This year's Lunar New Year's Eve was particularly quiet.
Yan Shou breathed out the window and, utterly bored, drew one circle after another on it. He knew it was pointless, but sitting there doing nothing was even more pointless.
With a "click," came the sound of the door opening.
"Boss, you're back!" Yan Shouyi stood up.
Xu Qian nodded and put away his umbrella.
"Where's Daqing?" Xiaoqing's voice came as Yan Shouzhen leaned back.
"Make way!" Xiaoqing was carrying a huge bag of New Year's goods she had picked up from the town's courier station. The bag was full of food and came from Xu Qian's friends and his friends.
Yan Shouyi took several steps back, afraid of bumping into him.
Xu Qian turned and went to the back room, where several jars of wine were buried. They were monkey wine given to him by Anda, and today was the perfect day to open them.
After some fuss, the three of them sat down at the table, which was not very big and was covered with today's New Year's Eve dinner.
Xu Qian looked at Xiao Qing, then at Yan Shou, and suddenly smiled. "Shall we eat?"
"open!"
Xu Qian poured himself a glass of wine, which he had already warmed up. It was very smooth to drink and had a refreshing fruity aroma.
Unfortunately, this year wasn't as lively as in previous years. The Meng brothers didn't show up, and even Sheng Huai, who loves to visit, couldn't come over for a meal because of family matters. Peng Fei even took his annual leave early to go back to his hometown... So, this year, only the three of them were left.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. After all, they all have their own families, and after a year of hard work, they should take some time to be with their families.
The rain was still falling outside, and the howling wind rustled the treetops, causing the doorbell to ring again and again.
"Meow--"
Xu Qian bent down and rubbed Qiuqiu's little head, and as expected, he got a handful of cat hair, but that was a minor problem.
"Okay, let's eat!" He smiled.
Some habits change without you even realizing it, and then become new habits.
***
When the new graduation season arrived, Qin You went to the Northwest Wild Sand Plateau after graduating from university.
Qin You stayed for a whole year. During that year, he met many people and heard many stories about them.
What impressed him most was a journey with a tribe, from the wild sand plateau to the central forest region, which was a very special horseback journey.
I remember that a group of people from a temple migrated with the tribe at that time, including a monk named Gesar. Gesar had a kind appearance and was very friendly. He was the most popular person among the children in the entire temple, and Qin You was the second most popular.
One night while camping, Gesar suddenly fell ill. His transformation from being full of energy to looking haggard and pale happened almost instantly. The doctor in the group said that he might not live to see that day. As soon as he finished speaking, a sense of sadness enveloped the migrating tribe.
Qin You also tried to save him, but unfortunately failed, and Gesar died on the way.
He died a agonizing death; his struggling breaths were piercingly loud at the time. However, what surprised Qin You was Gesar's expression—far calmer than his breathing. He seemed unafraid of death; his eyes remained resolute until… the air began to stink…
Later, Gesar's guru told him: Death is not the end of a person's life. Death is the beginning of another chapter of life.
The master murmured: Our existence is as fleeting as autumn clouds, watching the birth and death of sentient beings is like watching the rhythm of a dance, life is like lightning in the sky, like a torrent rushing down a mountain ridge, vanishing in a hurry...
Life is impermanent; its appearance and disappearance are both silent and unnoticed. So what can we leave behind besides these things? A blade of grass? A flower? A leaf? Someone we pass by at this moment? Things we have done or thought?
Perhaps everything will disappear, but not forever, just as if it never existed. Nothing lasts forever; the only thing we can have is the present moment, just the present moment.
Qin You, or Xu Qian, suddenly understood the significance of his appearance in this world.
...
Two years later, Xu Qian returned to Weicheng, which he had left many years ago, to attend Meng Ziqiu's wedding.
At this time, Meng Ziqiu, who was already thirty years old, finally stepped into the hall of marriage. He met his wife by chance when he was driving a truck. He helped her out and they got to know each other. She was a high school Chinese teacher, not very tall, with a gentle and refined appearance, and she was very polite and courteous in her interactions with people.
To attend this wedding, Xu Qian spent a lot of money to "change his appearance"—basically, to make himself look older, since he was once a public figure, and Ren Feifei, Yan Lang, and others would also be there.
In the years he was 'missing,' everyone he knew changed in some way. Meng Liangchen had grown very tall, even a centimeter taller than his brother, but his face was still very youthful; Peng Fei had gained weight, but his hair hadn't thinned at all, and he had gained a bit of 'cuteness'; Ren Feifei had cut her hair short, and looked more like a strong woman; Yan Lang had matured a lot compared to before, and he looked quite respectable in a suit…
The wedding went smoothly and was drawing to a close. The guests who had come from all directions had mostly left. Just as Xu Qian was about to say goodbye to Meng Ziqiu and leave, he ran into Meng Shiyu (Meng's father) and Meng Liangchen having a conversation.
"Did you receive the ointment I sent you?" asked Meng Shiyu.
"Is it the cold ointment? I received it." This was Meng Liangchen.
"Remember to use it on time. Don't use one and then stop for a day. Get it all at once."
"Okay, Dad."
"Let's go back, we're leaving too. Call me if you need anything, or you can call your brother."
"Yes, I'm getting ready to leave too."
Their voices grew softer and softer until they disappeared from sight in no time.
"Hey! I've been looking for you for ages, where did you go!" Xiaoqing was wondering why Xu Qian was hiding here.
"It's nothing," Xu Qian said, shaking his head with a smile.
"Shall we go home too? Everyone's gone." Xiaoqing reached out and tugged at the hem of her skirt. She hadn't worn women's clothes in so long and was still a little out of sorts.
Xu Qian said he quite liked the word 'going home,' and exclaimed, "Okay! Let's go home!"
"Hey, why are you laughing like that? It's kind of disgusting." Xiaoqing looked like she couldn't stand it.
"You're the disgusting one." Xu Qian said with a black line.
"You actually used 'ne', disgusting~" Xiaoqing stuck out her tongue.
"You're out of food tomorrow, understand?" Xu Qian raised an eyebrow.
"Waaaaah, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry! You're not disgusting, I'm disgusting! I'm the most disgusting person ever! I want to eat roasted lamb chops tomorrow!"
"Ha, too late!" Xu Qian turned and left.
No—
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