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

After the car passed the Fourth Ring Road, the office buildings were left behind, and the glass curtain walls gradually gave way to low courtyard walls.

The Alphard turned at the intersection of two roads and stopped in front of a residential area at the foot of Xishan Mountain.

There was no relief fountain at the entrance, nor were there uniformed doormen lining up to greet the car.

The gray stone wall stretches along the foot of the mountain, and several old pine trees peek out from behind it.

The gate tower is low-set, with black characters in copper hanging under the eaves.

A security guard walked up to the car, checked the license plate, and asked the driver to state the visitor's name.

"Fang Yu and Liu Yifei are visiting Mr. Chen."

The security guard looked down at the registration form.

He remained calm upon hearing those two names.

He didn't even look up twice.

A reply came through the walkie-talkie, and he bent down to check the identification documents in the back row.

Only after the process was completed did the gatekeeper begin writing on the registration form.

The railing was raised.

The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road and entered the residential area.

The road inside is only wide enough for two cars to pass each other.

The walls of each house are not high, and there is no broken glass or electric fence on the top of the walls.

A few crabapple branches extend over the blue bricks, their buds yet to open, their leaves still shrouded in the chill of spring.

Occasionally, elderly people stroll along the road, their cloth shoes treading on the stone slabs, followed by middle-aged people carrying vegetable baskets.

Several cars were parked on the side of the road.

There were old, dusty red flags and off-road vehicles that had been driven for over ten years.

The car wasn't particularly eye-catching, but the number on the license plate was so high that it could make you go all-in in Texas Hold'em.

Fang Yu leaned back in his chair and glanced out the window.

"Teacher Chen, this place is great."

He clicked his tongue and surveyed the walls on both sides of the courtyard.

"How many songs do I have to sing to buy a toilet here?"

Liu Yifei turned her face to the side.

"Having money alone isn't enough to get in."

"Most of the people living in this area are retired seniors, as well as people from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the Writers Association."

"Prices are secondary; whether the gate can be opened depends on the applicant's resume."

Fang Yu nodded.

"Understood."

"The property ownership certificates here not only accept bank cards, but also award certificates."

The car turned onto a side road made of blue bricks and stopped in front of a detached courtyard.

The driver got out of the car and opened the back door.

Fang Yu stepped down first, stood beside the car, and stretched out his hand.

Liu Yifei helped him land by his wrist, her heels firmly planted on the blue bricks, and she straightened the hem of his trench coat with her other hand.

The trunk rises.

Liu Yifei took out a sandalwood box from inside.

The box surface is polished to a smooth finish, with copper plates around the four corners and ruyi patterns pressed onto the clasp.

She held it with both hands, making sure the box was facing the right way.

Fang Yu returned to the car door and picked up the old canvas bag from the armrest.

The two stood together.

A rosewood box paired with an old canvas bag.

One of them made a formal visit.

Someone was just going downstairs to pick up a package and dropping by on the way.

Fang Yu stared at the wooden box in her arms for a few moments, then shook his head and sighed.

"pity."

Liu Yifei glanced at him.

"What's a pity?"

"If we get married, bringing one gift today will be enough."

Fang Yu gestured with his lips toward the sandalwood box in her arms.

"Look at how much money we save during holidays and festivals."

Liu Yifei stopped adjusting her cuffs.

She looked down at the wooden box, then at the canvas bag Fang Yu was holding in his arms.

That makes sense.

Fang Yu raised his eyebrows, about to praise her for being good at managing her finances.

Liu Yifei then spoke.

"I'll lock this 'screaming' can at home then."

"So that I won't lose face with you."

Fang Yu immediately hugged the canvas bag tightly and took half a step back.

"Isn't that superficial?"

"The real stuff dug out of the mountains speaks for itself."

Liu Yifei glanced at the opening of the bag.

"It'd better just talk and not howl."

The two walked along the courtyard wall to the dark wooden door.

Liu Yifei raised her hand and rang the doorbell.

Footsteps came from inside the house, and the door lock popped open.

A middle-aged man in his fifties stood behind the door.

The dark Tang suit was neatly ironed, her hair was studded with silver thread, and the cuffs were rolled up neatly.

His gaze swept across the two faces, lingering for a moment on Fang Yu's canvas bag.

"Mr. Fang, Ms. Liu."

"Mr. Chen is waiting for you two in the tea room. Please come in."

"Thank you for your help." Liu Yifei nodded in acknowledgment.

Fang Yu also called out, "Master, sorry to bother you."

The middle-aged man stepped aside to make way for the doorway.

The two stepped over the threshold, and their feet landed on the bluestone slabs that led into the courtyard.

The stone slabs were polished smooth by the footsteps of passersby, and a thin layer of moss grew in the crevices.

"You can leave the things you brought here for now."

The middle-aged man raised his hand and pointed to the long table made of rosewood next to the entrance hall.

Liu Yifei stepped forward and placed the sandalwood box upright.

Fang Yu also placed the canvas bag aside.

"This way, gentlemen."

The courtyard is not big.

On the left is an old crabapple tree, and on the right are several old earthenware jars.

A few withered lotus leaves left over from last year float on the water's surface. When the wind blows, the leaves swirl around the edge of the jar.

Further ahead, there is a two-story building.

The middle-aged man pushed open the wooden door of the tea room on the first floor, waited for the two to enter, then closed the door and retreated back into the corridor.

The aroma of sandalwood and tea filled the room.

A rosewood tea table was placed by the window.

Chen Daoming sat in the main seat, his sleeves rolled up above his wrists, holding a teacup with wooden tweezers, rinsing each one in hot water.

White steam billowed from the spout of the kettle.

The shadows of crabapple branches outside the window fall on the tea table, and with a gust of wind, the shadows sway.

Footsteps entered the tea room, and Chen Daoming looked up.

"You're here?"

"sit."

Fang Yu pulled out a round-backed chair and sat down, without the awkwardness of a junior meeting a senior.

He parted the hem of his coat to the sides and leaned back steadily in the chair.

Liu Yifei sat down beside him and first respectfully greeted him, "Teacher Chen."

"Don't be shy at home."

Chen Daoming put down the wooden tweezers and placed a teacup for each of them.

Green tea or black tea?

Fang Yu casually picked up a walnut from the fruit plate and rolled it twice in his palm.

"When in Rome, do as the host does."

"Even if you give me plain water today, I can still taste the sweetness in it."

Chen Daoming lifted his eyelids to look at him.

"Haven't seen you for more than half a month, you haven't improved in anything else, but you've gotten even more shameless."

"It's mainly because I feel uncomfortable being with you, Mr. Chen."

Fang Yu switched the walnut to his other hand and smiled frankly.

"I'm very shy in front of others; I don't even dare to eat three bowls of rice in one meal."

Chen Daoming smiled and picked up the teapot.

The spout was lowered, and the tea soup fell into the two cups one after the other, with steam rising along the rim of the cups.

Liu Yifei took the teacup with both hands and took a sip.

The rim of the cup obscured the smile on her lips.

The three chatted for a few minutes.

Chen Daoming put the teapot back by the stove and looked up at Fang Yu.

"I also invited a few friends today."

"They're all in the industry, so it's a good opportunity for you to meet them."