After the spiritual energy was restored: Goddess girlfriends came knocking.

Time flies, and it's New Year's Eve.

The snow gradually stopped.

Lin Chu got up very early, swept the last bit of snow off the yard, and then moved a table out and placed it in the center of the yard.

Mr. Chen peeked out of the house, watched him bustling around, said nothing, just smiled and shook his head before retreating back inside.

When Cang Yao arrived, she was carrying a blue cloth bundle in her arms.

She wore a new dress today, a light red one, which made her face appear even whiter.

Her hair seemed to have been re-braided, neatly coiled at the back of her head and secured with a silver hairpin.

"Lin Chu!" She stood at the courtyard gate, her voice a beat higher than usual, "Look what I brought!"

She held up the blue cloth bundle and waved it in front of him, her face clearly saying, "Ask me, ask me quickly."

Lin Chu took the bundle and opened it.

Inside was a garment.

It was light blue, and the fabric wasn't the best, but the stitches were fine and every seam was straight.

The collar, cuffs, and hem were all neatly finished.

The style of the clothes was the kind of long gown that Confucian scholars often wore, simple and without any extra decorations, with only a small, crooked "初" character embroidered on the inside of the collar.

The embroidery of the character "初" wasn't very pretty; it looked like a child's handwriting when they first learned to write, but every stitch was very well done.

"You did this?" Lin Chu looked up.

Cang Yao nodded vigorously, her eyes shining as if they held two stars: "Try them on."

Lin Chu looked down at the dress again, her fingers tracing the character "Chu" on the collar. Her lips twitched as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she only whispered, "Okay."

He turned and went inside.

Cang Yao stood in the courtyard, her hands clasped together, her toes tapping the ground repeatedly.

Mr. Chen came out of the house at some point and stood on the porch, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, looking at her with a smile.

"Yao girl, did you make these clothes yourself?"

"Yes!" Cang Yao nodded, her tone tinged with pride. "It took a very, very long time."

"I can see that," Mr. Chen said, taking a sip of tea. "The character '初' (chu, meaning 'beginning') is embroidered very well... very spiritedly."

Cang Yao smiled sheepishly and said softly, "I've practiced so many times, but I'm too clumsy and I can never embroider it well."

The curtain was lifted, and Lin Chu walked out.

Cang Yao's gaze fell on him.

Surprisingly, the blue robe fit Lin Chu perfectly.

His clothes fell just above his ankles, and his waist was perfectly cinched, making him look even more upright and handsome.

He already had a scholarly air about him, and wearing this Confucian scholar's robe made him look even more like a well-read scholar.

However, his expression remained as calm as ever, creating an inexplicable contrast with his attire.

"Wow," Cang Yao exclaimed softly.

She walked around Lin Chu, looking her up and down, her eyes growing brighter and brighter.

"It looks beautiful, beautiful, beautiful." She said "beautiful" three times in a row, and then added, "I knew it would look beautiful."

Lin Chu looked down at herself, then looked up at Cang Yao, and turned her face away uncomfortably: "...It's alright."

"What do you mean 'okay'!" Cang Yao exclaimed anxiously, "It's clearly very beautiful! Mr. Chen, don't you think so!"

Mr. Chen, holding his teacup, nodded slowly and deliberately: "Hmm, he looks respectable."

"..."

noon.

Three sets of bowls and chopsticks were placed in the courtyard.

Mr. Chen sat in the main seat, with Lin Chu and Cang Yao sitting on either side.

The dishes on the table weren't many, but they were plentiful—there was fish, meat, vegetables, and a pot of Mr. Chen's treasured old wine.

The pheasant that Cang Yao brought was stewed into a pot of golden soup, and its aroma filled the courtyard.

"The most important thing about Chinese New Year is family reunion." Mr. Chen raised his glass, smiling at the two young people in front of him. "It's good that there's an extra person in the family this year."

Cang Yao held up a glass of fruit wine, mimicking Mr. Chen's gesture, and said earnestly, "Mr. Chen, Lin Chu, Happy New Year."

"Happy Chinese New Year," Lin Chu said.

The three cups clinked together, making a crisp sound.

Cang Yao took a small sip of the fruit wine, squinted her eyes because of the spiciness, stuck out her tongue, but still finished the rest.

