After Qian Fei returned home and gave the two bottles of wine to her father, the old man was so moved he nearly burst into tears. He couldn’t stop praising his unseen “son-in-law” as a good kid and kept pressuring Qian Fei to show him a photo of his “son-in-law”. When Qian Fei said she didn’t have one, the old man insisted, “Ask him to take a photo and send it over right now!”
Forced into a corner, Qian Fei had no choice but to quickly download a photo of Liu Qingyun from the internet and show it to her father.
The old man, wearing his reading glasses, squinted hard at the photo and said with a hint of regret, “He looks a bit rushed and dark, but that’s okay. As long as he’s a good person, and besides, his voice sounds quite young!”
Qian Fei nearly collapsed on the spot.
The two bottles of wine had completely changed her father’s outlook on life and aesthetic standards.
On New Year’s Eve, Qian Fei accompanied her father and stepmother, making dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala.
The elderly couple seemed to have no high expectations for life, praising every performance as good, repeatedly saying, “This year’s director is much better than last year’s, but why is that long-haired horse-faced host still so shabby?” Qian Fei really wanted to tell them that this year’s director was the same as last year’s, and was the wife of that “horse-face”.
After finishing the dumplings, with just a few minutes to midnight, the old man asked Qian Fei, “How come Zhao Benshan’s skit hasn’t been performed yet, even at this hour?”
Qian Fei asked blankly, “Don’t you know that Zhao Benshan doesn’t have a skit in this year’s Spring Festival Gala?”
The old man paused, looking disappointed, and compromised, “Well, if there’s no skit, his song and dance would be fine too!”
Qian Fei felt like kneeling before this old man.
The hosts were taking turns speaking, with the particularly emotional male host seeming to have made a mistake. Then it was midnight. A clock with advertisements struck five-four-three-two-one, and the hosts shouted “Happy New Year!” with strained voices, slightly out of sync.
Qian Fei jumped up and said, “I’m going to cook the dumplings!”
The old man grabbed her, “Your phone is ringing!” he said while handing her the phone.
Qian Fei didn’t think much of it and continued rushing to the kitchen, “It’s just New Year’s greeting messages, don’t worry about it!”
The old man persistently held onto her, “It’s not a message, it’s a call from Li Jiaoqing, answer it quickly!”
It was too noisy outside with firecrackers, and Qian Fei didn’t hear clearly whose name her father had said. She took the phone puzzled and looked at it.
The phone screen actually displayed the three characters “Li Jiaoqing”.
Qian Fei answered the phone with some surprise, and two different conversations started simultaneously on both ends of the line.
Qian Fei: “Did you run out of gas or electricity?”
Li Yifei: “Happy New Year!”
After two seconds of silence, Li Yifei exploded, “Damn it! I’m wishing you a Happy New Year, can’t you pay attention?”
Qian Fei laughed, “Happy New Year, Happy New Year! My goodness, I never imagined that Young Master Li would respect his landlord so much as to condescend to give New Year greetings!”
Li Yifei snorted and said imperiously, “Put your father on the phone!”
Qian Fei was puzzled, “Why do you want to talk to my father?”
Li Yifei sneered at her, “I’m being kind enough to help you act out the whole show, you’d better appreciate it! Aren’t I your alleged boyfriend? Is there any boyfriend who doesn’t give New Year greetings to his future father-in-law during the New Year?”
Qian Fei thought she heard a faint sound like a plate falling to the ground through the phone. She laughed carefreely, “You’re quite particular about the completeness of the plot and logic!” She turned her head, hiding from her father, and lowered her voice into the phone, “Say, is your girlfriend at your place? Are you two cooking? I heard a plate dropping on the floor! You two be careful, don’t wreck my kitchen!”
Li Yifei said irritably, “Stop wasting time, quickly put your father on the phone!”
Qian Fei turned and handed the phone to her father.
The old man took the phone with a suspicious look, but after hearing the voice on the other end, his face instantly lit up like a performance of face-changing, “Ah, ah! Little Li, thank you! Happy New Year to you too! Good! Good! I love drinking! It’s just too expensive, thank you so much! Oh, we can’t accept any more, two bottles are enough! When you have time, you must come to our home, uncle and auntie will make dumplings for you! Give your father my regards! Alright, alright, take care of yourself too, goodbye!”
The old man handed the phone back to Qian Fei with great satisfaction, still praising, “This child is so thoughtful! He’s a good kid!”
Qian Fei almost couldn’t resist rolling her eyes.
She took the phone and asked Li Yifei, “Hey buddy, what did you say to my dad to make him so happy?”
Li Yifei didn’t answer her question, “When are you coming back?”
Qian Fei asked, “What, are you going to pick me up?”
Li Yifei: “Do you have a lot of stuff?”
Qian Fei: “A lot.”
Li Yifei: “Then forget I asked.”
Qian Fei: “…”
After hanging up the phone, Qian Fei couldn’t resist rolling her eyes.
The old man was still muttering beside her, “…Xiao Fei, why do you call such a good kid ‘Li Jiaoqing’? You shouldn’t be too picky, you’re not getting any younger, don’t be so choosy that you end up becoming a leftover woman!”
Qian Fei resisted the urge to cover her ears and fled to the kitchen.
While cooking the dumplings, she thought angrily: Li Jiaoqing is really a troublemaker, too good at winning people’s hearts!
When Jin Tian heard that Li Yifei wasn’t going back to spend the New Year with his father, she canceled her ticket home. On the afternoon of New Year’s Eve, Li Yifei brought her to his place. When he wasn’t paying attention, she secretly went to look at Qian Fei’s room.
The simple, even rough furnishings and decorations had no trace of girlishness, completely devoid of anything pink.
