04
By the time they returned to Qingyi, it was already December 2021. Professor Liu had given Chen Luzhou an early short holiday, causing Xu Zhi to jump with excitement. “Shall we buy tickets to go back tomorrow?”
Chen Luzhou tossed his car keys onto the coffee table and sat on its edge, looking down at her. “Don’t get too excited. I might not be able to go back for the New Year. Professor Liu wants me to stay here. Are you not working at your design institute anymore?”
“My mentor went out of town for on-site supervision this week,” Xu Zhi said, shutting her laptop and reaching for her phone to check flight tickets. She sighed, “It turns out they found a close contact at the construction site, so he’s in quarantine now. My mentor told me and a few senior students not to go to the design institute for a while. He’ll contact us if anything comes up. I just need to bring my laptop back.”
So, the group flew back to Qingyi the next day.
Zhu Yangqi overslept and missed the flight. By the time Chen Luzhou and Xu Zhi got off the plane, their phones were almost blown up by his calls. Even without the speakerphone on, Xu Zhi could hear his hysterical voice messages: “Damn it! You guys planned to buy tickets in the group chat in the middle of the night. I was already asleep! Where are you now? Call me back immediately!”
Chen Luzhou, holding Xu Zhi’s hand and guiding her through the crowded airport to collect their luggage, used his other hand to record a voice message for Zhu Yangqi: “We’re at the airport. You’ll have to buy your ticket back.”
After sending the message, he put his phone back in his coat pocket and looked down at her. “Is your dad coming to pick us up?”
Xu Zhi nodded.
Zhang Yu and Li Ke had already left by taxi.
Old Xu was standing outside the arrival hall as usual, waving his arms with the vigor of welcoming a world champion, his face and arms jiggling. This time, however, he wasn’t calling out just one name.
“Xu Zhi! Chen Luzhou!” His voice boomed like a bell, showing that he had been taking good care of himself lately.
Old Xu had once whispered something to Director Wei, which Xu Zhi had overheard. He said, “With Chen Luzhou, it feels like I’ve gained another son. I don’t feel like he’s taken my daughter away at all. Chen Luzhou seems to love me even more than Xu Zhi does.”
Thinking of this amidst the sea of people, Xu Zhi couldn’t help but grip Chen Luzhou’s hand tighter.
He noticed and looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
Xu Zhi smiled, “Nothing, I just suddenly felt how much I love you.”
He smiled back, “Is that so? I’m truly flattered.”
“Oh, stop it.”
“Do you remember the winter break of our freshman year?” he asked.
“Huh?” Xu Zhi had forgotten.
Chen Luzhou hooked his arm around Xu Zhi’s neck and lowered his head to whisper in her ear, mimicking her voice with a smug expression, “‘ Chen Luzhou, I think I love you more in Beijing. When I’m back in Qingyi, I don’t miss you as much. You should focus on preparing for your competition, I’m going to enjoy my winter break!’ Who was that? Which heartless man said that?”
Xu Zhi kicked him lightly, “Can you be any more annoying?”
He couldn’t stop laughing, “Annoying? Didn’t you fall for me anyway all these years?”
“You’re pushing it, aren’t you?”
Xu Zhi followed behind him, resentfully kicking him again.
Old Xu saw this, but Chen Luzhou put on an innocent face and tattled first, “Uncle Xu, did you see that? Doesn’t Xu Zhi seem to tend towards domestic violence?”
Xu Guangji chuckled, embracing both of them with his arms. Chen Luzhou was too tall, so he had to bend down to match Old Xu’s height.
“Come on, let’s go home. I’ll make you something delicious!”
“Where’s Director Wei?” Xu Zhi asked.
“Director Wei is on the front lines, of course. Where else could she be? We’ve got a few close contacts in quarantine in our city, not confirmed cases yet. Remember to wear masks when you go out these days.”
“Did Wei Lin join the army?”
“Of course, that boy left in his sophomore year. We probably won’t see him for a few years. Oh, by the way, Luzhou, your mother came by a few days ago.”
“Mm, I’ll go see her later.”
“No rush. They’ve opened a new Xingzhou Mall near our place. After dinner, you two can go take a look and maybe Xu Zhi can buy some New Year gifts to bring over.”
Chen Luzhou replied, “Alright.”
Xu Zhi asked, “Xingzhou Mall? When did it open?”
“At the beginning of the year. You didn’t come back this year. There’s some model entrepreneur, I forget the name, but anyway, they’ve been developing our city, building malls and welfare centers.”
