Sun Peng's grandfather, Sun Gong, and Wen Muxin were chess friends and had a good relationship, but that was all. Compared to Yan Qin and Xin Yunliang, who were brothers who had fought side by side, they were still far inferior.
Sigh, we're paying our respects a little too early this year.
Sun Peng's peach-blossom eyes darted around, revealing the shrewd young man. He said, "I shouldn't have bothered Aunt Wen, but my grandfather and the others went to see an internal party. I don't like those kinds of things. My grandfather knows I like to join in the fun, so he asked me to come to your house. He said the Wen family has a strong spiritual atmosphere and many young people. Your grandfather likes children, and Aunt Wen is very gentle and kind, so I shamelessly came."
Old Xin nodded repeatedly, expressing his deep agreement. He also disliked the internally organized parties, where the performers always put on highbrow material, sang incomprehensible lyrics, and played obscure tunes. In the first few years, when the New Year's celebrations were held to reward veterans and meritorious officials, he would go every time, only to be left before he was fully awake. He would be helped into a car by his guards, and a bunch of old pens would laugh at him the whole way. From then on, no matter how much the Emperor himself invited him, he would never go again.
Wen's mother pinched Sun Peng's cheek and smiled. This child has been mischievous since he was little. Look at him, he speaks more thoughtfully than those sons-in-law when they visit their fathers-in-law.
Everyone laughed and nodded in agreement.
Sun Peng patted the snow off his clothes, saw Yan hope, smiled, moved closer to him, and his bright eyes darted over Aheng and Lu Liu. "Well, the show hasn't started yet, has it? I'm late."
Yan hope wanted to bulge his veins and, imitating Uncle Ma, roared like a lion, "Get the hell out of here!"
Ah Heng was in a great mood all day, her face flushed, and she smiled at everyone. When she greeted guests, she simply smiled and said to Lu Liu, "Please have some tea."
Lu Liu smiled, picked up a melon seed, and waved it in front of her—Miss Wen, is this a peanut or a grape?
Ah Heng raised her eyebrows and answered softly like a child – sunflower seeds.
Everyone's jaws dropped.
Given Ah Heng's personality, she would definitely retort with a half-smile—what do you think?
This behavior is probably related to someone...
Ten pairs of eyes—mocking, malicious, ambiguous, worried, and expressionless—were all fixed on Yan hope.
Young Master Yan is thick-skinned and doesn't blush. He opened his innocent big eyes and looked back at each of them.
After dinner, everyone sat together to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Aunt Wen poured two glasses of red wine and handed them to Grandpa Wen and Grandpa Xin, saying it was good for their health as it softened their blood vessels. Grandpa Wen shook his head repeatedly, saying it was boring and he preferred baijiu (Chinese liquor). Aunt Wen, however, coaxed him into finishing them. Grandpa Xin, thinking of his deceased son and daughter-in-law, had tears in his eyes. This startled Da Yi, who went over and started making faces and doing somersaults, almost like a monkey, before finally making his grandfather laugh.
Wiping sweat, sir, you seem to be getting younger as you get older.
Old Xin laughed and scolded, "Get out! You unfilial brat! Your grandfather isn't even dead yet, and you're already making a scene about running away from home every other day. How can I possibly rely on you in the future?!"
Da Yi looked embarrassed and held up one finger. "Just once? When has it been happening every few days?"
Chen Juan's face darkened, and he softly said to Aheng, who was sitting beside him watching TV, "I didn't know other people's homes were like this. If I had known, I would have... I wouldn't have gone with Da Yi..."
Aheng was stunned, unsure how to offer advice. She knew perfectly well that Chen Juan and Da Yi had crossed the line of friendship, but she also felt that Chen Juan was simply too lonely, so she couldn't bear to advise them to separate. She thought that with time, Da Yi and Chen Juan would mature and things might be handled better.
Every year on the Spring Festival Gala, a group of people sing and dance, relying on China's large population and abundant resources. People watch TV for the excitement and atmosphere. Everyone vaguely understands that the 2004 Gala brought together the largest number of people—those they wanted to see, those they didn't, relatives and enemies—it was finally a reunion. Those with grudges or conflicts, if they met by chance, would settle things privately.
Wen's mother was more heartbroken than the others. Looking at Yan hope, she thought, "This child is ultimately just a stranger to me."
Looking at him now, she could still picture him from twenty years ago, with his big eyes looking up and grabbing the hem of her skirt, not even reaching her knees.
His voice was still very childish as he said, "Auntie, next time we go to the children's park, can you bring Xiaoxi with you too?"
Those big eyes held not only anticipation but also trepidation.
