Li Weili put on her down jacket and stood to Gao Mingxiu's right. Gao Mingxiu had sprained his right foot.
Because of the height difference, Gao Mingxiu had to lean towards Li Weili to borrow support.
Li Weili, bearing almost all his weight, gritted her teeth and asked, "How much do you weigh?"
Gao Mingxiu steadied himself on his left foot, looking at the sweat on her forehead.
"I weigh exactly 160 jin. Is that too much? If you don't like it, I... I can lose some weight."
Li Weili fanned herself with her hand. "Gao Mingxiu, I haven't agreed to you yet, and you're already talking as if it's decided?"
Gao Mingxiu stroked his bruised lip. "You took my first kiss. You're my girlfriend now."
"I can change other things, but my traditional belief in faithfulness from beginning to end, I won't change."
"Lili, try to accept me. If I were your boyfriend, you could help me change, mold me into the kind of person you like, right?"
Li Weili looked up at him. "Gao Mingxiu, tell me what you like about me, and I'll change, okay?"
Gao Mingxiu's eyes tried to penetrate hers but only saw a defense mechanism.
"Lili, you won't even try. Why is that?"
Li Weili met his gaze without blinking. "Because life has no rehearsals. Many things cannot be tried."
"You're traditional, and I'm traditional too. I also want faithfulness from beginning to end."
"What I want is to go from the first love to marriage to growing old together, with the same person."
"A person who makes me happy in every stage of life and whom I won't regret at any point."
"So, I can't agree to you. I'm sorry."
"It's okay." Gao Mingxiu's tone was relatively calm. "What kind of man do you like?"
Li Weili replied frankly, "A family-oriented man who can do chores, wash his hands, and cook for his wife."
"Even if outsiders say the gender roles are reversed, he accepts it calmly, simply because he loves his wife."
"You might say you can do these things, after all, you're willing to bring your parents to live with me, aren't you?"
"But I think your idea is too naive. You should be getting your doctoral degree this year."
"Once you enter society, once your parents arrange your future, and you see your naive self then, will you be able to struggle in society, amidst the choices your parents give you?"
Hearing her mention the realistic problems of entering society, Gao Mingxiu understood Li Weili's concerns.
He didn't say anything more. It would be useless. Li Weili was even more stubborn than he was.
"We're still friends and classmates, right?"
"Yes." Li Weili extended her hand to him. "Let's go."
Not far from the school gate, there was a hospital. After registering and seeing the doctor, Li Weili settled Gao Mingxiu in a spot. After paying for the medicine and getting it, she helped him to the nursing room to spray, apply medication, and bandage his wound.
After taking Gao Mingxiu back to the male dormitory, Li Weili handed him the plastic bag in her hand, explained how to use the medication, and waved goodbye.
Watching the door close slowly, Gao Mingxiu took out his phone and sent a message to his parents.
Li Weili would definitely be his wife.
...
For New Year's Eve dinner, Li's mother, along with her daughters and daughters-in-law, prepared a large table of delicious food.
Xiao Xiaohei sat by the small table next to the large dining table, waiting for the meal to begin.
Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang stared at Xiao Xiaohei's small table, indicating they also wanted to eat at a small table.
Li Weixin, disregarding the family's objections, seated the two children opposite Xiao Hei.
Lin Hua'er, who was helped by Chen Fu to eat the reunion dinner, merely instructed Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang not to put their spoons into Xiao Xiaohei's food bowl.
She was worried that Xiao Xiaohei would guard his food, and the two children often dug food from each other's bowls.
Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang nodded obediently, but instead, they dug food from their own bowls and gave it to Xiao Xiaohei.
Their reason was that they wanted to feed the dog.
Chen Fu was busy rushing between the large and small tables.
Li's mother kicked her grandson towards the small table to eat. "You caused this trouble, you go accompany them."
Li Weixin placed his bowl in front of the two children. "Come on, feed your cousin."
The two children ignored him and continued to feed Xiao Xiaohei.
"Heh heh." Li's mother chuckled lightly. "Ranran, their stomachs are waiting for you to fill them."
Li Weixin simply took another bowl, scooped rice and food, and fed his two nephews.
"Eat quickly, obedient children are good children."
Unexpectedly, after taking a bite, the two nephews spat it back into their bowls and then poured it into Xiao Xiaohei's food bowl.
Li Weixin was helpless and tried to carry the two nephews to the adult table for supervision, but the children kicked and scratched him with their hands and feet.
Li Weixin was speechless.
"Are babies this difficult to handle and coax? From now on, I will absolutely not have children."
Li Weihao casually replied, "Having children is a woman's job."
Bullied by the children and teased by his elder brother, Li Weixin angrily threatened the children.
"If you don't listen, I'll spank your bottoms."
The two children stuck out their tongues at him. "Naughty cousin."
Li Weixin decided to surrender and returned to the large table with his bowl. "I quit."
Li's mother glanced at him sideways. "From now on, will you still indulge the little ones?"
"No, absolutely not." Li Weixin shook his head vigorously. "They are a mixture of angels and devils."
"Nonsense!" Li's mother reprimanded her grandson, then said to Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang, "Great-grandma wants to see which one of you can feed yourself first. Only children who can feed themselves are good children."
Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang paused, then stopped digging food from the large bowl that Li Weixin had abandoned to feed Xiao Xiaohei. Instead, they both handed their small bowls to Chen Fu.
"Daddy, scoop rice."
Li Weixin was confused.
Was his grandmother's statement any different from what he had said?
After dinner, Chen Fu helped Lin Hua'er back to rest.
The Li family gathered in the living room to watch the evening gala and stay up late.
The two children sat on either side of Xiao Xiaohei, even mimicking his sitting posture.
This amused everyone greatly.
Yu Ziyu laughed heartily, "They say children have peculiar ways of thinking. I didn't believe it, but now I've seen it."
Li Weibuo took her hand. "Seeing other people's children grow up so fast, and how hard it is to raise them yourself. In the future, I..."
"Shush!" Yu Ziyu put a finger to her lips. "I've already experienced all that you're saying from my father. I can accept it. I don't want pity."
Li Weibuo nodded firmly. "From now on, I will only express myself through actions."
Li's mother brought out red envelopes to give out New Year's money to everyone.
There were red envelopes for every junior, adult and child.
Li Min, upon receiving her red envelope, quickly looked for her little sister-in-law. She had prepared three red envelopes, for Yu Ziyu and Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang.
Tian Jing handed her red envelope to her husband to distribute, while she went to get money and red envelope packets for her sister-in-law.
Ouyang Meihua, on the other hand, had prepared enough. In her opinion, unmarried juniors should all receive New Year's money.
Yu Ziyu received four red envelopes. She took out two small red envelopes she had prepared and gave them to Chen Jiqing and Chen Jixiang.
After the New Year's money was distributed, those who couldn't fight off sleep went to bed.
Li Liguo, Ouyang Meihua, and Li Min, Chen Suozhu also returned to their respective homes.
Li Weibuo took Yu Ziyu away.
Only Li Zhengguo, Li Weihao, and Li Weixin, who could stay up late, remained.
The father and sons chatted while watching television, all the way until midnight when fireworks were set off.