water vapor

The company was very busy at the end of the year, and Fu Xingchuan was flying all over the place. Lin Qiao, after work, was having dinner with her family and shopping with friends. When Fu Xingchuan remembered to send her a message, she would reply a few words. The awkward and polite conversations on the chat interface seemed to have returned to the way they were getting along in the early days of their marriage.

Fu Xingchuan also noticed something was wrong. He wanted to find someone to talk to, but after thinking about it, he found only one suitable person.

In Sheep, Tiger, and Pig, Zhu Changyu was cleaning the sticky notes off the wall. Fu Xingchuan asked, "Why are you taking these down?"

"I plan to renovate the store after the New Year."

Fu Xingchuan was feeling restless and drank orange soda in big gulps.

Zhu Changyu noticed, "Why don't you drink?"

"It's already like this now. If I get drunk and Lin Luo doesn't let me in, it will be even worse." He said seriously.

Zhu Changyu blurted out, "What a loser."

When he heard it, his eyes became sharp, "What did you say?"

"I said there's plenty of soda." Zhu Changyu backed off again.

Looking at the bubbles rising from the soda bottle, Fu Xingchuan rarely recalled the past, a very distant memory. He curled his lips, but he just couldn't do anything about Lin Luo.

"Hey, look, this is what I wrote before." Zhu Changyu said with bright eyes, holding a sticky note.

"What did you write?" he asked.

Zhu Changyu didn't answer. He looked at the words on it: [I hope that no matter what happens in the future, the friendship between the seven of us will remain unchanged. —Xu Yangyang, Zhu Changyu, Tong Yun, Lin Luo, Fu Xingchuan, Zhu Sui'an, Ruan Ye]

Eventually it changed.

Fu Xingchuan stared at him, and Zhu Changyu changed the subject, "I remember Lin Luo also wrote one. I wonder if I can find it."

Fu Xingchuan remembered what she wrote and sighed unconsciously.

Seeing him like this, Zhu Changyu said seriously, "Lin Luo, my goddess is a very brave and tenacious person. Generally speaking, once she sets her mind to something, she won't change her mind, and there's nothing she can't accomplish. She's very gentle and considerate with people, and she wouldn't resort to cold violence against anyone casually, so I think she might be entering a period of burnout."

Although he was still single, Fu Xingchuan listened carefully to him. "You've been married for a few months now. The honeymoon period is over and you've returned to the daily grind of life. Naturally, she's calmed down. You're on business trips all the time, and she's busy with work too. You don't see each other often, so you're not the first to know about anything that happens to her. It's inevitable that you'll feel uncomfortable."

"Also, your identity has caused her a lot of trouble. She doesn't like appearing in front of the camera, but she often has to be interviewed and attend banquets because of you."

"Don't always use empty promises, vows, and sweet words. They're useless. You should take real actions to let her know that you love her."

Zhu Changyu said he was thirsty, walked over and opened a bottle of soda.

Fu Xingchuan looked thoughtful. Zhu Changyu observed his expression and asked nervously, "By the way, are you still in touch with Tong Yun?"

Fu Xingchuan raised his eyelids, met his gaze, paused for a moment, and said in a hoarse voice, "No."

Zhu Changyu lowered his eyes, and Fu Xingchuan spoke again, "...but I know that she is living a good life now."

"That's good, that's good." Zhu Changyu forced a smile.

Fu Xingchuan found the reason and wanted to return to Lin Luo quickly. He patted Zhu Changyu on the shoulder and said goodbye to him, "Brother, let's go."

"Good brother, let's go! Be good to Lin Luo."

"Yeah." His voice became more and more distant.

The wind blew into the store from outside, blowing the sticky note written by Zhu Changyu into the trash can. He wanted to pick it up, but his hand bumped into the soda bottle cap, and it also fell into the trash can, pressing the sticky note to the bottom.

Zhu Changyu didn't pick up the sticky note again. At the bottom of the trash can, a drop of soda from the bottle cap fell onto the yellowed paper, wetting the words "Tong Yun" and blurring them into a black ink mass that gradually blurred.

*

The air was filled with water vapor, and the damp and sticky feeling made Lin Luo feel uncomfortable. Fu Xingchuan noticed this and closed the car window.

It seems like there was a car accident ahead and cars are stuck on the highway.

"Are you tired? Let me drive at the next service area!" Lin Luo looked at him.

"Not tired." Fu Xingchuan took her hand, squeezed it tightly and said, "Xiaoxiao."

This was the first time he called her that, and Lin Luo held her breath.

"Next year I won't be traveling as often, and we won't be attending interviews or banquets if you don't like it. I'll spend more time with you, okay?"

She whispered "hmm".

The road began to clear, Fu Xingchuan let go of her hand, Lin Luo leaned back in the seat and looked at his profile. What was he thinking now?