At that moment, Siwan was held in her arms, looking down at this motherless child with curiosity and innocence.
Xiao hope stuffed all the candies she had sent from America into Si Wan's hands, her eyes crinkling with laughter. She stood on tiptoe and pulled Si Wan hard, saying, "Come down, come down quickly, Wen Si Wan. My grandpa says that children who love to act spoiled are not good children."
Siwan listened to Xiaoxi the most, squirming in her arms and wanting to get down, so she put Siwan down.
That child, however, was incredibly cunning. He stretched out his little hands and said, "Auntie, hug me, hug Xiaoxi."
She was stunned. She picked him up, and the child almost instantly wrapped his arms around her neck. The little guy had tears in his eyes. He said, "Auntie, Sun Peng said my mom doesn't like me, that's why she doesn't want me. He said you don't like me, that's why you don't take me to the park. I know my mom doesn't like me, so do you like me?"
So, do you like me?
This sentence, as time and space rotated, arrived in 2010.
A two-year-old with big eyes learned a strange-sounding song from the Spring Festival Gala. He clapped his little hands and smiled, singing to her, "I like you so much, do you like me?"
In a daze, two or three decades have passed, almost half a lifetime, and nothing has changed.
But she cried.
The child wiped away her tears with his little hands, pouted, and said, "Grandma, you're crying. You don't like the baby."
She hugged the child tightly, sobbing uncontrollably, and said that Grandma loved him, loved him so much.
This child, who carries a quarter of her blood, has finally become her child, as precious as a pearl, and will never be let down or hurt again.
He stood on tiptoe, grabbed her forehead, and kissed her hard, just like his father comforting someone. He stroked her hair and said, "Grandma, be good, be good, don't cry. Mom says, 'Cry, you're a bad child.'"
She smiled and hugged her grandson even tighter—"Don't listen to your mother's nonsense. Your father used to cry a lot when he was little, but he was a good boy."
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As the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve 2004, Ah Heng went upstairs to clean the house, a family tradition of getting rid of the old and welcoming the new.
On the second floor, there are rooms on both sides, one for each of Aheng and Si'er.
When Si'er swept into Aheng's room, she noticed that the drawer wasn't closed properly. She tried to close it, but it wouldn't close. Upon opening it, she found a letter stuck in the bottom layer of the drawer.
He took it out and discovered it was a letter his father had written to Aheng but never sent.
Si'er remembered that her father hadn't written her a separate letter, and a pang of jealousy welled up inside her. She muttered, "What's so great about being my own daughter? Don't I love you? Dad, you're not fair!" The letter was neatly cut at the edge. Si'er puffed up the envelope and peeked inside, only to see the name "Yan Xi." Her heart skipped a beat. She furtively glanced outside the door; there was no one in the hallway. With trembling hands, she quickly opened the envelope.
After reading it, he stood frozen in place like a wooden stake, his face pale.
After a long while, I heard footsteps. I turned around and saw Ah Heng already outside the door.
She squinted and saw the letter in Si'er's hand. After a long while, she sighed softly and asked her, "Have you read it?"
Si'er's mind was in turmoil, a thousand thoughts swirling within her. She slammed the letter on the table, her face grim—"Given your usual lively and entertaining manner, the reply you sent to your father must have been quite something. Are you following your kind father's teachings and daring not to associate with Yanxi again? No wonder you kowtowed so loudly."
Ah Heng smiled, but said, "Where did you get this? Put it back. If anyone else in the family finds out the contents of this letter, I'll take whatever you like from now on."
These words were almost, no, a blatant threat.
Si'er was stunned. She said, "What...what did you reply to Dad?"
Ah Heng said, just one word: No.
Si'er exclaimed, stammering, "Ah... are you still Wen Heng?"
Wen Heng was the most pedantic and blindly filial person. He never disobeyed his parents, and their dislike for him would disappear automatically. He would obediently accept any beatings from his mother and would never even try to do anything underhanded. Although he had to coax and plead with his mother for a long time because of Yan hope, he never upset her in the slightest.
She once sarcastically remarked to this person, "Wen Heng, did you grow up reading the Classic of Filial Piety and the Admonitions for Women?"
The person answered calmly, "I was taught the Three Character Classic as my first lesson."
Thus, Wen Si'er, the favored eldest daughter of the Wen family, was like a defeated little hen. She smoothed her feathers and no longer wanted to fight with Wen Heng. Even if she won, she would not feel a sense of accomplishment. She was happy to see Wen Heng and Yan hope tormenting each other. She clapped her hands and thought, "What a pair of little bitches, no, what a perfect couple."
