Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 236 - 232: The New Year Arrives

Chapter 236: Chapter 232: The New Year Arrives

"They say it’s about buying New Year’s goods, but in reality, there are just two of us in the house, so there isn’t much to buy. The focus is on melon seeds, peanuts, and candies, along with some chicken, duck, and ribs."

During the New Year, neighbors in the village would usually visit each other, and displaying plates of melon seeds and fruits was mostly for show; only the children would eat some. Therefore, I didn’t buy too much; I just picked out some good ones, and with that, the New Year’s shopping was considered done.

When Qin Guanglin got home, and Qin’s Mom handed him the mop, he suddenly remembered that he hadn’t done a thorough cleaning at He Fang’s place yet, but tomorrow was New Year’s Eve... Well, it could wait until after the holiday; a good cleanup before He Fang returned would suffice, as the rental didn’t require too much care; it was just a formality.

In the afternoon, after cleaning every nook and cranny, Qin Guanglin had just sat down to rest when He Fang’s video call came through.

"Is Auntie there? I’d like to wish her a happy New Year," He Fang said directly.

"You connect and don’t even say you miss me," Qin Guanglin retorted, not pleased, lying on the bed and looking at He Fang on his phone, "I haven’t been used to sleeping alone these days, only managing to fall asleep in the middle of the night."

"Isn’t that obvious?"

He Fang laughed, holding the phone, and as Qin Guanglin saw the room layout behind her, he realized she was in her own room.

"It’s one thing to say it and another to mean it... Should I also wish your dad and your brother a happy New Year later?"

"Oh, come on, I miss you, super miss you, okay? Let me first say a couple of words to Auntie, then you can say some nice things to my dad, and that’s it; you don’t need to bother with my brothers."

"Okay, I miss you too. When are we going to pick you up?"

"We’ll talk about it later, my dad keeps nagging these days about how I’ve become part of someone else’s family..."

The two of them chatted unconsciously for over an hour until He Fang noticed the time and once again urged Qin Guanglin to pass the phone to Qin’s Mom.

"He Fang, is that you?!"

Qin’s Mom had been busily preparing dumplings in the kitchen. Seeing Qin Guanglin extend the phone toward her, she quickly wiped her hands on her apron and, with a beaming smile, greeted He Fang.

It wasn’t a big deal for He Fang to not offer New Year greetings, but once she did, it brought joy to everyone.

That’s how Qin’s Mom was, always cheerful, and she remained in a great mood even while eating dinner. The ease she felt...especially when she thought about how in two years, there would be one more person celebrating the New Year with them, made her even happier.

Mother and son had overcome years of hardship together. Now that Qin Guanglin had grown up, it was finally time for him to get married; only then would their home feel complete again.

"Eh, do you remember how you used to insist on marrying Fairy Zixia when you were little?"

"That’s ancient history... Why bring that up now?" Qin Guanglin grumbled while eating his dumplings, not the least interested in hearing Qin’s Mom dredge up his embarrassing past.

"Hmph, I remember you even drew pictures of yourself with Fairy Zixia, they were so ugly. I should’ve kept them, then I could have shown them to you now."

"..."

"So many years have passed by in a flash... Sigh, it’s time for someone else to take care of you. He Fang is a sensible girl. When you two are together, discuss things with her; don’t be like your father who foolishly thinks he can handle everything by himself, only to mess it up and still be stubborn about it. You two take care..."

As she approached another year older, Qin’s Mom suddenly felt melancholic. Her nature to nag hadn’t changed, as she went on and on. Qin Guanglin was used to it and silently listened, his thoughts drifting to He Fang.

He wondered what she was doing.

...

Sun Wen sat irritated in his studio, listening to the firecracker noises outside and staring at his computer screen.

He hadn’t gone home.

It had been three years since he last returned.

An uncleaned instant noodle container rested on the desk. While others celebrated with their families, he was alone in his rented room, fixating on his computer.

His phone had rung numerous times, displaying the word "Hypocrite" prominently on the caller ID. Sun Wen didn’t want to pick up, nor did he have the inclination to do so.

The studio had been doing well for a while, and after a few months of hard work, it had developed steadily. In the best month, everyone had received a bonus exceeding ten thousand yuan, and he himself had taken twenty thousand.

He thought he was on his way to great success, but since New Year’s Day, the studio’s performance had plummeted in just under two months, hitting an all-time low.

There was a problem.

But he hadn’t figured out what it was yet.

Sun Wen frowned, casting a glance around the empty living room, then spitefully spat before grabbing the half-eaten and now cold noodles from the desk and stuffing them into his mouth.

