The next day was New Year’s Eve.
The snow a few days ago added to the atmosphere of the New Year in Jianghai. It was a fine day on New Year’s Eve. Under the bright sunlight, the streets were full of happy people carrying New Year’s goods. People got off work early and rushed back home. Relatives gathered together festively, frying and cooking, preparing for the rich New Year’s dinner in the evening. The children had long been counting down the time, hoping that it would be dark soon, so that they could set off fireworks.
On the streets were pickled vegetables washed and dried by the elderly. The air was full of the flavor of reunion. The entire Jianghai was enveloped in a strong New Year’s atmosphere.
Yang Lei returned to his home in the military region. His home was also particularly lively. His younger brother, Yang Rui, had arrived home the day before. Yang Dahai and his wife were both very happy. Yang Datian’s whole family was also present. Every New Year’s Eve, the two families would celebrate together. On New Year’s Eve, as the provincial leader, Yang Dahai had a busy schedule and had to send his condolences everywhere. But for this year’s New Year’s Eve dinner, he still specifically took time to come back for dinner.
When Yang Lei got home, it was almost dark. Both families were all there, just waiting for him. The nanny had already prepared most of the dishes and was about to go back home for New Year’s. Here, Yang Dahai and Yang Datian’s wives were busy with the cooking as they talked and laughed in the kitchen. Yang Rui accompanied his father and uncle, sitting in the living room and chatting. Yang Datian’s daughter was watching the television, occasionally giggling happily.
The house was full of warmth.
The New Year’s Eve meal was very rich, and the large table was full. Yang Dahai was in a very good mood, and he even opened a bottle of Maotai that had been treasured for many years.
Although the food was rich, Yang Lei couldn’t eat anything. The night before, the military camp had dinner and drank happily. It was very scary for the army to drink. There was a principle at the wine table: Don’t challenge soldiers or police when drinking. Even if you have a gifted alcohol tolerance, you are definitely not an opponent. Yang Lei, who was known as “Yang Yijin,” also got drunk by his own people. He accepted everything that was offered and got very drunk. He didn’t even know that someone had helped him back to the dormitory, and he slept until the afternoon. Right now, before a table of food, he didn’t have any appetite. He carelessly ate a few bites and stopped moving his chopsticks.
It was still time for the news broadcast. Outside, someone started setting off fireworks.
Yang Lei let his family eat slowly and went to smoke on the balcony.
Looking out from the balcony, there were thousands of lights. The windows were warm, and every kitchen was emitting scents.
Tonight, every family was reunited.
Everyone had their closest and most loved people by their sides.
After dinner, Yang Datian’s wife called everyone to play mahjong. Yang Lei watched them play for a while and didn’t want to stay at home. He said, “You all play. I’m going out for a while.”
“Where are you going? It’s New Year’s Eve. Just stay home and don’t go out.”
Yang Lei’s stepmother really treated Yang Lei like her own son.
“Ge, it’s rare for me to come back, but you’re still going out.”
Yang Rui still didn’t have the time to talk to his older brother properly.
“I’m just meeting a few comrades. They are at a restaurant in the city. I’ll be back soon,” Yang Lei said casually.
“Go to Fang Mei’s house. You have to follow etiquette,” Yang Dahai instructed him.
Yang Lei didn’t say anything. He went out and walked out of the military region.
Yang Lei just didn’t want to stay at home, and he hadn’t thought about where he was going to go.
On the evening of New Year’s Eve, there were very few people on the streets. They all went back to have a reunion dinner. Many stores were closed. There were only the sounds of gongs and drums and the host’s elated voice at the start of the Spring Festival Gala coming from every window.
Yang Lei listened to the scattered sound of firecrackers and walked to the eight-story house. He wanted to find a quiet place to stay, and he came here unconsciously.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Yang Lei was just waiting to go up to the terrace on the second floor when he saw a familiar face.
“Xebh-l!”
Yc atf ragffar jtfjv, atgff sbecu qfbqif kfgf kjixlcu, atflg tjcvr lc atflg qjcar qbmxfar, ibbxlcu obg gfrajegjcar fnfgsktfgf.
“Ofl Xf?”
Xeb-hl rjk Tjcu Ofl’r ojmf jcv mglfv lc regqglrf.
