TYAM Chapter 48

When Jiang Wang slept again, he felt like he’s floating on a cloud.

He hugged his blanket, his head nestled against the pillow. In his half-dreaming state, he felt as if he were holding Ji Linqiu, even planting a sleepy kiss on the pillow.

Once love begins, life feels like a new chapter, bright and fresh.

Someone was still grinning in their sleep.

What a choice of day—to confess on New Year’s Eve. Now he’d never need to worry about forgetting their anniversary.

There was no snow on the first day of the New Year.

It was as if the heavens had heard his wish, holding back the snow until the third day, when it returned in great flurries, blanketing the mountains and hills in pristine white.

Ji Linqiu got up early, tugged off Jiang Wang’s blanket, and pressed the back of his hand to Jiang’s neck, icy as usual.

“You’ve been cooped up inside for three days. Let’s go hiking.”

Jiang Wang, completely relaxed now that he was on break, yawned even as he dressed to join him for the hike.

One has to admit, celebrating the New Year in the countryside—eating well and sleeping soundly—really is more laid-back than city life.

They set out just to stretch their legs, enjoying the snowy scenery halfway up the mountain, sharing a kiss among the deserted pine trees, and stealing another peck on a narrow trail lined with blooming camellias.

Unexpectedly, a branch brushed against them, leaving snow on both their noses, cooling their kiss with a tinge of mountain tea’s fragrance, making them laugh between kisses.

Then, a phone rang at the worst possible moment.

Jiang Wang glanced at Ji Linqiu’s slightly flushed face, reluctantly breaking off their kiss.

“Boss!!!” His assistant wailed. “When are you coming back?!”

Ever since New Year’s Eve, the bookstore had been bombarded with calls and messages. For anyone else, it would look like an excessive amount of holiday greetings, too many to miss, lest the firecrackers on New Year’s Day drown out their fervent well-wishes.

Jiang Wang had prepared meticulously, arranging the New Year’s sale both online and offline two months in advance. He’d sent thoughtfully curated holiday gift boxes to all partners and drawn up several emergency plans.

But the main issue was that the local small-town staff had never dealt with this level of business volume before, and it was overwhelming them.

They had no confidence – absolutely zero. 

When Jiang Wang was in his twenties, he was used to crazy sales during New Years or Double Eleven events. But in this era, his twenty-something staff members’ brain short-circuited when encountering tens of thousands of orders.

People with time on their hands during the holiday would browse the internet for treats and shopping deals, while others, after visiting relatives, would drop by to join the fun.

Buwang Bookstore had pre-arranged a New Year’s fair in collaboration with various local tutoring centers. This year’s event was even bigger, attracting a provincial TV news crew and drawing visitors from nearby cities to join in.

After all, it’s only an hour’s drive—why not go? Back in the day, one had to take an overnight train to Beijing just to see a temple fiar!

There were sugar-blowing artists, paper-cutting stations, live calligraphy, fried rice balls, pin-the-tail games, and more. There were so many fun events. Every vendor contributed to the festive prizes and events. And they had reached an agreement in advance that this time, it wasn’t about profit but about drawing a lively crowd.

The scene was joyous in person, while online orders poured in, pushing the warehouse system to its limits.

“Boss, please come back soon and have a look…” His assistant sobbed. “My hair’s falling out in clumps over these last few days!”

Jiang Wang listened patiently for the first five minutes to his staff lamenting the overload. By ten minutes in, his patience was running thin.

“I don’t do programming! Don’t cry to me—go cry to the programmers! Grab them and demand they tell you when they’ll fix the system!”

One of the staff members whimpered, “Boss—”

Jiang Wang held the phone aside and gave his still-cozy partner a pitiful look. “See?”

Ji Linqiu laughed, nudging him. “Hurry back. What are you still doing here?”

Jiang Wang, feeling a bit cheeky, said over the phone, “I’ll be back today! Make sure everything is in order. Triple pay, and if you mess it up, be ready to stand guard outside the company!”

The staff rejoiced at his promise to return, with cheers audible in the background. “Boss says he’s coming back today!”

“Boss is coming to save the day!”

“Ahhhhhh— thank goodness!!”

Jiang Wang immediately went to say his farewells to the Ji family, handing out red envelopes to the younger ones who came to pay New Year’s greetings as a parting gift, their cheers loud enough to shake the roof.

Then he and Ji Linqiu drove to town to catch the earliest train available, preparing to part ways.

During the Spring Festival, tickets were hard to come by, and the earliest was two and a half hours away.

With time to spare, Jiang Wang pulled Ji Linqiu into a nearby shopping center, where they found a wool textile shop.

“Hey,” he remembered something, “let’s pick out a scarf for your parents and your sister.”

Ji Linqiu rarely bought or received gifts and hesitated.

“My dad’s quite conservative and old-fashioned. He might not accept it and think it’s wasteful.”

The shop lady was enthusiastic, “Would you buy a scarf? It’s pure wool, soft and warm, and won’t be itchy on the skin. It’s a perfect gift for elders!”

After a moment’s thought, Ji Linqiu chose three scarves for his family.

Jiang Wang took out his wallet. “Boss, I’ll take the black and white ones too. No need to pack them, I’ll just pay for all five together.”

Ji Linqiu protested, a little anxious. “You’re still trying to fight me to pay.” 

