Ding Zhitong once again recalled that earthy expression – “living life.” Beyond that, there was an unexpected feeling of relying on each other in an apocalyptic world.
As the car continued towards Xinzhuang, her phone vibrated. It was Gan Yang asking: “When will you be home?”
Ding Zhitong replied: “I’m on my way.”
After a moment’s thought, she added: “Can I bring my parents over later?”
Originally, they had only planned to have a second meal together after the New Year’s Eve dinner and then stay up to welcome the new year. She wasn’t sure why she had suddenly changed her mind.
The reply came almost immediately: “???”
“Is it inconvenient?” Ding Zhitong asked, feeling slightly disappointed but also realizing she might have been presumptuous.
To her surprise, his next message read: “No, no, don’t arrive too quickly. I need to go back and change clothes.”
Ding Zhitong frowned, wondering what on earth he was wearing.
Putting down her phone, she turned to Yan Aihua and asked, “Shall we… go pick up Dad now?”
“Why pick him up?” Yan Aihua asked, her tone and expression quite stiff, which paradoxically made her seem overly defensive.
Feeling uncertain herself, Ding Zhitong stammered, “Let’s all go to my place. I want you to meet someone…”
“Who?” Yan Aihua’s interest was piqued as she caught the underlying meaning.
Unsure how to explain, Ding Zhitong simply said, “You’ll see when we get there.”
Yan Aihua looked at her and replied with just one word: “Let’s go!” She immediately called Old Ding, telling him to stop drinking at his brother’s house and get ready downstairs, as they would pick him up soon.
And so, they went to fetch Ding Yanming.
On New Year’s Eve, the roads were empty. The whole roundabout trip took just over half an hour.
As the car approached Dongman, Ding Zhitong felt somewhat nervous, unsure if Gan Yang had prepared himself. The three of them got out of the car and went upstairs. Upon entering, they found the dining room lit, with four dishes on the table, a bottle of red wine, and a Marshall speaker in the living room playing a piano piece. Nothing else.
“Where is everyone?” Yan Aihua asked with a smile.
Ding Zhitong felt embarrassed, wondering if she had hallucinated due to being single for too long.
Fortunately, within two minutes, someone rang the doorbell. Ding Zhitong went to open it, and there stood Gan Yang. Although she had given him the passcode, he politely pretended not to know it. He was dressed smartly in a shirt and trousers.
“This is Gan Yang,” Ding Zhitong said, not daring to look closely at his expression as she gestured for him to enter.
“童童’s mom, 童童’s dad…” Gan Yang wasn’t faring much better, his greeting full of repeated words, clearing his throat in between.
Thankfully, no one gave them a hard time. The four sat down, and Yan Aihua just smiled at Gan Yang before saying to Ding Zhitong, “No wonder you hardly ate earlier. You should have told me sooner…”
Ding Zhitong blushed, unsure whether the unspoken part of that sentence was “I would have eaten less too” or “You wouldn’t have needed to argue with your aunt.”
Ding Yanming, usually talkative, was now just grinning and asking Gan Yang to have another drink with him. Ding Zhitong wanted to intervene, but Gan Yang gave her a resigned look, telling her to stay out of it. Fortunately, Old Ding had already drunk quite a bit at his brother’s place, and with Yan Aihua watching to ensure he didn’t overdo it, one more glass was just a formality.
After the meal, Ding Zhitong let her parents sit in the living room to watch TV while she and Gan Yang cleared the dishes into the kitchen, loading them into the dishwasher.
As they worked, she asked Gan Yang, “Are you okay after drinking?”
Instead of answering, Gan Yang pulled her to a corner and placed one of her hands on his chest. The kitchen door was open, but that spot wasn’t visible from the living room.
“Does your stomach hurt?” Ding Zhitong thought he might be feeling unwell.
Gan Yang shook his head, just looking at her silently.
Ding Zhitong’s heart fluttered, unable to guess what he might say next. Intentionally changing the subject, she asked softly, “Hey, what were you wearing earlier?”
“Huh?” Gan Yang, unaware of her intention, explained honestly, “Just a T-shirt, hoodie, and sweatpants. I thought it wasn’t appropriate to meet your parents, so I went back to change.”
Ding Zhitong teased him, saying, “Come on, you think I don’t know? I heard ‘The Naked Man Dance’ playing when we came in. Weren’t you cold? And that bottle of wine, was that meant to get me drunk?”
“That’s your playlist. How would I know it had ‘The Naked Man Dance’?” Gan Yang laughed, leaning in close and whispering in her ear, “But now that you mention it, I kind of want to try…”
“Disappointed now, aren’t you?” Ding Zhitong’s voice was so soft it was barely more than lip movements.
