Yi Xin as a concubine

"You have become thinner this year, which shows how hard you have worked. How about you hand over this country to your husband? After all, your husband has fought many battles of wits and courage with those savages on the opposite side." Chu Xingchen pulled Xin Baoer into his arms, rested his chin on her shoulder, and said with a gentle smile.

Xin Baoer was not a competitive person by nature. Since Chu Xingchen had said so, she decided not to be stubborn and nodded obediently as a sign of agreement.

The 30th day of the lunar calendar, New Year’s Eve.

Xin Baoer hadn't prepared much originally, but now that so many people came, the little she had wasn't enough. This worried the new chef, Xiao Lancao.

As the saying goes, a good cook cannot cook without rice. Early in the morning, Xin Baoer was still immersed in a sweet dream when she was awakened by the chirping complaints of orchid grass.

"Awake, did you sleep well?"

Almost as soon as she opened her eyes, a gentle and warm male bass voice sounded in her ears. She was stunned for a moment before realizing that there was an extra person in her room last night, which made her fall asleep very late.

"What's that noise outside?" I went to bed too late, and although my brain was working, my body was still too lazy to move, and even my voice sounded lazy.

The little girl's unexpectedly soft voice made Chu Xingchen, who had been sleepless all night guarding the beauty, suddenly feel excited, and he couldn't help but lower his head.

Feeling the man's breath getting closer, Xin Baoer shuddered, rolled sideways, and then sat up, hugging the quilt.

"I'm going to see what that girl Lancao is yelling about?" She explained hastily with a weak voice, not daring to look at the man beside her.

"I won't eat anyone so early in the morning, why are you running?" Chu Xingchen smiled and lifted the quilt and sat up. He naturally went downstairs to get her clothes, and joked, "In the future, our secluded place should be built more spacious, otherwise we won't be able to sleep in."

Hearing the word "seclusion", Xin Baoer's heart trembled for no reason, and her mind unconsciously recalled the conversation between the two last night.

He said to give him some time, he said he would wait until his nephew became a successful person, and he said he would give her the future she wanted.

But she herself doesn't know what kind of future she wants?

While she was longing for it, she couldn't help but feel worried. She looked at the clothes the man handed over for a long time without reaching out to take them.

Chu Xingchen saw her dazed look and understood what she was thinking. She felt helpless. Her little girl was just too sensitive and only believed in what she could control.

If it's something that she can't control, it's fine. She has a kind of free and easy nature that is not easily surprised by praise or criticism. It's good to succeed once, but it doesn't matter if she fails. At worst, she can start all over again. Life is so long, there are always things to do, if not this one, then that one, there is no difference.

But if she encounters people and feelings that she cannot control, her first reaction is to be alert. She then makes all kinds of assumptions and guesses, wishing she could calculate the conflicts and disputes that will occur in the next few decades. Then she scares herself and becomes unable to move forward.

Just like between them, their identities were clear at the beginning, he was the master and she was the concubine, they respected each other and performed their respective duties, she had no other thoughts about him, she just followed the routine and did her duty well.

But as they got along, their moods changed and they both became greedy without realizing it, but he chose to endure it while she chose to escape.

Now he had blocked her retreat, not allowing her to escape. Although she appeared obedient on the surface, she was actually very anxious in her heart, just like a little snail that shrinks itself when faced with trouble. She had no attacking power at all and just hid herself.

"Okay, can you let Lianrong come in and help you wash up?"

When Xin Baoer was brought back to her senses by the gentle coaxing in her ear, her clothes and shoes had already been put on by the man. She realized that she was being served by the man unconsciously, and her face suddenly turned red and she felt uncomfortable all over.

The man seemed to be aware of her embarrassment. He pinched her nose gently with a smile, then turned around and went outside to call for help with a bit of teasing and doting.

"Girl, you're finally out. You can't just make do like this when I'm not with you. Look at this empty kitchen. There's not even a decent vegetable." Lancao came out again with a plate of yellow steamed cakes. When she saw Xin Baoer, she couldn't help complaining.