Xeb-hl kjr Tjcu Ofl’r ygbatfg lc atf qjra. Ca atja alwf, tf kjr sbecu, bcis oloaffc bg rlzaffc, jcv tf obiibkfv Tjcu Ofl. Lf tjv j rwjii rajaegf jcv j rkffa wbeat, jcv tf kjr qifjrjca. Ca atja alwf, Tjcu Ofl gfujgvfv tlw jr j sbecufg ygbatfg jcv boafc abbx tlw klat tlw. Lf kjr jirb nfgs ojwliljg klat Mjcu Te. Ojafg, Mjcu Te kfca ab qglrbc jcv Tjcu Ofl kfca ab rmtbbi. Coafg rb wjcs sfjgr, atf ktfgfjybear bo atfrf ilaaif ygbatfgr bo atf qjra kfgf ecxcbkc. Vevvfcis, atfs yewqfv lcab fjmt batfg tfgf, jcv atfs kfgf jii nfgs qifjrjcais regqglrfv.
“Lei Ge! I heard that you are an official in the army. So cool!”
Guo-zi was still like a gangster. He seemed to still be in the gangdom.
“Why are you fooling around here?”
Yang Lei saw that no one else was in the street, just the three of them wandering.
“Sigh, isn’t it New Year’s Eve? My two brothers and I wanted to find a place to eat. We’ve walked three blocks already, and not a single shop is open! Fuck, we’re freezing to death from walking!”
Guo-zi stomped his foot. Once Yang Lei saw them, he knew that they didn’t have any money. Only big restaurants were open on New Year’s Eve. It wasn’t easy for the poor to find a cheap restaurant for New Year’s Eve dinner.
“All right! Come with me.”
Yang Lei felt bad. He couldn’t stand to see his past brothers unable to even eat a New Year’s Eve dinner.
Guo-zi followed Yang Lei happily. Yang Lei went up to the eighth floor. At this time, big restaurants were also no longer supplying food. He knew that there was a restaurant that delivered late night food on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. It was cold, so he wasn’t planning to run. He would first go into the house, then call to ask that restaurant to send wine and food.
Yang Lei took out the key and opened the door.
He entered the room. Before turning on the light, in the darkness, he saw a man suddenly sit up from the wire bed in the bedroom.
Yang Lei stopped.
That person also did not move.
“Why don’t you turn on the light, Lei Ge?”
Guo-zi and the two brothers followed him in. Guo-zi casually felt for the switch in the entrance hall.
The light turned on.
Guo-zi turned around and saw the person in the room.
“…Yu Ge?!”
Fang Yu was dressed in all black. He was very unused to the sudden bright light, and he squinted his eyes.
“Why is it you, Yu Ge?! Didn’t you go to the south? When did you come back?”
Guo-zi was very excited. He really didn’t expect to meet two big brothers of the past one after the other on this New Year’s Eve night.
“Guo-zi?”
Fang Yu also still remembered him.
Initially, when Fang Yu left prison, he went to the south. Everyone in the Jianghai gangdom knew. In these three years, no one saw Fang Yu come back. It was no wonder that Guo-zi was so surprised to suddenly see him here. But Guo-zi soon realized.
“You’re back to see Lei Ge, right?! Lei Ge, you’re no fun. Yu Ge was here, but you didn’t say it just now!”
Guo-zi was a rough man and couldn’t tell that something was unusual.
“…”
Neither Yang Lei nor Fang Yu spoke.
Both of them didn’t know what to say in the unexpected encounter under these circumstances.
They looked at each other and looked away. Fang Yu got out of bed and stood up.
“Yu Ge, why don’t you turn on the air conditioner? It’s so cold!”
Guo-zi hugged his arms and looked for the air conditioner.
“You all sit first,” Yang Lei said. He looked all around, and he didn’t see what he was looking for. Fang Yu had already opened the drawer of the bedside table, took out the air conditioner remote control, and handed it to him.
“…”
Yang Lei glanced at Fang Yu and took it.
He set the air conditioner to warm air. The ice-cold room finally had a hint of warmth.
“Yu Ge, why haven’t you changed at all? You’re still so handsome!”
Guo-zi was straightforward. In the past, Fang Yu was a famous handsome man among Jianghai fighters. Guo-zi heard people say that people who have been in prison would change a lot when they come out. He didn’t expect that, after many years of not seeing him, Fang Yu still looked the same as before. It was just that his gaze was heavier, and he was more silent.
