TSWPF -Chapter 269 Bustling

Seeing the two red envelopes, Li Qingling awkwardly waved her hands and said that since they were already married, they weren’t children anymore, so there was no need to accept red envelopes.

The old man straightened up, turned to Li Qingling, and said, “Even though you’re married, you’re still young. Grandpa insists you take these red envelopes! Don’t be so formal with me.”

“That’s right, take them…” Mr. Luo also shook the red envelopes in his hands and handed them to Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou, letting them accept without hesitation.

Since both elders insisted, if they refused again, it would seem disrespectful. Li Qingling and Li Zhimou exchanged a glance, smiled, and reached out to take them, saying, “Thank you, Grandpa, Master.”

Seeing them accept the envelopes, both elders nodded in satisfaction.

Li Zhimou handed his red envelope to Li Qingling for her to keep.

Li Qingling didn’t refuse; she took it without hesitation. After all, it was her husband’s red envelope—if he gave it to her, she would keep it.

Seeing how unreserved Li Qingling was, Li Zhimou pressed his lips into a smile.

At that moment, the steward walked in and respectfully asked the old man if it was time to eat.

During the New Year, meals were usually served early. The old man nodded and told them to bring out the dishes.

After a lively meal, Li Qingling noticed the elders were about to play “Landlord” again, so she asked if they wanted to go out.

During the New Year, there wasn’t much to do—people usually visited others or went shopping.

“If you want to go, you two can go. Don’t bother us; we’re going to play Landlord,” the old man said without looking up, and the others nodded in agreement.

Landlord was still a novelty, and they were unwilling to put it down.

They were completely addicted. Li Qingling shook her head helplessly and then asked Li Zhimou if he wanted to take a walk.

Finally, an opportunity to go on a date with Li Qingling—Li Zhimou naturally couldn’t resist. He smiled, nodded, and took her hand as they left.

They didn’t take a carriage, just walked slowly to the streets.

Although it was freezing outside, the streets were lively, with many people out enjoying themselves.

Li Qingling looked around and said with some feeling, “It really is livelier here than in our village.” She paused, then added, “But the village has its charm. Kids can visit each house freely, which isn’t possible here.”

In a place like the capital, before visiting someone’s home, you had to post a notice and wait for the host’s approval. The rules were endless.

In the village, you could wander anywhere, play anywhere, and people would always step out to chat. Thinking about it, it was very lively.

“Indeed…” Li Zhimou nodded in agreement. Watching the bustling streets of the capital, he felt that human interactions here were too complicated. It lacked the simplicity and heartfelt festivity of the village.

He turned to Li Qingling and saw her with a faint smile. His heart stirred as he asked if she preferred celebrating the New Year in the capital or the village.

Li Qingling looked at him and said that it didn’t matter where she celebrated, as long as the family was together.

As long as they were together, it was home—and where there was home, any place could be New Year’s.

Hearing this, Li Zhimou was touched. He squeezed her hand firmly, leading her away from the crowd toward the famous Qing Lake in the capital.

“Where are you taking me?” she asked.

“To the ends of the earth. Will you come?” Li Zhimou replied with a smile.

Li Qingling giggled, “Sure! It’s a good chance to see the beautiful rivers and mountains.” Having been in this world for several years, the farthest she had gone was within the capital. She hadn’t seen other places.

If she had time, she wanted to travel everywhere, broaden her horizons, and gain experience—two birds with one stone.

Hearing this, Li Zhimou smiled softly but silently resolved to take her to see all the wonders of the rivers and mountains, so she would have no regrets in life.

“Hey… what are those people doing?” At Qing Lake, Li Qingling noticed many people sitting on wooden sleds, sliding around and having fun. “What are they playing?”

“They’re playing sleds,” Li Zhimou said with a smile. “I forgot Qing Lake has sledding here. How about I take you tomorrow? It’s really fun.”

Sleds?

She had heard from classmates in her previous life that in the north, when snow covered the frozen rivers, they could play sledding—it sounded fun.