Xu Zhi instinctively glanced at Chen Luzhou.
“Is the surname Chen?” she asked.
“I think so. Why bother about that? Oh, right, there are apples in the car that your Uncle Cai bought. He wants you to eat one on Christmas Eve.”
“But Christmas Eve is still a week away. Besides, Dad, you should spend less time online. They say the apples you eat at night are poisonous.”
“You should stop listening to those so-called experts talking nonsense.”
Xu Zhi retorted, “We haven’t seen each other for so long. Can’t you be a bit nicer?”
Xu Guangji shot back, “Eat it or don’t, it’s up to you.”
“I’m going back to Beijing.”
“Turn left at the exit. Chen Luzhou, get in the car.”
“…”
Chen Luzhou pulled her back, smiling as he guided her to the front passenger seat. “Why are you acting like a child? Your dad’s just teasing you.”
This was probably one of the reasons why Xu Zhi loved him so much.
He always knew how to maintain propriety and politeness in front of elders. Even at this stage of their relationship, Chen Luzhou wouldn’t thoughtlessly pull her to sit with him in the back seat. Instead, he let Xu Zhi accompany Old Xu in the front.
Sitting in the car, Xu Zhi exchanged a glance with Xu Guangji—
Look, Old Xu, he respects you as much as he respects me—
My dear, you’ve won. He doesn’t need Dad to pick on him; he’s already smoothed out all his rough edges.
Ah, what exactly has this boy been through? Old Xu wondered distractedly as he started the car.
05
The next day, at the seafood and bone barbecue restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, steam rose, and the clinking of glasses cast moving shadows on the floor-to-ceiling windows. In recent years, Chen Luzhou and Xu Zhi had been busy, Li Ke was occupied with his startup and romance, Cai Yingying was enjoying life in Sichuan, and Jiang Cheng and Hang Sui had already registered their marriage, with Hang Sui eight months pregnant. Only Zhu Yangqi, the idle one, occasionally wanted to gather for a meal, but it was rare to get everyone together. Today was a precious occasion with everyone present, and as soon as they met, the chatter was non-stop.
“So, Zhu Yangqi, you’re not planning to move your art studio back to Qingyi? Isn’t it hard for a small studio like yours to survive in Beijing? Besides, isn’t Yingying teaching in Qingyi?”
“Please, don’t tie me to him. He can go wherever he wants. I don’t want him relying on me if he can’t make money.”
Zhu Yangqi put down his wine glass. “Cai Yingying, do you have any heart at all?”
Cai Yingying retorted, “As if you do.”
Zhu Yangqi declared, “I’m going to stay in Beijing and live off others. I’m not coming back!”
Cai Yingying laughed, “You just can’t bear to leave Chen Luzhou in Beijing, can you? Zhu Yangqi, you’re such a follower.”
“Is Chen Luzhou planning to stay in Beijing?” Jiang Cheng asked. “Isn’t he still studying?”
Hang Sui looked up at this question and noticed that Chen Luzhou and Xu Zhi were gone.
The table was a mess, with a half-cut cake on the side. They had probably finished eating and were just chatting now.
Li Ke shook the wine bottle, hearing the liquid inside. He wasn’t sure how much was left. As he shook it, he said, “His supervisor struck gold with him. How could he let him go? He wants Chen Luzhou to stay at the university, but Chen Luzhou probably wants to work outside. But he’s likely to stay in Beijing. His supervisor has high expectations for him, so Chen Luzhou is under a lot of pressure. What others would achieve in four or five years, Old Liu expects him to do in two.”
“What about Xu Zhi?” Hang Sui asked curiously.
“She’s at the design institute. She’ll probably stay in Beijing too. Her dad remarried at the beginning of the year and got the certificate and all. I guess she has no worries back home, so they’ll both likely stay in Beijing.”
Zhu Yangqi was still bickering with Cai Yingying.
“Can you handle it or not?”
“…”
“I might even change my surname. My mom’s surname is Niu. How about Niu Yangqi?”
“…”
Meanwhile, outside the barbecue restaurant.
Qingyi City still had a touch of humanity left on this street. In the past two years, most of the urban areas had been completely transformed, with commercial streets encircling one another. Everywhere you went, you couldn’t escape the clutches of these heartless entrepreneurs.
