Lin Zhexia was caught off guard by the sudden pull.
By the time she found her footing, the child’s bicycle had wobbled past her side.
Lin Zhexia: “You’re the idiot.”
Chi Yao: “Do you have a problem with that word?”
Lin Zhexia was about to say, “Who would be satisfied with ‘idiot’?”
When she heard Chi Yao release her hand and add with a hint of mockery, “Then, stupid?”
“…”
“I don’t want to walk anymore,” she turned around and headed back, “normal walks extend your life, walking with you shortens it.”
On the eve of Spring Festival, Lin Zhexia was dragged out by Lin He to purchase New Year supplies, returning with a pile of items.
Lin He still needed to rest and recover, mainly lying on the sofa, giving them instructions: “You and your Uncle Wei, put the Spring Festival couplets on the door, then put that pile of things in the kitchen, and the new clothes in the bedroom.”
“Also,” Lin He pointed around, “the floor needs mopping too.”
After bustling about for half the day, Lin Zhexia took a short break while hanging the Spring Festival couplets.
She handed the couplets to Wei Ping: “Uncle Wei, I’ve always thought you were very tall.”
Wei Ping understood immediately: “Alright, go and rest, I’ll do it.”
Hearing this, she gave a large portion of the couplets to Wei Ping, but kept three sheets in her hand.
Wei Ping asked: “Aren’t you hanging the ones in your hand?”
Lin Zhexia said, “It’s a secret.”
“Well, tell uncle secretly, I promise not to tell anyone.”
“If I tell you,” Lin Zhexia shook her head, “then it won’t be a secret anymore.”
Wei Ping didn’t get an answer, but he didn’t mind, and smiled saying: “Alright, our Xia Xia now has little secrets.”
It wasn’t much of a secret.
Lin Zhexia, holding the couplets in her hand, thought that she was planning to go to Chi Yao’s door later to put them up for him.
Even though Chi Yao didn’t say anything and always had that indifferent attitude, it was still somewhat desolate to have only him alone at home during such a festive time as the Spring Festival.
She wanted to give Chi Yao a surprise.
She deliberately snuck out late at night before bed, carefully pasting the three bright red couplets on his door.
She didn’t even change her clothes, wearing a blue hooded coral fleece pajama, coming and going like a gust of wind. After finishing, she went back home to continue sleeping.
Before sleeping, she also looked forward to Chi Yao seeing the couplets she had put up early the next day.
So she left him a message: Make sure you don’t sleep in tomorrow.
Early the next morning.
Chi Yao woke up very early.
He would have found it difficult to sleep longer even if he wanted to, with the crackling sounds of firecrackers everywhere outside.
Different from these festive and chaotic sounds was the empty house he was now in.
He lay in bed, eyes half-closed, scratched his head, then put on his slippers to wash up.
After simply washing his face, his phone rang, and he leaned against the bathroom doorway to answer: “Dad, Mom.”
The voice from the other end of the phone carried little warmth: “It’s New Year’s today, I’ve transferred money to your account, buy whatever you want. Also, did you receive the New Year’s gift box we sent? There are some New Year goods inside. Your mom and I have something urgent at the company, there’s a batch of goods that needs to be delivered urgently, so we can’t make it back.”
Then his mother cut in to add: “Have you been well at home lately? Take good care of yourself.”
Chi Yao: “I know.”
“If there’s nothing else,” he added, “I’ll hang up.”
At the end.
He added another sentence, “Happy New Year.”
“…”
After a few brief exchanges, there was nothing else to say.
The call quickly ended.
After hanging up, he casually opened WeChat.
Today was the festival.
Many people were sending group messages, and the WeChat list was full of unread red dots.
He didn’t look at other messages, directly clicking on a certain pinned conversation that always sat at the very top of the list.
[Coward].
There were several messages from Lin Zhexia.
He read them one by one-