Chapter 123

Time flows like water.

On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Fang Ziye told Luo Tingzhu to help freeze the cells from the unfinished experiments, then slipped away a day early, heading straight back to his hometown to celebrate the New Year.

Fang Ziye didn't ask Luo Tingzhu whether she would go back for the New Year — that kind of heartbreaking question — he just knew Luo Tingzhu would probably stay in Han City to see in the New Year.

But Fang Ziye has a relatively warm home, so Fang Ziye has to go back.

Naturally, Fang Ziye also couldn't possibly invite Luo Tingzhu back to his home for the New Year; he didn't even entertain such a thought, lest it become terribly awkward later.

Fang Ziye arrived home at 18:47 on the afternoon of the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month; the five or six chickens and ducks at home had already been killed dead yesterday.

Originally the plan was to kill them whenever Fang Ziye came back, to eat them fresh.

But Fang Ziye's hometown has a custom with a saying: "Kill on the seventh, not on the eighth."

That is to say, on the eighth, eighteenth, and twenty-eighth days of the month, no killing karma is created.

After Fang Ziye arrived, that night's dinner was extraordinarily sumptuous.

Moreover, there wasn't anything that needed Fang Ziye's help; as soon as Fang Ziye returned, he just accompanied his dad and mom for dinner, and then was dragged out for half the night by old classmates who had also come home for the New Year.

These are iron buddies he grew up playing with since childhood, hard to refuse.

He hadn't been home for the New Year in several years; on the holidays when he did come back, they weren't there either. Although the friendship had thinned a bit, now that Fang Ziye was back home and they caught him, inviting him to their homes as a guest — how could he refuse?

All along the way back and forth, the people calling out to Fang Ziye on the road were not few.

Although Fang Ziye hadn't been home for the New Year in several years, he occasionally returned on holidays; Fang Ziye grew up in the town, and is currently a relatively rare Master's student with a bright future.

Basically many people were very willing to greet Fang Ziye enthusiastically, and Fang Ziye could only respond one by one.

"Auntie (Nai Nai), Uncle, Uncle (Bo Bo), Big Sister, Big Brother……"

Not until nine o'clock in the evening did Fang Ziye finally return home again……

Sitting in the living room on the second floor of the self-built house, peeling melon seeds and peanuts while telling his parents about his graduation thesis defense, and also roughly explaining his study plans for his PhD period.

Neither of them understood, but they both thought it sounded pretty impressive.

"It sounds quite promising; it should be like on television, that kind of high-end talent wearing gloves and a cap, doing experiments under a microscope, right?" Mom said.

"No, it should be like in TV dramas, wearing a stethoscope, walking with an air of authority like a doctor……"

The two old people talked for a long time.

Fang Ziye said: "I'm still your son, still a person; I'm a bit sleepy, you two rest early. Tomorrow when you get up, you still have to prepare for the New Year."

"Preparing for the New Year" means making preparations for celebrating the New Year.

The Tujia people celebrate on the afternoon of the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month; some celebrate on the morning of the twenty-ninth; some celebrate on the morning or afternoon of the thirtieth.

Only a minority of the Miao people celebrate on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year……

These days, aside from Fang Ziye squeezing out one or two hours during the day to visit his best childhood playmate, most of his time was spent at home, chatting with his parents.

And receiving relatives and friends who came early for visits.

Originally, visiting relatives is a custom after the New Year.

But Fang Ziye is rather special; among the relatives on both his parents' sides, he counts as the most accomplished.

Therefore, even without reaching the normal New Year greeting phase after the New Year, uncles, aunts, and elder uncles and aunts still came to the house to visit.

Visiting before the New Year without gifts; visiting after the New Year not empty-handed.

Although when everyone came they brought nothing, and instead ate and drank, Fang Ziye discovered his mom was delighted, taking out all the New Year goods prepared at home in one go.

Eat as much as you want; if it's not enough you can even take some packed.

Fang Ziye's maternal nephews and paternal nephews or nieces, when leaving, all packed up big and small bags to take back; in just two short days Mom bought thirty jin of melon seeds and thirty jin of peanuts at the dry goods shop in town, barely enough.

Yet Mom still smiled all day long, unable to close her mouth, as if she had been looking forward to this day for a long, long time.

……

New Year's Eve is the day many families prepare for the New Year, but at Fang Ziye's house, there's no need to prepare — just need to be responsible for having fun.

