new year
Before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve.
On the way back to his hometown, Zhu Shiyi traveled for six or seven hours before finally turning into the countryside in the evening to have his New Year's Eve dinner.
At the dinner table, relatives from all sides clinked glasses and drank merrily, chatting about all sorts of things.
Zhu Shiyi couldn't understand the dialect of her hometown, so she didn't say a word and just played on her phone silently.
Zhu Shijie also secretly took Liu Lu's phone to play with.
“You two kids,” a strained Mandarin voice came from the uncle’s mouth, “don’t play on your phones while eating.”
At the New Year's Eve dinner table, apart from the little boy who couldn't understand a word, there were only two students, Zhu Shiyi and Zhu Shijie, who were still in school. Naturally, they received a series of greetings from their uncles and aunts.
My second uncle, hiccuping from drinking, chimed in, "You kids play video games all day long now. We never had time for video games back then. After I turned eighteen, I never took a single penny from home..."
Zhu Shiyi: ......
Liu Lu had privately complained for a long time that her second uncle had borrowed more than 100,000 yuan from her family when he built his house, and he still hadn't paid it back.
Is this what you call never taking money from home?
Uncle: "That's right. The US has been closing its doors and building missiles every day lately. The money you spend on games will be the bullets the US uses to shoot at us in the future! Fortunately, our country is strong and prosperous now, so the US doesn't dare to make a move!"
After listening to Trump's speech, Zhu Shiyi only wanted to say sorry.
Don't worry, she's playing a domestically produced game.
“Did you hear that, Zhu Shiyi?” Liu Lu nudged her. “Put your phone away.”
Zhu Shiyi turned to torment another child: "Did you hear me, Zhu Shijie? Put your phone away."
Zhu Shijie pouted and obediently handed over his phone.
"Hurry up and eat," Zhu Shiyi muttered as she put food on her younger brother's plate. "You're so small, no one would believe you're in sixth grade."
Zhu Shijie gave a pitiful "oh" and obediently ate his rice.
The aunt smiled and said, "These two siblings have a really good relationship."
Liu Lu's expression softened slightly.
“Yes,” she said genuinely, “our older sister has always taken good care of her younger brother, and he’s very well-behaved, always listening to his sister. Even when they sometimes argue, she never holds a grudge…”
Aunt praised, "Shiyi is so obedient."
All eyes were on Zhu Shiyi.
Zhu Shiyi: ......
“Yes,” she glanced at Zhu Shijie, “what’s there to argue about? He’s just a kid.”
Whether in the past or present, she truly never holds a grudge against her younger brother.
What she cared about was her mother's attitude.
......
After eating too much dinner, Zhu Shiyi didn't go back to her room to lie down right away. She sat on the sofa scrolling through her phone, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw her father's figure.
Zhu Shiyi subconsciously looked up, just as Comrade Zhu Zhenggang's gaze fell upon him.
Both father and daughter paused for a second, their eyes filled with an awkward and subtle tension.
...
"Dad," Zhu Shiyi greeted him politely.
Zhu Zhenggang responded, then awkwardly put his hands behind his back and silently sat down on the sofa.
The father and daughter kept their eyes straight ahead, neither looking at the other, suggesting they weren't very familiar with each other.
“…Zhu Shiyi.” Zhu Zhenggang suddenly spoke.
Zhu Shiyi made a sound and turned his head to listen.
"..." Zhu Zhenggang paused for a moment, then, trying to make conversation, asked, "What's your name?"
Zhu Shiyi: ......
She smiled silently.
It turns out that her sense of humor was inherited from this.
"Actually, you don't have to say anything if you have nothing to say."
Zhu Zhenggang chuckled dryly.
"You're graduating soon, right? How's your thesis coming along?"
“Dad,” Zhu Shiyi said, her chin drooping, she really didn’t want to listen to her dad’s rambling, “I’m only a junior in college.”
“You’re a junior…you’re almost graduating,” Zhu Zhenggang replied without changing his expression. “What are your plans after graduation?”
“Just whatever…” Zhu Shiyi was taken aback.
She actually has a plan for this.
“Dad,” she turned slightly toward her father, “I want to take the postgraduate entrance exam.”
"Take the postgraduate entrance exam?" Zhu Zhenggang hesitated for only a second before immediately offering his support. "Taking the postgraduate entrance exam is a good idea. You're studying management, right? Taking the postgraduate entrance exam will also be beneficial for finding a job."
"I want to study art."
......
"Why the sudden urge to study art?" Zhu Zhenggang frowned. "You want to study arts management?"
"I want to study music," Zhu Shiyi said earnestly.
Studying music at school was the least stressful and costly way she could think of, allowing her to learn what she loved without immediately worrying about making a living.
