Yan Heqing.
--
He slept soundly through the night without any dreams. Yan Heqing woke up, he saw a faint light coming through the gap in the curtains. He reached for his phone and realized it was already 8 o'clock. It was the first time he had ever woken up so late.
There are two missed calls on my phone.
One was two minutes ago, and the other was just now.
The next second, Lu Muchi's call came in again.
Lu Muchi attended a card game last night, which was actually a blind date. He wasn't interested, but the other person took a liking to him and kept trying to chat and drink with him.
In previous years, he would make the first New Year's call to Lin Fengzhi at midnight.
He missed out this year, got drunk and went home, and has been sleeping ever since. The first thing he did when he opened his eyes was to make a phone call.
But it was Yan Heqing dialed the number.
Lu Muchi's chest heaved violently as he listened to the ringing tone.
He had been looking forward to hearing Yan Heqing's voice since last night.
However, after the ringing tone ended, the phone remained unanswered.
Lu Muchi's face darkened. He was about to continue when a phone call came in; it was the villa's butler.
Lu Muchi's expression darkened, and he answered the phone, "Speak."
"Young Master, could you please come over when you have time? Madam still refuses to eat," the butler complained. "We've tried everything. She had a brief shock this morning, so we gave her an IV drip of nutrition. We really have no other options."
Lu Muchi threw back the covers and got out of bed, walking quickly outside. "Keep an eye on her, I'll be there soon."
Yan Heqing finished washing up, and his phone was already silent.
When it was almost time, he replied to all the New Year's text messages except for Lu Muchi's, and then dialed Elder Fang's number.
Elder Fang was the old man who taught him how to fish.
Upon receiving Yan Heqing's New Year's greeting call, Old Man Fang was overjoyed. "Thank you, thank you! Happy New Year, young man!"
Yan Heqing smiled, "Happy New Year to you too, may you never go home empty-handed this fishing season."
This is a phrase that Old Man Fang often says, "Never come back empty-handed, never miss a fishing trip!"
Old Man Fang beamed, "Haha, thank you for your kind words! Let's go fishing together again when the weather gets warmer. This winter has been too cold, and my family won't let me go fishing. I'm so bored! If you find a good fishing spot, be sure to tell me right away!"
Yan Heqing agreed to all of them, and after chatting for a few more minutes, Old Man Fang finally hung up the phone.
Yan Heqing put his phone back in his pocket, opened the door, and went downstairs.
The corridor was quiet. The maid had mentioned that Lu Lin's room was also on the second floor. After glancing briefly ahead, Yan Heqing silently went downstairs.
The servants don't have to get up early for the New Year, and the first floor is equally quiet, as if no one has gotten up yet.
Yan Heqing walked into the living room, his gaze sweeping over the floor-to-ceiling glass doors before he saw Lu Ruchan.
Lu Ruchan was alone in the garden.
After a brief pause, Yan Heqing walked to the glass door and silently pushed it open.
As soon as he pushed it open, Yan Heqing stopped in his tracks.
For a moment, I was lost in thought.
Lu Ruchan was singing.
Green bricks and painted tiles, white horses treading on new mud, mountain flowers and banana leaves dyed red by the twilight.
Raindrops dripped from the eaves, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.
Where are you now, after all the years of wandering and uncertainty?
Searching and searching, only to find Qingqing.
The moon sets, crows cry, and the crescent moon falls on a lonely well.
The melody was soft and melodious, like a babbling brook flowing quietly through spring.
Gradually, it overlapped with the soft words I remembered.
Faded memories suddenly came alive again.
Yan Heqing remembered the last few sentences.
[Scattered bits and pieces, bits and pieces.]
Flowers bloom in my dreams, and green meadows stretch out before me.
Long hair creates ripples, white cloth spreads across the rocky shore.
A kappa (a mythical creature) poles a long boat across the river, carrying an elderly man in his seventies.
Raindrops dripped from the eaves, and wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys.
Where are you now, after all this time of toil and struggle?
"Baby." Yan Qiushuang hugged him and gently kissed his cheek. "This is called Pingtan. When you and your brother are a few years older, Mom and Dad will take you back to our hometown to listen to authentic Pingtan."
But he hadn't had a chance to grow up, and they no longer had time to take him back to their hometown to drink mint and mung bean water and listen to authentic Suzhou storytelling.
Yan Heqing quietly watched Lu Ruchan's retreating figure.
It took Lu Ruchan a while to notice someone was there.
She turned around and saw it was Yan Heqing. She was quite surprised. "Getting up so early? You finally have a day off to rest, you could sleep in a little longer."
Yan Heqing stepped forward, squatted down beside the wheelchair, gently resting his hand on the armrest, and tilted his head slightly. "I'm not sleepy. Your Pingtan performance was very pleasant to listen to."
Lu Ruchan's pale face flushed slightly. "You heard it? It was Grandma A-Lin who taught her. That's why she sings so well." Lu Ruchan was lost in thought. When she came back to her senses, she met Yan Heqing's still smiling eyes. Her heart warmed, and she reached into her pocket, slowly pulling out a red envelope.
She placed it in Yan Heqing's hand. "Happy New Year. You can't refuse." She smiled brightly. "This is New Year's money. A-Lin gets some too."
Just as Yan Heqing was about to answer, his phone rang again.
This time it's Lin Fengzhi.
When I went downstairs in the morning, Mother Lin mentioned it again, saying that she had invited Yan Heqing to her home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
"We're going to visit your sister Xiaowei on the third day of the Lunar New Year, and your dad and brother have social engagements for the next few days," Mother Lin said tactfully. "You young people will be going out to play on the first day, so you'll only have time on the second day."
To my surprise, Lin Fengzhi agreed, "Okay!"
Lu Lin received his call last night, and he's in an excellent mood. He'd agree to invite Yan Heqing over, or even to have him stay at the Lin Family permanently!
When the call connected, Lin Fengzhi's voice was filled with joy, "Brother, come to my house for dinner the day after tomorrow!"
Chapter 48
Yan Heqing replied calmly, "Okay."
Lin Fengzhi wanted to say something more, but then he said, "I have something to do. I'll contact you the day after tomorrow."
I hung up the phone.
Only after putting his phone away did I see the red envelope slipped into his pocket.
He looked up and met Lu Ruchan's loving eyes.
Lu Ruchan was thin and bony, her wrists and fingers were frighteningly thin, and her pale skin was wrinkled into countless deep furrows. The wrinkles that fell to her head carried the warmth of longing.
"Come again next year, and I'll give you a lucky money gift again."
Lu Lin entered the living room and saw Yan Heqing squatting beside the wheelchair through the French doors.
As I pushed open the door, the first thing I heard was Yan Heqing's voice, "Is this Wei Purple?"