The landlord has multiple personalities and wants everyone to pay him.

"My children, you've...fallen into a snow hole?!"

When the two snowmen appeared at the door, the elders who were chatting happily inside immediately fell silent.

Ye Shu and Xia Qing were dressed entirely in white. When they stomped their feet at the door, snowflakes fell from their trouser legs.

Their faces were flushed, whether from the cold or from the snowball fight, and they both wore that guilty smile that you'd get after doing something naughty and then have to tell your parents.

It was very hot inside, and the snow on them melted at a visible speed, leaving their hair and clothes soaked, making them look even worse.

"These two kids are really fooling around; they've caught a cold!"

Shen Jingwan had already gotten up and walked over, grumbling as she patted the snow that hadn't yet melted off the two of them.

Aunt Ye Shu also brought two clean towels, one to Shen Jingwan and the other for herself, and she put it over Ye Shu's head and rubbed it vigorously.

Ye Guoqiang, holding a teacup, looked at the two of them and asked:

"Where did you go off to play?"

Ye Shu's head bounced as her aunt rubbed it, and she grinned sheepishly, a little embarrassed.

"No, I just... played around for a while..."

"We went to have a snowball fight!"

Xia Qing was much more relaxed on the side. It was obvious that she hadn't had enough fun yet. If the two of them hadn't felt cold and started to head back earlier, they would probably still be out having a blast.

Her eyes were bright as she let Shen Jingwan dry her hair, and she said to Ye Guoqiang:

"Uncle Ye, this place is wonderful! The snow is so thick, and it's not melting! It's so much fun!"

Shen Jingwan said from the side:

"Even if it's fun, you can't go this crazy! Look at your wet hair, what if you catch a cold?"

Seeing Xia Qing's excited expression, Ye Guoqiang didn't know what to say and could only continue drinking his tea.

After Aunt Ye Shu finished drying Ye Shu's hair, she reached out to touch his down jacket:

"The outer layer of this down jacket is all wet, and the inside is probably damp too. Take it off quickly, I'll hang it on the wall to dry it."

The two were very obedient, but snow was still falling from the hem of their down jackets when they took them off. Also, the collars and backs of their sweaters were soaked.

Aunt Ye Shu carried two heavy down jackets, turned around and hung them by the fireplace to dry, then went to the bathroom to turn on the water heater.

"I just turned on the water heater, the water will be hot in a bit. You two should go take a shower, or you'll catch a cold."

"what?"

When Xia Qing heard "You two go take a shower right away," her face flushed red, and her eyes widened in surprise.

"Shall we...wash together?"

Silence fell over the room again.

Ye Guoqiang quickly lowered his head and drank his tea, pretending not to have heard.

Ye Shu felt a twitch at the corner of his mouth. Looking at Xia Qing, whose face was flushed, he wondered why Xia Qing seemed to have become stupid since coming to his hometown. Or was it just that she couldn't adapt to the new environment?

He lowered his voice and said:

"What are you thinking! Of course you go first."

"I...of course I know we should wash them separately!"

Xia Qing's face turned even redder, but she still stubbornly insisted:

"Otherwise, what did you think it was... I really don't know what you were thinking..."

It turned out to be what I thought...

Seeing her stubbornness, Ye Shu was too lazy to argue with her anymore.

"Go quickly, I'll wash after you're done."

Xia Qing rushed into the bathroom, but tripped and almost fell as she entered.

While Xia Qing was taking a shower, Ye Shu changed into clean clothes and is now sitting on the sofa drinking tea.

They finally warmed up. Just now, when the two of them were chatting in the snow, they suddenly felt a gust of wind blowing over them, making them feel icy cold all over.

He was slowly sipping his tea when someone slowly crept up to him.

Tang Xiaotao sidled up to him, a mysterious smile on her face, and whispered:

"Brother...you and Sister-in-law Xia Qing went out just now...did you have a lot of fun?"

Ye Shu turned to look at her and noticed that her expression was off:

"Yeah, we went to the fields to see the snow, and even had a snowball fight. What happened?"

"Oh...a snowball fight..."

Tang Xiaotao slowly repeated it, but the smile on her face became increasingly strange. She looked around to make sure no one else was paying attention, then leaned closer, whispered something in Ye Shu's ear, and covered it with her hand.

Ye Shu suddenly turned her head and stared at her younger sister in disbelief.

Tang Xiaotao probably misunderstood. Seeing Ye Shu's shocked expression, she thought she had guessed correctly, and her smile became even more excited.

But then, Ye Shu reached out and pinched Tang Xiaotao's still somewhat babyish face, pulling it forcefully to both sides, and said through gritted teeth:

"What kind of nonsense are you thinking about all day?! Huh? Is this all you've learned in the past two years of studying away from home? Let me tell you, that's not true! Stop watching that unhealthy stuff!"

"Ouch! That hurts!"

Tang Xiaotao was hurt by Ye Shu's pinch, so she quickly pried his hand away, rubbed her face, and looked aggrieved and a little unwilling:

"Why are you hiding anything from me? I'm not a child anymore. I support you both! How romantic, in the snow..."

"Romantic my foot!"

Ye Shu glared again, but his ears also turned a little red from the girl's unfiltered words:

"No means no! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell my aunt that you're not doing anything right at school and are just watching this rubbish!"

"Hey, stop! I won't say anything more!"

Upon hearing that her family was in danger, Tang Xiaotao immediately cowered and quickly backed down. But still somewhat unwilling to give up, she leaned closer and whispered:

"Really not? Then your faces are so red, and you're covered in snow..."

"That's from a snowball fight!"

Ye Shu reached out and flicked her forehead:

"Get that dirty thought out of your head right now, or I'll..."

"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore!"

Tang Xiaotao covered her head, complaining:

"I just didn't say anything... Honestly, he's forgotten about his sister now that he has a wife..."

Ye Shu ignored her and took a sip of tea.

But after what Tang Xiaotao had just said, his eyes unconsciously turned towards the bathroom door, and as he listened to the sound of water coming from inside, a picture appeared in his mind.

"Snapped!"

Ye Shu subconsciously raised her hand and slapped herself on the right cheek. The slap was so sharp that it startled Ye Guoqiang and An Jianxing, who were chatting nearby.

"What's wrong with you?"

Ye Guoqiang frowned as he looked at his tiger son, who would slap himself for no reason.

Ye Shu was also stunned, his face burning. He didn't know what had gotten into him, so he just mumbled something incoherently:

"No... I think there was a small flying insect that flew onto my face just now, it startled me."

"This tiger thing."

Ye Guoqiang gave a stern lecture, not caring whether there were any flying insects in this cold weather, and turned back to continue chatting with An Jianxing.

Ye Shu breathed a sigh of relief and downed the water in his cup in one gulp, but the clear five finger marks on his face wouldn't disappear anytime soon.

It's all Xiaotao's fault for talking nonsense.