Su Mo moved all the large buckets to the rice paddy behind the house. In winter, the soil was firm, and after the rice was harvested, only a little bit of the root remained. The children trampled it flat, and it almost blended into the soil.
It looks spacious and flat, like a natural playground.
Jiang Jianhuan followed behind, carrying a handful of small fireworks and several boxes of sparklers in his arms.
In the darkness, a soft 'click' sounded as the flame of a lighter flickered weakly, emitting a bright, warm light.
The wire was ignited, making a rustling sound. After a few seconds, a whooshing sound rang out, leaving a small, glowing trail behind it.
Jiang Jianhuan covered her ears and hid behind Su Mo.
The night sky is like an overturned spice dish, vibrant with colors, bursting open like blooming flowers.
"So beautiful." She looked up in amazement. Su Mo continued to light the fireworks, igniting all the small triangular tubes around them. In an instant, beams of light shot up, dazzling the sky and creating a spectacular display of fireworks.
The two stood side by side, gazing at the scene before them, the light illuminating their profiles.
"It's almost New Year's Day," Su Mo said gently, glancing at her watch.
"What are your New Year's wishes?" Jiang Jianhuan suddenly thought of something, turned her head to look at him, her eyes reflecting the bright fireworks.
Su Mo met her gaze, a faint smile playing on her lips, her voice gentle.
"My wish has come true."
Sparkling magic wands crackled and sparkled. Jiang Jianhuan held one in each hand, happily drawing circles. Su Mo did the same, and the two of them were no different from the group of children from before, running and laughing.
They didn't return until they had used up all the fireworks, their hands and feet already freezing cold. They huddled together by the stove to keep warm.
The Spring Festival Gala was playing on TV, and the two elderly people were watching while eating sunflower seeds. As the night deepened, after midnight, their cell phones started vibrating incessantly.
A flood of well wishes poured in. For young people, staying up until this time is normal, and they can also take the opportunity to send out a wave of blessings as soon as possible.
After replying to messages from colleagues, clients, and group chats, and receiving and sending red envelopes, Jiang Jianhuan's gaze involuntarily fell upon Su Mo beside him.
As luck would have it, he clicked on Su Shan's chat box, which contained a simple blessing.
Happy New Year, and may all your wishes come true!
Su Mo was about to reply when she suddenly heard a sound from the side.
"snort."
He paused, turning his head to look.
Jiang Jianhuan rolled her eyes.
"What's wrong?" Su Mo laughed and hugged her. "Then I won't reply, okay? I won't talk to her."
He put his phone away and set it aside, then picked up an apple from the table and started peeling it.
"I'll peel an apple for you."
"I won't eat it," Jiang Jianhuan said in a very understanding tone. "It's impolite not to reply to other people's messages. I'm not such an unreasonable person. You should reply."
“?” Su Mo looked at her with a similar look of surprise and uncertainty.
“I’m serious. You can’t possibly have no female friends. I overreacted last time.” Jiang Jianhuan sighed softly.
"You can't get rid of all the flies, you can only tell yourself to be easygoing."
Su Mo was left speechless, both amused and exasperated.
"Your analogy—" If flies are swarming around him, then what does that make him?
"Oh, my phone is ringing." Jiang Jianhuan's phone vibrated in her palm. She murmured to herself and looked down at the caller ID.
Jiang Jianhuan's relaxed expression immediately turned serious as she sat up straight and answered the phone.
"Hello? Uncle Shen..."
"What?! Which hospital?"
"Okay, then I'll go check on Brother happy first thing tomorrow morning."
......
"Yes, Happy New Year, Uncle."
Jiang Jianhuan ended the call with a complicated expression. Su Mo also guessed who was on the other end, and her tone was somewhat heavy.
"What's wrong?"
"Uncle Shen just told me... that when Brother Xi was alone in China, he seemed to find out that he was in the hospital when he video-called him last night. After asking him, he found out that he had recently had a minor surgery and had been hospitalized for a week."
Jiang Jianhuan felt extremely guilty, lowered her eyes, and unconsciously tightened her fingers.
“I don’t know… why didn’t he contact us after returning to China? Now he’s alone in the hospital during the Lunar New Year…” Jiang Jianhuan became more and more worried as she spoke, and immediately stood up.
"No, I have to call him."
She lowered her head, pressed the number, and left while dialing. Su Mo watched her back, also looking down at the ground, lost in thought.
After the noise subsided, the midnight night seemed dark and cold. Jiang Jianhuan listened to the dial tone on the other end of the line, her mind racing through all the events of the past six months, a chaotic mess that left her feeling utterly confused.
Since getting back together with Su Mo, the only contact between them has been holiday greetings. Perhaps knowing that she would be doing well and to avoid making Su Mo overthink, Shen Zaixi rarely takes the initiative to contact her anymore, and each time it is just a few words.
The two of them tacitly drifted apart.
The phone rang for a while before it was answered; the voice was very soft, as if the person had just woken up from a dream.