“If you keep being like this, I’m not letting you kiss me anymore.” Ruan Yang pinched his face. It really wasn’t just a typical thickness.
“Alright, I’ll leave.” Li Shaobin broke out into a smile. “I’ll call you.”
As she watched him leave, Ruan Yang felt rueful. Should she start to believe that she wouldn’t be lonely anymore for the years to come?
——————-
Li Shaobin took the bullet train then the plane before reaching the Li Household at around 5 pm. His second brother, Li Jinchi, his second sister-in-law, Ji Fangbai, and his little nephew, Li Xiaohang, also came back from abroad.
Li Xiaoxia and the five-year-old Li Xiaohang were making a snowman in the courtyard. When he saw him return, Li Xiaohang called him sweetly, “Third Uncle.”
Li Xiaoxia’s handsome face fell. He pulled his younger brother in. “Xiaohang, let’s ignore him.”
Li Xiaohang nodded blankly.
Li Shaobin waved at him with a grin. “Xiaohang, Third Uncle is giving you a red pocket. Come over quickly.”
Li Xiaohang’s eyes lit up and he dashed over.
Li Xiaoxia was gloomy. “Xiaohang, you’re so useless. You betrayed me over a red pocket.”
“This isn’t little. It’s very thick,” Li Xiaohang shook the red pocket and spoke with a grin, making Li Xiaoxia clench his teeth in envy and jealousy.
“Hey, lad, if you’re going to be so petty, I’m not giving you your red pocket this year,” Li Shaobin said.
Li Shaobin’s red pocket money was quite substantial every year. Li Xiaoxia’s heart wavered. However, he shook his head immediately and said, “I won’t let my unwavering heart be bought over so easily by money.”
“How very noble,” Li Shaobin mocked.
Li Xiaoxia sighed. “However, my parents have been consoling me recently. They said that you’ve finally found a woman and I should be more open-hearted instead of fighting with you. After all, I have good genes and am good-looking. I can get a girlfriend anytime but you’re different. You only found a girlfriend at 30. Only Ruan Yang would be that big-hearted. For the sake of world peace and your mental health, I should endure the pain and let go of my love. After all, it can’t be easy for you at such an age. I don’t want to see you single forever and end up liking men either.”
Li Shaobin felt his temples pulse. “That means I still have to thank you?”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Li Xiaoxia waved his hand. “Perhaps I owed you in my previous life.”
“Li Xiaoxia, see if I don’t beat you up.” Li Shaobin rushed over.
Li Xiaoxia shuddered and turned to run into the house as he shouted loudly, “Dad, Little Uncle is going to hit me.”
“What’s wrong with you? It’d be okay even if you didn’t come home. The second you come back, you kick up a ruckus.” Li Congyang said angrily. “You dare to even fight with a child? Could you get any more childish?”
“He deserves to be beaten,” Li Shaobin scoffed.
Li Jinchi smiled. “Dad, forget it. He’s always loved to create trouble. I heard you’ve found a girlfriend. Why didn’t you bring her home?”
“She went back to Guangzhou to keep her parents company. She said she’ll come over to visit during the Spring Festival.” The mention of Ruan Yang put Li Shaobin in a good mood and he felt increasingly delighted.
The Li Family members didn’t say much. Ji Fangbai said with a smile, “It hasn’t been long since we last met. Look at you—you’ve grown some stubble and you’re looking pretty bad. You seem to have slimmed down. Shouldn’t you be well-nourished, fair, and fat after getting a girlfriend?”
“You’re not the only one who can tell that he’s slimmed down. Even I think he’s slimmed down. It’s only been three to four days since I saw you,” He Mingshan said with concern. “Didn’t you go to Ruan Yang’s house? Don’t tell me they didn’t feed you well?”
“Don’t tell me you put in some physical effort to curry the favor of your future in-laws?” Li Jinchi laughed out loud.
Li Shaobin smiled awkwardly. He would never let his family members find out about that. “I’ve been too tired lately. I had to work and accompany Ruan Yang home to visit her parents, so I didn’t rest well. Her parents are quite nice.”
“Look at you—you haven’t even married her yet but you’re already speaking up for her,” Li Jinchi teased.
“I’ve also been praising our family at their house,” Li Shaobin said with a grin. “Like my dad—look at what a successful entrepreneur he is. And my mom—which middle-aged woman in the entire Northern City is prettier than my mom?”
