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Volume Two: The Wind Leaves a Mark, Chapter Fourteen: The New Year (Part 1)

New Year's Eve arrived almost imperceptibly, marking Mo Xibei's first Spring Festival in the capital. Ten days prior, Jiang Nan had sealed the entire year's accounts for the fourth floor and sent them to the capital. Upon reviewing them, Mo Xibei was dismayed to discover that, despite being away for nearly a year, the fourth floor's profits were only the same as the previous year, with no significant growth. Meanwhile, after three or four months of operation, Chunfeng Ruyi Tower had passed the stage of losing money to gain popularity; everything was on track, and the income was quite good. In the capital, maintaining this scale and efficiency was basically satisfactory. Therefore, she began to seriously plan her return to Jiang Nan. However, a faint sense of loss lingered in her heart; the New Year had arrived, but a certain bad person had been gone for a long time and had not yet returned.

"Don't move, hand over all the money!" Mo Xibei was clearing his mind of the turmoil and carefully checking the accounts, his fingers flying across the abacus. Just as he was about to misread a line, something hard and cool pressed against his neck. Then, a strange voice, as if someone was speaking with their mouth covered, spoke from behind him.

"Then you've come to the wrong person. I have no money here, but I can take your life." Mo Xibei's fingers didn't stop, quickly dialing the last number, then she nodded in satisfaction. Only then did she reach out and grab the cool thing pressed against her neck. The touch was smooth and the air was chilling, making her involuntarily let out an "Eh." She casually snatched these external objects from her hand. "A little cold, then occasionally a little warm towards me?" The person behind her complained slightly, opened his arms, and pulled her into his embrace, his chin rubbing back and forth against her neck.

"Sorry, it's a habit." Mo Xibei kept a straight face, deliberately examining the cold jade in his hand, praising the wonders of nature. After a while, hearing that Mu Feinan remained silent, he couldn't help but laugh and turned to look at him. More than a month had passed since they last met, and Mu Feinan's eyes were bloodshot, and he even had stubble on his chin. His face showed undeniable fatigue, and he had lost weight.

"you"

The two spoke almost simultaneously. Mu Feinan smiled, turned and sat down next to Mo Xibei, still holding her in his arms, his deep voice filled with pleasure, "You go first."

"You've lost weight. Did you travel for a long time?" Mo Xibei couldn't help but gently place her hand on Mu Feinan's face. The latter immediately closed her eyes slightly, rubbed her palm against hers, and only after a while did she hum in response.

"Tired?" Mo Xibei turned around and felt a surge of tenderness in his heart when he saw his childlike actions.

"I wasn't tired at first, but seeing you suddenly makes me want to sleep." Mu Feinan refused to open her eyes, still pressing her face against Mo Xibei's hand, and said slowly, "I'll just sleep for a while, and I'll keep you company tonight. Remember to wake me up." After saying that, she lay down on the warm couch with a thud and fell into a deep sleep.

Mo Xibei didn't immediately withdraw her hand. Instead, she gently stroked Mu Feinan's face with her fingers, her movements delicate and light. Her eyes remained fixed on the person before her, and a soft smile gradually appeared on her lips. Suddenly, she didn't want to know where he had gone or what he had done. She didn't even want to know how long he had traveled to return to her side, just to keep her company on New Year's Eve. All she knew was that at this moment, she had suddenly found a feeling she hadn't experienced in a very, very long time.

It was a warm sense of belonging, like hundreds of years later, on countless snowy nights, she would walk home from school. The snow was deep, and every step was difficult, but her heart was warm and bright, because she always knew that after a few more steps, she would see home, and at home, there would always be warm lights and the smiles of her family.

After a long while, Mo Xibei gently withdrew his hand, and Mu Feinan almost unconsciously frowned slightly at the same time. Although he was sound asleep, his hand accurately grabbed Mo Xibei's hand in mid-air, and he mumbled, "Bei, don't go."

"I won't leave, I'll go get you a blanket," Mo Xibei said softly, but Mu Feinan, who was asleep, ignored her completely and stubbornly held her hand. Mo Xibei couldn't argue with him, so she had to whisper in his ear, "I really won't leave. I'm cold, I'll go put on a blanket. Let go of my hand first, count to ten, and I'll come back, okay?"

A long time passed. Whether his muddled mind had processed Mo Xibei's words or he had truly fallen asleep, Mu Feinan finally let go of her hand. Mo Xibei quickly stood up, ran to the bed behind the screen, and brought back a thick quilt. She gently covered him with it, only then realizing that Mu Feinan's hand, which had been holding hers, was still propped up beside him, his fingers slightly open, as if he was still waiting. Only after Mo Xibei covered him with the quilt and took his hand back in hers did he finally pull Mo Xibei's hand back under the quilt, holding it tightly to his chest.