Xin Baoer looked past the aggrieved Lancao and gazed at the small kitchen. The pile of radishes and cabbages in the corner were probably crying silently.

Radish pouted proudly: "Am I not green? You are blind."

Bai Cai cried: "This girl is spreading rumors. Although I am called Bai Cai, I am also green."

"It's not that exaggerated." Seeing the angry face of the little girl opposite, Xin Baoer felt a little guilty, so she flattered: "My Cao'er is really good. Looking at the steamed cake, it's soft and sticky. I know it must be delicious."

Lancao felt relieved immediately after being praised by her daughter. She put the tray into the hands of Lianrong who was following Xin Baoer, and trotted back to the kitchen, leaving behind only a confident and excited voice.

"Wait, I will prepare a decent New Year's Eve dinner for you."

"This girl has been out with the Second Master and his family, and she's become more and more noisy. I wonder who would dare to marry her in the future." Mother Lin walked out of the dining room, smiled and invited the masters to come in to eat, muttering to herself.

"There will always be someone who appreciates you." Xin Baoer stepped forward, held Mother Lin's arm, and said affectionately.

After breakfast, Xin Baoer became busy, organizing her friends to prepare various dumpling fillings. Of course, eating dumplings would be the right thing to do during the Chinese New Year.

Since they had breakfast late in the morning, everyone decided to have lunch and dinner together.

The further north you go, the earlier it gets dark. When night falls, Lancao lives up to everyone's expectations and prepares a table full of dishes, with a combination of meat and vegetables, a balance of hot and cold dishes, and good color, aroma and taste, which receives unanimous praise from everyone.

Xin Baoer also brought people to the table and served plates of dumplings of different shapes and fillings.

A group of like-minded people sat at a large round table. At this moment, there was no difference in status, no high or low, and no distinction between master and servant. Everyone was joking naturally, chatting with each other, and toasting each other. The meal lasted for two hours before it ended.

After the meal, everyone was staggering and feeling dizzy. They simply didn't bother to clean up the battlefield and moved directly to the main room.

They drank tea, ate melon seeds, and fell asleep while talking. They woke up and continued talking until it was almost midnight. Wangchuan got a lot of fireworks from somewhere, and everyone came out of the main room in high spirits. Now everyone was rushing to set off fireworks in the yard.

Xin Baoer never dared to touch these things, so Chu Xingchen sat with her on the beauty bench in the corridor and watched other people play.

"Fireworks fade away quickly, but they are absolutely brilliant at the moment they bloom." Xin Baoer sighed infatuatedly.

“The flowers are the same year after year, year after year... people are the same too. As long as we stay together, there will always be me and your relatives and friends to accompany you with such gorgeous fireworks.” Chu Xingchen said affectionately, with the afterimages of the fireworks and the smiling eyes of the little girl in his eyes.

Xin Baoer's heart, which had been troubled for half the night, suddenly calmed down.

Yes, in the past few years since she came here, she has gained more than enough. Family love and friendship have filled her once empty soul. As for love, a luxury, she never expected much from it.

As the saying goes, "I'm lucky to know you've given me this." Originally, she had no intention of going against the rules of this era. She had to marry someone. The man in front of her had already exceeded her expectations by far. What else was there for her to worry about?

There is no reason to accept the worst outcome, but to shrink back when things are moving in a better direction.

After thinking all this through, the fireworks in the sky seemed more brilliant, the smile in the corners of my eyes became more real, and there was a warm current called happiness spreading throughout my body at this winter midnight.

"I've been exhausted over the past year. I'll leave it to you from now on." In the silent moment when one round of fireworks faded and another round of fireworks rose into the sky, Xin Baoer suddenly lay on the man's shoulder and said softly and coquettishly.

Chu Xingchen's straight body suddenly stiffened. He looked at the little girl who took the initiative to approach him in disbelief. He clasped his hands together and cautiously tried to get closer to the girl's slender waist.

"Baoer, you..." When he opened his mouth, his usually gentle voice was trembling and hoarse unconsciously.

Finally, his little girl was back in his arms.