, "I’m cold, I don’t want to go out."
Xiao Bei leaned in and laughed, "How can you be colder than me? You’re not being very manly!"
Xin He smirked, "Who are you to talk? Last time your master said that you haven’t made much progress with your kung fu. Since you made such a show of it today, next time, if you can’t beat Xiao Chai, I won’t go easy on you."
With that, she poked his head with her slender, green fingers.
Xiao Bei’s face fell at the news, looking quite pitiful.
Xin He ignored him and looked down to play with Xiao Cui’s baby.
Xiao Chai whispered in his ear, "Don’t worry, I won’t let you lose."
Xiao Bei’s eyes immediately lit up. He laughed and wrapped his arm around Xiao Chai’s neck, "I knew you were a true bro!"
Then, he turned to Xin He, excitedly, "Sis, I’m going to look for Gou Dan, everyone’s waiting for me. We’re going ice fishing in the ice river."
On a snowy day like this, children see it as a blessing. Snowball fights, ice breaking, ice skating; all are quite fun. Xiao Bei is becoming more lively and loves to play and create a ruckus. How could he possibly miss such a fun opportunity?
Watching Xiao Bei’s retreating figure, Xin He shook her head and laughed, "This kid."
Turning to look at Xiao Chai, obediently sitting by the fire and tending to it, Xin He felt a pang of heartache - this child was so mature for his age.
"Why don’t you go out and play? It’s the Chinese New Year, staying in is dull," said Xin He.
Xiao Chai avoided her gaze, perhaps to hide the flicker of light in his eyes. Instead of going ice fishing with the other kids, he would rather sit quietly indoors, adding firewood to the fire for her.
However, he couldn’t possibly say that out loud.
His earlier excuse to Xiao Bei about being "afraid of the cold" certainly wouldn’t hold any water with Xin He.
"There are too many of them. I don’t like a lot of noise," Xiao Chai looked up at Xin He, his eyes were pure and clear.
Xin He chuckled, "Alright then."
She was worried that Xiao Chai’s aloof demeanor might isolate him from the others.
But then again, not everyone enjoys a lively atmosphere. Since he isn’t fond of it, she doesn’t need to worry about this matter anymore for him.
Marquis Mu and Ji Dong entered the room from the outside. He was still wearing his cloak, with snowflakes on it. After stepping inside, he immediately took it off. Xin He stood up to pour him a cup of hot tea. Noticing his hair was wet from the snow, she raised her eyebrows in concern.
"Why don’t you wear the hood of your cloak? Be careful not to catch a cold."
Marquis Mu pursed his lips, "It’s okay."
How could he be as weak as she thought? Earlier, even in winter, he would go out without a cloak. Now, wearing a cloak when going out was only because she kept asking him to.
Marquis Mu helped Xin He to sit down. Ever since she became pregnant, Marquis Mu hardly let her move a muscle, especially as the first three months were yet to pass, he was extraordinarily careful.
His gaze swept over to Xiao Chai, who was quietly tending to the fire. Something about it rubbed Marquis Mu the wrong way.
Marquis Mu smiled at Xin He, "When I came in, I saw Xiao Bei and the village kids heading to the ice river for ice fishing. They seem to be having a good time."
"Gou Dan and Xiao Bei have been together since they were little, it’s natural for them to be close. Xiao Bei has become much more outgoing, being able to play with the other children is a good thing."
Even though Xiao Bei loves fun and has a childlike innocence, Xin He felt a sense of relief in her heart. It was much better than the timid Xiao Bei of the past.
"Since he gets along so well with the others, it’s hard for him living in the town to interact with the village kids. We might as well let Xiao Bei live back in Yangluo Bay," Marquis Mu casually glanced at Xiao Chai.
Xiao Chai’s hand, which was adding firewood, paused slightly. He was facing the other direction, so it was not clear.
Nowadays, Xiao Chai is officially Xiao Bei’s study-buddy and playmate. Naturally, he goes wherever Xiao Bei goes. If Xiao Bei went back to live in Yangluo Bay, Xiao Chai would have to follow.
Xin He thought about it and then murmured, "That sounds reasonable."
Xiao Bei doesn’t really have any friends in the town. Because Xin He leads a secluded life and doesn’t socialize, their family hardly knows anyone in town.
In order to make Xiao Bei’s life more comfortable, it might actually be better for him to live in the village instead of the town. Climbing mountains, swimming, and playing with a group of kids can be more fun for him.
"But, let’s ask Xiao Bei for his opinion first."
In the beginning, Xiao Bei insisted on going with Xin He to live in the town because she had unexpectedly left Lian’an Town for half a year. Xiao Bei was afraid she would suddenly leave again. He felt insecure and insisted on staying with her.
He had been living in the town for half a year now, Xiao Bei had obviously become more outgoing and was more relaxed around Xin He. He knew she wasn’t planning on leaving, so he wouldn’t cling to her as he did before.
Xiao Chai lowered his gaze, hiding the hints of sadness in his eyes.
Marquis Mu felt much better. He encouraged Xin He to take her pregnancy tonic.
This New Year’s was exceptionally peaceful and leisurely. This type of life was exactly what Xin He yearned for. As a result, she was particularly happy during the festivities.
Xin He and Marquis Mu stayed in Yangluo Bay until the 15th, then they planned to go home.
After all, it wouldn’t be right to keep bothering them. Marquis Mu’s work wasn’t convenient for him, and Xin He was also concerned about the Winding Pavilion and Huaman Building, which made her feel too distant.
Xin He called Xiao Bei over and asked, "We plan to go back to the town tomorrow. Do you want to stay here? After all, Gou Dan and the others are in the village, so you’ll have more friends."
Xin He was worried that Xiao Bei would not want to leave after having so much fun with Gou Dan and the others.
However, Xiao Bei blinked and responded, "Now that Sister has a baby, has she started to dislike Xiao Bei?"
Xin He chuckled and replied, "What nonsense are you talking about, kid?"
Xiao Bei clung to Xin He’s arm, grinning, "Sister, I want to live in the town with you, okay? When spring comes, Gou Dan is going to school too. Then we can play together at school. Xiao Bei won’t be lonely in the town. Can I keep living in the town, sister?"
Xin He finally gave in with a laugh, "Since you’re happy with it, what else can I say? Let’s pack our things then and set off tomorrow."
"Okay!"
Xiao Bei bounced off towards the courtyard, where Xiao Chai had been waiting for him.
Xiao Bei went straight up to him, putting an arm around his shoulder, laughing, "It’s all because you wanted to stay in the town that I stayed. How are you going to repay me?"
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