Taking Liu Yifei back to Northeast China for the Chinese New Year has sent the entire internet into

the next day.

The second day of the new year.

Today is the day when married daughters return to their parents' home.

The sky was just beginning to lighten.

Zhao Guifang changed into a red turtleneck cashmere sweater and combed her hair meticulously.

Fang Daqiang then stuffed bags and packages of New Year's goods into the trunk of the van.

Their destination was Hongqi Town.

That was the northernmost old forest farm in the county, the place where the older generation of forest farm workers settled down.

The bread truck travels along the forest road.

On both sides are towering red pines and white birches, with a vast and desolate snow scene.

The snow weighed down the branches, and occasionally a clump of snow would fall from above, hitting the roadside with a muffled thud and splashing up a cloud of white mist.

Liu Yifei pressed her forehead against the car window, gazing at the snow-covered forest rushing past outside.

"How spectacular..."

She muttered to herself.

Fang Yu, who was catching up on sleep next to him, spoke up lazily.

"What's so spectacular about it? When I was a child, I could see black bears on this road when I visited my maternal grandfather's house."

"Black...Black Bear?"

Liu Yifei abruptly pulled her forehead back.

"You mean... a bear?"

Fang Yu smiled.

"rest assured."

"Black bears hibernate in winter, so the chances of them coming out now are slim."

He paused, then added:

"I guess so."

Liu Yifei: "..."

She silently pulled her hand back from the car window and shrank further into the seat.

The sheet metal on this bread truck seems a bit thin.

……

The van turned onto a narrower dirt road and, after a few bumpy minutes, stopped at the gate of a house enclosed by a wooden fence.

An old man wearing a thick cotton-padded coat stood at the entrance of the courtyard.

He held a pipe in his right hand, his left hand behind his back, and an old yellow dog lay at his feet.

The old man showed no expression when he saw the bread truck stop.

He exhaled a thick puff of white smoke and nodded slightly.

"They're here."

After saying that, he turned and walked into the house.

The old yellow dog slowly got up, wagging its tail as it followed.

This is Fang Yu's maternal grandfather.

The retired forestry worker spent most of his life cutting down trees in these mountains.

next second.

"Oh, you're here! Come on in!"

In stark contrast to Grandpa's silence, Grandma's loud voice came from inside the house.

An elderly woman wearing a blue apron came out of the house with a smile. She was plump and had a big smile on her face.

Her gaze passed over Fang Yu and Fang Daqiang, locking onto Liu Yifei at the back of the crowd.

"This must be Yifei, right?"

Before Liu Yifei could reply, her grandmother quickly walked over and grabbed her hand.

I looked it over from head to toe; it seemed so rare and wonderful.

"Fang Yu's mother has been calling and talking about you for a while now, saying you're really handsome."

"It looks even better today than on TV!"

The old lady patted Liu Yifei's hand and nodded repeatedly.

"Grandma, you flatter me..."

Liu Yifei had barely uttered a polite remark when her grandmother grabbed her arm and pulled her into the house.

Fang Yu and Fang Daqiang, on the other hand, remained where they were.

The father and son exchanged a glance.

Fang Daqiang sighed and opened the trunk.

"Let's move."

……

Upon entering the room, a strong wave of heat hit me.

The room wasn't big, but it was kept spotless and bright.

Something was simmering in a large iron pot on the stove, filling the air with a delicious aroma.

As soon as Zhao Guifang entered the kitchen, she took the apron off her grandmother's waist and tied it around her own body.

"Mom, you go and rest on the kang (heated brick bed), chat with Yifei for a bit, I'll take care of things here!"

Fang Daqiang also pushed his father-in-law away from the stove, squatted down himself, and skillfully added firewood to start the fire.

"Dad, let me cook it. I know how to control the heat."

Grandpa didn't stand on ceremony, nodded, and strolled into the inner room.

He walked straight to an old-fashioned wooden cabinet.

He bent down and took out a tin tea canister from the deepest part of the cabinet.

The words "Fuding Baihao Yinzhen" on the jar have faded.

Fang Yu's eyelid twitched.

Grandpa treasured this can of tea for over ten years.

Fang Yu had only tried it twice in his life.

One time was the year he was admitted to high school, and the other time was when he signed with a management company and officially debuted.

Grandpa calmly brewed a pot of tea.

Then he poured two glasses himself.

A cup was placed in front of Liu Yifei.

Another cup was placed in front of Fang Yu.

"Have some tea."

