Shocking! A three-year-old brings his aloof mother to their door.

Su Qianyue looked down at her: "Tongtong hasn't seen the previous ones yet. She can catch up on them when she has time."

Mo Ye gently rubbed Tongtong's little head:

"We'll watch it next time. Let's go back and have dinner now, and then we'll go see the iron flower performance."

Tongtong nodded vigorously, her little face full of anticipation.

The night was as dark as ink, and the sky was filled with stars like scattered silver pieces spread overhead.

When Mo Ye and his family arrived at the riverbank, the shore was already packed with people.

He Wanning tiptoed and peered into the crowd for a while, her voice filled with amazement: "It's so lively here! There are people everywhere."

He Wanqing stood beside her, also looking at the shadowy boats on the river in the distance.

Mo Ye said, "There was a lion dance last year, but some members of the lion dance team didn't come back this year, so there wasn't one."

Tongtong was perched on his shoulders, her little hands clutching his ears like she was riding a tall horse. Her head turned left and right, and she mumbled, "Daddy, I didn't see any iron flowers!"

Mo Ye tilted his head: "It's not time yet, let's wait until it gets darker."

Tongtong's gaze was drawn to a small stall not far away. She pointed with her little hand and exclaimed, "It's delicious!"

Mo Ye carried her over, looked up at the cotton candy that was several times bigger than Tongtong's head: "Tongtong wants some?"

Tongtong stared at the fluffy cloud of sugar, her little face tense, carefully assessing the capacity of her tummy, and said softly, "Tongtong wants a smaller one~"

Mo Ye bought her a small skewer. Tongtong took it and first held it to Mo Ye's mouth: "Daddy, eat."

Mo Ye lowered his head and took a small bite. The sugar strands melted on his tongue, leaving a sweet taste.

Tongtong then held out to He Wanqing, saying, "Mommy, eat."

He Wanqing also took a bite: "Tongtong, eat the rest."

Tongtong then felt relieved and stuffed the rest into her mouth.

A golden arc of light suddenly appeared on the river surface. The iron flower display had begun.

Molten iron was thrown into the air and exploded in the night, like millions of meteors falling at the same time. Golden and red specks of light, trailing long tails, fell into the river and stirred up a patch of tiny sparks on the water.

Tongtong opened her little mouth wide, her big eyes reflecting the swirling light: "Daddy, isn't it hot?"

"Dad doesn't know either, but he's a professional and has a solution," Mo Ye said.

Tongtong nodded vigorously, her chubby little hands gripping Mo Ye's ear tightly, as if afraid she would fall.

He Wanqing stood to the side, glancing at Mo Ye with her head turned to the side: "I couldn't see very clearly."

Mo Ye turned his head to look at her, then glanced at Mo Chashan, who was filming a video with his phone not far away, and handed Tongtong over: "Dad, you carry Tongtong."

Mo Chashan took the little dumpling and let her sit steadily on his shoulders.

Tongtong sat on her grandfather's shoulders, looking down at Mo Ye carrying He Wanqing as well. Her little mouth immediately pouted. "Mom and Dad are doing this again, carrying Tongtong on their backs to play."

He Yanzhou glanced at Jiang Shuya and asked, "Should I carry you up too?"

Jiang Shuya waved her hand: "Go away, go away."

Then........

He Wanning stood alone to the side, looking around, and finally sighed resignedly. She bent down and picked up Tongtong, saying, "This family is really..."

She looked down at Tongtong in her arms and said, "I can't see your aunt either."

Tongtong patted her aunt: "It's okay, Auntie, Tongtong will take a look for you~"

He Wanning rolled her eyes: "Go to hell."

Tongtong giggled.

As the last burst of sparks slowly fell into the water, sending up a wisp of white smoke, the crowd gradually dispersed.

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, Mo Ye suggested going to the temple fair early in the morning.

He Wanqing nodded in agreement, and He Wanning was then pulled in to play the role of Dehua.

Upon arriving at the temple fair, Mo Ye led He Wanqing ahead, the two walking shoulder to shoulder, like a pair of celestial beings who had mistakenly wandered into the mortal world.

He Wanning, holding Tongtong's hand, followed behind, watching the two figures walk further and further away. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "Is this your child or mine...?"

Tongtong tilted her little face up, pinched her chubby little legs, and said in a muffled voice, "Auntie, Tongtong can't climb anymore~"

He Wanning sighed, bent down and picked her up, then quickened her pace to catch up with the two people ahead: "Brother-in-law, Tongtong can't climb anymore."

