On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Qin Jiao and her family visited Su Yun’s parents. They brought many gifts, and while Father Su and Mother Su said, "Why did you buy all this?" they were actually quite gratified.

After all, their daughter had always suffered at the Old Qin Family’s home, her earnings all spent on others. This had been a constant weight on Mother Su and Father Su’s minds.

Now, things were better. The kids were doing well in school and were healthy and energetic. And though the young couple worked hard selling breakfast, at least they were running their own business. It was tiring, yes, but it gave them a future to work toward.

After staying at Su Yun’s parents’ home for two days, they returned to Ping’an Town.

Then, they got a call from her sister-in-law, Sun Li, saying they wanted to come over. Su Yun quickly insisted that they should be the ones visiting Sun Li and her husband instead.

Sun Li laughed. "We’re all close family, so there’s no need for such formalities. Besides, your place has a big yard. If you’re free today, we’ll head over. Xiao Lan has been pestering us to come over and play with Xiao Jiao and the others."

"Alright, then. But you don’t need to bring anything! We have more than enough New Year’s supplies at home. The three of you just coming over is plenty."

After hanging up, Su Yun remarked to her sister-in-law, "I used to think Sun Li was really hard to get along with, but this year, I’m realizing she’s actually pretty easygoing."

Qin Na nodded with an air of great seriousness.

Qin Jiao, however, smiled from the side. "Our aunt isn’t a bad person, she just has her own code of conduct. If she approves of someone, she’ll be warm and welcoming. If she doesn’t, she’ll ignore them completely." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Su Yun understood. "So she probably looked down on us before, but now she thinks we’re doing alright. I can understand that, though. I doubt anyone wants relatives who are lazy, greedy, and always causing trouble."

Qin Jiao nodded. "That’s exactly it."

A short while later, Qin Bogang’s family of three arrived. They brought several frozen hairtail fish, a chicken, and some frozen pears.

Qin Zhonghui said, "Brother, Sister-in-law, you didn’t have to bring anything! Just having you here is enough."

"But it’s the New Year! Besides, we’re planning on eating two meals at your house today!"

"Deal!"

For some reason, the two brothers had never been particularly close, but now their interactions were full of warmth.

Just then, Sun Jianhua arrived, driving a small minivan. He called out to the kids, "You guys want to go ice sliding?"

Having been busy with studying and earning money lately, Qin Jiao hadn’t had a chance to play yet. When they heard Sun Jianhua’s suggestion, the eyes of all the children, big and small, lit up.

Qin Xiaolan chimed in, "Yeah! We can go ice sliding during the day and set off fireworks at night. That’s perfect!"

Qin Jiao was quite happy too. She enthusiastically went back inside to find gloves and a scarf for Xiao Shi so the little one wouldn’t get cold, but then she heard Qin Zhonghui call from the doorway, "Xiao Jiao, go ask Xiao Yi next door if he wants to come play."

The smile on Qin Jiao’s face froze for a moment, but she still nodded. "Okay, I’ll go ask him."

She told herself to stay calm. ’Just treat Shen Yi like any other neighborhood kid. We invited him when we went to catch fish in the river and hunt for wild chickens on the mountain. This is no different.’

She walked into the yard next door to find Du Liya dressed in a camel-colored wool coat, pulling a suitcase. As Du Liya headed for the gate, she was giving some last-minute instructions to the grandfather and grandson.

"Dad, don’t stay up so late. No other old man binge-watches shows like you do. Also, it’s cold out, so don’t go out in the mornings. Wait until it warms up to start your morning exercises again."

"And you too, Xiao Yi. Don’t study so late. Your grades are outstanding, and I’m already so happy with them. You have to take care of your health. And for the six months that I’m abroad, you need to take good care of your grandpa."