Wanjie Shop 30: Garden Fireworks
Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng followed the crowd and walked towards the lion dance performance area.
After walking a little closer, I could see that there was a medium-sized platform built with bamboo poles, in the shape of a pyramid, with a head of lettuce (for wealth) placed on the top of the tower.
There are two lion dance teams below, and they have to compete for the only lettuce within the specified time.
Two majestic dancing lions, one gold and one red, pranced and leaped in the center of the venue. They first played with the children below the stage, sometimes acting cute and sometimes making scary gestures.
As the excitement of the crowd, especially the children, grew, and the sound of gongs and drums as background music became increasingly intense, the two lion dancers suddenly gained momentum and began to climb the platform.
The crowd of onlookers was packed in three layers, with cheers and applause rising one after another. The children in the front row were watching intently, shouting for the lion they had bet on and jumping around excitedly.
Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng took advantage of their height and stood in the last row.
Looking at this long-missed lively scene full of fireworks, my nerves that had been tense all morning couldn't help but relax a little.
Fang Xiheng tilted his head slightly and said, "It's great that these skills can be passed down."
Xie Yunsui said "hmm" and was about to reply when suddenly a voice with a hint of surprise came from behind.
"Commander Fang!"
They both looked back and saw Zhang Jingyu pushing his way through the crowd towards them. In his arms was a little girl, about two or three years old, wrapped like a small cotton ball. Next to her was a pretty woman wearing the same striped cotton sweater as him.
Xie Yunsui hadn't seen Zhang Jingyu for a long time, and didn't expect that he was already married and had children.
Zhang Jingyu originally came over to say hello because he felt familiar with Fang Xiheng. Just as he was about to ask him why he didn't come with Xie Yunsui, he saw the person next to him.
Zhang Jingyu blinked, and felt that Xie Yunsui's face seemed to be becoming clearer and clearer. He wondered why he didn't recognize him just now.
In recent years, Xie Yunsui's research projects have been released one after another, and his face has often appeared in various national interviews and press conferences, so this time when he went out, he blurred his face.
People who are not familiar with him would not associate him with Xie Yunsui at all, making it convenient for the two to visit the park normally.
"Xie Yunsui! Haha, it really is you two. I thought it was you two from behind just now." Zhang Jingyu quickly followed up, "Are you guys out for fun on vacation too?"
"Captain Zhang." Xie Yunsui greeted him with a smile.
Fang Xiheng also said, "What a coincidence."
…
"My partner, Zhao Jing, was introduced to me by Captain Zheng in the fifth year of the Cataclysm. We fell in love at first sight. She also liked me quite a bit, so we got married after just two months of dating."
The lion dance stage was too noisy, so Zhang Jingyu took his daughter to watch the lion dance for a while. After one side won the prize, Zhang Jingyu found a quieter place to formally introduce it.
"This is my daughter, nicknamed Nuannuan. She was born two years ago and is the darling of our family!" Zhang Jingyu smiled, wanting to show off his child: "Nuannuan, call me uncle."
The little girl was a little shy, so she buried her face in her father's neck, and curiously showed half of her eye, secretly looking at the two handsome uncles.
Zhang Jingyu patted her on the back: "You're like the reincarnation of the devil at home. How come you don't even dare to say hello outside? Huh?"
"Don't embarrass the child." Zhao Jing patted him to smooth things over, then smiled gracefully at Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng, "Mr. Xie, I often see your interviews on TV. The many technologies you participated in developing have made great contributions to the country. And Mr. Fang, Jingyu also mentioned to me that when you were working together to transport supplies to the south, you took good care of Jingyu. Thank you."
"Thank you for the compliment. I just did what I had to do."
Xie Yunsui responded gently, extended his hand to shake hers, and his eyes fell on Xiao Nuannuan with a hint of imperceptible tenderness.
A vibrant new life...
Zhao Jing shook hands with Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng in turn, and was slightly stunned when she noticed the red bracelets on their wrists, which represented the "couple" symbol.
