When Bei Yao returned to school, the campus broadcast was playing an apology to Pei Chuan.
Chen Feifei listened in astonishment: "No way, did he really achieve those scores on his own?"
The surprised ones weren't just Chen Feifei—Wu Mo was equally shocked. How could a teenager with a less-than-stellar reputation from Third Middle School possibly score first in the entire city!
The apology from Sixth Middle School was sincere, and they stated that the Honor Roll would be updated. However, since the winter break started the next day, it couldn't be changed immediately.
Who ranked first made no difference to Chen Feifei; she was more excited about the upcoming holiday.
"Yao Yao, is your mom picking you up tomorrow?"
Bei Yao replied, "No, I moved some of my things back home last month. There's not much left, so I can carry it myself. My younger brother has started preschool, so Mom has to pick him up."
Chen Feifei asked curiously, "Does your family favor boys over girls? Let me tell you, my grandma is so biased—she never gives me red envelopes during New Year’s, but she secretly stuffs them into my cousin’s pockets. And my cousin always comes to show off right after. It’s so annoying!"
Bei Yao thought of Bei Jun’s "cross-dressing" and almost laughed. She shook her head: "There’s no such thing in my family."
Even if her grandmother favored boys over girls, they didn’t live together, so it didn’t have much impact.
Just as Bei Yao had said, Zhao Zhilan went to pick up Bei Jun—after all, a five-year-old needed to be escorted by a parent. Bei Yao went home by herself. With her final exam results in hand, winter break officially began.
Soon, the Spring Festival approached, and the neighborhood felt quieter than usual this year.
Zhao Zhilan rubbed her hands to keep warm and sighed, "The neighborhood loses its liveliness year by year. First, Zhao Xiu’s family moved away, then Officer Pei’s family. Even Chen Hu’s family seems to be planning to buy a house elsewhere. I’m afraid the neighborhood will feel even lonelier during future New Year celebrations."
Bei Licai, who preferred peace and quiet, didn’t mind: "You can always visit the neighbors."
Zhao Zhilan sighed. She couldn’t visit her parents’ home this year. After what happened with Zhao Xing, if Bei Yao’s grandmother couldn’t let go of her son, Zhao Zhilan would effectively lose her maternal family.
Zhao Xing spent this New Year in rehab. His wife had divorced him, and their child went with the mother.
By his thirties or forties, Zhao Xing had lost everything in an instant.
Zhao Zhilan watched a public service announcement about drug rehabilitation on TV. Drugs were truly destructive—remembering the Humen Opium Destruction, one must never forget the national humiliation. Drugs must never be touched!
Just look at what happened to Zhao Xing.
Without her family to return to, Zhao Zhilan felt little enthusiasm for the New Year.
While making dumplings, Bei Yao happened to be helping. Zhao Zhilan chatted with her daughter: "I heard from Zhao Xiu that she plans to set Minmin up on a blind date this New Year."
Bei Yao was shocked. She pinched the edge of a dumpling: "A blind date? But Minmin is only seventeen."
Zhao Zhilan also found it absurd: "Yeah, Zhao Xiu’s way of thinking is really something. But it’s not entirely surprising. The first college student from our village later earned a Ph.D. and went abroad. He’s back for the New Year with his nineteen-year-old son. Since Zhao Xiu was on good terms with that college student back then, she’s thinking of arranging a marriage."
Zhao Zhilan was just idly gossiping, but then she remembered that her daughter was also at the age of budding romance. Thinking it inappropriate to discuss such topics with her, she quickly fell silent.Bei Yao didn't take it to heart. She said, "Minmin has become very independent now, unlike when she was little and would listen to Aunt Xiu about everything. Her grades are excellent too—she ranked several places ahead of me in this exam."
Zhao Zhilan affectionately tapped her daughter's forehead. "She's surpassed you, yet you don't feel any pressure at all."
Bei Yao simply smiled, her eyes gentle.
The mother and daughter had too much free time and ended up making more dumplings than needed. There was extra dough too, which Bei Jun took to play with as if it were modeling clay.