The rolling shutters rattled behind them. On winter nights, some shops closed early. Except for a few barbecue restaurants that were still bustling with business, this was Qingyi City’s unique mix of tranquility and liveliness.
Years of gentle winds and rain had left the alleys with patchy moss. The fishy smell couldn’t be hidden in the cracks between the stone slabs. On winter nights, it had a tart, fishy scent, and the cold wind was quite biting.
The musical fountain was as loud and vigorous as ever, water gushing up as if it were free. Even in the dead of winter, a few children were crouching nearby playing with the water. Next to it was the night market street, bustling with activity. The telephone poles were still plastered with small advertisements. The dog named Lucy had been found by its owner, and now there was a new one called Toy, still missing.
“The Lucy dog from before has found its way home,” Xu Zhi said, circling the telephone pole.
“Why do I feel like you’re insulting me in a roundabout way?”
The two leaned against the telephone pole, chatting casually.
“I’m not. It just reminded me of that night during the summer break. Hey, Chen Luzhou, is your game name really ‘Universe’s Most Handsome’ and ‘World’s Greatest Lover’?”
Chen Luzhou lazily leaned back, holding the cake Xu Zhi hadn’t finished. He slowly ate the remaining cake and chuckled, saying, “No, it’s not.”
“Then what is it?”
“Something like User1576382002, I guess.”
“…”
There were many late-night food stalls by the roadside, bustling with life from dawn to dusk as always. Everyone’s face was beaming with enthusiasm and contentment. The pancake vendor had been replaced by a young man. A couple was arguing heatedly at a late-night stall, prompting Xu Zhi to comment enviously.
“It’s been a long time since we argued.”
“Don’t stir up trouble.”
“I want to argue.”
“How about we have a real fight with our mouths?” Chen Luzhou finished Xu Zhi’s leftover cake, threw the paper plate and spoon into a nearby trash can, and leaned against the telephone pole, smiling as he made an unusual suggestion.
Xu Zhi: “…”
The next second, they saw two people fighting with their mouths on another telephone pole covered with small ads.
“Is that Zhu Yangqi and Cai Yingying?”
“Seems so.”
The two leisurely leaned against the telephone pole, looking as if they were appreciating a world-famous painting.
“Oh, right, do you know why your mom came to see my dad a few days ago?” Xu Zhi suddenly remembered to ask.
Chen Luzhou didn’t answer her, but instead asked, “Want to go see the sunrise?”
Xu Zhi, looking at his deep black and serious eyes, had a sudden intuition that he might do something. Her calm heart instantly started pounding, feeling both excited and expectant. What would he say?
This intuition mainly came from the fact that after Chen Luzhou left last night, Xu Guangji pulled her into the room and talked to her for a while. The gist was that Chen Luzhou’s mother had suggested they get engaged, or even get married if they wanted. But Old Xu thought that since Xu Zhi had just graduated and Chen Luzhou was still studying, it wasn’t the best time for marriage. He suggested they get engaged first.
So Lian Hui must have told Chen Luzhou too.
What would he say?
06
On the day of the sunrise, Xu Zhi was 80% prepared. She was sure Chen Luzhou was going to propose. She even sent a message to Cai Yingying: “Is Chen Luzhou asking you to keep it a secret from me?”
Cai Yingying responded with a “Huh?”: “No, he’s not.”
Xu Zhi: “Oh, come on, don’t pretend. I already know.”
Cai Yingying: “Really, he’s not.”
Xu Zhi: “Haha, your acting is terrible.”
Cai Yingying: “…”
However, there was nothing.
Chen Luzhou genuinely just wanted to watch the sunrise.
“And then?” Xu Zhi asked patiently.
Chen Luzhou looked confused, “Hm? What do you mean ‘and then’?”
Xu Zhi: “…”
Just now when Chen Luzhou called her name to take a photo, Xu Zhi almost thought he was going to kneel. She even reached out her hand. That was the first time she guessed wrong.
The second time was when they went to the seaside in Qingyi. Who would go to the seaside in winter if not to propose? But he just wanted to see the sea.
Xu Zhi: …
During those days, he was like a volcano. Dormant for half a year, but once it erupted, it would be active for another half year. He was exceptionally active.
But Xu Zhi guessed wrong every time.
Until the day before they returned to Beijing, Xu Zhi remembered it was Christmas Day.
After dining out, Chen Luzhou leaned back in his chair, watching her eat slowly. He glanced at some high school students passing by outside. At this time, it was usually the third-year students getting out of class. So he casually asked, “Want to go back and see the third-year building?”
