Zhu Qiong curled her lip: "How many people with the surname Zhu don't go to hell? The old man went down first to wait for us. What if we go down too late and can't beat him?"
"It's alright, your mother passed away even earlier."
Zhu Qiong choked: "Aren't you usually quite reserved? When did you become so infuriating?"
Yu, the culprit: Don't look at me, I don't know.
"Hey, by the way, are you two playing a game?"
Zhu Yao raised an eyebrow: "That's right, so what?"
"I've played both 'Fake Lunar Base' and 'Departures at Night,' and 'Departures at Night' is just too damn good."
Zhu Yao and Yu Nan blushed slightly: "Ah... that guy's swearing was really vulgar." And he made a bunch of dirty jokes...
"Life is just so damn frustrating!" Zhu Qiong took a big gulp of beer: "Anyway, it's just that kind of trivial stuff."
"Zhu Guorong lived such a pathetic life because of his worthless son... Why don't you add a corpse to the list, the 'father' who brought this upon himself."
Yu Nan nodded: "It's accepted."
Zhu Qiong laughed loudly: "Let's not mention Zhu Guorong anymore. Bringing up dead people at the dinner table is too damn unlucky."
Zhu Yao/Yu Nan: Didn't you bring it up first...?
Zhu Qiong's gaze suddenly dimmed: "Actually, when I was a child, whenever I got good grades on a test, the three of us would go out for a big meal to celebrate..."
She had once felt Zhu Guorong's fatherly love, admired her father, and longed for his warm and broad shoulders.
“I thought he would accept my transition, that he would support me…” Zhu Qiong’s voice trailed off. “I figured at worst, we could just cut off all contact for a few years, and wait until I was financially independent and had a successful career… I thought he would accept it sooner or later…”
Who could have imagined that after her kind father turned on her, he would send people to kill her the very next day? It was as if all the previous fatherly love and filial piety were just an illusion.
The bitter wine went down my throat, turning into bitter tears.
Zhu Yao and Yu Nan had no desire to stay on Qingdao Island, so they bought tickets to return to Binhai.
It was late at night when Yu Nan got off the train. She felt something shiny falling from the sky and landing on her neck, feeling cool.
"Sister! It's snowing!"
Yu Nan's eyes sparkled, filled with joy.
When it snows, the sky is always tinged with a maroon color.
The snow was falling quietly, the wind was light, and the temperature was not low. Large snowflakes fell vertically, covering the ground in a white blanket that reflected the night.
The train station's parking garage was almost deserted, and the night was quiet.
Zhu Yao pulled Yu Nan along, as if to make up for the depression of the past few days.
Yu Nan's breath was stolen, her tongue was sucked until it went numb... She could feel Zhu Yao's suppressed emotions and the uncontrollable outburst that followed... Yu Nan could barely breathe and could only hum pitifully.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhu Yao reluctantly released Yu Nan.
Their lipstick was smudged, their lips were swollen, and their heavy breathing turned into white smoke, drifting into the night sky and slowly dissipating...
Finally, I'm home.
…
Nothing is colder than the first clear day after a winter snowfall.
The temperature wasn't low on the night of the snowfall, but it was freezing cold the next day when the weather cleared up.
The sunlight reflected off the snow, creating a blinding white light. Yu Nan put on sunglasses, wanting to go out and have some fun, but the chill forced her to lock herself back inside as soon as she stepped out.
"This...this is so cold!"
Yu Nan hugged herself and shivered: "Waaaaah, I'm so cold. I need a kiss and a hug from my good sister to feel better."
Zhu Yao was leaning back in her chair, reading a book facing the burning fireplace. The firewood inside crackled and popped as it burned.
"I thought you grew up in the north and were very familiar with snow."
Zhu Yao put down her book and indulged Yu Nan's requests for kisses and hugs.
"It's really familiar; the snow where I live is especially deep and heavy!"
Yu Nan made an exaggerated gesture, indicating a height: "When I was a child, everyone lived in single-story houses, and there was only one kang (a heated brick bed) inside. Sometimes I would wake up to find the outside of the window covered in snow! I couldn't even open the door!"
"The houses will all be buried in snow! Then the school will notify us that we have a holiday, which is so awesome!"
Zhu Yao chuckled: "Is the North really that nice?"
A heavy snowfall means a holiday or something...
"Don't typhoons also occur in the south during the summer?"
In any case, every place has its own reason for giving holidays. Some celestial phenomena are disastrous, but for children on holiday, they are a pleasant surprise from God.
"Sister, come out and play in the snow!"
Unable to resist Yu Nan's enthusiastic invitation, Zhu Yao put on her coat and went out with Yu Nan.
Yu Nan wanted to have a snowball fight, so she made a snowball and threw it at Zhu Yao's clothes. Zhu Yao didn't resist and let her throw the snowball; the fabric of her clothes was very smooth, so it didn't leave any marks.
Seeing Zhu Yao standing there like a target, Yu Nan suddenly lost interest: "Sister, why don't you come and play too!"