However, the mother who had been happy for a day started feeling melancholy again, silently holding back tears while preparing for Fang Ziye's departure on the first day of the New Year — pre-roasted cured pork leg, cured meat squares, cured pig head, etc. — and looking at Fang Ziye with some reluctance.

Father, on the other hand, was preparing some freshly made edible things for Fang Ziye.

For example, blood sausage, fried crispy pork, etc.

Two large bags, basically all stuffed full by him, and he kept stuffing more in; Fang Ziye was currently holding the bags saying: "Dad, if you stuff any more they'll burst."

"No problem, no problem; once you're there you can eat directly. Especially this crispy pork, steamed or boiled, both delicious."

"Better than you eating takeout. This blood sausage, fried is even more delicious; do you know how to fry?"

Fang Ziye smiled and said: "Dad, back in junior high I even cooked meals."

"But that was so many years ago, wasn't it?"

"Bring some ciba (glutinous rice cake) too……"

For a whole night, the two old people were busy.

Fang Ziye didn't go anywhere, just watched the two of them feed him, and occasionally peeled an orange for one, sliced an apple for the other, and the two were overjoyed.

In the evening, the family of three also ate a bit of late-night snack.

No dumplings, no wontons or Glycogen; just a small pot set up with a bit of beef and mutton, ladling a big bowl of stewed braised meat, a bowl of steamed meat……

No special sense of ceremony, not even candlelight, just the not-good-looking Spring Festival Gala accompanying them.

But Fang Ziye and his parents, the few of them, all accompanied each other for a small drink, two liang each.

Even Mom could drink.

During the meal, Mom kept saying: "This year the braised meat's heat control was right; the chicken was stewed too short a time. This native chicken still needs to be stewed longer, otherwise the meat is too tough to eat."

"Too much millet in the steamed meat……"

Time quickly reached twelve o'clock on New Year's Eve.

Fang Ziye also couldn't escape convention and accompanied his dad outside to set off firecrackers and snatch the New Year.

The hometown has a custom: whoever sets off firecrackers earliest will have good luck in the coming year. It's just that some people don't play fair; they started setting them off from eleven-thirty.

But it didn't matter; Fang Ziye and Lao Fang had already prepared the lighters by 11:55, letting their mother watch the time until it was almost midnight.

Mother watched her phone very seriously and said: "Light it, light it, there's still ten-odd seconds left."

Fang Ziye and Lao Fang each used a lighter to ignite the firework tubes and firecrackers; Fang Ziye lit the firework tubes, mainly because Father was afraid he would burn his hand.

The cannon fire started first, crackling and popping, the sound of a house full of descendants rising up.

The salute fireworks came after, whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh, flashing out clouds of auspicious harmony and boundless prospects.

The three of them watched; the old couple were smiling, and Lao Fang put his arm around Fang Ziye.

Fang Ziye was filming a video; halfway through, he flipped the camera around and filmed a family-portrait-style video.

Inside flashed a family of three brimming with good fortune.

The cannon fire finished, and the firework tubes also fell silent.

"Go go go, it's too cold outside, go inside and warm by the fire, after warming by the fire take a shower and sleep, next year pure and clean, good fortune filling the hall."

"Ziye, tomorrow you go by yourself; later we'll mail the meat and pig legs and such to you, you can't carry it all alone, I have to burn some spirit money for your maternal and paternal grandmothers and grandfathers' wives along with your dad." The two parents instructed.

"Okay! ~"

"Actually there's no need to bring that much."

"Can bring, can bring, you've lost weight." Lao Fang grinned foolishly, then walked toward the hand washing station.

Fang Ziye went upstairs to shower first, silently praying in his heart: bless Dad and Mom with good health.

Actually, here there is also the custom of "sending brightness," which is burning joss paper for the elders, after all it's the holidays.

But Grandpa and Grandma and Maternal Grandpa and Maternal Grandma are all still alive, so they don't need to go burn joss paper directly; in the past it was always Maternal Grandpa and Grandpa leading their respective large groups to go pay respects to the ancestors.

Fang Ziye's father only had to follow Grandpa to visit the ancestors.

But last year, Fang Ziye's parents both went to both sides, hoping the ancestors would bless Fang Ziye to study for a doctorate, have great prospects in the future; now that he succeeded, from now on they have to go pay respects every year.

This is Fang Ziye's parents' worldview; Fang Ziye only hopes that his own parents and paternal and maternal grandparents are all healthy.