Happy New Year to everyone! May everything go smoothly in 2008!!!

Volume Two: The Wind Leaves Its Mark, Chapter Fourteen: The New Year (Part Two)

Winter days are short and dark. Mo Xibei sat next to Mu Feinan for a while, and it gradually got dark outside. Excited children along the street couldn't help but start setting off firecrackers, making a constant banging sound.

She stretched her slightly sore and numb shoulders and neck, and looked at the childlike smile on Mu Feinan's face after he fell asleep. She found it extremely amusing. Judging from Mu Feinan's condition, she knew that he would not wake up for an hour or two. Being alone and unable to move, she was bored. She didn't know why she felt sleepy, so she thought she would take a short nap. She couldn't help but lean against Mu Feinan's chest and fell asleep.

When she woke up again, firecrackers were going off outside the Chunfeng Ruyi Tower. The noise startled Mo Xibei, who had just woken up from her dream. She had a sudden urge to think that she had unknowingly traveled to some war-torn era again. After calming herself down and looking around, she finally woke up completely. However, a thick quilt was already covering her. When she sat up, Mu Feinan was no longer on the warm bed. Only the account book was still open on the table.

For a moment, Mo Xibei felt like she was dreaming. She was so dizzy from looking at the account books that she was having all sorts of dreams. This thought made her feel incredibly frustrated. She stood up, straightened her clothes, and pushed open the door to go outside. It was New Year's Eve, and Chunfeng Ruyi Restaurant was not open for business. Only a few employees without families stayed in the restaurant to celebrate the New Year. Those who remained were still standing at the end of the corridor. Hearing her door open, they automatically came to greet her.

"What time is it?" Mo Xibei asked.

"It's Hai Shi (9-11 PM)," the waiter replied.

"Did anyone come looking for me just now?" Mo Xibei remembered that she had plans for New Year's Eve and was a little surprised that no one had come to wake her up, letting her sleep until this hour.

"Yes," the waiter nodded, "Miss Honglv has come three times, and Miss Murong came once at night."

"Where did they go now?" Mo Xibei wondered. The two of them had come four times, but he hadn't heard a sound. Could it be that the firecrackers outside were too loud?

"Miss Honglv is downstairs telling people to prepare the firecrackers for later. Miss Murong hurriedly ran away, probably busy in the back courtyard," the waiter said after thinking for a moment. "And, there's Young Master Mu, who comes often."

"Young Master Mu?" Mo Xibei was overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Where is he?"

"Half an hour ago, Young Master Mu came out of the owner's private room and asked me to prepare hot water. He went to the next room to take a bath," the waiter replied.

Mo Xibei was both amused and annoyed. She knew this guy loved beauty more than anything. The first thing he did after waking up was to take a bath. However, she didn't say anything. She just told the waiter to invite Young Master Mu to the hall after he finished bathing. Then she rushed to the hall. Honglu was busy instructing the waiter and several family members in the back courtyard to prepare firecrackers for the day. An incense table and offerings of fruit had been prepared in the hall. A banquet symbolizing reunion was also set up next to it. According to the habits she and Mo Xibei had had in the past few years, there was also a special table for the women to gather around and make dumplings for the New Year.

When everyone saw Mo Xibei come downstairs, they all stopped what they were doing and called out "Boss" in unison. Mo Xibei nodded and smiled, but he saw that Honglu was engrossed in her work and completely ignored him.

Just before midnight, the workers used bamboo poles to carry the firecrackers out, and the women were busy cooking dumplings. Only then did Mo Xibei approach Honglu and ask softly, "What's wrong? Are you too busy preparing for the New Year and are you angry?"

"I'm not angry about being busy, I'm just angry that someone values women over friends." Honglv snorted. "How about it? Although she's not exactly a beauty, she's still quite attractive. Did you have a good dream?" As she spoke, she couldn't hold back her laughter.

"You brat, I don't know if you've learned anything else over the years, but your mouth has become more and more hateful." Mo Xibei laughed and scolded, reaching out to grab Honglu. Although Honglu didn't know martial arts, she was prepared and had already rushed outside, shouting, "It's midnight, please light the firecrackers, boss."

