Translator/Editor:- Max
This was a good sign, Ying Nian thought, so he did not stop himself from thinking about Yao Xiuyuan and instead quietly thought about him for a while. However, when he looked at his phone, Yao Xiuyuan still had not replied to him.
When Ying Nian received Yao Xiuyuan’s call, it was already past eight o’clock. At that time, he was watching a video, and when Yao Xiuyuan’s call came in, he answered it immediately.
“I saw the WeChat message you sent me.” Yao Xiuyuan said. “Sorry, I was quite busy all day today, so I didn’t reply to you.”
“No problem.” Ying Nian said good-naturedly. “Are you not busy now?”
Yao Xiuyuan looked at the night outside the window and said, “En, I can call you now.”
Ying Nian chuckled softly, seeming a bit happy, and asked, “Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.” Yao Xiuyuan replied. “I’ll eat later.”
“Then you should go eat first.” Ying Nian urged, seeing that it was already past eight o’clock. “After you finish eating, we can talk.”
“This won’t do, Niannian.” Yao Xiuyuan sighed. “I need to finish talking to you first before I can even think about eating.”
“I’m not going to run away. You go eat first. But if you’re eating alone, I can stay on the line and continue talking with you.”
Yao Xiuyuan chuckled, “But I don’t have any food right now. Have you eaten? Are there any leftovers?”
“I’ve already eaten, and there are leftovers, but you won’t be able to eat any.”
“Who says that.”
“How, do you want me to take a picture and send it to you?” Ying Nian gathered the blanket around him. “During the New Year, President Yao should treat himself to something good.”
“Would you like to give me something good to eat?”
“Of course I will, but it’s a pity that you’re not here with me.”
After Ying Nian finished speaking, he heard Yao Xiuyuan’s laughter coming through like an electric current, with a touch of magnetism that made his ears feel a bit hot.
He heard Yao Xiuyuan whisper, “Then do you want to see me?”
Ying Nian thought he wanted to switch to a video call, so he honestly responded, “I want.”
“Then come pick me up.” Yao Xiuyuan said gently. “I should be at the entrance of your village, not far after turning from the gas station. Niannian, you’d better hurry.”
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.
Tlcu Rljc kjr raeccfv jcv mbeivc’a gfjma obg j wbwfca, “Qtfgf vlv sbe rjs sbe kfgf?”
“Rfjg atf ujr rajalbc, atf ujr rajalbc ktlmt lr cfjg sbeg nliijuf.”
“Pc beg nliijuf?” Tlcu Rljc mbeiv tjgvis yfilfnf la. “Tbe… Tbe’gf lc beg nliijuf gluta cbk?”
“Tfjt.”
“Efjiis lc beg nliijuf?!” Tlcu Rljc fzmijlwfv, atfc atgfk boo atf yijcxfa jcv uba bea bo yfv.
Yao Xiuyuan listened to his surprised tone and said with a smile, “Do you want me to take a picture of the night view around here for you?”
“I’m coming over right now.” Ying Nian quickly put on his shoes, grabbed his jacket and keys, put on his earphones, and said to him, “Just wait for me, I’m on my way. Don’t go anywhere.”
“Okay.” Yao Xiuyuan said gently, “I’ll wait for you.”
Ying Nian hung up the phone, hurried out the door, and got into his car. Even up to this moment, he couldn’t believe Yao Xiuyuan had actually come to see him. Why did he suddenly come? Did he want to spend the New Year with him? But what about his own family?
Ying Nian stepped on the accelerator, his heart beating fast. His chaotic thoughts raced through his mind. He wondered when Yao Xiuyuan had this idea? When did he set off from City X? Did he take the right route? Was he feeling tired? The more he thought, the more chaotic his thoughts became. He couldn’t help but complain about why he didn’t mention such a big thing earlier. What if he took the wrong road? What if Yao Xiuyuan arrived while he was away in the county?
But soon, he couldn’t suppress the excitement and joy in his heart. He felt that the other party, as an adult, was acting like a little boy, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up. He wished he could be at the village entrance right now.
Ying Nian drove quickly and soon saw the sign of the gas station in the distance. He also spotted a car parked not far away in the night. He drove towards that car and saw under the streetlight, with starlight and moonlight, Yao Xiuyuan leaning on the car window with one hand propping up his head. When he saw his car approaching, he gave a gentle smile and waved at him.
At that moment, Ying Nian felt his heart skip a beat.
His heart skipped a beat without warning. He instinctively stepped the brake, stopping beside Yao Xiuyuan’s car, and looked at him through the window in a daze.
Yao Xiuyuan got out of his car and knocked on his window. Only then did Ying Nian wake up as if from a dream and opened the car door.
Yao Xiuyuan didn’t get in. He just bent down, looked at him, and said with a smile, “Ying Nian, you came so quickly. Are you here to take me home?”
Hearing the second half of his words, Ying Nian felt a strange ache in his heart. He had never brought anyone back here before. This was his hometown, the place where his parents were buried.
Ying Nian felt both love and hate for this place. He loved the land where he grew up, but he also hated it because his parents had left him here, and his relatives had abandoned him on this land. Yet, in the end, after wandering in circles, he realised that only here, only the house his parents left behind, could allow him to hide himself and gain a brief moment of peace and comfort.
This was his last refuge, a place he had never brought anyone to. But Yao Xiuyuan came. He didn’t inform him; he quietly found his way here and found him.
At that moment, Ying Nian’s psychological defences completely collapsed. He looked at Yao Xiuyuan, lips pressed together, and after a long pause, softly said, “En, I’ll take you home.”
Yao Xiuyuan bent down and smiled at him. “Thank you, Niannian.” He said.
