Juhua smiled. "Qing’er is still little, so of course she has to go to bed early. By this time next year, you’ll be able to bring her out to play."

Zhang Yang laughed. "It’s a good thing you didn’t bring her out. Otherwise, we’d spend the whole time cleaning up after her. She might even cry nonstop, and who would breastfeed her then?"

Little Shitou immediately started arguing with him, insisting his little sister was the most well-behaved and never cried without a reason.

The two began to bicker, shedding their usual scholarly demeanor from the classroom.

Meanwhile, Zhang Huai was talking and laughing softly with Qingmu about the things they had seen and heard in Qinghui County. He would occasionally glance over at Juhua, savoring the warmth of New Year’s Eve.

’Once we move here next year, we won’t have to travel so far,’ he thought.

For some reason, Juhua found herself getting flustered whenever she saw Zhang Huai now. He would always give her a faint smile or a concerned glance. There was no overt affection, yet the glint in his eyes perfectly conveyed his feelings for her.

Sometimes she didn’t need to look at him to know he was watching her.

In those moments, she absolutely dared not look up at him. If she dared to test it, she was sure to meet his gaze, which was terribly embarrassing. Besides, she had little control over herself—one look from him was enough to make her face flush crimson.

Even though a face scarf concealed her features, and no one could see her flushed face, her eyes would soften with a watery, bashful sheen. Seeing this, Zhang Huai would smile faintly and lower his gaze, looking away from her as if to hide a world of tender feelings and thoughts. The sight was enough to make her heart pound.

Pushed to her limit by his subtle, almost intangible tenderness, Juhua couldn’t help but curse him in her head. ’You rotten kid.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

She was frustrated to realize that her usual mindset—that of an adult looking down on a child, owing to her greater mental age—seemed to be fading away. She found it increasingly difficult to remain composed under his gentle gaze. At times, she was utterly flustered. If it weren’t for her face scarf, she couldn’t imagine how much face she would have lost.

’Do I actually like this boy?’

’Well, I am a little interested, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.’

If she truly liked him, she certainly wouldn’t play hard to get. ’If I act all coy and it backfires, letting a good husband slip away to someone else, wouldn’t that be a terrible loss?’

She had always been prudent by nature. She wouldn’t easily commit to anything before her mind was made up. But what was rightfully hers, she would never give up.

’Since I am a little interested,’ she thought to herself, ’I should try to understand him better. At the very least, I need to figure one thing out: how did he change his mind? He went from initially being unwilling to marry me to now actively seeking my hand. It’s not that I’m trying to overthink things, but I want to be certain that these feelings are solid and unwavering.’

She was confident in her judgment and had never doubted Zhang Huai’s character. She was sure it wasn’t because of money, and certainly not because of her looks. ’To the outside world, the "scabby face" under this scarf still exists. The scabs on my face fell off in the summer, and Huai Zi was already head over heels for me by then. Besides, even with the scabs gone, my skin still looks like a mottled pumpkin.’

’Could it be because of my unusual behavior since I transmigrated?’

She quickly dismissed that theory. Thinking back carefully, Zhang Huai had actually shown interest in her very early on. ’For instance, that year he helped me wash bedsheets by the river, and I even got mad at him for it. Before that, I had barely interacted with him more than once or twice.’

’Really, why am I overthinking this? As long as his feelings are sincere and pure, that’s enough. In this Different Space-Time, a simple, honest young man like him and such genuine affection are worth paying attention to—even fighting for.’

Even though she had made her decision, she was still annoyed. ’I’ve lived two lifetimes, and here I am, blushing because of a young boy!’ she fumed. She cursed Zhang Huai inwardly for always trying to entice her with his gaze. All the while, she stubbornly refused to admit that his attempts would be useless if her own heart hadn’t already been swayed.

Of course, Zhang Huai had no idea Juhua was cursing him in her head. He saw her lounging in her armchair, hugging the hand warmer he had bought for her—it even had a blue cotton cover—and listening with a smile as the younger children bickered. He shared a knowing smile with Qingmu.

But he had barely settled in when Li Changyu, Li Changyun, and Li Jinxiang arrived.

Li Jinxiang was holding a paper packet and said excitedly to Juhua, "Juhua, I made some dried bamboo shoots! Changyu said they’re delicious. Here, try some."

Juhua happily invited her to sit, then took the paper packet and tried a bamboo shoot. After tasting it, she had everyone else try some. Then she huddled with Jinxiang, whispering with her, likely trying to figure out her recipe.