Sister, can I be a maid too?

Jiang Yubai covered his nose, ignoring the pain, and quickly grabbed his phone to type:

[Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai]: Delete it!!!

[Jiang Bi Niao Yu Bai]: Sister, I'm begging you, please delete it!

[Little Hedgehog]: I won't delete it, I'm going to wish everyone a Happy New Year, bye-bye~

【江碧鸟逾白】：？？？？？

But no matter what he sent after that, the other party never replied.

Jiang Yubai: "......."

He tossed his phone aside, collapsed onto the bed, and looked utterly dejected.

Holy crap, chatting is fine, but why would someone take screenshots? Isn't that a bit too despicable?

Fine, fine, since you're so heartless, then don't blame me for being unjust.

Next time you wear a maid outfit, I'll take a picture of you. If you misbehave, I'll use it to threaten you, and you'll have to do whatever I tell you to do!

Yeah, now I can eat spicy chicken pancakes every day.

Thinking this with a touch of Ah Q-like self-deception, Jiang Yubai felt his stomach rumble again.

He sighed.

The fifth day of the Lunar New Year...it's still so long....

I don't know how long I lay in bed, half asleep and half awake, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.

Jiang Yubai rubbed his sleepy eyes, straightened up, and called out:

"Enter."

The door was pushed open, and Jiang Pinglan walked in carrying food, placing it casually on the desk.

"Here, your mom saved this for you. There will be a lot of guests later, so there probably won't be a seat for you at the table."

Jiang Yubai's eyes lit up, and he stood up, peering at the dishes:

"You also have braised pork?"

"Yeah, it's leftovers from the takeout I brought back last night. Don't you dislike your mom's cooking?" Jiang Pinglan explained casually.

Seeing his father about to leave, Jiang Yubai quickly called him back.

"Hey, Dad, wait a minute."

Jiang Pinglan stopped and turned to look at him.

"After lunch... are we going to visit relatives for the New Year?" Jiang Yubai asked curiously.

"New Year's greetings?" Jiang Pinglan thought for a moment, "No need, just like this morning, it's other people coming to our house."

"oh....."

Jiang Yubai stroked his chin and asked tentatively,

"Then... it should be okay if I'm not here, right?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Pinglan raised an eyebrow slightly and lingered on her son's face for a moment.

However, he didn't ask any further questions, but simply nodded and said:

"Well, they're just business associates. If you don't want to see them, then don't."

"Okay! Thanks, Dad!"

Jiang Yubai immediately beamed and waved to see him out.

Jiang Pinglan was about to step out when she stopped, turned her head, and added:

"Remember to tell your mom where you're going, don't just disappear without a word."

"I know, I know," Jiang Yu waved his hand without turning his head. "I was just asking casually, I didn't say I was really going to run away."

"Oh."

Jiang Pinglan gave a curt "hmph" before closing the door and leaving.

......

.....

Changliu Village.

Lin Jianxia carried a bag of pork and walked slowly behind her grandmother.

She glanced to the side—Lin Tingwan was walking quietly beside her, carrying some vegetables, but her gaze kept drifting over.

Ever since she finished chatting with Jiang Yubai, her younger sister had been looking at her with that "I have something to say, but I don't really want to say it" look.

Lin Jianxia thought it was Jiang Yubai's earlier use of the word "maid" that caused the trouble, and her ears burned slightly as she whispered an explanation:

"Wanwan, I already said... the maid thing was just a joke by that bad guy Jiang Yubai."

Lin Tingwan silently shook her head.

"Not this one?" Lin Jianxia blinked. "Then what's wrong?"

Lin Tingwan took out a small notebook, quickly wrote a line of words, and held it up in front of her.

"Could you send me the picture, sister?"

".....What picture?" Lin Jianxia was taken aback.

Lin Tingwan didn't move, but just looked into her older sister's pocket.

Following the gaze, Lin Jianxia took out her phone with her other hand, then suddenly realized:

"screenshot?"

(Nods.)

"What do you need this screenshot for?" Lin Jianxia asked, both amused and exasperated. "I thought it was something important..."

She opened QQ with one hand, and a dozen or so messages popped up, all from Jiang Yubai asking her to delete the photos.

Lin Jianxia scrolled through the list one by one, her lips curving into a smile, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons.

It wasn't until someone tugged at her clothes that she realized what had happened and sent the screenshot to her younger sister.

"Here you go~" Lin Jianxia waved her phone. "Okay."

Lin Tingwan's eyes lit up slightly, and she leaned over and nuzzled her sister's shoulder with her head.

"Hehehe~"

Lin Jianxia smiled contentedly and reached out to ruffle her sister's hair.

Wanwan is so cute~

"Xia girl, Wan girl, we've arrived."

The grandmother, who was walking ahead, stopped in front of a small courtyard.

Lin Jianxia looked up and called out familiarly into the courtyard:

"Grandma Fang, we've come to wish you a Happy New Year!"

The soft tapping of a cane echoed from the courtyard, and an elderly woman with gray hair came out smiling to greet them.

"Here you are, Happy New Year!"

She walked up to them, took out two red envelopes she had prepared beforehand, and stuffed them into the sisters' hands:

"Here's a red envelope for this year. I wish Xia and Wan a smooth and successful year."

Lin Jianxia and Lin Tingwan did not refuse and obediently accepted it.

Seeing the two accept the red envelopes, Grandma Fang's smile widened, and she pointed into the house:

"Come in, come in and have a seat."

"Okay, we'll put your things inside first."

Lin Jianxia nodded obediently and led her daughter Wanwan, carrying groceries, through the door.

The house was small and simply furnished, with old tables and chairs.

Even the television set was an old-fashioned, bulky-looking one.

The two sisters put down the meat and vegetables, then helped their grandmother sit down in a chair before sitting down next to her.

"Oh, right," Lin Jianxia looked around, "Where's Grandpa Chen?"

"She fell in the field three months ago and passed away." Grandma Fang waved her hand. "No luck, no luck."

Lin Jianxia was stunned. After a long while, her lips finally moved:

"W-why...didn't they even call me...?"

Before she could finish speaking, her eyes were already red.

She bit her lip and lowered her head, tears falling one by one onto the back of her hand.

Lin Tingwan, standing beside him, looked dazed, as if she still hadn't quite come to her senses.

Grandma Fang sighed and gently patted Lin Jianxia's back.

"Silly girl, why are you crying? He was over eighty years old, and he didn't suffer much in his passing. It can be considered a happy death."

After gently comforting her for a while, Grandma Fang stood up and said, "Alright, don't be sad. The food is ready, let's eat."

Lin Jianxia quickly wiped her eyes and stood up as well, her voice still slightly nasal:

"I'll get it for you. Please sit down and rest for a while."

The meal was quite lively.

Grandma Fang would occasionally tell funny stories about the village, and Lin Jianxia would smile in response, as if she had quietly put away her sadness from earlier.

On the way home, neither she nor her grandmother spoke to each other, and for a moment, the air was heavy.

Once inside the house, Lin Jianxia finally couldn't hold back any longer and turned to look at her grandmother:

"Grandma! Please come to the city with us."