Grandma Yu was absolutely right. Gu Zixiao really wouldn't let him set off firecrackers.
Lan Yao was somewhat helpless and shouted at Gu Zixiao, "Are you looking down on me? I'm a woman, shouldn't I be able to set off firecrackers?"
Gu Zixiao looked puzzled, but reacted quickly, saying aggrievedly, "Am I that kind of person? Why would I look down on you just because you're a woman? I just felt that setting off firecrackers was something I should do."
"Why do I have to do it myself, but you can't?"
Gu Zixiao: "This requires bending over to light the fire, and this stuff is very dusty. Don't get your clothes dirty. Let me do this little thing."
Grandma Yu, who was listening nearby, rolled her eyes. "If you just don't want Lan Yao to be tired, then just say so. I know you too well."
The master chuckled twice. He gave Grandma Yu a thumbs-up, "Yes, Grandma Yu, you know me, that's exactly what I meant."
Lan Yao listened from the side, her heart fluttering slightly.
Gu Zixiao turned to Lan Yao and said, "Give me a pat."
Lan Yao looked completely bewildered, but still patted him as requested.
Gu Zixiao: "I'll just pretend I put it away for you, and you can treat me like you."
Lan Yao understood immediately. He was both amused and exasperated.
Gu Zixiao's idea was simple: if you take a picture of me, I can release it for you; you can treat me as you.
Then you won't need to go through the trouble of doing it yourself. How simple and clear is that?
Grandma Yu, listening nearby, rolled her eyes and couldn't help but complain, "How come I never noticed before that he was like this? He had no sense of who people were around here?"
Lan Yao: "Isn't that because he hasn't met me yet?"
Grandma Yu: ...
Hehe, I don't really want to talk.
You two are completely incompatible.
To put it bluntly, it's a case of one person willing to give and the other willing to receive, and they're both quite happy about it.
And so, the matter was settled.
Gu Zixiao was to set off those strings of firecrackers.
Quickly, a series of crackling sounds filled the entire alley. Their firecrackers went off unnoticed, as the sounds of firecrackers erupted all around them in quick succession.
The sound of firecrackers filled the air, and Lan Yao couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If she hadn't transmigrated to this world, she wouldn't have celebrated a New Year like this in the apocalypse for many years. Or rather, she wouldn't have spent a New Year so safely and carefree.
She couldn't remember exactly how many years it had been since she celebrated the New Year.
Just as she was lost in thought, someone leaned over and shoved a handful of sparklers into her hand. These were the kind of sparklers only children play with.
Lan Yao looked at the sparkling flower in her hand, then at Gu Zixiao: "Why are you giving me these things?"
Gu Zixiao: "Didn't you want to set off firecrackers? I brought them for you. Go ahead and set them off."
Lan Yao looked at him with a black line on her forehead, "Do you think it's appropriate for an adult like me to leave it there?"
"What do you mean by 'appropriate' or 'inappropriate'? Isn't this the New Year? Isn't it the right thing to do? Do you think this thing is only for children to play with? No, adults can play with it too."
As Gu Zixiao spoke, he naturally took a twig from Lan Yao's hand and lit it with pre-burned firewood in front of Grandma Yu and Lan Yao. Soon, golden flames burst forth.
The beautiful colors illuminated Lan Yao's pretty face, and looking at the beautiful golden firelight, a warm feeling naturally rose in Lan Yao's heart.
Gu Zixiao naturally handed the burning sparkler to Lan Yao, while also remembering Grandma Yu beside him.
It wasn't just two women, one old and one young, at Gu Zixiao's place. They started placing sparklers—things only children could play with—at the front door.
The two women, one old and one young, exchanged a glance, smiled at each other, and started playing.
Grandma Yu couldn't help but sigh to herself, realizing that she hadn't had such a happy and carefree time in many years.
Once upon a time, she had a family and children, but things are different now, and those beautiful memories can only remain deep in her mind.
Holding the golden light in her hand, she couldn't help but sigh. She had been very lucky this year; if she hadn't met Lan Yao, she might have spent another lonely and desolate New Year in her cold, quiet home, just like before. Perhaps, he would have already passed away on New Year's Eve.
Watching Lan Yao and Gu Zixiao playing around beside her, her restless and lonely heart gradually warmed up.
The three of them played outside for a long time. Only when they felt a bit cold did they reluctantly return inside.
Once inside, Gu Zixiao naturally picked up the kettle from the stove and filled two glass bottles with hot water for the two of them.
These two glass bottles were the ones Gu Zixiao got back from the hospital when she went there before.
In hospitals, the hot water bottles used for IV drips are in very high demand, especially in the dead of winter; they're incredibly sought after.
After all, this thing only needs a little water to rinse the contents a few times, then you can fill it with hot water, wrap it in a cloth, and put it in your quilt in winter—it's incredibly warm.
Both Lan Yao and Grandma Yu had two or three of these glass bottles in their beds.
Lan Yao warmed herself up by hugging the hot water bottle wrapped in cloth, and after a while she asked, "Are we going to keep watch tonight?"
It's been a long time since I celebrated the New Year, so I've almost forgotten about the benefits of keeping things as they are.
Even before the apocalypse, the New Year's atmosphere in their area had gradually disappeared. They wouldn't stay up all night, and they wouldn't even watch the Spring Festival Gala at night; they'd just throw on the covers and go to sleep around 10 pm.
Not to mention that fireworks and firecrackers are banned in the city, so there are only a few scattered noises around, and it's no different from celebrating the New Year.
Gu Zixiao: "We'll talk about that later. Are you hungry?"
Lan Yao: "I am a little hungry."
Gu Zixiao: "What do you want to eat? I'll make you something. I remember there are some snacks at home, take them out and have some to tide you over."
Grandma Yu's lips twitched as she listened from the side. She couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you just finish eating not long ago? How come you're hungry again?"
Lan Yao looked innocent: "I'm still young, it's normal to be hungry when I'm growing."
Grandma Yu then realized that Lan Yao was indeed quite young.
As the saying goes, "A half-grown boy can eat his father out of house and home," and there's some truth to that.
Teenagers who are in their developmental stage can get hungry very quickly.
Grandma Yu: "Didn't we make a lot of dumplings today? Let's cook them then. Today is New Year's Day, what else would we eat if not dumplings?"
Gu Zixiao: "Then let's eat some dumplings. Dumplings for a late-night snack? That'll definitely get boring!"
Lan Yao nodded in agreement, agreeing that Gu Zixiao's words made a lot of sense.
Grandma Yu: ...
hehe!
You two are really...
She glared at Gu Zixiao as she spoke.
Gu Zixiao felt Grandma Yu's gaze and was somewhat confused.
"So how about we get some hot pot?"
He remembered that Lan Yao loved to eat this.
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