"Ranran, let's have a daughter too."
She nodded, her clear eyes shimmering with delicate, moving waves of emotion. She reached out to wrap her arms around his waist, then melted bit by bit into his embrace...
It was midnight.
Somewhere, fireworks were being set off. Somewhere else, people were cheering. The sounds came now close, now distant, at times clear, at others indistinct.
Outside the house, a frigid wind howled. Inside, the atmosphere was thick with the "springtime hues" of passion, as if the room belonged to a completely different world.
"Aren't we supposed to stay up late on New Year's Eve?" Mei Ran asked, her eyes half-open.
Hearing this, the man gently brushing the damp hair from her forehead let out a soft laugh. "You still have the energy? It seems I wasn't trying hard enough."
Mei Ran leaned against his shoulder. "... I was wrong."
"Should we take a bath?"
"Okay."
The fireworks lasted for who knew how long. In her dreams, Mei Ran could faintly hear the "bang, bang" sounds. She dreamed again of that impossibly beautiful moonlight and fireworks atop the mountain that night, and a tiny smile played at the corner of her lips.
"What are you dreaming about that's so amusing?" the man asked, lightly brushing the tip of her nose.
She didn't answer. The soft, rhythmic sound of her breathing drifted lightly against his chest.
Fu Shijin kissed her brow. "Happy New Year, Ranran."
He habitually took her hand in his, and only then felt at peace enough to fall asleep.
Early the next morning, clear voices came from outside.
"Are Aunt and Uncle late sleepers? Grandpa Sun is already up, but they're not..."
This was followed by Old Mrs. Zhou's chuckle. "Little Mistress, perhaps I could take you somewhere else for now?"
"No!" The little girl pouted. "I want my aunt!"
As she spoke, she tried to dash in. Old Mrs. Zhou quickly held her back. "Little Mistress, your aunt stayed up very late last night. She's probably still sleeping now."
Little Mei Jiu, child-sized as she was, planted her small hands on her slender hips, looking every bit the precocious adult. "But Aunt clearly went back to her room earlier than me last night! Not long after she left, Uncle followed. How could they have stayed up late?"
"This..." Old Mrs. Zhou was rendered speechless. She sighed inwardly. This little ancestor was sharp and not easily fooled. But who knew what was going on inside? What was to be done?
Suddenly, an idea flashed in her mind.
"Really?" the little girl asked hesitantly after hearing her suggestion.
"Would, would, would!" Old Mrs. Zhou pressed on, bracing herself and giving a firm nod. Internally, she apologized countless times, 'Young Master Liangzhi, I'm so sorry.' But what choice did she have? You're the one living alone and presumably impervious to interruption!
Far away, in another part of the estate, Mei Liangzhi, still curled up under his covers for a lazy morning, was suddenly struck by an inexplicable shiver. He sat up clutching his chest and let out a mighty sneeze.
"Still, no," the little girl shook her head. "Even if he can perform magic tricks, he can't compare to my aunt."
Oh, Miss Ran, just what kind of sweet talk did you pour into this little ancestor's ears?
Old Mrs. Zhou sighed, pressing her fingers lightly against her eyelids. "Should I go check if they've woken up?"
"I'll go with you."
Old Mrs. Zhou: "..."
Little Ancestor, I'm trying not to let you see something not meant for young eyes!
Just as Old Mrs. Zhou was caught in this dilemma, the door suddenly opened. Mei Ran stepped out. The little girl gleefully rushed forward and hugged her. "Good morning, Aunt!"
"Good morning." Mei Ran kissed the little one's soft, fragrant cheek.
"Miss Ran, Happy New Year." Old Mrs. Zhou handed her a bag of "good fortune" tangerines.
She accepted them. "Happy New Year, Auntie Zhou."
The little girl, sporting two plaits tied upwards like little sheep horns, smiled so widely her eyes curved into crescents. She took Mei Ran's hand. "Auntie, come have breakfast with me."
"Okay." Mei Ran stroked her hair. "Who braided your hair for you?"
"Daddy was still asleep. Mommy did it," the child answered, shaking her head a little. "Is it very ugly?"