“You and your glib tongue.” He Mingshan knocked his head with a smile. She suddenly sighed. “But because of you, I don’t even dare to go out to play mahjong anymore.”
Li Shaobin thought for a while and quickly understood. “Did Wang Yuting do something again?”
He Mingshan glanced at him and said, “She’s living the life now. She keeps saying aloud that you’ve gotten yourself a woman that her son doesn’t want.”
Li Shaobin’s face changed. Although he had already expected this day to come, when it really arrived, it was still quite annoying.
Li Zhongchi said, “Mom, I’ve done some investigating. Ruan Yang is also a victim. She’s not some scheming person; Xin Ziao was the one who kept pestering her.”
“What? So Xin Ziao went to Hangzhou?” Li Shaobin was furious. What a stalker. Luckily, he went over earlier. “Bro, why didn’t I know that you investigated Ruan Yang? Do you not trust me?”
“It’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that you’ve never been in a relationship so I was afraid that you would be cheated, just like with that female cop,” Li Zhongchi said. “But it seems like it’s one-sided when it comes to Xin Ziao.”
Grandma Li said with disgust, “I’ve seen that Xin lad before. He looked pretty refined. Why does he still like to pester other people when he’s married?”
“He has a bad character,” Li Shaobin said in a weird tone.
“You make it sound as if you have a good character.” Li Congyang couldn’t help but diss his son.
…
After dinner, Li Shaobin curled up on the couch, texting Ruan Yang through WeChat. In the past, he didn’t understand people who loved to play on their phones during the new year. Now, he did. Now that he had a girlfriend, he had his phone in his hands whenever they weren’t together.
However, Ruan Yang’s replies came in very slowly. He would send out several messages and she would only reply after a very long time.
In the end, he got angry and called her directly. “Ruan Yang, why are you replying so slowly? Do you know that I’ve been waiting for you to reply to me?”
“Oh, I’m playing mahjong,” Ruan Yang said nonchalantly.
“What?” Li Shaobin was annoyed. “Don’t push your luck. I rejected my family when they asked me to play mahjong so that I could chat with you.”
“Really? Then go and play.” Ruan Yang said during their conversation: “Hang on, I want this.”
Li Shaobin hung up angrily.
After sulking for a while, he turned to head over to the mahjong table at home. “Bro, I want to play a few rounds too.”
Li Jinchi swept a glance at him lazily. “You were the one who said you didn’t want to play earlier. If you want to play, queue up. Otherwise, go and watch the Spring Festival Gala.”
Li Shaobin: “…”
…
At around 11 pm, Li Shaobin was tasked by the adults to keep a watch on the children as they played with firecrackers. However, Li Xiaoxia was unhappy with him and Li Xiaoxia ignored him so Li Shaobin watched Li Xiaohang.
Li Xiaohang resembled his second brother a lot. He was fair and looked very cute, a little like a mixed-blood baby.
Li Shaobin didn’t like children in the past. However, he somehow grew fonder of his nephews perhaps because he had a girlfriend now. So, he said, “Xiaohang, I’ll give you a little brother next year.”
“No,” Li Xiaohang said casually. “I’m not staying here. I can’t play with him often even if you give me a younger brother. I want my mom to give me a younger brother.”
Li Shaobin: “…”
The children from his family weren’t cute indeed.
“If your mom gives you a younger brother, she might not dote on you anymore,” Li Shaobin said unhappily.
Li Xiaohang was unconcerned. “No way. I’m so cute. My mom definitely wouldn’t do that. If I got a younger brother, I would change his diapers for him, carry him to school, and feed him milk.”
Li Shaobin suddenly didn’t feel like blabbering with him. He took the opportunity when his nephews were setting off fireworks to turn around to drop Ruan Yang a text: Yangyang, let’s have two babies in the future. It’s best if the first one is a boy so we can get him to change the little baby’s diapers, carry the younger one to school, and feed the younger one milk. That way, we can enjoy our time together.
Half an hour later, Ruan Yang replied to him with six words: Be good—go take your medicine.
…
After midnight, Li Shaobin stood under a tree in the courtyard as he video-called Ruan Yang. “Yangyang, happy new year. I love you.”
It was very dark over on the other side. Ruan Yang said, “Mm, mm. I love you too.”
