New Year’s Eve: Just like that, a new year has passed.
When Xie Mingtu and Su Xiaoman returned to the village, they were immediately surrounded inside and out by villagers. They had only been gone for half a month, but to the villagers, it felt like they had been away for half a year.
“Xiaoman and Xie—ah, Xie Mingtu are back!”
“You went to the Jiang family? Jiang the educated youth has left too.”
“Xie—no, Jiang Mingtu looks a lot stronger now, doesn’t he?”
…
Xie Mingtu shielded Su Xiaoman as they made their way past the crowd of curious villagers. Everyone was chattering at once, asking about the Jiang family—what it was like after they returned, whether they would come back to the village in the future. Su Xiaoman answered casually with a few simple replies.
While they had been away, not much had happened in the village. The only major event was that during the snowy days earlier, the Xie family’s house had suddenly collapsed under the weight of the snow—a result no one had expected.
“Didn’t the Xie house look quite sturdy? How did it collapse after just one snowfall?”
“I say they’ve done too many bad things.”
“Karma! They harmed someone else’s child.”
…
Several rooms of the Xie house had collapsed. The two rooms where Xie Lao Da lived had also caved in. Since the family had already split up, he simply took Qin Xiuying and the children, found some help, and rebuilt a few simple mud-and-wood houses to make do.
The collapse was worst for Old Man Xie and Xie Lao Er’s rooms. Even the kitchen had fallen, burying their food supplies underneath. Old Man Xie had to put in great effort to salvage what he could.
Some of the money Sun Mei had hidden before ended up in Old Man Xie’s hands. Looking at the collapsed house and hearing the villagers gossip, he sighed and had a few makeshift shelters built. The whole family squeezed together under those crude huts.
Xie Yaozu, once doted on by Sun Mei, could not endure such hardship. He shouted that he wanted to go back to his maternal grandmother’s house with his mother, Xu Yanlan.
“I want to go to Grandma’s! I want to go to Grandma’s!”
Xu Yanlan, once plump, had grown thin and haggard. She let him make a fuss. Previously, she had relied on the comfortable life in the Xie family to act arrogantly in her own family. But now that the Xie family had fallen and Sun Mei had been arrested, her maternal family began to look down on her and Yaozu.
Earlier, she had taken Xie Yaozu back to her parents’ home. But after being spoiled for years, Xie Yaozu had become domineering and unreasonable. He clashed several times with her brother’s child, even pushing the child to the ground and injuring them. Xu Yanlan ended up receiving three slaps from her sister-in-law.
She had wanted to fight back, but her parents and brother all looked displeased. Though they didn’t say it outright, they drove Xu Yanlan and Xie Yaozu away.
With nowhere else to go, Xu Yanlan had to return to the Xie family—only to find the house had collapsed.
The whole family huddled in the sheds, cold and hungry. Xie Lao Er was useless and could not earn much money. Xie Lao Da only gave Old Man Xie a tiny amount each month, and Xie Lao San simply stayed home eating for free, no longer working at all.
In such a household, Xu Yanlan could not stay any longer. She began planning to leave Xie Yaozu with Xie Lao Er, get a divorce, and remarry.
After leaving their belongings at the old house, Xie Mingtu and Su Xiaoman went to the Su family. As soon as Liu Shufeng saw them, she looked them up and down, asking all sorts of concerned questions about what had happened at the Jiang family.
Su Xiaoman told her everything truthfully.
Liu Shufeng sighed. “Not acknowledging them is good. It’s a good thing Mingtu still has his grandparents.”
Xie Mingtu nodded. “Mum, I already have a mother. I don’t need another.”
“Exactly.” Liu Shufeng smiled freely and went to the kitchen to bring them hot tea, along with melon seeds, peanuts, and candied winter melon.
“So, what are your plans for the future?”
Su Xiaoman told her about Xie Mingtu wanting to join the army. Liu Shufeng was stunned for a moment, then agreed.
“Good. My son-in-law will definitely have a promising future. It’ll just be hard on our Xiaoman—she’ll have to be more understanding.”
“Mum, don’t worry. I’ll be with him.”
“Don’t worry? What is there for me to worry about? If you’re with him, then you’re not with me,” Liu Shufeng joked, pouting.
Su Xiaoman laughed. “Mum, you’re about to have grandchildren soon. You’ll have plenty to worry about then.”
This time when they returned, her sister-in-law Yang Yingzi was pregnant. By this time next year, the Su family would have a new member. Su Xiaoman didn’t know whether it would be a niece or a nephew, but she looked forward to it.
Hearing about future grandchildren, Liu Shufeng brightened. “It was only confirmed a few days ago. It’s not stable yet, so I’m making her rest well these days.”
She patted her daughter’s backside. “And you? When are you going to let your parents hold a grandchild?”
“The child you and Mingtu have will definitely be beautiful.”
