Su Nanyin struck a pose as if ready to perform the "Wuyi" dance, while Li Qianfan adopted a defiant "I dare you to jump, and I'll dare to watch" attitude. Meanwhile, the caterpillars were all grins, relishing the unfolding drama.
Su Nanyin —
could only curse herself for raising these cabbage heads!
"Come on, jump already."
Li Qianfan, a toothpick now in his mouth (he couldn't smoke with Maomao present), looked at Su Nanyin with disdain. "Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. I'm not buying any of that."
Enraged and embarrassed, Su Nanyin threw all pretense of card etiquette out the window.
She lunged forward, kicked wildly at Li Qianfan, and yelled, "How dare you cheat! And you want to see me dance the Wuyi? What kind of filthy mind do you have? I'm your aunt! You ungrateful brat who eats others' food and does nothing human, I'll kick you to death!"
Tripped and sent sprawling, Li Qianfan quickly covered his head and dashed into the bathroom.
When it comes to a scoundrel like her, if you can't beat 'em, you can at least avoid 'em.
By the time he emerged, fresh food and drinks were once again laid out on the table.
It was already 2:30 AM.
In a few more hours, the sun would rise.
The early risers, eager to pay New Year's calls, would soon be out and about.
Thanks to Li Qianfan's visit, the four beauties of the Su family had enjoyed an exceptionally lively New Year's Eve.
Of course.
The fact that a certain woman had resorted to cheating would forever be a black mark in her family history, and no one would want to play cards with her again.
After a few drinks, Su Maomao, who was now drowsy, couldn't hold on any longer. She curled up in a corner of the sofa and slowly drifted off to sleep.
According to the Su family's tradition of staying up on New Year's Eve, no matter how tired one was, they couldn't go to their rooms to sleep.
Su Nanyin brought a thick blanket and carefully covered Maomao with it.
Not long after she fell asleep, Yaoyao also succumbed, lying down on a single sofa, pulling a blanket over herself, and falling asleep.
Shen Chongchong, who wanted to keep Su Nanyin company throughout the night—the matriarch who absolutely couldn't close her eyes until dawn—could no longer resist. At 4 AM, she snuggled under Maomao's blanket and soon began to breathe evenly.
Outside, the snow began to fall harder.
But not a single sound was heard.
Li Qianfan also felt the urge to sleep, but he suspected Su Nanyin would want to speak with him privately.
After all, since his arrival at the Su residence, Su Nanyin hadn't discussed her New Year's visiting plans with him.
With Maomao in the living room, Li Qianfan stepped outside and lit a cigarette.
Su Nanyin, clad in a white down jacket over her robe, also walked out.
Li Qianfan asked, "What did Mr. Zhao say?"
"In a few hours, I'll go alone to pay him my New Year's greetings."
Su Nanyin looked up at the falling snowflakes and said, "If you want to go, do so after I leave."
Li Qianfan also looked up and said with a faint smile, "After dawn, I'll accompany you to Mr. Zhao's place."
Su Nanyin was taken aback and slowly turned to look at him.
Li Qianfan, however, wasn't looking at her. "It's already a broken pot, what else can happen?"
Su Nanyin fell silent for a long moment, then asked, "Is it worth it for an old woman like me?"
Li Qianfan replied, "You are the mother of Chongchong and Yaoyao. More importantly, you've consistently played the villain for my mother and me. Only if you are well can we be well."
Su Nanyin was silent again.
After a full seven or eight minutes, she said, "Walk with me."
The two of them walked back and forth in the small backyard, their feet crunching through the thick snow.
Crunch, crunch.
The sound of their footsteps on the deep snow was pleasant.
"Li Qianfan, remember this."
Su Nanyin spoke, her voice devoid of warmth, but clear. "No matter how well I treat you, it's only right. Because everything I do is for Chongchong and the others. You don't need to reciprocate my treatment of you. As long as you and the girls are well, I wouldn't care if I were called a wicked serpent or a slut by everyone."
She spoke from the heart.
Li Qianfan didn't seem to pay it much mind.
He simply asked, "Do you believe the 'Four Phoenixes Circling the Rafters' story is true?"
Su Nanyin walked to the swing set, sat down, and gently pushed herself. "I believe it."
Li Qianfan stood behind her and gave her a gentle push on her back as she swung back. "I believe it too. Because the War God Hall and Old Du Baiyun said much the same thing. Moreover, the patriarch of the Shen family in Lingnan has already taken concrete action."
Su Nanyin remained silent.
Snowflakes danced in the wind.
Su Nanyin swayed back and forth on the swing.
Li Qianfan couldn't help but ask again, "Since we both believe it, perhaps you are truly fated to be unfortunate."
Su Nanyin asked, "Do you want to save me?"
Li Qianfan answered truthfully, "I don't want you to die."
Su Nanyin tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "Do you really want me to wear the wooden yoke and kneel before you with my back turned?"
Li Qianfan replied, "There must be other ways!"
