I spent the entire morning with Mi Cai cleaning the house. In the afternoon, Ban Die brought us paste and Spring Festival couplets, and told us to come to their place for the New Year’s Eve dinner before six o’clock, then left. After that, I and Mi Cai got busy again, pasting all the festive couplets on the doors and windows.
During a brief rest, we sat on the sofa, looking at the house we had tidied up all day, and for the first time felt that the Spring Festival was something relevant to ourselves. In the intermittent sound of firecrackers, we talked about the gains and losses of the past year, and also mentioned those friends who had left and were spending the New Year far away from home.
As the sky gradually darkened, the firecrackers became more frequent. I glanced at the time, which was already 5:30 PM, on the verge of nightfall. Finally, I said to Mi Cai, who was still busy: “It’s about time. Let’s go to Ban Die’s for the New Year’s Eve dinner.”
Mi Cai put down the magazine she was organizing and replied with a sense of guilt: “Do you think it’s too inconsiderate of us to deliberately time it this way without helping Uncle and Aunt prepare the dinner? It might not be good for family harmony.”
“With your cooking skills, do you really think you can help? Besides, we haven’t been loafing around at home either—we just finished cleaning the house. I’ve noticed you’ve been getting overly anxious lately. Are you taking family harmony too much as your own burden?”
“I’m just afraid that I might not do certain things well enough … I’ve heard that the relationship between daughter-in-law and mother-in-law is the hardest to get along. I just hope these rumors don’t come true between me and Aunt. I don’t want you to be caught in the middle and feel uncomfortable because of us!”
Mi Cai’s words moved me, and in that moment I felt sad for her. Because unlike ordinary women, if there were family conflicts, she had no maternal family to rely on. She could only silently endure. Therefore, based on this, I would never let her suffer in this family. Ban Die and Mama were sensible people who treated her like their own daughter. Even if she did fall short, they would choose to be tolerant. Besides, Mi Cai was already so good that we had nothing to complain about. Thus, I suppressed my sadness and concern for her, smiled, and said: “You’re just worrying too much. I really believe that we are in perfect harmony in this family. Uncle and Aunt are very satisfied with you because you’ve really done a great job.” I paused and added: “This isn’t just me blindly complimenting you. What you’re doing now is exactly what a good daughter-in-law should do!”
My praise finally eased Mi Cai’s worries about those exaggerated problems she had imagined. She smiled slightly and said: “Then let’s hurry up and change into clean clothes. We’ll go to Uncle and Aunt’s for the New Year’s Eve dinner now!”
…
On the brightly lit and festive street, Mi Cai linked her arm with mine as we walked toward Ban Die and Mama’s house. Along the way, we were constantly surrounded by children holding firecrackers and playfully teasing each other. Some of the more mischievous ones even threw firecrackers at our feet. Seeing Mi Cai’s startled expression, they looked proud and delighted, claiming themselves to be emperors who could explode whoever they wanted! I was so angry that I wanted to fight back violently and give those “little tyrants” a good lesson on New Year’s Eve! But in the end, I chose to use wisdom instead. I spent 10 yuan buying all the firecrackers from those kids. Before they could use the 10 yuan to buy even more firecrackers, I pulled Mi Cai and ran into a small alley, finally getting rid of the trouble. Then, the two of us looked at each other helplessly and laughed, as if we were two soft persimmons on New Year’s Eve, being picked on by those self-proclaimed emperors all the way.
At some point, the streetlights all turned on, and the fireworks in the distance kept changing shapes, lighting up the city night after night. Mi Cai looked up at the fireworks between the tall buildings and suddenly stopped walking, saying to me with some sadness: “Zhaoyang, do you think where CC might be spending the New Year? Has she already returned to her hometown in Chongqing, or gone to Hong Kong to be with her sister?”
I shook my head regretfully and replied: “I don’t know… I even suspect that her family is only passively waiting for her to contact them, unable to reach her themselves!”
“Yes, she really left completely. It’s been so long, and none of her friends have heard anything about her… Maybe she’s already in a strange city, married to a man who can heal her pain!”
I sighed endlessly, because given CC’s disillusionment with love, she would distance herself from romance and quickly marry someone else, which was exactly what she had hoped for when she left. She needed a relationship that could turn into marriage to save her scarred life. Perhaps she had already succeeded, because the charm she exuded would make many men willing to spend their lives saving her… Unfortunately, she was no longer the pure CC she once was, and her new life was only a rescue sought out of helplessness. If it was defined as a rescue, how much happiness could she really gain?
I didn’t have the answer, but I always firmly believed that what needed rescuing was merely a tired body, while love rooted in thoughts could never be saved—it would either turn to ashes or rise from the ashes reborn…
In my silence, Mi Cai spoke again, but this time her voice was very soft, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on my arm: “Zhaoyang, I hope CC will come to our wedding. Will you help me find her, please?”