Li Shaobin was bursting with joy. After a while, he suddenly felt something was amiss. “Yangyang, what are you doing? Why do I feel like what you said wasn’t sincere at all? You weren’t even looking at or facing me.”
“I’m praying,” Ruan Yang said softly.
Li Shaobin exclaimed, “Yangyang, aren’t you afraid it’s blasphemy to say such mushy things in front of the gods?”
“It’s not.”
Li Shaobin felt sweet inside again. Just as he was about to speak, Li Xiaoxia’s voice came from behind him all of a sudden: “Sister Ruan Yang, happy new year. I miss you so much.”
“Xiaoxia, happy new year. I miss you a lot too,” Ruan Yang said with a smile.
Li Shaobin was unhappy. Ruan Yang didn’t even say that she missed him. Besides, was she just patronizing him with that “I love you” just because he said that?
“Sister Ruan Yang, when are you coming to my house to play?” Li Xiaoxia suddenly snatched his phone away.
“Hey, rascal. Return my phone to me.” Li Shaobin chased him, annoyed.
“Let me say a few words to Sister Ruan Yang. Little Uncle, don’t be so petty,” Li Xiaoxia spoke coquettishly to Ruan Yang.
“Just let Xiaoxia chat for a moment,” Ruan Yang said with a smile.
Li Shaobin cursed silently. Li Xiaoxia was such a hypocrite. Li Xiaoxia hadn’t called him “Little Uncle” for such a long time. Now Li Xiaoxia was calling him that so sweetly in front of Ruan Yang.
“Sister Ruan Yang, I heard you got together with my Little Uncle,” Li Xiaoxia said. “That’s wonderful. I didn’t think that we would become family. Don’t worry; I’ll definitely have your back in the future.”
Li Shaobin dissed him: “Ruan Yang is my wife. Why is there a need for you to have her back?”
“When you bully Sister Ruan Yang,” Li Xiaoxia said. “No matter how well my Dad and Mom get along, there are still times when my dad bullies my mom. Sister Ruan Yang, when that happens, I’ll definitely be on your side no matter the circumstances. Even if my Little Uncle isn’t in the wrong, it’ll still be his fault. If my Little Uncle is in the wrong, then it’ll be his fault all the more.”
“Xiaoxia, you’re so nice. I’m so touched by you,” Ruan Yang said gently.
Li Xiaoxia smiled sweetly. “It’s alright. Sister Ruan Yang, I wish that in the coming year, you will be safe, happy, earn lots of money, and become prettier and younger…”
“Alright, you’ve spoken enough.” Li Shaobin took the chance to snatch his phone back. Even if Ruan Yang were to find him petty, he wouldn’t let this fellow continue chatting with her like this.
How sly.
His means at sowing discord were so despicable and vile.
This time, Li Xiaoxia didn’t chase him back. Ruan Yang said, “Why are you like this? Xiaoxia wasn’t even done chatting with me.”
Li Shaobin snorted. “I was the one on the phone with you. Why’s he butting in? Besides, that fellow is too scheming.”
“…” Ruan Yang sighed. “You’re too petty. It seems like no one isn’t scheming in your eyes.”
Li Shaobin thought very hard. “Changqing isn’t scheming, my grandma isn’t scheming, my sister-in-law isn’t scheming, and I doubt Jiang Duoyao is scheming…”
“In any case, women aren’t scheming but men are, right?” Ruan Yang said.
Li Shaobin was stumped for words. That seemed to be the case.
“You can’t be so narrow-minded. You have to be more open-minded,” Ruan Yang lectured him helplessly. “It’s very late, so you should turn in early. Let’s chat tomorrow. I’m going to sleep too.”
“Alright then.” Only then did Li Shaobin say “goodnight” very reluctantly.
He put the phone down and was increasingly annoyed at Li Xiaoxia. It was all his fault for causing him to have less time to chat with Ruan Yang. Not just that but he even made Ruan Yang feel that he was a narrow-minded person. How was he narrow-minded?
It was true that all men aside from him in this world were scheming.
…
Before he went to bed, he took a photo and uploaded it on his Feed: Darling, Happy New Year. You’re not by my side. I miss you so much.
In the Yan Household, Changqing was pondering if she should also post something on her Feed on New Year’s Day to reflect a little. After refreshing a few times, she saw Li Shaobin’s updated post and she turned back to crawl onto Song Chuyi. “Hubby, shouldn’t you learn from Brother Shaobin and post something like this?”
