Chapter 95: Visiting

The children were on the verge of tears, their little faces pitiful as they looked at Leng Xiao. “Eldest Brother, please don’t get the coin again, okay?”

Only one coin was left!

They needed to leave some chance for others too.

Originally, the five coins were meant for one per person. They didn’t know whether it was Leng Xiao’s luck being too good or their own being too poor.

But there were four of them, right? Could they really not compete against Eldest Brother alone?

No matter what, they refused to believe it!

Yes, absolutely refused to believe it!

Leng Xiao’s thin lips couldn’t help but curve slightly as he sighed lightly, “I won’t eat boiled dumplings anymore. I’ll eat pan-fried dumplings instead.”

“Good, good! You’re so considerate!” Wen Nuan Nuan praised.

Before her words had even faded—

Clink.

Leng Xiao bit into the last remaining coin.

Wen Nuan Nuan turned to look at Leng Chen and Leng Yun, nearly crying. “Didn’t you say there were no coins in the pan-fried dumplings?”

Leng Chen and Leng Yun were also close to tears, raising their hands in protest. “We really didn’t wrap any coins in them!”

Four pairs of eyes fixed on Leng Xiao, their gazes so intense they seemed ready to bore a hole through him.

Leng Xiao held up the half-eaten dumpling. “This one is cabbage and pork filling. Somehow it got mixed in with the leek dumplings and was pan-fried together.”

Wen Nuan Nuan was beyond tears now. The male lead with his immense luck—truly someone not to be messed with!

Turning around, she saw the three little ones looking even more dejected than her.

Children, after all, placed more importance on these ceremonial things and cared more about them.

Leng Xiao stood up and placed the four coins one by one into their hands. “One each.”

Immediately, smiles spread across their faces, each brighter than the last.

“Sister-in-law, do you have any red strings? I want to thread it and wear it around my neck. Can all five of us wear them?” Leng Yun suggested, his face full of anticipation.

Wen Nuan Nuan looked up at the sky speechlessly. Sure enough, it was the kind of childish ceremonial importance only kids would care about.

But seeing the others all looking at her expectantly—even Leng Xiao didn’t voice any objection—Wen Nuan Nuan hurriedly dashed into the room to fetch red strings.

The red strings were too thin and prone to breaking. Fortunately, Leng Chen had weaving skills and braided five red cords on the spot, attaching the coins to them.

Leng Xiao carefully tied one around Wen Nuan Nuan’s neck, testing its tightness and whether it was easy to slip off.

The others helped each other put theirs on.

“Now the five of us are united.”

With a shared item, the three little ones were clearly much happier.

Wen Nuan Nuan didn’t mind either way.

These were children’s games—she had tried them all when she was little. When her gaze turned to Leng Xiao, she noticed that he, who usually seemed indifferent to everything, had surprisingly taken an interest in this?

Young man, there will be all kinds of treasures waiting for you in the future!

Don’t get too hung up on a tiny coin.

~

After finishing the dumplings, they began the New Year’s Eve vigil. Wen Nuan Nuan took out the “simple and unadorned version” money pouches she had made.

“Time for New Year’s money! One pouch each! Everyone gets one!”

Her skills might not be up to par, but money made up for it.

Wen Nuan Nuan wasn’t afraid they would dislike her craftsmanship—each pouch contained eight taels of silver. Who would care if a red envelope for money wasn’t pretty? They’d only care about how much money was inside!

To Wen Nuan Nuan’s surprise, when the four received their New Year’s money, they didn’t immediately open the pouches to check how much silver was inside. Instead, they stared at the pouches themselves.

Wen Nuan Nuan sighed with emotion. Polite and well-mannered people really did things thoughtfully.

“Sister-in-law, is all of this really for us?” Leng Chen asked incredulously after looking at the silver inside.

Wen Nuan Nuan replied sincerely, “Yes, I can’t keep all the silver with me. You’re older now, and having silver on hand will make it easier for you to buy things. This is New Year’s money—just use it to buy whatever you like.”

Each year, only the New Year’s money secretly given by her grandmother could be saved. When she was little, her biggest dream was to have a sum of money she could freely spend, to buy notebooks, erasers, hairpins, or snacks from the small shop at the school gate.