Su Xiaoman felt embarrassed. She and Xie Mingtu hadn’t even taken the final step yet—what grandchildren?
She shook her head and went to chat with her sister-in-law.
Meanwhile, Liu Shufeng grabbed Xie Mingtu and gave him a lecture about having children with Xiaoman. Poor Xie Mingtu hadn’t even experienced what was needed to have a child, yet he was already being lectured by his mother-in-law.
Afraid the young couple might not understand, Liu Shufeng spoke more directly.
“Pay attention to Xiaoman’s cycle. If it doesn’t come for two or three months, you need to go get it checked, understand?”
“The first two months are the most delicate.”
“And you—be gentle. Don’t go overboard just because you’re young…”
Under his mother-in-law’s instructions, Xie Mingtu could only nod repeatedly. His whole body felt heated up by her words. Having children with Manman? It was something he had never even dared to imagine before.
Xie Mingtu had overheard things he shouldn’t have. He knew that it might hurt Xiaoman, that she might feel pain. He was afraid she would cry, so he had never had the heart to go all the way.
If Xiaoman didn’t want to, he would never force her.
Giving birth was painful. He had heard women in the village going through labour, crying in pain for days. He couldn’t bear for Xiaoman to go through that.
After leaving the Su family, under the winter night sky, the two of them walked hand in hand. Su Xiaoman loved the feeling of interlocking fingers with the person beside her. She liked Xie Mingtu’s long, warm hands.
Even without speaking, just holding hands gave them a quiet sense of happiness. The wind howled in their ears, and it seemed like it might snow again. The usually babbling stream had frozen over, and the branches and grass crackled underfoot with a crisp sound.
Su Xiaoman couldn’t resist. Holding his hand, she spun around beside him, stepping here and there.
It made Xie Mingtu laugh. “Careful—you might step on a snake’s nest.”
“Stupid dog, you’ve learned nonsense. Where would a snake’s nest come from in winter? Don’t snakes hibernate?” she teased, glancing down at her feet—
And then she saw something that made her head spin.
“Ahhh!!!” She jumped straight into Xie Mingtu’s arms. “Go, go, go, go!!!”
Why would there be such a horrible snake hibernating on a countryside path?!
Xie Mingtu held her from the front, letting her slender legs wrap around his waist as he walked forward slowly with long strides.
Su Xiaoman clung to his neck, still shaken from the encounter, desperate to leave the terrifying spot.
But the person carrying her slowed down even more.
She angrily slapped his shoulder. “Can’t you walk faster?!”
Xie Mingtu lowered his head so their foreheads touched. In the dim night, under the cold moonlight, his eyes reflected her face.
Even flustered and frightened, with her hair tousled by the wind, she looked stunning—especially when she was angry, her eyes wide and round.
Something stirred in him—a mischievous, instinctive urge.
He wanted to bully her.
Even he didn’t understand it. He was the one who most wanted to protect her, yet when they were alone, why was he also the one who most wanted to tease and provoke her?
“Manman…” He lowered his head and called her name. But this time, his voice was different from usual—low and husky, carrying a lingering tenderness.
At first, Su Xiaoman, who had been tense from the snake encounter, was still thinking about it. But when she heard his voice, her mind suddenly went blank. All the sounds around her seemed to disappear.
She no longer felt the cold wind. She only stared at Xie Mingtu in front of her, dazed. At that moment, a thought surfaced in her heart—
He is a man.
The man I love.
In the future, she would even bear his children.
Even though they had only known each other for a few months, Su Xiaoman felt that he had changed greatly. It wasn’t just his appearance—it was something deeper, something she couldn’t quite put into words. She had witnessed his transformation, from a boy into a man.
When they first met, he had been thin and frail, head lowered. Now he had become strong and well-built, with broad arms that could easily hold her.
He could shield her from wind, frost, and cold… and at the same time, he was a man who desired her deeply.
Realising this made Su Xiaoman feel a little afraid and flustered. A faint blush spread across her cheeks.
Lately, she had been showing more shy, delicate expressions in front of him. Before, even when they slept in the same bed, she had been completely carefree about it…
Xie Mingtu lowered his head with a soft smile and gently bit her lips. He loved her soft lips the most—fragrant, tender, and sweet.
This was the sweetest candy he had ever tasted.
“I like holding Manman like this. I don’t want to walk faster. If only this road were a little longer.”
Su Xiaoman felt both embarrassed and flustered. Her cheeks flushed deeply, and only then did she realise how intimate their current position was. She could even feel something pressing against her. When she looked up, she saw a roguish smile on his face.
This bad guy.
Where was the obedient, well-behaved boy from before? Now he was like a cunning lone wolf who had caught a pitiful little rabbit, teasing it with his claws before devouring it.
“Put me down.” She didn’t want to stay in that position anymore.
Xie Mingtu tightened his arms around her waist. “No. I’ll carry Manman back like this.”
