Do you think they've gotten together

It didn't take more than a few minutes before Xia Herui pulled up at the town entrance.

They didn't have much luggage, so they casually tossed it into the trunk before Shen Nian and Xia Yanchun quickly hopped into the car.

"Aren't you cold? You should know better and put on a few more layers."

This was directed at Shen Nian, who smiled and tugged at his jacket. "My coat is actually pretty warm. Uncle, you're wearing even less than I am."

"I just came out to pick you guys up. It's not cold inside the car."

"Ah, got it."

Xia Herui then looked at Xia Yanchun. "What do you want to eat for dinner tonight, Little Chun?"

"Hmm... I want steamed oysters with vermicelli and jumbo shrimp."

"I'll go buy them in a bit."

"Mhm."

You couldn't bring up winter break without talking about final exams. Xia Herui was a parent, so naturally, he wanted to know how his child did.

"Are the final exam results out? How did you score this time, Little Chun?"

Other students might dread the topic of grades, but Xia Yanchun was never afraid of it.

"This final wasn't too hard. I scored seven hundred and eighteen."

"Nice! Impressive!" Xia Herui, driving with one hand, gave her a thumbs-up. "What about you, Shen Nian?"

"Uh... one point lower than your daughter."

"Seven hundred and seventeen. You're both incredible."

Shen Nian scratched his head. "I slipped up this time. I'll definitely beat Xia Yanchun's score next time."

Xia Yanchun crossed her arms and let out a smug hmph. "You say that every time. You always claim you're going to beat me, but you end up scoring lower than me every single time."

It was true. No matter how much tough talk Shen Nian threw her way before every exam, the moment the results came out, he would suddenly go quiet.

Why so quiet? Don't feel like talking anymore?

A one-point lead was still a lead, and an infinitely small gap was still a gap. Xia Yanchun always managed to stay one step ahead of Shen Nian.

"Don't get too cocky. Just wait until the second mock exam."

"Here we go again. When the second mock exam results come out, are you going to tell me to wait for the provincial exams, and then the college entrance exams? Are you going to start comparing salaries, earnings, and bank accounts with me in the future too?"

"Shut up! Don't get too full of yourself, Xia Yanchun."

"Bleh. If you suck, just study harder."

As Xia Herui drove, listening to the two kids bicker, he inexplicably felt a sense of coziness.

How could an argument sound so heartwarming? These two kids, honestly.

Back at home.

Shen Nian's parents weren't back yet, but his room had already been tidied up.

The rainier it got, the busier things were over at the aquaculture farm. Heavy rainstorms and typhoons were their biggest fears. After every storm, Shen Nian would have to listen to his parents tally up their losses.

The worst typhoon they ever experienced had completely wiped out an entire pond of fish and shrimp, costing them tens of thousands. There was no way to avoid or prevent these natural disasters; they basically just had to watch their money wash away, completely helpless.

Shen Nian put his things away and timed everything perfectly as he washed the rice and started the rice cooker. There was some pork already stocked in the fridge, so he sliced it up and stir-fried it with garlic to prepare dinner for his parents.

This wasn't just your ordinary pork stir-fried with garlic.

This was a pork and garlic stir-fry made with Culinary Mastery. Eating it would relieve muscle fatigue.

There was also a plate of baby bok choy that could cure backaches and soreness.

He reckoned eating this would be good for their health.

Usually, they would be home by five or six o'clock. He didn't know what the situation was like at the farm today, nor did he know if his parents would be back late. Shen Nian wasn't hungry yet, so he had intended to just go for a random stroll, but he somehow ended up wandering over to Xia Yanchun's house.

The range hood was running loudly. Shen Nian peeked inside but didn't see Xia Yanchun helping out in the kitchen. He only saw Aunt Wen and Uncle Xia cooking together, and it smelled incredibly delicious.

"Uncle, Auntie, what are you making? It smells so good."

"Oh, Shen Nian, you're here! We just made steamed oysters with vermicelli and stir-fried clams with sour bamboo shoots. There's also pork rib soup in the pot. Do you want to stay for dinner?"

"No thanks, Aunt Wen. I'm just going upstairs to hang out with Xia Yanchun."

"Mhm..."

After Shen Nian left, Wen Zhining and Xia Herui exchanged a glance.

Sure, the two kids were close, but saying "I'm coming over to play with Xia Yanchun" sounded completely different now that they were grown up compared to when they were little.

"Do you think they're dating?" Wen Zhining mused for a moment before whispering.