"Actually... it's okay." Mei Ran couldn't help but feel a smile tugging at her lips.
The little girl pouted her lips and snuggled closer, beginning to act spoiled. "Can Auntie braid my hair?"
Mei Ran led her inside. She went into the bedroom to fetch a comb and a small mirror. Having no experience with styling hair, she could only search online for some tutorials.
The little girl, her dark hair loose and her long, curled eyelashes lowered, sat quietly, patiently enduring Mei Ran's fumbling attempts.
Mei Ran tried for a while before finally creating a cute "bun" hairstyle. "See if you like it."
"Pretty!" The little girl tilted her head. A few strands of hair that hadn't been gathered flicked comically. She threw her arms around Mei Ran's neck, came close, and gave her a hearty kiss. "Anything Aunt does is pretty!"
"Oho! So sweet!" Mei Ran tapped the little red mouth. "Let me see if this is smeared with honey."
The little girl broke into peals of happy laughter.
In the bedroom, Fu Shijin, listening to the laughter drifting in from outside, also smiled. The hazy winter light seeping in through the curtains outlined his profile, giving it a deeply gentle curve.
Worshipping ancestors on New Year's Day was a time-honored tradition of the Mei family. After breakfast, everyone gradually set off for the ancestral temple.
The little girl clung persistently to Mei Ran, refusing to ride in her own parents' car. Zhao Yu tried coaxing her for a bit, but eventually gave up and let her have her way.
"So sorry to trouble you."
Mei Ran smiled. "It's no trouble at all. I'll watch over her."
She genuinely adored this lovely little creature.
Mei Hongyuan and Mei Huiyuan rode together at the front of the procession. Next were Mei Qingyuan and Mei Liangzhi, then Mei Liangjue and his wife, and finally Mei Ran, Fu Shijin, with the little girl sandwiched in the middle.
Her short legs couldn't reach the floor, and dangling them was tiring. She simply tucked them under her. Then, pulling a carton of banana milk from her little cross-body bag, she popped a straw in and poked it open before offering it to Mei Ran's lips. "Auntie, have a drink."
She took another one out for herself, noisily slurping down large gulps. Halfway through, she seemed to remember there was another person in the car. Her little hand dove back into her bag, felt around, and emerged with another carton. "Uncle, here!"
As Fu Shijin marvelled at how such a small, flower-patterned bag could hold so much milk, he received the offering with a serious expression. "Thank you."
Even though he never drank such things.
The car rolled smoothly forward under the nascent New Year's sun for nearly half an hour. Mei Ran looked up; the jade-green glazed tile rooftops and whitewashed walls came into clear view about ten meters away. She turned her head. "We're here."
The three of them, holding hands, got out of the car, with the little girl in the middle. Her curious eyes darted about, taking in the novel surroundings.
Mei Ran frequently bent down to chat with her. Beside them, the man watched with a handsome, smiling face. To an outsider, it would have looked like a heartwarming portrait of a family of three.
Fu Shijin wore a long black coat. Below it peeked crisp, snow-white shirt cuffs, and over that, a silver-grey knitted sweater, the one Mei Ran had knitted for him. Catching eyes with his father-in-law in the distance, he gave a slight nod.
Mei Hongyuan glanced at the sweater and smiled with understanding. Other than the color, it looked quite similar in style to the one he himself wore underneath—clearly the work of the same pair of hands.
"Almost everyone's here. Let's go in."
Before entering the temple for the ritual, everyone had to wash their hands in a bronze basin. Whatever was in the water left a faint, lingering scent on the hands for a while afterwards.
The little girl obediently washed her hands and followed Mei Ran inside.
Ancestral tablets were enshrined within. The worshippers all wore an identically serious expression stamped from the same mold, solemn to the extreme. Whether it was an illusion or not, the temperature also seemed several degrees lower than outside. Mei Ran had been a little worried that the little one might not adapt to such a setting, but a glance sideways made those superfluous concerns vanish instantly.
