In the winter of Bei Yao's final year of university, Pei Chuan took her back to C City for the New Year celebration.
That year, C City experienced exceptionally heavy snowfall. The entire city was blanketed in snowflakes, with a distinct chill permeating the air.
Zhao Zhilan refused to leave the old house. Having lived there for so long, it had become their roots.
The Bei residence was adorned with bright red lanterns outside. Overjoyed to know they were returning, Zhao Zhilan had specially prepared numerous sausages and cured meats.
Just before the New Year, Granny Chen, the tofu seller, lost her husband. It was said the blind old man had passed away the previous day, and Granny Chen followed him the very next day.
The two elderly souls leaned against each other by the window as a blizzard raged outside, their bodies long stiffened and cold.
Residents in the old neighborhood expressed sympathy. In her youth, Granny Chen had been a strikingly beautiful girl in her hometown village. Later married to a blind husband, she toiled tirelessly for half a lifetime, selling tofu before dawn every day.
She cared for her man her entire life, always greeting everyone with a smile.
When he departed, she followed him the next day.
The elderly couple had no children to arrange their funeral affairs. After they were discovered, the community voluntarily pooled funds to bury them.
Two souls, one grave.
Bei Yao and Pei Chuan also went to pay their respects.
On their way back, someone sighed: "Who knows what Granny Chen saw in him? Serving him her whole life, then following him in death. Such a bitter existence without ever enjoying good fortune, and no one to send them off in their final years."
Pei Chuan gazed at the lonely poplar tree in the distant snowstorm, falling silent for a moment.
Bei Yao grasped his hand.
His body temperature was remarkably high while Bei Yao's small hand felt icy. He naturally clasped her hand back, tucking it into his pocket to warm it.
Bei Yao tilted her head: "What are you thinking? I won't allow you to entertain dark thoughts."
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze: "Thinking that with such heavy snow this New Year, I should take you out to build a snowman."
Bei Yao said: "Your body temperature is so high, it seems like you're warm all year round."
She found it remarkable - though his personality seemed cold, his body temperature was higher than most people's.
He smiled without responding, simply leading her home hand in hand.
The old neighborhood remained largely unchanged from years past. Plum blossoms had bloomed, their rich fragrance permeating the entire community.
This year, neighbors in the old community continued visiting each other and exchanging gifts.
Only Fang Minjun was absent. When Zhao Xiu came visiting, she announced cheerfully: "Our Minmin went to Huo Dinglin's hometown for New Year's celebrations."
Everyone knew Fang Minjun had been previously engaged, yet they still felt somewhat surprised.
The Huo family's decline hadn't affected distant relative Huo Dinglin's civil servant household.
Bei Yao did encounter Chen Yingqi.
She barely recognized him - Chen Yingqi had slimmed down significantly, wearing a blue down jacket and smiling as cheerfully as before.
He patted Pei Chuan's shoulder: "I truly envy you."
Pei Chuan glanced at him coolly: "Let's talk outside."
Chen Yingqi readily agreed.
Pei Chuan turned back to look at his intensely curious young wife, ruffling her hair with an amused smile: "Why are you curious about everything?"
Bei Yao turned away: "Not curious, not listening."
Pei Chuan glanced at her before going out with Chen Yingqi.
After he left, Bei Yao watched them longingly. What were they discussing so secretly?
That evening, she heard Uncle Chen complain that Chen Yingqi had returned to work at the company before the New Year celebrations even concluded.
Bei Yao suspected it related to Pei Chuan, yet the man calmly tapped on his keyboard as if nothing had happened. Having declared her lack of curiosity during the day, she now burned with intense curiosity.She lay across his lap, calling softly, "Pei Chuan."
Pei Chuan continued typing, sparing her a brief glance while suppressing a smile before turning back to his code—earning extra income to support his little wife.
She squirmed restlessly, unable to stay still for even a moment. Pei Chuan was so clever; she hoped he would understand her hint.
But Pei Chuan pretended not to notice.
Outside, snow was falling. The couple lived in the Bei family’s old house, where Zhao Zhilan had specially installed an air conditioner for them.
The only awkward thing was that the old house had poor soundproofing. Once night fell, they could only honestly sleep.
Otherwise, if their parents next door overheard anything, it would be terribly embarrassing. They were staying in Bei Yao’s old bedroom. The previous night, feeling restless, Bei Yao had thought Pei Chuan seemed unusually stern and rigid after returning to her hometown—nothing like his usual gentle self at home. She had deliberately teased him, provoking him until he couldn’t resist pinning her down. Then she giggled and said, "My parents are right next door."
Pei Chuan’s veins bulged in frustration.
Tonight, it was her turn to be curious about Fang Minjun and Chen Yingqi. But Pei Chuan was solemnly focused on his work and said dismissively, "It’s cold—go to bed on your own. I need to finish this software."
Bei Yao, feeling stifled, gently bit his leg.
Pei Chuan had removed his prosthetic leg, and he stiffened at her bite.
He pinched her cheek lightly. "Get up."
Bei Yao mumbled, "What did you say to Chen Yingqi today? He left without even staying for the New Year."
Pei Chuan replied nonchalantly, "I thought you weren’t curious."
"..."
Resting her chin on his leg, Bei Yao felt he was being secretly mischievous. He was definitely holding a grudge. Though Pei Chuan was usually sharp and perceptive, this time he was deliberately shutting her down. She reached out to touch his severed limb.
Pei Chuan caught her hand and held it tightly. "No touching. When did you pick up such a bad habit?"
Bei Yao looked up at him and said, "You’re being especially petty today."
"Nonsense," he retorted.
She smiled playfully. "Are you still upset about last night?"