It's still just two words.

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back and strolled into the yard to smoke his pipe.

Fang Yu picked up the cup and carefully took a sip.

The tea soup is clear and yellow, with a refreshing and sweet taste, and a subtle fragrance slowly unfolds on the tip of the tongue.

Delicious.

It's fucking delicious.

Fang Yu looked at Liu Yifei with mixed feelings.

I silently said to myself:

Thank you so much, sis. I'm really grateful to you today.

Liu Yifei also held the steaming cup of tea, taking small sips.

She didn't know at first what the cup of tea meant.

But she clearly saw Fang Yu's exaggerated expression of being flattered and as if he had found a treasure when he picked up the teacup.

She understood instantly.

This cup of tea is quite substantial.

The viewers in the live stream also noticed this detail.

Wait... Fang Yu's expression changed when he saw the tea canister?

[Can anyone explain this to me? What's the story behind this cup of tea?]

My grandfather did the same thing! He had a bottle of Moutai that he'd kept for over ten years, saying he'd only open it on my wedding day! The same goes for tea!

Grandpa doesn't talk much, but he handled things perfectly! This is the highest level of recognition!

Liu Yifei sat on the warm edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), curiously looking around the room.

Soon, her gaze was drawn to a glass photo frame that was crammed full of pictures on the wall.

In the very center of the frame is a black and white photograph that looks very old.

In the photo, an eighteen or nineteen-year-old girl stands in front of a mountain of logs.

She wore two thick, black braids, a red cotton-padded jacket, and smiled with her eyes crinkling, exuding a youthful charm and innocent shyness.

Liu Yifei stared at the girl for several seconds, feeling that her features were somehow familiar.

"Isn't it beautiful?"

Fang Yu, who was sitting to the side, suddenly spoke up.

"This is my mom when she was eighteen."

Liu Yifei's eyes widened instantly.

She looked incredulously at the kitchen just beyond the curtain.

Zhao Guifang was holding a spatula in one hand and a wok spatula in the other, giving a powerful and resonant command to the entire scene.

"Old Fang, turn the heat down! It'll burn if you keep going!"

Liu Yifei turned back and looked at the shy, quiet girl with braided hair in the photo.

His mouth opened and closed, closed and opened again.

This……

Is this really the same person?

This change is too drastic!

Grandma, who was sitting on the kang (a heated brick bed) peeling peanuts, slowly began to speak.

"Are you stunned, my daughter?"

"Guifang back then..."

"Just like you are now."

"She's very quiet and speaks in a whisper, like a mosquito buzzing. If she raises her voice even slightly, she'll blush for a long time."

Liu Yifei's eyes widened.

Aunt Zhao Guifang?

Does it sound like a mosquito's buzz?

Grandma got more and more excited as she talked, and the smile lines at the corners of her mouth deepened.

"The first time he visited the Fang family and met Fang Yu's father, he blushed so much."

"Look at yourself now, hey, it's not the same person at all."

Grandma couldn't help but laugh as she recounted this.

In the kitchen, Zhao Guifang's voice suddenly rose eight octaves, tinged with a hint of embarrassment and anger.

"Mom! That happened so many years ago, why are you bringing it up in front of the children!"

Grandma completely ignored her, pushed the peeled peanuts in front of Fang Yu and Liu Yifei, and continued with a smile:

"The Fang family's ways are really strange."

"A lady went in, and a female bandit came out."

After saying that, Grandma's gaze swept over her.

Liu Yifei felt a chill run down her spine.

Female bandit...

These three words, like a terrifying prophecy, echoed wildly in her mind.

She couldn't help but think of herself these past few days—

The version of myself lying on the ground frantically making snowballs, shouting "Eat this!"

That version of myself, yelling and screaming while holding a Gatling gun!

That version of myself, licking the iron railing like a fool!

That version of myself kneeling on the ground, kowtowing to Fang Yu!

……

Scenes flashed wildly through her mind.

She subconsciously looked down at her hands.

These delicate hands, which have been used since childhood while playing the piano and applying the most expensive hand cream, have been featured in countless close-up shots...

Even now, there are still specks of mud left under my fingernails from yesterday's snowball fight.

She glanced again at Zhao Guifang in the kitchen, who was carrying a large iron pot with one hand and whose voice could shake dust off the rafters.

My heart skipped a beat.

Is it...

This...is this my future?

Wait, that's not right.

No, no, no!

I and Fang Yu are just partners!

Why would I worry about these things!