She briefly explained to Zhu Zhenggang why she wanted to take the postgraduate entrance exam: she didn't like her current job, but she didn't have the skills or qualifications to do other jobs; taking the postgraduate entrance exam could improve her skills and qualifications, so she could better pursue another career that she was truly interested in.
Zhu Zhenggang fell silent. He kept a straight expression, neither expressing support nor opposition.
“This semester I went to do an internship outside, and I realized that I don’t like my current major at all,” Zhu Shiyi said emotionally. “I made a friend who works in music, and she taught me how to arrange music. I found that I really like music.”
"Liking something can't put food on the table." Zhu Zhenggang said calmly, as if he were treating her words as a trivial matter.
"If you have the ability, you can make money by doing what you like," Zhu Shiyi said, sounding a little anxious.
She understood that Zhu Zhenggang was a businessman who always cared about results when it came to work. This was understandable; money was always important in the workplace.
Zhu Zhenggang glanced at him vaguely, but said nothing.
But Zhu Shiyi knew that it was a look of distrust, a questioning of the words "she is capable".
Zhu Shiyi was not happy, but she remained rational. She tried to persuade her father: "My friend is a music student, and she said I am very talented. She taught me how to write songs, and I already had some musical background, so I wrote some songs based on my feelings. After listening to them, she told me that what I wrote was a counterpoint, which is a more difficult melody."
Zhu Zhenggang opened his mouth slightly, seemingly somewhat moved.
He turned slightly to the side and bowed his head, his tone softening: "Dad doesn't know much about this industry. Is it easy to get into graduate school? What are the prospects? Is this a viable path?"
Zhu Shiyi breathed a sigh of relief.
"I've done some research during this time, and I'm particularly interested in pop singing and pop music composition."
Zhu Zhenggang said directly, "Apply for pop singing. You've studied vocal music for so many years, you still have a foundation."
“Those are all amateur skills,” Zhu Shiyi shook his head. “I prefer to apply for songwriting. There are more applicants for pop singing, so the competition is greater, and besides… my voice is too thin, so I can’t sing many styles of songs well.”
Zhu Zhenggang fell silent again, his head bowed as if deep in thought.
"But you have no foundation."
“…Yes.” Zhu Shiyi bit her lip, somewhat uneasy. “I still want to learn it systematically. What if I really have the ability? Wouldn’t that be a good option?”
......
"You should get some rest," Zhu Zhenggang said, but after a long silence, he didn't give an answer. He pulled out his phone. "I'll ask if anyone knows anything about this industry."
--
Zhu Shiyi: [I just talked to my dad about something.]
As always, she shared everything with Pan Yue.
Sharing should be a happy thing, but Zhu Shiyi was not very happy.
They've been keeping in touch these past two days, and he replies to every single message she sends.
But Zhu Shiyi had a feeling that they were chatting less and less, and what was even more puzzling was that Pan Yue had never sent her a single message on his own initiative.
Zhu Shiyi's intuition told him that something was wrong with Pan Yue.
She asked Pan Yue directly, but he only said he was busy.
At first, Zhu Shiyi didn't think too much about it. She was busy looking up information about the postgraduate entrance exam and didn't have time to think about it further.
But today is Lunar New Year's Eve. Is Pan Yue even busy on Lunar New Year's Eve? It's possible. Even if he's not busy with company matters, he still needs to spend time with his family on Lunar New Year's Eve.
Zhu Shiyi sent another message: 【Are you busy?】
Pan Yue: [Yes, a little.]
Zhu Shiyi: [When are you going to finish your work?]
Here's a cute [expectant] emoji.
Pan Yue: [It's hard to say, maybe one or two o'clock. You should go to sleep first.]
Zhu Shiyi: [It's so tiring.]
She thought for a moment and sent a message: 【I'll video call you and keep you company!】
After saying that, he immediately dialed the video call.
Pan Yue finally accepted.
Zhu Shiyi breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Pan Yue hasn't answered her video calls for the past two days. He said he had to attend an online meeting and it wasn't convenient.
The environment on the other end of the video call changed, so I guess Pan Yue went home for the Chinese New Year.
"Is there something you need?" Pan Yue asked in a normal tone.
Zhu Shiyi frowned: "Can't I come to you if there's nothing wrong?"
“…Okay.” Pan Yue replied irrelevantly, sitting at his desk working without looking at her.
Zhu Shiyi pouted: "You're so cold."
Pan Yue paused for a moment.
“No,” he glanced at it, moved his lips slightly, “Happy New Year’s Eve.”
Zhu Shiyi finally felt a little better: "Happy New Year's Eve!"
With a chuckle, she continued the conversation: "I probably won't be doing an internship next semester."
