January 1, clear, 6-12°C.
New Year's Day came with a statutory holiday, but for long-suffering high school students, it meant only two days off.
Even though Chen Shi'an had stayed up with the three girls to ring in the new year before they all went home at one in the morning, he still woke at five as usual.
Looking at the new date beginning with 2024 on his phone, he found it a little hard to get used to just yet.
As he had agreed with Sister Wanyin, he would spend these two days off going home with her for a visit.
He had visited Little Cicada's home and the Class Monitor's home. Now that he was going to Sister Wanyin's, Chen Shi'an found it quite novel and interesting. After all, it was where she had grown up, and he wondered what it looked like.
Sister Wanyin had mentioned that the last time she had gone back was right after graduating in June. It had already been half a year since she had been home.
Wasn't there a saying, "From then on, home knew only winter and summer, no more spring or autumn"? But for many young people who left after graduation to earn a living elsewhere, only "winter" remained.
Having woken early, Chen Shi'an did not sit idle.
While Li Wanyin was still asleep, he packed his luggage first.
There was not much to bring: a change of clothes to wear next to his skin, along with a towel, toothbrush, slippers, and other toiletries. They would fit in his backpack anyway, and it would save her the trouble of preparing them once he reached her home.
Although Li Wanyin had invited him over for a visit, Chen Shi'an had never been one to show up at someone's home empty-handed.