Chapter 88
When Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu returned from Hecheng, snowflakes were falling in Baishan Town every few days.
However, from the time I was born until New Year's Eve, it was sunny all the time, especially on New Year's Eve, when the sun was particularly bright at around 8 a.m.
Han Shuo had been staying in his room on the second floor for several days in a row, but he couldn't stand it anymore today, so he went downstairs after breakfast.
Thinking that there was no wind outside today, Meng's mother told Han Shuo to wear a hat and a cotton-padded coat and sunbathe in the yard, and to let the child sunbathe as well.
In the morning, we cleaned the house, washed and dried clothes. In one corner of the yard, a bamboo pole was covered with clothes and baby diapers. Not long after lunch, every household in the village began preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.
Han Shuo couldn't feel the festive atmosphere of the New Year in the 21st century, but he has spent two New Years here. Especially this year, with the whole family gathered together, the feeling of the New Year filled every corner of the house.
Han Hong and Meng's father applied paste and pasted Spring Festival couplets and the character "福" (fortune) on the courtyard gate and inside the house.
Han Ting was outside setting off firecrackers with the village children, while Han Shuo sat on a bamboo chair in the yard, basking in the sun with his schoolbag.
When Meng's mother came out of the kitchen, she bent down and lifted the small blanket from the schoolbag, saying to Han Shuo, "Oh dear, he's awake."
"Is he awake?" Han Shuo sat in the sun, the child in his arms had been quiet, so he hadn't noticed.
Upon hearing what Mencius' mother said, he looked down and saw his son staring blankly at him with his two dark, bright eyes, his little mouth opening and closing with his little tongue sticking out.
"Oh dear." His son's crying and fussing used to give Han Shuo a headache, but now that he was so well-behaved and quiet, it melted Han Shuo's heart. He teased him, "When did you wake up? You didn't even make a sound when you woke up?"
The foot inside the small blanket moved.
Han Ting, who was playing with firecrackers outside, spotted Meng Mu bending down to tease the children in the yard. He immediately abandoned his friends from the village and ran into the yard.
When Han Shuo carried his schoolbag downstairs, he was already eager to play with it, but Han Hong said that his younger brother was sleeping and that he could play with it when he woke up.
Now that his younger brother is awake, he can't wait to cling to Han Shuo's leg and keeps saying that he wants to hold his brother too.
Han Shuo laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'll carry you. Stop acting like a spoiled child on the ground and get up."
Han Ting immediately got up from the ground.
While applying paste, Han Hong laughed at his son, "With your small frame, can you even lift your little brother? Be careful not to drop him on the ground too."
Han Ting whined and acted like an adult, stretching out his two thin arms to reach for his schoolbag.
Meng's mother quickly brought over a chair, and with a smile, she pulled Han Ting to sit down, saying, "Tingting, sit down first before you hug your little brother."
After he was settled, she took the schoolbag from Han Shuo's arms and carefully placed it on Han Ting's arm, which was already trembling with anticipation as he prepared to hold the child.
"Come on, Tingting, hold on tight." Actually, it was just to let Han Tingting have some fun, with Meng's mother helping to support her from the side.
Even so, Han Ting was overjoyed. He kept looking down at the schoolbag in the small blanket, and when he saw the schoolbag yawning with its little mouth open, he laughed excitedly: "The schoolbag opened its mouth!"
Meng's mother smiled and said, "Yes, he is so happy to have his schoolbag held by his older brother."
However, Han Ting couldn't take it after holding her for two minutes. The book was wrapped too round and heavy, and she wanted to nurse after waking up. Soon she started kicking her little feet and crying loudly.
Although he was only a few days old, his strength was not to be underestimated. With a kick of his two feet under the blanket, he moved like an eel, and five-year-old Han Ting was so frightened that she cried out, afraid that her little brother would fall to the ground.
Meng's mother smiled and quickly handed the schoolbag to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo teased his nephew, "What's wrong? You can't handle it after just one hug?"
Han Ting said, "My younger brother is always moving around!"
Han Hong: "Alright, go out and play with firecrackers. Your little brother needs to eat."
Han Ting was satisfied after hugging his younger brother, and then he ran out of the yard to find his friends to play with firecrackers.
Han Shuo then took his schoolbag upstairs and fed the baby.
After feeding him, I heard Meng's father downstairs whispering to Meng's mother that their son hadn't gotten up yet.
