Chapter 74

As the end of the year approached, Mi Zhao started planning his New Year’s trip.

He accompanied Li Sipei to the hospital for a thorough check-up. Li Sipei’s legs had mostly recovered, but the doctor still advised him not to overexert himself and to balance exercise with rest.

The weather grew colder, and on the day before the New Year’s holiday, a heavy snowfall suddenly blanketed the city.

Mi Zhao hated the cold, so he decided on a tropical beach destination and booked a flight abroad for the next morning.

But tonight, he had dinner plans with his parents. Originally, he wanted to book a restaurant, but Li Sipei suggested that since his parents hadn’t visited their new home yet, they should invite them over instead.

By the time he arrived home, his parents had already been there for a while. Their shoes were neatly placed by the entrance, and even before stepping inside, he could hear the lively chatter coming from within.

“Aiya, you don’t even know how to make dumplings—what are you doing in the kitchen? Move, move!”

“Can’t I just watch? The kitchen is huge! I’m just standing on the side, not even in your way.”

“Well, I find you an eyesore!”

“Then don’t look at me. Look at Xiao Pei instead. His dumplings are way better than yours, and he’s not acting all smug about it.”

“Hmph.”

Peeking through the kitchen doorway, Mi Zhao saw his parents standing side by side at the counter. Though they kept exchanging snide remarks, their heads were practically glued together, as if stuck with glue. Meanwhile, off to the side, Li Sipei was quietly and diligently making dumplings.

Li Sipei stood slightly angled, a light purple apron hanging from his neck. His hands and clothes were dusted with flour. With his long, slender fingers, he picked up a dumpling wrapper, added the meat filling, dipped the edge of the wrapper lightly in water using chopsticks, then skillfully folded it into a neatly pleated dumpling.

The entire process was so smooth and graceful that it felt less like making dumplings and more like an artist meticulously writing calligraphy in a study.

Mi Zhao tiptoed closer.

His parents were still bickering, their backs to him, unaware of his arrival.

But Li Sipei tilted his head slightly, glancing over at him.

Their eyes met.

Mi Zhao immediately noticed the sparks in Li Sipei’s gaze. The corners of his lips, originally only faintly curved, lifted into a genuine smile.

Without breaking his rhythm, Li Sipei placed the finished dumpling aside and gave Mi Zhao a subtle raise of his brows.

Mi Zhao gestured toward the outside.

Li Sipei gave a slight nod.

Glancing at his parents, Mi Zhao shrank his shoulders guiltily

Mi Zhao glanced at his parents, shrank his shoulders guiltily, and tiptoed out of the kitchen.

Just as he stepped into the living room, Li Sipei followed closely behind, pulling off his apron and casually tossing it onto the sofa. Before he even had a chance to wash his hands, Mi Zhao threw himself into his arms.

Mi Zhao nuzzled into the crook of Li Sipei’s neck, inhaling the scent of flour and seasonings on him. He looked up curiously. “You know how to make dumplings?”

“Your mom taught me.” Li Sipei, worried that the flour on his hands would get on Mi Zhao, held them up in the air. “It’s not hard—once you try it, you get the hang of it.”

Mi Zhao absolutely loved this side of Li Sipei. It was different from before—more down-to-earth, more like someone truly living by his side.

He puckered his lips and planted a quick kiss on Li Sipei’s lips.

Li Sipei looked slightly helpless but didn’t dodge. He only asked, “Aren’t you afraid your parents will see?”

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Mi Zhao lifted his chin confidently. “They were young once too. Didn’t they ever date?”

Knowing he wouldn’t win an argument with Mi Zhao, Li Sipei simply let him cling like this and led him to the bathroom to wash up.

Mi Zhao clung to him like a monkey, watching as Li Sipei meticulously washed his hands. Then, before he could react, Li Sipei took his hands and pulled them under the water too.

Mi Zhao: “?”

Without turning his head, Li Sipei said, “You’re not going to wash your hands after coming back?”

Mi Zhao: “…”

Alright, he had been too focused on sticking to Li Sipei.

Once Li Sipei had dragged him out of the bathroom, Mi Zhao buried his head into his shoulder and asked, “Are we just having dumplings tonight?”

“Mm.” Li Sipei nodded. “Do you want to eat something else?”

Mi Zhao shook his head. “I’m just curious about one thing.”

Li Sipei led him back to the living room. “What is it?”

“How much are your dumplings worth? Do you think they’d go for 100 yuan each?” Mi Zhao was seriously pondering this question. Since Li Sipei and Li Yan were both from the Li family, and Li Sipei’s status was much higher than Li Yan’s and his parents’, shouldn’t that mean his homemade dumplings were worth two or three hundred yuan each?

“What?” Li Sipei frowned slightly, not quite following.

Mi Zhao tugged at his clothes. “I’m talking about the dumplings you made.”

“I’m not in the dumpling business.” Li Sipei still didn’t quite get what Mi Zhao was getting at. He reached out and pinched Mi Zhao’s cheek. “Besides, we’re not that short on money. Or are you short on cash?”

Mi Zhao’s face was pulled into a funny shape. He yelped and said, “Back when Li Yan and I broke up, he actually calculated the cost of all the dumplings I ate at their house. He said they were handmade by his mom, so they were worth 100 yuan each.”

