Wang Qiqi hadn't expected Han Tao’s reaction to be so swift; the continuous stream of emails he sent made her secretly pleased. Hmph, just you wait, all that bragging, she thought, now you know exactly who’s on the losing end.

Swirling the wine in her glass, Wang Qiqi smiled faintly as she stared at the computer screen. If Shi Man were present, she’d surely exclaim something like, "You fox, you fox! I wonder which fox has got its eyes on you now; trouble is coming soon!"

After reveling in her smugness for a good while, Wang Qiqi drained her glass, picked up her laptop, and began drafting an email to Han Tao. While teasing someone was certainly enjoyable, she knew some things shouldn't be pushed too far, lest she truly demoralized him, and then she’d be the one shedding tears.

Wang Qiqi: Hmph, if you ever pull a stunt like that again, the response won’t be this gentle. Also, my aunt told me today that if you dare do anything to betray me, even if you’re in America, my brother-in-law and cousin will fly over and chop you up.

Wang Qiqi admitted that her message was somewhat embellished, but at least more than half of it was based in truth—like the part about beating him up.

After sending so many emails, Han Tao finally received Wang Qiqi's reply. Seeing it, he felt a significant wave of relief: Don’t worry, I won’t bully you.

The two then exchanged pleasantries back and forth, and Wang Qiqi completely forgot about the matter concerning Wang Dagui.

Later, Han Tao realized how late it was getting. He messaged Wang Qiqi, urging her to sleep early. He knew that in a few hours, his mother would absolutely wake Wang Qiqi up to go offer incense. Han Tao distinctly remembered that last year, because Wang Qiqi stayed up watching movies until past midnight, she kept dozing off during the incense offering on the first day of the New Year. Last year, Han Tao had to constantly keep an eye on her, but this year, with his mother leading the ritual, who would keep watch? Besides, her state then wouldn't look good to the elders.

Wang Qiqi yawned, realizing it was nearly two o'clock. Startled, she immediately shut down her computer and climbed into bed. She knew Aunt Luo might be up by six, ready to call her at seven sharp to go offer incense.

Worried she might drift off into a daze, Wang Qiqi deliberately set her alarm for six, allowing herself a little time to fully wake up. As for sleep deprivation, she had already factored it in: she would take a long nap in the afternoon.

Despite setting the alarm, the moment Wang Qiqi heard Luo Hongjuan knocking on her door, she felt an urge to curse. However, remembering that it was her future mother-in-law entering the room, no matter how impatient she felt, Wang Qiqi had no choice but to scramble out from under the covers. After putting on her new clothes and tidying herself up, Wang Qiqi offered New Year greetings to her parents, then retrieved the two red envelopes she had specifically prepared before bed. "Thank you, Dad and Mom, for the yasuiqian. I love you both to bits!"

Luo Hongjuan had heard Han Tao mention before that Wang Qiqi would perform her little act of collecting New Year money on the first day, but unfortunately, she had never witnessed it. At first, she thought the charade was quite amusing, wondering why such a smart girl would engage in such silliness. But seeing Wang Qiqi's performance firsthand today, Luo Hongjuan felt a lump forming in her throat, an urge to cry. This silly child was still reliving the moments when both her parents were around.

Luo Hongjuan fought hard to keep her tears at bay, then quietly slipped out of the Wang residence and returned to her own home.

Wang Qiqi contentedly slipped the wallet into her trousers pocket. Looking around, she noticed Luo Hongjuan was gone, which struck her as very odd. Just moments ago, Luo Hongjuan had been urging her to hurry up and get ready for the incense offering, so how could she have vanished in the blink of an eye? Was she afraid Wang Qiqi would immediately climb back into bed after she left? This thought immediately brought a flush to Wang Qiqi's cheeks, as she had indeed done that quite often in the past. Sigh, truly bad company, Wang Qiqi lamented. The only person besides Han Tao who could know such details was—well, Han Tao.

Wang Qiqi summarily dumped the heavy blame onto Han Tao, who, miles away in America, was still grinding away at his overtime work. Of course, he was constantly comparing the local time with Beijing time, wondering if it was time for Qiqi to wake up, if she would soon be heading out for the incense offering. He wondered what she would do this year without him there—would she stay curled up inside, basking in the heater’s warmth, or rent some Japanese dramas to watch? It was at that precise moment that Han Tao sneezed several times in succession. This sent him into a frenzy of excitement! If it weren't for the darkness of the winter evening and the fact that some colleagues were slumped over their desks sleeping after continuous shifts, Han Tao would have loudly exclaimed whether Wang Qiqi was missing him right then. Later, after returning to China, Han Tao specifically brought this up, grilling Wang Qiqi, asking if she had been thinking of him intensely at that very moment. This left Wang Qiqi utterly speechless about how to respond. In the end, Wang Qiqi decided she couldn't wound a young man's fragile feelings, so she sweetly affirmed that she had been thinking of Han Tao very, very much, which made him ecstatic beyond measure.

Since Luo Hongjuan was nowhere to be found, the formal New Year visit couldn't proceed. Wang Qiqi shrugged; time for breakfast then. Even though she’d eaten a full dinner last night, she’d consumed so many beverages that she was completely waterlogged. Now, her stomach was growling with hunger.

