Chapter 133: New Year’s Wish

In Yu Xiangnian’s memory, Yu Jiashun rarely spoke to her so sternly; the last time was when she returned from abroad.

Unconvinced, she said, “I’m not interfering! Cheng Jingmo is my husband. He’s gone missing, and I can’t even ask about him?”

“Nian Nian!” Zhao Ruozhu signaled with a look. “Today we’re having a reunion dinner. Let’s discuss this later.”

Yu Xiangnian muttered to herself, “Reunion dinner? With Cheng Jingmo and Yu Xiangyang both not home, what kind of reunion is this?”

On New Year’s Eve, Yu Jiashun left the house early.

Everyone else was busy too, putting up spring couplets, setting off firecrackers, and preparing chicken and fish for the New Year’s Eve dinner.

The adults were busy all day while the three kids played in and out of the house all day long.

After dinner, they washed up and started staying up for the New Year.

Without a TV, the family gathered around a stove, eating sunflower seeds and candies, chatting and laughing, while the three kids played card games.

The atmosphere was lively!

Yu Xiangnian remembered last year’s New Year.

Cheng Jingmo also bought chicken and fish, making seven or eight dishes.

But at that time, she ignored Cheng Jingmo and Xiao Jie and was angry at Zhao Ruozhu for not letting her go home for the New Year.

During dinner, she had no appetite, ate a little, then washed up and went back to her room.

Sitting alone in her room, she even cried a bit out of grievance.

The continuous sound of firecrackers outside signaled the arrival of the New Year.

Zhao Ruozhu instructed Yu Xiangguo to set off a string of firecrackers at the door, “To ward off evil and bring peace to the family.”

As the deafening firecrackers went off, Yu Xiangnian silently made a wish in her heart: for Cheng Jingmo, Yu Xiangyang, and the other three to return safely.

The first wish of the New Year was for Cheng Jingmo.

After staying up late, everyone went back to their rooms to sleep.

Yu Xiangnian was half-asleep when she heard the sound of a car returning, followed by Yu Jiashun’s voice downstairs.

She couldn’t hear what was being said clearly.

The sporadic sound of firecrackers throughout the night made it difficult for Yu Xiangnian to sleep well.

She had several dreams: one where Cheng Jingmo was walking barefoot in the snow, another where Yu Xiangyang was being chased in a dense forest, and one where Cheng Jingmo, with red eyes, asked her to wait for his return…

She woke up early on the first day of the New Year, thinking it was impossible for snow in Nancheng, and Yu Xiangyang ran faster than a rabbit, no one could catch him.

Realizing it was just restless dreams, she felt a bit more at ease.

After dinner on the second day of the New Year, Yu Xiangnian and Xiao Jie returned to the family compound.

Every household had spring couplets and the character “Fu” on their doors, with children in new clothes running around, everyone still immersed in the festive spirit.

Their door was the only one without any decorations, making it look very uncelebratory.

The first thing Yu Xiangnian did when she got home was to rummage through the cabinets for a while before finding a few sheets of red paper.

The edges of the red paper were already a bit yellowed, probably leftovers from last year when Cheng Jingmo bought them.

Xiao Jie, being very perceptive, somehow found a brush and ink. He said it was used by Cheng Jingmo for calligraphy practice.

Yu Xiangnian seemed never to have seen him practice calligraphy.

She asked Xiao Jie, “Have you practiced calligraphy before?”

Xiao Jie shook his head.

Yu Xiangnian had to write: “Health and Peace, New Spring Promises, Infinite Spring Light, Dragon and Horse Spirit.”

The horizontal scroll read: “Peace and Smoothness”

Xiao Jie looked at Yu Xiangnian’s twisted calligraphy, and his facial expression twisted too.

“Aunt, are you sure these are spring couplets?”

Everyone else’s couplets had seven characters per line, but Yu Xiangnian’s had eight characters, making them awkward to read!

Yu Xiangnian looked at the characters in deep thought, then said, “This better expresses my good wishes for welcoming fortune and blessings.”

In reality, she was only hoping for their safe return and wrote whatever came to mind.

Xiao Jie thought to himself: The wish is nice, but the calligraphy is ugly.

“Come on, let’s put it up,” Yu Xiangnian said.

Yu Xiangnian stood on a stool to paste the couplets while Xiao Jie checked if they were aligned and even.

Though a few days late, the spring couplets were finally up.

Yu Xiangnian didn’t say it out loud, but she began counting the days.

A week later, one afternoon, she was working at home when Daya rushed in, saying, “Aunt, come quickly! Xiao Jie broke Duan Yuanlong’s head!”

Yu Xiangnian put down her pen and followed Daya to the playground.

By then, a crowd had gathered, and she heard a woman cursing loudly.

Pushing through the crowd, Yu Xiangnian saw a woman pointing at Xiao Jie, scolding him.

Next to her stood a boy about Xiao Jie’s age, covering his head with one hand, blood seeping through his fingers and running down his face.

Xiao Jie stood opposite them, covered in dust, his clothes torn, with several scratch marks on his face.

He stood with his fists clenched, head held high, ready to fight.

Yu Xiangnian brushed the woman’s hand away, saying, “Don’t point at the child and curse! If the child did something wrong, he can be criticized and educated, but don’t use such filthy language.”

The woman, seeing Yu Xiangnian, felt intimidated but didn’t show it.

“How do you educate your child?” the woman said, puffing out her chest. “Look, he broke my Longlong’s head.”

Yu Xiangnian remained calm, “Take your child to the clinic to bandage the wound first. We can talk after that, no rush.”

“My Longlong’s head was broken by your Xiao Jie with a stone! You must pay for the medical expenses!”

Yu Xiangnian said, “Alright, let’s get the child checked first. Come on.”

Xiao Jie grabbed Yu Xiangnian’s hand and said, “Aunt! I did nothing wrong! Duan Yuanlong deserved it!”

“Watch your mouth!” the woman pointed at Xiao Jie again, “I want to say you have no family…”

Yu Xiangnian looked at her coldly, “Think carefully before you speak.”

The woman hesitated, her face turning embarrassed.

Yu Xiangnian maintained her tone, “Do you want to take your son to see the doctor first, or argue here?”

The woman yanked her child up, “Let’s go! If he’s seriously hurt, we won’t let him off!”

They all went to the clinic.

The doctor examined the wound, asking questions like, “Do you feel dizzy? Nauseous? Any blurred vision?”

The boy shook his head each time.

It seemed to be a scalp injury without a concussion.

The doctor disinfected the wound and stitched it up, causing the boy to cry loudly.

With his head wrapped in bandages, the boy looked like a wounded soldier.

The woman, holding her child, had tears in her eyes out of pity.

Yu Xiangnian paid the medical fee, which was two yuan.

As they left the clinic, Yu Xiangnian asked the woman, “Do you want to discuss this now, or take your child home and talk tomorrow?”

The woman, feeling justified, said, “Let’s do it now with everyone as witnesses! Today, Xiao Jie broke my Longlong’s head with a stone.”

Yu Xiangnian said, “Alright, let me ask these two kids why they fought.”

She looked at Longlong, “Duan Yuanlong, tell me, why did you and Xiao Jie fight? Please tell the truth.”