Zhu Qing'an placed his hands neatly on his knees and answered without raising his head.
"This was given to my brother-in-law by my sister, it's not really appropriate for me to touch it."
Upon hearing his reply, Meng Qingluan scratched her head and said...
"This is for you."
Zhu Qing'an turned her head in astonishment, pointing incredulously at the snow rabbit not far away beside her.
"Is this a gift for me?"
"Yes!" Meng Qingluan nodded. "Didn't I already tell you? This is my New Year's gift to you."
"..."
Zhu Qing'an was so overwhelmed by this sudden surprise that she was momentarily stunned and unable to react.
Meng Qingluan continued.
"Little Radish Head and Rabbit are a perfect match."
Happy Little New Year! Wishing you peace and tranquility.
With two "clangs," Meng Qingluan brought out the little rabbit she was holding, along with her congratulatory remarks.
May Qing'an remain completely in place.
He felt a deafening roar in his ears, which shattered his brain.
All thoughts ceased at that moment, all pretense vanished, and he stared blankly at the little rabbit in her palm.
To work on the details, Meng Qingluan took off her gloves.
She had been hiding this snow rabbit for who knows how long, and her five fingers were frozen red, looking like five carrots of the same length.
His expression froze on his face, and his usual obedient smile did not appear.
Don't you like it?
Seeing that he stared blankly at the rabbit in her hand, neither taking it nor making any further reaction.
She had a moment of self-doubt. Could it be that her skills had declined because she hadn't made it for a long time, and that Zhu Qing'an was disgusted by her?
"No... I, I like it very much."
Zhu Qing'an bit down hard on the tip of her tongue with her canines, finally regaining her composure.
He tried to curl the corners of his mouth and show his usual smile, a smile that was enough to fool everyone.
After trying a few times, the bitterness made his lips unable to move.
He simply abandoned this foolish decision; a smile that was uglier than a grimace would only be more annoying.
Seeing his little expression, Meng Qingluan found it amusing and tried to find a handkerchief in her sleeve, but realized she didn't have one with her.
She hesitated for a couple of seconds, then offered her sleeve with an awkward smile.
"I didn't bring a handkerchief, would you like to use my sleeve?"
"..."
Zhu Qing'an raised her eyes and stared straight at her.
Meng Qingluan felt a little uneasy under his gaze and said weakly.
"If you really don't like it, you can throw it away. I won't blame you."
"I like."
Zhu Qing'an suddenly stretched out an arm and hugged her, putting his arm around her neck, while his other hand was still holding the little rabbit, not daring to move, for fear of dropping it on the ground.
"Sister, I like it, I like little rabbits..."
I like you too.
Meng Qingluan was a little stunned by his sudden hug and the intimate gesture between the two.
Even though they were nominally siblings, Meng Qingluan still felt a little uneasy.
She patted Zhu Qing'an on the back, subtly creating distance between them.
Zhu Qing'an suddenly opened her eyes, tears welling up in them, and her nose was glistening, whether from crying or from being frozen.
"Sister, can you give me a little rabbit every year from now on?"
Meng Qingluan didn't think it was an unreasonable question and readily nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I'll carve you a little rabbit every year."
"Thank you, sister."
Zhu Qing'an hugged the little rabbit and didn't say anything more.
Meng Qingluan noticed that it was getting late; as New Year's Eve approached, darkness always seemed to fall exceptionally quickly.
"Let's go back inside."
Zhu Qing stood steadily in place, motionless like a sculpture. The orange-red afterglow quietly fell on his hair, draping him in a mysterious veil, before slowly sliding down to his shoulders.
Meng Qingluan unconsciously narrowed her eyes, feeling that the person in front of her had become somewhat ethereal.
"Sister, may I stand here for a while? I want to see the rabbit you made for me."
Wishing you peace and well-being.
Meng Qingluan touched his clothes and found that they were of a reasonable thickness before nodding in agreement. Before leaving, she reminded him of something.
"Watch over them for a bit, then come inside. I'll go make some dumplings. The rabbit won't disintegrate, so remember to come inside quickly and don't stay outside too long; be careful not to catch a cold."
"good."
Zhu Qing'an listened attentively to her rambling without blinking.
Seeing that he readily agreed, Meng Qingluan pursed her lips and added.
“It’s not that I’m afraid you won’t be able to help me because you’re sick; it’s because being sick is uncomfortable. You’re already taking enough medicine, so taking less is never a bad thing.”
"After all, as the saying goes, every medicine has its side effects."
Zhu Qing'an's breathing became lighter, and he tried his best to regulate the frequency of his breathing.
Suppressing a sob, he nodded heavily.
"I know, I know my sister is doing this for my own good, I won't overthink it."
"Okay, remember to come inside early."
"..."
After giving him her instructions, Meng Qingluan turned and left.
Zhu Qing'an stared at Meng Qingluan's departing figure for a long time, unable to look away, until a cold wind blew by, stirring up the remaining snow on the ground.
He snapped back to his senses, instinctively turned around, and placed his hand next to the snow rabbit behind him in a protective gesture.
Upon closer inspection, he noticed that the snow on the snow rabbit had not been blown off, and he lowered his hand with a sense of loss.
Zhu Qing'an squatted down and quietly stayed beside the snow rabbit.
Perhaps it was because the temperature kept dropping, but it seemed like there was still some snow falling in the courtyard, making the already quiet night even more desolate, and even his back looked lonely.
Zhu Qing'an's face was even paler than during the day, which only made his amber eyes appear even more profound.
A smile slowly rose in his eyes, then quickly faded away.
He stretched out his finger and slowly traced it across the snow rabbit, writing his and Meng Qingluan's names in bold, unrestrained handwriting.
Zhu Qing'an gazed at him intently for a long time.
It's almost New Year's Eve...
I hope my sister won't break her promise again next year.
…
Meng Qingluan said she did it herself, but in reality she only made ten dumplings and filled a coin in the center. She clapped her hands and sat in the dining room waiting for the meal to be served.
Because of the Little New Year, even though he was busy with court affairs, Shen Yan still went home earlier than usual.
He hadn't even had time to change out of his official robes before he got off the carriage and rushed to the dining hall without stopping.
Sure enough, Meng Qingluan was sitting in a chair eating sunflower seeds, and someone was cracking walnuts for her.
Without a second thought, Shen Yan ran over and hugged Meng Qingluan tightly, resting his head on hers as if all his strength had been drained.
Meng Qingluan was startled by him, and his head was so heavy that she couldn't eat the melon seeds.
She warned, "Shen Yan, if you don't let go, believe me, I'll grab a hammer and smash your head like a walnut."
"I don't believe you, you can't bear to part with it."
Chen Yan not only didn't let go, but even reached out and snatched the melon seeds that Meng Qingluan had just peeled.
Meng Qingluan: "..."
She was now filled with an inexplicable rage.
With an elbow strike, she knocked the person behind her aside, stood up, and slapped him on the back of the head.
"Are you crazy? Didn't you say the situation was very serious? Why are you so excited like you've been injected with chicken blood?"
"You want to know?" Shen Yan scratched his head and sat down beside him. "Give me a kiss and I'll tell you."
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