Chapter 337 Happy New Year (End)
The spacious first-floor hall is brightly lit, with a long table in the middle filled with food.
The surrounding side tables were also piled high with all sorts of delicious food and fun things to eat. This was New Year's Eve dinner, and familiar friends gathered together, moving around freely and chatting, enjoying a relaxing evening after a long busy day.
Cha Cha led a group of mutant beast minions as waiters, moving among the crowd.
Earthworms, geckos, parrots, mice, ants, caterpillars, tits, grasshoppers...
There were many different species, sizes, and characteristics. What they all had in common was that they were all very obedient, of high rank, intelligent, and very aware of their roles. They served diligently, serving wine, food, and setting up the venue. The mice, who loved to steal food, were very well behaved and would never steal. Because they had a feast waiting for them after work, Qiao Lan was very generous to his mutants.
Pigeon Huihui was not to be outdone, and led a group of birds, mainly Beijing pigeons, standing on the colorful lantern trees and art ornaments in the corners of the hall, singing in group or solo, adding background music to the dinner party.
You know what, it goes quite harmoniously with the piano played by Juliman.
But there was one song that the strong man asked the gray birds not to interfere while he played alone.
The birdsong stopped, and soon the whole hall was filled with the soft and melodious sound of a piano.
At first, everyone didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just ordinary background music. They continued to eat, drink, chat and enjoy the lively evening together.
But gradually, the sound became so subtle that it penetrated people's hearts. The people who were talking gradually stopped, listening intently to the music. Even the small mutant beasts carrying plates back and forth noticed something, their movements becoming lighter and slower, as if they too were imbued with the subtle melancholy woven into the soothing rhythm of the music.
But suddenly, the rhythm of the music became intense, like the calm surface of a lake being rippling by a sudden strong wind, or like willow branches swaying wildly by the lake, rapid, chaotic, and hitting people's hearts hard.
Everyone's heart was lifted up.
However, the chaos did not last long, and the music returned to a gentle rhythm again. It was a soft confession, full of infinite melancholy and endless attachment, but also helplessness.
It's not like I'm completely drowned in sadness. I still have throbbing, anticipation, and well-intentioned blessings...
After the song ended, there was silence in the hall for a long time.
People were all watching the powerful man playing the piano quietly. No one expected that a simple, short song could make everyone feel so many emotions.
The joy of bidding farewell to the old and welcoming the new was diluted by this song, but no one felt offended. Instead, they felt that the song was so considerate, showing the emotions that everyone had accumulated for a long time but could not express accurately.
Snap, snap...
After a long silence, I don't know who started applauding.
Everyone came to their senses and started clapping, clapping their hands so hard that they turned red.
After the performance, Juli Nan, who had been sitting silently at the piano with his head bowed, stood up to the applause. His eyes swept across the audience, rich and deep emotions in them. But he said nothing, just a faint smile, bowed to everyone, and walked away from the piano.
Gray Pigeon led the other birds in a new round of chorus. A retro gramophone played pre-apocalyptic New Year songs, and the atmosphere gradually returned to normal.
Everyone's mood returned and they continued to eat, drink, talk, laugh and play games.
"What song was that just now?"
Xiao Tang found the strong man next to a clump of holly trees outside the small building. He was holding a cup of cold coffee and looking at the stars.
"'Farewell', an etude in E major by Chopin," said Ju Linan.
"Farewell?" Xiao Tang didn't know what E major was, but he was touched by the name.
After savoring it for a moment, he nodded and said, "This is indeed the name."
That song gave him that feeling. Parting, farewell, waving goodbye, a mixture of emotions...
"I don't play the piano well. It would have sounded better if my mentor had played it. But he is gone. He was killed in the storm," said the strong man.
Xiao Tang said, "You played very well. Were you thinking about your teacher when you were playing just now?"
"yes."
They all understood that this song was a farewell to the people and the world that had passed. Ju Li Nan played it this way, and everyone felt the same way.
After taking a sip of coffee, the powerful man slowly told Xiao Tang that when he played the piano, he thought not only of his teacher, but also of the many people who had died in the apocalypse, both those he knew and those he didn't. He thought of the past, the present, and the future.