Before the New Year, Bei Licai put up couplets at the door. The neighborhood was bustling with red lanterns hung everywhere, giving off a festive atmosphere.
Chen Hu's family was the first to visit for New Year's greetings. Bei Yao brought out the New Year's treats prepared by her family to entertain Uncle Chen and Chen Hu.
Chen Hu coughed lightly. "Aunt Zhao, Bei Yao, I changed my name last week."
Chen Hu's father explained, "This rascal thinks his name is too common. Back in our day, names like 'Doggy' or 'Stinky Egg' were common, and no one complained."
"Dad, your era was different from ours. The tradition of giving humble names for easy upbringing is outdated now."
Everyone burst into laughter.
Bei Yao asked, "What's your new name?"
Chen Hu, somewhat embarrassed yet eager, said, "Chen Yingqi. How is it? Sounds nice, right?"
Bei Yao thought seriously and politely replied, "It does sound nice."
Chen Hu—no, Chen Yingqi—was delighted. He always appreciated Bei Yao's character; she never let anyone down.
Chen Yingqi's father slapped the back of his head. "Instead of fussing over this, why not lose some of that fat?"
Chen Yingqi, never one to hold back since childhood, retorted, "You're one to talk! You haven't lost weight in decades either! Blame the genes, huh?"
He got another slap on the head for that.
As the father and son were leaving, Chen Yingqi quietly doubled back. "Bei Yao, come here for a sec."
Bei Yao walked over. Chen Yingqi quickly glanced around and whispered, "Will Fang Minjun come back for the New Year this year?"
Bei Yao answered honestly, "I don't know."
A hint of gloom crossed Chen Yingqi's eyes. Bei Yao comforted him, "If you miss Minmin, you can go see her. It's only a thirty-minute bus ride from the neighborhood entrance."
Chen Yingqi bristled, his face turning red. "Who misses her? Don't talk nonsense."
Bei Yao replied, "Oh... okay."
"I was just asking, no big deal. I'm leaving."
His chubby figure dashed away swiftly. For the first time, Bei Yao felt curious. Chen Yingqi clearly missed Fang Minjun a lot, so why did he deny it? Do all boys say one thing but mean another?
She thought of her "brother," Pei Chuan.
Returning inside, Bei Yao asked Zhao Zhilan, "Mom, will Uncle Pei come back to the neighborhood this year?"
"Why do you ask? They just moved and need to build relationships with their new neighbors. They probably won't come back."
"We made too many dumplings." Bei Yao's cheeks flushed slightly. "Mom, Pei Chuan didn't move away with Uncle Pei and the others. He'll be spending New Year's alone. Let's invite him to celebrate with us."
Zhao Zhilan instinctively refused. "No, that wouldn't be appropriate. His parents are still around, and he has two homes. What would people think if we brought him here?"
Two homes? But he clearly didn't have even one.
Zhao Zhilan wasn't unsympathetic, but as she glanced at her daughter's delicate face, she thought, No matter how softhearted I am, I mustn't let Pei Chuan develop any ideas about Bei Yao.It was fine for them to be playmates when they were young, but she couldn’t let her daughter throw her whole life away.
Bei Yao was very disappointed, but after all, she was only in her second year of high school, and the one in charge at home was still Zhao Zhilan. If Zhao Zhilan didn’t agree, there was nothing she could do.
After staying up late on New Year’s Eve, Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai were extremely sleepy.
The whole family stood up from the living room, while the Spring Festival Gala was still being replayed on TV.
Even Bei Jun had memorized the classic lines from this year’s Spring Festival Gala sketches. Life was slower-paced this year, with few entertainment options, making the Spring Festival Gala exceptionally captivating.
The songs were catchy and could remain popular for a year. The sketches were hilarious, always making people burst into laughter.
Bei Yao picked up the extra dumplings from the fridge that hadn’t been cooked yet and packed them in a box. “I’m going out for a bit.”
Bei Licai casually asked, “What for?”
Bei Yao said softly, “I’m going to visit Minmin and bring some dumplings to her family.” The phrase “say one thing and mean another” suddenly popped into her mind, and her cheeks flushed red instantly.
