Wang Fa lit incense, and the staff member nearby chatted with them for a while longer.
Wang Fa mentioned that he had grown up abroad. He had vague childhood memories of coming here with his grandmother to pay respects to their ancestors but had never returned since.
The staff member asked if Wang Fa still had any relatives in the village and enthusiastically offered to help them locate them.
"There are some," Wang Fa paused and glanced at Lin Wanxing.
Lin Wanxing’s eyes lit up, and she exclaimed excitedly, "You actually have relatives living in the village? Does that mean we can join them for the New Year’s Eve dinner?"
"Of course. Not only can we join them for dinner, but you might even get a bunch of red envelopes," Wang Fa said, leaning slightly closer and speaking slowly. "If Teacher Lin wants to go, I can take you right now."
Lin Wanxing was about to nod when she suddenly shivered.
It dawned on her—returning to one’s hometown for the New Year’s Eve dinner and receiving red envelopes… didn’t that carry a certain implication?
Immediately backing off, she waved her hands. "No, no! We’re in Wannan Village now, so we should follow Old Mrs. Zhou’s advice—keep things simple! Let’s just grab a casual meal for New Year’s Eve."
Wang Fa looked slightly disappointed but praised her, "Teacher Lin is very principled."
They arrived in Wannan Village in the afternoon.
The village and the lake were both expansive. Under the guide’s lead, Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa visited several scenic spots as the sky gradually darkened.
There weren’t many tourists on New Year’s Eve. After the guide finished introducing Xingluo Alley, her phone rang.
On the other end of the line was the voice of a child calling for their mother.
Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa exchanged a glance.
After the guide hung up, Lin Wanxing asked, "Do you have fixed working hours, or can you leave once you’ve finished guiding us?"
"Normally, we finish at 5 p.m., but today is special. The supervisor said we can leave early."
"Then please go home. We can explore on our own," Lin Wanxing urged.
The guide insisted on completing the tour with them.
Lin Wanxing made an excuse, saying she was too tired to walk any farther, and asked the guide to take them to any nearby restaurant where they could eat.
But…
Finding an open restaurant in the scenic area on New Year’s Eve wasn’t easy.
They inquired at several lakeside restaurants in Wannan Village—some were fully booked, while others had closed early so the owners could spend time with their families.
As the sun set, the surface of Tianxin Lake shimmered with golden ripples.
Lin Wanxing thought it might be better to return to the hotel for the buffet.
The guide then suggested that her family ran a small tavern. Although it was closed for New Year’s Eve, if they didn’t mind, they could go there and have a simple meal.
At the start of each year, everyone has some fantasies about how their life might unfold.
But for Lin Wanxing, she had never imagined that on New Year’s Eve, she would find herself sitting by a small lakeside window in a cozy tavern.
Children outside began setting off firecrackers by the lake. As night fell, sparks of light flickered in the darkness.
On the nostalgic small square table were dishes of salted peanuts and edamame. The guide’s grandmother had served them a portion of every homemade dish from their kitchen.
It was an impromptu New Year’s Eve dinner.
Across the table, there was a soft fizz.
Wang Fa opened a can of cola.
The closed tavern was a bit chilly, and the green bricks felt slightly damp. The guide’s family lived upstairs, and the lively sound of children running across the floorboards filled the space with the vibrant energy of real life.
Lin Wanxing blew on her hands to warm them, then raised a bowl filled with cola and gently clinked it with Wang Fa’s.
Suddenly, fireworks blossomed over the lake, their brilliant light flickering across his face.Wang Fa’s eyes were bright.
Amidst the loud sounds of countless families reuniting around them, the small tavern remained quiet.
Soda fizzed in a porcelain bowl, and the words “Happy New Year” seemed to echo loudly enough to fill the entire universe.
Lin Wanxing gulped down a few mouthfuls of Coca-Cola, then pulled a red envelope from her pocket and placed it in front of Wang Fa.
He was momentarily surprised, but as his hand touched the envelope, he smiled helplessly.
Inside was a small plaque she had casually bought while visiting the Land Temple in Wannan Village.
Two lines of text were inscribed on it: “Life is full of worries, may every year bring joy.” Below, a red tassel in the shape of a Chinese knot hung, exuding a festive folk charm.
“Did you think of this on the spot?” Wang Fa picked up the plaque and examined it for a while, his thumb rubbing over the words “Souvenir from Wannan Village Land Temple” as if checking whether the ink would smudge.
“How can you call it ‘buying’? It was ‘prayed for.’ And Coach, are you saying that to cover up the fact that you didn’t get me a New Year’s gift?” Lin Wanxing asked triumphantly.
Wang Fa set the plaque down, rummaged in his pocket, and pulled out a red envelope as well.