"This piece was originally just an etude, without a name. Later, while performing it, Chopin suddenly felt a strong longing for his long-missed homeland, and so he named it 'Farewell.' There's also a theory that he wrote it for a female classmate he had a crush on. As they were about to part, he thought of the long separation from this beautiful and exceptional woman, and he wrote this piece with a poignant and mournful air."
The powerful man smiled and said, "Whatever its original intention was, it is very suitable for us now."
Bidding farewell to a world that is surely gone, and welcoming a future destined for all-out effort. He didn't make the piece too melancholy; there's a hint of hope within it.
“Thank you for your performance, it was great.”
Xiao Tang did not disturb the strong man's solitude. He chatted for a while and then left.
He did not go back to the hall, but walked along the flower path outside until he reached the street.
Yin Wanying appeared at an intersection, walking from another direction.
"Xiaoxi is asleep, I'm here to pick you up." She did not attend the party tonight. The child did not like a lively environment, so she stayed at home with the child.
Xiao Tang walked with her towards home. They lived in a small two-bedroom apartment in another upscale neighborhood.
After walking a few steps, Xiao Tang suddenly stopped.
"I have something else to do, you go back first."
Yin Wanying said with understanding, "I'll go with you."
"good."
The two of them turned around together and returned to the party hall.
The hall was bustling with activity. Wen Jiaojiao saw Yin Wanying come in and threw a glass of wine towards her, "Happy New Year!"
Yin Wanying caught the wine glass and drank it, then handed the empty glass to the passing earthworm waiter and nodded and smiled at Wen Jiaojiao.
The two of them dislike each other most of the time, but occasionally there are such warm moments.
"Old Guo is over there." Yin Wanying pointed to a corner of the hall.
She could clearly feel Xiao Tang's emotional fluctuations and accurately guess what was on his mind.
Xiao Tang strode over.
"Uncle Guo, I'm sorry."
This was Xiao Tang's first direct contact with Lao Guo after the Battle of the Temple. He had always avoided them before.
Old Guo was eating roast chicken with his wife and daughter. He was stunned when he saw this, then he smiled and pulled Xiao Tang to sit at the table.
"Ms. Yin, please sit down too."
Tearing off a chicken leg, Lao Guo placed it in front of Xiao Tang and said, "Eat it. No need to say more. We all know what happened back then. Why haven't you gotten over it yet? I didn't care about it, and neither did my wife and children."
Lao Guo's wife said, "I know you suffered a lot back then. This matter is long over."
"Brother Xiao Tang, eat quickly." Lao Guo's daughter also tore off her favorite chicken feet and gave them to Xiao Tang.
No one in the family blamed him.
Xiao Tang lowered his head and eyes, then after a moment, he looked up and smiled.
"Thanks."
He handed the chicken feet to Yin Wanying, who loved them. Then he picked up the chicken legs and started eating.
When he first went deep into the temple, he knew that he had let Qiao Lan down, and also let Lao Guo down. He and Qiao Lan had known each other for many years, and they had a mutual understanding, so the misunderstanding had been resolved long ago. But on Lao Guo's side, he couldn't be so shameless as to claim to be an undercover agent and shirk his responsibility.
After all, he did it himself.
He never had the courage to face Lao Guo until he heard the song "Farewell" tonight.
Some things need to come to an end. It's time to say goodbye to the past.
"Mr. Guo, there is a detail you may not know. When you were thrown into the corpse pit, it was my Xiao Tang who controlled a believer with supernatural powers and threw a wooden sign to Qiao Lan, asking her to save you. And if he hadn't sensed that Lan Lan had arrived, he would not have killed you... There is no need to mention these trivial matters, but I want you to know that my Xiao Tang really has no intention of harming anyone, and he has been trying to save you." Yin Wanying gently interjected.
She spoke for Xiao Tang, who was unwilling to talk about his achievements.
"Thank you, Miss Yin, for telling me!" Lao Guo tore another chicken wing for Xiao Tang.
"Let's have some dipping sauce. I have all kinds of sauces here." Yin Wanying took out ketchup, shacha sauce and the like from the space and placed them on the table.
Everyone happily started eating the chicken with dipping sauce.
Xiao Tang's knot was finally untied. Yin Wanying looked at him tenderly. The longer they spent together, the more she understood his kindness and the guilt that came with it. He was a man worth trusting. She wasn't in love with him, and she knew he didn't love her, but they both wanted to be together for the long haul. In this vast sea of people, they kept each other warm.
