In the afternoon, Ling Gelao sent someone to inform Zhao Huanxi that he would accompany him to the Shang Residence the next day for the Baishi.

拜师 (bài shī ) - to formally become a pupil to a master. It is a ritualistic ceremony where a student establishes a lifelong bond with a mentor.

It was only at this moment that Yin Furen learned of Zhao Huanxi’s plan to become a disciple to a painting master, and that Ling Gelao himself acted as the introducer. Naturally, she could not oppose the arrangement. So she reminded him, “You must not neglect your studies.” Then, she earnestly set about preparing gifts for him.

The next day, Zhao Huanxi dressed neatly and left early in the morning with gifts in hand. He returned to Jiaxiang House before noon, happily telling the family that Master Shang had given him a book on painting techniques he had written in his earlier years.

Upon hearing this, Yin Furen felt a sense of pride. Although she was not entirely in favour of Zhao Huanxi pursuing painting, after a morning of incessant chatter from Xu Nian’an and Yin Luochen, she had come to realise that Master Shang was a towering figure in the current calligraphy and painting world. Otherwise, having a Gelao personally introduce a disciple would have been out of the question.

Zhao Huanxi’s move could be described as reaching heaven with a single step. Not only had he apprenticed under a master painter, but it also became known that even Ling Gelao held him in high regard. This would greatly benefit him in the future.

Yin Furen increasingly felt that Xu Nian’an was a lucky star. If it hadn’t been for her suggestion to present the lantern back then, how could today’s good fortune have come about? Overjoyed, she invited Xu Nian’an to play a round of Madiao Pai (the same card game they were playing at Duan Family) that evening, and lost over 800 taels of silver to her.

After finishing their card game, the young couple returned to Shenhui Courtyard, both in high spirits, one had gained valuable insights on painting, while the other had won silver.

That night, as they lay in bed chatting, Zhao Huanxi said, “Dong Jiejie, I’ve celebrated many New Years in this residence, but this year has been the happiest and most joyful. If I had known, I would have married you sooner.”

Xu Nian’an replied disdainfully, “Marry me sooner? Who would want to marry a snot-hanging-nosed little radish like you?”

萝卜头 (radish head) is often used to describe a young child, typically one who is short, chubby, or slightly awkward in appearance, similar to the shape of a radish.

Zhao Huanxi’s face turned red. “Who had snot-nosed?”

Xu Nian’an raised an eyebrow. “Are you daring to say you never had snot-nosed when you were little?”

Zhao Huanxi: “Never!”

“I’ll ask Mother tomorrow.”

“You’re not allowed to ask!”

“Then you did have snot-nosed!”

Unable to out-argue her, Zhao Huanxi flipped over and pinned her down, lowering his head to block her sharp mouth.

Xu Nian’an quickly reached out to cover his mouth. Her eyes curved like crescent moons, but her words were sharp as blades: “What? Planning to get up in the middle of the night to change your underclothes again?”

In an instant, Zhao Huanxi’s expression became a masterpiece of emotions. Xu Nian’an had never seen him display such a complex look, a blend of shame, confusion, shock, disbelief, and utter mortification.

He abruptly climbed off her, darting into his own blanket at lightning speed, pulling it over himself from head to toe, and lay still with his back to her.

Xu Nian’an laughed for a long while. Seeing that he was still hiding under the blanket, she reached out and gave him a little push.

Zhao Huanxi gave his arm a fierce shake under the blanket, sulking like a child.

“Don’t suffocate yourself, be careful not to make yourself sick,” Xu Nian’an said, trying hard to suppress her laughter.

Zhao Huanxi turned his back to her, poked his face out from under the blanket, and grumbled angrily, “You’re still making fun of me. Isn’t it all because you refuse to consummate our marriage?”

“What does that have to do with me? I asked you to be like that,” Xu Nian’an replied.

“Qian Ming said that once the marriage is consummated, it won’t be like this anymore,” Zhao Huanxi said in a small voice.

Xu Nian’an’s eyes widened: “You actually went and asked Qian Ming?”

“Otherwise, what was I supposed to do? I thought I was sick, and I was too embarrassed to ask you or Mother.”

Xu Nian’an felt a bit shy but also wanted to laugh. She said, “Stop overthinking it. You are still small.”

