It's been days since I last acted like a childish goof.

Watching his parents standing tall with beaming faces and the serene beauty of the "ice block" (Ying Bing), Young Li couldn't help but have a question mark pop up in his head.

"Ice block, didn’t you used to hide whenever outsiders were around when you were little?"

Li Dalong chuckled heartily. "That was when she was a child. Little Bing has grown into such an elegant young lady now—just now, she was the picture of grace and gentleness."

"Your Second Aunt was practically fawning over her, serving tea and gifts like a maid," Madam Gu added, her lips curling so high they might’ve touched the sky.

Ying Bing gazed at him with bright, tender eyes, her voice soft and composed:

"Those weren’t outsiders."

"??"

Li Mo leaned back slightly, the scene replaying in his mind.

He knew his Second Aunt well—ever since marrying into the imperial capital, she’d cut ties with her family. In Great Yu, there was no rigid doctrine demanding women’s obedience after marriage, nor the saying "a married daughter is like spilled water."

She simply feared being dragged down by her "poor rural relatives" after climbing the social ladder.

But with the ice block standing there... it was painfully obvious who the "poor relative" really was.

At that moment, Ying Bing accepted the tea Second Aunt offered, her eyes gleaming as she said gently:

"We’re all family here."

The sheer terror of those words, spoken in the tone of a mistress by her rosy lips!

Just imagining the scene made Young Li’s scalp tingle—no wonder his father’s smirk was growing increasingly lopsided.

Gu Xueqin held Ying Bing’s hand, affectionately smoothing her hair.

"Your grandparents will arrive in a couple of days. Once they see you, they’ll probably even find Dalong more tolerable. Little Bing, would you be willing to—"

"I’d love to."

"Good, good... such a sweet child."

Hearing Madam Gu’s words, Ying Bing cast a glance at Young Li, her eyes shimmering with amusement.

Li Mo: "!"

Wait a minute—the ice block wasn’t even officially part of the family yet!

Wasn’t she supposed to be the aloof, untouchable frost fairy? How had she not only won over his parents but seemingly the entire Li household?

At this rate, he’d be the outsider!

"The domineering empress and her childish live-in son-in-law..."

Shang Qinqing muttered under her breath, her breathing ragged as if possessed.

"I envy Ouyang—he doesn’t even need to come up with his own storylines for those illustrated books."

Qin Yuzhi chimed in before shaking her head. "No, wait, he still has to think about how to tone it down, or the publishing house won’t pass the censors..."

Li Mo sighed and got up to clear the table.

But before he could, Ying Bing swiftly gathered the leftovers with effortless grace and went to wash the dishes.

"Young man, sitting there without lifting a finger..."

"...I did move, Mother."

So parental love could vanish just like that?

Back when he was injured, his mother had worried herself thin, often caressing his face as if afraid he’d disappear the next moment.

Now, after just a few days...

If he stayed at home, his father scolded him for lazing around. If he stepped out, his mother complained he was never home.

Reading novels? "Stop wasting time." Practicing martial arts? "Don’t obsess over fighting."

But when the ice block stayed home, Mother praised her for being "so devoted to family." When she went out, Father marveled at how "refined and capable" she was.

If she idly made ice treats, she was "so clever." If she compiled martial treatises for the library, she was "brilliant inside and out."

"So parental love didn’t disappear—it just transferred?"

Young Li seemed to have figured it out.

Truthfully, he understood.

Given Ying Bing’s background, his parents wanted to shower her with extra care, afraid she might feel like an outsider in the Li household. Now, it was the same logic.

Two days later, his grandparents arrived, and the opening of the Eastern Sea’s exotic market drew near.

Early in the morning, his parents took the carriage to the mountain gate to fetch them.

This time, Young Li waited at the entrance, determined not to give his parents any reason to criticize him.

"Grandfather! Grandmother!"

He shouted loudly—just in case his father later accused him of mumbling.

"Oh my—! Ah, our dear grandson?"

Though her gentle features still carried the poise of a noble lady, the elderly woman nearly jumped at his booming voice.

"You brat, your grandmother’s getting on in years—must you yell?"

Li Dalong helped a sprightly scholar in Confucian robes step down, shooting his son a glare.

"??"

"It’s fine. Maybe Xiao Mo missed us. He’s famous in the martial world now—a loud voice suits a hero."

Grandmother smiled warmly at him.

Warm, yes—but fleeting, as she immediately looked past him to the figure behind.

"Grand... Grandmother."

Ying Bing lowered her lashes, her delicate beauty paired with that crystalline voice—utterly unfair.

She stepped beside Li Mo, greeting them softly.

"Good, good... Ah, Little Bing has blossomed into such a fairy-like beauty. This old lady is truly blessed."

With a meaningful glance, Grandmother signaled Younger Uncle to present a lacquered box.

Then she personally handed the item to Ying Bing.

Upon opening it, inside was a fox-hair brush. She spoke earnestly:

"Little Bing'er, your grandmother can't offer anything extravagant. This brush was left behind by my grandfather when he passed the imperial exams. Later, it was used to record the family genealogy, so it carries a bit of scholarly energy. It still writes well—don’t look down on it."

Li Mo: "???"

He remembered sneaking this very brush as a child to doodle with at his grandmother’s house—only to nearly have his backside split into eight pieces by a leather belt.

"This..."

Ying Bing wiped her hands, hesitating whether to accept it.

"Take it, Little Bing'er. It’s your grandmother’s heartfelt gift."

"Indeed, it’s nothing more than a brush with some sentimental value. Later, when you have children, the girls will have heirlooms—the boys should have something too."

"Mmm..."

In the end, Ying Bing accepted it, casting a shimmering glance at Li Mo.

"......"

Young Li fell deep into thought.

So even his grandparents knew about the existence and effects of the Dragon-Phoenix Primordial Elixir now?

After so long apart, the family reunion was warm and joyful, filling Autumn Water Pavilion with a homely comfort.

His grandparents and Younger Uncle’s Wife fussed over the "ice block" (Ying Bing), while his grandfather’s gaze toward Old Li even softened noticeably.

How harmonious was it?

So much so that Li Mo and his uncle both felt like outsiders.

"Here, I prepared a meeting gift too—gemstones from the Northern Frontier. Give them to your wife later."

His uncle couldn’t find a chance to hand it over directly, so he passed it to Li Mo instead.

"Uncle, it’s been so long since we last met."

"Mn. And?"

Li Mo’s outstretched hand froze mid-air. He retracted it and scratched his head:

"I was thinking of getting a haircut before the wedding—new year, new look. What do you think, Uncle?"

"A haircut before the wedding sounds... Wait, when’s your wedding again?"

"New Year’s, first month."

"What are you planning? What do you want? We’re family—can’t we discuss things properly?"

Panicked and indignant, his uncle shoved two more Northern Frontier gemstones into his hands, terrified Li Mo might refuse.

Young Li sighed.

Good news: He and his uncle were still family.

Bad news: His uncle’s wife was also a favorite of their grandparents, so his uncle often doubted his own place too.

"Can’t let this slide—gotta split the loot with the ice block."

Li Mo thought gravely.

The problem wasn’t just that the family sided with Ying Bing—his very name in the family registry was now in her hands.

How could this stand?