After leaving the party and on the way back, Xiao Tang took Yin Wanying's hand.
Yin Wanying accepted it with pleasure.
She knew that his farewell tonight was not only due to his guilt towards Lao Guo, but also due to his feelings for someone else.
They walked hand in hand on the town streets, where many townspeople were coming and going, celebrating the New Year. As they passed the central park, they saw two people walking towards them, also holding hands.
The two couples greeted each other with a smile, wished each other a happy new year, and then continued walking in their original direction.
Xiao Tang didn't look back and walked back home with Yin Wanying.
Under the starry night, another couple continued walking on the street.
It’s Ye Qi and Qiao Lan.
They walked through the two busy main streets, walked to a quieter and less crowded area, and finally stopped in an open space on the west side of the town.
"Why come here?" Qiao Lan asked.
"Happy New Year."
Ye Qi said.
Just as he finished speaking, there was a series of bangs, bangs, bangs, the sound of firecrackers.
Fireworks exploded one after another in the sky, red, green, purple, yellow... brilliant and colorful.
Cheers came from the streets in the distance. People were surprised by the sudden fireworks because they had not received any prior notice that there would be fireworks tonight.
"Is it beautiful?" Ye Qi pulled Qiao Lan.
Qiao Lan was looking up at the fireworks, and he was looking at her.
She had lost a lot of weight, the result of another deliberate diet. Her formerly chubby face now had a slightly pointed chin, and her eyes were large, with bright black pupils reflecting the brilliant fireworks, a dazzling brilliance.
"Beautiful." Qiao Lan smiled, revealing her neat and white teeth.
She smiled without any restraint, her mouth open like a child, her expression lively.
"I'm glad you like it. This is a New Year's Eve gift." Ye Qi said.
He searched for many days before he collected so many fireworks. He set them off three rounds before he was done, which gave Qiao Lan a great visual feast.
After watching the fireworks, Qiao Lan looked away and laughed at him, "Here we go again!"
"If you like it, we can do it more than just this time. We can do it a few more times in the future. Maybe, when the conditions are ripe, we can open a fireworks factory." Ye Qi said.
"Okay, once people in other places have solved their food and clothing problems, business opportunities for these recreational toys will arise. We should act early and seize the opportunity to occupy the market." Qiao Lan has always been interested in doing business.
They even started to think about the location of the fireworks factory, the selection of the initial product categories, etc.
It was stopped in time by Ye Qi.
He hugged her and whispered, "In the new year, let's work harder together to make the base and the town better and live a better life together."
"Okay, bro!"
"Happy New Year."
"hapiness!"
Qiao Lan nestled her head in Ye Qi's arms, her arms wrapped around his waist. The two of them quietly enjoyed their time alone, hugging each other intimately under the starry winter night sky.
"How happy!"
After a long time, Qiao Lan sighed inwardly.
In this life, it is not a loss to be reborn. It is much happier than the previous life.
Xiao Tang didn't die, and Sister Wen didn't die either. She even recognized her biological parents and turned Ye Yanwang into a good boyfriend. The evil forces collapsed, life improved, and everything was exciting.
…
"From afar, the mountains are vibrant; from nearby, the waters are silent..."
“This poem has no second half.”
"The so-called second half is completely inconsistent with the style of the first half. Some people have researched that a later Zen master borrowed the original poem and added the second half."
"The Zen master was expressing Buddhist principles, but someone with ulterior motives used this poem to mislead you, leading you to be heartless and unfeeling, cultivating you to bring disaster to the world. You all know what happened to him!"
"Children, the end of the world is difficult. Cold-blooded selfishness will never lead to good results. Only by helping each other can we have a future for all of us."
"Kill the Virgin Mary first in the apocalypse? No, the apocalypse will only eliminate the foolish."
“Don’t leave the world to bad people, and don’t give up your original intention just because the world is cruel.”
"Open your eyes, pick up your guns, and rebuild the world with the greatest kindness!"
On the first day of the new year, in a classroom of a newly established school in the small town, the loud voice of a female teacher's lecture floated out of the window.
This is a member of the patrol security team. Her child was once misled by the teacher. She volunteered to be a volunteer lecturer in the school to correct the wrong ideas for the children.
Qiao Lan passed by the school window and heard the teacher's lecture, and couldn't help but smile knowingly.
(End of the book)
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