"Has your father given you a courtesy name?" Zheng Wei asked cautiously.
Normally, for a young lady of marriageable age, her father would always bestow a courtesy name upon her before her wedding.
If it were a family that couldn't read or write, it would be understandable, but any literate parents would give their daughters a courtesy name before they got married.
Shen Xiaoyan finally understood what Zheng Wei meant. She shook her head immediately. On the morning of her "wedding," she hadn't even seen Shen Cheng, let alone had him give her a courtesy name.
"Let me give you one," Zheng Wei said happily. It was a wonderful thing to be able to give a courtesy name to the woman he loved.
"Okay," Shen Xiaoyan said indifferently. If he wanted to give her one, then so be it.
Zheng Wei lowered his head and pondered for a long while before saying to Shen Xiaoyan, "Let's call you Mi Mi."
Shen Xiaoyan was confused. Was it the 'mi mi' from 'mi mi zhi yin' (decadent music)? That didn't sound like a good word... did it?
Seeing her expression, Zheng Wei knew she hadn't understood the meaning. So, he explained, "Mi mi comes from the *Book of Songs*, from the poem *Weig Wei*: 'Weig wei, weig wei, the whitlow grass is growing. Returning, returning, the year is also stopping. Without home, without family, because of the Xianyun. No time to rest, because of the Xianyun.' Mi mi means empty, clear, and bright."
After hearing Zheng Wei's explanation, Shen Xiaoyan realized she had misunderstood. But she couldn't be blamed, she hadn't studied the *Book of Songs* or anything like it.
"There's nothing to do in winter. From now on, you'll study with me every day."
Shen Xiaoyan felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She didn't want to study! She wasn't illiterate anymore, and that was enough. She wasn't aiming to become the top scholar.
"I don't think we have the *Book of Songs* at home."
"When the snow stops, I'll go to town and buy it," Zheng Wei cut off Shen Xiaoyan's unfinished sentence and successfully saw her frustrated expression.
"Reading more is actually quite good," Zheng Wei said sincerely.
Shen Xiaoyan opened her mouth but ultimately said nothing.
She hadn't said that reading was bad, she just genuinely couldn't do it.
Since Zheng Wei wouldn't give her a chance to refuse, the matter was settled.
Outside the window, heavy snow continued to fall. By now, it was evening.
Because of the heavy snow, even though it was already the usual time for darkness, the courtyard was still clearly visible today.
Since lunch had been a bit greasy, dinner was just plain congee, accompanied by fried egg pancakes and two plates of small pickles. It was very refreshing.
After dinner, Shen Xiaoyan picked up the brush she hadn't touched in a while and began practicing calligraphy because Zheng Wei found her handwriting unattractive.
As she wrote each character, Shen Xiaoyan examined it carefully. It wasn't ugly, just a bit rigid and uninspired.
Looking at Zheng Wei's calligraphy next to hers, which was exceptionally beautiful, Shen Xiaoyan suddenly felt motivated. She wanted to write as well as Zheng Wei.
After half an hour, Zheng Wei declared that it was enough for today. Practicing calligraphy required a gradual approach.
Shen Xiaoyan finished the last character and gently put down her brush.
She sighed inwardly, "Yes, one can't be impatient. Nothing can be rushed, everything must be done step by step."
After a simple wash, they both took off their clothes and went to bed.
Lying in bed, Zheng Wei naturally pulled Shen Xiaoyan into his arms. He had long since stopped holding her secretly and now did so openly, which he found wonderful.
Shen Xiaoyan didn't know what Zheng Wei was thinking, but she was also accustomed to being in his embrace. The reason was simple: Zheng Wei was strong and his body was very warm. In the cold winter, being held by him felt like being next to a large stove.
They turned off the light and slept in the inner room. Luoluo and Da Bai slept in the study outside. Lao Hei and Hei Zi followed Shen Xiaoming to the east wing.
Since it was snowing, the nights were very cold, and they couldn't let the two dogs sleep in the ear room anymore.