Zhao Huanxi replied with a double entendre: “I am not small!”

“Your word doesn’t count,” Xu Nian’an said.

What did she mean, his word didn’t count?

Zhao Huanxi rolled over to argue with Xu Nian’an, only to see that she had already turned her back to him, her head facing away.

He paused for a moment, then crawled from his blanket into hers.

Xu Nian’an, startled by the movement behind her, jumped and asked, “What are you doing?”

“I’m cold,” Zhao Huanxi said, hugging her from behind.

Xu Nian’an stretched her foot back, her bare sole pressing against the smooth, warm back of his foot: “……….”

Zhao Huanxi knew he’d been caught, so he gave up and shamelessly buried his face in her fluffy hair. “I don’t care, I’m just going to sleep holding you!” Having already lost face, what did he have left to worry about?

Xu Nian’an sighed. Well, she brought it on herself by teasing him.

In the middle of the night, Xu Nian’an woke up sweating from the heat, feeling as if a large furnace was pressed against her back.

She pulled back the covers slightly, but it didn’t help much, so she quietly shifted her body forward.

Just as she moved a little, Zhao Huanxi tightened his arm around her, pulling her back.

He pulled her close, but his hand was in the wrong place.

Xu Nian’an’s face flushed, and she quietly called out, “Sanlang?”

He didn’t respond. All she could hear was his steady, deep breathing.

So, he wasn’t awake yet? This was just instinct?

Xu Nian’an reached out to grab his wrist, intending to move his hand from where it shouldn’t be. She gently tugged, but he resisted, returning his hand to its original position. Perhaps sensing something wrong, he unconsciously moved his fingers a little.

Xu Nian’an felt numb and quickly moved his hand away, turning around and using both her hands and feet to push him out of her blanket.

Zhao Huanxi was startled awake, his eyes still foggy and confused. He rasped, “Dong Jiejie?”

“Go sleep in your own blanket!” Xu Nian’an huffed, wrapping herself up tightly.

Zhao Huanxi, still sleepy, didn’t mind being kicked out. He simply pulled his blanket over himself and fell back to sleep.

The next morning, when he came back from practising martial arts, his cheeks flushed with excitement, and said to Xu Nian’an, “Dong Jiejie, I heard that they’re steaming buns in the kitchen. Let’s go to Yifang Garden’s small kitchen to steam buns today too!”

While helping him tidy up his clothes, Xu Nian’an asked, “Why did you suddenly think of this?”

Zhao Huanxi replied, “Last night, I dreamed of steaming buns. I even kneaded the dough myself. The dough was so soft to knead. It’s so strange, I’ve never made buns before, but I somehow seem to know what that texture feels like.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Xu Nian’an’s face turn red as if it were about to drip blood.

She raised her head, glaring at him with a mix of embarrassment and anger, then reached out to smack him lightly. “Go by yourself!” she said as she turned around and walked away.

“Dong Jiejie?” Zhao Huanxi called out to her, but she ignored him, leaving him to wonder to himself: Did I say something wrong?

Lao Taitai claimed to be ill, so the Fifth Branch has been well-behaved. Si Taitai has turned over a new leaf. Zhao Mingkun was sent away, leaving Zhao Hanchao and Zhao Hanyang’s branch without backing. No matter how capable they were, they couldn’t surpass their legitimate mother and were suppressed by Yin Furen until they were left dejected and obedient.

Having married into Jing Guogong Residence for nearly thirty years, this year’s New Year celebration was the most comfortable Yin Furen had ever had.

After the New Year, there wasn’t much to say about the usual rounds of visiting relatives and friends.

On the second day of the New Year, married daughters returned to their maiden homes to pay respects. Zhao Huanxi accompanied Xu Nian’an to visit the Xu family and once again encountered Chen Dong.

Chen Dong was currently staying with Xu Family’s second branch, and today he had come specifically to pay his respects to Zheng Furen.

As Zhao Huanxi stared at Chen Dong, who stood like elegant bamboo in the snow, he couldn’t help grumbling inwardly: Paying respects? Couldn’t he come another day? Why did he have to pick the second day of the New Year? Clearly, he’s here coveting my Dong Jiejie! I really want to beat him up!

