Before they knew it, New Year’s Eve had arrived.
But this year’s Eve was vastly different. Many people were unable to return home for the holidays due to the pandemic, forced to remain where they were. It was a responsibility to oneself and to one’s family.
Yet, there were those who disregarded the lives of others, fleeing from high-risk areas like Jiangcheng and Tianbei to their hometowns. Spreading across various regions along the way, the scope of infection expanded further, causing a devastating impact…
The entire nation was in a state of self-preservation. From the cities down to the townships, strict controls were implemented, and villages began to seal themselves off one by one.
Tangjia Village was no exception. Early that day, the villagers had already used earth to block the village entrance…
In the early morning, as the sky was just beginning to brighten, the young girl was woken up by her grandmother. She said they were going to the temple to pray to the ancestors for blessings and told her to get up quickly.
“Xiao Yuan, hurry up! Xiao Feng and the others are already up; they’re just waiting for you.”
Lin Xinyuan sat up in bed wearily, her mind a bit muddled, a small tuft of “ahoge” (stray hair) sticking up from the top of her head.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes, not yet fully conscious: “I know…”
But as she heard the footsteps fade away, Lin Xinyuan showed no intention of actually getting out of bed. She remained drowsy, curled up blankly while clutching her quilt.
Just a nap, just a little one…
Just as she thought this, her eyelids drooped again. Just as she was about to close her eyes, she faintly heard a conversation outside the room, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps approaching—
Lin Xinyuan had a rough idea of who it was, but she was too lazy to move, not even wanting to open her eyes, until the person stopped beside her.
“Time to get up, little lazybones.”
A large hand pinched both sides of her soft cheeks, playfully kneading and tugging them with a bit of mischief, provoking her to swat at the culprit in annoyance.
However, it was useless; if anything, it made him even more excessive.
Lin Xinyuan was forced to reopen her eyes, glaring at the “stinking blond” in front of her, using her small hands to pull at those “groping paws.”
But for a moment, the girl couldn’t break free at all. Her fair, tender cheeks were being constantly kneaded, making her words muffled and incoherent: “Who are you calling a lazybones… you big bully… sleepy… don’t want to get up… let go of me…”
That said, with Qin Nanfeng messing with her like this, Lin Xinyuan’s mind was mostly awake now; she naturally wouldn’t stay in bed any longer.
She continued to pull at the blond’s mischievous hands, gesturing for him to let go.
Seeing this, Qin Nanfeng chuckled and then somewhat reluctantly released her soft, smooth face.
“Hmph, stinking Brother Feng…”
Lin Xinyuan covered her cheeks, which still bore faint red marks, and gave the guy a fierce glare. However, her expression lacked any real bite, making it look more like she was acting spoiled.
Unable to resist a yawn, she stood up shakily with Qin Nanfeng’s support, the tuft of hair on her head swaying gently.
Her cute and naive appearance made Qin Nanfeng lose control again; he couldn’t help but pat her little head.
“Mmm…”
Having just woken up, Lin Xinyuan’s head was still a bit fuzzy. Feeling the warmth on her crown, she unconsciously nuzzled into it, letting out a comfortable purr like a doting kitten.
But she quickly realized what she had just done and couldn’t help feeling bashful.
Her face flushed crimson instantly. Too embarrassed to say anything, she hummed and hawed as she pulled Qin Nanfeng’s hand away again and hurried into the bathroom.
The young man silently watched her panicked retreating figure, smiling as he shook his head gently.
On New Year’s Eve in the village, early morning was the time for worship.
In previous years, Tangjia Village would have been bustling on this day. After working hard for so long, the villagers were overjoyed to return home for the New Year; it was one of the few times in the year they could truly relax.
But this year was somewhat cold and quiet. Walking down the road, the noise from the rows upon rows of houses had diminished significantly. The sky seemed to be shrouded in a layer of haze, abnormally silent.
There were quite a few people on the road, all carrying baskets for worship, but their expressions were grim, lacking the usual lively atmosphere.
Following behind the two elders and Lin’s mother, who was now off for the holidays, the girl walked silently, her hand held by Qin Nanfeng.
Only the siblings beside them were restless, having started bickering again since early morning. The sound of their squabbling in her ears was a stark contrast to the people they met along the way, preventing the atmosphere from becoming too heavy…
Beneath their feet was the bluestone path of the village lane, leading toward the mountain fields at the end of the village where the temple was located.
Tangjia Village was not small. On the contrary, as the wealthiest village in the vicinity, it was quite large in scale after years of renovations and rebuilding. Since their house was almost at the village entrance, there was quite a distance to the temple at the far end.
Consequently, the walk was bound to be a bit boring…
“You guys don’t seem to have any mountains here, do you?”
Habitually kneading the girl’s boneless, soft hand, Qin Nanfeng asked casually. Aside from curiosity, this was mostly to spark a conversation so the walk wouldn’t be so dull.
Prior to this, Qin Nanfeng had never been to Zhannan City. Neither in his memories nor in the past had he ever known this place…
But perhaps because of Lin Xinyuan, during this time in Zhannan, he had gradually been able to integrate, even developing a sense of familiarity. He had even learned a bit of the girl’s local dialect…
After all, this was her hometown—the place where she had lived. Even if most of the memories this place gave her over the first decade or so of her life were not very pleasant…
Qin Nanfeng still really wanted to understand the trajectory of her life.
The itching sensation from his palm made Lin Xinyuan feel uneasy; her small face turned slightly red, which actually made her look a bit healthier.
Hearing Qin Nanfeng’s words, she nodded, a hint of longing appearing in her almond eyes: “Yeah… our place is either plateaus or plains… so from childhood until now, I’ve never truly seen a big mountain…”
The girl’s memories of those first years were confined to this remote third-tier city. When she was little, she would inevitably look at the mountains and rivers on TV with a sense of yearning.
Of course… even after she went to university in Tianbei, she never thought about going mountain climbing or anything of the sort.
It seemed that as she gradually learned to be lonely, compared to going out, surfing the internet was clearly the most cost-effective way to pass the time. Over time, she lost the urge to go out…
“When the pandemic is over, how about I take Xiao Yuan out to see the world?” Qin Nanfeng said with a smile, his eyes filled with a bit of doting.
“I don’t want to…”
Seemingly “burned” by Qin Nanfeng’s gaze, Lin Xinyuan quickly turned her face away, shyness rising in her heart: “I’m too lazy to go out. This is fine as it is…”
The girl wasn’t lying; she truly felt that things were quite good this way. In her view, as long as she could stay home and play games with Qin Nanfeng, she was satisfied. She felt she could live like this for a lifetime…
“You little shut-in.”
Qin Nanfeng didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but he also knew this girl just had that kind of personality—she had been like this even back when she was a boy. She was the type of person who would absolutely not go out if they didn’t have to.
She was born with a weak constitution, and perhaps it was this dislike of going out that caused her poor physical health and reclusive personality.
Thus, Qin Nanfeng didn’t agree with Lin Xinyuan’s words, but he didn’t say anything at the moment. He thought to himself that he must find an opportunity to take her out to see things, rather than letting her stay cooped up playing games all day…
It would be good for the ‘child’ as well…
Thinking this, Qin Nanfeng narrowed his eyes, quietly glancing at the girl’s slender waist.
And also…
I need to feed her more. She’s too thin; it’s unhealthy…