After clearing away the last few plates of leftovers, Li Mo headed to the kitchen, where Gu Xueqin and Li Dalong were washing dishes while chatting about household matters.

"Husband, didn’t we eat too much rich food today?"

"Mm, the ingredients our son brought were too nourishing."

Li Dalong wiped his nosebleed with a serious expression.

Li Mo casually suggested, "Then let’s have some light vegetables for the next few days. What should we get? I’ll go talk to Elder Qian later."

"Baby bok choy."

Gu Xueqin answered without hesitation, emphasizing the word "baby."

"Good, that’s perfect. We’ll buy a few baskets of it later." Li Dalong glanced subtly at his son.

Li Mo: "?"

Why did his father’s gaze seem loaded with meaning?

"Son, I noticed Little Bing'er has been wearing the same hairpin for a long time. A young lady shouldn’t be without proper jewelry. How about giving her this?"

Gu Xueqin dried her hands and took out a sandalwood box from her sleeve.

Li Mo expected a single piece, but inside was a full set—one hairpin made of mutton-fat jade and emerald, along with three dangling hair ornaments.

One mustn’t forget Li Jianhao’s profession; he could tell at a glance that these were crafted by a master artisan—exquisite, refined, and clearly antique.

He also vaguely recalled Gu Xueqin mentioning them before...

"Wife, back when you married me, you wore these. At that moment, I felt my life as Old Li was truly complete..."

Li Mo: "..."

Ah, now he remembered what his mother had said.

She once told him, "This set of hair ornaments was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, then to me. A family heirloom—who knows when it’ll pass from my hands to the next generation?"

"Little Bing'er would look even more beautiful wearing them. And if she could call me 'Mother'..."

Gu Xueqin smiled, as if already picturing the scene.

"But shouldn’t the Li family heirloom be passed to me?" Li Mo muttered under his breath.

"It’s passed to daughters, not sons. Besides, I’ve raised Little Bing'er like my own daughter—no difference at all."

"Well, that’s true..."

"And what’s yours is hers anyway. Isn’t it all the same?"

"???"

Li Mo sorted through the implications and roughly grasped what his mother was hinting at.

In short, wasn’t this meant for a daughter-in-law?

Well, it shouldn’t be a problem. The ice block (Ying Bing) wasn’t well-versed in these customs and likely wouldn’t understand the deeper meaning. She’d probably just treat it as ordinary jewelry.

Yes, that’s how it’d go. No issues here.

"Don’t just stand there. Go on, go."

Gu Xueqin and Li Dalong pushed him out of the kitchen.

"What’s the rush? Can’t the jewelry wait?"

Li Mo paused, momentarily confused.

His parents’ attitude seemed to have shifted because of that imperial decree.

In school, they’d been strict about preventing early romance, but the moment he graduated, they started nagging about marriage. Different world, same parental mentality...

Right now, Gu Xueqin and Li Dalong were probably itching to get their hands on that decree and fill in the blank "auspicious date" with "tomorrow."

"Ah, right. The decree didn’t even specify a date. Why overthink it?"

Once this occurred to him, Li Mo stopped worrying.

When he pushed open the door, Ying Bing had already come down from the roof and was sitting at the dressing table, unraveling her braid. Her tall, graceful silhouette was bathed in the soft glow of lamplight, radiating an ethereal beauty.

Hearing the door open, she paused briefly before resuming combing her hair.

Seeing this almost surreal scene, Young Li instinctively held his breath.

His hands itched again...

Fine, he admitted it—he just wanted to hug her from behind, press close, and breathe in the delicate orchid fragrance lingering in her hair and along her neck.

Before, Young Li had simply assumed he was addicted to her icy aura. After all, who wouldn’t want to hold such a stunning, cool beauty?

But after recent events, he realized it wasn’t just that—or at least, not entirely.

He had invested the most in the "ice block," but meeting her was also the greatest fortune of his journey through the Nine Heavens and Ten Lands.

Because of her, he had become the confident, spirited person he was today.

"When did you get here?"

Just as the ever-eager "Wife-Encouraging Battle Soul" was about to launch a sneak attack, Ying Bing tilted her head and glanced back at him.

"Uh, just now. I noticed the door wasn’t closed and worried some troublemaker might barge in."

"And now?"

"All good. I’ve locked it."

Li Mo shut the door and even secured the latch, then turned around with the demeanor of an upright gentleman—exuding righteousness!

Ying Bing’s lashes fluttered lightly as she softly thanked him, seemingly oblivious that the "troublemaker" was none other than Young Li himself—or his foiled ambush.

"Then why did you come looking for me?"

"We usually..."

"Uncle Li and Aunt Gu are here."

"Don’t worry. Dad probably won’t get up for a midnight bathroom trip tonight. Mom even specifically told me to come see you."

"?"

Half-skeptical, Ying Bing set down her comb just as Li Mo pulled out the sandalwood box from his sleeve and handed it to her casually.

"Mom said you didn’t have much jewelry, so she prepared some for you."

"This is...?"

Ying Bing opened it to reveal the ornate hair ornaments and jade hairpin, their surfaces shimmering with refracted light.

"Just something Mom picked up in Purple Sun Prefecture on her way to Qingyuan Sect. Nothing expensive."

Li Mo lied through his teeth, unbothered by the lack of conviction.

His parents had been preoccupied with his affairs—when would they have had time to stroll through Purple Sun Prefecture?

"Auntie spent too much..." Ying Bing’s usually cool eyes softened, glazed with an unreadable haze under the ornaments’ glow.

She reached for them, but her slender fingers curled hesitantly, unable to grasp them.

"I..."

"I know. You’ve been combing your hair too long—your hands are tired. Let me help."

"Mm."

Ying Bing turned slightly, listening to the delicate chime of the dangling ornaments as Li Mo worked.

She watched his focused expression, his movements gentle as if handling a priceless treasure, and caught a glimpse of her own reflection—a face so breathtaking it could shame blooming flowers.

Could there be anything more beautiful than the top-ranked beauty of the Hundred Flowers List?

Perhaps only when she blushed.

Once the hairpin and ornaments were secured, now passed down to their most exquisite owner yet, Li Mo remained motionless for a long while.

Ying Bing had expected him to seize the moment for a sneak attack, but instead, he just stood there, staring at her dazedly.

"Childish fool, what are you thinking about?" she murmured, lowering her gaze.

"Oh... uh, they suit you. You look beautiful."

Young Li snapped out of his trance.

"Weren’t you secretly planning to hug me?"

Ying Bing narrowed her eyes at him.

Li Mo tilted his head up at a 45-degree angle, studying the ceiling:

"Hey now, don’t make baseless accusations. Everyone knows I, Young Li, am a true gentleman..."

"It’s allowed."

"Really?"

"Big Sister approves."

Ying Bing didn’t turn around, her tone as composed and aloof as ever.

But the mirror betrayed her—her eyes reflected his rippling image with unmistakable fondness.

Who could resist this?

Not even Archimedes’ lever prying the Earth could withstand it. The Golden Cudgel would snap under the pressure.

But what about Hammer Treasure (his inner thoughts)?

Young Li was curious.

So he silently wrapped his arms around her from behind, molding her soft, fragrant form against his chest, resting his chin on her shoulder—holding her so tightly not a sliver of space remained between them.

...