Chapter 242: Stepping Forward ③
Big cities are different from the countryside. The countryside has firecrackers, and those from slightly better family backgrounds would set off fireworks. However, because there was a lot of firewood in the fields and houses were also filled with firewood, very few people set off fireworks. But in big cities, on the rooftops of residential areas, fireworks could be seen everywhere, beautiful and brilliant.
The three of them cooked and chatted, and from time to time they looked out the kitchen window. From this side, the sounds of ‘bang!’ ‘bang!’ ‘bang!’ of fireworks exploding could be heard continuously, and from that side, the sounds of ‘crackling!’ ‘crackling!’ of fireworks bursting could be heard. Occasionally, the sound of firecrackers could also be heard, lively and festive.
After the meal was ready, the three of them sat on the sofa, placed the food on the coffee table, and holding their bowls, stared at the television. The Spring Festival Gala had begun, and the hosts were all saying auspicious words, creating a very lively atmosphere.
She originally thought that Nie Aifang and Nie Aiwen wouldn’t give her New Year’s red envelopes, as her classmates had always said that the New Year’s money received had to be handed over to their parents. But she didn’t need to. After the meal was prepared, Nie Aifang gave her twelve yuan. It wasn’t much, but twelve represented “monthly prosperity,” a lucky number. Not too much, not too little. If she were to receive New Year’s greetings until the seventh day, it would be eight times twelve yuan.
Nie Aiwen also kept his promise. Nie Aifang gave Nie Qiu a twelve-yuan red envelope, and Nie Aiwen also gave Nie Qiu a twelve-yuan red envelope.
Nie Qiu didn’t know how other families celebrated festivals. It was only when she had important people around her, people who gave her warmth, that she understood the meaning of Spring Festival and that unique happiness and joy.
After eating, Nie Aifang mentioned that there was a custom in their hometown that sweeping and cleaning were not allowed on the first day of the New Year, so all the garbage created that day had to be cleaned up. Nie Aiwen clearly knew this custom. Nie Aiwen did not complain at all. He stopped Nie Qiu and Nie Aifang from cleaning, and he alone washed the bowls and chopsticks, cleaned the pots, bowls, ladles, and basins in the kitchen, tidied up the messy kitchen, took out the garbage to throw downstairs, and then returned to accompany Nie Qiu and her mother watching the Spring Festival Gala.
Nie Qiu cracked sunflower seeds and ate candy. She looked at Nie Aiwen sitting to her left, then at Nie Aifang sitting to her right. Smiling, she moved to Nie Aifang’s side, letting Nie Aifang and Nie Aiwen sit together.
Nie Aiwen smiled at Nie Qiu. However, Nie Aifang, cracking sunflower seeds and laughing heartily at the skit on television, was completely oblivious. She thought Nie Qiu was crowding her and moved closer to Nie Aiwen.
With more entertainment programs on television, the Spring Festival Gala was increasingly unable to capture the attention of young people. Nie Qiu felt sleepy watching it. After eleven o’clock, Nie Qiu became drowsy and kept wanting to lean on the armrest of the sofa. However, traditional people really liked watching the Spring Festival Gala, and Nie Aifang was one of them.
However, even though she liked the Spring Festival Gala, she didn’t like every program. When Nie Aifang saw a dance performance, she turned her head and inadvertently saw Nie Qiu’s head nodding. She then realized that Nie Qiu was almost asleep.
Nie Aifang glanced at Nie Aiwen. She had mentioned before that she would tell Nie Qiu about her and Aiwen’s situation in person during the New Year. If Qiu Qiu fell asleep, how could she tell her?
Nie Aiwen coughed and looked at Nie Aifang. Nie Qiu uncomfortably glared at Nie Aiwen. He gently shook Nie Qiu awake and, seeing Nie Qiu groggily open her eyes, said, “Qiu Qiu, we have to stay up late on New Year’s. We have to see the new year in.”
Nie Qiu groggily watched the singing and dancing on television, with thousands of singers performing. Drowsily, she rubbed her eyes and nodded at Nie Aifang.
Propping her eyelids open to watch the television program, amidst the hosts shouting, ‘5, 4, 3, 2, 1…’, Nie Qiu became fully awake. Fireworks were bursting high in the sky on television, and cheers erupted. Outside the window, fireworks were exploding in unison, red, green, yellow, and blue. Fireworks of all colors shone with their own light, blooming and illuminating the entire dark sky.
The three of them walked together to the balcony outside the living room. The one-meter-wide balcony was a bit crowded with three people, but it didn’t affect their mood at all. The beauty of fireworks, though fleeting and regrettable, was undeniable.
Nie Qiu looked at the fireworks in the sky and smiled, thinking: perhaps this is what happiness is? At this moment, Li Kai was also looking at the same sky as her, perhaps looking at a piece of fireworks.
Li Kai watched Li Shubai go up to the top floor, with Aunt Li Ying following behind. He himself was also pulled up to the residential area’s top floor by his older sister. There were already quite a few people setting off fireworks on the top floor, and security guards stood in inconspicuous places.
He looked up at the sky and smiled. At this time, Nie Qiu must also be watching the fireworks. After the Spring Festival Gala ended, it was time for fireworks to shine brightly. Nie Qiu had no reason not to come out and watch. City A is a big city, and fireworks are continuous, day and night, twenty-four hours a day.
He thought for a moment and saw Li Shubai setting off fireworks. He quickly took some small fireworks and began arranging them on the top floor, using over three hundred small fireworks sticks to finally form a small character ‘Qiu’. In the center of the ‘Qiu’ character was a heart, and in the center of the heart was the letter ‘kai’.
He smiled and handed a lighter to Li Mingxue beside him, “Sister, let’s see who can light it faster?”
Li Mingxue had seen what was happening when Li Kai was arranging the fireworks. She wrinkled her nose and looked at Li Shubai, who was lighting a large firecracker for Li Ying.
Li Shubai felt Li Mingxue’s gaze and looked over. He saw the ‘Qiu’ character formed by sparklers stuck straight up, and he also saw the heart and the ‘kai’. He laughed heartily, “You kid, you’re more romantic than your old man.” With that, he beckoned to the security guards standing there and the people on the top floor to help. Each person was responsible for lighting fifteen fireworks.
Everyone was willing to help with such a lively event. Li Mingxue felt indignant. When she was dating in junior high school, not only were her parents called, but she was also lectured by her teacher. It was one thing to be lectured by the teacher, but to be beaten by her father too! The difference in treatment between boys and girls was too great!
However, to be honest, she also quite liked Nie Qiu. If Nie Qiu could become her sister-in-law, she wouldn’t object.
Then, at Li Shubai’s command, everyone quickly started lighting the fireworks. Soon, some fireworks shot up, while others were a bit slower. But even the slower ones made the sky faintly show a character ‘Qiu’, with a heart in the middle.
Nie Aiwen pointed at the ‘Qiu’ character formed by fireworks in surprise and said with a smile, “Qiu Qiu, look, what a coincidence!”
Nie Aifang also saw it and laughed, “It must be some young person confessing to his girlfriend! Young people are so romantic. What a coincidence, the girl’s name must have ‘Qiu’ in it.”
But Nie Qiu’s mouth opened in surprise, and she covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide with disbelief, staring at the irregular ‘kai’ within the heart, which was in the direction of Li Kai’s family’s luxurious residential area! It must be Li Kai! Thinking of the flower arrangements and characters Li Kai had made with unknown wildflowers and hibiscus from the countryside, she knew that since these fireworks were irregular, they must have been arranged too!
