49.1

Chapter 49 New Year's Wishes Jing Dan gazed at the two cats on the screen, her expression freezing momentarily. Where was Xiaoyi? "Jing Dan." Jing Shi Yue's voice came through the phone, along with Qiu Shuhuai's New Year greetings. Watching the two cats being carried away on the screen, followed by two beautiful women, Jing Dan solemnly began to greet them. "Happy New Year, Xiaoyi." "Happy New Year, Auntie." As soon as this greeting came out, everyone was stunned, and finally Qiu Shuhuai asked hesitantly, "Who is Auntie?" "You." Jing Dan felt that this question was somewhat inexplicable, puzzled, "Aren't you Xiaoyi's partner? Xiaoyi's partner should be called Auntie's husband, but you are not a man, so shouldn't I call you Auntie? Is there any other way to address you?" When she said the last sentence, Jing Dan turned to He Xiang, seemingly seeking an answer. He Xiang: "..." This puzzled her too. She didn't know if there was any other way to address someone. Hu Tu, on the side, was about to burst into laughter, making honking sounds like a goose. Upon hearing her words, Qiu Shuhuai's face slowly turned red, to the point where he felt embarrassed to look at Jing Shi Yue. However, after Jing Shi Yue overcame her initial embarrassment, she calmed down and discreetly gave Jing Dan a thumbs-up, a smile of satisfaction playing at the corner of her lips, planning to make the red envelope for her even bigger when the little one returned. Seeing the thumbs-up from Xiaoyi, Jing Dan felt validated, and her lips curled up with a hint of pride. He Xiang watched her nearby, observing the playful smile on her face, suddenly feeling an urge to ruffle her head. Forcing herself to look away, she couldn't keep staring, or she would really want to playfully touch her. Turning her gaze back to the screen, Jing Shi Yue's eyes met hers, nodding discreetly. Jing Shi Yue's brows relaxed, and her gaze towards He Xiang softened. After chatting for a while, when Jing Dan hung up the phone, He Xiang couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why didn't you call your parents?" Putting away her phone casually, Jing Dan said, "Their phones are often out of the service area. No need to call." He Xiang: "..." Seeing Jing Dan unaffected, He Xiang was slightly reassured. Hu Tu stretched lazily and said, "I'm not staying with you guys here; I'm going back to my room to sleep." Winter truly is wicked! It makes one uncontrollably sleepy! The two remaining watched as Hu Tu walked halfway, then suddenly stopped, turned back, and sternly warned them, "Behave yourselves! Just because it's the new year doesn't mean you can misbehave!" Jing Dan, He Xiang: "...What is she talking about?" Watching Hu Tu close the door, He Xiang looked at Jing Dan and couldn't help but chuckle. In front of her, this person was probably always well-behaved. "Would you like to play with fireworks?" He Xiang asked her. "Fireworks?" Jing Dan's eyes brightened. "Are those the kind that explode in the sky?" Seeing the joy in Jing Dan's eyes, He Xiang chuckled softly. "Yes, those too." Standing up, she took Jing Dan outside, opened the trunk of the SUV, which was filled with fireworks she hadn't noticed before. Surprised, Jing Dan didn't know when the car had been filled with a bunch of fireworks. "Get in; let's go to a more remote place to set them off." He Xiang said softly. Jing Dan nodded and sat in the passenger seat, feeling excited. Although she had seen fireworks before, she had never set them off herself. He Xiang drove her to a vast open space and together they unloaded all the fireworks from the car. "Do you know how to set these off?" Jing Dan shook her head, curiously observing her actions. He Xiang took out an incense stick from somewhere, lit it, and smiled at Jing Dan. "Why don't you move further away? You can watch me set them off, and then you can try." Jing Dan obediently moved a little further away. Seeing that she had moved away, He Xiang bent down, lit the fuse, and quickly ran in the direction of Jing Dan. Watching He Xiang approaching her in the night, Jing Dan was momentarily stunned before— Swoosh—Boom— She shook herself back to reality, looking up at the fireworks bursting in the sky. The scattered lights filled her pupils. As He Xiang came closer, all she saw were those bright eyes, filled with starlight, so beautiful that they were hard to look away from. Jing Dan gazed up at the fireworks, feeling a genuine happiness, but fireworks were fleeting, and the dozens of explosions quickly disappeared. "Did you see how I set them off? Did you understand?" He Xiang asked gently. Jing Dan withdrew her gaze from the sky and looked at He Xiang's soft eyes, nodding. He Xiang smiled lightly and handed her an incense stick. "Shall we set them off together? It'd be even more beautiful when we detonate them together." Jing Dan took the incense stick and nodded vigorously. On New Year's Eve, the two of them lit all the fuses. As they rushed towards each other, at that moment, it felt like they