Continuation 9: Red Raspberries, Strawberries, and Chinese Raspberries

Going out for the New Year is a traditional seasonal custom. Many children born in the city who never go back to their parents' or grandparents' hometown for the New Year are often unaware of this custom.

In the past, this was the most important event of the year at the beginning of spring. Every household would get up early, and even if they didn't have new clothes, they would all be dressed neatly and open their doors together, as this was called "opening the door to wealth."

Setting off firecrackers is usually done by the breadwinner of the family. The power to set off firecrackers has shifted from the father to the son, often accompanied by a lot of emotions.

After setting off firecrackers, one bows to the sky, returns home to worship ancestors and deities, and then pays homage to the heavens; this is called "going out to heaven."

This custom hasn't been completely lost, but many families no longer perform any rituals; they just remember to set off firecrackers on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Liu Yuewang is the kind of person who only remembers to set off firecrackers; he doesn't care about anything else.

Liu Chang'an took the firecrackers; they were just a small string of three thousand firecrackers. He lit them in his hand, held them up, and listened to the sound. The small firecrackers crackled and popped, and paper scraps flew everywhere, staining the surrounding snow an unsightly color. Liu Chang'an casually tossed the firecrackers aside next to An Nuan when they had burned down to about ten centimeters.

An Nuan raised her foot to stomp on him, but when she saw Liu Chang'an smiling at her, she quickly cried out like a frightened deer, making "ya ya ya" noises, and ran behind Liu Chang'an to hide, looking very scared.

"So dramatic, so dramatic, so dramatic." Liu Yuewang sighed three times. She had never seen such a dramatic girl before. She was always thinking about acting cute, delicate, obedient, and pitiful in front of Liu Chang'an.

Liu Yuewang was the one who was truly afraid of firecrackers; she could only tremble, squint her eyes, cover her ears, and take a few steps back.

"So cute." Liu Chang'an hugged An Nuan's slender waist and held her in his arms. A girl's willingness to always try to be cute in front of you is incredibly adorable.

An Nuan leaned against Liu Chang'an's chest, revealing half of her face, and winked triumphantly at Liu Yuewang, who was tugging at her ears in fright from the firecrackers.

Liu Yuewang opened her ears and slapped An Nuan, saying, "It's better if you get married sooner rather than later. Out of sight, out of mind. An Nuan will be twenty next year and can get married, but unfortunately, Liu Chang'an's birth date on his ID card can't be changed, so he has to wait two more years before he can get married."

Seeing how lovey-dovey the two of them were, Liu Yuewang really couldn't believe they would break up. She felt like they would stay this lovey-dovey forever... However, Liu Chang'an was no ordinary person. People like him probably didn't have the same deep understanding of lifelong commitment as ordinary people.

"There are plenty of lovely girls in this world," Liu Yuewang said tentatively.

"Yes, there are many lovely girls in this world. There are many girls who will amaze you with just one glance. How can there be such a lovely girl? Watching her every move will melt your heart... But what does that have to do with me?"

Liu Chang'an shook his head and continued, "To outsiders, An Nuan might seem pretentious, affected, and only good at pretending to be cute... But when I think about how she tries so hard every moment to make me feel that she's cute, that's the cutest girl I know."

"She's really cute..." An Nuan hugged Liu Chang'an tightly, closed her eyes sweetly, and thought how wonderful it was to have a boyfriend who understood her feelings.

Liu Yuewang was speechless for a moment, but she had to admit that Liu Chang'an made a lot of sense. After thinking about it, she realized that she couldn't argue with him, so she kicked Liu Chang'an and An Nuan once each, and then went into the house on her own.

"Look how angry you've made Professor Liu." An Nuan raised her little fist and punched Liu Chang'an, adding insistently, "Also, don't say I'm pretending to be cute. I really am cute, okay?"

Watching her wave her fists and even show her little tiger teeth to increase her threat, Liu Chang'an nodded. Such a cute yet violent threat was incredibly powerful and impossible to resist.

Liu Yuewang's family didn't prepare many New Year's goods. There was a plate of very nice fruit on the dining table in the living room. Liu Chang'an glanced at it and found that it was actually plastic. On the coffee table in front of the sofa, there were cherries, strawberries, blueberries, red raspberries, and black raspberries, all of which were the health-promoting fruits that Liu Yuewang advocated.

Watching Liu Yuewang sway her hips as she walked around the living room, Liu Chang'an scrutinized her unscientifically slender waist and bust-hip ratio. Analyzing and thinking with a scientific eye, could Tesla's modifications to Liu Yuewang have simply involved altering her figure?