Zhu Yao smiled and nodded, squatted down and took a small ball of snow, carefully throwing it at Yu Nan. If Yu Nan hadn't seen Zhu Yao's actions, she probably wouldn't have felt the force of the snowball.
Yu Nan: ...
"Sister, the snowball fights in the far north are spectacular!"
Yu Nan earnestly explained to Zhu Yao the snowball fights in northern towns: "It includes judo, sanda, free fighting, psychological warfare, criminal psychology, basic national defense education, dialect level four, debate knowledge, and even assassination, reconnaissance ability, counter-reconnaissance ability, as well as excellent long-distance running and short-distance bursts of speed. When necessary, you also need to know how to play dead and admit defeat."
Zhu Yao affectionately pinched Yu Nan's rosy cheeks: "Sister admits defeat."
Admitting defeat won't work! Who knows if it's psychological warfare!
Yu Nan stuck out her tongue, scooped up a pile of snow and stuffed it into Zhu Yao's collar, instantly chilling Zhu Yao to the bone.
Zhu Yao felt veins bulging on her forehead and really wanted to pin the brat down in the snow and give him a good beating.
Okay, the child isn't feeling well and shouldn't get cold. I'll just write this down in my little notebook and tidy things up properly before bedtime.
Because of Zhu Yao's lack of cooperation, Yu Nan lost interest in having a snowball fight.
"Sister, it's so much fun for two people to tear at each other and roll around in the snow!"
Zhu Yao thought for a moment: "I feel like it will get my clothes dirty."
Besides, wouldn't it be better for two people to wrestle and roll around in bed? Why do they have to do it in the freezing cold...?
Yu Nan pouted, and since she couldn't fight with Zhu Yao, she decided to build a snowman instead.
The outdoor temperature was very low, and the white snow stretched out in thick, sticky patches, perfect for making snowballs.
Yu Nan rolled a small ball in the snow and rolled it around.
Because the front yard is a garden, the snowballs that were rolled up got covered in mud, and the black mud was very noticeable on the white snow, and you couldn't blow it off clean.
Seeing Yu Maomao's unhappy expression, Zhu Yao suggested, "Why don't we go to the rooftop?"
There's a small platform upstairs... and it looks like there's a swimming pool?!
Once on the rooftop, Zhu Yao asked, "Do you usually swim here?"
"Yes!" Even though I've only swum for a few days...
Zhu Yao realized that this was just like the gym in the basement—all for show.
Next spring, I'll tidy this place up and take Yu Nan swimming. I could tell from our visit that Yu Nan really enjoys playing in the water… I guess she's just lazy and doesn't swim. I need to get Yu Nan moving!
The snow upstairs was very clean, and Yu Nan quickly built a small, white snowman. Zhu Yao went downstairs to get buttons and carrots to decorate the snowman.
Yu Nan took a photo and posted it on Weibo.
"Yay! The snowman that the pig and fish duo made together is finished!"
Zhu Yao: ? ? What the heck is "Pig and Fish Wife"?
Building a snowman is hard work, and staying outdoors in the cold winter is also hard work. Back inside, Yu Nan soon felt sleepy and dozed off by the fireplace.
Zhu Yao half-embraced Yu Nan and picked her up, leading her towards the bedroom: "Be good, go to bed."
Yu Nan's feet followed Zhu Yao's steps haphazardly. She wrapped her arms around Zhu Yao's neck, rubbed her head against Zhu Yao's chin, and let out a soft, comfortable hum like a kitten.
Hearing the pleasant humming, Zhu Yao pressed Yu Nan down on the bed and leaned down to bite her neck... The half-asleep person in her arms struggled slightly, then turned over and wanted to continue sleeping.
Zhu Yao stopped, placed her arms on either side of Yu Nan's body for support, and looked at the oblivious person, sighing inwardly.
Sleep well, goodnight.
I'll deal with you tomorrow.
Chapter 67 Holographic Game
Zhu Yao celebrated her birthday at Yu Nan's hometown.
A few days after the two returned home, Zhu Yao suggested visiting Yu Nan's parents in Yu Nan's hometown.
"I miss Auntie's cooking a little." I also miss my kind parents.
Unlike their hasty escape last time, this time the two brought all their work equipment with them, intending to stay in the town until the New Year.
After getting off the train, there was a heavy snowstorm.
The scattered lights of the towns and villages dotted the snow-covered mountains under the dark blue sky, like twinkling stars in the sky.
The cool blue-purple tones around her made Zhu Yao feel at ease and warm.
As soon as they arrived at the tunnel entrance, the two could see that lanterns were hanging at the door of every household in the town, bright red and shining, as if guiding the way for those who came from afar.
"Yu Nan, Zhu Yao, over here!"
Yu's father, wearing a military overcoat and a Lei Feng hat, was standing in front of a car, waving to the two of them from afar.
I climbed into the car against the wind and snow. The heating was on full blast, and the chill was instantly dispelled.
Two large, bright red lanterns had long been hung at Yu Nan's house, turning the snow in front of the door orange-red. Yu's mother, walking the dog, looked at the two of them with a kind smile, beaming from ear to ear: "So you've finally decided to come home?"
The room was warm, and Zhu Yao felt warm inside too.