"It's so beautiful," Jiang Yiner said earnestly.
"Hehehe."
The year-end always offered the two most relaxed and pleasant days of the year. Friends and family gathered, and all business could be set aside for a couple of days-setting aside those miscellaneous tasks on one's own never brought peace of mind, but when the entire Divine Capital shared that atmosphere, one could truly relax and enjoy oneself.
The trinkets Pei Ye had bought at Leyouyuan finally found their use that afternoon. The most popular were the assorted firecrackers. The youth ran around the courtyard, leading Jiang Yiner into every corner to make noise. As the girl widened her eyes and waved her hands frantically, he stuffed firecrackers into the snow piles Qu Xin had swept together, entirely forgetting the mature image of an older family friend.
Jiang Yiner followed behind him with her ears covered, pressing her lips together and shaking her head when he offered her firecrackers. She merely watched from behind him, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes slightly bright. This Shenxiao True Disciple remained proper and disciplined, however. Even today, when the appointed hour came, she still practiced her sword for four hours and then read for another two.
The friends they had invited arrived that afternoon: Xing Zhi, Qi Zhaohua, and Fang Jidao, all solitary travelers staying in the Divine Capital. Xu Chuo had invited them all. In fact, the one who rarely showed herself was this Benefactor and hall master. She left everyone to drink and chat in the residence-or perhaps, as Pei Ye himself had discovered, none of them relaxed quite as much as usual when she was present.
Qi Zhaohua and Xing Zhi were the two who knew how to arrange a feast, and they handled all the food and wine. Snow