When Beiyao returned to school, there was an apology broadcast to Pei Chuan.
Chen Feifei was stunned: "No way, he really did it by himself?"
Chen Feifei was not the only one who was surprised, there was also Wu Mo. A teenager in the Third High School who didn't have a good reputation could get the top score in the city!
The Sixth High School apologized sincerely and stated that the red list would be renewed. But tomorrow was a holiday and there was no way to change it now.
It made no difference to Chen Feifei who got first place; she was looking forward more to the upcoming holiday.
"Yaoyao, will your mom come to pick you up tomorrow?"
Bei Yao said, “No, I’ve sent half of my things back last month. There are only a few things left, I can bring them back myself. My Didi is in preschool now, so my mom has to pick him up.”
Chen Feifei was curious, “Is your family patriarchal, ah? I tell you, my paternal grandmother is very patriarchal, she would never give me a red envelope every time I went home for the new year. However, she would secretly give my little cousin* a red envelope. He would deliberately come to show it off in the blink of an eye, do you know how irritating that is!”
*t/n: Younger male cousin from father’s brother.
Bei Yao thought of Bei Jun’s “girly clothes” and wanted to laugh. She shook her head, “There is no such thing in my family.”
Even if her grandma was patriarchal, they didn’t live together anyway, so the impact wouldn’t be so big.
Just like Bei Yao had said, Zhao Zhilan went to pick up Bei Jun. After all, a five-year-old kid still needed to be picked up to go home.
Bei Yao came back by herself, took the final exam report, and officially started winter vacation.
It was not long before Spring Festival*. The neighborhood was quieter this year.
*t/n: Also known as Chinese New Year
Zhao Zhilan rubbed her hands to keep warm and sighed, “The excitement in the neighborhood drops every year. Previously, it was Zhao Xiu’s family who moved away, then it was Officer Pei’s family. Chen Hu and his family seem to have the intention to buy a house elsewhere. I think the neighborhood will be more deserted in the future.”
Bei Licai liked quiet; he thought it was nothing. “You can go visit them.”
Zhao Zhilan sighed. She couldn’t go back to see her family this year. After the incident with Zhao Xing, if Bei Yao’s grandmother still couldn’t bear to leave her son, then Zhao Zhilan didn’t want that family anymore.
Zhao Xing had been in drug rehabilitation this year. He and his wife had also gotten a divorce, and their child followed the mother.
After living for thirty to forty years, it could be said that Zhao Xing had lost everything in a flash.
Zhao Zhilan watched the public service advertisement for drug rehabilitation on TV. Drugs could be harmful. Having once experienced the destruction of opium in Humen*, people couldn’t forget their nationwide humiliation. Drugs must not be taken!
*t/n: 虎门销烟 (hǔ mén xiāo yān). In the Qing dynasty, the British once sold opium (a kind of drug) secretly, this led to many people being addicted. Then, Lin Zexu commanded to destroy all opium in Humen.
Just look at Zhao Xing’s fate and one would understand.
Bei Yao just so happened to wander to where the dumplings were being made. Zhao Zhilan said to her daughter, "I heard Zhao Xiu say that she plans to let Minmin go on a blind date this Chinese New Year."
Bei Yao was surprised and pinched the side of the dumpling: "Blind date? Minmin is only seventeen years old."
Zhao Zhilan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Yes, ah, it’s hard to understand what Zhao Xiu is thinking. But it’s no wonder that she has thought of this. Someone from our village who used to be the first to enter college and then go abroad to get a doctorate degree has come back with a nineteen-year-old son. That college student and Zhao Xiu used to have a good relationship, so Zhao Xiu will have the idea to become related by marriage.”
Zhao Zhilan was originally uninterested in gossip. Once she thought that her daughter was at the age of their first love and it was not good to talk about this with her, she shut up immediately.
But Bei Yao didn’t take it to heart and said, “Minmin has her own opinions now, it’s not like when she was a child listening to everything Auntie Xiu said. She also got good grades, she got ahead of me in this exam.”
Zhao Zhilan affectionately poked at her daughter’s head, “Other people surpass you, but you don’t feel discouraged.”
Bei Yao just smiled, her eyes gentle.
