Chapter 250

"Mommy, you look so pretty today!" Little David gazed up at Emily with sparkling eyes.

Emily adjusted her red cashmere coat—a gift from Michael—and gently patted both children's heads. "Thank you, my darlings."

"Daddy said Mommy looks like a fairy princess," little Tommy piped up in his sweet toddler voice, waving his hands excitedly.

Michael stood nearby, a soft smile playing on his lips as he handed each child a candy. "Eat up now. We'll have visitors coming soon for New Year greetings."

Right on cue, Lily arrived with her younger siblings in tow.

"Happy New Year, Uncle Michael and Aunt Emily!" the children chorused, though their eyes kept darting toward the candy dish.

Emily laughed and distributed red envelopes she'd prepared. "Happy New Year! Here you go."

Michael pushed the fruit platter forward. "Take as much as you like."

David tugged at Tommy's hand. "Mommy, can we go greet the neighbors too?"

"Of course, but be careful," Emily said, watching them skip out the door.

Soon, other village children arrived in waves. As Emily handed out sweets, Michael leaned in and whispered, "Just give them the fruit candies."

Spotting Ethan Miller peeking shyly from the doorway, Emily deliberately gave him an extra handful of candy and slipped him a red envelope.

"Thank you, Aunt Emily!" Ethan beamed, his eyes crinkling into happy slits.

When Richard and George Jr. arrived, Emily welcomed them just as warmly.

"Sweetheart, we should head out now," Michael said, straightening his collar.

Nodding, Emily slipped on her leather shoes and walked out arm-in-arm with her husband.

"Is that Emily Johnson?" someone gasped along the way.

"My goodness, I barely recognized her!"

"That coat must've cost a fortune..."

"Those shoes too..."

Whispers followed them like ripples in water. Emily maintained a graceful smile, her arm linked securely with Michael's.

At the Stone family home, Elizabeth Stone gaped at Emily's outfit, then self-consciously tugged at her own homespun cotton jacket.

Mary Stone, however, beamed. "Happy New Year! Come in and sit."

"Mother, we still need to pay respects to the village elders," Michael explained.

John Stone Sr. and his sons were preparing to leave when they spotted Emily. "Our daughter-in-law looks radiant today," the patriarch remarked.

Throughout their rounds, Emily became the center of attention.

"Emily, how is your skin so flawless?" one woman couldn't help asking.

"Vanishing cream," Emily replied politely.

Daniel River sidled up to Michael. "Brother, your wife is stunning today. Those men can't stop staring."

Michael's expression darkened instantly. Glancing back at the cluster of gawking men, he pulled Emily closer and quickened their pace.

"Keep your eyes to yourselves," he muttered under his breath.