This was practically a man’s room. She finally felt somewhat relieved. It seemed that this female landlord really was a tomboy in personality.
All along, Li Yifei had been keeping her at arm’s length, making her feel insecure. She had met Li Yifei through Da Jun, who was a friend of her best friend’s boyfriend. From Da Jun, she learned that Li Yifei wasn’t some poor boy, but came from a very wealthy family. After learning about his family background and seeing his appearance, she was determined to win this man.
Many of her friends who had married up had successfully received advertisements from big brands; those with financially generous “boyfriends” willing to invest even managed to propel two or three starlets to fame.
She believed she had a good foundation, but unfortunately never had the chance to meet the right people. When she met Li Yifei, she realized that this man’s family background and looks were not inferior to, and even better than, those of her friends’ partners.
She used every trick in the book to please Li Yifei, taking great pains to present her sweetest and most obedient side. She thought Li Yifei had developed feelings for her, but from some point on, his attitude towards her had subtly changed.
The more they dated, the less it felt like dating. Or rather, they had never officially dated. Thinking back carefully, the relationship Li Yifei had created with her truly stopped just short of being lovers.
She became somewhat anxious, especially after seeing that female landlord. A woman’s intuition made her sensitively aware that Li Yifei’s feelings and way of interacting with that female landlord were different from any other woman.
She had been racking her brains trying to figure out how to stimulate him to take another step forward, to break through that barrier and officially define their relationship as “boyfriend and girlfriend”. Just when she was struggling with how to make a breakthrough, he unexpectedly invited her to spend the New Year together.
She felt she saw hope.
But when they got home, he only asked her, “Do you know how to cook?”
She told him she only knew a few simple dishes.
So he asked her to teach him.
Then at midnight, he hurriedly ran to the living room to make a phone call.
While washing dishes, she overheard him say, “I’m kindly helping you act out the whole show, you’d better appreciate it! Aren’t I your alleged boyfriend? Is there any boyfriend who doesn’t give New Year greetings to his future father-in-law during the New Year?”
Her hand trembled, and the plate suddenly dropped to the floor.
After hanging up the phone, Li Yifei walked into the kitchen and saw Jin Tian bending down to clean up the broken pieces of china. He asked, “What happened?”
Jin Tian looked up at him with a pitiful expression and said, “My hand slipped, and the plate fell to the floor! I’m sorry, Yifei!”
Li Yifei raised an eyebrow, “It’s okay, I’ll buy a few more tomorrow. The tomboy won’t get angry.”
After Jin Tian finished cleaning up the broken pieces, he said, “Let me take you out for a late-night snack, and then I’ll send you home.”
Jin Tian was visibly stunned, “Don’t you need me to stay here with you?”
Li Yifei smiled with a corner of his mouth, “Da Jun just sent me a message asking me to go to his place!”
Jin Tian’s heart gradually sank.
In the elevator, she finally couldn’t hold back and asked Li Yifei, “Yifei, why did you ask me to come today?”
Li Yifei said, “I heard you weren’t going home for the New Year either, and I was afraid you’d be lonely, so I asked you to come watch some TV together and teach me how to cook.”
Jin Tian looked at him sadly and said, “But do you know, I canceled my ticket home because of you!”
Li Yifei lowered his head to look at her and frowned slightly.
“Actually, you didn’t need to do that. I’ll buy you a ticket home tomorrow.”
Jin Tian’s eyes welled up with tears, “Yifei, let me ask you one thing, in your heart, do you consider me your girlfriend or not?”
Li Yifei paused, thought seriously for a moment, and said, “Jin Tian, be my sister instead. In the future, if you have any problems, come to me. I’ll help you with anything I can.”
The elevator reached the first floor, and the door opened with a “ding”.
Jin Tian, with tears on her face, asked, “Is it because of her?”
Li Yifei frowned and answered, “To be honest, I don’t know either.”
He felt that “she” contradicted his long-standing aesthetic standards in every aspect. She wasn’t sweet, coquettish, or spoiled, but was carefree, easygoing, and even had a despicable “savior complex”. By all accounts, she embodied all the characteristics he disliked most in women, but he found himself increasingly willing to be around her, arguing and bantering every day, and surprisingly enjoying it. She had only been gone for a few days, and he already felt the house was empty and meaningless without her.
Jin Tian, still crying, smiled at him, “Remember, you said that if I have any problems in the future, I can come to you, and you’ll help me!”
Li Yifei nodded.
Jin Tian wiped away her tears, “Then, take me home, brother!”
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Qian Fei unexpectedly received another call from Li Jiaoqing.
As soon as the call connected, Qian Fei heard Li Yifei asking casually, “Sanitary Pad, when are you coming back?”
Qian Fei remembered that she had told him she’d be back in Beijing on the tenth, “What’s the matter, your girlfriend can’t satisfy your craving with her fried eggplant strips? And who are you calling Sanitary Pad?”
Li Yifei said in a sarcastic tone, “How can you be so unconscientious? You should be back at work on the ninth, but you’re coming back on the tenth. Can you face that socialist salary you’re receiving?”
Qian Fei scoffed, “Look at you, a spoiled brat corrupted by capitalism, lecturing me! I only go home once a year, can’t I stay a couple more days?”
Li Yifei said, “Who told you not to go home during the National Day holiday!”
Qian Fei argued, “My dad went traveling with my aunt during the National Day holiday, what home was there for me to return to!”
She suddenly realized that there was no need to argue about these things with Li Yifei. His call was a bit puzzling. She looked at the electronic wall clock, which was flashing red: The Fifth Day of the First Lunar Month, Year of the Snake, February 14, 2013.