Host! I told you to do a task! I didn't tell you to bbb.

The day of winter vacation arrived.

Zhang Qi and the others had packed their luggage and gone home early. As soon as Liu Yunshu pulled her suitcase downstairs, she saw Shen Shiyan standing there waiting for her with a thermos.

When Shen Shiyan saw Liu Yunshu come down, he immediately stepped forward, took the suitcase from her, and handed her the thermos.

"It's ginger and jujube tea inside. Have a few sips to warm yourself up."

Liu Yunshu took the thermos, and her fingertips touched the warm cup, instantly warming her heart.

She unscrewed the lid, and the sweet aroma of ginger and jujube wafted out. She took a sip, and the warmth slid from her throat to her stomach, even relaxing her frozen fingers.

"It's delicious," she said, her eyes crinkling into crescents. "Let's go, let's set off."

The two took a taxi to the train station. After boarding the high-speed train, Liu Yunshu nudged Chen Shiyan.

"Brother, after we get off the train, will Dad, Mom, Uncle, and Aunt be waiting for us at the station, and then we'll have a three-way interrogation?"

Shen Shiyan was amused by her "three-way trial" analogy, reached out and ruffled her hair, his eyes full of tenderness.

"Don't worry, I'm here. Besides, they're probably too busy seeing you to really interrogate you."

The high-speed train slowly started moving, and the scenery outside the window rushed past.

Liu Yunshu drank the remaining ginger and jujube tea and soon felt sleepy, her head unconsciously leaning against Shen Shiyan's shoulder.

Shen Shiyan gently adjusted his position to make her more comfortable, and quietly took her hand on his lap with his other hand. The warmth from her fingertips made his smile deepen.

After an unknown amount of time, the announcement that the high-speed train had arrived at the station sounded.

Liu Yunshu opened her eyes groggily. Shen Shiyan had already packed his things and was looking at her gently: "We're here. Wake up, don't be half asleep."

As soon as the two stepped out of the station exit, they saw someone waving vigorously in the distance.

Liu Yunshu recognized her parents at a glance; standing next to them were Shen Shiyan's parents.

She tensed up instantly and instinctively hid behind Shen Shiyan.

Shen Shiyan held her hand tightly and whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid." Then, he pulled her along quickly.

Liu Yunshu's mother was the first to come forward, taking her hand and asking with concern, "Yunshu, you must be exhausted from the journey? Are you cold?"

Father Liu shoved aside Shen Shiyan, who was standing next to Liu Yunshu, muttering, "Make way! Make way! Why are all these people crowding this way!"

He then sidled up to Liu Yunshu and showered her with concern, saying, "Oh my, I've missed Daddy so much!"

Shen Shiyan was amused by Liu's father's "childish" appearance and was not annoyed. He took a half step to the side to make room for the father and daughter.

Liu Yunshu covered her mouth and chuckled secretly, then clung to her father's arm and acted coquettishly for a while.

"Daddy, Yunshu's dear daddy, Yunshu misses you so much~"

Liu's father was so pleased with Liu Yunshu's coaxing that he puffed out his chest and gave Chen Shiyan a smug look.

You little rascal, let me show you who's the most important person in Yunshu's heart.

Liu's mother patted Liu's father's arm helplessly and said to Shen Shiyan with a smile, "Shiyan, don't take it to heart. This old man is just too protective of his daughter."

As she spoke, she pulled Shen Shiyan over, looked him up and down, and said with satisfaction, "Thanks to you for taking care of Yun Shu during this time."

After watching the play for a long time, Mr. and Mrs. Shen finally stepped forward with smiles.

Chen's mother pulled Liu Yunshu's other hand, which wasn't being held by Liu's mother, and said in a warm and friendly tone, "Yunshu, I've been looking forward to your return. Have you lost weight? If Shiyan doesn't take good care of you, Auntie will teach him a lesson."

As she spoke, she deliberately glared at Shen Shiyan.

Shen Shiyan replied with a smile, "Mom, how could I dare? I've taken very good care of her."

Father Shen patted Shen Shiyan on the shoulder, then looked at Liu Yunshu and said gently, "You must be tired from your journey. It's cold outside. Let's get in the car and go to the restaurant for dinner."

The two families chatted and laughed as they walked toward the parking lot. Liu Yunshu was pulled along by Shen's mother in the middle as she listened to her and Shen's mother talk about the New Year's goods their family had prepared.

When they arrived at the restaurant's private room, Liu's father insisted on sitting between Shen Shiyan and Liu Yunshu, with one hand on the back of his daughter's chair and the other deliberately keeping Shen Shiyan away, just like a mother hen protecting her chicks.

As soon as all the dishes were served, Liu's father took the lead in placing the largest piece of sweet and sour pork rib on Liu Yunshu's plate, and did not forget to glance at Chen Shiyan.

"Yun Shu must not have eaten such authentic hometown food at school, so eat more."

As she spoke, she picked up another piece of green vegetable with her chopsticks, "Don't just eat meat, you need a balanced diet."

