Fortunately, there was still a little bundle of joy keeping him company.

"Ah~"

As if sensing Mo Jingchun's mood, the little one reached out with small hands to pinch Mo Jingchun's face, babbling away in baby talk, trying to communicate.

By the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, there were no more visitors; those who were supposed to come had already visited.

In the evening, Mo Jingchun received a call from his aunt, asking him to bring Xiaobao to their grandfather's house for New Year greetings and lunch the next morning.

Without thinking twice, Mo Jingchun agreed.

Firstly, because no one else was coming to visit at home, and secondly, the snow on the road had melted, making it possible to ride a scooter again.

To be honest, from the first day of the New Year until now, Mo Jingchun hadn't gone out; even when his uncle called twice for a meal, he declined.

Lying in bed, coaxing his sister Candy to sleep, Mo Jingchun was thinking about how after visiting grandfather's house, there would be a series of errands to run in the following days.

Since his parents were gone, many relatives found it unnecessary to visit for New Year greetings, as there's no tradition of juniors visiting without the elders.

But that didn't apply to Mo Jingchun; however many households he visited last year, he'd visit the same this year.

Mo Jingchun estimated that it would take at least three days to finish all the visits.

It was a bit unfair to Candy, who had to accompany him everywhere.

In the morning, after waking up, Mo Jingchun unusually didn't wake the little one.

After all, there was no rush to go out early, since he was visiting only his grandfather and uncles.

After breakfast, Mo Jingchun glanced at the little one still sleeping in bed.

He didn't disturb his sister's sleep, softly closing the bedroom door.

In the living room, Mo Jingchun moved all the gifts brought by visitors into the storage room.

Not to mention, there was a pile of various wines on the floor.

For convenience, many people brought just two bottles as a New Year gift.

After finishing his tasks, feeling a bit peckish, Mo Jingchun opened a box of yogurt and started drinking a bottle.

After secretly finishing off the yogurt, Mo Jingchun leisurely went upstairs to check if his sister Candy was awake.

Opening the bedroom door quietly, Mo Jingchun was almost startled out of his wits the moment he saw the bed.

The little one was all right, still laughing without a care.

Mo Jingchun hurried to the bedside, sitting down with his heart still pounding, watching Candy standing there, holding onto the headboard.

Candy: Brother, surprised? Unexpected?

Was it a surprise? Of course!

Candy, just over eleven months, had stood up by herself, even if it was by holding onto the bed, the little one had stood up.

You tell me, how could this not surprise Mo Jingchun?

This was the little one's growth, a recognition of Mo Jingchun's caregiving efforts.

Along with the surprise, Mo Jingchun also felt scared.

He was almost scared to death—what if Candy didn't stand steadily and fell off the bed, given how small she was?

Never mind that Mo Jingchun's bed wasn't high, only about thirty centimeters, but if the little one fell, it would likely be face-down, with the possibility of hitting the back of her head or her forehead first.

Neither possibility was something Candy or Mo Jingchun could handle.

Watching Candy laugh heartily while standing there, Mo Jingchun was determined to buy a carpet to lay around the bed after he returned in the afternoon.

After all, it seemed the barriers wouldn't hold the little one back; better to have multiple layers of protection for safety's sake.

After all, he couldn't just wake the little one every time he woke up himself.

While Mo Jingchun was thinking about laying the carpet in the afternoon, the little one had already toddled over to his side, holding onto the headboard, and then threw herself into his arms.

Mo Jingchun gently patted the little one twice, while feeling sentimental:

"This is the best New Year gift, nothing could surpass it."

The unhappiness from the past few days was swept away by the little one.

Indeed, his sister Candy was his bundle of joy, the source of his happiness and bliss.

After dressing his sister Candy and washing her face, the little one clutched her bottle, her little tummy full and satisfied with milk.

The content little one then snuggled into her brother's super warm long down jacket.

The small scooter bore a load it shouldn't have had to, both front and back were packed with Mo Jingchun's stuff, with not even a spot for his feet, which had to hang off.

Riding the scooter at 25 km/h, Mo Jingchun couldn't help but feel regretful.

If he had known, it would've been better to buy the gifts on the day of the visit, and it would be less hassle.

Anyway, there were shops near his grandfather's house.

Silly of him, wanting to be efficient ended up causing more trouble.

He even contemplated getting a driver's license and buying a car this year.

Not for anything else but to avoid having his sister Candy exposed to the wind and rain, plus it would make New Year visits more convenient.

By the time Mo Jingchun reached his grandfather's house, his aunt and uncle had already been there, keeping warm by the heater with the others.

Zhou Yaling immediately pulled open Mo Jingchun's down jacket and took Candy to sit by the heater. "If you hadn't come today, I'd be going back to school tomorrow."

Mo Jingchun rubbed his hands and quickly moved to the heater to warm his cold hands, nonchalantly saying to his sister Zhou Yaling:

"Isn't that good? Saves you from staying home and getting asked about your grades every day."

Zhou Yaling pouted; afraid of being asked about her grades? A joke, they had already asked everything they could, what was left to ask?

Thinking of the dozen or so unfinished exam papers, Zhou Yaling felt a headache coming on.

Looks like tomorrow, back at school, she'd have to borrow from classmates again, to reference, to copy.

How could doing homework be so vulgar as to call it copying?

In language, it's called learning from; in math, it's analogizing; in English, it's called copying; in geography, it's transferring; in biology, it's transcription; in physics, it's reference frame; in chemistry, it's isomer; in politics, it's seeking harmony while tolerating differences, and in history, it's cultural unification.

Saying copying homework just didn't sound good.

At first, the little one behaved in Zhou Yaling's embrace, but after half an hour, she started getting fussy, squirming in Zhou Yaling's arms.

Mouth grumbling with dissatisfaction.

"What's wrong? Brother, did Candy poop?"

Mo Jingchun reached out to feel the diaper; the little one hadn't pooped.

Seeing her little eyes fixed on the floor, Mo Jingchun understood; having learned a new skill, she wanted to toddle on the floor.

Mo Jingchun set his sister Candy down, holding her hands as the little one, as expected, became delighted.

The little one was thrilled, toddling around holding onto a stool.

Zhou Yaling widened her eyes, surprised, and asked, "Wow, when did Candy learn to stand?"

"This morning."

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