Pan Yue raised an eyebrow, turned his head, and remained silent for a moment.
"...Is it because of Li Xuan?"
"What Li Xuan?" Zhu Shiyi was dumbfounded. "Who cares about him?"
"It's because I want to take the postgraduate entrance exam and study music. I just told my dad."
A hint of surprise flashed in Pan Yue's eyes: "Why did you make this decision so suddenly?"
"It wasn't exactly sudden, I'd thought about it a long time ago," Zhu Shiyi briefly recounted her conversations with Yu Fan about music. "In short, I felt I might have a little bit of talent, and I quite like it."
Pan Yue didn't speak immediately, but pursed his lips.
“…That’s good,” Pan Yue nodded. “Keep it up.”
He turned back to his work.
......
Zhu Shiyi felt a little uncomfortable, but she couldn't quite put her finger on why.
In the game, she had sent out her couple request several days ago, but hadn't received a single response.
Pan Yue said he was busy and she didn't want him to play games online, but today she couldn't stand it anymore.
After thinking for a few seconds, Zhu Shiyi mustered up her courage: "Why don't you go play the game?"
She preemptively said, "I know you're busy, so you don't need to play. I just want to show you something."
Pan Yue's brow twitched slightly.
"...I got a new phone, and I didn't download any games."
Zhu Shiyi persisted: "It's okay, just leave the download running, I'll check it later."
Pan Yue paused for a moment, then agreed: "I'll log off as soon as I'm done."
"Mmm!" Zhu Shiyi stopped there and didn't press the matter further. Anyway, he was going to log into the game sooner or later.
......
Outside the room, the Spring Festival Gala was playing on the TV, echoing the New Year countdown.
Zhu Shiyi was a little excited. She rolled over and grinned, "Pan Yue, Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year."
"I set off a lot of fireworks, did you hear it?" Zhu Shiyi held her phone up to the window.
Fireworks were colorful and dazzling, and firecrackers resounded through the sky.
Zhu Shiyi looked out the window.
Starry night, New Year, joy in my heart.
The scene before her was beautiful, but she did not bow her head.
So they didn't see the pair of eyes that had lost their stars on the other side of the screen.
--
On the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Zhu Shiyi slept until late morning as usual. If Zhu Shijie hadn't come to wake her, she could have slept for another two hours.
"Happy New Year, sister!" Zhu Shijie scurried in, a broad smile on his face. "These are red envelopes from Uncle and Grandma!"
Zhu Shiyi's eyes lit up at the sight of money. He rolled over, got out of bed, and opened the red envelopes. There were two red envelopes, each containing two Mao Zedong bills.
According to local customs, this amount is already a very large red envelope.
Zhu Shijie blinked his big eyes, looking somewhat dazed.
Zhu Shiyi had a mischievous idea to tease the child. She waved to her younger brother and called out, "Little Jie, baby."
Zhu Shijie obediently moved closer and pressed his face against her hand.
"Do you love me?" Zhu Shiyi ruffled the child's chubby cheeks, her voice sweet and affectionate.
Zhu Shijie whimpered and nuzzled her hand, looking incredibly cute. Although the child didn't say anything, his actions already demonstrated his loyalty.
“Come on, give the red envelope to your sister,” Zhu Shiyi said with a wicked smile, spreading out her other hand. “I’ll buy you Ultraman.”
Zhu Shijie stood at attention instantly, his eyes filled with resentment: "I can buy it myself."
“You don’t have a phone, so it’s hard to buy one,” Zhu Shiyi coaxed. “Look, if you ask your mom to buy it for you, she might just take your money and not give it to you. Why don’t you give it to your sister, and I’ll buy it for you.”
Zhu Shijie's eyes darted around, and he immediately made up his mind: "I want that Zero! 118 yuan, can you give me the rest of the money back, sister?"
“Okay, but I don’t have any cash,” Zhu Shiyi said, feigning hesitation. “Oh well, never mind. You can ask your mom to buy it for you. I feel like it’s too much trouble.”
"No!" Zhu Shijie's face fell immediately. He leaned closer, sporting his watermelon-shaped haircut, and pleaded, "Sister, please help me!"
Zhu Shiyi's stomach was about to hurt from holding it in. She pretended to be reluctant and declined, saying, "Never mind, never mind."
"No way!" Zhu Shijie forcefully shoved the red envelope into her hand. "Sister, you're the best. Please help me."
Zhu Shiyi remained silent.
Zhu Shijie panicked.
The next second, he handed her another red envelope: "Both red envelopes are for you!"
Zhu Shiyi suppressed her laughter and turned her head away from him.
"Please, sister," Zhu Shijie pleaded desperately, "you want it!"