A thin blush quickly spread across her cheeks.

Seeing her expression, Mr. Chen smiled and poured her another glass: "Drink slowly, this wine has a strong aftereffect."

"It's delicious!" Cang Yao's eyes sparkled. "It's sweet."

"That's fruit wine, of course it's sweet," Lin Chu said, moving her glass a little away. "But don't drink too much."

"Oh." Cang Yao obediently responded, then picked up another piece of fish with her chopsticks and put it in her mouth.

Mr. Chen couldn't suppress the smile on his face as he watched this scene.

He has lived for so many years and has seen too many people and things.

Lin Chu is a cold and quiet child who has never been close to anyone since she was a child.

He once worried that the child might live a lonely life.

Unexpectedly, he was caught by a little girl.

Mr. Chen glanced at Cang Yao again.

This girl's origins and identity are unknown; everything about her is a mystery.

Her fair skin, her expensive silk clothes, and her innocent and carefree personality all indicate that she is not from an ordinary family.

Mr. Chen picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and glanced between Cang Yao and Lin Chu.

The two boys sat side by side. Lin Chu put a piece of fish on Cang Yao's plate. Cang Yao whispered something, and Lin Chu turned her head to listen. The two of them were very close to each other.

How great.

Mr. Chen sighed inwardly.

Who cares what it is? As long as the two children are okay, that's more important than anything else.

After the meal, Cangyao helped clear the dishes.

Her movements while washing dishes were clumsy, clearly indicating that she hadn't done this kind of work much before. The bowl slipped from her hands several times, and she almost dropped and broke one.

Lin Chu, who had been watching from the side, finally couldn't resist walking over and taking the bowl from her hands.

"I'll do it."

"I'll wash it too," Cang Yao retorted.

"I knew you could," Lin Chu said, putting the bowl into the basin, "but you're washing it too slowly."

Cang Yao pursed her lips and stood aside watching Lin Chu wash the dishes.

The moonlight shone into the courtyard, turning the snow-covered ground silvery-white.

Occasionally, a few firecrackers could be heard in the distance, as villagers stayed up to welcome the New Year.

"Lin Chu," Cang Yao suddenly spoke.

"Um."

I like the New Year.

Lin Chu paused in her washing of dishes, turning her head to look at her: "Don't you celebrate the New Year where you're from?"

Cang Yao rolled her eyes quietly, shook her head, and didn't say anything more.

Lin Chu did not press further.

He finished washing the last bowl, dried his hands with a cloth, then took something out of his sleeve and handed it to Cang Yao.

"For you."

It was a comb.

It's made of wood, not big, just the right size to hold in your hand.

The back of the comb is engraved with shallow water ripples, the lines are smooth, as if they were carved stroke by stroke with a very fine knife.

"A New Year's gift," Lin Chu said calmly, as if she were talking about something very ordinary. "You have long hair, you'll need it."

Cang Yao took the comb and examined it several times.

Her fingers traced the water ripples on the back of the comb, then touched the rounded teeth, before she gripped the comb tightly in her hand and looked up at Lin Chu.

Her eyes were sparkling.

"Lin Chu."

"Um?"

"Did you make this?"

"Um."

"I love so much."

Cang Yao smiled so much that her eyes narrowed, the corners of her eyes curving like two crescent moons.

……

It was late at night, and Cangyao had to go back.

She stood at the courtyard gate, holding the book "Thousand Character Classic" in one hand and the wooden comb in the other, and glanced back at Lin Chu.

"Then I'm leaving."

"Mm," Lin Chu said.

Cang Yao glanced at him again, then turned and ran off into the night.

Her steps were light and quick, as if she were walking on clouds.

Deep in the East Sea, Cang Yao pushed open the door to her bedchamber, carefully placed the comb next to her pillow, then lay down, turned to her side, and looked at the comb.

She reached out her finger and gently touched the water ripples on the back of the comb, then withdrew it as if afraid of damaging it.

Xiao Xiao peeked out from the corner, glanced at her, then looked at the comb, before pulling her head back in and muttering something under her breath.

"It's all over, my sister is completely hopeless."

Cang Yao heard it, but she did not refute it.

She simply moved the comb closer to the pillow and then closed her eyes.

The smile on her lips was impossible to stop.