Mimicking her, he pushed the envelope toward her.
Lin Wanxing picked it up, opened it, and found several real banknotes inside.
Yes, bright red hundred-yuan bills—eight in total, making 800 RMB exactly.
As she counted the money, a wide grin spread across her face. “How can I accept this? It’s an actual red envelope!”
“I’m more practical,” Wang Fa said, pausing briefly before adding, “Xiao Lin, no need to be polite. After all, if I took you home to claim it, you’d be even more embarrassed.”
Chapter 94: New Year
Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa returned to Hongjing on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
The reason for their return was that the vegetables on the rooftop needed watering.
The weather was chilly.
The small paths of the new village were strewn with red firecracker remnants, evidence of the New Year celebrations.
The students gathered on the rooftop almost as soon as they returned.
Everyone had their reasons.
Some were worried that eating too much would harm their “physique,” others felt that two days without training had affected their fitness levels. Chen Jianghe even claimed he only felt like doing homework when he was here!
Lin Wanxing was busy airing the local specialties she had bought during her trip on the rooftop. A row of bright red sausages hung from bamboo poles.
Through the gaps between the sausages, the boys could be seen bouncing around energetically.
Fresh from the New Year celebrations, families tended to dress their children in brightly colored clothes. The boys looked cheerful and full of vigor.
The weather was clear, and the cabbages and leafy greens on the rooftop appeared vibrant and appetizing.
And so, the Spring Festival holiday, originally scheduled to last until the fifth day of the lunar month, officially came to an end.
The rooftop was once again filled with life.
A few days after the Spring Festival, the National Youth League would resume. This was also the reason the students were unwilling to fully enjoy their holiday and insisted on rushing back to train.
However, during the New Year period, every family had their own affairs, making it difficult to gather everyone. Wen Chengye, in particular, was unreachable by phone—reportedly, he had gone abroad with his parents.
By the fifth day of the lunar month, the designated day for resuming training, Wen Chengye still hadn’t returned to the team, and his phone remained unreachable.
Qin Ao finally let out a small outburst.
They went to Wen Chengye’s house, but the door was tightly shut. Everyone anxiously left him several messages but received no reply.
It was as if he had vanished into thin air!
The other students cursed Wen Chengye for being irresponsible while also acknowledging that he was exactly the kind of person who would do such a thing.Amidst their somewhat haphazard training sessions, they quickly approached the day of their rematch against Yuzhou Silver Elephant.
Pushing open the door to the rooftop of the small building, dark clouds loomed so low they seemed to press against the corners of one’s eyes. The weather forecast had predicted snow in the coming days.
The wind was fierce, and as far as the eye could see, there were no signs of early spring. The lawn was covered in white frost, with no new sprouts in sight.
Lin Wanxing rubbed her hands together and went back inside to change into a down jacket.
By the time she stepped out again, the sun had risen a little, peeking through the gaps in the clouds.
Yuzhou was quite far, located on the outskirts of Hongjing.
"On the outskirts" meant that if they left at eight in the morning, it would take three and a half hours by bus to reach the Yuzhou Silver Elephant base.
The students hadn’t played an out-of-province match in a long time, so they had been quite excited and made plans a couple of days earlier.
When Lin Lu left the house, he stuffed his bag with cookies and chips, while Qin Ao brought sausages and bananas, claiming they were great for staving off hunger.
Since this match was out of province, the school had arranged for Teacher Qian to accompany the team for safety reasons.
After all, Wang Fa was an external staff member, so Lin Wanxing had no choice but to agree.
All the boys arrived on time, except for Wen Chengye.
As usual, Lin Wanxing took out the attendance sheet and called out names. When she reached "Wen Chengye," silence fell once again.
The wind howled, feeling as though it could seep through their sweaters at any moment. The tree branches were damp, but thankfully, it wasn’t raining.
Slowly, the students glanced at each other, only then realizing Wen Chengye hadn’t shown up.
"Damn, what’s Wen dog’s problem?"
"Is he not coming?"
"No way???"
Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa exchanged a look. She took out her phone and called Wen Chengye, but his phone was turned off.
Unconsciously, her mind drifted back to the first time she led the team, when Wen Chengye had stood them up without a word.
Wen Chengye had already missed several days of training, and everyone had been anxious, even considering finding a replacement. But just two days ago, Qi Liang had said Wen Chengye replied to a message saying he would come, so they had all temporarily relaxed.
Now that he hadn’t appeared, Qi Liang was naturally surrounded by the group.
Qi Liang: "I’m not his dad, what’s the point of asking me?"
"Didn’t you say he’d come?"
"Wen dog messing with me isn’t out of the question. Are you all that naive?"
Just then, the school bus pulled up. It stopped beside them, bringing with it a gust of cold wind.
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