Gan Yang simply wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder, and shook his head, saying, “Not at all. I’m extremely happy today. This is the happiest New Year I’ve ever had.”
Listening to him, Ding Zhitong suddenly remembered he had said something similar before – “This is the happiest birthday I’ve ever had.” More than ten years had passed, and he had changed a lot, but he was still as expressive with his feelings as before, unlike her. She was touched but also puzzled. Nothing extraordinary had happened, so why was it the “happiest”?
They held each other in that corner for a while, quietly yet passionately kissing. Next to them was the kitchen window, and through the glass, they could see the city’s night view, brilliant yet serene. Some areas were brighter, others dimmer, with flashing red and green patches – probably someone’s TV screen showing the Spring Festival Gala. It was such an ordinary scene, yet it felt eternal.
When they came out of the kitchen, Old Ding joked, “It took that long to wash just a few dishes?”
Yan Aihua kicked him lightly, but her next words were directed at Ding Zhitong: “Your father has had too much to drink. Let him go to sleep soon.”
And so, Ding Zhitong had her parents stay overnight at her place. Ding Yanming slept in the guest room, while Yan Aihua shared a room with her. Gan Yang, acting as if it were perfectly natural, politely said goodbye to them and returned to his place.
That night, lying beside her mother, Ding Zhitong felt a sense of wonder. After more than twenty years, the three of them were under the same roof again. In the darkness, she reached for her phone and sent a message to Gan Yang: This is also the happiest New Year I’ve ever had.
When daylight returned, the Year of the Gengzi began, and more unexpected events unfolded in succession.
City lockdowns, work stoppages, travel restrictions – the news came one after another. Yan Aihua and Ding Yanming had already left, one returning to the hotel, the other home. Ding Zhitong had originally planned to fly to Quanzhou on the second day of the New Year, but now that was impossible.
With the sudden change of plans, she had no supplies at home. Opening her phone to look for fresh food delivery, she discovered that the once-commonplace service now required getting up in the middle of the night to snag an order.
Coincidentally, Gan Yang also messaged her: Do you have rice at home?
Ding Zhitong found it amusing, and they decided to go out together to buy food. Outside, the sky was gloomy, and the streets were empty. As they drove to the shopping center’s underground parking, they had to stop for individual temperature checks. They bought eggs, various meats, storable vegetables, flour, oil, and rice, loading everything into the car to take home. Once again, Ding Zhitong thought of that earthy expression – “living life.” Beyond that, there was an unexpected feeling of relying on each other in an apocalyptic world.
That afternoon, they squeezed onto his single-person sofa to watch a movie about a man and a woman living in opposite buildings, surrounded by zombies below.
When the movie ended, Ding Zhitong prepared to leave.
Gan Yang held her back and asked, “Are you afraid to be alone at home?”
Ding Zhitong shook her head and asked in return, “Why would I be afraid?”
Gan Yang looked at her and said, “I’m a bit scared…”
What?! Ding Zhitong laughed.
Gan Yang explained, “It’s been a long time since I’ve watched this kind of movie. My psychological tolerance has decreased a bit.”
Ding Zhitong sighed and said, “Alright, let’s go to my place.”
She went home first. A while later, Gan Yang arrived, having packed up some things. He had a flower pot with his growing scallions tucked under his arm, a large backpack on his back, and was holding his property ownership certificate, afraid the security guard might say he was an outsider.
Ding Zhitong frowned and said, “Are you planning to move in permanently?”
Gan Yang replied, “Didn’t they post a notice in the residents’ group chat? No visiting between apartments. I can’t go back now.”
Ding Zhitong opened the residents’ group chat to check, and indeed there was such a notice. Scrolling up, she found that the earliest suggestion of this rule came from a newly joined ID, whose name in the group was “3-405” with a gray avatar.
She looked at Gan Yang and said, “You posted this, didn’t you?”
Gan Yang, who had already gone to place his scallions in the wealthy corner of her home, pretended not to hear and asked, “Huh? What did you say?”
Soon after, news came from Hong Kong. Qin Chang asked her to stay in Shanghai for now, so they would have someone in both Shanghai and Hong Kong, eliminating worries about business travel if needed.
This was originally just an ordinary decision, but then, it seemed particularly significant – late January was Qin Chang’s last day at M Bank, and she wouldn’t be able to attend his farewell gathering.
On that day, she could only participate remotely via video, offering vague words of thanks to the somewhat blurry images, watching helplessly as colleagues in Hong Kong received his parting gifts – a large peach for each person.
Such a gift was probably something only Qin Chang would dare to give.
Ding Zhitong wanted to laugh but also felt tears welling up. After the call ended, she remained in low spirits.
Gan Yang asked her what was wrong.
She said, “I want to eat a peach too.”