Now that conditions allowed, the wishes she couldn’t fulfill in her childhood could be realized for the three little ones in theirs.

The silver she had given them last time hadn’t been wasted at all. Eldest Brother often went out to buy cornmeal and grains, Second Brother bought medicinal pills, and Little Brother saved all of his.

This time, Wen Nuan Nuan hoped they would use the New Year’s money on themselves.

“Thank you, sister-in-law!” the three little ones chimed in unison, thanking her loudly before neatly tucking their money pouches into their clothes.

Leng Xiao did the same.

Wen Nuan Nuan was still quite pleased with the success of the money pouches. Not a single person had criticized her clumsy needlework—this New Year’s gift was an absolute triumph.

“Sister-in-law, this is for you, a New Year’s gift.” Leng Chen handed over a wooden hairpin with both hands.

Wen Nuan Nuan looked at it—a jet-black hairpin carved into a cloud motif, polished exceptionally smooth. She quickly accepted it with delight. “It’s beautiful, thank you!”

Most importantly, it was practical. Next year on the road, she definitely couldn’t wear jade or silver hairpins—that would be like waving to thieves and saying, “Look at me, I have money!”

“This is what I prepared.”

“Sister-in-law, this is for you.”

Leng Tian and Leng Yun also brought their prepared New Year’s gifts.

Wen Nuan Nuan accepted them. Leng Yun had gifted a small hand warmer, while Leng Tian’s was an embroidered handkerchief.

Leng Xiao’s gift was handed over as well.

It was an exquisite… toothbrush?

A long wooden handle with densely packed small holes at one end, clean bristles inserted and fixed into the holes—its appearance was almost identical to the toothbrushes she had used before!

“It’s hair from a horse’s mane, treated very cleanly,” Leng Xiao explained.

Wen Nuan Nuan had always thought Leng Chen was skilled with his hands, but she never expected Leng Xiao to be even more impressive!

Moreover, she had only described it to Leng Xiao once before when she had nothing else to do, and he had not only remembered it but also recreated it!

Looking at the toothbrush, which balanced both appearance and practicality, Wen Nuan Nuan felt a deep sense of familiarity. “Thank you all!”

She had never imagined they would also prepare New Year’s gifts, and the feeling of receiving them was even better than she had thought.

The Leng Family had no relatives or friends in this area, so there was no need to visit or pay New Year’s calls during the first month of the lunar year. The villagers weren’t very familiar either, so there was no need for formal visits.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, only the village children came knocking on the door in small groups, carrying cloth bags, shy and uneasy, to offer New Year’s greetings.

Wen Nuan Nuan took out ordinary candies bought in the city and gave each child a large handful, receiving countless sweet thank-yous in return. Afterward, the children who hadn’t come before also arrived, no longer afraid, their faces flushed red from the cold, shy yet full of anticipation.

Wen Nuan Nuan’s face broke into a sweet smile as she happily attended to each child, reminding them to be careful on their way home.

Leng Xiao stood under the eaves, smiling faintly.

There weren’t many households in the village, and even fewer children. After seeing off the last group of children, Wen Nuan Nuan changed into plain clothes, and the five of them trudged through the deep snow to pay their respects at Leng’s Mother’s grave.

“Eldest son Leng Xiao, accompanied by his wife Wen Nuan Nuan, has come to visit Mother. Once matters are settled, we will surely have Mother buried together with Father.” Leng Xiao knelt before Leng’s Mother’s grave, his back slightly bent as he kowtowed heavily.

Wen Nuan Nuan followed with a deep kowtow of her own. “Please rest assured.”

Leng Tian, Leng Chen, and Leng Yun knelt straight and kowtowed heavily as well, saying, “Mother, rest assured in the afterlife, we will only get better and better.”

The journey back was silent.

After the New Year, days passed swiftly. On the second day of the second lunar month, Leng Xiao went to the Academy to study, and Leng Tian returned. Wild vegetables began to sprout on the mountains one after another. Led by Leng Tian and Leng Yun, Wen Nuan Nuan successively dug up wild garlic, shepherd’s purse, purslane, and Malantou. By the time they gathered sow thistle, the river water had receded, revealing the deepest layers of silt on the riverbed.

After picking dandelions, the river dried up completely. The sky was cloudless for miles, and even the air was unusually dry.