CHAPTER 383: CHAPTER 373: YEAR AFTER YEAR

The turn of the year arrived in a blink.

New Year’s Eve was still snowy, with tiny snowflakes blown about by the wind, feeling chilly against the face.

Outside, firecrackers crackled continuously along with Little Fatty’s shrieking voice, though one couldn’t quite make out what he was yelling.

The old street here was far more lively for ringing in the New Year than Tonglin Road, with families gathered together, relocating small tables to the living room, surrounding them to make dumplings, mix fillings, and roll out dough, all while listening to the chatter of the television and catching up on family news. Anya shuffled around in her baby walker, shaking a bell.

"Guanglin, go buy some soy sauce—we’ve only got a little left."

Qin’s Mom shook the soy sauce bottle in the kitchen, sending the idle Guanglin on an errand.

"To think of soy sauce just as New Year’s arrives."

Guanglin mumbled, grabbing his coat from the rack, draping it over himself, and stepping out the door, before a chill hit him and he stepped back in to put on a hat, running out against the snowflakes.

Due to the snow, it was only five in the afternoon, yet darkness was already setting in. The gloomy sky was void of any brightness, street lamps had lit early, and the frosty streets were sparsely populated, only kids waiting for dinner were still roaming the streets with firecrackers and didn’t seem to mind the cold. He hurried across to the convenience store and banged on the door.

Bang bang bang!

"Closed for today, it’s New Year’s!"

Inside, Pan’s voice projected.

"Uncle Pan, it’s me, Guanglin."

Guanglin hunched his neck and called out, "We’re making dumplings. I need to get some soy sauce, or we can’t eat dumplings."

After a few seconds, the window suddenly slid open, and Uncle Pan’s head popped out, exhaling frosty air as he peered out.

"Qin ah...wait a moment, which kind do you want?" Uncle Pan’s convenience store had a roller shutter door installed by his son, which was terribly inconvenient to open and close, so he planned to just hand the soy sauce to Guanglin through the window.

"Hmm... just pick any good one."

"Heh, pick any good one... hold on."

Uncle Pan pulled his head back in, and Guanglin waited with his arms folded. Usually, it was He Fang who bought things like soy sauce for the home; he hadn’t really paid attention to what kind of soy sauce they ate—an good one did the job.

Moments later, Uncle Pan reappeared at the window and passed the soy sauce through. "Here, this is the best one! It makes the dumplings fragrant and flavorful."

"Thanks, Uncle Pan. Are Brother Pan and his family not coming back for the New Year?" Through the window, Guanglin glimpsed a large bowl of noodles on the table in the house and inquired nonchalantly while paying.

"Ah, they went to Li’s place for the New Year; they’ll be back in a few days."

"Still, on New Year’s Day, you can’t just eat noodles. Wait a moment; I’ll bring over a couple of bowls of dumplings once they’re done."

"You kid... haha, no trouble, I’ve got a freezer full if I wanted some, just too lazy to cook."

Uncle Pan laughed and waved his hand, his graying hair making him look older. His face had bunches of wrinkles, and he chuckled with his mouth open, "Better head back, don’t delay the dumpling making."

"Take care, then."

Guanglin tightened his collar and didn’t linger, walking briskly home with his plump body wobbling, entering the house with a gust of cold air, stomping his feet, removing his hat and coat, and handing the soy sauce to Qin’s Mom before collapsing on the sofa to wait for dinner.

"Just look at how much weight you’ve gained; you just lie there without even moving a bit," He Fang commented while rolling out dough disdainfully.

"At this rate, you’ll soon be heavier than Aunt Wang," Qin’s Mom added.

Guanglin played dead, what could he do? He was also in despair.

He had tried to eat as minimally as possible, yet his weight soared each month.

It was all He Fang’s fault for feeding him too well.

He grabbed his phone, pretending not to hear their complaints and opened his browser to search "Why do men gain weight after marriage," and couldn’t help but chuckle after a while.

"Hey, hey."

Qin Guanglin interrupted the two, laboriously propping himself up, leaning on the sofa back, and shaking his phone at them, "There’s a scientific reason for this...cough, cough..."