Seeing this scene, Shen Shiyan's smile deepened, and he silently placed the deboned fish meat into a small bowl.

He then handed it to Liu Yunshu and politely nodded to Liu's father beside him.

Father Liu:! ! !

Father Liu glared angrily at Shen Shiyan, "You little brat, you dare to provoke me!"

Looking at her father's angry expression and then at the fish that Shen Shiyan handed over, Liu Yunshu was so trying not to laugh that her shoulders were shaking.

Seeing this, Liu's mother smiled and tried to smooth things over: "Old Liu, don't just focus on Yunshu, Shiyan also likes to eat fish, why don't you put some on the child's plate too?"

Mr. Liu snorted, but his hand honestly picked up a piece of fish. However, when he handed it over, he deliberately made his hand tremble, and the fish almost fell onto the table.

Shen Shiyan caught it quickly and smiled as he thanked him, saying, "Thank you, Uncle."

Liu Yunshu couldn't hold back any longer and burst out laughing. Chen's mother also laughed, "Old Liu, how old are you to still be angry with the child?"

Mr. Shen took a sip of tea and slowly said, "Old Liu, the children are all grown up and have their own thoughts. As parents, we just need to make sure they are doing well."

Mr. Liu angrily picked up a piece of braised pork and put it in his mouth. "It's not like your cabbage was kidnapped! You're just sitting here talking without any sense of the pain!"

Seeing her father's angry expression, Liu Yunshu picked up a piece of freshly peeled shrimp with her chopsticks and placed it in his bowl, coaxing him softly, "Dad, you should eat more too. The shrimp at this restaurant are so tender."

Mr. Liu's face immediately lit up with a smile, and his stern expression softened. "My daughter still loves me the most."

As she spoke, she secretly glared at Shen Shiyan out of the corner of her eye, as if to show off, "Look, my daughter still loves me the most."

Shen Shiyan couldn't hide the smile in his eyes. Taking advantage of Liu's father's inattention, he served her another bowl of warm mushroom soup. "Eat slowly, don't choke."

This scene was witnessed by Chen's mother, who smiled and said to Liu's mother, "Look at these two children, how well they get along. Shi Yan is only so considerate to Yun Shu."

Liu's mother nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with relief as she looked at Liu Yunshu. "I'm relieved that Yunshu has him taking care of her at school."

Halfway through the meal, Chen's mother suddenly took out a small red box from her bag and stuffed it into Liu Yunshu's hand.

"Yunshu, this is a New Year's gift that your aunt prepared for you. It's a peace charm; wearing it will keep you safe and sound."

Liu Yunshu quickly declined, "Auntie, this is too precious, I can't accept it."

"Take it, take it," Mother Shen said, pressing her hand down with a kind smile. "This is Auntie's kind gesture. If you don't accept it, Auntie will be angry."

Shen Shiyan chimed in, "Take it, my mom spent a long time choosing it."

Liu Yunshu had no choice but to accept it, and thanked her softly, "Thank you, Auntie."

Seeing this, Liu's father reluctantly took out a red envelope from his pocket and stuffed it into Shen Shiyan's hand.

"Here, a New Year's red envelope, don't think it's too little." Although he said it was too little, the red envelope was quite thick.

Shen Shiyan smiled and accepted it, "Thank you, Uncle."

Looking at this heartwarming scene, Liu Yunshu felt a warmth in her heart.

She glanced furtively at Shen Shiyan beside her, and their eyes met his gentle gaze. They smiled at each other, everything understood without a word.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next day, Shen Shiyan arrived at Liu Yunshu's house early, carrying fresh vegetables and freshly baked buns and soy milk from the breakfast shop.

As soon as Liu's mother opened the door and saw him, she immediately greeted him with a smile: "Shiyan is here! So early! Come in and sit down."

"Good morning, Auntie. I thought Yunshu might not have had breakfast, so I bought some on the way."

After changing her shoes, Shen Shiyan skillfully put the breakfast into the kitchen and handed the vegetables to Liu's mother. "These are fresh from the market. We can make Yunshu her favorite stir-fried asparagus for lunch."

Liu Yunshu had just woken up and came out of her room wearing fluffy pajamas. She was taken aback when she saw him, but her eyes lit up: "Why are you here?"

"I've come to pick you up to go shopping for New Year's goods." Shen Shiyan walked over and casually tidied the stray hairs on her forehead. "Didn't you say you wanted to go to the supermarket last night? Now's the perfect time to go."

Mr. Liu stood up from the living room sofa, coughed lightly, and deliberately put on a stern face: "What are you shopping for? Yun Shu just woke up, she needs to eat first."

Despite saying that, she quietly moved closer to the dining table, making room for Shen Shiyan.

Liu Yunshu stuck out her tongue and pulled Shen Shiyan toward the dining table: "Okay, Dad, let's eat first, then we'll go."

After breakfast, the two prepared to go out. Liu's father followed behind, reluctantly handing over the car keys: "Take my car. It's cold outside, and riding a bike will make you feel freezing."

Shen Shiyan smiled and took the keys: "Thank you, Uncle."