The little girl knelt on the prayer cushion, bringing her palms together in a semblance of earnest prayer. In stark contrast, her voice still held the lilt of a child. "Hello, Great-grandpa, Great-grandpa's father, Great-grandpa's grandpa, Great-grandpa's great-grandpa... I am Mei Jiu..."
Her Chinese wasn't very fluent, peppered with pauses. Yet, the intense solemnity on her face mirrored her father's in an indescribable way.
After offering incense alongside Fu Shijin, Mei Ran also completed the bowing ritual. Just as she stood up, Mei Liangjue and his wife entered, paid respects to the ancestors, and came over to reclaim their daughter.
The little girl, carried in her father's arms, kept looking back at Mei Ran. Their eyes met, and she sent several exuberant flying kisses her way, pouting adorably.
Mei Ran felt her heart was about to melt.
Following tradition, after the worship ceremony concluded, the men of the clan went for a brief meeting. Fu Shijin, as a "son-in-law" now, naturally joined.
The women and children stayed behind, gathering in small groups to chat.
"Jiu Jiu wasn't this clingy before," Zhao Yu said, her gaze soft with maternal affection as she looked at her daughter playing happily with other children from the clan some distance away.
This woman was already the mother of a three-year-old, yet she was only twenty-two, two years younger than Mei Ran herself, and a full twelve years younger than Mei Liangjue, as Mei Ran had gathered from fragments of earlier conversation.
Such a union was rather surprising, yet, perhaps not entirely so. After all, such a simple, sincere woman was hard to dislike. When she spoke, her eyes carried a clear, almost childlike guilelessness, clearly someone who had been cherished and protected by her parents since childhood.
"How did you know?" Zhao Yu looked at Mei Ran with pleasant surprise. Her eyes sparkled with what seemed to be a deep blue hue when she smiled. "A lot of people say Liangjue is raising two daughters," a faint blush tinged her cheeks. "He truly dotes on me. Don't laugh, but sometimes I even get jealous of our daughter... But no matter how busy he is then, he'll always pause his work to... comfort me."
From her pure-hearted sister-in-law's words, Mei Ran gained a more three-dimensional understanding of her cousin. Stunned and intrigued, her interest grew. "Are you of mixed Chinese and Russian descent?"
Zhao Yu nodded. "My father is Russian, my mother is Chinese. I take after my mother more in looks."
Mei Ran asked further, "So, how did you and my cousin meet?"
Zhao Yu blushed. "I was seventeen then. He came to be my private tutor..."
Before she could continue, the phone in her bag rang. Mei Ran was slightly taken aback by the ringtone.
"Liangjue. Yes, the baby and I are both outside. There's a big tree beside us."
"Mommy! Mommy!" Little Mei Jiu suddenly ran over, her small face flushed rosy, as adorable as a little apple.
Zhao Yu seemed to know the reason for her dash over. She tapped open the phone's music player, and a gentle melody flowed out. "If missing had a sound, it would keep saying, over and over, I love you... tirelessly..."
She smiled at Mei Ran in explanation. They had heard this song while shopping a couple of days ago, and the little girl had instantly taken a shine to it. For the past two nights, she had even refused bedtime stories, insisting on falling asleep to the song playing on the phone.
"Auntie!" The little girl hopped over, pressing close against Mei Ran's leg before looking up with an air of presenting a treasure. Mei Ran cooperatively bent down, and one earbud was pressed into her ear by the little girl's hand.
"Isn't it nice?" Her eyes, upon closer look, also seemed to carry a touch of deep blue.
As the song finished, the men returned from their meeting. The little girl pressed the replay button, closing her eyes with an utterly captivated expression.
Mei Liangjue crouched in front of her and called her nickname softly in Russian. "We need to head back now."
The little one quickly grabbed onto Mei Ran's leg. "I want to stay with Auntie!"
Mei Liangjue rubbed the little bun atop her head with a wry smile. "Well then, you need to ask Auntie if that's okay."
Under the little girl's imploring gaze, Mei Ran nodded.
Zhao Yu felt this might be improper and tugged at her husband's hand. "Won't it be too much trouble for them?"
