HomeCrane NotesExtra Chapter: My Modern Daily Life with Yang Wan (Spring Festival)

Extra Chapter: My Modern Daily Life with Yang Wan (Spring Festival)

For me, winters in Sichuan are rather difficult to endure. Though it doesn’t snow, the cold is intense. As the New Year approaches, the rain becomes more frequent. People coming and going through the corridors track water everywhere with their feet, and though the cleaning staff constantly mops with fresh water, the walkways remain perpetually damp.

I’ve always been particularly sensitive to cold. Having grown accustomed to Beijing’s central heating, the prospect of spending winter in Sichuan filled me with some apprehension. While the hospital rooms have air conditioning, this isn’t a major hospital, so the corridors lack central heating. According to hospital policy, patients in the corridor can only be moved to proper rooms after surgery. Since the inflammation in my leg hasn’t subsided well enough, I need to stay in the corridor for two more nights.

Yang Lin went to sleep in the observation ward that night, but Yang Wan stayed, bustling about helping us with various hospital admission procedures. While she was out buying food, I made a call home.

My family is quite large, and my parents love to maintain appearances, gathering all the relatives almost every New Year. Though it was only the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, the house was already bustling with activity. The first thing my mother did when answering the phone was to shout at my father: “Old Deng, tell Fifth Aunt and the others to quiet down, our son is calling!”

Her tone immediately softened as she spoke to me, “Son, you’re still not done with work? Everyone at home is waiting for you. Your Second Uncle wants to introduce you to a girlfriend prospect, she just returned from studying abroad. I saw her today, she’s quite beautiful…”

I didn’t respond to that topic, only saying, “Work is almost finished, but I accidentally broke my leg.”

“What!”

My mother’s voice suddenly rose so sharp that I had to hold the phone away from my ear.

“It’s not a big prob-“

“What do you mean it’s not a problem? Where are you? Your father and I will come right away.”

Sitting on the hospital bed, I let out a small laugh. “If you leave, what about all the elders at home?”

“Well…”

Looking at the quiet corridor, I lifted my hand with the IV catheter and took a sip of water from the thermos at my bedside.

“Never mind, Mom. You coming here wouldn’t help much anyway. I’ve arranged for a care worker, and when I’m cleared for discharge, I can ask colleagues from our partner company here to send me back.”

My mother asked worriedly, “Are the partner company people reliable?”

“Of course they’re reliable, don’t worry.”

My mother let out a reluctant “Oh,” and then asked, “Do you need surgery? Your father has several friends in Chengdu, should we ask them to come check on you?”

“No need, it’s the New Year holiday, it wouldn’t be right to make people come to visit me in the hospital.”

“That’s true…”

My mother sounded helpless, “When is your surgery?”

“Still treating the inflammation. The doctor said they’ll schedule it based on how that goes, maybe the day after tomorrow.”

My mother sighed, “Oh you… this foot of yours has always been prone to injury since you were little.”

Just then, Yang Wan came back carrying two bowls of wonton. Seeing me on the phone, she pulled up a chair to sit by my bedside and set the wontons down to cool. I got nervous and quickly said to my mother, “Mom… let’s talk later, I’ll call you tomorrow.”

I hung up immediately.

Yang Wan took spoons from her bag and sterilized them with hot water, asking, “Was that Auntie?”

I instinctively clasped my hands on my knee and nodded, “Yes.”

Yang Wan turned to pour out the water used to sterilize the spoons and said, “Auntie must be very angry with us, having you get into a car accident during New Year’s, making it so you can’t go home for the reunion.”

Looking down, I said, “It’s fine, I didn’t want to go back.”

Yang Wan nodded but didn’t pursue the topic. She handed me a spoon, then looked at my right hand with the IV drip and suddenly hesitated.

Seeing her uncertainty, I quickly said, “I’m left-handed, it’s fine.”

Only then did her brow relax. “That’s good. With the New Year coming up, it’s hard to find care workers. The earliest one can come is tomorrow afternoon. You’ll have to make do with me for now. For bathroom needs, I’ll ask male nurses to help, and I’ll handle the IV changes and meals.”

I asked Yang Wan, “Aren’t you going home for New Year’s?”

Yang Wan handed me the wontons, “I live nearby, I can go back anytime. Besides… I don’t want to go home for New Year’s either. There are too many people there, and once they start talking about me, it never ends. I can’t handle it all.”

“May I ask how old you are?”

Yang Wan smiled, “Thirty. You understand.”

She moved her chair a bit closer, “Eat while it’s hot, I’ll hold it for you.”

