A woman in her 70s marries a rough-looking man; her plump wife is too delicate and alluring.

He Zhaoyang unfolded his cotton-padded coat, gesturing for him to raise his hand.

He slipped his hand into his sleeve, and she stood in front of him, bending down to straighten his collar. They were very close, so close that Sheng Yuze could smell the fragrance of her hair when he looked down.

He Zhaoyang took a step back and looked him up and down. The navy blue suit made him look much fairer.

"Turn around so I can see you," she said.

Sheng Yuze obediently turned around.

"Alright, that's suitable." He Zhaoyang nodded in satisfaction and reached out to help him take off his cotton-padded coat.

Sheng Yuze did not move.

"I'm not taking it off anymore," he said.

He Zhaoyang was stunned: "You don't take off your clothes when you sleep?"

"I won't take it off tonight." Sheng Yuze looked down at his cotton-padded jacket and touched the collar.

He Zhaoyang looked at him for a while, then couldn't help but laugh. "Whatever."

After saying that, she turned around and went to make the bed. She was secretly smiling as her back was to him.

Sheng Yuze sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) wearing a new cotton-padded jacket, looking down and touching the new clothes, which his wife had sewn.

He Zhaoyang finished making the bed and turned to look at him: "Stop touching it, or it'll get dirty."

Sheng Yuze immediately stopped touching it.

He Zhaoyang put on a stern face, "Hurry up and take it off, or I won't sleep with you tonight."

Sheng Yuze quickly took off his clothes and lay down, saying, "Let's sleep together."

He Zhaoyang chuckled in the darkness as he turned off the light.

"What are you laughing at?" Sheng Yuze asked.

"It's nothing."

Sheng Yuze seemed dissatisfied with He Zhaoyang's answer and suddenly turned over and hugged He Zhaoyang.

He Zhaoyang froze for a moment when he was suddenly hugged.

What are you doing?

"Nothing."

Sheng Yuze didn't let go, and even buried his face in the back of her neck.

He Zhaoyang shrank his neck slightly. "Your hair is poking me."

"Then don't move."

He Zhaoyang was speechless. "Are you even being reasonable?"

Sheng Yuze didn't speak, but looked up at He Zhaoyang with bright eyes.

He Zhaoyang felt uncomfortable under his gaze and was about to say "Stop looking," but before he could say it, he had already spoken.

Sheng Yuze leaned in and kissed her on the lips.

It stopped after a light touch.

His lips were warm, with a slight smell of alcohol. The moment was so short that He Zhaoyang didn't even have time to react before he had already retreated.

He Zhaoyang froze. Something seemed to explode in his mind, leaving him completely blank.

Sheng Yuze was still in front of He Zhaoyang, their noses almost touching, and He Zhaoyang could feel Sheng Yuze's warm breath.

She opened her mouth briefly, but then closed it again, not knowing what to say.

"you."

She only managed to utter one word before she couldn't continue; her heart was pounding wildly.

Sheng Yuze pulled her closer, resting his chin on the top of her head. "I like it."

He Zhaoyang remained silent, unsure of how to react, and even somewhat at a loss.

Gradually, the breathing around him became even, and He Zhaoyang dared to breathe deeply.

She raised her hand to touch her lips, then lowered it again.

My heart is still racing.

New Year's Day.

He Zhaoyang was awakened by the sound of firecrackers. When she woke up, Sheng Yuze was not beside her. She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn't know if Sheng Yuze still remembered what happened last night.

He Zhaoyang had just washed his face and finished exchanging New Year's greetings with Sheng Yuze, Sheng Huaimin, and Qin Meng when the door was pounded on loudly.

"Yuze, sister-in-law, open the door quickly, we've come to wish you a Happy New Year."

He Zhaoyang opened the door, and there were two people standing in the doorway. Lu Xingguo was standing at the front, holding two bottles of wine in his hand.

Lu Xiao wore a white jacket and skirt with gray fur trim on the collar and cuffs. The waist was perfectly fitted, and the hem was slightly flared out.

"Sister-in-law!" Lu Xiao hugged He Zhaoyang tightly. "You know what, sister-in-law, the clothes you designed are amazing! I've never seen such fashionable clothes abroad. When I went to visit relatives today, everyone asked me where I bought them."

He Zhaoyang laughed. She definitely hadn't seen it before; she'd added modern elements.

"Let's go inside."

As soon as Lu Xingguo and Lu Xiao entered the house, they wished the old lady and Qin Meng a Happy New Year, which made them smile from ear to ear.

Sheng Huaimin also remarked that only these two children had come.

"Sister-in-law," Lu Xiao sat down next to He Zhaoyang, lowering her voice, "how about selling your cooking skills?"

He Zhaoyang paused in peeling the orange, glanced at Lu Xiao, and said, "Aren't you suggesting I engage in speculation and profiteering?"

"No way," Lu Xiao quickly shook her head, lowering her voice even further. "It's not about selling clothes, it's about processing fees. People bring you fabric, you cut it, you sew it, and you charge a labor fee. The fabric belongs to them; you're doing processing, not selling."

He Zhaoyang didn't reply. He broke off a segment of the peeled orange and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly.

Lu Xiao continued, "I know many wealthy and powerful women who have come to inquire where I bought this dress."

He Zhaoyang chewed on his orange without speaking, seemingly lost in thought. After a short while, he finally spoke, "You mean, only for those people?"

Lu Xiao realized that she hadn't directly refused, so she moved closer to her and lowered her voice even further.

"They have money and don't care about the cost of the fabric, let alone the processing fee. For them, charging ten or twenty yuan for processing a piece of clothing is just the cost of a meal."

She paused, glanced at He Zhaoyang, and said, "Besides, their circle is small. If they go out and ask each other, the others will naturally follow suit."

"Most importantly, this is a circle, sister-in-law, a circle of the rich and powerful."

Lu Xiao didn't spell it out too clearly, but He Zhaoyang already understood.

She nodded thoughtfully. "Okay."

Lu Xiao became excited, "That's great, sister-in-law! Besides this kind, can you make other kinds of clothes?"

He Zhaoyang smiled, "Of course. Just tell me your needs, and I can make it."

In modern times, she loves buying all kinds of beautiful clothes, and even studied fashion design, becoming quite adept at making clothes.

Lu Xiao's eyes lit up.

Just as they were discussing it, people from the He family arrived.

He Weiye arrived with his family, went straight to the main room, sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), and said, "Happy New Year, in-laws!"

Qin Meng and the old lady did not speak.

He uttered polite New Year's greetings, but his eyes were taking in the furnishings of the room and the fruit platter on the table.

He Yaozu followed behind him, and as soon as he entered the room, his eyes were fixed on the candy plate on the table. He reached out and grabbed a handful, taking all the chocolates inside.

Taking the chocolate wasn't enough; she went straight to He Zhaoyang, kicked her, and yelled, "Give me a red envelope!"

Lu Xiao was stunned. "Where did this brat come from?!"

He Yaozu glared at her. "Did I say anything to you?"

He Xidi walked straight to Sheng Yuze and said, "Brother-in-law, Happy New Year."

Sheng Yuze continued playing chess with Sheng Huaimin, ignoring her completely.

Sheng Kaiyuan and Li Xuanxue didn't say a word; neither of them welcomed the arrival of this family.

"Wow!"

For some reason, He Yaozu suddenly burst into loud sobs. Liu Aiyun immediately stood up and slapped He Zhaoyang across the face, "You brat, did you make Yaozu cry?"