were running towards each other, like long-distance lovers just wanting to embrace tightly. The dazzling fireworks bloomed in the night sky. The two of them sat on the car roof, looking up quietly. He Xiang softly asked, "Do you have any New Year wishes?" Startled by her question, Jing Dan stammered, "New Year wishes?" "Yes." He Xiang looked at her earnestly, as if she would do everything possible to help her fulfill her wish once she said it. Looking at He Xiang's determined gaze, Jing Dan blurted out, "I want two bottles of milk every day!" After saying it, even she was surprised. And at her words, He Xiang said, "..." Was that really her New Year wish? It was indeed simple and unpretentious... She couldn't help but laugh lightly, and her amusement grew until she was almost rolling on the car roof, clutching her stomach. Jing Dan silently observed her. Although she was also taken aback after saying it, she had no intention of changing it. What was wrong with wanting two bottles of milk every day? Milk was so delicious! After laughing enough, He Xiang looked at Jing Dan's resentful gaze, finally stood up straight, nodded, and said, "Okay, two bottles of milk every day!" Upon hearing He Xiang's agreement, Jing Dan's lips curled into a satisfied smile, and she started feeling gleeful. As they returned, Jing Dan hesitated while looking back at the spent fireworks tubes. But before she could speak, He Xiang seemed to sense her hesitation and reassured her, "It's all right; someone will come to clean up later." After her assurance, Jing Dan felt relieved. Upon returning, He Xiang went to the kitchen to warm up a bottle of milk for Jing Dan and wished her a Happy New Year when she handed it to her. Accepting it, Jing Dan smiled contentedly. --- The following days of the New Year, Jing Dan would go to He Yuang's room, turn back into her original form, and soak in the bowl filled with the bitter medicine smell. She had become accustomed to the hand that frequently clipped her ear by this point. Since precious herbs were used to cure her illness, what harm was there in being pinched once in a while? It wouldn't make her lose a piece of flesh! Jing Dan comforted herself in this way, eventually completely ignoring the hand. Every day, upon entering He Yuang's room, she would transform back, let herself be picked up and placed in the bowl to wet her fur, then let He Yuang dry her with spiritual power before joyfully running out in her human form to find He Xiang. Little did she know that as she grew more accustomed and her guard lowered, He Yuang's phone was filling up with videos and photos of the little one, including a video of her excitingly tripping over herself and rolling in circles on the ground. By the fifth day, Jing Dan had completely mastered her ability to control transforming between her human and original form. Exiting He Yuang's room this time, she seemed excited. When she saw He Xiang, she immediately pounced on her, hugging her tightly. Perplexed by her sudden embrace, He Xiang found herself at a loss and uncertain whether to hug her back. But before she could decide, Jing Dan let go quickly, heading over to hug Hu Tu. He Xiang: "..." Her face fell. Seeing He Xiang's expression, Hu Tu, who had just been hugged by Jing Dan, noticed and insolently chuckled, patting her on the shoulder with a triumphant look, praising her, "Nice one!" Seeing He Xiang's expression, which was almost falling apart! However, Jing Dan failed to notice anything amiss. She was just happy thinking that she wouldn't be turning back into her original form at random anymore, so Xiaoyi wouldn't have to lose too much face because of her! Thinking of Xiaoyi, she quickly called to share her good news. Watching the joyful Jing Dan, He Xiang smiled helplessly and ultimately said nothing. Since she was now cured and there wasn't much time left, after staying three more days here, they were about to embark on their journey back to Huaqing City. Unexpectedly, He Yuang came out to see them off as they left. Seeing He Yuang at the door, He Xiang fell silent. She remembered how cold He Yuang had been the last time she asked her to leave and how she hadn't shown up on the day of their departure. But this time, she was sending them off herself… Turning to look at Jing Dan, He Xiang fell even quieter. After all, Jing Dan was her daughter, right? "Alright, be careful on your way back." He Yuang said quietly. He Xiang nodded, watching Hu Tu smilingly bid farewell to He Yuang. Jing Dan also said goodbye very obediently. It seemed that compared to them, her own attitude was the coldest. He Xiang fell silent once again. Before leaving, He Yuang gave Jing Dan something, indifferently saying, "Take this; it's good for you." Jing Dan took it, nodding earnestly. The group got into the car, driven by the same driver as last time. As they sat in the car, Hu Tu couldn't help but ask curiously, "What did Auntie give you?" Jing Dan opened her palm to reveal a talisman adorned with runes, lying quietly inside.