I tried moving my hand with the IV, “I can hold it myself.”

“Better not, we don’t want blood flowing back into the line.”

She rested her elbows on her knees to support herself, “My brother just told me you’re nice, not giving him any trouble and not making any demands.”

I scooped up a wonton and took a bite.

The scallion fragrance was especially strong, and the broth was very flavorful.

Yang Wan smiled and asked, “Is it good? The nurses told me this place is famous.”

I nodded, “Mm, it’s delicious.”

“Then tomorrow morning I’ll buy you their beef noodles. Hmm… you’re from the North, probably can’t handle spicy food, right?”

“I can eat spicy food.”

“Huh? Really?”

“Really.”

Why can I eat spicy food?

I learned it deliberately.

I remember, back in the Great Ming Dynasty, Yang Wan always craved chili peppers. Unfortunately, neither Song Yunqing nor I dared to eat them.

Once she made something called Sichuan hotpot at home, with red oil floating on top of the broth. She hung it over a fire stove, like other pots, for cooking meat. Chen Hua took one bite and rushed to drink water, and when I tried it, the spiciness immediately brought tears to my eyes.

Yang Wan… seemed quite disappointed, though she couldn’t say much.

She put the pot away and made different food, but in the middle of the night, she secretly got up and went to the courtyard alone, lit the stove, and sat by it eating the leftover dishes.

When I went to check on her, I saw her eating with sweat all over her face, but she looked happy.

From that time on, I thought, if I were younger, I would learn to eat spicy food, so I could share sweaty hotpot meals with my Wan Wan, not leaving her all alone.

So, from a very young age, I started trying to eat spicy food.

Beijing cuisine rarely uses chili or doubanjiang seasoning, but whenever there was any on the dining table, I would secretly pick it out to eat. At first, it made me cry, and even my family said it was strange. My mother often told relatives, “This boy must have been a Sichuan son-in-law in his past life, can’t handle spicy food but insists on eating it.”

Heaven knows.

It was a regret from my past life.

“A Beijinger who can eat spicy food, that’s something.”

Yang Wan mused as she sat in front of me, “But never mind that, you’re getting anti-inflammatory treatment, better keep it light.”

“Yes.”

I agreed with her habitually. “I’ll eat spicy food later.”

Yang Wan suddenly burst out laughing, almost dropping the bowl.

I felt awkward, thinking I’d said something wrong.

“I’m sorry… I…”

Yang Wan steadied the bowl and said to me, “You’ve probably never cursed at anyone, have you?”

I nodded with an “Mm.”

Yang Wan gestured for me to continue eating, tilting her head with a smile, “My brother is really lucky to have encountered a patient like you. The more you’re like this, the more guilty I feel, not knowing how to make it up to you.”

It’s me who should make it up to you, Wan Wan.

“Hurry and eat, it’s getting cold.”

“Oh, okay.”

Worried she’d get tired from holding the bowl, I quickly finished all the wontons.

Yang Wan got up to wash the bowls and threw away the trash while she was at it. When she came back, she had a cup of hot black tea in her hand. She stood at the nurses’ station, asking for a folding bed.

The nurse asked her, “Which patient are you looking after?”

Yang Wan looked at me, then at the observation ward, and told the nurse, “I might need to check on both, just put the bed next to bed number thirteen. I’ll probably just doze off for a bit anyway, don’t think I’ll sleep.”

The nurse said, “Alright.”

So they gave her a bed, reminding her to watch her belongings.

Yang Wan walked toward me, carrying the bed in one hand and the tea in the other, smiling.

An auntie in the bed ahead asked me with a smile, “Is that your wife?”

I unconsciously responded with an “Mm,” and the auntie smiled at the man attending her bed, “Youth is wonderful, isn’t it? Look how loving this young couple is.”

I hurriedly said to Yang Wan, “I… I didn’t mean it like that.”

Yang Wan handed me the black tea while setting up the bed, “Then why did you say ‘Mm’?”

I quickly turned to explain to the auntie next door, “Um, we’re not married.”

The auntie was disappointed, letting out an “Ah” before saying, “Not married? Then you must be dating.”

“No… we’re not dating.”

When I get nervous, my ears turn red and I start to stutter.

Seeing my embarrassment, Yang Wan stepped forward, “Auntie, my brother hit him with his bike, I’m here to help my brother look after him.”

The auntie heard this and smiled kindly, “Oh, so that’s how it is. But looking at you two, you match very well. Young man, are you married?”

“No…”

The auntie clicked her tongue while looking at Yang Wan.

“Then pursue her.”