Han Shuo glanced at the time; it was 2:30 PM, and it was indeed about time to wake Meng Yuxiu up.
So he carried the child to the bedside, but when he saw Meng Yuxiu sleeping with his hair all messy, he suddenly felt playful.
He uncovered the blanket and gently rubbed one leg of the schoolbag against Meng Yuxiu's nose.
The newborn baby, only a few days old, wasn't wearing shoes; both feet were tucked into his little thermal pants. Han Shuo then used his son's pant legs to rub against Meng Yuxiu.
Meng Yuxiu probably felt an itch in his nose while he was sleeping. He frowned slightly for a moment, subconsciously touched his nose with his finger, and then continued to sleep.
Han Shuo wanted to laugh, so he rubbed the pant leg of his backpack against it.
Meng Yuxiu was finally woken up by the rubbing. He was stunned when he saw the light blue woolen trouser leg in front of him, and then realized that it was his son's foot.
In that instant, even someone with a bad temper when they wake up would lose their temper, let alone Meng Yuxiu.
He immediately sat up and took his son from Han Shuo's arms, looking at his son's face with a smile in his eyes.
Han Shuo chuckled and said, "If you don't get up, I'm prepared to have him pee on you to wake you up."
“I’d be happy to do that too.” Meng Yuxiu said, lowering his head and almost burying his face in the small blanket.
Han Shuo knew that Meng Yuxiu liked children. Ever since he mistakenly thought that Meng Yuxiu was pregnant, Meng Yuxiu had told him that he wanted a child. Now that he was pregnant, it was even more unbearable to look at.
He teased Meng Yuxiu: "Tsk tsk tsk, look at you, you look like you're about to give birth."
"You've just started producing milk," Meng Yuxiu said with a chuckle, but then he thought about it again, and realized that Han Shuo had also started producing milk. So he glanced at Han Shuo and changed his words, "You have a lot of milk."
"Damn!" Han Shuo was always shameless in front of Meng Yuxiu. Hearing Meng Yuxiu's words, he sat down and put his arm around Meng Yuxiu's shoulder, then whispered in his ear in an ambiguous tone, "Isn't it good if there's a lot? If he can't finish it, you can have it as a midnight snack, hehe."
Meng Yuxiu, his ears red, called out, "Han Shuo!"
"What?" Han Shuo loved Meng Yuxiu's shy and easily bullied appearance. He kept pestering him, asking, "How is it? Do you want some?"
Meng Yuxiu looked like he wanted it but was too embarrassed to ask, and finally mumbled to Han Shuo in a low voice, "Well... if you really can't finish the backpack, I can eat it too."
"Hahahaha!!" Han Shuo reached out and pinched his cheek, laughing and scolding, "Gluttonous dog!"
Meng Yuxiu smiled without saying a word.
Meng's father called Meng Yuxiu to get up from downstairs. Han Shuo then took the child and helped Meng Yuxiu get dressed before carrying the child downstairs.
Meng's father was going to slaughter a chicken later and was free for the time being. Seeing Han Shuo come downstairs, he went over and asked if he could hold the schoolbag for a while.
After Han Hong finished pasting the Spring Festival couplets, he went over to tease the schoolbag, "Schoolbag, are you looking at your uncle?"
“He’s smarter than Xiao Xiu, just like Xiao Shuo,” Meng’s father said to Han Hong.
Han Hong: "No way, this fair and tender skin is just like Xiao Xiu's. Our Xiao Shuo was as dark as charcoal when he was little."
The two parents were having a good laugh when they teased each other about whose backpack looked like whose.
Villagers passing by saw a plate of dried fruit on a bench in the Meng family's courtyard, hot water boiling at the door, and a lively atmosphere, so they came in and chatted for a bit.
"Teacher Meng, are you happy for the Chinese New Year this year?"
Meng's father gently patted the child in his arms and smiled at the villagers, saying, "Happy, happy."
The villagers jokingly teased, "Now that you have a grandson, you can't be as carefree as you were in class."
Meng's mother sat in the yard picking vegetables, carrying a basket. Upon hearing this, she laughed and went back to the villagers, saying, "That's right, he always has a stern and fierce face. When Xiao Xiu was little, if his father had a stern face, Xiao Xiu wouldn't even dare to cry. Hey, Old Meng, you can't treat your schoolbag like that!"