Xu Zhi was surprised that he still had the password to that house and could still get in.
However, before opening the door, Chen Luzhou pressed the password lock but didn’t pull the door open. Instead, he looked down at her meaningfully. It was only then that Xu Zhi had a belated realization. But before she could fully process it, he opened the door. The lights inside instantly filled her eyes, and firecrackers began exploding one after another in the room. Dazzling confetti swirled in the air, twirling and fluttering down to the ground.
Familiar faces filled the room, and tiny colored pieces fell everywhere. Xu Zhi truly hadn’t expected Chen Luzhou to return to this place.
The place where they first met.
The entire proposal process fell apart the moment Xu Zhi entered the room. Originally, when Chen Luzhou entered and spoke, Zhu Yangqi was supposed to play music to set the mood. But Chen Luzhou didn’t say anything.
He didn’t say a word.
Xu Zhi entered first, and Chen Luzhou slowly closed the door behind her. When Xu Zhi heard the door close behind her and realized what was about to happen, she turned to look at him. Chen Luzhou was quietly leaning against the edge of the dining table, silently meeting her gaze.
He still didn’t say anything.
The look between them, which no one else could interrupt, was deeply moving. It instantly silenced everyone in the room. Cai Yingying covered her mouth, tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn’t describe why, but just seeing the two of them looking at each other so intently and resolutely, she couldn’t hold back. Tears fell from her eyes in big drops.
Later, Cai Yingying figured it out.
The look in their eyes at that moment was one of gratitude and fear.
Gratitude that you love me.
Fear of what if we had never met.
…
Chen Luzhou slowly walked over. That step was particularly slow but incredibly steady. Finally standing in front of her, there wasn’t a hint of pride or self-satisfaction. In front of her, he never sought credit. For anything, once done, it was done. He rarely dwelled on gains and losses with others, which was why he often lost more in the past.
But Xu Zhi was the first person he didn’t want to keep score with, yet she always gave back to him.
He stood there, looking down at her, brushing off the colored pieces from the top of her head one by one. As he did so, he asked out of the blue, “Are you cold?”
Xu Zhi said, “The air conditioning is on.”
“Oh, Merry Christmas.”
Xu Zhi laughed. Despite her heart pounding and her ears drumming, who could remain calm in such a situation? Especially when the man in front of her was Chen Luzhou.
“Chen Luzhou, are you very nervous?”
“Mm, my heart rate is 180.”
“Should we have 120 on standby for you?”
After brushing off all the tiny pieces from her head, he straightened her up and nodded towards the camera nearby. “Do you want to go to the bathroom and check yourself in the mirror? There’s a camera over there.”
“Am I beautiful?”
“It’s no use asking me. I’m biased when it comes to you. Sometimes when you think you’re not beautiful, I still think you’re drop-dead gorgeous.”
He rarely spoke so sweetly. Tonight was a special night. Xu Zhi couldn’t stop smiling and urged him, “Aren’t you going to kneel?”
“Wait a moment, give me your phone first.”
She took it out and handed it to him.
Chen Luzhou took it, removed the wool felt from the phone hole, and reached out. Someone nearby handed him a pair of scissors.
The room fell silent. Everyone curiously watched Chen Luzhou cutting a small wool dog.
“Chen Luzhou!” Xu Zhi called out.
Without looking up, Chen Luzhou said, “I’m making another one for you.”
When Chen Luzhou took out that thing.
Tears welled up in Cai Yingying’s eyes again. Even the usually gentle and quiet Zhang Yu couldn’t help but punch Li Ke’s back, saying, “Look at them!”
Xu Zhi: “Why did you put it here?”
Chen Luzhou: “You don’t do things by the book. I had to be prepared, didn’t I?”
…
That day was Christmas Day, 2021.
Xu Zhi, Chen Luzhou, Merry Christmas, and congratulations on your wedding.
Let time stop here for now.
Afterword:
Some of us live our lives in obscurity, borrowing light from others.
Some live in constant brilliance, not minding if others bask in their light.
Those in obscurity may have quietly walked an endless long road in their ordinary lives. Those in brilliance may have only lived for a moment.
We are all very small, yet also very great.
Because we have hearts of steel that become scorching hot with just a touch of sunlight.
Our actions are our own, and our passions should be our own.
We may always be small, but we will always believe in tears of joy.
Life is still wonderful!
Let’s all keep going!
(The End.)