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Xia Zheng, anxious that the snowflakes might camouflage his surprise, hastily lifted his feet and retraced the outline of the little figure, excitedly lifting his head to ask her, "How is it, how is it? Are you moved?"

He was just short of saying, "Hurry up and cry with emotion, scream, and rush forward to hug me tight!"

Lin Yuan was indeed deeply moved, not just by the two little figures on the ground, but also by how Xia Zheng had repeatedly stamped the impressions over and over again. Looking down at Xia Zheng’s boots already soaked with melted snow, Lin Yuan’s nose soured, and sure enough, tears welled up.

"Happy or not? Excited or not? Is it not especially..." Xia Zheng looked up just in time to see Lin Yuan gazing at him with moist eyes in a daze, his footing scrambled, and the ear of "Xia Zheng’s little figure" bent out of shape.

"Yuanyuan, what’s wrong? Why are you crying? There, there, don’t cry, don’t cry. I was just joking earlier, please don’t actually cry," he soothed.

In three steps, he darted to Lin Yuan’s side, gingerly wiping her tears with a helpless apology.

Having been in the snowy field for too long and without wearing a cloak, Xia Zheng’s hands were chillingly cold, he would never have placed his icy hands directly on her face if it were not for his anxiety over her tears.

"You fool!"

Despite myriad feelings welling up inside, the only words that ultimately escaped her lips were just these two. Lin Yuan grasped his hands firmly, trying to transfer her own warmth to him.

Such intimate gestures were not unprecedented, it’s just that she seldom took such initiative as she did today. Xia Zheng was stunned, then broke into a silly grin, indeed looking the fool.

A fool indeed, braving the biting cold to wait in such a desolate place, repeatedly pacing in the snow just to give her a surprise—though simple, the intention was profound.

Lin Yuan pulled her own cloak around and wrapped Xia Zheng in it as well.

The always opportunistic one’s eyes sparkled, he joyfully leaned in closer, his forehead resting against hers, unable to suppress the smile at the corners of his lips.

On the snowy ground, the two little figures stood hand in hand, while the couple beside them stood shoulder to shoulder, seemingly oblivious to the large snowflakes still drifting down from the sky.

Sitting in the carriage, Lin Yi looked up at the sky and muttered under his breath, "It’s just some snow, what’s the big deal! Back in the day, this young master trained in the snow every day, never found it that pretty!"

On the way back to Fuman Building, Lin Yuan related all her encounters at Old Mr. Cheng’s place to Xia Zheng. However, she lightly skipped over the chance meeting with Ma Junying, perhaps due to some unspoken feelings.

Nonetheless, the sensitive one arched an eyebrow, Ma Junying again? It seems the pastries I treated him to last time were not enough!

Lin Yuan was still talking about her plans carefree: "Shopkeeper Liu is an old acquaintance of Old Mr. Cheng and often helps him. I’ll leave the purchasing matters to him.

Also, concerning Old Mr. Cheng’s living arrangements, he is old and unwell, so I plan to hire a young servant to take care of him specifically.

Ah, you haven’t seen his room, it’s so simple, but the classroom for the students is fully equipped.

He’s certainly far better than those at Zhuma Town School. "

Ever since hearing about Meng Liangdong’s experiences at Zhuma Town School, Lin Yuan had lost all good impressions of those teachers there. While she couldn’t write them all off based on the actions of a few, she definitely didn’t want her younger brothers and sisters to attend such a school.

Mentioning Zhuma Town School reminded Lin Yuan of her second cousin, Liu Zhiyang, who would be studying there after the New Year. She hoped he wouldn’t end up bad, like Lin Yongle and Lin Yongcheng.

Seeing Lin Yuan drift off into her thoughts again, Xia Zheng tapped her forehead and scolded, "Your man is about to leave, and you don’t talk properly with me, but let your mind wander! Humph, are you thinking about that Ma Junying?"

"What Ma Jun... What are you saying? You’re leaving?

" Lin Yuan, forgetting to rub her forehead, stared wide-eyed at him. Although she had known all along that Xia Zheng was returning to the Capital city for the New Year, knowing that he was leaving and him actually leaving were two different things. Deep down, it felt like she couldn’t bear to let him go.