314: Chapter 314 A Little Bit

Dumplings hold a special status in our country's culinary culture, having long transcended their role as mere food, imbued with deep emotional and symbolic significance; many idioms are related to them.

For example, "dumplings for departures, noodles for arrivals"; "dumplings with liquor, the more you drink, the more you have"; and then there's "nothing is as delicious as dumplings, nothing is as fun as... ahem."

For a post-00s generation member like Jiang Ye, who doesn't really care much for many traditions, he might feel there's no need to make them from scratch and find it troublesome, but eating them during the Lunar New Year is a must—it's a sense of ritual carved into his bones.

As for Lin Wanxing, when she truly picked up the rolling pin, listening to the "tap-tap" sound of the dough hitting the cutting board, watching Xu Man's fingers flying nimbly to pinch out one chubby, ingot-shaped dumpling after another, and listening to Jiang Ye grumpily complaining about how some celebrity on the TV gala couldn't even lip-sync properly...

A strange sense of peace gradually enveloped her.

The previous awkwardness, chaos, and the helplessness of being forcibly "bound" seemed to be diluted by this warm, mundane atmosphere.

For a moment, she even had the illusion that this was her home, that sitting beside her was her troublesome husband and her kind, cheerful mother-in-law, and she was enjoying this plain yet real warmth.

Lin Wanxing knew clearly in her heart that this warmth did not truly belong to her.

But on this Little New Year's Eve, which was originally destined to be lonely, perhaps...

She could allow herself to secretly soak up just a little bit of warmth, right?

Just a little bit.

She let out a soft breath, her tense shoulders and neck relaxed, and she focused on her work, the corners of her mouth unconsciously lifting into a faint, soft curve.

Until—"Eh?"

Until that extremely annoying, irritating voice that specialized in ruining all kinds of warm atmospheres rang out:

"Wanxing, why are you smiling so lewdly? You're holding a rolling pin, don't go thinking about other things! My Mother is still here, mind yourself!"

Xu Man and Lin Wanxing's movements paused at the same time.

Xu Man expressionlessly picked up a new dumpling wrapper, scooped some filling onto it, pointed casually in Jiang Ye's direction, and said in a flat tone, "Coach Lin, beat him up."

Having received the "imperial decree," Lin Wanxing took a deep breath, grabbed the rolling pin, and rushed around the coffee table!

Beat him up? She had wanted to do this for a long time!

Being slandered, being seen, being taken advantage of, being subjected to all sorts of tricks...

Last night, this guy even tried to sneak into her room! Did he think she didn't know?!

Old scores and new grudges, today is the day to settle them!

"Hey, hey, hey! Coach Lin! Calm down! A gentleman uses words, not fists! My Mother was just joking!" Seeing that the situation was bad, Jiang Ye leaped up from the sofa and began a strategic retreat around the coffee table.

"I'm no gentleman! Don't run!" Lin Wanxing gritted her teeth and chased after him, waving the rolling pin.

"Put that stick down! We just got together; we haven't reached the level of using little props casually yet. I'm a traditional person!"

"Shut your mouth!"

In the next second, a chaotic chase scene erupted in the living room.

Jiang Ye scrambled away, covering his head, while his mouth wouldn't stop; Lin Wanxing was both embarrassed and angry, her pursuit quickening.

Xu Man, without stopping her dumpling-making, watched the two young people chasing each other around the coffee table with a smile and nodded in satisfaction.

Hmm... And they say they aren't in that kind of relationship? Looking at this flirting, it's clear she has a good impression of this brat, she just hasn't fully realized it yet.

Good, it seems none of the daughters-in-law will be able to escape.

Two hours later, the lively dumpling feast finally ended amidst laughter and noise.

"Original soup digests original food." Xu Man sat on the sofa, slowly drinking half a bowl of dumpling soup, watching her son's lazy, "I wish I could just lie down right here" attitude after being well-fed, the filter of "motherly love and filial piety" quickly shattered, and she gradually found him a bit of an eyesore.

Is this brat actually my son? Why does he get more annoying the more I look at him... Forget it, I'm going home to watch my shows; out of sight, out of mind.

She stood up, casually brushed off her clothes, and said in a free-spirited tone, "Alright, you two clean up. I'm leaving. See you when we meet."

With that, not waiting for them to react, she walked gracefully to the entryway, changed her shoes, opened the door, and closed it—the actions were smooth and fluid, leaving behind no trace of her achievement.

The "bang" of the door closing rang out, and the room instantly fell silent.

The noisy warmth that had just filled the room, with its domestic drama vibe, receded like the tide, leaving only a slightly empty silence and a hint of lingering awkwardness.

The smile on Lin Wanxing's face quickly faded; she lowered her eyes, avoided Jiang Ye's gaze, walked silently to the coffee table, and began to clean up the dishes.

Jiang Ye looked at her back, which had instantly become distant, and rubbed his nose. "Wanxing."

Lin Wanxing didn't look up, but her hands paused. "Hmm?"

"About that... during the New Year, I'll bring My Mother over again, and we can spend it together, right? Otherwise, it's not very convenient for just me and My Mother."

Jiang Ye wandered over to the dining table and leaned against the edge. "After all, as the saying goes, a grown man should avoid his mother. As a male college student, I should keep a bit of distance from My Mother, so..."

"..." Lin Wanxing listened to his twisted logic, and a black line seemed to slowly slide down the top of her head.

But strangely, the sense of loss deep in her heart from Xu Man's departure seemed to have been diluted by his nonsense.

She gave a soft "hmm," interrupting his incessant chatter. "Okay. Let's do that. I'll buy the groceries in advance, and I'll make the New Year's Eve dinner."

Jiang Ye "tsk-ed" in his heart, and an inexplicable sense of accomplishment welled up.

Look at that! This is progress!

He had taken another solid step toward a "happy cohabitation life."

Coach Lin is not like Su Ning; if that little drama queen achieved some "milestone," she would most likely just slack off and enjoy the results all day.

But Coach Lin has a strong sense of responsibility, values relationships, and believes in reciprocity—if you treat her well by one point, she always thinks about returning it by three.

Jiang Ye still remembers clearly even now, when facing that simp Zhang Wenhai, the line Lin Wanxing said: "The gifts for Christmas and New Year's Day have already been bought in advance."

"Oh right, when the time comes, if My Mother gives you a red envelope or some New Year's gift, just accept it normally, don't be polite at all. The Old Jiang Family doesn't have any other hobbies; we just like to stuff family members with little gifts, red envelopes, cars, houses, and such during holidays to express our feelings."

He paused, as if suddenly remembering an important addition, his tone exceptionally "sincere": "But you don't need to give a return gift! Really, you don't! Don't have any psychological burden! Just accept it with peace of mind, righteous confidence, without working for it, without having earned it, and just sit back and enjoy the benefits!"

"...?" Lin Wanxing's hand holding the rag stopped in mid-air, and she slowly turned her head to look at Jiang Ye, really wanting to ask, "Do you even know how to use idioms?"

However, before her questioning gaze could land, the latter was already whistling nonchalantly, sauntering back to the master bedroom, as if he had just delivered a normal speech about family etiquette.

"..." Lin Wanxing watched his back, blinked inexplicably, and in the end, could only shake her head and continue with her work, but the curve at the corner of her mouth, which she hadn't even noticed, lifted quietly once more.