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Xia Yu was leaning against the porch smoking, wearing a gray bathrobe with white stripes and a down jacket on the outside. It was very cold in the courtyard, and even the plum blossoms in the corner had a faint cold fragrance, but he had just finished taking a hot spring bath, so he didn't feel cold.
This year, the Xia family and the Xu family spent New Year's Eve together at the Hot Spring Manor.
This is run by a friend from Xiajin. They specially reserved the largest courtyard. There are two independent villas in the courtyard. The parents live in one and the younger generation lives in another, so they don't disturb each other.
After everyone had the New Year's Eve dinner together and stayed up until midnight, the parents on both sides went to rest, leaving the younger generation to make their own arrangements.
Xia Yu exhaled a puff of smoke. The cigarette butt flickered in the darkness as he held it between his slender white fingers.
The surroundings were silent; even the sounds of nearby fireworks and firecrackers gradually disappeared; it was so quiet that one could hear the sound of dead branches breaking.
He heard some noise behind him, but he didn't turn around. A few seconds later, a figure came up to him and opened his hand to him, "Give me a cigarette, too."
Xia Yu raised his eyebrows and asked mockingly, "Can you smoke?"
Xu Zhan also smiled and said, "Ruan Sen taught me."
Xia Yu then gave one branch to Xu and Zhan.
But Xu Zhan obviously didn't smoke much, and he still coughed a few times. He and Xia Yu stood and sat under the eaves, and no one spoke. The surroundings were quiet and the atmosphere was even a little depressing.
"When are you going to tell your brother?" Xu Zhan asked.
He and Xia Yu had discussed it and decided to just confront the divorce today.
It is not appropriate to quarrel on the first day of the Lunar New Year. Even if Xia Jin and Xu Ping were angry with each other, they would not kick them out of the house on this day.
Xia Yu flicked the ash off his cigarette and said, "Wait until I finish this cigarette."
He still has half of his cigarette left.
"What about you?" he asked.
"Same as you."
A few minutes later, Xia Yu's cigarette was finished and he put it out in the ashtray.
"Shall we go?" he stood up and asked Xu Zhan.
Xu Zhan stared at the hand that Xia Yu stretched out in front of him, chuckled, took it, and used the force to stand up.
"It looks like we're both going to die a heroic death," he whispered.
Xia Yu smiled and said, "Who said it wasn't?"
Family is also a kind of battlefield. Even the most loving family members sometimes need to compete with each other.
Xia Jin was in a room on the second floor, while Xu Ping was sitting in the living room on the first floor, watching the unremarkable show.
Several of them were night owls and no one had any intention of going to sleep.
Xu Ping was wearing a home dress in gentle colors, with her hair casually tied to one side. Perhaps because she was not wearing any makeup, she looked more relaxed than usual, but for some reason, she had been in a bad mood today. She didn't say much during the New Year's Eve dinner just now, and now her mind was not on the show in front of her. The comedy in it had nothing to do with her. She was just staring at the TV in a daze and didn't even notice Xu Zhan sitting in front of her.
"Sister," Xu Zhan called her softly, "I want to talk to you about something."
When he said this, he couldn't help but glance at Xia Yu who was on the stairs.
Xia Yu was also looking at him.
But soon, Xia Yu continued to move up.
Half a minute later, Xia Yu stood outside Xia Jin's door.
His sister-in-law took Xia Mil back to her parents' home to celebrate the New Year. Originally, Xia Jin was going to go with them, but something delayed him and he will go tomorrow.