Oh no, the aloof school beauty has been reborn too!

The kitchen was filled with steam, and the range hood hummed softly overhead.

Liu Chunmei chopped the last piece of braised fish out of the pot, pouring the broth over the fish and filling the room with its aroma.

"Wait a minute, this fish is fresh out of the pot and it's very hot."

Lu Xing steadied the plate, walked lightly towards the living room.

The dining table was already fully set.

Fried meatballs, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised chicken with mushrooms, and this fish—the whole table is full.

Liu Chunmei took off her apron, wiped her hands, and looked at the table of dishes with satisfaction.

"Alright, everyone, please sit down."

Lu Ningning had been waiting by the table for a while, twirling her chopsticks in her hand.

After Liu Chunmei sat down, she looked at her family and sighed softly.

Another year has passed.

Lu Shoucheng took a sip of wine.

"This year has been pretty good."

Their family has indeed had a very good year.

My son got into Jiangnan University with good grades, and the small supermarket business is still stable.

Although the factory is busy, wages have not been delayed at all.

Lu Ningning's chopsticks had already secretly reached towards the ribs.

But just as he touched the edge of the plate, Liu Chunmei stopped him with a chopstick.

"What's the rush? Let your dad start eating first."

"oops……"

"It's okay, eat up."

Lu Shoucheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to get started.

Liu Chunmei first put a piece of fish on Lu Xing's plate.

"Eat more, the school cafeteria isn't as good as home, is it?"

Lu Xing looked down at the fish in the bowl, smiled, and then put a piece of spare rib on Lu Ningning's plate.

Just as Lu Ningning was about to be moved, she heard him slowly add:

"Eat more, it'll nourish your brain."

"..."

She was so angry that her face puffed up, but she could only devour the rib and decide to swallow all her resentment.

The sound of firecrackers outside the window was continuous, and on the Spring Festival Gala stage on TV, backup dancers were swirling around the singer.

Liu Chunmei ate while muttering to herself:

"Listen to the noise outside. There are far more people setting off fireworks in Nanhe this year than last year."

Lu Xing lowered his head and ate his rice, a slight smile playing on his lips.

The New Year's Eve dinner in my previous life was actually quite similar to the one I have now.

It was the same dishes, and the sound of firecrackers drowned out the television.

He was just too immature back then...

Lu Shoucheng took another sip of wine and looked at Lu Xing.

"At school, you don't need to be too frugal."

Lu Xing paused slightly in his movements and looked up.

Lu Shoucheng didn't look at him; his gaze remained fixed on the television. He added, "..."

"Money that needs to be spent... should be spent."

Liu Chunmei paused briefly while picking up food, but quickly resumed her normal actions.

She added a piece of chicken to Lu Ningning's bowl without saying a word.

"Okay, Dad."

Lu Shoucheng didn't say anything more, just nodded, picked up his chopsticks and took a piece of meat.

……

Halfway through her meal, Lu Ningning's phone suddenly "dinged".

She looked down and saw that the class group was sending out red envelopes.

"I got it! I got it!"

She looked up, her face beaming with excitement:

"Six cents!"

"..."

The air was still for half a second.

Liu Chunmei couldn't help but laugh first:

"Take away the young master?"

"...Six mao eight."

Lu Xing lowered his head and continued eating, casually adding insult to injury:

"Not bad, at least you didn't get nothing at all."

"And how much can you steal?"

Lu Xing took out his phone and opened the dormitory group chat.

Lin Yuanzhou had just sent a red envelope, and he casually clicked on it...

"Oh, eighteen yuan."

Lu Ningning's chopsticks were suspended in mid-air, her eyes wide open.

"Why should I?!"

"It's a matter of character."

Lu Ningning was so angry that she picked up another piece of pork rib.

Lu Xing smiled helplessly and sent a red envelope in the dormitory group chat.

The popular red envelopes are ultimately just for fun.

……

After finishing her meal, Liu Chunmei began to clear the dishes.

Lu Xing insisted on washing the dishes, but she kicked him out.

"I'll wash the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner. It only happens once a year, so don't argue with me."

Lu Xing didn't try to take it by force, and turned back to the living room.

It's said that washing dishes after the New Year's Eve dinner is some kind of tradition...

However, he didn't understand these things very well, so he went along with Liu Chunmei.

Lu Shoucheng leaned back on the sofa, his eyelids drooping halfway, looking like he was about to fall asleep but hadn't actually fallen asleep yet.

Lu Ningning sat cross-legged in a corner of the sofa, the light from the screen reflecting on her face.

The red envelope rain had long since stopped, and she was scrolling through her social media, looking at the photos of New Year's Eve dinners posted by her classmates.

Some people showed off a table full of dishes, some showed off new clothes, and some showed off Spring Festival couplets and paper-cut window decorations.

She clicked through the items one by one, occasionally giving a thumbs up.

Lu Xing sat down next to her and casually picked up a tangerine from the coffee table.

He peeled it slowly, the delicate scent of oranges spreading across his fingertips.

Time passed slowly, but the sound of firecrackers outside the window never stopped, sometimes near, sometimes far.

On the television, a group of girls in cheongsams are singing a very old New Year's song.

Lu Shoucheng's breathing gradually became even at some point.

After Liu Chunmei finished washing the dishes, she took a blanket and gently covered him with it before sitting down beside him.

