"Little Ran, try the dumplings I just wrapped!"

Su’s mother cheerfully brought a steaming plate of dumplings to the table and placed it in front of Su Ran.

"Ah, mom, are you trying to stuff your son to death? One dinner, seven dishes and eight big bowls, can the two of us even finish all this?"

Su Ran wailed, feeling like he was going to end up like Wang Cai, with his stomach not turning into a ball, it would be weird!

However, the table was full of delicious foods, rich in variety and full of flavor and aroma, simply looking at it made Su Ran involuntarily start salivating.

"It’s Chinese New Year, mom is happy!"

Ever since Su Ran’s condition had noticeably improved, the smile had never left his mother’s face, making her seem ten years younger.

"Meow~"

Little Black was anxiously spinning around, using his front paws to scratch at Su Ran’s trouser leg, signaling that there was another hungry stomach, don’t forget.

"Don’t worry, don’t worry, there’s enough for everyone!"

Su’s mother magically produced another plate of dumplings, this one with plenty of white fish meat, looking very appetizing. She poured the dumplings into the bowl at Little Black’s feet and said with a smile, "Little Black, Happy New Year!"

"Meow~"

Little Black didn’t care for formalities and just started eating.

"Mom, stop bustling about, let’s start eating?"

Seeing Little Black eating so deliciously, Su Ran couldn’t hold back any longer, seeing his mom still bustling, he quickly called her to start.

"Hold on, there are two more bowls of dumpling soup, almost ready!"

Before his mother could finish speaking, there was a knock at the door.

"Who is it?"

Seeing someone coming at this time, Su’s mother waved at Su Ran, "Little Ran, go see who it is, I’ll get the dumpling soup, oh right, don’t forget to take Little Black."

"Okay!"

Ever since Su Ran had recovered, he had become much quicker on his feet. He quickly reached the door, and did not rush to open it. Waiting for Little Black to come forward, he then asked loudly, "Who is it?"

"Little Brother Su, it’s me, your Sister Wan."

A very pleasant voice came from outside, which stunned Su Ran.

"Sister Wan, coming over so late, is there something wrong?"

Su Ran hurriedly opened the door, and who else could be standing outside but Li Wan’er?

At that moment, Li Wan’er was dressed in home clothes, loose and proper, yet it couldn’t hide her graceful figure, and her black, beautiful hair further enhanced her charm.

"Can’t I come over if there’s nothing wrong?"

Li Wan’er rolled her eyes at Su Ran, walked straight in, and curiously asked, "Little Brother Su, what delicious food did your family make? It smells so good, I could smell it from my house!"

"Hey, Sister Wan, I think you are here to mooch a meal, aren’t you?"

Su Ran chuckled, secretly applauding his mom’s cooking skills, and made a gesture of invitation, "It’s perfect timing, mom made a whole table of dishes, I was just worrying about that. You came just in time to help clear the plates."

"Why do you have to put it so straightforwardly? Mainly, my grandfather’s cooking is too bland, too many rules, not a bit of the New Year’s spirit. Little Brother Su, I also came for another reason, to discuss something about Pet Island with you."

Pet Island?

Su Ran was taken aback, then smiled, "Let’s go in and talk about it, the dumplings won’t taste good if they get cold."

Just as he asked Li Wan’er into the room, they saw Su’s mother coming out of the kitchen.

"It turns out to be Little Wan, come in,"

Su’s mother quickly put down the dumpling soup and called to Li Wan’er, "You came just at the right time, let me get you a bowl of dumpling soup to warm you up!"

"Auntie, it’s no trouble. I can serve myself!"

Li Wan’er didn’t consider herself an outsider at all. She went to the kitchen by herself, brought out a bowl of dumpling soup, and her cheeks were slightly reddened by the steam.

...

After dinner, Li Wan’er took the initiative to take over washing the dishes and chatted away with Su’s mother in the kitchen about who knows what.

Li Wan’er didn’t stay long, chatted with Su Ran about gaming for a while, and then said goodbye and left.

"Pet Island..."

Su Ran returned to the inner room, pondering the information Wan’er had given him, "It must be correct. The ’island’ character, associating it with the sea, suggests the value of the Underwater Breathing potion is probably going to skyrocket."

With this discovery, Su Ran was not alarmed but delighted. He still had nearly 160 bottles of Underwater Breathing potion, hundreds of Calamity Avoiding Charms, and his estate transportation formation could directly transport him to Deep Sea Fish Island. This indicated that he held an absolute advantage in the Pet Island New Year event!

The only thing that made Su Ran feel frustrated was that his pet space was already running out, with only one space left reserved for the Ice-gold Jiao Dragon baby, leaving almost no chance for capturing more.

Of course, if he were lucky enough to get a divine or demonic pet...

Giving up that Ice-gold Jiao wasn’t out of the question; after all, it was just a backup pet.

Never mind all that for now, he thought he’d take it one step at a time. Getting a few Pet Eggs would be great, too.

Thinking this, Su Ran looked forward even more to the upcoming New Year event.

"Little Ran, stop playing games before bed. Keep your mom company and watch the Spring Festival Gala. It’s boring watching it alone."

Su’s mother spoke in an almost pleading tone, a hint of loneliness visible in her eyes.

"Yes, Mom. Let’s not think about gaming over the New Year. Let’s welcome the arrival of the New Year together."

Su Ran knew all too well that in this New Year atmosphere, his mom’s longing for his dad grew stronger, and why his dad never came home remained a mystery to him. Whenever his mom didn’t bring it up voluntarily, even if he asked, it was futile.

...

The New Year clock chimed, and the nation celebrated.

After returning to his bedroom, Su Ran lay on his bed in a ’big’ character shape, his thoughts wandering so much that he didn’t even know when he fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already bright outside.

"Phew, the first day of a new year, keep striving!"

Su Ran got out of bed, picked up his phone, and sent Lin Yuqing and Sister Wan a New Year’s greeting message.

Just as he was about to put down the phone, he unexpectedly noticed that Yuqing’s sister, Lin Yuting, had called. ƒreewebηoveℓ.com

"Strange, why would she call at this time?"

Su Ran felt puzzled and hesitated to answer the call.

Could it be...

Had Yuqing let slip his secret?

Su Ran couldn’t imagine what Yuting would sound like on the other end of the phone, likely starting with a barrage of scolding—and that would be the least of it...

"Hello, Sister Ting, happy New Year."

Su Ran pressed the answer key, trying to keep his tone as steady as possible to avoid her sensing any anomaly.

"Happy New Year!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was cheerful, showing no sign of the impending storm, which made Su Ran breathe a sigh of relief.

"Little Brother Su, why did it take you so long to answer? Still sleepy, huh?"

"About to go wash up. Do you need something, Sister Ting?"

Su Ran was reluctant to talk more than necessary with Lin Yuting. The more he said, the greater the risk of exposing himself, a fact he was well aware of.

"Heard you’re pretty close to ’Spilt Water Can’t Be Regained’?"