“Do you all know who this Yu Ge is? He is Fang Yu!! That is my Da Ge, Yang Lei!! I don’t need to introduce these two people, do I?!”
Guo-zi was very proud, and his tone was one of awe. His two brothers were both little gangsters who just joined the gangdom not long ago. To them, the names Fang Yu and Yang Lei were really legends. They had only heard about their past achievements from the elderly people of Jianghu. Usually, Guo-zi was proud to have once followed these two people. His mantra all day was, “Thinking about when I was with Lei Ge and Yu Ge in the past…” These two young people didn’t expect to see the actual people now. They were excited and nervous.
“Yu Ge! Lei Ge!”
The two young men hurriedly said. Then they came up to give them cigarettes. Their eyes as they looked at the two people were full of worship.
“Enough, neither of us are in the gangdom anymore. Why are you calling us that?”
Yang Lei didn’t take their cigarettes, telling them to leave some rations for themselves. He was about to take some out of his pocket, but Fang Yu had already thrown one at each person. Guo-zi and them caught it gratefully. Fang Yu paused for a moment, and also threw one towards Yang Lei.
Yang Lei stood at the entrance, far away from them. But when Fang Yu threw it, Yang Lei raised his hand and caught it in his hand out of habit. Full tacit understanding, without the slightest mistake.
This was an action that they had gotten familiar with from once doing it many times. It was almost subconscious, without needing to think about it.
“…”
Yang Lei caught the cigarette in his hand. He didn’t light it and was silent for a moment.
“Have you eaten?” he asked Fang Yu.
Fang Yu hesitated for a moment.
“Let’s eat together, Yu Ge! Lei Ge and us also haven’t eaten!”
Guo-zi and the others were starving.
Yang Lei looked at Fang Yu’s expression, lowered his head, and took out his phone. He called the fast-food restaurant.
But Yang Lei didn’t expect that the restaurant wasn’t delivering this year. They said that this year, there were few workers, and they were already closed for the New Year.
“Then do you know where there is still food?” Yang Lei asked on the phone. He only knew about this restaurant.
“I know a place. I’ll go and have a look. You all chat,” Fang Yu said. He put on his jacket and walked out the door.
“…How are you going?” Yang Lei hesitated for a moment and asked. There wasn’t a single taxi outside. He also hadn’t seen a parked car downstairs. Fang Yu had probably already returned the taxi to his friend.
“I got a motorcycle. It’s downstairs,” Fang Yu said.
“Where is it? I’ll go,” Yang Lei was silent for a while, then said.
The places that Fang Yu knew a few years ago might not be there now. Moreover, the roads of Jianghai have changed greatly in the past seven years. It was not the Jianghai of the past.
“Go in. I’ll be back soon,” Fang Yu said quietly. He closed the door, and the sound of his footsteps disappeared in the corridor…
Fang Yu was gone for a long time. When he came back, he was covered with the cold air outside. Fang Yu took out boxes of well-packed dishes. When they were opened, they were still steaming hot. In order to keep them warm, Fang Yu wrapped them in his coat. He was only wearing a black sweater. Rushing the whole way, his hands were purple from the cold.
“Wow, Kung Pao chicken, ants climbing a tree, sweet and sour ribs… and salted duck! Yu Ge, you’re really good! Where did you get so many good dishes?!”
As Guo-zi opened the lids of the boxes, he was happy.
Yang Lei looked at the dishes covering the table. All of them were very familiar.
Ever since he joined the army, Yang Lei ate whatever was in the canteen.
He had already forgotten what he used to like to eat.
Yang Lei did not say anything…
wahhhh the tension is making me sad
thanks for the chapter <3
Thanks for the chapter!
I’m already getting teary 🙁
GCF is turning me into a masochist! I knew I would get hurt by reading this chapter but I still read it after contemplating for a long time 😩 I really need them to pass this hurdle but I also don’t want this story to end so lets just enjoy the pain these two is giving us. 🥲
Also, thank you so much for translating this wonderful story you beautiful and kindhearted human being. May your days be filled with love and happiness 😊💙
cries
Thank you so much for the chapter!!
He made them, didn’t he?
hatiku tercekik 😭😭😭
demn, he cooked them 🥲