Chapter 60

December 31st, the end of the year, often feels more significant than New Year's Day. At this time when countless households bid farewell to the old year and welcome the new, a loud banging sound came from Huang Qian's balcony. The decibels were not low, and those in the living room could feel the floor vibrating slightly under their feet.

Gong Meiping shouted at the balcony, "It's so noisy!"

When Huang Qian ran into the living room, she was carrying a machete, her forehead was covered in sweat, and her apron was stained.

"Ms. Gong Meiping, aren't you being a bit unreasonable? When I tell you to eat less sweets and less meat, you pretend you can't hear me. But now that I'm chopping mutton a tiny bit louder, your hearing suddenly becomes incredibly sharp?"

Gong Meiping glared at her, her reading glasses doing nothing to diminish the power in her eyes: "You call that chopping mutton? The people downstairs will think we're dismembering a body!"

Huang Qian said urgently, "Gong Meiping, can't you say something auspicious on this holiday?"

Last month, Huang Qian was on a business trip in Inner Mongolia when a local friend recommended a famous butcher shop. Huang Qian, a self-proclaimed carnivore, enthusiastically ordered half a sheep, planning to bring it back for her family to enjoy roasted lamb. Her plan was perfect, but she was stunned when the deliveryman arrived at her door with the frozen sheep. It turned out the sheep was truly only half a sheep—a perfectly intact half. She had no choice but to roll up her sleeves and butcher it herself. However, her knife was only good for cutting meat into strips, and she wasn't strong enough, so after a long struggle, the frozen lamb only suffered minor cuts.

Gong Meiping continued to condemn Huang Qian's behavior: "Not only are you waving your weapons around in vain, but you're also creating noise that pollutes other people's ears!"

Huang Qian retorted sharply: "Your chattering noise is more harmful to us!"

In the kitchen, Yan Qing prepared dinner while listening to the mother and daughter bickering. Huang Qian's newly hired nanny had taken New Year's Day to go home to see her son, so Huang Qian invited Yan Qing to spend New Year's Eve together. Originally, Shen Hanyang refused to let her go, insisting on having some alone time, but Yan Qing had to coax and plead for a long time, and even met some of his demanding conditions, before she finally got a day of peace.

The noise in the living room subsided, and Huang Qian briefly won. She then turned and went back into the balcony.

With all the other food preparation done, Yan Qing wiped her hands on her apron, preparing to call Shen Hanyang to see what he was doing and offer her her condolences. After all, he had been looking worried for the past three days, hiding his face in her hair every night, lamenting that he was about to spend a lonely and solitary New Year's Day without anyone to accompany him.

The phone rang several times, but no one answered. He probably couldn't stay idle and was back at work. Yan Qing felt relieved.

"Sister, sister!"

Huang Yanxiang peeked half her head out from behind the sofa and waved to her mysteriously.

"What's wrong, Xiangxiang?"

"Shh—" Huang Yanxiang held up a finger and whispered, "Come with me."

Yan Qing followed her into the bedroom, and Huang Yanxiang immediately locked the bedroom door.

"Sister, please sit down first." Huang Yanxiang pressed Yan Qing to sit on the edge of the bed. After thinking for a moment, she picked up the Minnie Mouse doll from the bedside and put it in her arms. "Hold Minnie Mouse, it will make you feel better." Yan Qing didn't know what secrets the little girl was hiding, so she did as she was told and held the chubby doll in her arms, waiting for her to speak.

However, Huang Yanxiang still frowned, biting her lower lip as she paced around the room, looking like she had something to say but couldn't.

Yan Qing seemed to have guessed something: "I know, did you secretly wear your grandmother's jade bracelet again and break it?" Yan Qing said this because Huang Yanxiang had a history of this kind of offense and was a repeat offender.

However, the little girl shook her head: "No." Then she clenched her fist, and asked with a determined look, "Sister, are you dating Cheng Jiaming's father?"

Yan Qing was stunned: "Huh?" She suddenly remembered the scene when she and Shen Hanyang ran into Huang Qian and her daughter while taking a walk outside the east gate of L University that day.

"Sister, you can't date him!" Huang Yanxiang's voice snapped Yan Qing back to reality from her reverie. This girl had truly inherited the chivalrous spirit of Gong Meiping and Huang Qian. No wonder Yan Qing had noticed the way Huang Yanxiang looked at her was different from usual since she entered the room today. She must have been holding it in for a long time and finally found the opportunity to speak up.

