"Your loss," Evelyn replied calmly, scooping another spoonful onto Ethan's plate. "Eat up."
Ethan felt like crying.
He hated tofu. Burnt, unsalted tofu was even worse.
Evelyn caught the look on his face and had to lower her head.
She'd felt guilty before. Now she just wanted to laugh.
At least she could eat this dish. The rest was the main course. Everyone could eat what they liked.
The family ate and joked. The atmosphere was warm.
After dinner came the highlight of New Year's Eve: red envelopes.
As the new daughter-in-law this year, Eleanor had prepared one for her too.
After offering her New Year's greetings, Evelyn received a thick red envelope from the old lady.
Her outfit had no pockets. She didn't know where to put it, so she just held it in her hand.
It felt heavy. There must be a lot of money inside. She clutched it tightly, afraid of losing it.
She'd never gotten such a big red envelope before.
"I'll keep it for you," Alexander said, leaning down. "I'll give it back later."
Evelyn looked up at him. After a moment, she obediently handed it over.
Then it was Ethan's turn. As the youngest of the Sterling family, and still unmarried, he had to kneel to greet Eleanor and his mother, Isabella, before asking for red envelopes.
Evelyn's eyes went wide when she saw him kneel.
This was too much.
Ethan kowtowed to his grandmother first, then to his mother.
After getting his mother's envelope, he turned around. Evelyn thought he was about to kneel to her and Alexander too. She blurted out, "Don't bow to me! I'll give you the money!"
Everyone froze for a second. Then the room burst into laughter.
Evelyn was mortified.
"In our family, we only kneel to grandparents and parents," Alexander explained quietly. "Everyone else just gets a greeting." He pulled two red envelopes from his pocket and handed them to Ethan. "Happy New Year, Ethan. This is from me and your aunt. Wishing you good health and smooth work."
"Thank you, Uncle. Thank you, Aunt. Happy New Year!" Ethan took the envelopes with a grin. Then he added mischievously, "Of course, if the envelopes were bigger, I wouldn't mind kneeling!"
Everyone laughed again.
After the greetings, Evelyn handed out the gifts she'd prepared.
Everyone thanked her profusely. She was a little embarrassed.
"I don't know what you all like," she said. "I just picked things based on what I thought. I hope you don't mind."
Everyone happily opened their presents.
Ethan opened his and found a box inside.
He opened the box and pulled out a toy.
Yes. A toy.
He looked up at Evelyn in disbelief. "This is for me?"
It looked like something for a kid.
"Yes! I spent a long time picking it out. The moment I saw it, I thought of you. It looks like a simple painted egg, but it has lots of functions and secrets. First, you have to crack the code hidden in the pattern to open the shell. There are three levels. If you pass all three, you get the ultimate prize inside!" Evelyn sat down next to him, pointing excitedly at the egg.
"What's the ultimate prize?" Ethan asked flatly.
"I don't know. The salesperson said each egg has a different prize. It depends on luck," Evelyn said earnestly.
Ethan was already rolling his eyes. Wasn't this just a trick to amuse a three-year-old?
But Evelyn looked so serious. Like there was a treasure map hidden inside.
"Are you sure this is for me? Not for a child?"
"Yes! Didn't you read the box? It says 'educational toy, suitable for ages 16 and up'!" Evelyn pointed to the instructions.
Ethan broke out in a sweat again. Educational.
"I love this shawl, Evelyn," Isabella said softly, holding up the gift. "It suits me perfectly."
"I'm glad you like it, sister-in-law," Evelyn said with a smile.
"Aunt, what gift did you give my uncle?" Ethan asked.
He was clearly trying to change the subject. But he was also curious.
Evelyn's face turned red. "I'm not telling you!"
"Oh, I see—" Ethan said, his expression turning sly.
"You don't see anything!" Evelyn was even more embarrassed.
"Ethan, are you curious?" Alexander asked, smiling at his nephew.
Ethan turned to look at his uncle. The next second, he shook his head with a laugh. "Not at all. Ha ha."
"It's okay if you are," Alexander continued. "Because I'm curious too."
"No, Uncle. Don't you know what it is? It's not a puzzle toy like mine, is it?" Ethan said, laughing with a hint of schadenfreude.
His mother smacked him on the back of the head.
"No matter what it is," Alexander said, leaning back in his chair and looking calmly at Evelyn, "it will be my favorite."
Evelyn's face turned even redder. She looked away and changed the subject.
The family sat in the living room, chatting and watching the Spring Festival Gala. After midnight, everyone went to bed one by one.
Eleanor retired first.
"Time for us to rest too," Alexander said, pulling Evelyn up.
She nodded but didn't move her eyes from the TV.
"Is it that good?" Alexander asked.
"No," Evelyn shook her head.
"Then why are you watching so seriously?"
"Because I'm watching seriously, I know it's not good," Evelyn pouted, then looked back at him.
Alexander touched his nose, looking defeated.
They walked hand in hand toward Sterling Manor.
"Happy New Year, Alexander," Evelyn said with a smile.
"Happy New Year," he replied.
"Thank you. And congratulations on becoming Mrs. Sterling."
Evelyn froze. Was that a congratulations or a boast?
"Do you have a New Year's wish?" she asked.
"Yes," Alexander said.
"What is it?" Evelyn asked curiously.
"I hope I'm holding a chubby baby this time next year."
Evelyn was stunned for a moment. Then she blushed.
She looked up at the sky, trying to find a topic to change the subject. "There's no sun, no moon, not even many stars."
Alexander cut her off. "You don't want to talk about the weather again."
Evelyn laughed. "No, I don't."
"What about you?"
"What about me?" Evelyn turned to look at him.
"What's your New Year's wish?" Alexander asked, staring at her.