On New Year's Eve, Su He and Lu Yanbei stayed at the Lu family villa. They stayed up until midnight with Grandpa, and the temperature outside dropped sharply. Lu Yanbei, afraid Su He would catch a cold, decided to stay there.
The next morning, Su He woke up in Lu Yanbei's arms, feeling a bit disoriented by the unfamiliar surroundings.
She yawned and got up, intending to wash up.
Lu Yanbei pulled her back and said, "It's still early, why not sleep a little longer?"
Su He was indeed sleepy, but she thought it was the first day of the Lunar New Year, and oversleeping wouldn't be good. Besides, Grandpa had a regular routine and woke up at six. As a junior, she still had to pay her respects to him, so she couldn't just lie in bed.
"Grandpa is already up..." Su He pushed his chest.
"Grandpa wishes you could sleep longer," Lu Yanbei whispered.
Su He didn't want to be impolite, so she rolled out of bed.
When the young couple arrived in the living room, they indeed saw Grandpa having his morning tea.
"You're up so early? Why didn't you sleep more?" Grandpa Lu seemed a little surprised to see his grandson and granddaughter-in-law come downstairs.
"Happy New Year, Grandpa." Because it was the New Year, Su He had specifically chosen a red sweater paired with white casual pants, making her look both festive and sweet.
To match her, Lu Yanbei also changed his usual style, opting for a light-colored sweater with a red scarf around his neck.
Seeing the perfectly matched couple, Grandpa Lu couldn't stop smiling. "Good, good, good. My granddaughter-in-law is so filial."
After speaking, he took out a large red envelope from behind and handed it to Su He.
Su He quickly waved her hands.
She wasn't a child anymore, how could she accept lucky money?
"It's your first New Year as a new bride, so you must receive a red envelope. It's the custom," Grandpa explained when he saw her refusing.
Su He still didn't reach out.
The red envelope looked plump and substantial, she couldn't possibly accept it.
Lu Yanbei, standing beside her, didn't stand on ceremony with Grandpa and accepted it for Su He.
"Grandpa, what about mine?" he asked.
"The red envelope is for my granddaughter-in-law, what business is it of yours?" Grandpa said with disdain. "Don't you earn enough yourself that you're eyeing my pension?"
Lu Yanbei: ...
As expected, he didn't need his grandson anymore once he had a granddaughter-in-law!
Su He bit her lip to suppress a smile, then slipped the thick red envelope into Lu Yanbei's pocket. "What's mine is yours."
"My wife is so caring," Lu Yanbei said, leaning in to kiss Su He in front of Grandpa Lu.
Su He froze for a moment, her face involuntarily blushing.
She pinched Lu Yanbei's waist fiercely and warned him in a low voice, "What are you doing in front of Grandpa!"
Lu Yanbei frowned and replied in a low voice, "Aren't I thanking you..."
"But you should consider the occasion. If you act like this, how can I show my face..."
"We're husband and wife, isn't this normal?"
"When the relatives arrive later, don't act like this again. Otherwise, you'll sleep in the guest room tonight!"
"Tsk, I'll try to restrain myself."
The whispering between the young couple didn't make Grandpa Lu feel it was impolite; instead, he smiled from ear to ear. The more sweet and loving they were, the happier he became.
At this rate, they should have a baby soon, right?
*
After breakfast, relatives began arriving one after another to pay their New Year's respects.
Grandpa Lu held a high status, so there were quite a few juniors visiting the Lu family villa. Before long, the entrance and courtyard were filled with all sorts of luxury cars.
Compared to previous years, Grandpa Lu appeared more spirited, as if he had become ten years younger.
The guests who saw his energetic appearance couldn't help but exclaim.
"Uncle Grandpa, did you eat some magic elixir? You look more robust than my father!"
"This is what they call being in high spirits during happy events! Since Ah Bei got married, Uncle has been happy, and naturally, all his ailments disappeared!"
"It seems this is all thanks to Ah Bei's wife!"
"Have you all noticed, since Ah Bei got married, he's become more humane."
As they chatted, the topic turned to Lu Yanbei.
"With Ah Bei at the helm of Lu's Group, the company gets better year by year. We uncles are ashamed of ourselves!"
"Lu's Group's net profit this year has multiplied several times compared to last year. Ah Bei is truly capable."
Lu Yanbei had heard these flattering words so many times his ears were calloused.
He calmly drank his tea, but his gaze was constantly fixed on Su He among the female guests, afraid she might be bullied.
However, his worries were unnecessary.
As early as the end of last year, Grandpa Lu had made it clear. He had stated that anyone who dared to bully his granddaughter-in-law would no longer be welcome to associate with the Lu family. With Grandpa Lu's backing and Lu Yanbei's protection, no one dared to say a single negative word about Su He.
Without the sarcastic remarks of distant aunts and uncles, or the bullying from Zhao Yafen and her daughter, Su He had a relatively peaceful New Year. But as Lu Yanbei's wife, she couldn't remain an outsider as she had before. She had to shoulder the responsibilities that came with her identity and engage with the relatives, doing her best to be accommodating.
Although it was her first time hosting guests as the lady of the house, Su He's performance was commendable.
After all, she had been doted on by Su Dazhi and Tang Jiaojiao since childhood. Her upbringing had not been provincial, and she was graceful and at ease in her interactions, showing no sign of being flustered.
Su He's demeanor truly surprised the relatives.
"How come I never noticed before that she had such composure? When a servant accidentally knocked over the teapot just now, she reacted quite quickly, and what she said was so elegant!"
"This is called having confidence! Before, she was timid and hesitant, wasn't it because she didn't have a say in this household?"
"It seems we underestimated her before!"
"Could it be that she did her homework in advance, knowing we were coming?"
"Some things can't be learned overnight. As far as I know, she also performed well at the Lu's Group annual meeting. She danced the opening dance with Ah Bei, and people talked about it for a long time."
The relatives observed Su He's every move, and while surprised, they also became more thoughtful. Perhaps in the future, they should try to get along peacefully with Su He. At least, they should maintain appearances.
Otherwise, given the doting affection of the Lu family grandfather and grandson towards Su He, offending her might not end well.
The cousin from the third branch was a prime example.
In previous years, she was the one who visited the Lu family most frequently, but she didn't show up for such an important occasion today. Upon inquiry, it was learned that she had once embarrassed Su He in front of Lu Yanbei. Therefore, the Lu family had made it clear that she was not welcome to visit.
Such a precedent gave them a profound realization.
"You must be tired after a whole morning. Come sit down and rest."
"Although you are a junior, there's no need to do everything yourself. You can leave it to the servants."
"We didn't have a chance to talk properly the last time we met. This is a perfume I brought back from my recent trip abroad. It's especially suitable for young people like you."
Although they were visiting to pay their New Year's respects, Su He ended up receiving gifts until her hands were sore.
Looking at the numerous gift boxes of various sizes in the room, Su He, for the first time, felt the weight of her identity as the young madam of the Lu family.