February 7 was the day before Spring Festival, and that evening was New Year’s Eve. Every household was filled with celebration. Children in brand-new clothes ran up and down the streets while parents reminded them not to go too far and told older siblings to watch the younger ones.
Couplets written by Papa Wang himself were pasted on both sides of the Wang family’s front door. His calligraphy was beautiful, and every year their Spring Festival couplets were written by him. Back when they lived in Wangjia Village, nearby villagers who wanted to save money would bring red paper over and ask him to write a pair for them as well.
People here did not know Papa Wang could write Spring Festival couplets, and he no longer had as much free time as before to wander around visiting friends, chatting, and playing chess. So this year, no one came to the door carrying red paper. The jam shop stayed open for half the morning. Most people were already preparing to return home for the holiday when Wang Cheng received a call from Wang Ziyu saying their eldest brother had come back.
Wang Ning’an rarely returned home. People in the village had almost forgotten that Wang Cheng’s family had such a successful eldest son. Seeing Wang Ning’an dressed in a suit and looking every inch an elite professional, everyone envied Papa Wang and Mama Wang. No one knew what good deeds Guan Lanfang and her husband had done in their previous lives to end up with children who were each more outstanding than the last.
Seeing that there were hardly any customers, Wang Cheng simply closed the jam shop.
Aside from persimmons, the fruit in the shop would not keep for long. Fortunately, they had not stocked much fruit over the past few days. Wang Cheng moved whatever remained into the car. Just as he was locking the door, Qiangzai’s grandmother suddenly appeared.
Their own shop had not closed yet. Qiangzai’s grandmother came over holding Qiangzai’s hand. The little boy was dressed like a tiny golden child from a New Year painting. The moment she saw Wang Cheng, her eyes lit up.
“Isn’t this Wang Cheng? I haven’t seen you in ages.” Qiangzai’s grandmother led the boy over. Before Wang Cheng could even answer, she launched into a rapid stream of chatter, all of it about the recent gossip.
Wang Cheng patiently listened.
The day Liang Youshan shouted that he quit, he returned to the rented apartment to pack his belongings. Guan Jiahe arrived while he was still cursing Wang Cheng. Even after realizing Guan Jiahe had heard him, he showed no embarrassment and continued swearing several more times. Not only that, he kicked the door hard. If Guan Jiahe had not been present, he might truly have damaged the furniture on purpose.
Wang Cheng had always felt that ever since his wife started causing trouble, Liang Youshan’s intelligence had somehow been infected and fallen below average. There was clearly a reason the two had ended up married.
After returning to Chengping, Liang Youshan remained furious. Madam Qi was the sort who refused to give up until she hit the wall. She encouraged him to spread rumors using this latest incident. If Wang Cheng would not let them live comfortably, then they would make sure he suffered too. Liang Youshan was foolish enough that, in the heat of anger, he agreed.
Unfortunately for them, the people of Chengping already knew about the things Liang Youshan and his wife had done. Qiangzai’s grandmother lived up to Wang Cheng’s expectations. The moment Liang Youshan returned to Chengping, she spread the whole story around.
Madam Qi thought no one knew yet. She went to gossip with several village women who loved loose talk, only to be cut off almost as soon as she began. The women gleefully told her they had already heard everything. Madam Qi tried to explain, but no one wanted to listen. She was known for exaggerating and spouting nonsense, so everything she said had to be heavily discounted. They had all learned that from experience.
Just yesterday, people had even been saying that if they hired workers in the future, they absolutely could not hire someone like Liang Youshan. Anyone who opened a business cared about reputation, yet Liang Youshan had deliberately damaged the reputation of the very shop employing him. Who would dare hire an employee like that? After his reputation collapsed, rumor had it that he could not even find anyone willing to employ him.
Qiangzai’s grandmother talked without stopping. Wang Cheng was trying to think of a way to end the conversation when Qiangzai grew impatient and burst into tears. His grandmother had no choice but to stop talking, scoop him up, and leave.
Wang Cheng let out a breath of relief. On the way home, he received a call from Mother Zheng. He had been busy running back and forth lately, so she was almost always the one calling him.