The next morning, before she even opened her eyes, Shen Xiaoyan felt the slight movements of the person beside her. He seemed to want to get up but was afraid of waking her.
She opened her groggy eyes and looked at Zheng Wei. Seeing that he had just sat up, she said, "What time is it? Why are you up so early?"
Zheng Wei replied, "It's just dawn. If you're still sleepy, you can sleep a little longer."
However, Shen Xiaoyan didn't go back to sleep. She sat up, hugged the quilt, and quickly scrambled to the window. She lifted the curtain and looked outside, seeing that it was already bright.
The winter days dawned late. Judging by the current light, Shen Xiaoyan guessed it was around 8 o'clock. She apologized to herself for still not understanding ancient timekeeping.
Since it was already not early, Shen Xiaoyan quickly got dressed and got up.
Even though there was nothing to do in winter, she couldn't just lie in bed until late morning. Shen Xiaoming must have already woken up, and as his elder sister, she couldn't be outdone by her younger brother.
As they left the main room, they indeed heard the sound of reading from Shen Xiaoming's room. It seemed Shen Xiaoming had started reading as soon as he woke up.
The two exchanged a look and smiled. Shen Xiaoming's diligence in his studies was a good thing. After all, he would be going to school after the New Year, and he was starting two years later than others, so he needed to work even harder.
Shen Xiaoyan remembered a saying from her previous life: "A man and a woman working together are tireless."
Over the past few months, her understanding with Zheng Wei had grown. Sometimes, with just an expression or a glance, they could almost know what the other was thinking. Shen Xiaoyan wondered if this was what was meant by "hearts in unison."
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but smile.
Zheng Wei was tending the fire. Seeing her smiling happily to herself, he couldn't help but smile too. This woman often did this, getting incredibly happy about something but never saying why.
The breakfast the three of them ate was always very simple, so it didn't take long to prepare.
After serving the food and placing it on a tray, Shen Xiaoyan went to the east wing to call Shen Xiaoming for breakfast.
After breakfast, the snow had stopped. However, after falling for a whole day and night, the snow in the courtyard had accumulated to about twenty to thirty centimeters.
The three of them dressed warmly and then went out into the courtyard, ready to build a snowman.
Before they even started, Shen Xiaoming saw the branches he had stuck in the ground yesterday. He remembered that after lunch yesterday, they had placed pears in the snow to make frozen pears.
With that in mind, Shen Xiaoming went back into the house to get the basin. The three of them dug through the snow and indeed found the frozen pears they had placed there yesterday.
Each pear was frozen solid, covered in ice shards. The blackness inside was faintly visible.
"Let's find a place to put them for now. Don't bring them inside, or they'll thaw and spoil," Zheng Wei reminded them.
Shen Xiaoming agreed and, carrying the basin, placed it directly on the snow near the corridor.
The three of them then began building snowmen. However, they each built their own, agreeing to see who could build the best one.
Shen Xiaoyan first rolled a small snowball and then placed it on the snow-covered ground to roll. The ball grew larger and larger. When it was nearly half her height, Shen Xiaoyan stopped.
This would be the snowman's body. Then, Shen Xiaoyan did the same again, rolling a smaller ball and placing it on top of the larger snowball. This would be the snowman's head.
With these two parts in place, Shen Xiaoyan ran to the kitchen in the side courtyard. When she returned, she had a red gourd for the nose, a red chili for the mouth, two dried longans for the eyes, and two branches for arms.
After arranging these, Shen Xiaoyan went back to the main room to get her own fur hat and scarf and put them on the snowman. Then, she happily clapped her hands.
Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoming had seen Shen Xiaoyan running back and forth. Hearing her clap her hands, they turned to look at her together.
When they saw that Shen Xiaoyan had actually put her own hat on the snowman, they both burst out laughing.
"Big sister, yours is beautiful," Shen Xiaoming said with delight. His snowman was a complete mess, and he hadn't even finished the body, let alone the nose and eyes.
Shen Xiaoyan lifted her chin and said with a smile, "Of course. Who do you think made it?"