She felt like there were signs, call it a mother's intuition, but it was hard to say for sure. After all, dropping by each other's houses was practically a tradition for the two of them.

"I don't know." Xia Herui was much more open-minded about this sort of thing and didn't really want to interfere.

As he put it, Shen Nian was a kid they had watched grow up, and he was the son of his childhood friend. If they really ended up together, it would actually be a relief. No matter how you looked at it, her being with Shen Nian was vastly preferable to Xia Yanchun bringing home some random, strange boy one day.

If the two of them really had feelings for each other, then so be it. Were they supposed to step in and stop them? What reason would they even have to interfere?

"But what if they really are dating?"

"What do you mean, what if? We respect and bless them. Do you have a problem with Shen Nian?"

"What are you talking about?" Wen Zhining shot Xia Herui a glare.

How could she possibly have a problem with Shen Nian? Just look at him: he was polite, close to their family, quite handsome, and someone they had watched grow up. He was hardworking and could score over seven hundred on his exams. No matter how you sliced it, he was undoubtedly top-tier material.

The only issue was that he had been a bit mischievous as a kid. He used to cause trouble all the time and then blame it on Little Chun.

"I'm just worried that... young people might not be able to control themselves..." Wen Zhining said.

"..." Xia Herui fell silent.

Xia Herui pondered.

Xia Herui came to terms with it.

"That probably won't happen. Our Little Chun is a smart girl."

"Oh, please, haven't you seen the news? Kids get access to phones so early nowadays. A lot of elementary and middle schoolers are already..."

"..."

Xia Herui could no longer come to terms with it.

"I'm going upstairs to take a look."

"Hey, what are you doing? Just stand at the bottom of the stairs and call them down for dinner," Wen Zhining said, exasperated. He was a minor government official, for crying out loud; how could he be so tactless?

If, by some remote chance, something really was going on, walking in and busting them would ruin their relationship. His own daughter would probably end up hating him.

Xia Herui realized his wife made a good point. Instead of going up, he just yelled from the bottom of the staircase, "Dinner's ready! Come on down!"

A soft, youthful voice immediately called back from upstairs, "Got it!"

"They should be fine, right?"

Wen Zhining shook her head. Even she wasn't entirely sure.

At the end of the day, whether the two kids were actually dating was still a complete mystery. Everything that had just transpired was nothing more than the wild imagination and speculation of two concerned parents.

If they were twenty-two, she would let them date however they pleased.

But they were only eighteen right now. This wasn't something to be taken lightly.

She wasn't opposed to them dating. After all, they were already eighteen and only four months away from graduation. They were so close, and their grades were on the exact same level. Thinking about it, they were actually quite a good match. Her only fear was that things might progress too quickly. Young people often couldn't resist the temptations of passion, and one wrong move could end up with them having to take Xia Yanchun to the hospital for a checkup.

If that happened, the sky would truly fall.

Upstairs.

Shen Nian was lying on Xia Yanchun's bed, looking around her familiar room with a hint of disappointment.

Xia Yanchun's room wasn't the "starting point."

He'd have to bring Chunbao back to his own room later to check. Maybe the starting point was his room.

If it wasn't either of their rooms, then Shen Nian would have no choice but to take Xia Yanchun wandering all over town to try their luck.

The system hadn't given him a single hint, and he didn't have the slightest clue.

"Your parents are calling you down for dinner," Shen Nian muttered.

"I'm not hungry, I'll go down a bit later." Xia Yanchun put away the hot water bottle and other items, arranging everything on the desk perfectly.

"Why are you only tidying up now?"

"I was scrolling on my phone downstairs earlier. I only came up just before you did."

"So lazy. I even finished cooking."

"Aren't you just amazing, Shen Nian? Do you want me to give you a reward too?"

Shen Nian grinned. He might have been deaf to her sarcasm, but he heard the word 'reward' loud and clear.

"Let a bro see those legs, then."

"Get lost," Xia Yanchun huffed. "You messed up my bedsheets by lying on them!"

"What's the big deal?" Shen Nian stood up to help her smooth out the sheets. Before he could say another word, Xia Yanchun tossed a large, fluffy blanket onto the bed.

"Spread it out for me."

"Do I get a reward?"

"Reward my foot. But since you're being so uncooperative, I have a feeling my window is going to 'break' and stay locked shut tonight."

"Damn, why didn't you lead with something that important?"

Xia Yanchun let out a soft snort. There was no such thing as an older sister who didn't boss her younger brother around.

·