Yan Qing pulled her to her side and asked gently, "Why?"

"Cheng Jiaming is a good person, but his father may not be a good person. Women can be deceived by men when they are in love. My mother was deceived before!" Yan Qing suddenly realized that the incident between Huang Qian and Wu Chuan had a deeper impact on Huang Yanxiang than expected.

“Xiangxiang, this is a rather complicated issue…” Yan Qing carefully chose her words, trying to find a child-friendly way to explain it to her.

"Sister, Cheng Jiaming's mother is back!"

Yan Qing was still pondering and didn't immediately understand her words: "What?"

"Cheng Jiaming's mother! His mother and father have reconciled, and the family of three is reunited!"

The girl's voice was crisp and sharp, cutting through Yan Qing's thoughts like a blade. Her mind went blank for a long time before she could stitch the words "mother," "reunion," and "deception" into a complete sentence.

This news came so unexpectedly that Yan Qing was skeptical: "His mother? They made up?"

"Yes! Absolutely!" Huang Yanxiang excitedly flipped open the tablet. "Look here!"

In the video, three people are projected onto a huge screen: Shen Hanyang with a calm expression, Cheng Jiaming holding a phone, and a woman with a very beautiful smile.

Huang Yanxiang, her little face contorted with anger, commented from the side: "The three of them went to XX singer's New Year's Eve concert and got filmed on the big screen!"

The singer on stage exclaimed, "Wow, I'm sure I'm not mistaken this time! It's a dad, mom, and baby, right? What a good-looking family! I'm almost embarrassed to go on stage compared to them!" Laughter erupted from the audience in the background. The singer continued to build the atmosphere: "Such a handsome dad, why don't you give the beautiful mom a sweet kiss in front of everyone? Want to?" Perhaps because the two were so strikingly good-looking, a chorus of whistles and cheers erupted from the audience: "Yes!" The woman glanced at Shen Hanyang beside her with a sweet, alluring smile. Shen Hanyang politely curled the corners of his lips, responding with a minimal smile.

One video ended there, and Huang Yanxiang clicked on another. The background music was a familiar song, a popular hit by a certain singer. It seemed Cheng Jiaming was sitting very close to the stage; in his shot, the singer was practically right in front of him. The camera slowly panned from the stage to the audience, with twinkling stars behind them, glow sticks waving to the rhythm—a spectacular scene of thousands singing along. The camera continued to pan, and Shen Hanyang entered the frame. Cheng Jiaming shook him vigorously, and Shen Hanyang reluctantly picked up a glow stick and waved it perfunctorily at the camera. Then the camera switched to the smiling, unfamiliar woman.

Cheng Jiaming and the woman made funny faces together.

Women, even when making funny faces, are charming and captivating.

Huang Yanxiang angrily threw down her tablet, not even bothering to lower her voice, and said loudly, "These live streams were all sent to me by Cheng Jiaming to show off! Cheng Jiaming said that his father and her mother are already living together!"

...Living together? Yan Qing was overwhelmed by this sudden information, unable to process it all. She sat like a statue, her right hand unconsciously touching the diamond ring on her left finger. It was the ring he had insisted she wear. He had repeatedly explained that it wasn't a wedding ring, but a couple's ring, so she wouldn't feel burdened. Now, she seemed to have a premonition that something would slip away from this ring, which held no strict binding meaning.

Seeing her in a daze, Huang Yanxiang gently shook her from the side: "Sister?"

"Hmm?" Yan Qing's gaze refocused as the little girl moved closer, looking at her with concern.

Huang Qian's attempt to break down the mutton failed. With the news broadcast about to begin, Gong Meiping was so hungry she pounded the table. Yan Qing hurriedly went to the kitchen and cooked a few dishes. Huang Qian, with zero cooking skills, could only assist from the sidelines.

"My favorite is ribbonfish," Gong Meiping said with a delighted expression.

Ever since Shen Hanyang visited Huang Qian's house and showed off his culinary skills, Gong Meiping has fallen in love with steamed ribbonfish and vegetable and fruit juices. Huang Qian, citing excessive sugar, halved the amount of apple in the juices repeatedly. After a long tug-of-war with Gong Meiping, she finally managed to persuade the water-averse Gong Meiping to reluctantly accept it. Ribbonfish thus rightfully became a regular on Gong Meiping's dinner table.

