I am the old, fiery-faced man from the senior department.

"Hey, Xiaobai, you're here."

When Nian, who was showing off to his card-playing friends, saw him, his smile became even brighter.

"Come on, you play a game for me first. Everyone, please don't bully my little white dog."

He took the insulated box and then pressed him down into the chair.

"How could that be? We'd love for Mr. Bai to come."

"Mr. Bai, please be lenient this time."

"I'm just waiting to get a bit of Mr. Bai's luck so I can give those guys a good beating."

The group was overjoyed to see Bai Zhou, showering him with compliments as if he were a precious treasure, and Bai Zhou responded with a smile to each of them.

"Oh, dumplings again. Did you bring vinegar and chili sauce?"

"I brought them all, they're all inside."

During the day, he skillfully rubbed and drew cards while talking to her.

"Mmm, it smells so good."

Nian dragged over another chair and sat down against the daylight.

"Mmm, it smells delicious..."

Nian ate dumplings while watching him draw cards.

"Ah... I won."

Within four or five minutes, Bai Zhou played his hand, announcing the outcome of the round.

"As expected of Mr. Bai."

“Oh, Mr. Bai’s hand… is brilliant.”

"Tsk tsk, looks like I'll be able to dominate again tomorrow."

Although they had lost, they were happier than if they had won.

For some reason, whenever they played cards with Bai Zhou, the faster Bai Zhou won, the more they would win the next day. But when they played cards with the woman next to him, they would consider it a success if they didn't lose the next day.

Under such a strange rule, people naturally prefer to play cards with the sun during the day.

Perhaps, just as Nian and the others boasted, this Mr. Bai is truly a lucky star with boundless blessings, and they could take off just by getting a little bit of his good fortune.

"Hehe, I knew it! Little Bai is so lucky. Here, Little Bai, as a reward, your older sister will feed you dumplings."

Nian picked up a dumpling and threw it into the daylight.

"Thank you, sister."

He turned his head slightly during the day and ate the dumplings.

"Tsk..."

Although you can share in the good fortune, it's really annoying to see the two of them being all lovey-dovey right in front of you.

"Okay, okay, I'm done eating. Little White, do you want to play another round?"

Nian packed up the insulated box, wiped her mouth, and prepared to switch places with Bai Zhou at any time.

"No, playing for a while is enough. I still have to take Huijie to school later."

"Sister, let's play a little longer and then go back."

"Okay, I got it. I'll play two more rounds and then head back."

He apologized to his card-playing friends during the day and then gave his seat to Nian.

"Mr. Bai, are you leaving already? Won't you stay a little longer... Oh, right, I still have to take the kids to school. Look at my memory, hahaha."

"Take care, Mr. Bai."

The group smiled and bid farewell to the daytime.

"Haven't you had enough fun during the New Year?"

When Xi returned home, she saw Bai Zhou, who was alone, and knew what Nian had been doing.

One can know the whole year by looking at a single seal.

"Yeah. My sister said she'll come back after playing two more games."

He sat down next to her during the day and relayed what Nian had said.

"Two... Ah, two more, two more, how many two are there?"

Xi still didn't know that the "two hands" Nian was referring to were actually "many years' worth of hands".

Looks like I don't need to prepare her portion for dinner tonight.

"What are you looking at, sir?"

Bai Zhou didn't reply, but instead glanced at the movie Xi was watching and asked her a question.

"It's a movie called 'Double Happiness'... I saw that its tag included the supernatural element, so I wanted to see what it was about."

"Did you see it, sir?"

"not yet."

Xi turned slightly and leaned on Bai Zhou's shoulder.

The movie features a bizarre wedding, but she's seen all sorts of strange things and isn't scared at all. Plus, the movie is long, boring, and has no exciting moments, so she's currently nitpicking to find flaws in it.

"The matter of marriage..."

After watching for a while, Bai Zhou knew what the movie was about.

In the past, marriages were arranged by parents and matchmakers, leaving daughters with few opportunities to choose their own husbands.

When this was mentioned, Bai Zhou suddenly remembered the little Qilin's complaint to him, and then brought it up.

"My own daughter has just come of age and I'm already setting her up on blind dates... If it weren't for her outstanding abilities and the heavy responsibilities she's shouldered at such a young age, she would probably already be engaged to some stranger for the sake of so-called family honor."

Having heard about the little Qilin, Xi snorted lightly, fully expressing her disdain for those powerful families.

"Yes. That's probably one of the reasons she wants to become the Dragon God."

"Parents' thinking hasn't changed much yet... Once this generation of young people becomes parents, they will probably think more about their offspring."

"But getting married so soon after coming of age... isn't that too hasty?"

Bai Zhou shook his head, his words tinged with helplessness.

"However, we can't delay too long... It wouldn't be good if we were still unmarried after reaching marriageable age."

Xi blinked and turned her head to look at Bai Zhou.

Is Ben Axi deliberately causing trouble?

"What's wrong, sir?"

Bai Zhou asked in confusion.

"..."

You really didn't say that on purpose?

Xi shook her head, then continued to pretend to watch a movie, staring blankly at the television screen.

She was lost in thought.

Looking back on the last few things that happened before the Lunar New Year of 1992 (conclusion)

"Talulah, Talulah, wake up! It's getting late. Get up and get ready, or the old man will spank you when he sees you like this."

Hearing the call, the Draco girl, who was curled up in bed, rubbed her eyes and slowly woke up.

"Hoo... Alina, don't rush."

She sat up, wrapped in the blanket, and looked at her friend who was already dressed in clean clothes and had finished washing up. She waved casually and said, "I just came back from the ice field the day before yesterday. I'm so tired that I'm dizzy. Even if I overslept, Grandpa will understand."

"That's true, but since you're already up, hurry up and get dressed and wash up properly. Didn't you want to tell the old man about your heroic deeds these past few days? If you don't act smart, even the hunting dogs will shake their heads at the stories you tell."

Seeing that she had woken up, Alina was relieved. She urged her again before going to prepare breakfast for the two of them.

I need to be in top form when I see the old man later.

"Hmph... Alina, it's clearly my grandfather, why are you so agitated?"

After washing up, Talulah, who was wiping her face, glanced at her radiant friend and asked, puzzled.

Although she knew that her father was loved by everyone, her friend had only met him once. When did they become close?

"You still know that the old man came to see you."

Seeing Hanta's confused expression, Alina explained to her, "While you were out, the old man came twice. But since you weren't there, he chatted with me for a while and then left."

"Ah...that's great, isn't it?"

Talulah picked up her bowl and began to eat.

"Alina knows how good the old man is, right?"

"Yes. It's really comfortable chatting with the old man. Thanks to his guidance, my painting skills have improved so quickly."

"Let's not talk about this anymore. Let's eat quickly, and then we can pack our things. I've already made the gift for Huijie."

"Oh. Thank you, Alina. That silly Huijie wants everything."

“I heard from Huijie that another guest has come to our house, so I prepared a gift for her as well.”

"How thoughtful of you, Alina. It's so good to have you by my side."

"Just eat your food, you smooth talker."

"hey-hey."

The two didn't say anything more. Talulah quickly finished her breakfast and, following Alina's instructions, began packing her things.

But after searching high and low for a long time, she realized that the most valuable thing she owned was actually Alina.

"Alina, my Alina."