Siwan also asked her, "What would you think if my sister could be your sister-in-law?"
She laughed and said I cursed them to grow old together and never be separated.
Siwan patted her head and sighed, "You've grown up, haven't you, little girl? Think back to when you were little, how many times you tripped me up. Sigh, that girl, she was really full of mischief..."
She rolled her eyes and said, "Wen Siwan, don't forget that you were largely responsible for those obstacles. You're always pretending to be a good person and a gentleman. If Yan Xi hadn't caught you out, would you have changed your bad habits? Pfft, I don't believe it. You were born with a lot of bad habits, just like your own sister!"
That's a bit of a tangent, let's get back to the letter. So, what exactly did this letter say that made Wen Si'er turn pale and caused the blindly filial Wen Heng to utter threatening words? *smack* (musket), we'll find out next time.
So, if I say this, I wonder if you'll throw rotten eggs at me to vent your anger over not updating for so many days and being so perfunctory = =.
Well, I'm a kind person, let's continue. Actually, this isn't really a letter, just a wise saying, and the late Mr. Wen would probably admire his own uncanny foresight if he saw what happened next.
Mr. Wen said, "I had someone calculate Yan hope's birth chart. He's a man with feminine features, a born jinx, and destined for loneliness. Besides, he likes men. Son, let's just forget about it."
Later, after thinking about it, he realized that he believed in the Party and the government, and that this statement was too far-fetched and untrue, so he was too embarrassed to send it out, and that's how it became his last letter.
Then, his girl said no decisively.
Si'er pinched the child's face and suddenly yelled, "You idiot, you big idiot!"
He wiped his eyes with his sleeve, turned around, gritted his teeth and ran away, leaving Ah Heng dumbfounded.
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When the clock struck midnight, the Wen family set off a string of 10,000 cannons outside the White Building.
Everyone ran outside, except for Old Xin, who, being greedy, stayed with his teapot and chatted with Old Wen, saying, "San'er, your house is so lively today." Old Wen teased his little thrush, laughing heartily, "Look at my little darling, it's hopping around trying to get out of its cage." Then, looking at the birdcage, he sighed, "Even you think you've grown up?"
Xin Dayi lit the fuse and ran away in a flash. Yan hope was close by and saw the bright, terrifying red light. He stiffened and stepped back, but someone covered his ears from behind. The soft palm and gentle voice were faintly clear amidst the booming of the cannon.
Don't be afraid, oh dear, don't be afraid, I'm here.
He was trapped in that soft, gentle embrace, his head lowered, his pupils dilating. Turning around, he saw Ah Heng amidst the roar of cannons.
He thought, "Why is it you again?"
He smiled at her, and she smiled back, feeling embarrassed, her hand covering his ear became slightly damp with sweat.
Lu Liu stood not far behind Aheng. Amidst the sound of cannon fire, he and Sun Peng chatted and laughed loudly for a few moments. When he saw Yan hope, he pointed to his ear, smiled with a hint of mockery, and silently said, "You don't have time."
Yan hope stared at him blankly, utterly lost and disoriented.
Siwan looked at all this and said softly to Si'er, "Er'er, I'm sorry, your sister-in-law can't be my sister anymore."
Er'er laughed, tears welling in her eyes. She said, "Wen Siwan, you can't imagine. That idiot still thinks he's so clever, believing that if he can fool the dead, the whole world will want them to be together."
She said, "Wen Siwan, how about we help Aheng find a healthy, good-looking but brainless man who loves her wholeheartedly?"
They looked at each other and smiled, but Siwan clapped her hands into megaphones and shouted at Er'er, "No way! Yanxi said he has to find this person!"
Er'er pouted, but tears still fell—what was he thinking? Did he really believe the world revolved around him? He said the Wen family would surely prosper, he said the Yan family would abandon him, he said the person he loved was Lu Liu—why did he think his word was law?
Siwan hugged her sister tightly. Everything amidst the gunfire turned to ashes with the passing of 2003.
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On January 25, 2004, the sixth year since they met, and the fifth and one hundred and eighty-threeth day since Aheng fell in love with Yanxi, Yanxi said, "Wen Heng, I don't like you, and from now on, I never want to see you again."
He said, "Let's break up."
Chapter 91
Chapter 91
In the winter of 2005, when Ah Heng was on vacation, he brought a guest to his home, covered in snow.
The clouds are there.
She likes to wear glasses when reading, has fair fingers, is skilled at programming, and is described as elegant and graceful.
Wen's mother had an idea and asked Aheng, "Has your father arranged a marriage for him?"