Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

Li Qingcang sat in the living room for the entire afternoon.

Instead of discussing serious matters, they talked about the dougong (bracket sets) of Foguang Temple, the differences in mortise and tenon joints in southern wooden structures, and how he spent three months drawing survey maps in Fujian Tulou when he was young.

Yan Xi sat up straight the whole time, and the questions she asked became increasingly professional.

Li Chen sat beside him, not saying a word.

When the old man left, he changed his shoes at the door. His bending motion was nimble, and despite being over seventy years old, his back was straighter than Li Mohan's.

"I'll send you more dried hawthorns when you finish them." Li Qingcang glanced at Yan Xi. "Go back and practice your punching technique."

Yan Xi nodded, "Okay."

"It's not 'good,' it's 'practice every day.'" The old man picked up the empty cloth bag. "When Chenchen was little, he was lazy, so I punished him by making him do horse stance for two hours. If you're lazy—"

"She won't slack off," Li Chen said.

Li Qingcang glanced at him. "I'm talking to her."

Li Chen shut up.

Yan Xi's lips twitched, but she didn't smile; however, Li Chen noticed.

The old man went out the door, walked to the elevator, and then turned back.

"I won't be coming on New Year's Day. You young people can celebrate on your own."

Shen Ruolan followed behind, "Dad, let's go together—"

"I'll come back on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and bring two fish." Li Qingcang pressed the elevator button. "I'll have this girl cook a dish that day."

The elevator doors closed.

Shen Ruolan turned around and glanced at Li Chen.

"Your grandfather made her cook on the third day of the Lunar New Year."

"I heard you."

Do you know what this means?

Li Chen didn't reply.

His grandfather never allowed outsiders to touch his kitchen.

For the first three years, Shen Ruolan could only assist during the Lunar New Year celebrations; it wasn't until the fourth year that she was allowed to make a soup independently.

This is Yan Xi's first time here, and she'll be cooking in the kitchen during her third year of junior high.

Yan Xi stood in the entryway and glanced at where Li Qingcang's cloth shoes were placed.

"Your grandfather's shoes have a left sole that is worn about 0.5 millimeters more on the outside than the right sole, which is a sign of his weight shifting to the left due to long-term martial arts training."

Li Chen: "...Can you stop analyzing for even a second?"

"cannot."

Yan Xi turned and walked towards the living room. As she passed Li Chen, she hooked her little finger around his hand.

What dishes should we cook for the third year of junior high?

"What do you want to do?"

"I don't know much, teach me."

Li Chen grasped her fingers. "Okay."

Shen Ruolan watched the two figures from behind at the kitchen doorway, wrung out the dishcloth in her hand, and could no longer hide her smile.

……

The next morning, Shen Ruolan took Yan Xi out to buy New Year's goods.

Li Chen tried to follow, but Shen Ruolan blocked him at the door.

"What are you going to do?"

"Help me carry these things."

"Your dad carried it."

Li Mohan was tying his shoelaces when he heard this and looked up. "Me too?"

"If you don't go, who will? It's your son's girlfriend's first time spending Chinese New Year at our house, are you just going to be a decoration?"

Li Mohan silently put on the other shoe.

Yan Xi stood at the door, the scarf belonging to Li Chen, which she hadn't returned.

"You wait at home." She glanced at Li Chen.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Wait for me to come back."

Li Chen leaned against the door frame. "You and my mom went out to buy New Year's goods, and I'm waiting at home. This scene just doesn't look right."

Yan Xi ignored him and followed Shen Ruolan.

Li Mohan followed behind, carrying an eco-friendly bag. As he passed Li Chen, he patted him on the shoulder.

"Your mom has finally found someone to go shopping with, so you're free now, but I'm not."

The door is closed.

Li Chen stood in the empty living room when his phone vibrated; it was a group chat number 302.

[Wang Qiang: Li Chen!! What are you doing right now?!]

[Zhao Zixuan: He's in Beijing right now accompanying his sister-in-law to meet her parents. Isn't your question obvious?]

[Chen Mo: Based on previous data, Li Chen's movement radius over the next seven days will not exceed three kilometers of Yan Xi's location.]

Li Chen replied.

[Li Chen: My grandfather came yesterday. He taught Yan Xi how to box.]

Within three seconds, the group chat exploded.

[Wang Qiang: !!! Li Qingcang!!! Jeet Kune Do master personally teaches his sister-in-law to box!!!]

[Zhao Zixuan: Has he taken on a disciple???]

[Chen Mo: It's not about taking on apprentices, it's about recognizing someone. His act of teaching boxing is essentially a symbolic transmission of his core skills to future family members. This is a strong signal of approval.]

[Wang Qiang: Translate!!]

[Chen Mo: Translation: Grandpa thinks she's capable.]

Li Chen locked the screen, went into the kitchen, and found that there was still some chicken soup base left in the refrigerator from yesterday. He heated up the soup and checked the spice rack again.

The salt is almost gone, there's about a third of the soy sauce left, enough vinegar, but not enough Sichuan peppercorns.