By this point, it was obvious Wang Cheng planned to spend New Year here instead of returning to the capital. Mother Zheng understood, but she still could not quite give up. They had only just found their younger son. How could their first Spring Festival after reuniting not be spent together?
“Chengcheng, your father and I want to come to Shanhai City to see you. Would that be troublesome?”
After the call connected, Mother Zheng first asked how he had been doing. Only then did she cautiously bring up the idea. After all, they still had not met Wang Cheng’s adoptive parents, and she worried the situation might be awkward.
Wang Cheng was surprised. “You want to come here?”
“Yes. Last time we said we wanted to thank your adoptive parents, but we never had the chance. Mom thought this would be a good opportunity to properly thank them. I’m only worried we might be too abrupt and frighten them.”
“That probably won’t happen. My parents are quite warm and hospitable. But Mom, don’t you and Dad need to visit relatives for New Year?” Wang Cheng asked.
“Of course we do, but your father and I won’t stay there many days.” Visiting relatives did not necessarily have to happen on the first day of the lunar year.
“I understand. When are you planning to come? I’ll pick you up.”
Hearing her son agree, Mother Zheng became excited. She hurriedly said, “Your father and I plan to take the eight o’clock flight tomorrow morning. We should arrive around eleven.”
When Wang Cheng returned home, he told Mama Wang and Papa Wang. They were no less surprised than he had been. Tomorrow they would meet their son’s biological parents. Naturally, they felt somewhat nervous. Mama Wang was the first to steady herself. Since the guests were coming, they could not neglect them. Everything that needed preparing had to be prepared.
The visit from Father and Mother Zheng did affect Wang Cheng’s plans slightly. Chu Yifeng had originally intended to come to his house the next day, but Father and Mother Zheng were not the same as Papa Wang. Zheng Jingen still had not told them about Wang Cheng and Chu Yifeng. If Chu Yifeng suddenly appeared at Wang Cheng’s family home, they might start imagining things.
That night was New Year’s Eve.
Wang Cheng did not know how city people spent New Year’s Eve, but Guanjia Village was extremely lively. The lavish reunion dinner was prepared by Mama Wang with Wang Ziyu helping. Mama Wang handled the cooking while her daughter assisted. She practically used every skill she had for this meal.
Papa Wang brought out paper-cut characters for good fortune and New Year pictures he had made himself and pasted them around the house. Wang Cheng and Wang Ning’an prepared the offerings for ancestor worship.
Ancestor worship in rural areas was more complicated than in large cities, where people might only need a bouquet of flowers. In the countryside, families prepared an entire table of good food as offerings and burned paper money afterward. There were also many taboos on New Year’s Eve. Wang Cheng had spent previous years in the mountains and never had much opportunity to experience them. This time, he casually let the word “death” slip out, and Papa Wang immediately smacked him hard on the head.
“How many times have I told you? You’re not allowed to say unlucky words like that today.”
“I know, Dad. Did you really have to hit me that hard?” Wang Cheng clutched his head with a miserable expression.
Papa Wang immediately glared. “Wipe that expression off your face too. Anyone who doesn’t know better might think our family is holding a funera… ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!” Realizing he had just said another forbidden word himself, Papa Wang spat repeatedly and muttered several apologies to the ancestors before going upstairs to continue putting up decorations.
Wang Cheng caught the amused look on his eldest brother’s face and casually asked, “Big Brother, how many days are you staying home this time?”
Wang Ning’an was arranging bottles of juice on the table. He answered, “Longer this time. About half a month.”
“Why is your boss suddenly treating you so well?” Wang Cheng remembered that in previous years Wang Ning’an’s superior always assigned him to remain at the company over the holiday. Even New Year’s Eve and Spring Festival itself were mandatory workdays. It had always sounded absurd to Wang Cheng. Employees looked forward to holiday leave all year, only to be denied it. If it had been him, he would have quit long ago.
“I actually have you to thank. Once your value rises, people naturally take you more seriously and treat you differently.” Wang Ning’an smiled.
Wang Cheng more or less understood. In the past, Wang Ning’an had talent, but his superior still had not treated him as an equal. After attending Wang Cheng’s birthday banquet, however, the man realized Wang Ning’an’s status was different and changed his attitude. Put simply, if you were merely an ordinary elite employee, I valued you, but you still were not qualified to stand on equal footing with me. That was reality.