She glanced sideways at her lover, and Zhang Jingyu's eyes also flashed across the red bracelet, but he didn't express anything, so she also looked away silently.
The two groups naturally walked together, chatting as they walked.
"You guys have been busy with research. It's rare for you to come out, right?"
"Well, just came out for a walk to feel the New Year atmosphere. I didn't expect there to be so many people."
"Before we got here, we didn't expect so many people." Zhang Jingyu immediately opened up. "In the past few years, the country hasn't been relaxing restrictions, so we've been holding back. Today, the authorities have called for a return to the festive atmosphere, and the Spring Festival Gala has even been picked up. I heard they started preparing the stage and selecting the stars to perform six months in advance. Our city has also put in a lot of effort. Look at this square park; the renovation took nearly half a year."
Passing through the lively area of the lion dance, there are also various stalls and activities in the park.
Passing by the area where the Spring Festival couplet writing competition was taking place, Xie Yunsui spent money to buy two Spring Festival couplets written with his mouth by an old man who had lost both arms.
Passing by a sugar painting shop, Nuannuan was immediately attracted by the crystal clear sugar paintings in various shapes and could not walk anymore.
"Dad, what is this?" she asked, looking up.
Zhang Jingyu was speechless for a moment, then laughed and said, "Things that used to be commonplace are now completely new to the children of Nuannuan's generation who were born after the catastrophe."
Xie Yunsui: "I'm afraid this is also the original intention of holding this garden party."
The country's birth rate was terribly low in the first few years, and only began to slowly increase five years after the catastrophe.
This group of children have never seen spring flowers blooming, and don’t know what the four seasons are. They only know about heavy snow and artificial sun.
The low temperature and cold wave period has never passed, and it seems like we will stay on this planet forever.
However, the country has never relaxed its vigilance. Until last year, it was still devoting national resources to prepare for various possible natural disasters, even taking into account previous droughts and rainstorms, and building countless multi-faceted shelters.
Even considering the situation where the planet is no longer habitable, the country is working hard to explore planets outside the stars that can support life.
Unfortunately, I don’t know if it is limited by the rules of the world, but the interstellar exploration equipment developed by Xie Yunsui has not yet received any response, as if it has disappeared in the vast universe.
Resources cannot be concentrated in one place indefinitely. After careful consideration, senior leaders decided to reserve a portion for each province and city for cultural and entertainment development this year.
Once people's food, clothing, housing and transportation are stable, their spiritual needs must also be met.
Xie Yunsui also spent money to buy some sugar painting for himself and Xiaoxi. The group strolled around and turned from this "retro" skill area to the next interactive activity area.
The activities here are obviously more fun and interactive, such as "working together" to step on balloons, "being in sync" to guess what to draw, etc.
Many couples participated in it, and there was laughter and joy everywhere.
"Hey, look at that. Why don't you try it?" Zhang Jingyu pointed mischievously at the "Couple Compatibility Challenge" booth. "There are special prizes for winning. The first place winner seems to be a couple's ring."
This should be a small event jointly organized with a diamond ring brand, and Fang Xiheng instinctively wanted to refuse.
He already had a special ring on his hand, so he didn't need a couple's ring or anything like that.
Xie Yunsui, however, held him back, a hint of smile and challenge in his eyes: "Try it? Since we're here, we can't just not have fun."
Fang Xiheng had no choice but to go with him to register.
Zhao Jing was too late to stop them. Seeing them going up so brazenly, she couldn't help but lean over to Zhang Jingyu's ear and whisper, "Why are you still encouraging them? Their identities...what if they're photographed and exposed?"
Zhang Jingyu's thoughts were suddenly drawn back to a rainy night. When he discovered that the two people were having an affair, he was also in the same situation and was eager to cover up for them.
As a result, the two of them confessed so nakedly.
He still remembered that when Captain Zheng came back from the research base to write a report after confirming their relationship, his hair was almost pulled out.
Zhang Jingyu laughed twice and said, "Don't worry, their relationship is clear."