He opened his memo app and typed a few lines.

Send it to Yan Xi.

[Li Chen: We're almost out of salt. There's only a third of the soy sauce left. We don't have enough Sichuan peppercorns.]

Fifteen seconds.

[Yan Xi: Your mom has already made a list. She repeated two items from your addition. She forgot about the peppercorns, and I reminded her.]

Li Chen looked at the message. She had only been out for less than twenty minutes, but she had already gone through her mother's shopping list.

Another message.

[Yan Xi: Your mom asked you what you want to eat for New Year's Eve dinner.]

[Li Chen: Was she asking me, or you?]

[Yan Xi: She asked me to pass this on to you. Because she said you never name more than three dishes. She needs more options.]

[Li Chen: Sweet and sour pork ribs. Braised fish. Garlic shrimp.]

[Yan Xi: Three. Just like your mom said.]

Li Chen put down his phone.

He walked to the balcony. Outside the window was the winter of Beijing, with a gray-white sky and snow still piled on the roof of the building opposite.

My phone vibrated again.

[Yan Xi: Your mom was picking out ribs at the supermarket. She pressed the third and seventh ribs to judge the fat-to-lean ratio. Her technique was more precise than your dad's.]

[Yan Xi: Your dad's carrying bags next to you. He's carrying four already. His expression is starting to stiffen.]

Li Chen chuckled.

He looked down and realized he was unconsciously rubbing the edge of his phone case.

He was doing the exact same thing as the person on the living room sofa.

He looks exactly like his father.

……

At three o'clock in the afternoon, there was a knock on the door.

Li Mohan was the first to come in, carrying six bags in both hands. He was sweating, put the bags on the kitchen counter, walked to the sofa, and sat down without moving.

Shen Ruolan was the second to come in, carrying only a small bag.

Yan Xi was the last to come in, carrying a bag of walnuts.

Li Chen took it. "Why are you the only one carrying the walnuts?"

"Your mom won't let me carry anything else."

"Whose walnuts are these?"

"Yours. Your mom said you didn't like to eat it when you were little, but recently she saw a picture you posted on your WeChat Moments of a lab with a bag of candied walnuts on the table, so she concluded that your taste has changed."

Li Chen was stunned for a moment.

The bag of walnuts in the background of the photo he posted three weeks ago actually belonged to Chen Mo.

He did not correct him.

Yan Xi took off her scarf and draped it over the clothes hanger.

"Your mom has better stamina than I thought. She shopped at the supermarket for two and a half hours without showing any signs of fatigue, and her pace remained steady."

"She has been square dancing for eighteen years."

"This explains the firmness of her calf muscles."

Li Chen looked at her. Yan Xi's nose was a little red, and her lips were a little dry from the cold wind.

He walked to the coffee table, picked up the cup of honey water that had been prepared in advance, and handed it over.

Yan Xi took it, took a sip, and found the temperature to be just right.

"How much?" she asked.

Fifty-eight.

"I said sixty last time."

"Your lips are dry. If the temperature drops two degrees, the irritation will be less."

Yan Xi looked at him, her finger pausing on the side of the cup for a moment.

"When did you notice my lips were dry?"

"When you came in."

"I've taken four steps since I came in."

That's enough.

Yan Xi placed the cup on the coffee table, stretched out her hand, and Li Chen handed it to her. Her fingertips were icy cold as she pressed them against his palm.

"Let's warm it up," she said.

Li Chen grasped it and wrapped his hands around her fingers.

In the living room, Li Mohan was slumped on the sofa with his eyes closed, but there was a very small smile on his lips.

Shen Ruolan was sorting through New Year's goods in the kitchen, humming an old song, but she was off-key.

Yan Xi's fingers curled slightly in Li Chen's palm.

"Your mom told me something when she was shopping at the supermarket."

"What?"

She said, "Your dad secretly sheds tears every New Year's Eve."

Li Chen's fingers paused for a moment.

"When the fireworks are going off, he'll stand on the balcony, his back to everyone," Yan Xi said softly. "Your mom said he misses his dad."

Li Chen didn't speak.

Yan Xi pulled her hand out of his and patted the back of his hand.

"When your grandfather comes in the third year of junior high, I will cook and you will drink with him."

Li Chen looked at her.

"Teach me how to make that steamed sea bass." Yan Xi stood up. "You should know your grandfather's standards."

She walked towards the kitchen, pausing briefly as she passed Li Mohan.

"Uncle, please store the Sichuan peppercorns in airtight containers, not plastic bags, or they'll lose their flavor."

Li Mohan opened his eyes. "Oh, okay."

Yan Xi entered the kitchen, and Shen Ruolan's voice came from outside.

"Come here, Xiaoxi, look at these ribs—"

Li Chen stood there, his palm still feeling the coolness of her fingertips.

My phone vibrated.

It was posted by Yan Xi.

She was in the kitchen, with her back to him.

[Yan Xi: When you held my hand just now, your heart rate was 87, which is 11 higher than usual.]

[Yan Xi: I counted them.]