Ying Nian looked at him and waved him over. Yao Xiuyuan, puzzled, walked closer, was caught off guard by being hugged around the waist by Ying Nian. He was a little stunned but didn’t think much of it. He just thought Ying Nian was pleasantly surprised to see him. “Surprised?”
Ying Nian nodded.
“Then, are you happy?”
“Happy.” Ying Nian replied honestly.
Yao Xiuyuan touched his hair, kissed his forehead, and with a touch of tenderness in his voice, said, “I’m also happy.”
Ying Nian brought Yao Xiuyuan back home. It was much colder here than in City X, and seeing that Yao Xiuyuan was only wearing a coat, he asked worriedly, “Are you cold?”
“Not bad.” Yao Xiuyuan was not afraid of the cold. Compared to that, what he clearly felt more was, “Didn’t you say there were leftovers? Heat them up; I’m hungry.”
Ying Nian chuckled and teased him, “You could’ve told me earlier ah. Then you could have eaten as soon as you arrived. Now, you have to wait.”
“I was just trying to give you a nice surprise.”
Upon hearing this, Ying Nian didn’t know what to say but couldn’t help his curiosity. “Why did you suddenly come over? Aren’t you spending the New Year with your family?”
“They went abroad, but I didn’t want to go, so I thought I’d come over and keep you company.”
Ying Nian nodded, took the food he hadn’t eaten from the fridge, and heated it in the microwave. “Is this enough?”
“It’s enough.” Yao Xiuyuan said, hugging him from behind and nuzzling his ear, and whispered, “I’ve been missing you quite a bit these past few days.”
Ying Nian’s heart skipped a beat involuntarily, and a wave of numbness spread out from his chest.
He lowered his head and softly said, “I missed you a lot too.”
“Really?”
“En.” Ying Nian nodded, reaching out to cover the back of his hand with his own. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have kept sending you WeChat messages all day today.”
Yao Xiuyuan, filled with joy, pressed his hand on Ying Nian’s waist, turning him to face him. Ying Nian looked up at him, and the next second, Yao Xiuyuan kissed him. Even though it had only been two days since they last saw each other, the moment they kissed, it felt like it had been much longer. Ying Nian held him, kissing him gently. He could hear his own rapid heartbeat in his ears, one after another, deafening. Unconsciously, he tightened his embrace around Yao Xiuyuan and finally leaned into his arms.
That night, he finally fell in love with Yao Xiuyuan.
Ying Nian smiled unconsciously, then kissed Yao Xiuyuan’s lips firmly. “Dinner’s ready.”
Ying Nian’s family house wasn’t very big, and there was only one bed. After searching for a while, Ying Nian found that there was only the blanket that he was currently using. Although his uncle’s family still lived in the same village, they hadn’t kept in contact. At this moment, Ying Nian didn’t want to call and ask to borrow a blanket. So, he waited until Yao Xiuyuan finished eating, and asked, “There’s only this one blanket at home. Do you mind sharing it with me?”
Yao Xiuyuan hadn’t expected to get such a benefit. “I’m very willing!”
Ying Nian chuckled, and seeing him, Yao Xiuyuan laughed too. “This is really an advantage for me.”
“Just consider it as a reward for you, considering that you have travelled all the way here during the New Year.”
“Then it was definitely worth it for me.”
After dinner, Yao Xiuyuan took a shower, and the two of them got into bed. Having driven all day, Yao Xiuyuan was tired and fell asleep holding Ying Nian shortly after. Ying Nian watched him in the darkness; for the first time, someone other than him was spending the night in this room.
After a night of good dreams, the next day was officially Chinese New Year. In Ying Nian’s hometown, they were very particular about celebrating the New Year, such as fried pastries, steamed buns, and preparing other foods. In past years, Ying Nian had spent the New Year alone, and was too lazy to spend energy doing these things. But this year, with Yao Xiuyuan around, he felt a bit excited and eager to try.
“You probably haven’t eaten this before. This is a unique way of eating here. Since you’re here, I’ll make some for you to taste.”
“Then I’ll help you.”
“No need.” Ying Nian rolled up his sleeves. “I can do it myself. You just sit and relax.”
Yao Xiuyuan imitated him, rolling up his sleeves and walked over to his side. “Let me help you. It’s Chinese New Year, and how long will it take you to do everything alone? If I help, we can finish faster and still have time to cook some dishes together and watch the Spring Festival Gala tonight.”
Ying Nian thought what he said made sense, so he let Yao Xiuyuan knead the dough, and the two of them got busy together. They started by steaming buns. Ying Nian was very skillful, kneading them into little rabbits, and then took two dates and placed them in place of the eyes.
Yao Xiuyuan took one and examined it for a while. “They really look quite similar. You’ve made them so cute, I almost can’t bear to eat them.”
“Then I’ll eat them all by myself.”
Yao Xiuyuan nudged him. “How can you eat all the food alone?”
“Aren’t you embarrassed?”
“Right now I’m not embarrassed.” Yao Xiuyuan put down the rabbit-shaped bun and started to learn how to make them with him.
They worked busily all afternoon until Ying Nian finished preparing the dishes from his hometown. Yao Xiuyuan liked them a lot, eating as they cooked. After working for half a day, he didn’t feel hungry at all.
In the evening, they stir-fried the vegetables together, watched the Spring Festival Gala, but soon found it boring. They picked up their phones and started watching movies instead. When the host began the countdown, they finally took off their headphones and looked up at the TV screen. They watched as the time on the screen counted down to zero, entering in the new year.
“Happy New Year.” Yao Xiuyuan said.
“You too, Happy New Year.”
Yao Xiuyuan pulled him gently. “Come on, accompany me outside for a bit.”
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They’re very sweet 🥺
love how domestic they are!<3 thanks for the chapter
🌸💖🌸💖