"It's fine," Mei Liangjue smiled, pulling her into an embrace. "I think they don't mind. Consider it practice ahead of time. Besides, doesn't this make it more convenient for us to enjoy our 'couple-time'?"
"Shameless," Zhao Yu chided half-heartedly, giving his waist a light pinch before finally getting into their own car.
The two went for a stroll around the town, enjoying an utterly pleasant and completely uninterrupted afternoon, and returned home contentedly just in time for dinner.
The little girl seemed completely unaware of her parents' late arrival. After the meal, she pestered Mei Ran for a while before declaring sleepiness. Zhao Yu took her back to the room to rest.
Mei Hongyuan was still busy hosting senior clan members. The young people remained in the living room, continuing their conversation. Amidst the chatter, Mei Liangzhi suddenly proposed, "It's been ages since we played cards. Any interest in a round?"
He turned to Mei Liangjue. "Brother, after so many years in Moscow, don't tell me you don't even recognize a few cards anymore?"
Mei Liangjue set down his teacup and offered a faint smile. "We'll know if we try, won't we?"
Thus, inside the games room began the first high-stakes match of the new year. Mei Ran took the first victory hand, an auspicious 'opening red'.
Mei Liangzhi smacked his forehead. "How could I forget my bloody lesson from last time?"
No sooner had he spoken than Mei Ran remembered. "I recall you still owe me a year's salary?"
"Wasn't it half a year?"
"Oh..." Mei Ran drew the word out, laughing. "So you do remember."
Only then did Mei Liangzhi realize he'd stepped right into her verbal trap again, his regret palpable. He let out a long sigh. Truly, he had stirred the pot only to get scalded.
"East Wind."
Fu Shijin discarded a "Three of Bamboo".
The game proceeded smoothly at first, with no clear trend yet apparent. However, after three rounds, patterns began to emerge.
Indeed, peak prosperity inevitably gives way to decline. Compared to her extremely lucky streak last time, Mei Ran's fortunes tonight had hit rock bottom. She was the "cannon" fodder three times in a row and had her potential winning hands stolen twice. Her neighbor Fu Shijin wasn't faring much better either. After over twenty rounds, their chips were dwindling dangerously.
As the table's undisputed biggest winner, Mei Liangzhi grinned so widely his smile threatened to reach his ears. "Your husband-wife tag-team is only so-so, huh? This is a steady rhythm of failure. Could it be the old saying is true, 'Winner in love, loser at cards'?"
Mei Ran glanced at him, a faint smile curling at her lips. "It does seem to be the case. And by the same logic, 'Winner at cards, loser in love'. Cousin, I suspect you'll still be flying solo this year."
Mei Liangzhi's grin froze on his face. He glanced at Mei Liangjue, who had also lost rather substantially but remained perfectly calm, and a sliver of foreboding chilled his back.
He had intended to secretly ease up, subtly lose a few chips to salvage his romantic prospects for the year. But tonight, he seemed possessed by the God of Fortune. Luck poured in endlessly. In one sweep, he cleaned out all the chips belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Fu. He won so thoroughly that even he began to feel uneasy inside.
Another round passed.
"There." Mei Liangjue nonchalantly pushed his last remaining chip in front of Mei Liangzhi. "Winner at cards, loser in love."
The blow was enough to make Mei Liangzhi want to spit out an ancient mouthful of blood.
Despite being the undisputed biggest loser of the night, Mei Ran wore a relaxed smile as she looked toward the second-biggest loser. "Fu Sir, anything you'd like to say?"
Under the eaves outside, her skin was bathed in the gentle moonlight, faintly glowing and delicate, appearing all the more fair and soft. The man reached out and lightly pinched her cheek, smiling as he said, "When one door closes, a bigger door of opportunity inevitably opens elsewhere."
His gaze, now intense and focused, dropped to her lower abdomen, and his large hand covered it. "Let's head back to our room."
The moon hung high, casting its light upon the mortal realm below.
Amidst many nights as deeply entangled as this one, the days flew by. Soon, the Lantern Festival arrived. With the spring warmth and blossoming flowers, they finally welcomed the wedding day.