As the New Year approached, although Du Yunyan said there was nothing special, Gu Wenxi still felt that the New Year atmosphere here was much stronger than in the city.

Every household changed their door couplets, some even hung lanterns and Chinese knots; it was said that there were performances during the festival period, and the villagers began rehearsing early, so the sound of gongs and drums could always be heard; villagers who were studying or working outside gradually returned home, making the place much more lively.

Uncle Sheng and Aunt Liu were taken to the city by their son to celebrate the New Year and stayed for a month. Their son drove over, and Gu Wenxi briefly met him—a middle-aged man in his forties, with a personality as warm as Aunt Liu’s. In their conversation, Gu Wenxi learned that Du Yunyan had learned to change tires from watching him before.

The inn also prepared to put up spring couplets, and Du Yunyan found some red paper and started writing on it.

In the afternoon, Gu Wenxi lay sleepily on the table on the first floor, watching him do this work.

“Have you studied calligraphy?”

“No, just interest.” Du Yunyan dipped the brush in ink again and began writing another word.

“I studied calligraphy for a year when I was a child, but I still can’t write as well as you.”

His hand didn’t stop, and his eyes stared straight at the word he was writing. “Writing is not something taught by others. Self-perception and the ability to focus are more important than external skills.”

Gu Wenxi caught the essence of it: “So it’s just because I’m not cut out for it?”

“It’s okay if you’re not cut out for it,” Du Yunyan chuckled. “You can be something else.”

“But I feel like you’re good at everything.”

“Thank you,” he put down the brush and lifted the piece of red paper slightly. “That’s because you’ve been exposed to my circle of life during this time, so naturally you’ve only seen things I’m familiar with. If it were in your area of expertise, you would be the one in your element, not me.”

Gu Wenxi naturally understood this principle. He was confident enough not to envy others, but hearing it from Du Yunyan seemed to imply something else.

Was he suggesting that they were not people of the same world?

Several times when he helped with the work, Gu Wenxi tried to understand Du Yunyan’s inner world, but ultimately found it insoluble and unnecessary.

Desiring to be close to someone should have been a simple matter.

“Alright,” after the ink dried, Du Yunyan pushed several sheets of paper in front of Gu Wenxi, “please help me hang these up.”

“Why me?”

Du Yunyan’s eyes narrowed slightly, “Who made you so tall?”

Gu Wenxi didn’t quite understand this sour reason. Wasn’t it just a difference of two or three centimeters? Suddenly, he remembered mocking him for not being as tall as him some time ago.

In some aspects, this person was open-minded, but in some aspects, he was really petty.

Gu Wenxi climbed the ladder to hang up the couplets, and the noise of children outside came into his ears, bustling around.

On the day before New Year’s Eve, he had followed Du Yunyan to the town to buy ingredients. Although it was only Friday, not Sunday, Du Yunyan said they could make meat.

There were more people in town, and they not only went to the supermarket but also to the market. The various vendors and crowds on the street blocked the roads, and Gu Wenxi had to park the car farther away. It was said that the market would only close at noon on the thirtieth.

On the way back, they met Yan Yan’s mother riding a motorcycle on the rural road.

Du Yunyan lowered the passenger window, “Chen Jie, are you going to pick up Yan Yan’s father?” They had heard from Yan Yan that her father would be home on the twenty-ninth.

“Yes.” The woman lifted the helmet visor, smiling.

“Yan Yan must be very happy?”

“Of course,” she stepped on the pedal again, “I’ll be on my way!”

“Okay.”

They continued driving back to the inn, and the western sky was covered with faint crimson clouds, as if painted with delicate rouge.

On New Year’s Eve afternoon, Du Yunyan set up the display table early, with a few fruits and sweet wine on it.

On the display table, three incense sticks burned quietly, with smoke swirling around, emitting a slightly pungent smell.

Du Yunyan clasped his hands together, standing in front, bowing reverently.

In some rural areas, there was a tradition of worshiping ancestors on New Year’s Eve, but the only relative he would worship should be his mother. Gu Wenxi didn’t say much, standing beside him, also bowing gently.

Their New Year’s Eve dinner was simple yet not monotonous: rice cakes, beef, fried fish, eight-treasure rice, eggplant rolls… Later on, they each drank some hot sweet wine. The wine itself wasn’t strong, and after heating, it was no different from ordinary beverages, not intoxicating. Gu Wenxi, however, missed the slight intoxication he used to feel after drinking yangmei wine, unlike now, he was completely sober.

There was also a TV in the dining room, which had hardly been turned on during this time, but that night, Du Yunyan still pressed the switch. The host of the show wore brightly colored clothes and made an energetic opening speech with a lively voice. The festive atmosphere easily made people forget themselves and blend into the collective joy. Gu Wenxi stared at the constantly changing scenes, somewhat lazily emptying his mind, neither going back to his room nor suggesting changing the channel.

Du Yunyan’s attention seemed not to be on the TV program. His eyes always glanced outside the window, as if searching for something in the distant night sky.

As midnight approached, the sound of fireworks outside became more chaotic, some crackling continuously, some occasionally low muffled booms.

They also bought firecrackers and fireworks in the town, bought back under Gu Wenxi’s strong insistence.

At this point, Gu Wenxi naturally wouldn’t miss it. He dragged Du Yunyan to the courtyard to set off fireworks. On New Year’s Eve, unable to see the moon, there was only a lonely lamp left in front of the door. He first picked up the long firecrackers, which looked like red chili strings, with a stick, and then lit them.

The piercing sound of firecrackers exploded instantly, dispelling the quiet atmosphere. Du Yunyan covered his ears slightly and stood at a distance.

Throughout the whole process, Gu Wenxi remained silent, just continuously changing to new firecrackers until they were all used up, then lit small fireworks and placed them on the ground. Golden sparks sprayed upwards and sideways from the middle. Du Yunyan approached a bit, watching the burning golden flames with him, as if watching a grand performance.

The sound of the fireworks was not loud, and the sound of firecrackers from other households continued, noisy for a while.

When the surroundings gradually quieted down again, and the fireworks continued to burn, shining brightly.

“Yunyan,” Gu Wenxi called the person beside him, “I’ll be leaving next week.”

“Mm.”

“After I leave, will you miss me?”

His voice sounded lower than usual, and Du Yunyan remained silent for a while before answering nonchalantly, “Get along well with your family when you go back.”

“Yunyan, I feel like I should tell you, I—”

He didn’t finish his sentence, as Du Yunyan extended his index finger to his lips, making a “shh” gesture.

“Wenxi, between us, it’s fine as it is,” Du Yunyan said, “Thank you for spending New Year’s with me.”

After saying this, he smiled and turned around, the fireworks almost burned out.

“What if I come back?” Gu Wenxi asked his back, “Would you let me finish what I wanted to say today?”

Du Yunyan didn’t look back, and said firmly, “You won’t come back. Don’t do anything unworthy.”

He stepped back into the dining room again. The rural night, silent for more than a minute, suddenly seemed like it had already been scheduled, with firecrackers ringing everywhere, bustling and noisy.

^[1]Author’s Note: To say something that deserves a beating, it hasn’t reached the stage of a long-distance relationship yet, because they haven’t been together, and it’s not even … Continue reading