Looking down at his grandson blowing bubbles in the small blanket, Meng's father laughed and said, "No way, don't do that again."
When Meng Yuxiu came downstairs, everyone was chatting, while Han Shuo was sitting in a chair eating sunflower seeds.
Han Shuo saw him come downstairs and nodded at him, "There are leftovers in the kitchen, Mom has put them in a pot to simmer."
"Okay." Meng Yuxiu was about to get a basin to wash up when he suddenly saw something and walked straight to his father.
He called out to Meng's father, "Dad."
Mr. Meng was happily coaxing his grandson when he heard his son call out, and he instinctively responded with a "hey".
However, he then heard his son say, "Dad, you can't hug me like that."
Meng's father: "?"
Meng Yuxiu walked closer, lifted his father's arm slightly, and then earnestly told his father, "Dad, you have to support his head."
“…I’m supporting it, aren’t I?” But Meng’s father still listened to his son’s advice and properly spread his arms a little to make the schoolbag more comfortable.
"Oh, look at Grandpa! Grandpa's holding you in the sun!" Meng's father couldn't help but bounce you up.
But then he heard his son say, "Dad, you can't keep turning him around like that."
"..." Meng's father said, "I didn't toss him around."
Meng Yuxiu: "You just tossed him around. Mom said that if the child is always tossed around, he needs to be tossed around to fall back asleep when he gets up at night."
The Han brothers and Meng's mother in the courtyard couldn't stop laughing when they heard the father and son's conversation.
Mr. Meng looked a little embarrassed. He coughed lightly, glared at his son, and muttered under his breath, "You brat, didn't I always hold you like this when you were a baby? How long have you been a father?"
Meng Yuxiu: "..."
However, a son is a son, and a grandson is a grandson. You can hold a son however you want when he's little, but you really have to be careful with a grandson. So later, when Meng Yuxiu's uncles came to visit and held the baby during the first month of the lunar year, Meng's father stood by and cautiously reminded them.
"His great-uncle, the child has to support his head."
"Grandma, don't be so erratic. Otherwise, it'll be hard to soothe you tonight."
Meng's father carried the schoolbag for almost half an hour before returning it to Han Shuo. After that, he and Han Hong went outside to kill a chicken.
Meng's mother asked Meng Yuxiu to pour the boiled water into the bucket so that Meng's father and the others could remove the chicken feathers later.
"This free-range chicken is so fat!" Han Hong said happily to Meng's mother as he walked to the gate, holding the chicken by its feet. "It's probably dripping with oil!"
Mencius' mother said, "This chicken was bought and raised by Xiaoxiu and his wife when they got married."
To avoid making the yard wet, Meng's father said to take it outside to remove the fur.
Meng Yuxiu then carried a bucket full of hot water, billowing white steam, outside into the yard. Next, Han Hong grabbed the whole chicken and stuffed it into the bucket. After he soaked it a few times, Meng's father and mother quickly plucked the chicken's feathers off by hand.
Soon, it faded into a bald chicken.
However, there were still some downy feathers on the chicken that needed to be removed. Meng's father burned some firewood outside the yard, and when the fire was burning brightly, he grabbed the bald Senwan Chicken and rolled it in the flames, then washed it with clean water.
This year, Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo earned a lot of money and gave it to their parents. So this morning, Meng's father bought a lot of vegetables in town. In addition to pork, which they usually eat, there was also beef and mutton. He even bought two catties of shrimp and eight hairy crabs.
Villagers passing by saw them preparing the vegetables outside their yard and couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Meng, your family's New Year's Eve dinner is so lavish!"
Mencius' mother would smile and politely reply, "Why don't you stay home and have New Year's Eve dinner together?"
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and Han Ting is the happiest. He got up early this morning and played with firecrackers until almost sunset, and he still didn't want to come back.
Han Hong had no choice but to search the whole village. When he returned home, he saw that Han Ting's hand was covered in black soot, which made Han Hong so angry that he cursed and swore.
Han Shuo felt sorry for his nephew, so he advised, "Brother, what's wrong with letting Tingting play for a while today since it's New Year's Day?"
Han Hong glared at his son and scolded him: "Go play after you finish your New Year's Eve dinner. We're about to eat."
Speaking of firecrackers, fireworks are a lively tradition in rural areas on New Year's Eve. But Han Shuo looked around the house and didn't see any fireworks.