At this moment, this delicious and tender fish became a thorn in Yan Qing's side.

After finally finishing their meal, Gong Meiping dragged Yan Qing to watch TV. Several major TV stations were broadcasting the New Year's Eve gala live. Gong Meiping complained, "These shows are unwatchable! The men aren't acting like men at all, all that makeup, they look like freaks! If you ask me, boys should act like boys, like Yan Qing's boyfriend, Xiao Shen. He's handsome, talented, and capable in both social and domestic settings—that's what real manliness is..."

As Gong Meiping watched and commented, Yan Qing suddenly felt incredibly confused. After staying a while longer, she made up an excuse and left Huang Qian's house early.

She had originally agreed with Shen Hanyang that she would notify the driver to pick her up in advance once she was done here. But now, she hesitated to touch the phone.

What is she worried about? Everything is still unclear, and we can't conclude the facts based on just a few words from a child.

But the image of the family of three at the concert was etched in her mind. She especially couldn't forget the woman's gentle smile as she covered her mouth—so beautiful and captivating, that's why even the singer praised her and the director favored her, right?

Fireworks were set off early, their dazzling bursts illuminating the azure night sky. The temperature was low, but it did nothing to dampen people's joy. Everywhere were couples embracing and children frolicking happily. December 31st—this was truly an extraordinary day. A year's hard work came to an end on this day; it was a day representing reunion, reflection, reward, and harvest. She suddenly wanted to pick up the phone and say to him, "Happy New Year."

But how can a ringing phone compete with the sound system of a concert? He was surrounded by children, mothers of children, songs, applause, and tens of thousands of like-minded audience members. Filled with happiness, he probably didn't have the extra energy to listen to her blessing.

She wondered if she had misunderstood him. But Huang Yanxiang insisted that Cheng Jiaming's parents had been living together for several months. There were no secrets or lies between Cheng Jiaming and Huang Yanxiang. So, did the secrets and lies only exist between her and Shen Hanyang?

Yan Qing walked alone along the edge of the road, brushing past the bustling crowds. Fireworks exploded overhead, each bang like a slap in the face. Phrases like "reconciliation," "reunion," and "the white moonlight and the cinnabar mole" kept flashing through her mind.

She sat down on an empty bench on the street, the dim light of the street lamp casting a halo around her solitary figure.

She stared blankly at the traffic and pedestrians on the street. Across the street, the shopping mall was brightly lit, and the shop windows were adorned with vibrant flowers. The whole world seemed to be filled with joy.

She was sitting there, her body stiff with cold, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She opened it and saw a WeChat message from Gu Feimeng: "Baby, I was afraid there would be too many messages at midnight, so I wish you a Happy New Year in advance, and I wish you and your handsome husband a happy and lasting marriage!"

I had only edited half of my reply to Gu Feimeng when a new message came in—a voice message.

"Happy New Year, little one. I'm not going to make it to midnight, I need to go to sleep early, otherwise I'll get scolded by the nurses again." Qiao Yi's eyesight no longer allows him to type, so he's been sending voice messages lately. Although he tries to sound relaxed, he can't hide his dry voice and weak breathing. Yan Qing felt as if something had pierced her heart, and her eyes welled up with tears.

The clock struck midnight precisely, and the first to send New Year's greetings was Cheng Jiaming. He posted a close-up photo with an exaggerated expression, along with the caption: "Handsome guy sending blessings, Happy New Year, Teacher Yan! May you become more and more beautiful!"

Yan Qing wiggled her fingers, which were stiff from the cold, and replied, "Happy New Year, Jiaming! Go to bed early!"

The lively atmosphere on the street lingered like the night, and joy invigorated everyone. The ten-mile-long street was ablaze with lights, stretching endlessly. Cellphones buzzed incessantly, a barrage of mass-sent wishes and copied-and-pasted greetings exploding like firecrackers. Interspersed among them was Cheng Jiaming's reply:

"Teacher, I'm so happy! I'm so happy I can't sleep!"

"Teacher, I have never been so happy!"

The child's cry for happiness struck Yan Qing's heart like the pounding of a New Year's bell at midnight.