Originally, Fang Ziye should visit each family and stay a few days, but Fang Ziye's total return time was only three days, truly couldn't squeeze it in, and Fang Ziye also wanted to accompany his parents, so he simply decided to wait until the next vacation to come back and visit.

First day of Lunar New Year.

At 6 AM, Fang Ziye got up, carrying a laptop bag, a backpack, and a suitcase, plus two large bags of heavy gifts from his parents.

Fang Ziye had to leave early; Fang Ziye needed to go from the town to Ba County first, which takes an hour and a half by road.

Then he still had to rush from Ba County to Ba County's train station; this time isn't short either.

Because Ba County's train station is a bit far, twenty-odd kilometers, and there's no bus, you have to take a taxi or carpool, quite inconvenient. This leg of the journey might take over an hour.

Plus transfers, even leaving the town at 6:30, reaching the train station takes three to four hours.

By then it would be 10 o'clock; there's no high-speed train at 10, if he misses the 9:58 one, he'd have to wait two hours in vain at the station for the 12 o'clock one, and the ticket might not even be available.

However, Fang Ziye didn't feel it was bitter hardship.

Dragging his luggage, walking on the road to the Cheng Xiang Gong Jiao Zhan heading to Ba County town, Fang Ziye felt very warm.

No matter how remote this place is, this is Fang Ziye's root, the place where Fang Ziye was born and raised; as long as his parents are here, this is his absolute harbor.

Just, feeling the cold wind hitting his face mixed with his parents' love.

Fang Ziye thought of a saying.

Parents alive, life still has a place to come from.

Parents gone, life only has a road of return.

For ordinary people, this is proper reasoning; then for someone like Luo Tingzhu, whose parents are both alive but live worlds apart, where is her place to come from and return to?

Perhaps there is a grandmother who completed her familial affection, but now her grandmother isn't here either.

These two days, Luo Tingzhu seemed to have vanished from the human world.

Fang Ziye also didn't know what she was doing; anyway, in the evening she would send a set of photos on time, then no more replies.

And the photos were also very proper and formal, without any messy stuff mixed in.

"Ziye, come quick, get on the bus and go." The bus fare collector saw Fang Ziye dragging his things and waved from afar.

Fang Ziye hurriedly ran over: "How much money."

"Thirty."

"I'll scan the QR code..."

Fang Ziye looked left and right, no seats left.

The overcrowding during New Year, as long as traffic police don't enforce strictly, is unavoidable in such countryside.

Moreover, on the bus, Fang Ziye also smelled the chicken feces smell from the chicken cage, and there was a duck in the trunk quacking nonstop, quack quack quack.

This should also be someone bringing live poultry to the county town to slaughter and eat after the New Year.

But what they represent is another kind of life...

Finally, around 6 PM on the first day of Lunar New Year, Fang Ziye rushed for nearly twelve hours before finally getting off the subway at Zhongnan Hospital subway station.

Breathing the fresh air of free walking again, Fang Ziye couldn't help but sigh with emotion.

"Does this count as leaving one's hometown?"

Called home to report his schedule, then asked if his parents had already eaten dinner, currently on the way to Uncle's house to pay New Year greetings and see Grandma, Fang Ziye let out a sigh of relief.

"Dad Mom, remember to pay New Year greetings for me too, although it's not any precious gift." Fang Ziye going home, definitely brought gifts.

But they're all small trinkets; after all Fang Ziye currently has no income, can't give anything precious, but at least it's a piece of sincerity.

"Rest assured, filial piety arriving is enough. According to your Grandpa and Grandma's thinking, you giving a cabbage is more precious to them than me giving a box of gifts."

"Even if we two fight, I still get beaten by my dad." Old Dad's voice on the phone was still hearty.

After all, the one bringing honor is their own son...

After hanging up the phone, Fang Ziye arrived at his rental place.

Simply boiled a few lumps of crispy meat in a pot, still that familiar taste from home.

Fang Ziye sat on the table, looking out the window, feeling an inexplicable sense of emotion and happiness.

Zu Ju Shan Cun was not his true intention; if he wanted to escape, he could only leave his hometown, either to work, to study, or to get lucky; otherwise, he would never be able to cross those few high mountains of his hometown.

The road ahead was still very long.