He asked Meng's father, "Dad, didn't we buy any fireworks?"
Mencius' father said he didn't buy it.
Why not buy it?
Mencius' mother told Han Shuo, "His schoolbag is still too small; setting off fireworks will scare him. Your father has thought about it and decided not to set them off this year."
Han Shuo: "Wouldn't it be too deserted if we didn't set them off? Besides, even if we don't set them off, other people in the village are setting them off, and it will still bother him."
Meng's father nodded: "That's true, it's noisy everywhere on New Year's Eve."
Han Hong said, "Well then, let's buy them and set them off outside. At least we'll have set off fireworks at home and have had some fun."
Mencius' father thought it was a good idea.
Mencius' mother said, "Then let the schoolbag stay upstairs, and make sure the doors and windows of the room are closed tightly."
When Han Ting heard that they were going to buy fireworks, he excitedly shouted that he wanted to go with them. So Meng Yuxiu and Han Hong took him to the village shop, while Meng's parents stayed home to cook New Year's Eve dinner.
Back when he was in high school, Meng Yuxiu was penniless and had to ask his parents for money for everything.
This year is different. Even after giving his parents a thousand or so yuan, he still has a lot left. So, with money in his pocket, he doesn't have to be stingy wherever he goes.
Even when Han Ting asked for firecrackers or sparklers in the shop, Meng Yuxiu wouldn't even blink.
When he generously pulled out a wad of cash, the shop owner was so surprised that he kept praising Xiao Xiu for being so capable now, not only becoming a father but also making a lot of money.
The brother-in-law standing next to him felt an even greater sense of pride and satisfaction.
Meng Yuxiu bought a lot of fireworks and firecrackers, so much that two adults each carried a basket, and Han Ting, a five-year-old child, had to hold a handful in his arms.
"Uncle!" Han Ting rushed in excitedly to show Han Shuo his haul.
"Oh my, so much?" Han Shuo said to him, "Then you'll have to leave it until dawn."
Han Hong said, "If no one takes care of him, he really could leave it until dawn!"
Actually, Han Ting just wanted to grab a few sparklers and go out to play, but his mother persuaded him to come back, saying, "Tingting, eat your New Year's Eve dinner first, then you can set them off."
There were many people today, so a large round table was set up at home, and the dishes on the table were so numerous that they filled the entire table. Beef and mutton were boiled and dipped in soy sauce, shrimp were blanched and dipped in vinegar, and hairy crabs were freshly taken out of the steamer, so red and plump that they couldn't fit on the plate and had to be stacked on top of each other.
The braised pork belly was glossy and tender, and a whole fish, after being pan-fried and stewed, was taken out of the pot and sprinkled with bright green scallions. Meng's mother also specially stewed a bowl of soft eggs for Han Ting to eat.
Since Han Shuo was also eating downstairs today, Han Hong carried the schoolbag in his arms.
Han Shuo was worried that his brother wouldn't eat well, so he said, "Brother, why don't we put it upstairs? It's quite heavy."
Han Hong held the schoolbag in his left arm and laughed, "Where is it heavy? I'm a worker who does manual labor all year round, unlike you. This schoolbag is so small, I can carry it easily."
Han Ting couldn't sit still while eating; he would always peek over his shoulder to look at his schoolbag.
Han Hong told him to eat properly.
Meng's mother called to Meng's father to bring over the steamed chicken in the pot. After Meng's father brought the whole steaming chicken to the table, Meng's mother tore off a chicken leg and gave it to Han Ting, and then tore off another leg and gave it to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo was both amused and exasperated: "Mom, I'm not a child anymore, why are you giving me a chicken leg?"
Mencius' mother smiled and said, "In my eyes, you are still a child. Eat up."
"Okay, okay." Han Shuo took the chicken leg.
Mencius' mother said to Mencius, "Little Xiu, you're not getting any chicken legs this year."
"Mom!" Meng Yuxiu called out anxiously.
Han Shuo raised an eyebrow and teased him, "Oh? What do you mean? So you were eating chicken legs like a kid last year?"
Meng Yuxiu usually couldn't stand being treated like a child by Han Shuo, and now that his mother had publicly exposed that he had also obediently eaten chicken legs just like Han Ting last year, he immediately felt a little embarrassed.
Han Shuo waved the chicken leg in front of him, "Want some?"
Meng Yuxiu said, "I'm an adult, I don't want to eat."