Since she visited Uncle Tang’s hometown to celebrate the New Year in her second year of high school, Lin Luo has regarded it as her hometown and comes here every year to celebrate.

She spoke fluent Nan'an dialect and greeted everyone she knew. She was so enthusiastic that Fu Xingchuan could hardly hold her hand.

As soon as they arrived at the house, a chicken flew out and passed by Fu Xingchuan. He didn't react and was frightened. He was about to protect Lin Luo, but saw her reach out and grab the chicken's two wings.

"Xiaoxiao, you're finally back." Tang Zhihua ran over happily, took the chicken from her hand and handed it to Lu Zhuo.

"Hello, Mr. Fu, just call me cousin."

Tang Zhihua, Fu Xingchuan remembered that Lin Luo had called her once that winter and called her by this name.

When they came to their senses, they had already walked to the front. The whole family was killing fish and chickens, both men and women, dividing the work and working together.

"Zhihua, my granddaughter, is now a live-streaming sales expert! She's really promising. Every year she helps everyone in the village sell navel oranges, which helps them live better and better."

It was grandma who was speaking, sometimes speaking Nan'an dialect, sometimes speaking Mandarin, a mixture of both.

Fu Xingchuan barely understood.

"Our Xiaoxiao is even more impressive. She has a PhD from Peking University. I guess you don't have a PhD in your family! She's reported in the news every day. She won this award today, that award tomorrow, and made significant contributions to national scientific research. She's quite capable..."

Grandma kept chattering, Tang Heng and Du Yunyan smiled at each other, and her beloved grandson Tang Muchen was left aside.

Every time she came back, she had to listen to her bragging like this. Lin Xi's ears were almost callused. She looked up and saw Fu Xingchuan still standing there in a daze, looking a little at a loss.

She stood up and pulled him to her side, giving him a pile of vegetable leaves. "It's custom in our family, regardless of gender, everyone has to cook the New Year's Eve dinner together during the New Year. You should follow the local customs!"

"Hmm." Fu Xingchuan was picking vegetables while Tang Zhihua took out his camera to take pictures. "I want to save the photo of the two CEOs squatting on the ground working."

"Xiaoxiao." Tang Zhihua suddenly called her.

Lin Luo raised her head and made a "yeah" gesture to the camera.

A bright smile on her face and curved eyebrows.

Fu Xingchuan hadn't seen her smile like this for a while.

The New Year's Eve dinner was served and everyone gathered together. Zhu Sui'an sent a photo, showing that new couplets had been put up in front of Jinghe's house, and the banner still had the four words "Peace Every Year" written by Ruan Ye.

May you all be safe and sound: [It’s a shame we can’t take a family photo today. Let’s take one together when you guys come back!]

OK: [Okay.]

Lin Luo saw the message but did not reply and put the phone on the table.

Fu Xingchuan responded to New Year's greetings from some partners.

She glanced at the people at the circled table. The men were talking about how much housework they had done and how much money they had earned this year, while the women were discussing their careers and whether they were considering getting married and having children.

Lin Luo ate silently while Du Yunyan picked up some meat for her. After Tang Heng gave out red envelopes to the children, he also stuffed one into her hand.

Lin Luo said softly to Du Yunyan, "I'm an adult now. I earn more than my uncle. I don't need to accept red envelopes anymore."

"He's old-fashioned and stubborn, so just keep him!"

Lin Luo held the red envelope in her hand, and thought of the past, feeling warm in her heart.

Grandma noticed her and said, "Xiaoxiao, look how much your Uncle Tang loves you, just like he's his own child. When you were in high school, your biological father didn't care about you, but he paid your tuition and picked you up from evening self-study. You must respect him well in the future."

Du Yunyan frowned and tried to stand up but was held down by Lin Lu. Fu Xingchuan nodded and toasted Tang Heng with a smile.

"And Zhihua, you're not young anymore, so having children should be on your agenda."

"If I give birth to a child, will you pay for raising it?"

"Of course you have to raise your own child."

"Then what does it have to do with you whether I give birth or not?" She almost said the word "old woman" when Lu Zhuo interrupted them and said shockingly, "There's something wrong with my body. I'm sorry, Zhihua."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent.

Tang Zhihua was quick-witted and adaptable. She picked up her cousin's baby and started pretending, "Why is fate so kind to me? Is it wrong for me to want to have a child with the one I love? Oh my God!"

She became more and more excited as she acted, and the child was woken up by her, but he didn't cry or make a fuss. She got into the situation and even wiped away her tears.

The elders who had just helped her give birth began to comfort her. Lin Luo took the child and held it in her arms. Fu Xingchuan stared at her, and Lin Luo whispered to him, "It's fake."

"Great!" he whispered. The child's attention was attracted by him, and his little hand actually held one of his fingers.

Fu Xingchuan smiled, his eyes full of joy, and gestured to Lin Luo to look.

She pursed her lips slightly.