Zhao Jing opened her eyes wide: "Does everyone above know?"
Zhang Jingyu said vaguely, "Xie Yunsui... is too important to the country. As for the relationship, it's a mutual one between him and Commander Fang. No one above can say anything."
Zhao Jing didn't know what was going on in her mind, and had a look of realization on her face.
Zhang Jingyu was afraid that if he talked too much, he would accidentally expose the Wanjie Shop, so he simply found an activity that the whole family of three could participate in. He said hello to Xie Yunsui and took his wife and children to play.
The couple challenged the stage with tacit understanding, and Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng won effortlessly.
Whether it was about preferences, habits or some brain-teasers, the two people's answers were almost highly consistent, which caused onlookers and staff to be amazed.
"You two have such unparalleled chemistry, it's like you share the same brain."
"Good boy, are you two really not cheated?"
"...Actually, they're really a couple. So cute."
When the staff wanted to hand the couple's rings to Xie Yunsui as a prize, Xie Yunsui smiled and waved his hand to refuse: "We already have suitable rings, we don't need this."
The staff had no choice but to settle for the second best and brought over the chocolate gift bag that won second place. "This is a new type of cold-resistant cocoa beans newly cultivated by the Agricultural Research Institute. It's high in calories and tastes great too. I wish you two a sweet and happy relationship!"
It’s a new type of chocolate. Xiaoxi from his family hasn’t tasted it yet.
Xie Yunsui thanked him and took the chocolate.
The two of them made way for the stage, and the young couple in line behind them couldn't wait to go on stage, vowing to surpass the couple in front. However, even when they were making threats, they were so uncoordinated that there were lots of jokes.
All around are the noisy and laughing voices of people, the laughter of children in the distance, the whispers of lovers in front of you...all of this constitutes a picture full of vitality.
Xie Yunsui took a deep breath, and the warm air in the park with the aroma of food rushed into his lungs. The lingering "bad feeling" in the morning seemed to be diluted by the strong smell of fireworks.
Perhaps, I am really too nervous and worrying too much?
The two of them showed off their skills in other activities one after another. When they were tired, they went to the food street with Zhang Jingyu and others and had a great meal.
It quickly got dark.
The dome of the park gradually changes from "sunlight" to "sunset glow" and then slowly reveals "starlight".
When the stars appeared, everyone in the park moved toward the center of the square.
"Let's go, it's a rare fireworks show. After we finish watching it, let's go back and watch the Spring Festival Gala."
Zhang Jingyu carried the tired Nuannuan on his shoulders and used his advantage as a warrior to squeeze towards the center of the square.
Xie Yunsui and Fang Xiheng followed behind him, intending to join in the fun before returning to base.
The dome in the center of the square was retracted, and a slight chill came in, but the enthusiasm of the crowd did not subside. The staff counted the time and lit the fuse of the fireworks.
Xie Yunsui subconsciously adjusted his stance, protecting Fang Xiheng at a relatively uncrowded angle.
The corners of Fang Xiheng's lips curved slightly, but his eyes were looking straight ahead.
"Bang--!"
The first loud bang cut through the clamor, and a golden light shot up into the sky with a dazzling tail flame. When it reached the highest point, it exploded and turned into thousands of streams of fire, pouring down like a golden waterfall, illuminating every face looking up.
"Wow!!!"
The crowd erupted in unison with exclamations, especially the children, who were so excited that they shouted and jumped.
Nuannuan clapped her hands on her father's shoulders and could hardly hold the sugar painting steady.
Xie Yunsui quickly took out his phone to record it: "Such a beautiful scene, let's broadcast it to the teachers when we get back."
Fang Xiheng said, "Then you have to hold it steady."
Xie Yunsui: "Don't worry, I——"
Without any warning, an extremely weak energy rose from the ground, like a sharp spike, suddenly piercing the edge of his mental perception!
Xie Yunsui's scalp suddenly went numb and a chill ran down his spine.
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