After scrambling around in Luo City for a few years, ending in failure, he’d then return to his backwater hometown, where his parents would set him up with a random woman for a blind date, get married, have kids, farm the land, cut the grass, and like them spend his entire life never leaving that county, living an utterly ordinary life... and then the next generation would just repeat the cycle.

"Screw that!"

He wouldn’t just fall like that.

No way was he going back to farming.

After finishing his noodles, gulping down half a glass of water with a gurgle, Sun Wen felt a chill, tightened his clothes around him, and cursed the building’s heating service under his breath as he carried his laptop back to the bedroom.

If love’s been a letdown, at least work should pick up the slack.

...

Chinese New Year’s Eve didn’t vary much from the previous day except for the addition of the Spring Festival Gala, which had been going downhill each year. Still, it wasn’t really about the program itself; it felt more like an essential part of the New Year experience, and without it, something seemed incomplete.

Qin’s Mom just watched for fun. She didn’t recognize most of the celebrities and didn’t care about the quality. She’d marvel at the high-tech stage setup, laugh at the comedies, and praise the dances. She was nothing like Qin Guanglin, who was much more critical; naturally, she enjoyed it more than he did.

"Go chat in another room. Isn’t it annoying to keep up this babble here?"

Midway through, Qin’s Mom finally expressed her irritation. Qin Guanglin, with his phone in hand, had been on a video call with He Fang. The two of them, in different cities, exchanged snarks and commentary on the Spring Festival Gala on TV.

"If I had my computer, I wouldn’t bother staying here," Qin Guanglin shifted to the side and continued to laugh gleefully at the screen.

Qin’s Mom glanced at him with eyes devoid of amusement and shifted farther to one end of the couch herself, leaving them at opposite ends, each watching their own things.

"The red packet shake is starting! Hurry up!"

When the red packet event commenced, Qin’s Mom had her phone ready, gripping it tightly in anticipation and reminding Qin Guanglin not to miss out.

"With billions of people, what makes you think it’ll be your turn?" Qin Guanglin glanced at the on-screen event, not caring in the slightest.

Luck was everything in this, and he had none to speak of.

"It’s exactly because of that mindset that most people don’t bother to try, and that’s why we have a chance. Hurry up! You can get back to chatting later; you could win up to four thousand..."

Qin’s Mom was desperate. At her age, she was most keen on snagging whatever benefits she could get her hands on—not to mention a maximum prize of four thousand—even twenty yuan would thrill her till next New Year’s.

"All right, all right."

He Fang had been roped into the red packet shake by his family too, to see who would have better luck, so they ended their call. Qin Guanglin shrugged and got ready to give the shake a serious try, albeit just for fun.

"I got it, I got it!" Qin’s Mom’s eyes lit up with joy as she stared at her phone. "Two yuan! Where’s the money? How do they give it to me?"

"...Are you seriously making a fuss over two yuan?" Qin Guanglin looked helplessly at Qin’s Mom who was making a racket. When he shook his phone, he stopped short, then grinned and showed off to Qin’s Mom, "Look at that! Twenty-eight, fourteen times more than you... Hahaha."

"..."

Qin’s Mom glanced at his phone, instantly feeling less thrilled about her own two yuan. It took her a moment to perk up again. Watching the Spring Festival Gala and still making some money—no matter the amount—was a pleasant surprise.

A reason to be happy.

"I told you to shake it, and you did; you owe me half of your twenty-plus," Qin’s Mom said, eyeing the red packet he won with a hint of envy.

"Take it, it’s all yours." Qin Guanglin didn’t really care and transferred the entire amount to her via Weixun without hesitation.

Qin’s Mom had Weixun installed on her phone just an hour ago by him, specifically for snatching the TV show’s red packets, not knowing how to use any other feature. Qin Guanglin demonstrated how to find the money then reconnected the video call with He Fang to boast about his luck.

"You’re lucky! I only managed to get thirty cents," He Fang showed him his phone with a smile and turned it around to show his family. "My sister-in-law had the best luck, He Cheng helped her with the shake and she got sixty-six yuan."

"Now that’s really lucky."

This New Year’s Eve was similar to previous ones, yet different, with the addition of someone else’s presence—although that person was far away, they were still closely connected.

Without realizing it, midnight came. The Spring Festival Gala on TV drew to a close with the New Year countdown. Qin Guanglin continued to video call He Fang, ready to ring in the New Year with him as fireworks went off outside, and at the stroke of midnight, amidst the sounds of firecrackers, they celebrated their first Spring Festival since they had met.

The New Year had arrived.