~
The mother and daughter were in a panic. There were too many dumplings. There were still lots of dough that Bei Jun used as play dough.
Before the new year, Bei Licai posted a spring couplet at the door, and red lanterns were hung up to liven up the neighborhood, which added a bit of a trace of Chinese New Year.
Chen Hu's family was the first to come to pay their New Year’s visits, and Bei Yao brought out the family's prepared New Year's goods to welcome Uncle Chen and Chen Hu.
Chen Hu coughed: "Aunt Zhao, Bei Yao, I changed my name last week."
Chen Hu's father explained, "This brat, he thinks his name is tacky. Back in our days we didn't mind either Gou, Wa, Chou, or Dan."
*t/n: Hu in Chen Hu means Tiger. 狗, 娃, 臭, 蛋 (gǒu wá chòu dàn) means dog, child, stinky, egg.
"Dad, what era are we living in? It's no longer a good idea to have a cheap name."
Everyone laughed.
Bei Yao said, “What’s your name now?”
Chen Hu was slightly embarrassed, but was also a little bit expectant. “Chen Yingqi, How about it, doesn’t it sound good?”
Bei Yao thought about it seriously to show him some respect. “It sounds good.”
Chen Hu, no, Chen Yingqi was happy. He liked Bei Yao’s character; she never let anyone down.
Cheng Yingqi’s father slapped the back of his head. “Rather than thinking about this all day, why don’t you lose some weight?”
Chen Yingqi’s small mouth didn’t have any mercy. “You talk about me, but you yourself haven’t lost any in decades! Is it my fault, having bad genes?”
Chen Yingqi received another slap on his head.
When the father and son went out, Chen Yingqi secretly turned back. "Bei Yao, come here."
Bei Yao walked over. Chen Yingqi quickly glanced around, and then whispered, "Will Fang Minjun come back this year?"
Bei Yao said honestly, "I don't know."
Chen Yingqi's eyes became a little depressed. Bei Yao comforted him, "If you miss Minmin, you can go see her. Take a car from the gate of the community, and you will be there in about 30 minutes."
Chen Yingqi exploded, his face red. “Who misses her! Don’t speak nonsense.”
Bei Yao: “Oh… oh.”
“I’m only asking, there is no other reason behind it. I’m leaving.”
His chubby body ran fast, and Bei Yao was curious for the first time. Chen Yingqi obviously missed Fang Mingjun, but why did he say he didn't?
Were all boys such a hypocrite?
She thought of her Pei Chuan “Gege”.
Bei Yao went inside and asked Zhao Zhilan, “Mom, will Uncle Pei come back this year?”
“Why did you ask? They just moved and have to make a good relationship with the neighbors over there. They won’t come back, alright.”
“We made a lot of dumplings.” Bei Yao’s cheeks were red, “Mom, Pei Chuan didn’t move in with Uncle Pei, he’s celebrating New Year alone, we should ask him to come and celebrate with us.”
Zhao Zhilan rejected subconsciously, “No way, what are you saying? His parents are still alive, he has two homes, what are we doing to ask him to come?”
“Two families*? But he obviously has no family, ah.”
*t/n: Home and family were written with the same word.
Zhao Zhilan was not a sympathetic person, but she glanced at her daughter's delicate face and thought to herself, even if she has a soft heart, she must not let Pei Chuan have any thoughts about Bei Yao.
It was fine to be playmates when they were young, but she couldn’t let him take her daughter forever.
Bei Yao was disappointed, but she was only a second-grade student in high school after all, and the person in charge at home was Zhao Zhilan. She couldn’t do anything if Zhao Zhilan didn’t agree.
When staying up late to wait for the New Year, Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai were feeling sleepy.
Every member of the family stood in the living room, watching the Spring Festival Gala broadcasted on TV.
Even Pei Jun had memorized the classic lines of this year's Spring Festival Gala. This year, the pace of life was slow, there weren’t many entertainment projects, and the Spring Festival Gala was particularly exciting.
The music was pleasant to hear and could retain its popularity for a year. The skit was entertaining and could make people laugh.
Bei Yao took the dumplings that hadn’t been cooked from the fridge and packed them into a box. “I’m going out.”