She tried to struggle, but how could she break free from this “Xie dog”? His strength was too great—she couldn’t move him at all.
“Do as you like.” She gave up and leaned into his arms.
At that moment, snow began to fall again. Su Xiaoman tilted her head to look at the sky, a strange dark grey-blue. Snowflakes swept down steadily, and she snuggled closer into his chest.
The man who had said he wanted to walk slowly suddenly quickened his pace, returning to the courtyard in just a few steps.
The chickens and ducks in the yard had already returned to their warm enclosures. Their arrival didn’t disturb them.
After returning, Su Xiaoman took a hot bath and lay in bed under a soft silk quilt. Not long after, another figure climbed onto the bed and wrapped her in his arms from behind.
She kept her eyes closed, thinking something might happen tonight—but Xie Mingtu simply held her.
“Manman, do you want children?”
Su Xiaoman was completely confused by this sudden question in the middle of the night. She thought, you dog of a man—if you can ask about having children, why can’t you do what it takes to have them?
“No,” she snorted.
“Then we won’t,” he quickly replied.
Su Xiaoman: “…”
He must have heard something from Liu Shufeng earlier—probably about urging them to have children.
She turned to face him. “Don’t you want a child that looks like me?”
He instinctively answered, “Yes,” but then quickly shook his head. “No.”
“I want one that looks like you,” she said softly, closing her eyes and unconsciously touching her stomach. She truly looked forward to one day nurturing a small life—
A child belonging to both of them.
This useless man—always talking but never acting. Brave enough to discuss having children, yet not brave enough to do it.
She would laugh at him for years to come.
“Then I’ll have one with Manman.”
“Mm.” She nodded. “Just one.”
Whether a mischievous boy or girl—just one would be enough. She was already worried about having a child who climbed roofs and smashed things…
“Alright.” Xie Mingtu smiled and closed his eyes, holding her tightly as he drifted into sleep.
Su Xiaoman waited for a while, but nothing happened.
Su Xiaoman: “…”
She closed her eyes and cursed him silently—a man who teases but does nothing. If you keep training your body like this, I won’t even let you touch me in the future.
What she didn’t know was that earlier that day, Xie Mingtu had checked an almanac at his mother-in-law’s place.
—Today is not suitable.
After enduring so many days of restraint, he felt that their first time should happen on a good day.
For the New Year, Su Xiaoman and Xie Mingtu prepared many things together—dumplings, rice cakes, crispy pastries, and a “fish every year” dish. Xie Mingtu spread out red paper, dipped his brush in ink, and wrote several couplets. His handwriting had improved greatly, and after writing several, he brought five or six pairs to the Su family.
Su Guodong shot him a few disdainful looks, while Liu Shufeng happily accepted them, praising warmly, “Ah, these are written by my son-in-law. Why are they so beautiful?”
Some of the aunties present became envious and asked him to write a couple for them too. He did so, earning himself a few coins, some sweets, and even a string of red chilies hung around his neck.
He returned home just like that.
When Su Xiaoman saw him, she laughed until her stomach hurt.
“Xiaotu, Xiaotu, little rabbit—do you know what you remind me of right now?”
—Spicy rabbit head.
A rabbit with chili peppers around its neck—exactly like that dish.
She took the chilies off him and had him put up the couplets. He also cut paper decorations and even made several beautiful red lanterns to hang under the eaves.
After he washed up, she called him in for New Year’s Eve dinner.
They didn’t go to the Su family that night. It was just the two of them—no elders, just a warm and intimate atmosphere. She lit two red candles, their flickering light reflecting on their faces.
Even with just the two of them, she had prepared a full table—chicken, duck, fish… including fish he had dug out of the frozen river. Winter fish were especially fat, and she had fried some into crispy fish cakes.
There was a large bowl of dumplings in the centre. Xie Mingtu ate them one by one, crunching happily.
Some dumplings contained extremely spicy chili peppers, which caught him off guard.
“Manman, can you not put these in next time?” he said, drinking water, his lips reddened from the heat.
She laughed and pinched his cheek. “It’s Grandma’s peppers—you have to eat them.”
Despite everything, he finished most of the meal. Su Xiaoman felt he was like a food grinder.
After dinner, they had no other entertainment. They sat hand in hand at the doorway, looking up at the starry sky. Occasionally, firecrackers sounded in the distance, along with children’s laughter.
Holding his hand, she pointed upward and asked him to teach her how to make lanterns. Somehow, as he explained, his kiss landed on her forehead. Then suddenly, he lifted her into his arms, and the door shut out the cold wind.
All the noise outside disappeared.
Inside the warm bed, there were only the two of them.
The red candles burned softly, their flames flickering and casting shadows on the wall.
From the end of the year into the beginning of the next, the little rabbit slipped into its nest—and just like that, they crossed into the New Year together.
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