Zhu Shiyi couldn't hold back any longer and burst into loud laughter.
"Just kidding," Zhu Shiyi returned the red envelope, got up, put on her shoes, and took the Ultraman toy out of her suitcase. "I bought it for you a long time ago as a New Year's gift."
Zhu Shijie's eyes lit up. He looked up and followed her with the same gaze he would give a queen.
Zhu Shiyi often buys little things for Zhu Shijie. Kids are like that; a few yuan makes him incredibly happy. This time, having earned some money, she bought a nice, glowing item as a New Year's gift for Zhu Shijie.
Zhu Shijie was deeply moved and insisted on giving the red envelope to Zhu Shiyi as a New Year's gift.
Zhu Shiyi did not shirk responsibility.
Since Zhu Shijie's red envelopes all had to be handed over anyway, she could just give them to Liu Lu.
......
At lunchtime, Liu Lu frowned, patted Zhu Shiyi, and asked directly at the table in front of everyone, "Where's Xiao Jie's red envelope?"
Zhu Shiyi clicked her tongue in annoyance. She immediately realized that Liu Lu suspected her of taking Zhu Shijie's red envelope.
"Why did you hit me?" Zhu Shiyi said, a little angry. "I didn't want his red envelope. I'll give it to you in a bit."
Perhaps because she was talking back, Liu Lu got angry and rolled her eyes at her.
"..." Zhu Shiyi really didn't want to speak.
On the first day of the Lunar New Year, I have no idea what's going on.
After dinner, Zhu Shiyi immediately went back to his room to get the red envelope, returned it to Liu Lu without saying a word, and then went back to his room without looking back.
Twenty minutes later, Liu Lu opened Zhu Shiyi's room door directly.
Zhu Shiyi, who was lying on the bed, turned over, not wanting to look at Liu Lu.
"..." Liu Lu closed the door.
Zhu Shiyi felt the bedside sink in, and Liu Lu walked over and sat down on the bedside.
"I heard from your dad that you want to learn how to write songs?" Liu Lu asked slowly.
When serious matters were brought up, Zhu Shiyi's temper subsided somewhat.
She sat up: "Yes, I want to take the postgraduate entrance exam."
“I took a look last night. This major alone will cost nearly 20,000 yuan just for exam preparation. Add to that your tuition, equipment fees, and living expenses after enrollment, and it will cost at least 100,000 yuan,” Liu Lu said.
Zhu Shiyi pursed her lips but didn't say anything.
She knew this was expensive, but from childhood to adulthood, her parents had always been willing to spend money on her education, as long as she was willing.
"Of course, Mom isn't saying that just because it's expensive, you can't study there."
Zhu Shiyi hummed in agreement: "I know."
She's used to it.
Liu Lu is willing to spend money on necessary expenses, but she insists on asking first.
When others felt guilty and were about to give up, Liu Lu would say, "I didn't say I wouldn't give you the money."
Zhu Shiyi felt somewhat unwell.
Why do we have to say it?
Just to make her feel guilty?
“It’s good that you understand. It’s not that Mom is unwilling to spend money,” Liu Lu changed the subject. “Your dad asked a business partner whose child is studying music. His child has been learning various instruments since childhood and has even studied abroad, but his job is still unstable and he hasn’t earned much money. He said that this industry is indeed not easy to get by in.”
“You’re all grown up now. You can’t act like a child, without thinking things through. We don’t understand this either, and you’ve never studied it before. It’s like being in a completely different field. I think… it really won’t be easy to pass the exam.”
“I know,” Zhu Shiyi said patiently, “I just feel like it and want to give it a try.”
She meticulously listed the factors she considered: the number of applicants for composition, the choice of schools, her interests and talents...
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t pass the exam,” Zhu Shiyi concluded. “You can learn a lot of knowledge during the preparation process.”
“But you’ve wasted a lot of time,” Liu Lu said, her tone becoming more serious. “Your junior and senior years are crucial for finding a job. If you don’t get accepted and don’t do an internship, you’ll be at a huge disadvantage.”
Zhu Shiyi: ......
Chinese people who live through critical periods throughout their lives.
Where do all these key points come from? Is she a stick insect?
"How can learning something I enjoy be considered a waste of time?"
“You can learn those things slowly after graduation,” Liu Lu earnestly advised. “If you want to take the postgraduate entrance exam, you can take a postgraduate entrance exam in your major, or one that leads to better employment prospects. Mom will definitely support you.”
"Mom thinks you should find a stable job and treat this as a side job, learning it gradually."
......
Zhu Shiyi remained silent.
......
Liu Lu left.
Zhu Shiyi pulled the blanket over his head and sighed deeply.
......
She really is a realistic person—
She was actually a little hesitant.
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