Bei Licai casually asked, “What are you doing?”
Bei Yao replied with a small voice, “I’m going to see Minmin and give them some dumplings.” The word “hypocrite” suddenly popped out in her mind, her cheeks instantly flushing bright red.
“Go then, come back early for lunch.”
Young people had a lot of energy. He and Zhao Zhilan had to make up for the lack of sleep. Bei Jun couldn’t stand staying up all night and had fallen asleep long ago.
Bei Yao pushed the door and went out. The cold winter wind blew her face, with a bit of cold breath, dispelling her sleepiness.
She walked to the well-built park and sat down. When she was in junior high school, it was still under construction, and she regretted how it hadn’t been built earlier. Now, many people had left, but the buildings were being repaired one by one.
Bei Yao made a call and waited for a long time. The teenager's low voice sounded out: "What's wrong?"
“Pei Chuan, can I go to your house? I… My mother asked me to give you a New Year’s gift.”
Pei Chuan frowned.
Hadn’t Auntie Zhao wanted him to stay away from Bei Yao? Of course, he wouldn’t be as naive as Bei Yao. He had thought Auntie Zhao would let Bei Yao come over out of sympathy and gratitude.
The only possibility was that this baby sympathized with him and wanted to come over.
He lowered his head, one hand holding the phone, the other buckling his belt.
“Thank Auntie Zhao for me, you…” don’t come over.
These three words were at the tip of his tongue, but it was extremely difficult to say them. “Where are you?”
“The park outside my neighborhood."
The other end was silent for a long time, but in the end, the voice of the teenager could be heard.
He said, “I’ll pick you up.”
Even a prisoner would be allowed to have a last supper during the New Year.
~
Pei Chuan didn’t stay up waiting for the New Year. He didn’t believe in any customs. His movements were fast and he went out in a few minutes.
Pei Chuan originally wanted to drive, but after thinking about it, in her eyes, he was very depressed and pitiful.
He left the car keys at home and took a taxi to pick her up.
When he arrived, Bei Yao was sitting on a stone bench in the park waiting for him.
Because of the cold weather, everyone was at home. She was wearing snow boots and was freezing so much that she couldn't stop breathing into her hands.
Pei Chuan regretted the decision of making her wait for a few moments.
On the contrary, Bei Yao was very happy: "You came so fast, is your home close by?"
“En.”
His house was very close to her.
On the 25th floor, where one could overlook the city.
Her hands had been frozen till they were red, but she was still holding the box. Pei Chuan grabbed it and took her to take a taxi. Taking a taxi on New Year wasn’t easy. Sometimes you had to rely on pure luck.
Bei Yao thought of Chen Yingqi and wanted to laugh a little.
Bei Yao was curious about what Pei Chuan thought. She stood properly beside Pei Chuan and asked awkwardly, “Pei Chuan.”
Pei Chuan cast a glance at her. “En.”
“My hands are cold, ah.”
Pei Chuan suddenly lost his strength.
He wasn’t afraid of the cold. Even if he didn’t wear down jackets or cotton jackets in the winter, only a simple black coat was enough. Teenagers of this age weren’t afraid of the cold.
However, girls were more delicate. The girl’s physique was different from him and she was freezing from waiting in the wind for twenty minutes.
His fingers hanging at his side tightened.
Bei Yao said, "Can I warm it up in your coat pocket?"
He suddenly looked down and stared at her watery almond eyes.
Wasn’t it dirty?
Bei Yao stared at his dark pupils, feeling a little shy, and turned her eyes away.
Without saying a word, he suddenly opened the zipper, took off his coat, and put it on her.
After he took off his coat, there was only a thin layer of clothes inside, so thin that the outlines of the boy's firm muscles could be vaguely seen.
Bei Yao was stunned but still put on his coat. Okay, this time it was as warm as it could be.
His coat carried a bit of his warmth and smell, and it was very cozy.
Such a cold person, unexpectedly, had a high body temperature.
Bei Yao was wearing a thick cotton jacket, but his coat was still able to wrap around her.
The snow fell on his broad shoulders, his hands in his pockets, and he was silent once again.