Chapter 31: Are You an Angel?

80.

This year’s New Year’s Eve fell in mid-February, closely following Valentine’s Day. As per tradition, we were supposed to return to my mother’s hometown for the Lunar New Year.

My mother’s hometown is Shengsi, Zhejiang, a small coastal city consisting of over 400 islands, collectively known as the Shengsi Islands. However, only around ten of these islands are inhabited.

My mother grew up by the sea. She only met my father when she moved to the city for university, and after graduating, she chose to live in the city, rarely returning home. Thus, every year, my father and I accompany her to visit her grandparents during the New Year.

My grandparents were not fond of living away from the island. One was a fisherman and the other a skilled artisan. They hardly had any leisure time, and after staying in the city for two nights, they would always rush back home.

My paternal grandparents were more playful in nature. So, when New Year’s came around, they joined my mother to spend the holidays on the island. They would gather to play Mahjong with my maternal grandparents.

Over the years, an unspoken understanding had developed between the two families—a sort of implicit agreement.

This year, my mother intended to invite Dr. Wei’s family to visit her hometown. After all, Dr. Wei and I had been together for quite some time, yet the parents from both sides had not formally met.

As my mother wrapped dumplings, she asked, “Does Dr. Wei know how to play Mahjong?”

“How would I know? Probably not, anyway. I’ve never seen him play.”

My mother continued, “What does he usually do at home on weekends?”

Stuffing my face.

Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. I scratched my nose bridge. “Read, write, do housework, work out in the evening. Oh, and he waters the plants he’s growing.”

“Just look at him, how healthy he is! And then look at you! All you do is laze around in bed, playing games all day. Seeing you just annoys me.”

“…” Wasn’t it you who said you missed me and wanted me to come home for a few days?!

81.

In the days leading up to the New Year, Dr. Wei went back to the countryside to help with work.

His parents ran a supermarket, and holidays were the busiest times. People working elsewhere would buy a ton of goods and bring them back home, while locals would stock up on New Year supplies. Additionally, there were many festive events during this period. According to Dr. Wei, the sales during these days were about six to seven times the usual.

They couldn’t hire temporary workers during the New Year, so in order to ensure sufficient stock, his parents had to stay at the supermarket, managing inventory, shelving, and cash registers. Dr. Wei went back to help with moving and delivering goods. He didn’t have time to spend with me, so I wasn’t invited to join him.

It was after 9 in the evening when Dr. Wei finished showering and sat on the bed to video chat with me.

His childhood bedroom looked rather small, with stacks of old books piled in the corner, giving it a somewhat cluttered appearance. The furniture had a vintage style, and the wardrobe and bed were made of redwood. The headboard of the bed was carved with intricate patterns, and a large cross-stitched landscape hung on the wall, with the characters “旭日东升” (Sun rises in the East) in the center.

“Did your mom do the cross-stitch?”

“No, my mom doesn’t have that much free time,” Dr. Wei glanced at the cross-stitch, “My aunt did it. There’s also a ‘家和万事兴’ (If the family lives in harmony all affairs will prosper) cross-stitch in our living room, depicting peonies.”

I burst into laughter, “It seems like we have the same ‘If the family lives in harmony all affairs will prosper”.’ My mom did it too, also with peonies.”

Dr. Wei seemed genuinely exhausted, yawning multiple times within a short span of ten minutes. His eyes were watery, and I urged him to go to sleep.

His chin rested on a pillow, and his voice, hoarse, said, “I miss you so much.”

This was the first time he had said something so affectionate. Not only did my face feel warm, but his ears also started to turn slightly red.

“I miss you too, hehe…” We both grinned at the camera, “Oh, by the way, my mom wanted me to ask you if you’re available to join us for dinner in Zhejiang on Little New Year’s Eve. Bring your parents along.”

“They’re quite busy lately, can’t get away. So, they won’t be coming to the island for the New Year. My dad said after this busy period, he’ll invite your family for dinner.”

“I see… What about you? Will you continue to stay in the countryside to help?”

“I’ll be going back to the island with you for the New Year.”

“Yay! Great!” I cheered, “Oh, wait! Have you taken a shower?”

“I have.”

“Then let’s go to sleep together.” Dr. Wei adjusted his posture.

The phone briefly captured the view of a pendant light hanging from his ceiling before plunging into darkness.

Dr. Wei’s voice still resonated.

“Xiao Qi, is your phone’s battery still good?”

I glanced at the red indicator, picked up the charging cable, and plugged it in. “It’s full.”

“In that case, get comfortable. Let me tell you about an interesting thing that happened today.”

“Sure.” I immediately settled myself into a comfortable position.

“This morning, there was a little boy loitering around our supermarket entrance for a while. I went over and asked if he wanted to buy something. He said his mom got lost, and he didn’t dare to move, so he was just waiting in place.”

“How old was the kid?”

“About five or six. It was quite early, and I didn’t see any adults around. I called the police right away. I was worried the child might cry, so I gave him a lollipop to suck on. Guess what he said.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

Wei Nanlin burst into laughter, “No, he looked up at me with his little head and asked, ‘Are you an angel? Why are you being so nice to me?’ I couldn’t help but burst out laughing.”

“So, are you actually an angel?”

Wei Nanlin’s laughter grew even more hearty.

82.

Early on Little New Year’s Eve, I received a call from Dr. Wei.

“Xiao Qi, come down and help me with something.”

My bed was near the window, and when I pulled the curtains aside, I saw him standing downstairs. Dr. Wei opened the trunk and then looked up.

“I’ll change my pants and be right down.”

Dr. Wei: “Why bother changing your pants just to see me?”

“I’m just in my underwear.” I didn’t want to hang up, so I put the call on speaker and placed my phone on the bed.

Dr. Wei didn’t hang up either.

“Why did you wear pajama pants when sleeping with me? So reserved.”

“You’re the one who told me not to use the electric blanket. Sometimes it’s really cold when I get up to use the restroom at night. Wearing pants keeps me warm. At home, I keep the electric blanket on a constant temperature.”

“Then you could snuggle with me. My legs are warm; I can keep you warm.”

Dr. Wei’s voice drifted out of the receiver, just as my dad walked into the room. He must have overheard something because he cast me a disapproving glance and then retreated.

“Hey, Dad! Is there something you need?”

“My phone can’t download apps. It keeps telling me to tap twice, but I’ve tapped, and it’s not responding. I thought you could take a look.”

Hearing the commotion, Dr. Wei changed his tone to greet my dad politely, “Happy New Year, Dad.”

“Hey, Happy New Year, Happy New Year. Have you set off? Your mom booked a ferry for a specific time; we need to leave early.”

“I’m already downstairs.”

I had been holed up at home for a while during the holidays and hadn’t gone out. Going downstairs, I realized how cold the biting northern wind was today. The sun wasn’t much help. Dr. Wei’s first move when he saw me was to unhook his scarf.

“Why are you dressed so lightly?”

“With such a sunny day outside, I thought it would be warm.”

Dr. Wei: “The weather forecast said it might snow these days. It’s unlikely to get warmer.”

“I was in a hurry to come down, so I didn’t check the weather.” I noticed that Dr. Wei’s car trunk was filled with stuff. No wonder he needed help.

Dr. Wei handed me his coat, saying, “You were cold, and you didn’t even notice.”

“Who was cold? It’s you who’s cold!”

“Do you know whether I’m cold or not?”

“Brother, this time you can meet your kind on the island.”

“What kind?”

“The waves, of course.”

Dr. Wei laughed so much that his eyes and brows curved.