Li Sipei gradually loosened his grip. “You actually paid him?”

“Of course.” Mi Zhao slapped his hand away and climbed back onto Li Sipei’s shoulders, once again hanging off him like a monkey. “I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. It wasn’t a huge amount anyway. But still, every time I think about it, it pisses me off.”

Especially during those days at Rizhao Villa. One night, he even dreamed of dumplings—endless piles of dumplings. In his dream, Li Yan’s texts turned into a voice that kept echoing in his ears:

Dumplings, 100 yuan each…

God, that was enough to make him cough up blood.

Li Sipei was silent for a moment. He didn’t say much—just reached out and ruffled Mi Zhao’s already messy hair in a comforting gesture. “Don’t worry, I’ll get that money back for you.”

Mi Zhao perked up. “How?”

Li Sipei raised an eyebrow. “That’s a secret for now.”

“You’re keeping secrets from me?” Mi Zhao narrowed his eyes and pretended to be mad. Just as he was about to make a scene and mess around with Li Sipei, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.

“Mi Zhao!”

He Linfang had come out of the kitchen at some point. Seeing her grown son practically draped over Li Sipei, she was startled and quickly walked over to scold him. “Stand properly! What are you doing clinging to Xiao Pei? Get down and stand up straight!”

Saying this, she raised her hand, ready to smack Mi Zhao on the back.

Since his back was to He Linfang, Mi Zhao couldn’t see what she was doing. All he felt was Li Sipei lifting his arm slightly and shifting him to the side.

Smack!

He Linfang’s hand landed squarely on Li Sipei’s shoulder.

“…”

Even though Li Sipei was practically family now, He Linfang still panicked a little.

“Mom!” The dull sound of the slap made Mi Zhao nearly jump out of his skin. He quickly glanced at Li Sipei’s arm. Seeing that he was dressed warmly, he finally turned to He Linfang with a complaint. “If you want to tell me off, just say it properly! Why are you hitting him?”

“…” He Linfang immediately withdrew her hand and said, exasperated, “I wasn’t trying to hit him, I… Ugh, forget it.”

At that moment, Mi Bin emerged from the kitchen, his hands covered in flour. Like He Linfang, he immediately spotted Mi Zhao clinging to Li Sipei and called out, “Son, don’t go crushing Xiao Pei.”

“It’s fine,” Li Sipei said.

Still, despite his words, he gave Mi Zhao’s back a gentle pat, signaling him to stand up straight.

Mi Bin walked over, glancing between the two of them with a complicated expression. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Xiao Pei, you shouldn’t spoil him like this.”

Li Sipei calmly nodded. “Okay.”

Mi Zhao huffed softly and secretly pinched Li Sipei’s waist.

Standing right in front of them, He Linfang and Mi Bin couldn’t possibly miss their little exchange. The two exchanged a glance but simply pressed their lips together and pretended not to see anything.

Once the dumplings were wrapped, cooking them didn’t take long. In less than half an hour, several steaming plates of dumplings were placed on the table.

Li Sipei set aside a bag of dumplings and put them in the fridge. Seeing this, He Linfang assumed he was saving them for later and said, “Xiao Pei, if you ever want dumplings, just let me know. I’ve got plenty of free time now—I can make some and bring them over for you.”

“Thank you.” Li Sipei smiled, then added, “But these dumplings are for someone else.”

After dinner, He Linfang gathered the dishes and took them to the kitchen, calling Mi Zhao over to help.

The mother and son worked efficiently—He Linfang washed the dishes while Mi Zhao dried them. For once, the dishwasher got a break.

It was clear that He Linfang had something to say, so Mi Zhao deliberately slowed his movements.

“We’re planning to settle here permanently,” she said. “But staying in your place forever isn’t ideal. It’s too small—just one bedroom. There’s not enough space for all our things.”

She continued, “Your dad and I have been checking out properties these past few days. We found a place we like—over 150 square meters, five bedrooms, two living rooms, and a big balcony. When you get back from your trip, come take a look. If it works, we’ll buy it under your name. Your dad and I don’t have the qualifications to purchase property here.”

“Sure.” Mi Zhao placed a clean plate upright on the dish rack. “I’ll go see it once I’m back.”

He Linfang hummed in acknowledgment, then said, “The year’s almost over.”

“Yeah.”

Her hands were still busy in the sink, but she shot Mi Zhao a sideways glance. “Any plans for the new year?”

Mi Zhao gave her a puzzled look. “Plans for what?”

“You said you’re taking time off next year to travel, right?” She didn’t know much about it—only that Mi Zhao had mentioned it before and that he’d be traveling for a few months. “What about Xiao Pei? Are you two going to be apart for that long?”

Mi Zhao grinned. “Of course not—he’s coming with me.”

“He’s willing to?”

“Of course.” They had already talked about it.

“And what about his mother?” He Linfang asked. “Xiao Pei is her only son. He’s going to be gone with you for so long—will she be okay with it?”

Mi Zhao’s hands paused, and he fell silent.

He Linfang wasn’t trying to rain on his parade—some things just had to be addressed. She glanced outside, then lowered her voice. “Xiao Pei’s mother isn’t the easiest person to deal with. You should be prepared for that.”