Looking at several pieces of Crispy Meat that didn't look particularly good, Fang Ziye hesitated for a moment and sent a message: "Junior Sister, I'm back, I brought some snacks from home, they're cooking in the pot right now, do you want to come eat some?"

During the New Year period, Fang Ziye enjoyed the atmosphere of family reunion and dared not disturb her, for fear of disturbing Luo Tingzhu, who was alone, but now that he was back, Fang Ziye felt the timing was quite suitable.

Giving Luo Tingzhu something like pig trotters as a Big Reward/Harvest was not appropriate; she did not yet have such an identity, only giving to teachers was suitable, but giving Luo Tingzhu some snacks belonged to normal gift-giving.

Fang Ziye originally thought Luo Tingzhu would refuse, but unexpectedly, Luo Tingzhu readily agreed.

Not long after, when Fang Ziye met Luo Tingzhu by the Playground, he discovered that the direction Luo Tingzhu came from was not the direction of the Dormitory Building, but also the direction of the house Fang Ziye rented.

Fang Ziye was slightly stunned, then saw Luo Tingzhu had brought three insulated boxes. Her Left Hand twisted one, her Right Hand twisted two.

"What is this?" Fang Ziye turned direction and walked over.

"New Year, made by myself. Just the taste is average." Luo Tingzhu handed Fang Ziye two insulated boxes.

"Tingzhu, you're also renting a house outside?" Fang Ziye realized the implication.

"Mm, in the dormitory, it's not okay for New Year; if outside, at least one can Sheng Huo Qi." Luo Tingzhu calmly described her efforts to make a fire, Calm.

She, who seemed High Cold, perhaps also most loved Yan Huo Qi.

Fang Ziye just nodded: "Pretty good, in your own house, you can sleep as late as you want."

The two walked all the way to the house Fang Ziye rented; the decoration was not good, the home appliances were old, but it was Clean.

However, before Luo Tingzhu sat down, Fang Ziye wiped the table and chairs with the Living Room special rag, saying: "I still have something cooking in the pot, you sit for a while first……"

Han City in winter was very cold; if it came out of the pot, it would probably cool down quickly on the ground.

Luo Tingzhu pulled open the zipper of her Long Down Jacket and sat in front of the small square table supported by a tripod, slowly opening the insulated box she brought.

She had homemade 'wontons', also called bao Noodle in her Hometown, separated dry and wet.

There were also two dishes, one portion was Gan La Jiao Chao Ji Rou, one portion was Gan La Jiao Chao Cabbage, and the last box was white rice.

Fang Ziye brought a small mortar, looking at what Luo Tingzhu brought, clicking his tongue in amazement: "You even cook for yourself?"

"Mm, just cooked, Senior Brother, do you have bowls and chopsticks here?"

Fang Ziye himself did not cook, nor did he have that time.

So, Fang Ziye immediately agreed: "I'll go downstairs to buy some disposable bowls and chopsticks first……"

……

Nine-thirty, Luo Tingzhu took her insulated box out; Fang Ziye saw her off for a stretch of road and discovered that the house Luo Tingzhu rented was not far from his building, probably seventy meters in straight-line distance, but one had to pass two corners.

The decoration and Team Composition inside were very similar to the house Fang Ziye rented, but the home appliances and such inside were more complete.

Fang Ziye discovered that many things should have been newly purchased, including a Refrigerator, small washing machine, and also an electric rice cooker, stir-fry pan, frying pan, wooden spatula, big spoon, etc.

The cutting boards for chopping vegetables were of two types, one type was white rubber made, the other was traditional bamboo board cutting boards.

Looking at this kitchen that was quite properly arranged, Fang Ziye could only give Luo Tingzhu a thumbs up.

When Fang Ziye wanted to look, Luo Tingzhu led the way saying: "Senior Brother, this side is my Room, this side is my Study that I renovated, do you want to take a look, Senior Brother?"

Fang Ziye thought for a moment: "Did you start renting a house and renovating around the twentieth of last month? Those few days you didn't come, was it because you were doing small renovations?"

"Mm, Senior Brother, I think living comfortably is quite good." Luo Tingzhu nodded, then opened the door, showing Fang Ziye her Achievement.

The Room's area was not large, but the desk was very large, and besides, another Cabinet inside was also converted by her into a bookcase, filled with all kinds of densely packed books.

More than half were new, only a small half were old.

It could be seen that Luo Tingzhu's Reading Volume was extremely astonishing.

(Chapter End)