"Your dad hasn't been drinking much this year, but he's been falling asleep quite quickly."

Lu Xing glanced at his father's profile but said nothing.

In just a few hours, it will be the new year.

……

The countdown to the Spring Festival Gala hasn't even started yet, but the sound of firecrackers outside the window is already getting louder and louder.

"Half an hour left."

Lu Ningning yawned.

I'm sleepy.

Liu Chunmei glanced at her.

"This year is good; last year I was asleep by 10 p.m."

"Because I've grown up~"

Liu Chunmei was amused by her:

"You've grown up? Then what am I now?"

"You...you are the Heavenly Child Granny!"

Liu Chunmei pretended to hit her, and Lu Ningning immediately put her feet off the sofa and shrank back towards Lu Xing.

……

As midnight drew closer, Liu Chunmei got up and went to the kitchen.

"I'm going to cook dumplings; we'll eat them for New Year's Eve."

Lu Ningning immediately perked up.

"What kind of filling?"

"Chives and pork, and also cabbage."

"I want to eat twenty!"

"Can you finish it?"

Lu Ningning nodded seriously.

Liu Chunmei's lips twitched slightly, and she turned and went into the kitchen.

For a moment, only Lu Shoucheng's soft snoring and the faint sounds of singing and dancing from the television filled the living room.

Lu Xing waited for a moment, then stood up and walked naturally towards the room.

Lu Ningning secretly glanced at him.

I'm definitely going to chat with that Shen Qingyi!

……

The bedroom door closed gently, cutting off half of the sound of firecrackers outside.

The road vehicle did not have its lights on.

Night seeped in through the window, carrying the faint glow of distant fireworks.

He took out his phone and typed on the screen:

Lu Xing: [Can I make a phone call now?]

Shen Qingyi: [Sure!]

The phone was answered after only two rings.

"Feed~?"

A familiar voice came from the other end, soft and seemingly with a hint of coquetry.

"It's so noisy over there."

Lu walked to the window and pushed it open a crack.

The sound of firecrackers immediately filled the room, and he quickly closed the window.

"Here in Nanhe... firecrackers are being set off everywhere."

Shen Qingyi chuckled softly.

Lu Xing naturally continued the conversation.

"And what about your end?"

"Firecrackers are not allowed in my neighborhood."

"...Wasn't it very quiet?"

"Um……"

She paused.

"Dad is watching the Spring Festival Gala in the living room, and Mom is looking at her phone."

Lu Xing asked again:

What did you eat tonight?

"Have you had the steamed fish and egg drop soup that Auntie made?"

Aunt……?

It wasn't Mom who made it.

"And you? What did you eat tonight?"

Shen Qingyi countered with a question.

"Hmm... I ate fried meatballs, sweet and sour pork ribs, braised fish, and chicken stew with mushrooms."

"Wow, this is such a feast!"

"My mom makes a huge feast every Lunar New Year's Eve. We can't finish it all, so we can continue to eat it on the second and third days of the Lunar New Year."

Lu Xing paused for a moment, then laughed.

"However, you probably already know this, right?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a girl's soft laughter.

"Yes, that's great."

"By the way, how's Ningning?"

"Didn't you say that after her results came out, she was so nervous she wanted to bury her head in a bowl?"

Lu Xing laughed out loud.

"She just grabbed several pieces of pork ribs and completely forgot about her grades."

"I even tried to grab a red envelope, though I only got 68 cents."

"Sixty-eight cents?"

Shen Qingyi smiled too.

"It seems a bit tragic."

Lu Xing glanced at the door behind him and shrugged.

"She even thinks she's very lucky."

Shen Qingyi thought of something and said with a smile:

"Yeah, just like you, I always feel like I'm incredibly lucky."

"I'm really lucky."

"Um?"

"Otherwise, how could he have been won over by a certain school beauty?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone, followed by the girl's suppressed laughter.

"Who's pursuing whom? You confessed first, shameless!"

"Who asked for WeChat first?"

"That's because... humph."

Lu Xing chuckled, and another burst of firecrackers exploded outside the window.

He glanced down at the time.

"It'll be New Year's Day in half an hour."

"Hmm."

"Qingyi..."

"Um?"

"Happy New Year."

"...Idiot, it's not time yet."

"I couldn't resist, so I'm just letting you know in advance."

Shen Qingyi smiled.

Happy New Year, Lu!

Someone outside the window set off a string of really loud firecrackers, which crackled and popped for several seconds before stopping.

After the room quieted down, only the faint static of the telephone could be heard.

"Land travel..."

Shen Qingyi called his name softly again.

"Um?"

"A new year..."

"Um."

"We all need to take good care of ourselves."

Lu Xing held the phone even closer.

"Yes, we'll all be fine."

……

As the two chatted, the clock ticked away.

Lu Xing leaned against the window, looking at the night view of Nanhe.

Fireworks lit up the distant sky, exploding in a riot of colors before quickly fading away.

On television, the hosts began a countdown in unison.

10, 9, 8, 7...

At that moment, the sound of firecrackers outside the window suddenly exploded, almost drowning out all other sounds.

As Lu Xing gazed at the fireworks filling the sky, he whispered into his phone:

Happy New Year, my wife.

Shen Qingyi's heart skipped a beat.

She couldn't help but laugh, wanting to scold him a little, but the words that came out were...

Happy New Year, honey.