Back at the Shenhui Courtyard of Jing Guogong Residence, while Xu Nian’an took off her cloak and went to wash her hands, he sneaked up behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist, bent his back, and rested his chin on her shoulder.

“What’s wrong?” Xu Nian’an tilted her head to ask him.

“I want to put a sack over Chen Dong’s head,” he said.

套麻袋 (tào mádài): Literally "to put a hemp sack over someone." It refers to the act of ambushing someone by throwing a sack over their head so they can't see who is attacking them, usually followed by a good thrashing.

Xu Nian’an was surprised, “Why?”

“He’s coveting you,” Zhao Huanxi said angrily.

“That’s not true. It’s all in the past,” Xu Nian’an replied, turning back to continue washing her hands.

“What do you mean, ‘all in the past’? Does that mean there was a time when it was? Did you two actually have a thing before?” Zhao Huanxi suddenly straightened up, grabbed her shoulders, and turned her to face him, staring at her in shock.

Xu Nian’an glanced at him and deliberately said, “Didn’t you also have a Daixue Guniang? Why are you digging into my past affairs?” She twisted her body, breaking free of his grip, dried her hands with a cloth towel, and walked out from behind the screen.

“That’s different. I never liked her,” Zhao Huanxi said as he chased after her.

“You even came to break off our engagement for her. If that’s not liking, then what is?” Xu Nian’an walked to the table and started gathering the scattered invitation cards on it.

“You… you know perfectly well what happened, yet you’re deliberately saying it this way!” Zhao Huanxi exclaimed, turning her around again, both angry and aggrieved. “I don’t care, I want you to tell me!”

Xu Nian’an tilted her head up to look at him and said, “The year my father passed away, my Zumu also died. Our family was split off from the main branch, and that was the hardest year for us. Relatives saw our family, full of the old and the frail, without a breadwinner, like a bottomless pit. They were afraid of getting entangled and didn’t dare to help.

“At that time, although we had an engagement, it was nothing more than a verbal agreement between my father and your grandfather. When my father suddenly passed away and your grandfather was no longer in the capital, we didn’t dare to shamelessly seek assistance from your family.

“At that time, Chen Dong came. He gave me all the silver he had on him, his jade pendant, his hairpin—everything valuable he could offer. He told me not to worry, that he would return home and inform his parents, asking them to come and propose marriage. He promised that once he married me, he would help me support my mother and younger siblings.”

Zhao Huanxi regretted it, he shouldn’t have asked.

But Xu Nian’an continued, “I was thirteen at the time, too young to understand what love was. I only knew that when we were utterly helpless, he was the only one who extended a hand to help. During my hardest times, he was willing to stand by me, so I believed he would be good to me in the future. I worked hard to keep the household afloat while waiting for him to propose, waiting until your grandfather returned, and yet he never came.

“When your grandfather came back, he had your parents send a matchmaker to propose. Two months later, Chen Dong finally came, joyfully telling me that after three years of fighting with his family, his parents had finally agreed to let him propose to me. I told him he was too late. They say he fell ill after returning home. The next time we met was on the day of my Si Mei’s wedding.

“That’s all. Do you have anything else you want to ask?”

Zhao Huanxi stared at her in a daze.

Xu Nian’an turned around, walked to the cabinet, and began tidying things up.

Watching her back, Zhao Huanxi muttered hesitantly, “If it weren’t for me, marrying him wouldn’t seem so bad. He does seem to genuinely like you.”

“Even without you, I wouldn’t have been able to marry him. His parents never agreed to let him marry me. His family wasn’t based in the capital, but my Er Shenshen lived here. Two months was just enough time for my Er Shenshen to spread the news of my engagement to his family. That’s why he rushed over. He was just too naive to realise that his parents’ so-called agreement was merely resignation after the matter had been settled. They let him think it was fate playing tricks on him,” Xu Nian’an replied.

As soon as she finished speaking, he suddenly hugged her tightly from behind. His cheerful voice sounded by her ear, “That was close, so close! Thankfully, his family couldn’t see the gem in front of them, or else I wouldn’t have my Dong Jiejie. I’m really lucky!”

Xu Nian’an couldn’t help laughing and crying at the same time. Tilting her head, she asked, “Am I really that good?”

“Of course you are! You’re the best in the world!” Zhao Huanxi declared before leaning over and planting a loud kiss on her cheek.