As Mo Xibei chased after the firecrackers, he caught the shop assistant lighting the thick incense sticks used for setting off firecrackers. Mo Xibei always enjoyed playing with these, so he quickly went over and lit the fuse. A moment later, a series of loud bangs filled the air. Immediately, all the shop assistants gathered around to wish Mo Xibei a Happy New Year, and Mo Xibei quickly handed out the red envelopes he had sealed and placed in his purse earlier.

Amidst laughter and chatter, a glance around revealed a street adorned with white snow and red lanterns, making it exceptionally enchanting, even though it was past midnight. Shopkeepers had gathered in front of every store, setting off firecrackers and fireworks, while the owners' children ran around, playing happily. The occasional bursts of fireworks illuminated the darkness. Mo Xibei, gazing upwards, didn't know when Mu Feinan had appeared beside her; she only knew that his warm hand had quietly and tightly grasped hers, and then that warmth instantly spread throughout her body.

Volume Two: Traces Left by the Wind, Chapter Fourteen: The New Year (Part Two)

"What are you thinking about?" As soon as the first light of dawn passed, the sound of firecrackers on the street gradually subsided. Mu Feinan leaned closer to Mo Xibei and whispered in her ear.

"I want to eat a lot of dumplings later." Mo Xibei smiled and turned her head. In the hall, the dumplings were already in the pot. At this moment, the waiter, several young girls from the music and dance department, two chefs who had brought their families to stay with them, and Xiu Wen, who had not appeared earlier, were all standing neatly in front of the dining table in the hall, waiting for her to take the main seat and start eating dumplings.

"You're not telling the truth." Mu Feinan glanced sideways at the wide-eyed stares, which were filled with curiosity and ambiguity as they repeatedly looked at him and her. He said softly, then took Mo Xibei's hand and walked to the table.

Mo Xibei disliked formalities at meals and hated people offering toasts or suggesting drinks. Even on New Year's Eve, she only poured herself a small glass of wine, said "thank you for your hard work" to everyone sitting around the table, and then drank it all in one gulp before sitting down and inviting everyone to eat dumplings and vegetables.

Mo Xibei only likes one kind of dumpling filling: chives, eggs, and shrimp. Chives spoil easily in the summer, and after getting sick from eating them a few times, Hong Lv resolutely refused to have any more dumplings. But Mo Xibei, regardless of the season, is fond of the three-delicacy filling.

Because of the dumplings, he thought of Honglu. Mo Xibei ate a few, put down his chopsticks, and asked everyone where Honglu had gone. Just now, with the firecrackers going off and the red envelopes being grabbed, no one at the table had noticed this. Only Xiuwen, when everyone was silent, slowly said, "When I entered the hall just now, I saw Miss Honglu going out from the back. It seems she went back to the inner quarters."

"Hmm!" Mo Xibei nodded. The maids, family members, and servants in the inner quarters had all sold themselves into the household, unlike the people in the front who were all free. With no home to return to on New Year's Eve, it was better for Honglu to go back and keep watch, saving her the trouble of running back and forth while eating dumplings. She simply nodded and remained silent.

The dumplings were finished quickly. The night was deep, and Mo Xibei got up, instructing everyone to feel at ease during the night; they could chat or gamble as they pleased, as long as they were careful with fire. Everyone readily agreed, and a moment later, they closed the shop and dispersed.

"Do you want to stay here to celebrate the New Year, or go back to the back?" Mu Feinan followed behind Mo Xibei and asked after everyone had dispersed. "The back is more spacious. I still have two jars of Zhuangyuanhong wine that are over eighty years old hidden in my room." Mo Xibei's eyes lit up as she recalled that she had unintentionally bought two jars of fine wine from a centuries-old wine shop a while ago, and she couldn't help but smile proudly.

"Are you inviting me? Are you trying to get me drunk so I can do something bad?" As they spoke, the two had already reached the gate connecting to the inner courtyard. Mo Xibei raised her hand to push the door open. Mu Feinan suddenly pressed herself against him from behind. One hand grabbed Mo Xibei's hand and pressed it tightly against the door. The other hand encircled her waist, holding her tightly in his arms.

Mo Xibei lowered her head slightly. On New Year's Eve, there were no stars or moon, only a few pale yellow glass lanterns in the backyard of Chunfeng Ruyi Tower swaying in the wind. She lowered her head, looking at the ground, watching the two lonely shadows gradually merge into one. A faint joy gradually rose in her heart, but Mu Feinan's words were too... She couldn't help but say, "What are you thinking about all day long?"

"You're wronging me. If you didn't think that way, how would you know what I'm thinking?" Mu Feinan lowered his head, his lips brushing lightly against Mo Xibei's ear as he spoke.