“It’s not ‘fighting,’” Jiang Wang glanced at him. “You pick, I pay—that’s how it should be.”

Ji Linqiu, unwilling to relent, paid for all five himself, much to the delight of the shop lady, who smiled widely as she counted. “Happy New Year, and best wishes for prosperity!!”

Outside, Jiang Wang wrapped the white scarf around Ji Linqiu’s neck, winding it carefully.

Then he tilted his head up. “Now it’s your turn.”

Ji Linqiu realized how much he liked this guy’s playful confidence, smiling as he wrapped the black scarf around Jiang’s neck. He handed him two red envelopes.

“I haven’t seen Xingxing yet. I miss him.”

Jiang Wang gave him a sidelong glance. “And the other one?”

“What do you think?” Ji Linqiu pinched his cheek. “Big boy, keep this.” 

Jiang Wang, quite pleased, took the envelope without hesitation, sneaking in another kiss while no one was watching.

“Take care when you go back. I’ll stay with my parents for a few more days before returning,” Ji Linqiu said, “Remember to ventilate and stay warm after you get back. Don’t catch a cold.”

With a soft smile, Jiang Wang looked at him.

“What are you smiling at?” Ji Linqiu feigned annoyance to hide his embarrassment. “I’m serious.”

Jiang Wang, still smiling, waved goodbye several times until he vanished past the security checkpoint.

On the train, he felt like an invisible kite string tied his wrist to the winding mountain road where Ji Linqiu was, stretching longer with each whistle of the train.

He imagined Linqiu driving home alone, chatting with his sister with a quiet smile, perhaps even thinking of him.

That invisible kite string seemed endless, tugging gently, as if it might be answered, or maybe not.

If he sneezed, it would be proof they were thinking of each other.

Jiang Wang stared out the window for a long time, watching as the train passed through a tunnel, his reflection cast by the lights.

He coughed lightly, chuckling. 

It’s said that love makes people stupid.

And he really felt quite stupid right now.

It was a long journey, leaving at 5 PM and arriving at 11 PM.

He received several calls during the trip, updating him on the company’s smooth progress. Most issues had been resolved.

Boss Jiang huffed, a little unhappy. “I knew you were just scaring yourselves and messing up my plans.”

“What plans? I heard the mountains don’t even have internet.” His assistant chuckled, “Wouldn’t it be nicer to come back to Hongcheng to spend the Spring Festival? Many girls in our company are waiting to make dumplings with you.”

“And one more thing—Xingwang heard you’re coming back and insists on coming to meet you tonight. Should I let him?” 

Jiang Wang was surprised for a moment, and a bit of fierceness crept into his voice. “Wasn’t he supposed to be spending New Year’s with his dad? What’s the deal? Did his dad mess up again?”

“Oh, no, no,” the assistant assured him quickly. “The kid just misses you. I’ve been looking out for him here, he hasn’t been treated poorly.”

Jiang Wang let out a snort. “Fine, let him come too.”

When he arrived in Hongcheng at 11 PM, a light snow was falling, glimmering under the red lights at the station, like a shower of tiny flower petals.

Peng Xingwang spotted him first, shouted with joy, and sprinted over with the speed of a hundred-meter dash.

“Big! Brother! Happy! New! Year!”

Jiang Wang let the kid bounce around in his embrace before pulling out two red envelopes from his pocket.

“Here. Later, I’ll help you open a bank account so you can stash it and spend wisely.”

Peng Xingwang took the envelopes happily, stashing them carefully in his fanny pack.

Jiang Wang gave a pointed look at the bulging bag. “You’ve racked up quite a haul, huh?”

“My dad made good money this year! He gave me a huge one!”

Jiang Wang handed his luggage to the assistant and sat in the backseat with Xingwang.

“So, what made you come out here to see me? Are you unhappy about something?” 

“Nope. My dad went off to play cards again,” Peng Xingwang wrinkled his nose and sniffed his sleeve. “My new clothes reek of smoke. It’s disgusting.”

This was the only hobby that middle-aged man have – not counting the gambling, of course.

As the car eased forward, Jiang asked a few questions about the company before continuing his chat with Xingwang.

“You know school starts in a few days, right?”

The boy froze.

Brother Jiang smiled kindly. “Have you finished your holiday homework?”

“Well… Yang Kai said… the teacher probably will be too lazy to even check it,” he mumbled. “And, besides… none of the other kids…”

“Did you forget that Teacher Ji is staying with us?” Jiang smiled at him. “You never planned on doing it in the first place, did you?”

Peng Xingwang wailed. 

“All of them must be done.” Jiang Wang said, unhurried. “And I’ll check it all the day before school starts.”

From that day on, Boss Jiang’s subordinates got used to seeing a young boy at the other end of the office table, diligently scribbling away at his homework, looking utterly distressed.

Boss Jiang sipped his coffee while going over the financial reports, occasionally reducing the workload for the interns when he had nothing to do.

“Here, take half a day off. Help me check if the kid’s answers are right.”

There just happened to be a large lawn across the company. It was bustling with other kids flying kites under the warm sun, their laughter was so loud, it echoed all the way up to the sixth floor.

The boy glared, indignant. “When I finish this workbook, I’m getting a haircut!”

The assistant pouring tea blinked. “But your hair isn’t even long.”

“Don’t worry,” Boss Jiang exhaled calmly. “My nephew’s just a bit silly by nature.”