Little Li thought he was giving multiple-choice questions, but the ice block turned it into a sorting task.

Even though the questions were his to ask.

Yet, watching the ice block in his arms, her eyes dazed as she murmured about starting with the worst plan, then the middle one, and finally the best, he couldn’t help but freeze for a moment.

The usually eloquent Little Li suddenly found himself at a loss for words. But he had to give her an answer—so he leaned down again, unable to resist biting her glistening lips.

Well, you could say this was answering with his mouth.

"Sister, I want more kisses."

"Haven’t we already found the answer? Why are you still—"

"The ice tastes pretty good."

"Wait, mmm..."

In summary, after thorough and careful discussion on where the imperial edict was hidden and how to address Madam Gu’s longing for a daughter, the two finally arrived at a perfect solution.

The process was rather intense, even leading to a heated exchange of words.

After a while, Ying Bing, whose chest was already stuffed full and suffocating, couldn’t breathe anymore. Gasping like a drowning person, she made a soft "pop" sound as she pulled her lips free.

"How strange. Wasn’t the imperial edict missing? How did it suddenly reappear on its own?"

Li Mo nuzzled the hair by her ear, seemingly curious about this question.

"I filled it out, but I don’t know how to give it to you."

Ying Bing’s lips, freshly warmed to a scorching degree, must have malfunctioned—they couldn’t harden at all.

She didn’t understand why. Perhaps the law of hardness conservation had failed.

As everyone knows, a person can only have one mouth that stays firm.

"When did you fill it out?"

"On your birthday..."

Ying Bing had just regained some clarity when his increasingly burning gaze scrambled her thoughts again.

She didn’t know what had gotten into the childish fool today. In the past, though he’d always been a little shameless, his boldness had limits—stopping just before she could react, then reverting to his silly self so she couldn’t stay angry.

But today, he seemed to be growing bolder by the minute.

No wonder he barely ate dinner.

So he was saving his appetite for ice.

"Ha... no more kissing."

"But I’m still hungry."

"..."

Some time later, Madam Gu was washing clothes by the stream in the courtyard, completely unaware of the fierce battle of tongues that had taken place upstairs—nor of the delicacy only he could currently enjoy.

Soon, footsteps approached from behind.

"Son, are you here to wash clothes too? Hand them over, then."

She turned to see Li Mo holding an ice pop in one hand and two pieces of damp clothing in the other, as if they’d been pre-soaked.

"No need! I wouldn’t dare trouble you, Mother." Li Mo straightened his face, suddenly solemn.

Gu Xueqin gave her son a deadpan look. "Since when have you ever hesitated to trouble me?"

Li Mo declared righteously, "Since childhood, you and Father taught me to handle my own affairs. I’m grown now—how could I still burden my mother with laundry? What would the sect elders think? What would the heroes of the martial world say? Let’s not speak of this again."

With that, he clamped the ice pop between his teeth, crouched down, and began scrubbing the clothes with exaggerated diligence.

"?"

Gu Xueqin couldn’t fathom what had gotten into her son. Since when was doing laundry such a weighty matter?

Normally, when he was home, he was as lazy as a pig. The moment she tidied up in the morning, the place would revert to a sty by evening, as if automatically reset. Since when had his moral awareness soared so high?

Maybe... her son had finally grown up.

But as she watched him lick the ice pop—circling the edges, sucking the tip—she doubted any real maturity had taken root.

"Why are you scrubbing just that one spot? What about the rest?"

"Ah, right."

Under his mother’s guidance, Li Mo guiltily flipped the garment over.

"You’re acting strange, you brat... Did you talk things over with Little Bing'er?"

"How did it go?"

"First, we engaged in a fierce battle of words and settled on three strategies—best, middle, and worst. She probably found my reasoning convincing, because afterward, she didn’t say much."

Gu Xueqin paused, her expression blank, utterly failing to parse her son’s words.

Had they quarreled?

But it didn’t seem like it...

Though puzzled, she still advised earnestly, "Little Bing'er grew up in our home with no one else to rely on. You mustn’t bully her."

"..."

Li Mo exhaled in relief. He never lied to his mother.

Luckily, even as someone who’d been through it all, she couldn’t possibly imagine what modern youths got up to...

Little Li nodded obediently. "Yes, yes. You’re absolutely right, Mother."

"Mean it." Gu Xueqin glared, sensing his half-heartedness.

"Mother, could you and Father deliver something to the Southern Suppressing King for me? It’d be better coming from you."

"Don’t change the subject. I’m telling you—"

Just as Madam Gu was about to lecture him sternly, her eyes landed on a golden object in his hand.

Realizing what it was, she took it and examined it closely. The moment she saw the date inscribed below, her expression softened as if beholding a priceless treasure.

"So it’s this date..." Gu Xueqin murmured.

Li Mo smiled. "Didn’t expect that, did you? Surprised? Shocked?"

"Mhm."

"Exactly, it’s—"

"It’s during New Year’s! Double happiness, wonderful, wonderful..."

"?" A tiny question mark popped up over Li Mo’s head.

"What, you don’t like this timing?" Gu Xueqin frowned, thinking her son utterly ungrateful.

Li Mo: "..."

No, sure, it was New Year’s—but more importantly, his birthday!

Where’s my maternal love? Did some extra daughter steal it away?

"Mother, that’s my birthday!"

"Mhm, happy New Year. I’ll go discuss this with your father."

Without even finishing the laundry, the overjoyed mother hurried back to the room, imperial edict in hand, to share the news with Old Li. Soon, laughter spilled from their chamber.

Li Mo sighed. "Really..."

Muttering to himself, Little Li gazed at the moon and exhaled.

Tonight would probably be another sleepless one.

Ah, the vigor of youth—keeping him awake all night long.

Meanwhile, upstairs.

Ying Bing changed into fresh clothes and fed the damp ones into the big-headed doll’s mouth. Then, she fetched herself a sweet ice pop.

Was ice really this delicious?

Well, this one was made with floral nectar—fragrant and sugary.

But as she ate, she suddenly realized she was finishing it unusually fast.

Without realizing it, she’d picked up a... rather innovative way of consuming ice pops. Who even taught her this technique?

[Congratulations, Host. The next ranking period approaches. To keep up with your pace, this system has once again updated the reward list.]

[Surprised? Shocked?]

Ying Bing: "?"

Although the system had always been a bit off, at least its words used to make sense.

Now it's blatantly offering rewards without even pretending?