Chapter 42 New Year's Eve
Feng Lin's family background was only slightly better than Xiao Liulang's, but it wasn't really that good. This could be seen from his daily food, clothing, and daily necessities.
However, he has always been unconditionally generous when it comes to Xiao Liulang. Take this red paper for example, each sheet costs several tens of coins, and buying a dozen sheets would cost almost half a tael of silver.
He usually ate pickled vegetables and steamed buns at the academy.
As evening fell, snow began to fall heavily again.
Feng Lin stayed alone in the academy.
He was reading in his dormitory. One oil lamp wasn't bright enough, but he couldn't bear to light a second one.
A cold wind blew in through the crack in the door, making him shiver.
He didn't burn charcoal, firstly because the academy forbade it, and secondly because he couldn't bear to burn it.
There were four people living in this dormitory. Usually, his classmates were all there, so he didn't feel the cold. But now, all alone, he felt as if all the cold wind was blowing into his stomach.
This was his first Chinese New Year spent in a foreign land.
He missed his parents and his sisters, but he couldn't go back.
It's true that it's far, and it's also true that it can save a few taels of silver on travel expenses. Of course, more importantly, he wants to devote all his time to studying and doesn't want to waste a single day.
His family had only one son for three generations, and no second son was born in his generation. In order to support his education, one of his sisters married a widower as his second wife, and the other was betrothed to a tea merchant who was over fifty years old.
They dedicated their entire lives to him, so he has no choice but to work hard and return home in glory.
After breathing warm air onto his hands, Feng Lin pulled the blanket tighter around himself and continued reading.
Knock knock knock!
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Strange, who could be looking for him at this hour?
The academy was on holiday, everyone had left, even the teachers had gone home for the New Year, leaving him alone in the empty academy.
"Could it be a ghost..." He successfully scared himself, his face turned pale, and he pulled the blanket tighter around himself, saying, "You...who are you?"
"It's me."
A familiar girl's voice came from outside.
Feng Lin threw off the blanket, put on his shoes, walked over and opened the door. When he saw Gu Jiao covered in snow, he thought to himself that he would rather see a ghost!
This is a men's dormitory!
What is she doing here, a woman all alone?!
"Why are you here? Did something happen to Brother Xiao?" Feng Lin couldn't think of any other reason besides this. Without waiting for Gu Jiao's answer, he immediately put on a cloak and asked Gu Jiao, "Where is Brother Xiao?"
"At home," Gu Jiao said.
Without saying a word, Feng Lin left the house.
Watching his hurried departure, Gu Jiao calmly said, "There's no carriage."
During the Lunar New Year, a snowstorm struck, making it impossible to hire oxcarts or horse-drawn carriages.
Without a second thought, Feng Lin said, "If there's no carriage, can't we just walk? Hurry up!"
Gu Jiao: "Oh."
She's not the one who can't walk.
As it turned out, Feng Lin's physical strength was indeed inferior to Gu Jiao's. Along the way, Gu Jiao was neither red-faced nor out of breath, while Feng Lin almost collapsed several times.
When they finally arrived at Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang's house, Feng Lin felt like his legs no longer belonged to him.
He used his last bit of strength to push open the door, and when he looked inside, he was dumbfounded by what he saw.
Xiao Liulang was sitting on a chair in the main room, watching the old lady teach Gu Xiaoshun how to cut paper snowflakes. His complexion was rosy and healthy, and he didn't look sick at all.
"You're back." Xiao Liulang greeted the two of them.
"Oh, it's Xiao Feng! Please have a seat!" the old lady greeted him.
Gu Xiaoshun had always disliked Feng Lin, but surprisingly, he didn't give Feng Lin the cold shoulder today.
Feng Lin was completely baffled. He stared blankly at Gu Jiao: "No, it wasn't Brother Xiao..."
Gu Jiao shrugged: "That's what you said yourself, I didn't say that."
Feng Lin: "..."
How come I never noticed before that this woman was so cunning?
Feng Lin spent his first New Year's Eve away from home at Gu Jiao and Xiao Liulang's place. He thought he would feel uncomfortable because of Gu Jiao and Gu Xiaoshun, whom he disliked, but it turned out to be surprisingly harmonious.
Gu Jiao made dumplings according to the village's customs, and also made osmanthus sugar rice cakes according to the customs of his and Xiao Liulang's hometown. The moment the taste of his hometown hit his tongue, tears welled up in his eyes.
It wasn't just touching, it was just sooooo delicious!
ah!
Isn't this little shrew a local? Why does she make the sweet rice cakes smell so good?!
Feng Lin ate with tears streaming down his face.
At first, he was indeed moved to tears by how delicious the food was, but later it stirred up his longing for his hometown. He began to think about his sisters and his elderly parents.
I wonder how they've been doing this past year while I've been away from home.
Seeing him crying so miserably, Gu Xiaoshun, for the first time ever, didn't scold him and even shared his own portion of sweet rice cake with him.
This was undoubtedly a lively New Year's Eve, both for Feng Lin and for Gu Jiao and the others.
In her previous life, Gu Jiao always spent New Year's Eve alone in the organization. After growing up, she was no longer an experimental subject in the organization, but she was still alone in another room instead of the laboratory.
Gu Xiaoshun usually spends the New Year at the Gu family home. The Gu family is large, but no one notices him. For example, if he runs away tonight, he guarantees that no one will find out.
The old lady had no recollection of how she usually celebrated the New Year, but she was quite happy this year. She personally put up the couplets and taught that silly boy Gu Xiaoshun how to cut paper snowflakes, which turned out to be even worse than hers, instantly making her feel better! In addition, Jiaojiao made an exception and let her eat five candied fruits, whereas she was usually only allowed two.
Xiao Liulang was very calm. He was never one to show his emotions easily, but Gu Jiao could still sense the faint sense of melancholy emanating from him.
More than usual.
Several people stayed up all night to welcome the New Year.
There were only three rooms in the house, and it wouldn't be good for the old lady to squeeze in with others, so Gu Jiao cleaned up Xiao Liulang's room and let Feng Lin stay there temporarily.
No matter how good Feng Lin's relationship with Xiao Liulang was, he didn't know that the young couple had never shared a room together, and he readily moved in.
Including the night at the inn, this was the second time the two had slept in the same bed. Gu Jiao's bed was much more spacious than the one at the inn, and the quilt was also thicker.
The lights are kept on New Year's Eve, and the oil lamps on the table emit a faint glow.
The two lay in their respective blankets. Xiao Liulang closed his eyes, but Gu Jiao knew he wasn't asleep.
"How was your New Year?" Gu Jiao asked softly.
Before Xiao Liulang could answer, a slender little hand reached into his blanket and grabbed his cold and stiff hand.
Gu Jiao: "Next year will be even better."
The subtext is: I want to spend next year with you again!!!
(End of this chapter)
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