“I hope so too… But coming back would mean her departure was in vain, and she might end up living the way she used to again…”
“So you’ve never really tried to look for her, have you?”
I nodded, and after a long pause, I replied: “Yes… This year, I’ve experienced too much and made too many choices. I’m no longer daring to do things that aren’t clearly right or wrong.”
Mi Cai looked at me, somewhat dazed, and after a long while, she finally said: “Zhaoyang, try to find her, please. I still hope she will come to our wedding… Recently, I always imagine a scene: at our wedding, CC will be my bridesmaid, and Luoben will be your best man. Not only that, they will play the guitar and bass respectively, accompanying us with heartfelt songs, singing out the melodies that are in our hearts…”
I knew Mi Cai was subtly telling me that she hoped Luoben and CC could be together, and in her eyes, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I had no reason not to believe her, so I finally nodded and said: “Okay, I’ll first try to contact her family and let them pass on our wedding news to CC, hoping it’s not too late!”
“Mm… If CC could come that day and turn my imagined scene into reality, it would be the best gift you could give me!”
I nodded firmly, promising to take care of this matter. Deep down in my heart, I also hoped that CC could replace Wei Manwen and become the woman Luoben loved the most. After all, who wouldn’t like a happy ending where the lovers finally get together?
…
On this New Year’s Eve, Mi Cai and I forgot all our recent troubles and enjoyed the New Year’s Eve dinner at Ban Die and Mama’s house with the most relaxed mood. We also received red envelopes from the elders. Of course, we didn’t drink little, especially me. After leaving the table, I felt like I was floating. Mi Cai wasn’t much better off. We didn’t even return to our place. After a simple wash-up, we skipped all the New Year’s entertainment and went to bed early. This action made Mama very unhappy with the elders of Uncle’s generation, feeling that their teasing had made us drink too much. Actually, for us, this was a blessing. We didn’t need to wait for ourselves to grow a year older while being sober… For us, this past year had truly made us feel exhausted to the core. Spending the end of the year quietly in sleep, without sadness or reminiscence, was the greatest gift this New Year’s Eve could give us!
Unfortunately, my sensitive nerves were still awakened at midnight by the overwhelming sound of firecrackers outside. Then I felt the dry mouth and thirst after drinking, so I got up to pour myself a glass of hot water, drinking it while waiting for the world outside the window to quiet down…
After finishing the glass of water, the world was still noisy. Instinctively, I picked up my phone to check the time. From past experience, this round of firecrackers would last at least 20 minutes. Irritated, I had even forgotten that at this moment, I had already turned 28, and Mi Cai too… It wasn’t until the firecrackers gradually became sparse that I suddenly realized: time had once again left its mark on us!
I will never forget that we met in the autumn of our 26th year, when I shamelessly called her my “tenant.” Now, we are 28, and she has become my fiancée… Fate seemed to use its miraculous craftsmanship to create this relationship between us. I could truly feel how lucky I was in this love, so I cherished it dearly! I couldn’t help but gaze at her sleeping face, and once again, deeply moved, I leaned down to kiss her hair, her cheeks…
Outside, finally, there were no more firecrackers. I picked up my phone again, wanting to check the time, but saw Yan Yan’s message so prominently displayed under the clock. It wasn’t a blessing message, but a question: “Zhaoyang, did you put Weiwei on the blacklist in your contacts?”
I didn’t deny it: “Yes. Did she even tell you about this?”
“Do you think this is just a trivial matter?”
I didn’t know how to answer, so I felt a bit dazed. At that moment, Yan Yan sent another message: “Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not questioning you, and I understand why you did this. I just want to let you know… Jian Wei won’t be waiting in China for her parents’ trial results. She’ll go to the U.S. instead, on the 20th day of the first lunar month. Whether you want to meet her one last time is up to you.”
My emotions were churning, but I didn’t think. Immediately, I replied to Yan Yan: “Please tell her I wish her all the best.”
Yan Yan replied quickly: “Okay, I’ll let her know. Also, congratulations in advance to you and Mi Cai on your wedding. However, I need to help Jian Wei with some pre-departure matters, so I won’t be able to attend the wedding to offer my blessings. I hope you can understand!”
“I understand.”
“Happy New Year…”
“Happy New Year…”
Looking at the final pair of mutual greetings, I finally felt a sense of complete liberation… Jian Wei was really leaving. The spatial distance would eventually tear all the entanglements of yesterday into pieces, scattering them into the river of time!
I sincerely hope that her future will be happy!… Just like me, leaving the past behind and finding another person to love for the rest of my life in America!
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