Chapter 139
After breakfast, Aunt Li packed up and went next door to celebrate the New Year, leaving Qingyan and Qiu Henian busy in the outer room.
Jindou found it boring by himself, so he pestered his father to play with him.
Qiu Henian thought for a moment, fetched several large and small empty cans, filled a bucket with water, and asked Jindou to fill all the cans with water. The child’s hands were unsteady, and water spilled all over the floor, dripping slowly.
Qiu Henian didn’t rush him, patiently waiting nearby, only concerned that he wouldn’t wet his padded jacket too much. If a little water got on his shoes or pants, it didn’t matter; they could promptly change indoors. It was very cold outside at this time, and getting sick from wet clothes would be troublesome.
Once the water was poured, Qiu Henian casually found some small wooden blocks left over from carpentry work, placed them at the mouths of the cans, and secured them slightly with small sticks to prevent them from moving.
After finishing this, Qiu Henian asked Jindou to help him hang lanterns, though he didn’t really need the help, just giving him something to do. Children enjoy imitating adults, finding it amusing.
Whenever his father needed something on the ladder, Jindou would happily hand it up, his cheeks flushed with excitement, his legs bouncing with joy.
…
On New Year’s Eve, after Jindou had nearly finished eating, he couldn’t sit still. Qingyan played with him for a while, and he reluctantly sat down for a bit, gnawing on half a frozen pear, his big eyes turning and listening to the adults talk.
Listening for a while, he jumped off the stool, walked behind his father, and tugged at his coat.
Qiu Henian finished the wine in his hand with a gulp, then turned to ask him, “Does Jindou want to go out to play?”
Jindou nodded, so Qiu Henian greeted the people at the table, wrapped Jindou in a thick coat tightly, and went out.
Nian Sheng still had a bit of a childish side. It wasn’t interesting for adults to chat and drink, so he followed them, but his mother grabbed him and also dressed him in a thick robe before allowing him to leave.
Watching the three of them go out, Qiuniang said to San Yao, “Eldest Brother is really patient with children. Unlike you back then, when Nian Sheng wanted you to play with him, you would just brush him off, saying wait a while, then another while, until Nian Sheng fell asleep without playing.”
San Yao, a bit tipsy from the alcohol, scratched his head with a flushed face and said, “Back then, I was young and impatient. I thought I could accompany him later. Now that Nian Sheng is grown up, it’s too late for regrets.”
Qiuniang helplessly gave him a glare. Aunt Li, who had been sitting beside them, suddenly brightened up and said, “What’s too late? It’s not too late at all, San Yao. You and Qiuniang are still young. While Nian Sheng is sensible now and doesn’t need you to worry too much, seize the opportunity to have another one!”
Qiuniang felt a bit embarrassed and said, “Nian Sheng is already this big. It might not be appropriate to have another one. What would others say?”
Aunt Li became spirited and, having just drunk a cup of wine and feeling a bit tipsy, sat up straight and earnestly persuaded them.
Qingyan couldn’t help but laugh at the side. Pressuring for marriage and children were unavoidable topics during New Year gatherings, no matter the era.
After finishing his meal, he felt nearly full and decided to take a walk outside. He informed Aunt Li and the others, but Aunt Li simply waved him off without giving him much attention. Qingyan smiled, donned his outer robe, and stepped outside.
Upon leaving the outer room, he was greeted by a row of crystal-clear ice lanterns, which had been frozen from ceramic jars used earlier in the morning, all under the bright red lanterns in the courtyard.
At that moment, Qiu Henian was using tongs to handle the last ceramic jar. He removed the wooden stopper, poured out the unfrozen water, and had Qingyan bring a kettle of hot water to help with the process. Jindou stood nearby, straining his neck to watch, his face tense.
When the ice began to crackle, Jindou held his breath until his father instructed Qingyan to stop pouring, turned the jar upside down, and successfully removed the intact ice block.
