Chapter 102: The Horn of Victory

Chapter 102: The Horn of Victory

Cheng Bing still didn't move.

His heart trembled slightly, and the intensity in his eyes seemed about to overflow.

He took two deep breaths, his gaze softening as he looked at Fang Yuenian's face. "Are you... confessing your feelings to me?"

The night air was hot and dry, and Fang Yuenian found it hard to breathe.

“Anyway, you kissed me first,” he lowered his eyes, “Even if I confessed first, it would still be a victory horn, I…”

Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Bing moved with the speed of a leopard, pounced on him, grabbed his shoulder, and pulled him tightly into her arms.

Fang Yuenian's arm ached from his pinch, but she didn't try to break free.

Cheng Bing tightened his arms around Cheng Bing's, almost as if he was venting his anger. He couldn't think too much; he was so overwhelmed by the sudden confession that he was dizzy and disoriented. He wasn't doing anything based on his brain, but on his instincts.

Their instinct to cling to each other and cherish each other.

They shared a complete, intimate, and unwavering embrace.

When they parted, Cheng Bing looked at Fang Yuenian, leaned over and gently kissed him on the forehead.

"It's too late today. Come to the carpenter's shop tomorrow. I also have something to tell you."

Fang Yuenian finally smiled, "Okay."

Back home, Fang Yuenian opened the bookcase and took out an old wooden box from the top shelf.

It contained his treasures.

—It was a treasure he couldn't wait to show to Cheng Bing.

The next day, Wang Jing busied herself at home packing and moving a lot of furniture, preparing for the construction in the backyard.

Fang Yuenian is no longer under the pressure of preparing for the exam. He rolled up his sleeves and worked hard all day. After dinner and a bath, he took the wooden box to the carpenter's shop.

Cheng Bing is already here.

Upon meeting, Fang Yuenian felt all the fatigue of the day vanish. She raised her hand and waved, "Look."

"Hmm?" Cheng Bing took a step closer to him. "What's this?"

"It's from my collection."

Cheng Bing originally thought she knew everything Fang Yuenian had collected.

When he was in elementary school, he really liked a racing anime and painstakingly saved up his New Year's money to buy a lot of models, stickers and posters. However, his dad smashed them all in a fit of anger one time, and he never bought them again after that.

He also used to enjoy playing soccer. When he was a little older, he could invite his friends to play together on the small lawn at the entrance of the village. However, the silly kids would easily get scolded by adults, for example, for getting their clothes dirty or not coming home for dinner on time. Grandma Fang went over with a broom and scolded him twice, and then no one would play soccer with him anymore.

Of course, he also has a deep affection for wood, though his talent for it is questionable.

There were others, which, in his own words, all disappeared without a trace, but some relics were indeed left behind.

Cheng Bing knew of a four-wheel drive racing car model missing one wheel, and a Chinese knot that had faded most of its color, which was made by Cheng Junjun. At that time, it was popular for girls to make all kinds of bracelets and ribbons themselves. There were also some wooden birds, wooden ducks, and various wooden animals that he had painstakingly made. Most of them were ugly and crooked, but Cheng Bing made a few that were somewhat decent.

—If those are all treasures.

However, he soon discovered that he didn't really know much about his classmate's true treasured collection.

The box that Fang Yuenian brought looked very heavy; it was an old-fashioned mahogany box with a lock that is now rarely seen.

He opened the box, and inside was another layer of cotton cloth, wrapped tightly and neatly, as if it contained some kind of ancestral jewelry.

"Watch closely," Fang Yuenian said with a hint of excitement, "and don't blink."

Cheng Bing was aroused with great anticipation by him, and then, the moment she saw what was inside, her breath caught in her throat for a few seconds.

The first thing that catches the eye is a small wooden sword about twenty centimeters long, which is very well made. If you look closely, you can see two characters engraved on the blade: "Yuanzhi" (meaning "far-reaching ambition"), with the characters as fine as hair. This could not have been made by Fang Yuenian herself, nor by Cheng Bing, as their skills are far from that level.

Cheng Bing's eyes widened suddenly, and she picked up the small wooden sword. "This is..."

“Guess, guess,” Fang Yuenian raised an eyebrow proudly, “and see if you can remember.”

Cheng Bing turned her gaze to him, remained silent for a few seconds, and then a strange surprise and joy welled up on her face.

“Grandpa made it,” he said softly, staring blankly at the little gadget, “because I have one just like it.”

Actually, they can't be considered exactly the same.

When Cheng Jiagong casually made these for his two children to play with, he was particular about the wood he used. Even small toys had to be neat and tidy. One of the two small wooden swords was engraved with the character "Yuanzhi" (远志), and the other with the character "Danggui" (当归), which were common characters in those days.

That day was the second day of the Lunar New Year, a day when married women return to their parents' home. The Cheng family was reunited, and a special little guest arrived. The two boys became friends, and from then on, year after year, they should have lofty aspirations and never forget to return home.

Upon hearing this, Fang Yuenian's eyes lit up, and she asked breathlessly, "Do you still have that one?!"