Unfortunately, she was a girl from the south, never seen snow, let alone played sledding.

“Can you play this?” Li Qingling asked curiously. In Niutoutou Village, she hadn’t heard him mention anything about sleds.

Li Zhimou smiled a little embarrassedly. “I played it a few times as a child, but it was secretly arranged by my father without my mother knowing. That left a deep impression on me.”

“Can you make these sleds?”

“No!” His father made them and handed them over; he couldn’t make them. “Master probably knows how to make them since he’s from the capital.”

If Master could make them, that was perfect—they could bring the kids to play.

“Let’s go ask Master if he can make sleds. If he can, we’ll take a few kids to play—they haven’t tried it yet!”

Without hesitation, Li Qingling dragged Li Zhimou back to the Xue Mansion to ask Mr. Luo if he could make sleds.

Seeing them return so quickly, the old man raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Why are you back so soon? Was the street too crowded?” He thought the kids would play until evening. That they returned after only half an hour seemed strange.

Li Qingling smiled, twiddling her fingers. “We went to Qing Lake and saw many people playing sleds. It looked fun, so we came back to ask if Master could make some.”

“Big sister, what’s a sled? Is it really fun? How do you play it?” Hearing about something fun, Li Qingning, the little leader, immediately asked.

Although things were going well, for Li Qingning, used to wild play, staying at home now was boring. No friends, no climbing mountains, no fishing—it was frustrating.

She really missed Niutoutou Village. At that time, she would be taking her apprentices around visiting houses and enjoying treats.

Here, she could only stay at home. So when she heard about something fun, she immediately asked.

“I haven’t played sleds either. You can ask Master if it’s fun.”

Hearing this, Li Qingning turned to Mr. Luo and repeated the question.

Mr. Luo smiled and explained, and upon hearing it, Li Qingning immediately wanted to try sledding.

Landlord could be played anytime—it wasn’t perishable. Sledding wasn’t; once the snow melted, the chance was gone. She had to seize this rare opportunity.

Seeing the little ones eager to play sleds, the old man clapped the table and decided: the whole family would go and experience sledding together.

The kids cheered and urged Mr. Luo to prepare the sleds. After two hours, four sleds were ready.

Li Qingling was amazed at Mr. Luo’s skill and felt a bit guilty, thinking she had turned a refined man into one with a lively, everyday charm.

But she had to admit, this version of Mr. Luo was much more approachable, without any sense of distance.

“Come on, let’s go try these sleds. They look so fun!” Li Qingning was excited; it was her first time seeing them.

“All right, let’s go…”

They hurried to Qing Lake, and the kids eagerly started playing, laughing loudly as they enjoyed the sleds.

“Once the kids have had their turn, I’ll pull you on one,” Li Zhimou said with a smile. He could see that his little lady also wanted to try.

Li Qingling nodded enthusiastically. She wanted to experience the charm of sledding herself.

“You…” Li Zhimou affectionately ruffled her hair. Although Li Qingling appeared mature in public, privately she was still a little child at heart.

Li Qingling stuck out her tongue at him and turned her attention back to the ice.

Seeing the fun, she felt her own excitement growing.

“Xiao Yan, bring a sled over. You three can take turns on the three sleds,” Li Zhimou called to Liu Zhiyan, not wanting his lady to only watch enviously.

“Let them play first. I’ll go later,” Li Qingling quickly said, feeling embarrassed, as if she were about to compete with children for a toy.

“No problem. Three sleds are enough,” Li Zhimou said.

Hearing his call, Liu Zhiyan obediently dragged a sled over, handed it to Liu Zhimou, and smirked at Li Qingling. Before she could react, he ran off to play.

Li Qingling blushed deeply—how dare that little rascal tease her! She would settle it later.

“Xiaoling, get on. I’ll pull you around.”

With everything ready, there was no reason not to play.

Li Qingling cleared her throat and climbed on confidently. Once steady, she told Li Zhimou it was okay to start.