“Then congratulations, Big Brother.” There was no need to dwell on the past. Now was the time for Wang Ning’an to hold his head high, and Wang Cheng was genuinely happy for him.
Wang Ning’an nodded. “You didn’t suddenly bring this up for no reason. Is there something you want to tell me?”
“As expected of Big Brother.”
Wang Cheng glanced toward the kitchen twice. After confirming Mama Wang would not come out, he lowered his voice. “I only heard this by accident. You’re my real brother, so I decided to warn you. But you can’t tell Mom I was the one who said it.”
Wang Ning’an smiled. “Don’t worry. I’m not you.”
Wang Cheng made a couple of protesting noises. He did not quite understand what his brother meant. Was he really the kind of person who broke his word?
Seeing that he seemed to have forgotten, Wang Ning’an reminded him, “Mom and Dad know about Yu Jing because you told them, didn’t you?”
Wang Cheng coughed. “Well, anyway, you never planned to accept that little ‘fish spirit.’ Mom and Dad didn’t take it seriously after hearing about her. Forget that. What I want to tell you is that Mom says you hardly ever come home, so while you’re here, she wants you to go on blind dates. Be careful. Mom forced me to go twice before. The first woman was fine. The second was an absolute nightmare.”
Only after saying it did Wang Cheng realize he had accidentally revealed too much. Mama Wang would not force him into blind dates for no reason. There had obviously been some issue behind it.
“Why did Mom force you to go on blind dates?” Wang Ning’an asked.
Wang Cheng wanted to slap himself. His mind spun rapidly until he found what seemed like a plausible excuse. “Mom wanted grandchildren. Around that time, the niece of one of her friends came back. The woman had good looks and conditions, and Mom thought she was her ideal daughter-in-law, so she tricked me into meeting her. The other one happened because a matchmaker fooled us.”
Wang Ning’an did not pursue the question. Wang Ziyu came out carrying dishes, and Wang Cheng could not tell whether his brother believed him or simply chose not to ask.
After burning paper offerings in the courtyard, the Wang family of five gathered around the table for a warm, lively reunion dinner. There were very few times in a year when all five of them could sit together like this. After dinner, Papa Wang and Mama Wang did not go out visiting relatives. Instead, they asked all three children to sit in the living room and chat with them.
The person the couple fussed over most was Wang Ning’an. He spent so little time at home. Papa and Mama Wang might not say it aloud, but they worried about him deeply.
Wang Cheng found an excuse to step outside. New Year’s Eve was even livelier than Mid-Autumn Festival. Every household had its lights on, and the street lamps had been turned on early. Children ran under utility poles with adults chasing after them. Everyone passing by was someone familiar, so people greeted one another constantly.
Wang Cheng wandered for a while without paying attention to where he was going. Only when he heard voices nearby did he realize he had accidentally reached the area near his eldest uncle’s house.
A little while later, Wang Xiaoyan came out carrying a bag of trash.
Wang Cheng’s gaze fell on her stomach. There was no visible bump, yet she rested one hand protectively over it as though she were pregnant.
Wang Ningkai came out behind her, loudly complaining that even taking out the trash took her forever. His attitude toward her was nothing like when they were dating or newly married. Wang Xiaoyan was clearly angry, yet surprisingly did not argue back. The way she swallowed her anger was completely unlike her former self.
Wang Cheng suddenly remembered that his parents had once mentioned trouble at Wang Xiaoyan’s father’s company. So much time had passed that perhaps the problem still had not been resolved. He felt no sympathy for her. Maybe this was what people called retribution. If she had treated people around her kindly while she had money, she might not have ended up hated by everyone after falling on hard times. His phone rang in his pocket. Papa Wang was asking where he was and telling him to come home.
Wang Cheng put away his phone, gave his eldest uncle’s house one final glance, and turned home.
Many children loved New Year because they received red envelopes. Even though Wang Cheng and his siblings could earn their own money, their parents still gave them a little something for luck. Wang Cheng received one of those red envelopes too, with a large festive character printed on the front. He had received one every year. Even while he lived with the old monk, his parents had always found a way to get his red envelope to him.