Cheng Bing took two short breaths and nodded: "Mm."

Fang Yuenian was overjoyed. Without warning, she leaned in and kissed him hard on the ear, then continued to lift the cotton cloth with great interest, saying, "Let's take another look."

A strange heat wave gathered where he had kissed her, and it quickly spread to Cheng Bing's entire ear.

As if to cover something up, he quickly reached out and rubbed his earlobe. The back of his hand brushed against that skin, and his hand even felt a little hot.

When the cotton cloth was fully lifted, Cheng Bing saw that what took up most of the box was two stacks of neatly folded, colorful laser candy wrappers.

Cheng Bing was suddenly taken aback.

He was familiar with these candy wrappers, but...

He looked up at Fang Yuenian, who was smiling broadly at him, and said, "You, how could you..."

Seven or eight years ago, this candy was a popular and trendy snack. The candy wrapper had a unique shape; when flat, it looked like a semi-transparent plastic sheet, but when you twisted it into a crease, it would refract colorful halos. It was used to wrap a round, crystal-clear candy, and even if you didn't eat it, just looking at it was rare and beautiful.

With this feature, Cheng Bing remembers that her family would buy it every year, and her sisters would specially find pretty glass jars to put it in, which would be displayed for ten days or so during the holidays, treating it as a decoration.

However, in recent years, with the emergence of many beautiful and novel snacks, the market for this candy has gradually decreased year by year. Even if people buy it, it's not really for the sake of eating it. After all, although the candy looks shiny and colorful, the taste is ultimately too sweet and bland.

But why is he also collecting these candy wrappers?

Cheng Bing's heart pounded. She thought of a reason, but felt it was too far-fetched.

Seeing his bewildered look, Fang Yuenian finally felt smug and clapped her hands, saying, "Well, you didn't know this, did you? Tsk, I can't blame you. You only gave me a piece of candy back then, but you didn't give me the wrapper. It's normal that you don't remember."

Surprise slowly crept onto Cheng Bing's face.

Fang Yuenian smiled and said, "I have a good memory, right? I remember you told me that the reason there was only candy was because my older sister took the candy wrappers away for something. Actually, I had a lot of candy like that at the time, so I ate a lot of them myself when I got back, but they just didn't taste as good as the ones you gave me... I don't know how, but I just naturally started collecting the candy wrappers, and then, day by day, I accumulated so many without even realizing it."

He mumbled on and on about what had happened when he was five years old, slowly recounting the events of that day. Cheng Bing listened until her throat tightened, wanting to speak, but it seemed she had already lost her voice.

Fang Yuenian added, "This kind of candy is hard to buy now, but I don't plan to collect it anymore. I want to use it for something more meaningful. I haven't forgotten what I promised you."

There are generally two reasons for collecting something: either it is very meaningful to the person, or the person simply has a great love and interest in it. For Fang Yue Nian, candy wrappers clearly belong to the former category.

Because he had eaten a piece of candy given to him by Cheng Bing when he was a child, he kept that casual remark in his heart. From then on, for many years—judging from the number and condition of these candy wrappers, it really has been many years—he collected and preserved them. Today, he brought them to Cheng Bing, saying that he wanted to make them more meaningful.

Cheng Bing's voice trembled slightly, which Fang Yuenian noticed very clearly.

"You...you collected this because of me?"

Fang Yuenian nodded immediately, "Yes," he smiled brightly, and brought his fist to Cheng Bing's lips, "May I ask, Cheng Bing, what are your thoughts?"

Cheng Bing's gaze swept over his eyebrows and eyes, she reached out and cupped the fist in front of her, lowered her face, and gently kissed the back of his hand.

Fang Yuenian's heart skipped a beat at his kiss, and she immediately asked, "Are you happy?"

Cheng Bing nodded slowly, "Mm."

Fang Yuenian leaned closer and continued, "Every time I collect each candy wrapper here, I think of you."

Cheng Bing stared at him, forgetting even to blink.

Fang Yuenian was overjoyed—he was happy.

After a long while, Cheng Bing gently sniffed and smiled with her eyes lowered.

Fang Yuenian couldn't contain her joy, pursed her lips, and tilted her head to ask, "What are you laughing at?"

"You're just trying to comfort me," Cheng Bing said.

Fang Yuenian quickly said, "I didn't."

Cheng Bing looked at him: "Then why didn't you tell me before?"

Fang Yuenian smugly snorted, "This is my own collection. I can tell you whenever I want, or I can choose not to tell you, that's my freedom."

Cheng Bing: "Then why did you want to tell me?"

“Because,” Fang Yue swayed back and forth, her gaze fixed on his face, observing every tiny expression, “because I like you, because I know you like me too.”

Cheng Bing's smile froze.

Fang Yuenian had been waiting for this moment. He bit his lower lip and said in a low voice, "You told me before to think for myself who I cared about and valued most. You got rid of my mother and my sisters, but children and parents always have to separate, and my sisters will have their own lives... So, you are the most important person to me." (Author's note:)

Thank you for reading. This book