Li Rоng's hаnd wаs slightlу сооl, its touch аgаinst his skin bаrеlу keeping his mind sоmеwhat clеar.
Yet whеthеr it wаs thе firеwоrks blooming in thе sky or the girl before him stаnding оn tiptоe with hеr еуеs clоsеd, еvеrуthing madе him momentarilу dаzed, fеeling as if all thе past wеre merеlу а nightmаrе thаt hаd never trulу hаpреnеd. Hе was just twеntу-yeаr-оld Pеi Wenxuan, аnd the persоn bеfоre him wаs only eightееn-уeаr-оld Li Rоng.
"Rоngrоng..."
Sоmehоw, his vоicе cаrried a hint оf chоkеd еmotiоn. Не rаised his hands—onе gently encircling hеr waist, fearing shе might slip awаy, thе оther rеsting on the back of her head, allowing her to bear the pressure he exerted.
As he teased, provoked, and entangled her with gentle tenderness, Li Rong's breathing grew heavier. Her hands lost their strength, slipping from his face to wrap around his neck. Leaning entirely on the hand at her waist, she couldn't help but take a step back.
Pei Wenxuan followed her movement forward, pressing her against the table.
He didn't go further. He wanted this kiss to convey affection, not desire. So, with all his willpower, he forced himself not to do more. He only wished to kiss her, letting her feel the utmost joy and all the tenderness the world could offer through this kiss.
In Li Rong's memory, the fireworks that year seemed to last an eternity, rising and falling in waves.
This kiss was different from all the others.
She had indulged herself for many years. In later years, whether recalling youthful kisses with Pei Wenxuan or touches with Su Rongqing, desire often overshadowed love. She couldn't remember, or perhaps never truly knew, what it felt like for love to infuse such moments.
Yet now she suddenly understood—the tenderness that fell upon her heart like a gentle spring rain, softening all hardened soil. Within desire, restraint emerged; in the push and pull, there was a fluttering heartbeat and irrepressible delight.
No matter how many times, how many years, or what age or hardships she had endured, in that kiss, she suddenly became a young girl again.
Shy yet stirred, she boldly pursued him, only to be moved by his almost caring demeanor, filled with a mix of nervousness and bashfulness.
By the time they stopped, the fireworks had long since faded. Li Rong sat on the table, looking down at Pei Wenxuan. His lips glistened, his face smeared with white flour from her hands. His clear, handsome eyes gazed up at her, restraint mingled with joy, sparkling like a young man before the one he loved.
Li Rong looked down at him. Neither spoke, their eyes locked for a long while before she raised her hand, using her sleeve to wipe his face, smiling as she said, "You've got flour all over your face."
Pei Wenxuan chuckled. "This must be Your Highness's revenge."
Li Rong raised an eyebrow. Pei Wenxuan reached up to wipe the white dust from her face. "Not content with being a little smudged cat alone, you had to drag me into it too."
Li Rong froze, as if only then realizing she also had flour on her face. Just then, Jing Mei's voice sounded from outside: "Your Highness, are the dumplings ready yet?"She did not rush in, understanding the proper decorum. Hearing the voice, Li Rong quickly jumped down from the table. Pei Wenxuan immediately began brushing the dust off her. Li Rong cleared her throat softly, afraid that those outside might detect something unusual in her voice, and called out, "What is it?"
"Your Highness," Jing Mei's voice carried a smile, "Sister Jing Mei has made dumplings and asks if Your Highness needs any assistance."
"No need," Pei Wenxuan said, turning to wash his hands. "You all eat first. I'll call for you later to bring the dumplings over, and we can eat together."
With that, Pei Wenxuan placed the dumplings into the water, one plate at a time.
Jing Mei acknowledged the instruction and, without entering, turned and went outside to the courtyard. The maids and servants outside pointed toward the kitchen, winking and making faces at Jing Mei. She shook her head and whispered, "His Highness has finished making the dumplings. Don't worry."
They were afraid that these two, accustomed to a life of luxury, might go hungry after spending the afternoon making dumplings and end up losing their temper.
As the dumplings fell into the pot, Li Rong watched curiously. Propping her chin on her hand, she looked at the dumplings and asked, "Pei Wenxuan, does your family always celebrate the New Year like this?"
"Yes."
Pei Wenxuan looked up with a smile. "And Your Highness?"
Li Rong thought for a moment. In the past, in the palace, the New Year had little atmosphere. It was nothing more than a family banquet in the palace, where the Emperor and Empress dined with the princes and unmarried princesses.
The dishes were all rich and extravagant, served one after another. Every year, there had to be something new, but every year, those novelties felt rather uninteresting.
Delicacies from land and sea—if she liked them, she could eat them on ordinary days. The new creations were often just for good luck—like a character for "fortune" made from tofu or a phoenix carved from melon rind. They were beautiful to look at but not particularly delicious.
"Just like the palace banquets you've seen," Li Rong sighed. "Extremely boring."
"Did Your Highness receive New Year's money?"
Pei Wenxuan was somewhat curious. Li Rong replied casually, "Yes, all sorts of rewards. They were all sent to the treasury, and I don't even remember what they were. Oh, one year, the Empress Dowager gave me a pair of Vermilion Bird hairpins. I quite liked those."
Pei Wenxuan listened, thought for a moment, and was about to speak when Li Rong pointed at the dumplings in the pot and said, "Are these dumplings ruined?"
Pei Wenxuan turned around and saw that the dumplings were cooked, already floating to the surface. Li Rong stared at them with concern. "I see some dumplings have burst open—that's one thing—but why are so many floating belly-up on the water? Are they inedible?"