Jindou sighed with relief, clapping his hands and exclaiming, “Success, another success!”
Qingyan quietly made his exit. With everyone focused on the jar, he thought no one noticed him.
Qiu Henian carefully set the ice jar he was holding down with the others. When Nian Sheng and Jindou leaned in to inspect it, Qiu Henian looked up and saw Qingyan, as if he had been aware of his presence all along.
He waved to Qingyan and asked, “Do you want to light an ice lantern?”
Qingyan smiled and walked over, squatting down with them.
Qiu Henian handed each person two and a half pieces of candles, lit them, dripped wax into the bottom of the small ice lanterns, and then secured the candles inside while they were still hot.
Jindou couldn’t do it by himself, so Qiu Henian patiently taught him step by step, being careful not to let him touch the flames.
It was clearly a childish game, but the two adults, a teenager, and a child were enjoying themselves immensely.
When all the candles were lit, Jindou exclaimed with a “Wow”, and Nian Sheng also smiled and said, “This looks really beautiful.”
Qingyan and Qiu Henian squatted on either side of the row of ice lanterns. The candles were snugly enclosed in the ceramic jars, sheltered from the wind, so the flames remained steady.
The soft light filtered through the translucent ice, highlighting the unique patterns that formed during freezing—a fleeting moment where ice and fire seemed to coexist.
The warm glow also revealed the faces of the two men.
Qingyan gazed at the face he knew so well, day and night, his eyes moving slowly over the gentle eyebrows and eyes, the straight nose, and the smiling lips.
While others often admired his appearance, Qingyan felt that no one in the world was more beautiful than the person before him.
…
In the middle of the night on the thirtieth, Jindou, already half asleep, was roused by his father and dad, who had dressed him warmly for a roll on the ice.
On the ice, he met his little friends Zhuangzhuang and Jiuliang.
The three children rolled around together, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
On the fifteenth of the year, Qingyan and the others still had to work in the shop. Jindou accompanied his father for a walk.
Earlier, his father had promised him a rabbit to keep as a pet. When they saw one outside, Qiu Henian allowed him to choose a small white rabbit and brought it home in a cage.
After Jindou had eaten his fill and played enough, eager to show off to Dad, he had his father carry him back to Fragrant Melody Pavillion.
Qingyan, stealing a moment from his busy schedule, came over to see his little rabbit. Jindou cherished it so much that he wouldn’t let anyone else touch it, only allowing Dad to.
Qingyan found some vegetable leaves behind the counter to feed it, and Jindou fed the rabbit obediently.
Behind the counter, it was just the three of them. Qiu Henian held Qingyan’s wrist under the counter and asked softly, “Are you tired?”
Qingyan first shook his head, then pouted honestly and nodded, saying, “Tired.”
Qiu Henian whispered, “When we get home, I’ll give you a massage.”
Qingyan murmured in agreement, “And my legs too.”
“Alright,” Qiu Henian smiled.
While Jindou played nearby, the two of them glanced at each other behind the counter. Qiu Henian then lowered his head and took out a small box from his pocket, handing it to Qingyan.
Curious, Qingyan opened it and found a jade hairpin of a rich green color, which was obviously very valuable.
Qingyan looked at Qiu Henian in surprise.
Qiu Henian said, “I know your shop has everything, but when I saw this in the county, I wanted to buy it for you. The old hairpin I bought for you years ago has been worn for so long; it’s time to change.”
Qingyan chuckled softly, then after a while, seeing that no one was paying attention around them, he lightly tapped Qiu Henian’s shoulder and said, “If you had money to spend on this, you could have let me make the profit. If I’d known you wanted to buy this, I’d have sourced it myself.”
Qiu Henian grasped his hand, a glint flickering in his eyes, and asked, “Should I return it then?”
Qingyan glanced at him, withdrew his hand, and pushed the hairpin back into his hand. Qiu Henian smiled and pinned the hairpin into his hair bun.
