Winter was bleak everywhere, but not every day was desolate.
The scattered scraps of firecrackers by the roadside were just the right shade of red. Ding Ding listened closely to the faint laughter of children in the distance, and only then did it dawn on him-the New Year was almost here.
Mid-Autumn Festival, New Year's Eve, Lantern Festival-Ding Ding had once avoided every holiday that called for a family reunion.
There was no other reason: he had no home, and no family to reunite with.
This time, perhaps because he had Bai Congming, Ding Ding felt a rare urge to call home.
Not having been in touch for so many years did not mean he did not care. Occasionally, Ding Ding would ask friends back home for news.
Not often, and especially seldom in recent years.
It seemed the weariness and loathing once etched into his bones had gradually faded with time.
That feeling had grown especially strong after he learned his father had cancer.
Sometimes he thought that perhaps he should not keep placing all the blame on his father.
Ding Ding had received an education, but his father had not.
Without any positive guidance, a newly born soul would naturally never send its branches growing in another direction.
Perhaps his grandfather had treated his father that way, so his father had gone on to treat him the same way.
And so the wind took the shape of the wind, and the water followed its old course. No one could blame anyone.
Still, getting in touch with his family was not something he could do simply because he wanted to. Ding Ding felt he needed a little more time.
Because of the cold, Ding Ding no longer rode his electric scooter to take Bai Congming to work and pick