Li Xiang privately urged his Little Aunt to keep it a secret. He told her not to let it slip, especially not to his older aunts or his grandmother.

His grandmother was soft-hearted, and if his older aunts came to cause a scene, she would inevitably come and plead on their behalf.

In reality, his Little Aunt was a very shrewd woman. Even if Li Xiang hadn’t urged her, she wouldn’t have gone around spreading gossip.

When Grandma learned of her Little Aunt’s "romance," she was quite pleased and told her to bring him home for a visit during the New Year.

His cousin’s wedding was also fast approaching. Li Xiang joked that his Little Aunt and his cousin could hold a joint ceremony. A mother and son getting married on the same day would make for a wonderful story.

Li Xiang put Li Jinyu and Li Yucheng in charge of supervising the ancestral hall’s construction. He wasn’t making them work for free—they would be paid 300 yuan a day. The construction crew was a small team brought over from the Shelter.

In any case, it wasn’t a massive project, so finishing before the New Year shouldn’t be an issue. This particular crew was exceptional at traditional-style architecture, and in past collaborations, they had never been known to cut corners, so the quality was guaranteed.

Yao Yao, Zhao Xueqing, and Lei Xiaohui were in charge of auditions for the village gala and were working in full swing.

Meanwhile, Jiang Cai’Er and Li Xiang bought new haircutting tools and started giving the village elders early haircuts. They were taking advantage of the good weather to get it done sooner so everyone would look sharp and energetic for the village gala.

Jiang Cai’Er possessed a special Superpower. Aided by her Quantum Computer’s simulations, her haircutting skills were even better than Li Xiang’s, and she was significantly faster. The styles she created perfectly suited each person’s head shape. Even a simple buzz cut just looked better when she did it.

Everyone showered them with praise, saying Cai’Er was incredibly talented and that Li Xiang had found himself a wonderful wife.

"Time for my talented wife to give me a haircut!" Finally, Li Xiang also sat down to experience Jiang Cai’Er’s skills for himself.

When it came to cutting Li Xiang’s hair, Jiang Cai’Er was, of course, even more meticulous. She wasn’t about to give him a plain old buzz cut. Instead, she designed a "total heartthrob" style for him, which she named "Shadows Over Green Peaks"—the sides were faded short like sheer cliffs, the top was left two centimeters long and gently swept back, and the bangs were curled with a styling iron into a natural arc.

Her Quantum Computer designed over three thousand men’s hairstyles in an instant, but this was the one she ultimately chose. The entire process, from design to selection, took a mere 0.1 seconds. Her Superpower was just ridiculously overpowered.

As the razor made its final pass over Li Xiang’s sideburns, the watching neighborhood aunties suddenly fell silent. The new cut accentuated his jawline, making it incredibly sharp. With his defined brows and piercing eyes, he looked like a war god descended from the heavens. You couldn’t find an actor that handsome in any martial arts drama; only a few characters from a stylized anime could possibly compete.

But a moment later, the aunties couldn’t hold back and burst into excited chatter.

"Xiang Ya, that hairstyle is amazing! You’re devastatingly handsome! If I were a few decades younger, I’d want to marry you too," one of the women joked.

Another woman grabbed Aunt Jiang’s arm and said, "Your Cai’Er is so lucky! To find a man who’s not only that handsome but also so successful... he’s a real great catch!"

Aunt Jiang beamed. It was true what they say: the more a mother-in-law sees her son-in-law, the more she adores him.

...

Jiang Cai’Er ran her slender fingers through Li Xiang’s hair, a knowing smile playing on her lips. She was clearly quite satisfied with her masterpiece.

Once all the haircuts were finished, they cleaned up the area and packed away their equipment. Jiang Cai’Er helped Li Xiang put the stools, basins, shampoo, and haircutting tools into boxes to be moved back to the storage room at his house.

With so many people milling about the village, it was inconvenient to use his System inventory. So, Li Xiang carried two of the boxes himself, while Jiang Cai’Er loaded the third onto the back of a robotic dog.

Inside the storage room, they placed the boxes on the shelves. They would need the equipment again next year. The free haircuts were a village perk for the elders, since it was inconvenient for them to travel to an outside barbershop. Besides the distance, many salons were reluctant to serve seniors.

"You’re just too handsome. Give me a kiss!" The moment Li Xiang set down the box and turned around, Jiang Cai’Er closed the distance and pinned him against the shelving unit.

"Feeling bold today, Cai’Er?" Li Xiang was thrilled. He was usually the one to initiate things. He never expected her to be in such high spirits that she’d be the one to pin him down.

"Hmph. I’m the one who made you this handsome, so I get to enjoy my masterpiece! Time to collect my royalty fee~" Jiang Cai’Er’s cheeks were flushed, her gaze smoldering as she leaned in, her red lips closing in on his.

In an instant, the small storage room was filled with an enchanting intimacy.