Just as Wang Qiqi set down her breakfast bowl, Luo Hongjuan pushed open the door. Wang Qiqi immediately placed her bowl aside. "Auntie, Happy New Year, wishing you good health, all your wishes come true, and prosperity!" Honestly, Wang Qiqi only knew a few set phrases for these greetings; they lacked any originality. Fortunately, everyone said the same things during New Year visits.

Luo Hongjuan replied, "Good health to you, and I hope Qiqi's year ahead will be even smoother." Luo Hongjuan then handed Wang Qiqi a large red envelope.

Wang Qiqi stared at the red envelope Luo Hongjuan offered, momentarily stunned. Luo Hongjuan didn't even give Han Tao yasuiqian; why was she suddenly giving her one? Wang Qiqi felt a rush of flattered surprise. "Auntie, I'm grown up, I'm a grown-up!" Although she was still in university, she was already earning money, and her personal wealth far exceeded Luo Hongjuan's. How could she possibly accept the red envelope?

Simultaneously, Wang Qiqi had a thought: Did Luo Hongjuan see her taking the red envelopes from her parents’ memorial spot just now, and her sudden disappearance was to go prepare one for her? But was that likely? This wasn't the first time Wang Qiqi had done that; Luo Hongjuan had never reacted this way before.

Luo Hongjuan gently pushed the red envelope Wang Qiqi tried to return back toward her. "It's just a small token from Auntie. As long as I'm here, there will be a red envelope every year, though the amount won't be large." Luo Hongjuan understood that Wang Qiqi cared less about the money inside and more about the gesture of kindness. "It's getting late; let's go offer incense."

Wang Qiqi murmured an "Oh," thanked Luo Hongjuan again for her thoughtfulness, then put on the bright red coat she had specifically bought. "Dad, Mom, Auntie and I are going to offer incense."

Each carrying a small bag, they walked along. Whenever they encountered anyone, known or unknown, they would cheerfully say, "Happy New Year, good health, and may you be prosperous!"

Some strangers, initially taken aback by their greetings, would quickly return a cheerful blessing. Luo Hongjuan took advantage of a quiet moment to murmur to Wang Qiqi, "The more blessings you give, the more fortune you attract. Auntie believes you will have abundant good fortune in the future, Qiqi."

Wang Qiqi hummed in acknowledgment, gripping Luo Hongjuan's arm tightly as they walked toward their destination. People they knew along the way looked on with surprise. Previously, although everyone assumed Wang Qiqi and Han Tao had a good relationship—even Wang Qiqi's uncle and Li Cui had suggested they were romantically involved—people had always taken it with a grain of salt, believing Wang Qiqi might not look down on Han Tao. Sure, the young man was capable, but his family background was poor, miles behind someone like Gao Kai, Wang Rui's boyfriend. Yet, in just one year, the situation had changed dramatically. The Gao family had fallen, Wang Rui had broken up with the Gao boy, and even Li Cui had split from Wang Dagui. People were whispering, wondering if Wang Dagui’s household was suffering from bad feng shui because all the misfortune seemed to strike their side. In contrast, Wang Dajun's family, despite the parents being gone, now had Wang Qiqi standing as the sole pillar of the family. But seeing Wang Qiqi and Luo Hongjuan walking side-by-side like a mother and daughter drew murmurs from those who knew the circumstances of both the Wang and Han families: Could it be that Wang Qiqi and the Han boy were actually together? Last year, the two families had gone to offer incense together too, but the three of them had walked separately. They certainly hadn't walked this intimately side-by-side.

"I think Luo Hongjuan had New Year's Eve dinner with Wang Qiqi at that restaurant yesterday. Even Wang Dagui wasn't invited," someone suddenly recalled and shared with the surrounding crowd. Even though it was the first day of the New Year, gossip-lovers still had plenty to chatter about as long as someone showed interest.

The moment this piece of news surfaced, the crowd became agitated. No way? Although Wang Dagui and Wang Qiqi’s relationship was strained, it made no sense for Wang Dagui and Wang Rui to be absent from the New Year's Eve dinner while Luo Hongjuan was present. Last year, Wang Qiqi had only invited Wang Damei's family. This year’s arrangement—did it signal that Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were officially a couple? Thinking about Han Tao currently interning in the US, people concluded that Wang Qiqi and Han Tao were indeed a good match: one with talent, one with fortune; one with only a mother, the other without parents. From every angle, they seemed perfectly suited—though, no matter the time or place, there would always be those inclined toward sour remarks.

Hearing the jealous whispers from nearby, Luo Hongjuan felt a strong desire to jump up and confront them: what exactly was their issue? First, they said they weren't a match, and now that they were a match, why the sour tone? Wang Qiqi gently held Luo Hongjuan back, shaking her head. "Auntie, there's no need to bother with them. They are just neighbors for now, not neighbors for life." Han Tao couldn't secure funds to improve Luo Hongjuan's housing conditions right now, but in two or three years, upgrading the residence would need to be put on the agenda. (To be continued)