Even as the New Year arrived, Huo Yueze still hadn't gotten an answer.
The adults kept quiet about it among themselves, vaguely saying it was due to too much work stress and inability to sleep, requiring hypnosis.
Huo Yueze thought: Do you think I'm stupid?
But regardless, the new year had finally arrived.
Huo Guining slept until the next day, completely missing the New Year's Eve festivities.
When she woke up, Huo Xiaozheng's bed was already empty.
Huo Guining groggily fumbled around her bedside, looking for her phone.
Unexpectedly, she found several bulging red envelopes under her pillow.
She counted them - exactly seven, no more, no less.
Huo Guining felt a bit happy.
Although it was the first day of the new year, the adults didn't stubbornly insist on the children starting the new year with a fresh attitude.
At 10 AM, Huo Guining and Huo Yueze appeared in the living room almost simultaneously, the siblings sporting matching messy hair, mumbling about being hungry.
The big and small one sat facing each other at the dining table, devouring breakfast like a whirlwind.
Huo Guining looked around but didn't see any sign of Huo Xiaozheng.
Seeing this, Zuo Qinfang thoughtfully informed her: "Your father went to the Shen family to pay New Year's respects. He should be back soon."
Huo Guining nodded: "Aunt, do we need to go pay respects too?"
Zuo Qinfang smiled and shook her head: "No need."
Soon after, Huo Guining understood Zuo Qinfang's meaning.
After 10 o'clock, people started arriving at the Huo family home in groups to pay New Year's respects.
Old Master Huo sat calmly in the main seat, welcoming visitors like a jolly Buddha.
Huo Yueze disliked socializing, so after accompanying for a while, he lured Huo Guining upstairs.
"Sister, let's play with puzzles."
Huo Guining seemed distracted: "Brother, why hasn't Dad come back yet?"
Huo Yueze hadn't expected Guining to be so attached to his uncle. It had only been an hour since they last saw him, and she was already looking for him.
He comforted her: "It's the first day of the New Year. There are some nearby prominent families that Uncle needs to visit. He'll be back soon."
Though he said this, Huo Yueze was also feeling uneasy inside.
Given the Huo family's status, there were only a few families that would require his uncle to visit personally.
The Shen family, the Zheng family, and the Qin family...
Thinking of the Qin family, Huo Yueze's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that his uncle still... had lingering feelings for Aunt Qin?
Seeing his strange expression, Huo Guining anxiously asked: "Brother, what's wrong?"
Huo Yueze laughed it off awkwardly, stiffly changing the subject: "It's nothing. I just suddenly remembered I left my puzzle in the car and forgot to bring it. Wait here for a moment, okay?"
With that, Huo Yueze immediately stood up and headed downstairs.
Huo Guining was bewildered, watching as Huo Yueze left as if his pants were on fire.
Huo Yanqin had to go to work for duty today, leaving only Old Master Huo and Zheng Jinxiu to entertain guests, while Huo Jing was still fast asleep.
Huo Yueze found Zuo Qinfang and asked: "Mom, has Uncle come back yet?"
Zuo Qinfang found it strange: "Not yet. Don't you usually fear your uncle the most? Why are you suddenly concerned about his whereabouts?"
Huo Yueze licked his lips, influenced by Guining's worry: "Guining keeps asking me where Uncle is. Uncle went to visit the Qin family today, right? I'm worried..."
Everyone in the Huo family knew how crazy Huo Xiaozheng had been over Qin Zhiyi back then.
Before Guining's arrival, Huo Xiaozheng had been cold and unapproachable, brooking no argument, especially regarding matters concerning Qin Zhiyi.
His revenge against the Jiang family had also been like madness, completely devoid of reason.
Zuo Qinfang hesitated: "It shouldn't be. Didn't your Aunt Qin get married? By rights, she shouldn't be at her parents' home today..."
Despite saying this, Qin Zhiyi had lost her mother at a young age, leaving only her elderly father at home.
On this day of family reunions, it was possible that Qin Zhiyi was at home accompanying her father.
If Qin Zhiyi was at home, then Jiang Suyuan...
Zuo Qinfang's brow furrowed deeply.
She hurriedly put on her coat and was about to head out.
Seeing this, Huo Yueze momentarily forgot about Guining's existence and followed his mother out.
Huo Guining waited upstairs, left and right, but Huo Yueze didn't return.
So she went downstairs to look for him.
In the hall, Old Master Huo was still receiving guests.
The butler came out of the kitchen carrying fruit.
Huo Guining approached and asked: "Uncle Butler, have you seen my brother?"
The butler smiled and replied: "Young Master Yueze just left with Madam Huo."
Huo Guining was stunned: "Where did they go?"
The butler thought for a moment: "I believe it was the Qin family. Miss, did you need them for something?"
The Qin family?
Huo Guining's eyes gradually turned cold: "The Qin family, you mean Qin Zhiyi's family?"
The butler nodded.
Huo Guining made a sound of acknowledgment and walked towards the bedroom.
At the other end of the hall, Zheng Jinxiu called for the butler to bring the fruit over.
The butler glanced at Huo Guining's retreating figure and walked towards the hall.
Huo Guining returned to her bedroom to put on her coat, then walked to the entryway, put on her snow boots, opened the door, and walked out.
She could sense that the Qin family home shouldn't be far from here.
Huo Guining walked to the security office and knocked on the door.
The security guard recognized Huo Guining, the Huo family's newly cherished pearl.
The guard asked with a friendly smile what she needed.
Huo Guining tilted her head and asked innocently: "Uncle, do you know how to get to Aunt Qin Zhiyi's house? My dad told me to go there to find him."
The guard smiled and pointed in a direction: "Go straight down this road, turn left at the end, and the house with the white fence is it."
Huo Guining thanked him politely.
The guard belatedly found it a bit strange - given how protective the Huo family was, how could they let a child who didn't know the way go find her father?
He shook his head, feeling he was overthinking things.
Huo Guining walked steadily in the direction the guard had indicated, and before long, she saw a house with a white fence.
The fence was open and not locked.
Huo Guining pressed her lips together, pushed open the fence, and walked in.
A small path paved with pebbles led all the way to the front door, where two large red lanterns hung. On the door were pasted red New Year couplets.
An authoritative male voice came from inside: "Nephew, what's past is past. Why do you still persist?"
"All the apologies and compensation that needed to be made, Suyuan has already done. Why are you still being so aggressive?"
"It was my father who, remembering the friendship of the older generation, entrusted me to pay a visit." Huo Xiaozheng's voice rang out. "Old Mr. Qin, are you saying you want to cut off relations between our two families?"
Old Mr. Qin sighed: "Xiaozheng, you know that's not what I mean. Can't you and Zhiyi just part ways amicably?"
Huo Xiaozheng: "If Jiang Suyuan gives up that plot of land in Yun City, I might consider it."
Jiang Suyuan became angry: "Huo Xiaozheng, you still say you don't have lingering feelings for Zhiyi?"
"Your Huo family moved away from Yun City so many years ago. If not for Zhiyi, what use do you have for that land?"
Qin Zhiyi's voice weakly chimed in: "Brother Xiaozheng, that land is of no use to you. Why don't you..."
"Bang!" An extremely crisp sound echoed through the hall.
Everyone looked up to see that a meter-high vase by the hall had been smashed to pieces.
In the center of the doorway stood a girl about as tall as the vase, dusting off her hands.
Her jawline was tense, her eyes flashing with anger: "If it's of no use, I should give it to you? Who do you think you are?"