Han Shuo chuckled and said, "Yes, yes, you're a father now, so I'll eat by myself."
The crowd burst into laughter upon hearing the young couple's flirtatious banter.
Everyone was enjoying their New Year's Eve dinner, the bowls and chopsticks clattering together.
The schoolbag wasn't asleep.
It was probably Han Hong who was speaking, so the boy in the schoolbag stared intently at his uncle's Adam's apple bobbing up and down. If he got too engrossed in staring, he would kick his feet a couple of times under the blanket.
Han Hong noticed the movement and teased him, "Oh, you want to eat the backpack too?"
This is the youngest child in the family. Any noise he makes causes everyone at the table to stop their New Year's Eve dinner and tease him a few times before they continue eating.
Before the Meng family had even finished their New Year's Eve dinner, the sound of fireworks began to echo throughout the village.
Meng's father was puzzled, saying that the child was so brave that he didn't even cry when he heard the sound of fireworks.
He said, "When Xiao Xiu was a child, he was so scared that he didn't dare to make a sound when rats scurried across the beams."
Meng Yuxiu: "..."
However, as the fireworks grew louder and then the neighbors who lived nearby started setting them off as well, Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo took their schoolbags back to their rooms.
Han Ting, along with Han Hong and Meng's parents, happily went outside to set off fireworks like a squeaking little mouse.
Han Shuo stood by the window and could see his family members right where the fireworks were going off.
Although he couldn't go out, even through the glass window, he could feel the same joy and festivity as them through the colorful lights and the faint sounds of laughter.
Meng Yuxiu watched the fireworks for a while, then turned his head to look at Han Shuo.
At this moment, recalling the wonderful bond between him and Han Shuo, he felt a sense of disorientation.
"Hey." Han Shuo waved in front of him, "Aren't you going to watch the fireworks? Are you going to watch me instead?"
"Um."
"Why are you looking at me?" Han Shuo laughed.
"Nothing much," Meng Yuxiu said. "I was just looking around."
Meng Yuxiu was carrying his schoolbag when Han Shuo put his arm around his shoulder. He raised an eyebrow at Meng Yuxiu and said, "You received a red envelope from my brother today, aren't you happy?"
"Didn't you receive a lot of red envelopes too?" Meng Yuxiu was naturally happy and somewhat proud. He looked at Han Shuo and said, "From now on, you will keep all my red envelopes."
Han Shuo chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll keep both the big and small ones safe."
"Mmm." Meng Yuxiu smiled gently, raising his lips slightly.
He gazed quietly at Han Shuo's face, watching the dazzling brilliance in Han Shuo's eyes.
That day at the town's health center, he told Han Shuo that they couldn't go back, and he nervously asked Han Shuo what he thought.
Han Shuo told him to live in the moment.
But at this moment, he couldn't help but ask Han Shuo, "Han Shuo, we can't go back. Do you regret it?"
Han Shuo didn't speak; only the light and shadow of the fireworks swept across his face.
Much later.
"Pity."
Meng Yuxiu heard him say that.
"There will definitely be regrets." Han Shuo gazed at the starlight streaming through the glass window and sighed deeply. "But, no matter what choices you make or how you walk in life, there will always be regrets, right?"
"Here we will feel regret for the 21st century, and in the 21st century we will also feel regret for this era."
"Hmm." Meng Yuxiu nodded silently.
Han Shuo remained silent, gazing at his family members laughing and joking in the distance.
"Tingting, be careful, don't tear a hole in your cotton-padded coat!" Meng's father handed Han Ting a lit sparkler.
Meng's mother laughed, "Next year, Tingting, you'll be able to play with your little brother."
Han Hong scolded his son affectionately, "It's all because of my son Xiao Shuo that he's so naughty!"
Han Ting screamed happily, waving her sparkler and jumping and spinning around the adults.
Han Hong took a firework, and Meng's father took the cigarette out of his mouth and lit the fuse. With a burst of brilliant light, it shot into the night sky and instantly bloomed into a huge and beautiful firework.
Han Shuo turned his head, stared at Meng Yuxiu for a moment, and then looked down at the schoolbag in his arms for a while.
Meng Yuxiu saw a smile gradually appear on his lips.
He heard Han Shuo say that.
No matter what choice they make, there will be regrets, but at least they are happy now, and their lives are real.
At least in this era, they are fulfilled.
—End of main text
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