As I watched the fireworks explode in the sky, I lost my senses and then felt dizzy. I knew it was the alcohol I had just drunk taking effect; everything looked psychedelic and swaying... The children's playful voices seemed to be saying goodbye, saying goodbye to the old year, saying goodbye to the ups and downs of that year.
I pulled out a cigarette and lit it. For some reason, the melody of "Goodbye to the 20th Century" came to mind again. It was such a magnificent and tragic song. I was probably the only person in the world who could still think of Wang Lei during the New Year. But her life was one of dedication.
I've made up my mind. When I go back to my small mountain town this time, I must visit the Hope Primary School that she donated before her death. I want to bring some stationery for the children. If those children need anything, I will also donate the 190,000 yuan that Wang Lei left me without hesitation. I feel that although Wang Lei is no longer here, I must help her continue her kindness.
The disaster was truly horrific; it tore apart Wang Lei's life like a demon. Fortunately, humans are creatures prone to forgetting, and the immense pain brought by the disaster will eventually be erased by time. But I don't want to forget. I fear that people live on in another form after death, and if no one remembers her, Wang Lei will be very sad and lonely. So I must remember her for this world until the end of my life...
...
I looked up again and saw Yang Sisi playing and chasing with a group of children. She was still the same as before, always carefree. But that's not so bad. The world can't be full of unhappy people like Michael, Wang Lei, Coach Ma, Bai Lu, Nicole, Tie Nan, and Taozi.
Just as I was thinking about these things, Yang Sisi left the children and came to my side, then asked me, "Michael, are you happy?"
Why do you ask that?
"Because I'm unhappy."
I smiled and replied, "Weren't you having a lot of fun with those kids just now? Why are you unhappy?"
"You know what? This is the first time I've spent Chinese New Year away from home."
"Missing your parents?"
Yang Sisi shook her head.
"So you miss your grandparents and want them to give you New Year's money?"
"Am I that small?"
I nodded.
Yang Sisi said to me with a cold face, "Before I came, I thought a lot, but what happened afterward was not what I expected... Don't think I don't know that the New Year's Eve dinner you made for me was leftovers."
I stared at her, dumbfounded. I hadn't expected that this matter had affected her mood. But her reaction time was really too long!
Yang Sisi kicked me, then looked at me with tears in her eyes...
Honestly, of all the people I've ever met, including children under three, none have been as capricious as her.
I finally replied, "I swear, I didn't touch that braised pork belly at all... and that..."
Yang Sisi interrupted me, choking back tears, and said, "That's what's left!"
"Or, you can throw it up, and I'll cook you another meal when I get back."
"No... It's already the first day of the Lunar New Year, why call it New Year's Eve dinner?"
"Look at you, aren't you being a bit unreasonable?"
After I finished speaking, I looked at Nicole pleadingly, hoping she could say a few words of justice for me, but she was on the phone with someone else and then went back into the bar...
Yang Sisi tugged at my sleeve again and said, "No matter what... you have to pay for my New Year's Eve dinner."
"Can we please stop being so unreasonable?"
If there was still an element of pretense just now, Yang Sisi suddenly became genuine. Sobbing, she replied, "You know, before, during Chinese New Year, my parents would book the best hotels, buy me a six-tiered cake, and my favorite Argentine red shrimp, each one bigger than your face..."
"How extravagant!"
Yang Sisi kicked me again and said angrily, "Don't interrupt me."
I quickly stuffed the half-finished cigarette into my mouth, signaling that I wouldn't say anything more.
Yang Sisi wiped away her tears and said again, "But what about this year?"
"It was last year, and it was already past midnight."
"Will you die if you don't talk?"
I held back my laughter and nodded emphatically.
Yang Sisi continued, "I got up at six in the morning, then went to the dry cleaners to pick up the AJ shoes you gave me. I didn't even have time for breakfast before rushing to the airport... You know, when the plane was flying over Guiyang, it encountered some really bad turbulence. All the drinks on the food cart were thrown around, and passengers who weren't wearing seatbelts were thrown directly into the cabin ceiling. At that time, not to mention us passengers, even the flight attendants were terrified and their faces turned pale. But that wasn't the scariest part. Later, the plane felt like it was weightless and kept falling... I was almost scared to death!"
Yang Sisi has always had a habit of exaggerating. The plane she was on must have encountered turbulence, but it couldn't be this severe. So, despite her vivid description, I couldn't truly empathize with the scene or feel any sense of crisis... At least, I still have a lot of faith in airplanes as a mode of transportation, and I've never encountered such strong turbulence as she described.
But to show that I respected her, I looked at her intently and suddenly noticed a red and swollen spot on her neck. I quickly asked, "Where did you get that injury on your neck?"
"Coffee from the food cart spilled on my neck."
I felt a sudden, inexplicable pang of heartache.
Yang Sisi sobbed again, "I really thought I was going to die... My mind went blank one moment, and then I was terrified the next... Suddenly, I thought of Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake. I checked the weather forecast, and the weather in Dali has been particularly good these past few days. Cangshan Mountain and Erhai Lake must be incredibly beautiful. I'm not so scared anymore; then I thought of you. You must have made lots of delicious food waiting for me... I even imagined the passenger next to me as you. With you by my side, I'm even less afraid... Because you'll protect me. Even if I die, you'll be with me, and I won't be afraid of those wandering ghosts!"
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