Chapter 150

Chapter 150

On Chinese New Year’s Eve, the night of family reunion, Xie Qiyan and Xia Wanzhi made it back to the Xie Family before dark for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

Xia Wanzhi probably hadn’t slept enough that morning, but her biological clock had woken her up anyway. At noon, she had hosted Jiang Baichuan and Yun Li until a little after three in the afternoon. After seeing the young couple off, she had gone back to Lanting Bieyuan to get herself ready. By the time she was in the car heading back to the Xie Family, she was talking to Xie Qiyan and, mid-conversation, started dozing off.

“Get some sleep,” Xie Qiyan said. He could tell she was forcing herself to stay awake.

Xia Wanzhi shook her head. “I’m fine. I’m not that sleepy. We’ll be there soon.”

Then she yawned.

Xia Wanzhi sniffled, let out a little whine, and wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye before blaming him. “I’m sleepy because I burned too much energy and didn’t replenish it in time. This is all your fault.”

One sentence, and they were both right back to last night.

Xie Qiyan laughed despite himself. “Then I failed in my duties. I really should be punished.”

Punished how?

Xie Qiyan volunteered himself. “It was due to lack of experience. Mrs. Xie, why don’t you give me another chance tonight? I promise tonight I’ll definitely-”

“Shut up, you.” Xia Wanzhi instantly woke up, scolding him with a coy glare. “In your dreams.”

After a short chat, they arrived at the Xie Family. When Xia Wanzhi got out of the car, she shivered. The weather was clearly decent, but the wind that blew over felt more biting than usual.

“Ayan.” Xie Qiyan was taking things out of the trunk, and Xia Wanzhi stepped forward to take them from him. After a moment of thought, she still asked, “This is your first time spending New Year at the Xie Family since you grew up, right? You…”

“It’s just a meal. I’m fine.” Xie Qiyan didn’t hand the things to Xia Wanzhi. There wasn’t much, and they were all for Xie Tan. He carried them in one hand and used the other to hold Xia Wanzhi’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Xia Wanzhi pressed her lips together and glanced at him for a while.

Actually, it wasn’t that she was worried he would be upset. After spending so much time together, Xia Wanzhi knew he wouldn’t care about irrelevant people or matters.

What she had wanted to ask was how he felt.

But now there was no need to ask.

She could see it.

They had come back at just the right time-or rather, Xie Qiyan had deliberately chosen this time to return.

It was exactly dinner time. The large table of sumptuous reunion dishes carried a rich New Year atmosphere. Before the Old Master picked up his chopsticks, he said a few words. “This year, our Xie Family has gained two new family members. One is my little granddaughter, Xie Tong. The second is my eldest grandson’s wife, Xiao Wanzi.”

The Old Master took a deep breath. His eyes were faintly red at the corners as he smiled and said, “This old man is happy. Very happy!”

“As for Wanzi, you all know her, and you’re all very familiar with her. Xie Lin, Xie Nan, and Xie Tan-from now on, she is your sister-in-law and your family. You must treat her with respect. Do you hear me?”

On the surface, those words were an instruction to the younger generation. In truth, they were also a warning to the second and third uncles, the elders of the family.

Xie Lin was the first to respond. “We hear you.”

Xie Nan’s gaze darted around before lingering on Xia Wanzhi for a few seconds. Then he called out, “Sister-in-law.”

With Xia Wanzhi’s background, how could he not?

The Xie Family couldn’t afford to offend her. From now on, they would only treat Xia Wanzhi like an honored ancestor.

The Old Master looked deeply gratified and gave Xia Wanzhi a kind smile. “Let’s eat. Take whatever you like. Just like before, don’t be reserved.”

“Grandpa, you eat too. Don’t worry about me. I wasn’t polite before, and of course I won’t be now.” Xia Wanzhi’s eyes curved with a smile.

Under the table, her hand tugged at Xie Qiyan’s clothes, signaling for him to put away the look in his eyes that seemed ready to stab Xie Nan to death.

Whenever Xie Qiyan returned to the Xie Family, he always wore that rigid expression. The others might not be able to tell whether he was angry.

But Xia Wanzhi could feel his displeasure rising off him.

“What’s wrong?” Xia Wanzhi asked softly after dinner.

“If you don’t like this, we don’t have to come back. You don’t need to smile for them.” Ever since Xie Qiyan went abroad, he hadn’t celebrated New Year. After all these years, he no longer had any attachment to eating New Year’s Eve dinner.

Especially not at the Xie Family.

New Year’s Eve dinner was something to be eaten with family.

The Xie Family didn’t count.

“Don’t think about those irrelevant people. You need to know that we came back to eat with Grandpa and Xie Tan, not anyone else.” Xia Wanzhi tightened her grip on his hand, rose slightly onto her tiptoes, and poked the corner of his mouth with her index finger. “It’s Chinese New Year’s Eve. Give me a smile. Besides, I smiled because I was happy, not because I was putting on a smiling face for anyone.”

Xie Qiyan took a deep breath and knew he had been too sensitive. “Let’s go to the South Courtyard to see Xie Tan.”

“Where are you looking? Xie Tan is still in the dining room,” Xia Wanzhi reminded him.

Xie Qiyan stopped in his tracks and looked back faintly. Expressionless, he said, “She’s not at the same elevation. I didn’t see her.”

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Xie Tan heard him. Furious, she hopped forward. “Sister Wanzi, Xie Qiyan… he, he, he actually insulted my height!”

“Call her sister-in-law.” Xie Qiyan’s face was visibly about to darken.

Xia Wanzhi stood between the two of them. “No fighting during New Year.”

Xie Tan was about to cry. “What he did was wrong!”

Xia Wanzhi nodded. “It was wrong, but you have to call him brother first. All right, all right, our Tan-mei will still grow taller. It’s fine. I’ll teach him a lesson for you later.”

Xie Qiyan glanced at Xia Wanzhi, took her hand, and turned to leave, throwing a warning at Xie Tan on the way. “Keep up. I’m checking your homework.”

Xie Tan was even closer to tears.

Xia Wanzhi couldn’t bear it, but there was nothing she could do.

A good child really did need to start with homework.

Xie Qiyan ignored whether Xie Tan was crying or laughing. Walking ahead with Xia Wanzhi’s hand in his, he asked in a low voice, “Mrs. Xie is going to punish me for someone else?”

Xia Wanzhi glared at him. “She’s our little sister! Not someone else!”

As if very pleased by her use of “our,” Xie Qiyan raised his brow slightly and changed the question. “Then how are you going to punish me?”

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Xie Tan, who was usually devoted to watching the two of them be lovey-dovey, was now racking her brains for a way to avoid having her homework checked.

“Don’t even think about running. You can’t get away.” Once they entered the South Courtyard, Xie Qiyan made a point of warning her.

Out of nowhere, Xie Tan threw out a line. “Do you want to know why Third Brother was looking at Wanzi… Sister-in-law at the dinner table tonight?”

Xie Qiyan was silent for two seconds.

Xie Tan took a deep breath and grinned. “Why don’t you check my homework tomorrow? Let’s all have a chat tonight instead.”

A small laugh slipped out of Xia Wanzhi.