Chapter 191 "Mianmian, Happy New Year".
When we set off, there was less than an hour before the New Year's bells rang. Through the windows of the buildings along the street, we could see residents making dumplings, watching TV, and playing mahjong. Families gathered together in a lively atmosphere, enjoying whatever they were doing.
With fireworks and firecrackers banned in Beijing, the air quality wasn't as bad as I'd imagined. Xia Mian opened the car window, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Her nose was filled with the smells of sulfur, smog, and food aromas from who-knows-where.
That's the taste of home.
Xia Mian sniffed; he suddenly felt a little...missing his dad and mom.
Afraid of chilling the other passengers, he closed the car windows again. Due to the large temperature difference, a layer of condensation formed on the glass. It was a natural canvas. Xia Mian painted a house with three little figures standing in front of it, holding hands and looking cheerful.
"Who is this?" Zhou Pingchuan saw it.
Xia Mian said listlessly, "Nobody did this, I just drew it randomly."
Missing your mom?
The saddest thing is that he had no one to confide in, and could only vaguely say, "A little."
“Once things are settled here, I’ll go to Nangang with you,” Zhou Pingchuan asked. “When do you plan to return to Xiayuan?”
"The day after tomorrow. Are you coming with me?"
Zhou Pingchuan gave him a look that said, "What else?":
He said helplessly, "According to custom, we need to go back to our parents' home together during the New Year to ensure a prosperous family and a large family."
It turned out that Zhou Pingchuan had already planned the entire itinerary before he even asked.
It turns out that Zhou Pingchuan hoped their little family would become more and more successful and prosperous.
Xia Mian calmed down a little: "Then I'll let the Xia family know."
The Xia family.
Zhou Pingchuan caught those two words and smiled knowingly.
The place Zhou Pingchuan was taking him seemed very far away. Xia Mian was bored, so she opened Weibo again.
The post I made today has already received nearly 10,000 comments, and many fans have also shared their own family's New Year's atmosphere in the comments section.
Xia Mian opened the pictures and looked at them one by one. One of the photos of fireworks taken by a fan site admin was particularly beautiful, and he couldn't help but comment: "So beautiful, like a fairyland."
The fan site admin was overwhelmed with joy at being noticed by her idol: 【Ahhhhh, I got noticed! I'm sure I'll be incredibly successful next year! By the way, didn't Mianmian go out to watch the fireworks?】
Xia Mian sighed. Someone with quick hands had already replied for him: [Fireworks and fireworks are banned in Beijing, and the crackdown is especially strict this year. Don't ask me how I know; my family member was just arrested for illegally selling them.]
Although the regulations are strict, there are still loopholes. He and his cronies had tried it before: they could set them off in secluded places, light the fuses, and quickly hide in their cars or run far away, as long as they didn't get caught by the police—the neighbors probably did the same. The property management turned a blind eye; he'd set off a few, have his fun, and then go home.
However, this kind of thing is risky. Xia Mian has only done it once. It would be too embarrassing to be arrested and lectured during the Chinese New Year. It's better to stay at home and play cards and be a law-abiding citizen.
Thinking of this, Xia Mian sighed again. He missed the fireworks show in Victoria Harbour, which was layered on the water and could light up half the sky.
He sent a [pat on the head] emoji to the person whose family member had been arrested, replying to his fans: "Fireworks and firecrackers easily cause fires and pollute the air, and the process of setting them off is also unsafe. The Spring Festival Gala is just as good as fireworks, so I won't go out to join the fun."
Cotton: [Okay, okay, we'll take pictures and show them to you!]
Within minutes, the comment section was flooded with photos of fireworks, each one overflowing with the love of fans. Xia Mian liked them one by one, and her homesickness was somewhat dispelled.
His thumbs-up continued until the driver stopped the car and Zhou Pingchuan told him, "We've arrived."
Xia Mian looked up and saw that the surrounding environment was unfamiliar, and it looked like a manor.
Located halfway up the mountain, a row of detached villas stands at the entrance on the left, while the entire mountainside is fenced off on the right. The horses in the stables, with their glossy coats, are ready to rest. Judging from the quivers and protective gear, they are probably used for hunting.
So why did Zhou Pingchuan bring him to the hunting grounds during the Chinese New Year? Could it be that he wanted to go hunting?
Summer has never liked hunting small animals. She tried it a few times with some white people when she went to Europe, but it was too bloody, so she never went again.
“I don’t like hunting,” Xia Mian refused directly. “If you want to hunt, I can go to the hill next door to offer incense first, and then come back to find you.”
"So young, yet so superstitious." Zhou Pingchuan instructed the driver to open the trunk and toss him a helmet: "Put it on and come with me."
It was a flight helmet with an oxygen mask. Xia Mian could vaguely guess what he was going to do. Holding the helmet, she followed closely behind him.
Bypassing the villa, on the private helipad, a helicopter had already opened its cabin door, ready for flight.
Boeing's V-22 Osprey combines the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with the high-speed flight characteristics of a fixed-wing aircraft. Costing a staggering $68 million, it is primarily used by foreign militaries. Because of its unparalleled speed, every man dreams of sitting in the cockpit, gripping the control stick, and experiencing the adrenaline rush.
In real life, Xia Mian has never actually played this game.
"Will you drive or should I?" Zhou Pingchuan asked.
Xia Mian was a man too, and of course he wanted to try it. Unfortunately, the original owner didn't have a license. And having not touched it for so long, starting it rashly would be playing with everyone's lives: "Go ahead and start it, I'm too lazy to move."
Zhou Pingchuan smiled and got into the cockpit.
The propellers roared, but the aircraft's interior was well-insulated, and Zhou Pingchuan took Xia Mian into the night sky.
Xia Mian put the helmet aside, put on only a pair of noise-canceling headphones, and sat in the passenger seat. His hair was blowing in the wind and rustling. Below him was an endless expanse of black, with the lights of thousands of homes reflected in his eyes.
Today is definitely the brightest and most bustling day in the entire city. Looking down from this angle, there's a subtle sense of fulfillment. It's as if he too has blended into the lights, no longer alone.
As we reached our highest point, the New Year's bells suddenly rang. At the same time, a cluster of blue fireworks suddenly burst into bloom not far away, followed by two, three... like a sky full of stars falling, or a waterfall flowing backwards, making the entire night sky seem to be immersed in Atlantis, dreamlike and magical.
Because production and preservation require strict conditions, blue fireworks are relatively rare. Such vast expanses of unreserved blue made Xia Mian forget to blink. Surrounded by the deep blue, he was completely illuminated and shimmered.
After what seemed like an eternity, his eyes began to water from the wind, before he finally turned his head and asked, "...You arranged this?"
Zhou Pingchuan hummed in agreement: "Do you like it?"
"I like it, I really like it."
Zhou Pingchuan smiled, took out his nationality registration certificate, airworthiness certificate, radio station license and other documents from the storage box, and stuffed them into Xia Mian's hand: "The plane is registered in your name, and the fireworks are stored in the warehouse. When you're in a bad mood, have Lao Wang bring them over, and the fireworks can be set off for you anytime."
While in flight, Zhou Pingchuan needed to concentrate. He stared intently ahead, but his deep, magnetic voice reached Xia Mian's ears through her earphones: "Mianmian, Happy New Year."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com