He cleared his throat lightly and read solemnly from his phone, "It’s usually the men who feel happy in their marriages that tend to gain weight, because on one hand, their diet is regular and rich, they live a comfortable life with someone to take care of them, and on the other hand, they feel loved and cared for, which brings them spiritual pleasure..."

"What kind of nonsense is this?!" He Fang turned her face away, feeling embarrassed despite being old married couples, especially in front of Qin’s Mom when he talked about love and affection.

The fat man’s skin was getting thicker, sitting proudly on the sofa, "Hey, this is happiness, look, look—" he patted the flesh on his stomach, proudly saying, "A symbol of happiness, I wish I could get even fatter."

"Does that mean no one loves He Fang?" Qin’s Mom always quickly spotted the essence.

"..."

Qin Guanglin got stuck, timidly leaning back on the sofa, "Different constitution, it’s a different constitution, gender differences."

"After the New Year, you’re going to exercise, otherwise keep running."

He Fang glanced at the beloved bicycle that Qin’s Mom had put away in the corner of the living room, saying, "Gym or running, choose one."

"I can’t run, look at this flesh, it’s...sigh."

"Beep beep, beep beep!"

Anya toddled over pushing her walker, Qin Guanglin, ignoring the two women, reached out and scooped up his daughter onto his stomach, laughing as he saw his daughter giggle, "Do you prefer daddy skinny or fat?"

"Beep beep."

"See, daughter likes me fat," he turned his head and said.

"What a character."

As evening fell, the sound of firecrackers got lively outside, and the Qin family’s dumplings were also ready; the dining table was set facing the TV by Qin Guanglin, He Fang went to the bedroom with her phone to send New Year’s wishes to her family, while Qin Guanglin went to stir-fry some dishes.

When it was about time, the dumplings were put into the pot, and He Fang came out from the bedroom as well, holding her daughter, waiting for the meal to be ready, the family gathered around the table to eat and watch the Spring Festival Gala.

"By the way, there’s news that our area is going to be relocated," Qin’s Mom said, holding her bowl, her face showing happiness mixed with a tinge of melancholy.

Relocation was naturally a good thing, but leaving a place where they had lived for decades was always somewhat hard to let go.

"When? Who told you that?" Qin Guanglin wasn’t as sentimentalexpressing unreserved happiness if it came to relocation as money wasn’t a worry.

"Everyone’s talking about it, some people have even come here to inspect."

"Oh, then it should be happening soon."

Qin Guanglin turned to He Fang, directly asking her; if anyone knew the truth, it would be his darling.

He Fang gently shook her head without a word, and Qin Guanglin understood in his heart, it was most likely a false rumor, a moment of false happiness. He changed the subject and didn’t talk about it anymore.

The New Year passed quietly like that, leaving behind nothing but their ages increasing by a year; time always slipped away unnoticed, only to realize when looking back, those past days had already turned into memories of several years ago.

On the third day of the New Year, he took He Fang back to He City. The snow was so heavy that it affected the highways, but luckily, they managed to get tickets for the high-speed train. Qin Guanglin carried the bags, and He Fang held their daughter as they entered the station, waiting in the waiting room for the train to arrive.

In He City, the custom was to return either on the second or fourth day of the New Year, but with only one parent, they had to choose an odd day to go back.

"Remember the first time you visited my place? We also went by high-speed train, you were so scared of the bus, so cowardly," He Fang teased her daughter and chatted with him.

"How could I forget, the first time I visited your family, I got dealt a bad hand," Qin Guanglin said, raising his hand to touch the back of his head, the memory still vivid, "Those guys..."

He suddenly paused midway.

"What are you looking at?" He Fang, talking, saw him looking outside and couldn’t help but ask.

"Oh...nothing."

Qin Guanglin shook his head, he had just seen a standout tall figure with a travel bag entering the station, almost mistaking him for Sun Wen. He was about to greet him when that person had already disappeared into the crowd boarding the train.

"Probably mistook him for someone else."