In the magic city, heavy snow had already covered all the streets. At this time, the magic city had completely entered winter, and the temperature was very low. If you don't wear enough, you probably wouldn't even want to leave the house.
On the bustling streets, Himeko looked at the congested vehicles ahead and slowly sighed.
"When will this traffic jam end? I'm in a hurry to get home to eat tangyuan. In the middle of winter, a bite of something hot sounds so comfortable."
Suddenly, a string of ringing phones hurried. Himeko checked the caller ID and directly answered.
"Hello! Theresa, I'm already on my way back, stop rushing me! Oh, and don't bully my daughter, or I'll make you pay!"
On the other end of the phone, Theresa also smiled gently and said,
"That remains to be seen. Anyway, just come back quickly. It's rare to have a holiday, and it's good for everyone to be together, right?"
"Got it, got it, you talk too much. I'm hanging up now."
Since the road was blocked by cars, Himeko knew she wouldn't be able to get back anytime soon. She leaned back in her car seat and began to quietly recall past memories.
It's been so long since that incident? Time flies by so fast. Lu Ze... where are you? Are you doing well?
Suddenly, a police siren sounded ahead. It turned out that traffic police were directing traffic on-site. In no time, the previously congested road became much smoother, and Himeko smoothly drove out of the traffic jam.
Before long, she arrived at a small villa. Seeing that there were already quite a few people inside, she smiled and pressed the doorbell.
"Ding dong. It's Himeko, hurry up and open the door."
Not long after the voice came in, a little girl excitedly opened the door, pushed it open, and shouted sweetly,
"Mom~ Welcome home!"
This single shout struck Himeko's heart. Her whole heart almost melted. What could she do? Her daughter was so adorable.
The girl had red hair but black pupils. Apart from her eyes, she was basically a copy of her mother.
"Himeko, you're back? Did you buy the tangyuan I asked for? Don't tell me you forgot."
Theresa poked her head out of the room and looked at Himeko with deep suspicion, seeing her empty hands.
"Uh... Just kidding, how could I forget?"
She walked out of the trunk of the car, carrying a large bag of things. Most of them were snacks and drinks, and even alcohol, as well as several packs of tangyuan.
"No way? I asked you to bring back some tangyuan on your way, and you brought me all this? Snacks, drinks, and alcohol? Don't you remember what you said? You promised never to touch alcohol again. Are you going to break your promise?"
Hearing this, Himeko also remembered her promise. If it hadn't been for the unavoidable circumstances back then, she wouldn't have agreed.
"Okay, okay, can I use the alcohol for cooking? I won't drink it, alright?"
"That's more like it. Come in, we can start eating once everyone is here."
As soon as she stepped into the door, Himeko saw Kiana lying on the sofa, holding a little girl in her arms. Mother and daughter were happily watching television.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mei, Wendy, and Welt were busy cooking. After all, it was a festival, and they had to make something delicious, right?
Elysia was also holding a girl, leaning against a chair, with a novel in her hand titled "The Thirteen Flame-Chasers."
Handicrafts were placed all over the room, but more of them were comic books and the like.
"Where is Bronya? Why don't I see her? Could it be that she has to work overtime again tonight?"
Mentioning Bronya, Theresa tapped her chin with one hand and thought for a moment before saying,
"It shouldn't be. I told her this morning, and besides, it's a holiday. Even if she's busy, she should take a day off, right? Besides, she's the boss. What's wrong with taking a day off for herself? If you're worried, you can call and ask."
As soon as she finished speaking, the roar of a motorcycle was heard from outside, and it stopped steadily at the door.
"Ding dong. It's Bronya, I'm back."
Since Theresa was closest to the door, she opened it. As soon as the door opened, Bronya rushed in, shivering, panting out hot air.
"It's so cold, so cold! Why is it so cold today? Didn't they say it was still 5 degrees? Why does it feel like minus 15 degrees? When will this weather end?"
Feeling the warmth from inside the house, Bronya's trembling body gradually stabilized.
"Why are you back so late? Were you delayed by something?"
Himeko asked curiously.
"You're asking about that? It makes me angry just thinking about it. I was rushing back at full speed when I ran into traffic police halfway. I almost had my license revoked again. Fortunately, they were old acquaintances, and that section of the road had no speed limit, so I was able to get back. Otherwise, I would have probably gone to the police station for a cup of tea."
Hearing this, Himeko almost spat out the tea she had just drunk. She coughed twice and said,
"How many times have you had your license revoked? It's been four times, if not three. I've told you repeatedly, don't drive so fast, don't drive so fast. If you keep driving so fast, you'll have to give up your motorcycle."
Knowing that she was in the wrong, Bronya chose to ignore everything else and focus on reading. What book was she reading? As the saying goes, there is a house of gold in books, and it shines. So what?
After waiting for a long time, they finally finished preparing the meal. A large pot of tangyuan was served and placed in the center of the table, along with some other side dishes and hot dishes arranged around it.
However, the main dish today was tangyuan. After all, it was a festival, so how could they not eat tangyuan?
Therefore, everyone basically had a bowl of tangyuan, and dozens of people were divided into two tables. However, one table had an empty seat.
Even though the seat was empty, the table it corresponded to had a bowl of tangyuan, and it was even the largest portion.
A pair of chopsticks was placed on top of the bowl, as if it were prepared for someone, but that person had not yet arrived.
Everyone tacitly understood and knew in their hearts, there was no need to break the current atmosphere.
"Everyone, happy festival! I wish us continued reunion and prosperity, and I wish the little ones good grades. Hurry up and eat, it won't taste good when it gets cold."
Theresa said loudly, but... is this reunion truly a reunion in the literal sense?
"Mom... why didn't Dad come back this year either?"
A faint question made Himeko pause slightly. Yes... your dad didn't come back this year either.