"It’s so convenient, marrying into the same village. You can see each other whenever you like."

"And look, her family’s here already. They’re up awfully early. Returning to the village just as the sky is lightening? They must have set out in the dark. That must have been a real ordeal."

Just as they were speaking, the cart pulled up in front of them.

Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing hurried to greet them.

It was indeed very cold, and everyone in the cart was bundled up tightly. But it was no use, no matter how tightly they were wrapped. Their eyelashes were covered in tiny icicles, and their faces were blue from the cold.

Chen De’an took off the rabbit-fur hat on his head and the face mask his mother had sewn for him.

When he had left home, he’d complained that the thing was ridiculously ugly and incredibly thick. If it weren’t for the few holes in it, he might have suspected his mother of premeditating his murder.

But once they were on the road, Chen De’an truly felt the mask was a godsend.

At that moment, all he could think was, ’This thing could really be improved. It’d be best if it covered my whole face, leaving only my eyes and nose exposed. Otherwise, the top half of my face is suffering terribly.’

"I’m frozen stiff! I can’t even imagine what it was like for Dad back when he traveled to the county seat in the dark. We’re dressed this warmly and even have hand warmers tucked in our clothes, but Dad didn’t have any of this back then. His boots were just cotton, without a scrap of fur on them. No wonder Dad always got frostbite in the winter."

Xu Su Ying was dressed so thickly that it took a great deal of effort for her to climb down from the ox-cart.

"Weren’t we poor back then? You children had your studies, and the money for that was what your father and I scrimped and saved from every penny we earned. Thankfully, things are better now. I’ll make some more cotton clothes and fur-lined boots for your father to make sure he doesn’t get cold. Jing, Qing’er, you two should go make your New Year’s calls. I’ll take De’an and Yao’an to pay our respects to the clan elders, and then we’ll head back to the county seat. You two can come into town tomorrow after the sun is up, so you don’t get frozen."

Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing naturally agreed.

Chen Wanqing was still worried that her mother and brothers would be hungry, since they had come over so early.

But Yao’an showed his sister the bundle he was carrying. "We brought food and drinks, Sis. Don’t worry, we won’t go hungry."

He specifically added that before they left, their mother had made them a fragrant steamed egg custard. The three of them had eaten until they were warm all over before setting out. They had packed dry rations just in case they were delayed in the village, but he had gotten bored on the road and eaten several pastries. He was so full now he just wanted to burp.

Hearing this, Chen Wanqing patted her brother’s bright red nose and told him not to run around, and to be careful not to hurt his hands when setting off firecrackers.

Seeing that De’an had already opened the gate and led the ox-cart inside, Chen Wanqing said another word to Xu Su Ying before leaving with Zhao Jing to go to his second aunt’s house.

The entire morning of the first day of the New Year was spent making ceremonial visits.

The Zhao Family was large, and the New Year’s greetings required kowtowing. When she got home and looked, Chen Wanqing saw that her knees were bruised from all the kneeling.

Zhao Jing’s expression turned ugly. He only said that if he had known, he would have had Chen Wanqing stay home.

But Chen Wanqing said, "I’m a new bride. It’s my first year here, so it’s proper for me to pay my respects to the elders."

She added, "Everyone goes through this. I’ll get used to it."

But Zhao Jing’s expression remained dark. His face was grim, his features as stiff as stone.

His hands didn’t stop moving, however. He brought over some medicinal oil, intending to rub out the bruises on Chen Wanqing’s knees.

Chen Wanqing was already uncomfortable—she had specifically gone into the room to lift her clothes and check her knees. Who could have expected that the ever-courteous Jing would walk in this time without so much as a knock.

He had gotten a clear view of the bruises on her knees, and for a moment she felt too awkward to pull her pants back down, which led to the current predicament.

But seeing them was one thing; she couldn’t accept him personally applying the medicine for her.

She was afraid of the pain.

"I’ll do it. Jing, you should go out and get busy. I think your mother is calling you to help in the kitchen."

"You must have misheard, Sis. Mother is calling for Xiang’er, not me. Sis, are you afraid of the pain? I’ll be gentle. If we don’t rub out the bruises, you’ll be limping for the next few days. And Sis, I really don’t want people to get the wrong idea and think I did something to you."

Without a second thought, Chen Wanqing kicked Zhao Jing.

’What could he possibly do to me?’

Still, it would be unseemly for her to be limping in front of her parents, relatives, and friends during the New Year. So, Chen Wanqing stopped trying to get away and braced herself, letting Zhao Jing help rub out her bruises.

Zhao Jing first poured the medicinal oil into his hand, rubbing his palms together to liquefy the oil and warm them up. Only then did he say, "I’m going to start."

His palms were still cool compared to Chen Wanqing’s skin—or perhaps it was the oil that was cool—and the moment they made contact, she couldn’t help but shiver.