Su Nanyin asked, "What if there aren't?"
Li Qianfan said softly, "After you're gone, I'll take care of them in your stead."
A flicker of relief crossed Su Nanyin's eyes. "But Zhuang Wujian and Old Du both said that if I wear the yoke and kneel, and you claim me, perhaps your aging can be reversed."
Li Qianfan asked, "Then do you want to wear the yoke?"
Su Nanyin said calmly, "If it's the only way for you to survive, I will find the venom of the Bi Yi bird, and I will wear the yoke. Then, we will go to the dark underground chamber. At that time, don't call me Aunt. Call me Guanyin."
As they discussed this matter,
there was neither the slightest hint of flirtation nor any trace of affectation.
They were discussing a matter of utmost objectivity.
It had nothing to do with ambiguity, ethics, beauty, or status.
They were purely discussing the issue at hand.
"There will definitely be other ways."
Li Qianfan gently pushed her back again, musing, "I think your fate being tied to mine might be related to Primal 209."
"What do you mean?"
Su Nanyin blinked, saying, "Do you mean I have to rely on your Male 209 to save me if I want to live?"
"Do you know Murong Mingyuan?"
After much deliberation, Li Qianfan decided to recount the story of how he had activated the curse on Murong Mingyuan in detail to Su Nanyin.
The swing had long since stopped moving.
A thin layer of snow had accumulated on Su Nanyin's body.
She was oblivious, her eyes wide with alarm as she looked at Li Qianfan.
"And you might find this even more unbelievable."
Li Qianfan then revealed the incident where Chu Yazhi had backstabbed the Hanging Ghost Caiyi and remotely controlled Bai Ziyan's nightmare.
Su Nanyin knew both Chu Yazhi and Bai Ziyan.
But she had never imagined their connection to Li Qianfan could be so miraculous (or bizarre).
"The crucial part is that Bai Ziyan only reacted when I was behind Chu Yazhi and did something to the Hanging Ghost Caiyi,"
Li Qianfan said softly. "From that moment on, I realized I might truly be more than ordinary. Besides those few women, there are others whose destinies have been changed by my appearance. These women are all because I am the host of Male 209."
Who were these other women?
Shen Chongchong had told him that after Li Qianfan rescued her from the water, she had gained the scent of a king butterfly!
If Jessica's child were someone else's, it would have miscarried long ago after such a dramatic event with Li Qianfan.
Li Qianfan didn't know that Jiao Yin could rest like a normal person when she was with him.
Li Qianfan didn't say it, and Su Nanyin didn't ask.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely find a way to make you live a hundred years!"
Li Qianfan's voice was not loud, but it was full of confidence.
*Snap.*
Su Nanyin raised her hand and brushed off the snow from her body. "I've suddenly changed my mind."
Li Qianfan asked, "About what?"
Su Nanyin said, "I want to wear the yoke."
Li Qianfan—
"Ha, haha."
Su Nanyin burst into laughter, her voice as pleasant as a young girl's.
"You're crazy!"
Li Qianfan gave her a push and turned to go back to the living room as she swung.
"Don't go,"
Su Nanyin called out to him. "I'll tell you about my contingency plan, the one that would have made the 13 families pay dearly if I had died on the Great Wall that day."
"What contingency plan?"
Li Qianfan grabbed the swing rope and asked.
Su Nanyin jumped off the swing, stomping her feet in her cotton slippers. "I haven't told you yet that the shadow of Bai Du Bird saved Shen Congdao and Miao Hanyu, two of the 26 young masters from the 13 noble families."
Li Qianfan was stunned. "They're still alive? Where are they?"
"They're at our place."
Su Nanyin said leisurely. "I've kept them in the underground chamber in the front yard. Qianfan, what do you think would happen if they accompanied you to pay New Year's calls to the 11 families? Wouldn't it cause quite a stir?"
Li Qianfan pondered seriously for a long time before asking, "Isn't what we're doing a bit despicable?"
Su Nanyin let out a scoff, not bothering to entertain the brat's hypocrisy.
She asked, "Do you want to make them have even more fun?"
Li Qianfan asked, "How do we play?"
"I guarantee that the 11 families, to force me into submission, will use the New Year to widely spread the rumor that you are the one who harmed the 26 young masters. And they will tell everyone about our sordid relationship. Furthermore, the Miao and Lin families are dreaming of marrying Maomao and Chongchong."
Su Nanyin narrowed her eyes. "Wait a moment, you go back to Li Village. I'll take Maomao and the others to visit the Miao and Lin families first. After I return, I'll call you, and you'll accompany me to the Zhao family. Let everyone see that we are a sordid pair. Then, you'll take Shen Congdao and Miao Hanyu to visit the 11 families."
"So despicable? Truly a wicked serpent."
Li Qianfan praised her with his words and lit a cigarette.
"On the first day of the Lunar New Year—"
Su Nanyin reached out, snatched the cigarette from his mouth, and took a deep drag. "I'm going to give them a big gift!"