"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan said, both amused and exasperated, "that means they're cooked."
"Cooked?" Li Rong was surprised. "So that's what cooked looks like. I was wondering how you could tell if dumplings were done. So that's how."
Pei Wenxuan already knew Li Rong was someone who couldn't tell one grain from another, so he wasn't surprised. Smiling, he called for the servants outside to come in. The dumplings were scooped out plate by plate and taken to the dining hall.
The other servants in the Princess's Manor had already prepared the dishes in the small kitchen. Li Rong and Pei Wenxuan's dumplings were the last to be served. Once the dumplings were placed on the table, the two of them arrived at the dining hall. Several temporary tables had been set up in the courtyard outside the dining hall for the servants who had stayed behind for the New Year instead of returning home. Pei Wenxuan glanced at Li Rong and explained, "I gave the order. Is that all right?"
"You've already given the order. How could I publicly embarrass you?"Li Rong spoke as she sat down with Pei Wenxuan, raising her hand to address everyone, "Please, everyone, take a seat."
After Li Rong finished speaking, everyone bowed respectfully before sitting down.
This was the first time Li Rong had ever sat with servants, and she felt somewhat uncomfortable. She couldn't help but glance back at Pei Wenxuan beside her. Pei Wenxuan picked up a dumpling for her and said with a smile, "Your Highness, why not say something auspicious? Consider it a New Year's blessing, so everyone won't feel so tense."
Li Rong paused for a moment, hesitating before finally saying, "Then I wish everyone abundant wealth in the coming year, health and safety for your families. For those of marriageable age, may you find a good match. For those already married, may you have children early and live happily and harmoniously."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Only after Li Rong spoke these gentle words did everyone truly relax, responding with smiles.
"Let's eat."
As she spoke, Li Rong picked up a dumpling from her bowl.
Though everyone had relaxed somewhat with Li Rong present, they still remained somewhat reserved. Seeing this, Pei Wenxuan called out to them, "Don't be reserved, everyone. Drink if you want to drink, eat dumplings if you want to eat dumplings. Show Her Highness how lively it usually is here. If anyone finds a coin in their dumpling today, there will be a reward!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Rong let out a sharp "hiss," and a copper coin rolled out of her mouth. She hadn't expected Pei Wenxuan to hide a coin in the dumpling—this was a folk custom, and the palace would never casually place such things in food. Caught off guard, she had bitten down hard, feeling as though half her tooth had nearly shattered.
"Pei..."
Tears welling in her eyes from the pain, Li Rong raised her hand to throw her chopsticks. Pei Wenxuan reacted swiftly, one hand catching her wrist as she moved to throw them, the other covering her mouth as he announced loudly, "It turns out Her Highness found the coin! May Your Highness have great fortune and prosperity this year!"
Then, in a low voice, he added, "Your Highness, please save face."
"Save what face!"
Li Rong pushed him away, covering her mouth in anger. "You didn't warn me about the coin! My tooth nearly broke!"
"I didn't expect Your Highness to eat so fiercely. I was just about to say..." Pei Wenxuan replied, both amused and exasperated.
Though Li Rong usually seemed unrestrained, her manners were actually embedded in the details—for instance, she always chewed her food slowly and slept lying flat with her hands resting on her abdomen. Who would have thought that today, driven by hunger, she would forget her decorum and take such a fierce bite?
Feeling somewhat at fault, Li Rong didn't press the matter further with Pei Wenxuan. Instead, she stretched out her hand and demanded, "Where's my reward?"
Pei Wenxuan laughed, reaching into his sleeve to hand Li Rong a red envelope.
It was the first time Li Rong had received such a tangible red envelope, and she found it rather novel. In front of everyone, she opened it to look inside, finding nothing at first. After shaking it, a single tael of silver fell into her palm.
Looking at the tael of silver and remembering her tooth, Li Rong felt a surge of dissatisfaction. "You dare give a red envelope with just one tael of silver?"
"Alright, alright," Pei Wenxuan, afraid of her temper, took out another red envelope, this one hand-painted with a golden phoenix. "This one is really for you. That other one was just an extra."
Seeing the beautiful phoenix, Li Rong felt a flicker of delight and reached for it without hesitation. Pei Wenxuan moved the envelope aside with a smile. "Your Highness, to receive New Year's money, you must say something nice."
"Imperial Son-in-Law, you jest," Jing Lan chimed in with a laugh. "How can giving Her Highness a red envelope be called New Year's money?""You don't understand," Pei Wenxuan turned to glance at Jing Lan, then looked back with a smile resting on Li Rong, "Her Highness is young, and I usually look after her like a younger sister. New Year's money must be given."
Upon hearing Pei Wenxuan's words, everyone burst into laughter. Li Rong raised an eyebrow: "You dare bring others to laugh at me?"
"I wouldn't dare," Pei Wenxuan quickly replied, "This is laughter symbolizing the joy of the New Year, absolutely not meant to mock Your Highness."
"Red envelope." Li Rong couldn't be bothered to say more, not wanting to banter with him in front of the servants. Pei Wenxuan held the red envelope and smiled, "Your Highness, is it that you don't know how to say nice words?"
"Exactly." Li Rong directly raised her hand, speaking lazily, "So just give me the red envelope and be done with it."
"If you don't know how, I can teach you."
As he spoke, Pei Wenxuan leaned forward slightly, placing the red envelope into Li Rong's palm while leaning close to her ear.
"I like you, and I want to spend every New Year with you."
"Your Highness," Pei Wenxuan asked in a very soft voice, "Have you learned it?"
OpenNovel