It's definitely not just that. Tesla is talking about adapting the modifications to Professor Liu Jianshe. Does this mean that if Liu Yuewang had met Professor Liu Jianshe back then, the two could have had offspring? Even if the children didn't fully inherit Professor Liu Jianshe's abilities, at least they wouldn't be as bad as Mie Mie?

Liu Chang'an didn't dwell on the issue too much. He would see if he could examine Liu Yuewang's body again later... When Liu Yuewang had previously experienced a rejuvenated state, Liu Chang'an had examined her. At that time, he hadn't considered whether she was a good match for Professor Liu Jianshe, so he hadn't examined her too thoroughly.

Whether or not the key to her compatibility with Professor Liu Jianshe was discovered was not particularly important to Liu Chang'an. What did it matter that she was compatible with Professor Liu Jianshe, and what connection did she have with Professor Liu Jianshe's son, Liu Chang'an?

As long as An Nuan was a good match for Liu Chang'an, that was enough. So he turned to look at An Nuan beside him, his eyes filled with a hint of desire.

An Nuan was observing whether Liu Chang'an's perspective could cover the most attractive points of Professor Liu's figure. When she saw Liu Chang'an looking at her, she quickly raised her hand and slapped Liu Chang'an a few times to cover up her petty observation.

"Is red raspberry another name for raspberry?" An Nuan asked, feeding Liu Chang'an a red raspberry.

Liu Chang'an held it between his lips, his tongue sticking out slightly to touch it, then his lips and teeth moved it around in his mouth, gently biting it.

An Nuan watched him eat red raspberries and suddenly blushed, "Even eating is so vulgar!"

"Really? Isn't it because your mind is full of lewd thoughts that you think others are lewd?" Liu Chang'an shook his head in denial.

"My mom is going to a school event to visit retired teachers and experts later, she probably won't be back until noon." An Nuan's eyes darted around, her cheeks slightly flushed. She didn't seem to mind Liu Chang'an saying she had a lewd mind, because to her boyfriend, such a girl was very cute.

At this moment, Liu Yuewang came out of her room after changing her clothes.

"Red raspberries are actually quite different from what we usually think of as raspberries. Red raspberry plants are very tall, growing up to An Nuan's height, while raspberry plants are only knee-high. Raspberry fruits are cone-shaped like strawberries, while raspberries are more round. Raspberries are sweeter and tastier than raspberries. In terms of health benefits, raspberries are suitable for middle-aged and elderly people, especially for cardiovascular health, while raspberries are better for men's health." Liu Chang'an casually changed the subject, chewing the red raspberry in his mouth and swallowing it.

"Then you should eat strawberries. Strawberries won't make you fat. You don't need to eat raspberries now; leave the raspberries for Professor Liu." An Nuan took a big strawberry and stuffed it into Liu Chang'an's mouth.

Liu Yuewang was no longer agitated by An Nuan's provocations; he simply slapped An Nuan on the forehead without any hostility or irritation as he passed by.

"She knocked me out." An Nuan rubbed her forehead, feeling dizzy, and leaned against Liu Chang'an. Despite Professor Liu's usual delicate and timid appearance, An Nuan felt that she was incredibly strong, with the power of a dragon and an elephant, every time she hit An Nuan.

"He brought this on himself." Liu Chang'an laughed.

An Nuan didn't dare to fight Professor Liu, but bullying Liu Chang'an was her greatest skill. Without hesitation, she grabbed Liu Chang'an's neck and shook him, trying to push him down onto the sofa to subdue him.

"Chang'an, I'm going out to pay New Year's visits, I'll be back in a little while. You and An Nuan go buy some groceries, we'll have lunch at home." Liu Yuewang said to Liu Chang'an as she picked out a wool knitted scarf, stood at the door changing her shoes.

"Okay." Liu Chang'an nodded.

Watching Liu Yuewang leave, An Nuan lowered her voice angrily, "We still have to go grocery shopping on the first day of the Lunar New Year? We'll have to go to a bigger supermarket further away. Professor Liu just wants to reduce the time we spend alone together!"

"That's really clever." Liu Chang'an with a hint of regret, "I'll eat two red raspberries and then set off."

"Okay!" An Nuan said sweetly, but why did he say two? She turned her head and glanced at Liu Chang'an.

After a while, Liu Chang'an and An Nuan went out to buy groceries. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the two of them walked to the supermarket to buy groceries. It felt pretty good. An Nuan thought that this felt a bit like married life. Her little face was red, and she looked especially beautiful against the backdrop of the snow.

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There should be an update on January 1st, with double monthly passes. Leave some for the rice noodle shop owner!