Cheng Su and Qi Taiguo returned to Flower County, then took a one-hour ride on a small minibus to the entrance of Huangtian Village. By the time they arrived, it had already gotten dark. The lights of a hundred families shone brightly, like stars scattered across the dark night sky, exuding a special sense of tranquility and serenity.
"This is all your fault, insisting on being rash. Look, itās already dark." Cheng Su glared at Qi Taiguo with a playful complaint.
Qi Taiguo chuckled, "You blame me, but didnāt you keep urging me to go faster, saying āIām so comfortable I could dieā?"
Cheng Suās face warmed, and she stomped her foot, "You... you still say that."
As Qi Taiguo was about to speak, suddenly a beam of light shone toward them, and someone asked, "Is that you, Taiguo?"
That voice, so very familiar, Cheng Su exclaimed, "Itās Dad!"
Looking over, they saw two figures approaching. Wasnāt it Qi Taiguoās father, Father Qi, and his brother Qi Jianguo?
"Dad, why did you come here?" Qi Taiguo still used the way of addressing him from when he was younger.
"I came to see if you had arrived, and here you are." Father Qi was beaming with joy.
"Big brother." Qi Jianguo also approached and glanced at Cheng Su before calling her āsister-in-lawā.
"We would have come home anyway. Why come out in this cold?" Qi Taiguo picked up his luggage.
"Big brother, let me help you." Qi Jianguo stepped forward to take the luggage.
"Your mother sent me to check on you as well. Everyone is waiting for you. Are you hungry?" Father Qi picked up a bag and muttered, "Why bring so much back with you? Arenāt you finding it heavy?"
"Dad, itās all New Yearās gifts. We canāt come back for the New Year empty-handed, can we?" Cheng Su said with a smile.
"You shouldnāt come empty-handed when you visit others, but itās okay to do so when returning to your own home." Father Qi said.
Cheng Su smiled in silence. If she really came back empty-handed, she feared Mother Qiās spit might drown her.
Chatting and using a flashlight, they made their way home. Mother Qi had been waiting at the courtyard gate for a while. As soon as she saw Qi Taiguo, she asked why they were so late, whether they were hungry or cold, and bustled them inside.
As for Cheng Su, she didnāt ask her a single thing, completely ignoring her.
Cheng Su felt an unpleasant sensation in her heart, but she didnāt take it to heart. After all, a mother-in-law canāt be regarded as oneās own mother.
Once inside the main room, the younger sister Fengping brought over hot water, which was probably ordered by Mother Qi in advance for Qi Taiguo to wash his face and warm up.
Cheng Su followed behind. The room had a charcoal stove burning; the warm air felt comforting, opening oneās pores.
"Susu, you should also wash your face, warm your hands." Qi Taiguo looked toward his younger sister.
Qi Fengping pouted, then brought over a peony-patterned towel.
"Younger sister-in-law, thank you." Cheng Su said with a smile, took the towel, soaked it in the hot water, and felt her slightly stiff hands warm up quickly.
Unlike Qi Taiguo, who used the wet towel to wash his face directly, she simply wrung it out and pressed it against her face before calling it done.
Qi Fengping watched from the side. Cheng Su was wearing black velvet pants and short leather boots, with a red down jacket that reached to her calves. It was belted with an elastic waistband, looking stylish without being bulky. She looked quite attractive.
Originally, she had been wearing a red knitted hat. Now, with her hat taken off and her hair draped down, her face-washing movements were slow and elegant. After washing, her face seemed to glow under the light.
Qi Fengping looked away, murmuring to herself: Ever since this woman married my big brother, sheās been getting prettier and prettier!