“Go ahead, but come back early for lunch.”
Young people had so much energy, while he and Zhao Zhilan needed to catch up on sleep. Bei Jun couldn’t handle staying up late and had already gone to bed.
Bei Yao pushed the door open and stepped outside. The biting winter wind whipped against her face, carrying a chill that dispelled her drowsiness.
She walked to the now-completed park and sat down. Back in middle school, it was still under construction, and she had felt so regretful that it wasn’t built earlier. Now, many people had left, but buildings were being erected one after another.
Bei Yao made a call and waited for a long time before a young man’s low, hoarse voice sounded on the other end: “What’s up?”
“Pei Chuan, where do you live? My…my mom asked me to bring you a New Year’s gift.”
Pei Chuan frowned.
Wasn’t Aunt Zhao’s intention to keep him away from Bei Yao? Of course, he wasn’t as naive as Bei Yao to think that Aunt Zhao would send her over out of sympathy or gratitude.
The only possibility was that this little treasure herself pitied him and wanted to come.
He lowered his head, holding the phone in one hand and fastening his belt buckle with the other.
“Thank Aunt Zhao for me. You…” Don’t come.
These four words lingered on the tip of his tongue, but he found it incredibly difficult to say them aloud. Gritting his teeth, he said, “Where are you?”
“At the park outside my neighborhood.”
There was a long silence on the other end before the young man’s voice finally came through.
He said, “I’ll come pick you up.”
Even a prisoner deserved a last supper on New Year’s.
~
Pei Chuan hadn’t stayed up late for New Year’s Eve. He didn’t believe in any customs. The young man moved quickly, leaving home within minutes.
Pei Chuan had initially thought about driving but reconsidered. In her eyes, he was destitute and pitiful.
He left his car keys at home and took a taxi to pick her up.
When he arrived, Bei Yao was indeed sitting on a stone bench in the park, waiting for him.
Because of the cold New Year’s weather, everyone was staying indoors. She wore snow boots and kept blowing into her hands to warm them.
Pei Chuan instantly regretted his decision to make her wait.
But Bei Yao was delighted: “You came so fast! Do you live nearby?”
“Mm.”
His home was very close to hers.
On the 25th floor, a place where he could overlook the city.
Her small hands were red from the cold, still clutching the box. Pei Chuan took it from her and led her to hail a taxi. Taxis were hard to come by during the New Year, sometimes purely a matter of luck.
Bei Yao thought of Chen Yingqi and Chen Hu and felt like laughing.
Curious about what Pei Chuan was thinking, she stood obediently beside him and said softly, “Pei Chuan.”
He kept his eyes straight ahead. “Mm.”
“My hands are so cold.”
Pei Chuan felt a wave of helplessness in his heart.He wasn't afraid of the cold. Even in winter, he never wore down jackets or padded coats—a simple black jacket was enough for him, and his body temperature was higher than most people's. At this age, boys naturally weren't bothered by the cold.
Girls, however, were much more delicate. A young girl's constitution was different from his; waiting twenty minutes in the wind was enough to make her freeze.
His fingers, hanging at his sides, tightened slightly.
Bei Yao said, "Can I warm my hands in your pockets?"
He abruptly lowered his gaze, meeting her dewy almond-shaped eyes.
Not afraid they're dirty?
Bei Yao met his pitch-black pupils, feeling somewhat shy, and averted her eyes.
Without a word, he suddenly unzipped his jacket, took it off, and draped it over her shoulders.
With his jacket removed, he wore only a thin layer underneath—so thin that the outline of his firm, youthful muscles was faintly visible. In the snow-covered City C, he undoubtedly became the person with the highest rate of turned heads.
Bei Yao stood frozen, wearing his jacket. Well, now she could warm her hands however she wanted.
His clothes carried his body heat and scent, surprisingly quite warm.
Such an icy person, yet his body temperature was so high.
Even though Bei Yao was already wearing thick cotton clothes, his jacket could still wrap around her.
Snow fell on his broad shoulders. He stuffed his hands into his pockets and fell silent once more.
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