"No," Pei Chuan said.
Suppressing a laugh, Bei Yao studied his impassive face. "Let me calculate—before my break, I had final exams, and after we returned, it’s been how many days exactly?"
He glanced down at her, his expression unreadable.
Bei Yao found his demeanor oddly amusing. Gathering courage, she whispered, "What if we’re quiet and make no sound? Can you tell me about Minmin first?"
Pei Chuan gritted his teeth and stayed silent.
Bei Yao was laughing inwardly. She pushed herself up, straddling him, her cheeks flushed pink, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Pei Chuan abruptly closed his laptop and covered her mouth. "Don’t make a sound. If we’re heard, we’ll be embarrassed together."
Outside the window, thick snow blanketed everything in white. Her eyes were misty with tears.
In recent years, the Bei family had stopped staying up late for New Year’s Eve. As midnight approached, firecrackers began popping in succession.
Pei Chuan smiled and praised her, "So well-behaved."
She had indeed stayed quiet out of shyness, unable to bring herself to bite him, looking utterly pitiful.
He flipped them over, holding Bei Yao as he caught his breath, his own breathing slightly labored. Amid the crackling of New Year’s firecrackers, he began hoarsely recounting the story of Chen Yingqi and Fang Minjun.
"Before I went to prison, I asked him to take good care of you all. I also gave Chen Yingqi some money to start a business. He accepted the money but never used it—his character is quite admirable. Chen Yingqi has a genetic predisposition to obesity; losing weight is countless times harder for him than for most people. Yet, over the years, he persisted every day, regardless of season. Professionally, despite his skills, he could only take on odd jobs.""I suspect he's been staying in City C because he can't let go of Fang Minjun." Huo Dinglin wasn't a good man, and Chen Yingqi probably knew it, not daring to leave either.
"He refused to accept favors for nothing. Since I never collected the money from back then, I told him to try starting his own business. If he succeeds in the future, he can give me half the shares. If he fails, he'll pay me a small sum." They had to fight for a future—they couldn't wait indefinitely for an unknown outcome.
Outside, firecrackers crackled noisily. She leaned close to his ear: "You men are so strange. It's not like you need great wealth and honor to spend a lifetime together."
Pei Chuan smiled but said nothing.
It wasn't about needing great wealth and honor. For them, sometimes having an extra bargaining chip was necessary to avoid feeling so humble. Love alone couldn't sustain his precious one—they needed bread too.
The death of Grandma Chen had also affected him deeply.
He lowered his head and whispered softly in her ear: "Stop using contraception. Let's have a baby, hmm?"
Bei Yao blushed and asked: "Do you like children?"
Pei Chuan said: "I don't know."
"You don't know?"
He had no experience interacting with children, but he was certain that children wouldn't easily like him. This Chinese New Year, he gave Bei Jun a large red envelope, and the child awkwardly muttered "Thank you, brother-in-law."
Pei Jiadong was somewhat afraid of him too. Pei Chuan had little interaction with children to begin with. Even when he was a child himself, he wasn't good at getting along with peers, so he truly didn't know whether he liked children or not.
But if there were someone in this world with similar eyes and brows, sharing close blood ties... Looking at them would surely make his heart soften involuntarily.
That night, goose-feather snowflakes drifted outside the window as he watched the heavy snowfall.
For the first time, Pei Chuan hoped she didn't love him as deeply as he loved her, hoped he wasn't her entire world. This way, even if he were to leave first someday, there would still be a child to take care of her in his place, and she could still distribute her love to others. They say a mother's love surpasses all other bonds in this world.
This way, she would continue living well.
Not like Grandma Chen, dying alone in the icy snow.
He kissed the top of her head.
Yet in this lifetime, Pei Chuan was already deeply mired. If you leave first, I'll follow shortly after.
When they returned to school after the New Year, it was already spring of the following year.
Bei Yao graduated in the sunny month of June, when lotus flowers were in full bloom. Wearing a Republic-era student blouse and holding an oil-paper umbrella, she took graduation photos with her roommates.
The youthful, tender faces on campus had gradually developed mature contours and edges.
Qin Dongni approached Bei Yao and said with a smile: "Sometimes I feel that looking at you is like seeing what true love looks like."
From childhood sweethearts innocent and carefree, to now being intimately close just as they were in the beginning.
Having experienced countless changes, nothing compares to the purity of being cherished in someone's palm from the very start. Over the years, Qin Dongni had met many people, but through breakups and reunions, she still felt lost, not knowing what she truly wanted.
So how incredibly difficult must it be for two completely different people to bring their hearts so close together?
When Pei Chuan came to attend her graduation ceremony, he specially wore a suit.
They didn't normally need to wear such clothes for work—it was too cumbersome.
As he entered the university campus, many people glanced at him. Professor Pei had become quite a celebrity at B University by now. A man in a suit appeared particularly mature, with a kind of ruggedly handsome charm.
Bei Yao turned around and saw him.She thought he was busy with research institute matters lately and wouldn't come again, never expecting him to show up quietly to pick her up.
She dashed over, and Pei Chuan caught her in his embrace, taking the oil-paper umbrella she had brought for decoration.
The girl's voice rang clear with joy: "Pei Chuan, I've graduated!"
He revealed a faint smile as well.
This year, he was dressed in a suit and leather shoes, while she wore a Republic-era student's cheongsam, elegant and graceful. Amid the falling blossoms, they looked like a painting.
Many people secretly glanced their way.
The university's flowers were in full bloom. Pei Chuan lowered the painted oil-paper umbrella, creating a small world beneath it for just the two of them.
She heard the man's voice tinged with laughter as he whispered—
"Little Bei Doctor, congratulations on growing up."
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