In the square, everyone was waiting for the fireworks to be set off. Lin Xiao gave Tang Zhihua a thumbs-up and said, "You performed very well just now."

"Thank you for the compliment!" She breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I can finally put this to rest once and for all."

"A child is the fruit of love between parents. You and Lu Zhuo have always been very sweet. Why don't you want to have a child?" The cousin who knew the situation was curious.

Tang Zhihua answered seriously: "I don't want to be trapped by my children. Who can guarantee what the future will be like? What if someone changes their mind? In the end, the family will be broken up, and won't the children suffer?"

"You are just too pessimistic," said my cousin.

Tang Zhihua spread his hands and asked, "What's wrong with that?"

"Xiaoxiao, don't learn from her."

Fu Xingchuan came over after finishing his call, and Lin Luo said "hmm".

Teacher Yin called and complained to Lin Dayong, "Your father is a workaholic. He's still talking about business on New Year's Eve."

"Comrade Lin Dayong!" Lin Luo spoke.

He immediately put down his computer, looked over, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, may I have any instructions?"

"Put aside your work and have a good New Year's Eve dinner with Teacher Yin."

"Yes, sir." Lin Dayong saluted.

Seeing Fu Xingchuan hugging Lin Xiao's shoulders through the camera, his tone immediately turned serious, "Smelly boy, where are you putting your hands?"

Fu Xingchuan didn't move. Lin Luo moved the camera away. "Let's go watch the fireworks with Teacher Yin! Can you be a little more romantic?"

Lin Dayong nodded, and Lin Xiao said loudly, "Dad, Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year!" The two voices overlapped and the phone was hung up. Lin Luo looked at the other person who made the voice. It was Tang Muchen, who pointed the camera at the sky.

"Xu Huanyu, we're going to set off fireworks. Don't be sad. It's just that your parents aren't around! Isn't it... I'm still here with you?"

The second half of the sentence was drowned out by the sound of fireworks shooting into the sky. I don’t know if the other party heard it.

The sky was filled with colorful lights, decorating the night, and Fu Xingchuan held Lin Luo in his arms.

"Fu Xingchuan, I don't like watching fireworks." Lin Luo spoke, his voice as ethereal as falling flames.

"I know."

He doesn't know.

A new wave of fireworks lit up the sky. Lin Qiao said to him with bright eyes, "Happy New Year! May we all be happy!"

"Happy New Year! May all be well with us!"

The splendor that dazzled Lin Luo finally came to an end, but she still felt empty inside. However, with Fu Xingchuan by her side, she didn't seem so lonely anymore.

When they got home, Xu Yangyang and Zhu Changyu called each other to wish each other a happy new year. As usual, Xu Yangyang was being urged to get married and was in a bad mood, but she kept chewing the beef jerky made by Zhu Changyu's mother.

Zhu Changyu was sorting sticky notes on the side, and the walls around him became empty.

He was tidying up and telling jokes. Fu Xingchuan came out of the shower and was amused by him.

Lin Luo was looking for something in her bag, but after searching through it, she found it was not there.

After the phone was hung up, Fu Xingchuan blinked, walked over and bent down, supporting himself on the bed with both hands, sinking into the soft quilt.

The hair was not dried, and water fell along a strand of hair in front of the forehead onto the back of Lin Luo's hand.

Lin Luo looked down.

"I'm going to take a shower..."

Before she could finish her words, Fu Xingchuan lifted her chin and covered her mouth. Lin Qi's breathing stopped as she felt his soft lips wrapped around her, sucking continuously, with the sweet taste of orange soda.

Lin Xi separated her lips from his, gasping for breath, "Fu Xingchuan, wait..."

Fu Xingchuan kissed her neck, but she immediately pushed him away. "Thank you for helping to prepare the New Year's Eve dinner today. Let's go to bed early!"

Fu Xingchuan stared at her and said abruptly, "I don't want to go to bed early."

He took a step forward, and Lin Luo subconsciously put her hand in front of her to resist, but she didn't expect her hand to knock over the bag beside her, and all the things inside fell out and scattered all over the floor.

Fu Xingchuan squatted down to pick it up for her. Lin Luo noticed that there was a piece of medicine among them and hurried to pick it up, but he picked it up first.

"Lin Luo...what are you worried about?" Fu Xingchuan said indifferently. He put the medicine in his bag and whispered, "Are you so afraid of getting pregnant with my child? When did you start taking it? Are you trying to protect me? What are you afraid of?"

Lin Xiao pursed her lips, unsure how to begin to remove the thorn. It was New Year's Day, and the timing wasn't right. Fu Xingchuan didn't push her. He patted her head, smiled faintly, and said, "If you're tired, take a good rest! I'll go out and get some fresh air."

He closed the door, and Lin Luo lay on the bed, sighing unconsciously.

She is tired, and Fu Xingchuan should be tired too!