Lu Yibei and Ji Qingqian were both the type who didn't celebrate Christmas.

But now that I think about it, it might not be bad to spend time with the person I love, and I even look forward to it.

Of course, even if Lu Yibei didn't celebrate these holidays, he didn't have any aversion to them.

Just like Christmas.

Perhaps for some countries, it contains religious or historical significance, giving it various meanings.

But for most people, this is simply an excuse to get together with their loved ones or friends.

Why not?

Of course, the more reasons like this, the better.

However, Lu Yibei gave no praise to the derivative practices such as promotions and forced consumption.

To put it simply, whether it's Christmas or any other holiday, it all depends on who you're spending it with.

The important thing about any festival is the people, not the festival itself.

fortunately.

Lu Yibei felt that he had met a very good person.

Ji Qingqian didn't bring up the gift, but carefully observed the Christmas tree ornaments and concluded:

"Red and green are a terrible combination—this kind of aesthetic only seems to be particularly harmonious on a Christmas tree."

Lu Yibei nodded in agreement and also gave his girlfriend a compliment.

She always manages to see the world from all sorts of strange angles.

The central air conditioning in the supermarket was set to a very high temperature—probably as high as Chu Chu had set it in her dorm room that day.

The two took off their coats, threw them in the shopping cart, and pushed the cart into the supermarket.

Since Abei had taken the initiative to push the cart, Ji Qingqian guessed that he wanted to buy something.

I thought it would be snacks or something, but to my surprise, he just wandered around aimlessly and didn't take anything.

Instead, Ji Qingqian threw in a few packets of Lay's.

"Is there anything else you want to buy?" Lu Yibei asked softly.

Ji Qingqian shook her head:

"No, aren't you going to buy it?"

"I want to buy it, but not here."

"Hmm? Daily necessities?" Ji Qingqian asked.

Lu Yibei chuckled softly.

The two walked out of the snack area again, and Ji Qingqian noticed that Abei didn't lead her to the household goods area either.

Instead, I went to the fresh produce section.

The air conditioning here is on full blast, which perfectly counteracts the stuffiness in the supermarket.

The overwhelming feeling is the refreshing sensation of turning the air conditioner to its lowest setting on a hot summer day.

The two were still at school, and it would be difficult to handle fresh produce even if they bought it at this time, and Lu Yibei had no intention of buying fresh produce.

He took two packets of instant food out of the freezer.

A packet of glutinous rice balls.

A bag of dumplings.

Lu Yibei smiled and said to Ji Qingqian, "Let's eat at the apartment later? There's an induction cooker there. Other things are hard to cook, but this thing can handle it easily."

Ji Qingqian nodded.

Just as she was about to ask him why he suddenly wanted to eat these things, she suddenly seemed to realize something, took out her phone, and intended to check the calendar.

Before even opening the calendar, Lu Yibei was already smiling casually:

"It's the winter solstice."

"...I forgot."

Ji Qingqian lowered her eyes, feeling a little embarrassed—if neither of them remembered, the day would simply pass and be forgotten, nothing to worry about.

But Ah Bei remembers.

This gave her a sense of guilt that Ah Bei thought today was a special day, but she hadn't realized it at all.

"Yes, it's okay, I remember."

As Lu Yibei spoke, he took the dumplings out again, put them back, and picked up another bag: "It seems like this bag will taste better, don't you think?"

Ji Qingqian leaned closer to look at its ingredient list.

In fact, Ji Qingqian would never buy this kind of thing, and she doesn't understand ball sports either.

She inexplicably felt that looking at these mundane things with Ah Bei was no less romantic than looking at flowers, the sea, or maple leaves; it had a unique charm. And there was a sense of everyday life in it all.

"...Hmm, it seems so."

“But it’s a bit more expensive than that bag.” Lu Yibei thought for a moment, then said “Never mind” and tossed it into the cart.

Ji Qing pursed her lips and murmured, "Winter Solstice..."

This festival is very traditional in winter.

In Ji Qingqian's memory, this festival was full of everyday life, the warmth of everyday life, and other common and heartwarming things. It was a day to spend with family.

"Yes, it's the winter solstice. I originally wanted to go back to Chaocheng—but it's finals week after all."

Lu Yibei smiled: "According to the tradition of our Chaocheng, we should drink chicken soup on this day—it is said that this custom is very common in Nanjing, but I don't know why Chaocheng in Zhejiang Province inherited this custom from Nanjing in Jiangsu Province..."

After giving a little bit of background information, he added:

"But it's a bit of a hassle to make chicken soup now, so I'll use glutinous rice balls and dumplings instead. Please don't mind, Miss Ji."

Ji Qingqian was unsurprised, and simply said:

"I'll make it up next time."

"good."

Lu Yibei quite liked the phrase "next time," as if it gave him a reason to look forward to it.

He chuckled and glanced at his young girlfriend who was following him:

"The winter solstice has the shortest day of the year, making it all the more precious, but I'm so glad I can be with the people I love."

Ji Qingqian was stunned for a moment, then held back for a second, but finally couldn't hold back any longer:

"This is so tacky... Ah Bei..."

Lu Yibei: ...

Ji Qingqian put her hands behind her back, and the corners of her eyes curved slightly.

She quickened her pace, placing one hand on the cart's handle, and the two of them pushed the cart together.

"Do people in the South eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls)?"

"Hmm, do you eat dumplings where you're from?"

"Yes, but I want to eat tangyuan (sweet rice balls) this year~"

"Then I'll have dumplings."

Then, when it was time to pay, the cashier smiled when she saw the dumplings and glutinous rice balls and casually asked:

"Celebrating the Winter Solstice?"

Lu Yibei hummed in agreement and then said, "Happy Winter Solstice."

The saleswoman smiled and said, "You too."

…

Lu Yibei and Ji Qingqian pushed the car to an open space.

Lu Yibei carried the things he had bought, and Ji Qingqian came up to him, smiling sweetly.

Happy Winter Solstice, Abei.

Lu Yibei smiled and said, "Happy Winter Solstice."