Pursue her? Of course, I would!

But… how?

I sat on the hospital bed looking at Yang Wan as she crossed her legs on the folding bed, took out her tablet from her bag, and began studying while resting her chin on her hand.

I couldn’t help but ask, “What are you looking at?”

“Oh.”

Yang Wan held up her tablet, “Some professional materials. Are you bored? If you’re bored, I’ll stop reading and chat with you.”

I shook my head, “Your brother said you study history.”

“Yes. Though my current research topic is quite narrow, I’m studying one particular person.”

“Who is it?”

“Umm…”

She seemed somewhat reluctant to say, putting down her tablet and scratching her head, “This person, well, has the same name as you, Deng Ying. He was a… how should I put it… an inner court official from the early Ming Dynasty.”

I continued, “You mean a eunuch, right?”

“Mm… yes. Please don’t take offense.”

I smiled and shook my head, “I’m not offended. May I ask why you chose him as your research subject?”

Yang Wan hugged her arms, “I don’t know. The first time I saw this person’s name, my heart inexplicably ached. It was as if this person wanted to speak to me, but he could no longer open his mouth. So I started trying to understand him, and then research his life and experiences. Gradually, I discovered he seemed different from what was recorded in history.”

She looked up at me after speaking, “Actually, as a historian, I must utilize as many primary sources as possible, but I can only work from historical materials to try to reconstruct the course of events. Reconstructing a person is much harder. What their personality was like, their temperament, whether they loved someone, or hated someone – only the deceased themselves know these things.”

I nodded, showing I agreed with what she said.

“A bit boring, isn’t it? You’re not a liberal arts student.”

“How do you know?”

“I can tell from the way you speak. Umm… may I ask what you do?”

“Architecture.”

“Ah?”

Yang Wan froze for a moment, then sat up on her knees, “You’re in architecture too?”

I made an affirmative sound.

Yang Wan slapped her knee and laughed, “What a coincidence!”

Of course, it’s a coincidence.

Because I am that person who couldn’t open his mouth.

And not only could I not open my mouth, I didn’t know how to speak. I watched her right before my eyes, yet I didn’t know how to engage in a deeper conversation with her.

Thinking about it now, Yang Wan from Nanhaizi back then was truly more at ease than me.

Although she always said that she didn’t like me then, that she was just a female cultural hooligan, from six hundred years later maintained the most appropriate distance from me. But now, I’m so afraid of crossing boundaries that I might become a “hooligan” in front of her.

Fortunately, the holiday was approaching.

Though we were in the hospital, everywhere was lively, with visitors bringing many flowers and food for the patients.

Yang Wan ran up and down between the fifth and first floors, following other visitors’ example by piling flowers and snacks at my bedside.

My surgery was scheduled for the first day of the New Year.

On New Year’s Eve, I had to fast. They prepped my skin in the afternoon at six, and I couldn’t even drink water after that.

No IV drip that night. My care worker said she wanted to go home for the New Year’s Eve dinner. As I sat on the bed reading, I thought having dinner wouldn’t take long, so I let her go.

By almost eight o’clock, the sky was completely dark, and fireworks began outside, the gentle night sky repeatedly illuminated by bursts of light.

The TVs in the ward were all tuned to CCTV, and this year’s Spring Festival Gala began right on schedule.

I put down my book and looked out the window.

A sea of lights, bustling everywhere.

The China she once told me about was now right before my eyes. How fortunate to be in this prosperous age with Yang Wan.

“Hey!”

I was startled.

Yang Wan stood before me with a bag of snacks.

“Why did you come?”

Yang Wan put down the snack bag and took out her tablet, opening the CCTV live stream.

“I ate at home, then thought you must be bored sitting alone, so I brought my tablet for you to watch the Spring Festival Gala. Here, I brought snacks too, all for you.”

I smiled, “I have surgery tomorrow, I’m fasting today.”

“Oh, I’m sorry, I forgot.”

She had been about to open a bag of potato chips, but hearing this, put them back.

“Then I won’t eat either.”

I picked up the bag of chips and handed it to her, “It’s fine, go ahead and eat.”

Only then did she smile and open the package, pulling out the care worker’s stool to sit in front of my bed, “Let me tell you, fireworks aren’t allowed in the city, but they’re not strict about it here, so I brought some sparklers. After midnight, we’ll find a place to light them secretly and make wishes.”

I asked Yang Wan what her wish was.

She watched the Spring Festival Gala screen, smiling as she said, “I wish for your speedy recovery, and that both of us find good partners next year to bring home for the New Year.”

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