He Wanqing didn't even turn her head: "You can just hold him."

Before He Wanning could retort, He Wanqing added without turning her head, "One hundred thousand."

He Wanning immediately shut her mouth: "I'll hug you, I'll hug you, I love Tongtong the most."

Tongtong's ahoge (cowlick) wobbled, and she leaned close to He Wanning's ear: "Auntie, give me half."

He Wanning pinched her little belly: "You wish, I'll give you a layer."

Tongtong decisively stretched out her chubby little hand: "Deal!"

The two palms clapped crisply in the air.

Mo Ye led He Wanqing into a temple dedicated to the God of Marriage.

The temple is small, but its incense is very strong.

Mo Ye looked at the wishing plaques and incense sticks priced for sale and shook his head helplessly. The entrance fee had already been collected, and the items inside would cost extra.

But he still spent 9.9 yuan to buy two wishing plaques, and knelt on the prayer mat with He Wanqing, bowed his head and closed his eyes, silently reciting what he wanted to say, then stood up and hung the wishing plaques on the branches of the old banyan tree in the yard.

He Wanqing looked at the two wooden plaques hanging side by side, gently touching each other in the wind, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

Looking at the two identical signs, Mo Ye suddenly regretted his decision: "I should have bought two nicer ones."

He Wanqing glanced at him sideways: "If you don't buy it here, they won't hang it up for you."

In the courtyard outside, He Wanning was holding Tongtong and sitting on a stone bench under a tree.

Tongtong looked up at He Wanning and asked, "Auntie, aren't you going?"

He Wanning scoffed, "Auntie, I don't need a man."

Tongtong blinked, a look of sympathy on her little face:

"If nobody wants her, nobody wants her! Saying no one needs her is ridiculous. Auntie's getting old too—it's pitiful if nobody wants her!"

He Wanning tightened her grip on her arms slightly, her tone cool: "Your aunt is only twenty-four."

Tongtong tilted her head and thought for a moment, then asked, "Auntie, have you seen the Terracotta Army? Would you still be able to eat ribs after that?"

He Wanning was stunned for a moment: "........???"

Tongtong sighed... just as she was about to say something, she saw He Wanning's dark face:

"Hey, hey, Auntie, don't worry, Tongtong will go buy you a wishing plaque right away, don't be angry."

He Wanning took a deep breath and said, word by word, "Your aunt doesn't need that kind of thing."

Mo Ye and He Wanqing walked out of the Yue Lao Temple, and the four of them continued to stroll around the temple fair.

After turning a corner, He Wanning suddenly stopped.

Before her stood a statue of a deity, and in the incense burner before it was filled with incense sticks, the wisps of smoke rising and swirling in the afternoon sunlight.

The plaque in front of the statue has four large characters written on it: "Five Gods of Wealth".

He Wanning stood in front of the plaque, her expression becoming solemn. Then she pulled Tongtong and they both knelt on the prayer mat.

Tongtong bowed and turned her head to the side: "Auntie, didn't you say you didn't believe in these things?"

He Wanning didn't even raise her head: "I disdain other gods, but I will kneel before the God of Wealth forever."

Tongtong quickly turned back: "I want to make money too..."

The two lay on the prayer mats for a while, their heads banging loudly, which drew the attention of the other worshippers.

Mo Ye and He Wanqing stood at a distance, looking at the two figures, one tall and one short, from behind, feeling that they were not very familiar with them.

Back home, Tongtong's little face was still beaming with excitement: "Tongtong feels like she's going to strike it rich! I feel like the God of Wealth is on my side!"

He Wanning looked up and glanced at her upon hearing this: "You're one of those who get possessed by a ghost."

Tongtong was displeased and pouted, "Auntie, can't you talk properly! How can your mouth be so sharp?"

He Wanning: "Could it be more poisonous than you?"

Tongtong choked for a moment, her little mouth opened and closed again, finally turning her head away with a whimper: "Children say whatever comes to mind, children say whatever comes to mind, Tongtong is only three years old, she doesn't understand anything!"

He Wanning straightened up and looked at her expressionlessly: "You don't understand how someone can say such things."

Tongtong fell completely silent.

Mo Ye saw Mo Weiguo sitting at the square table in the main room, holding a calligraphy brush in his hand, with a sheet of red paper in front of him.

He walked over and sincerely praised, "Grandpa, what are you writing? Your handwriting is really good."

Mo Weiguo didn't even look up, his pen continuing to move across the paper: "Writing your marriage certificate with Wanqing."