Chapter Forty-One: New Year's Blessings

Young girls gathered together to celebrate a birthday, and the most anticipated moment was the arrival of the beautiful cake.

Ye Mian brought the cake out from the kitchen.

As she opened the box, Jiang Yuan exclaimed in awe.

Ye Mian had bought a Black Forest cake, adorned with an array of small fruits. They looked sweet, as if made from canned fruit, but the appearance was delightful!

It resembled a fruit cottage on a chocolate mountain, tempting anyone to take a bite.

Since there were only two of them, Jiang Yuan and Ye Mian discarded the plastic forks, each taking a spoon to scoop up the cake.

They sang birthday songs as they ate.

At this age, girls maintained their figures well, no matter how much they ate, their weight remained unchanged.

Even Jiang Yuan only had a slight baby fat on her cheeks.

There was no need for dieting.

A shutter clicked.

Ye Mian, licking the cream off her spoon, heard the sound of a photo being taken and lifted her head in confusion.

Jiang Yuan gestured to Ye Mian, making a peace sign, her phone screen showing the selfie mode.

Ye Mian smiled and immediately cooperated, forming a heart with her hands.

After snapping the photo, the two leaned together to look.

Their youthful faces were radiant in the picture, and Ye Mian noticed a dollop of cream on her nose, making her look like she had a puppy filter.

She patted Jiang Yuan’s hand, “Send me this photo, I want to post it on Moments.”

Jiang Yuan nodded, “I understand.”

She opened WeChat and sent the photo to Ye Mian.

Ye Mian saved it first, then posted it on her Moments.

The caption read:

[Thank you, today I was truly happy!]

She wondered if Jiang Chen would see it.

Suddenly, Jiang Yuan leaned in, squinting her eyes and whispering, “Wait! Your Moments post is strange. Who are you thanking?”

“……”

Ye Mian turned to look at Jiang Yuan, deliberately lowering her voice, “Guess!”

“How could I guess?” Jiang Yuan pouted, and when Ye Mian wouldn’t tell, she pestered her, tickling, “Tell me? Come on, tell me?”

“Guess!”

“I can’t guess!”

As they played, the matter was brushed aside.

Ye Mian’s birthday passed just like that.

After seeing Jiang Yuan off, it was already evening.

She washed up and lay in bed, unable to sleep.

In the darkness, wrapped in her blanket, she could hear her own gentle breathing.

And the beating of her heart.

She thought of the camellias from today, and the jasmine orchid fragrance.

Unable to contain her joy, she hugged her pillow.

Breathing in the faint scent, she didn’t know how long the night lasted before she finally drifted off.

——

With December’s arrival, the winter break was approaching.

Ye Mian changed the water in the vase for the camellias every morning and evening.

Despite her efforts,

A few days later, the camellias wilted.

Following the instructions she found on her phone, Ye Mian tied the branches with string and hung them in a ventilated spot to dry. Once dried, she stored them in a box.

The fragrance was gone, but the color remained; she would open the box from time to time to air them out.

Mid-January,

School let out for winter break.

The first snow of winter fell just before the New Year.

Every household tidied up their homes, and Ye Mian was no exception.

Looking at the thin layer of snow outside the courtyard, she felt invigorated.

With the snow, her father, Ye Haisheng, took the latest train and would arrive home in the afternoon.

It was the same every year.

Ye Haisheng asked Uncle Hu, their neighbor, to pick him up at the station. From the pickup truck, they unloaded four or five burlap sacks, all filled with New Year supplies brought from North City.

Ye Mian couldn’t carry them, so she helped her father by taking his suitcase and coat home.

After they finished, Ye Haisheng handed Uncle Hu a cigarette, then unpacked the supplies, taking out a box of blue biscuit sets and a bottle of good wine, asking Ye Mian to deliver them to Uncle Hu’s house.

Uncle Hu refused, but in the end, he couldn’t resist the generosity. He insisted on carrying them himself, not letting Ye Mian deliver them.

Standing by the roadside smoking, he smiled at Ye Haisheng, “It’s wonderful to be back! Families should be together and celebrate.”

Ye Haisheng agreed repeatedly, extinguishing his cigarette in the snow, and said, “Just give me two more days; when I’ve saved up enough, I won’t leave again. I’ll stay home with my girl.”

Ye Mian sat in the courtyard, listening to their conversation with a smile. As the snow and wind threatened, she thought of Jiang Chen, who had no family and would spend the New Year alone.

After exchanging pleasantries, Ye Haisheng went inside to organize the New Year supplies.

He brought back so much, he had to divide biscuits, candies, nuts, and other treats into separate portions, to give to friendly neighbors on New Year’s Day as thanks for their care over the past year—a longstanding family tradition.

While sorting, Ye Haisheng suddenly asked Ye Mian, “Do you know the son of the Jiang family?”

He meant Jiang Chen.

Ye Mian nodded.

Ye Haisheng said, “Uncle Hu mentioned that something happened to his family. Sounds pitiful. You’re at the same school, Mian Mian. Tomorrow, take some New Year supplies to visit him.”

As a father, he was especially compassionate toward children as young as his daughter.

Ye Mian’s eyes were full of uncertainty. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to go, but she feared Jiang Chen wouldn’t accept it. After thinking it over, she decided to leave the items and run.

So she nodded, “Alright, I’ll go tomorrow.”

But the next day, as she prepared to bring the supplies to Jiang Chen’s house, Ye Haisheng said, “Mian Mian, there’s no need to go.”

Ye Mian blinked in confusion, “Why not?”

“He’s not home. I heard he won’t be coming back for the New Year.”

Ye Haisheng sighed as he spoke.

Ye Mian was stunned.

In the old district, Jiang Chen never rested; every day was spent rushing about, with no time to chat with neighbors, not even pausing for the New Year.

Ye Mian returned to her room and looked at her scented candle. She counted her spare change—she had saved over a thousand yuan.

She wasn’t one to spend money recklessly, not buying toys or cosmetics.

Counting on her fingers, Ye Mian calculated that if she kept saving until graduation, it would amount to quite a bit.

Firecrackers sounded; the New Year had arrived.

After the reunion dinner, Ye Haisheng went to the neighbor’s for tea, while Ye Mian watched fireworks in the courtyard.

Her phone beeped endlessly.

Ye Mian checked—it was classmates from Class Two sending red envelopes in the group chat. Though she had notifications muted, messages about red envelopes still popped up.

She opened Jiang Yuan’s red envelope and received one yuan, immediately becoming the luckiest winner.

Classmates scrambled to grab red envelopes, the excitement was palpable.

In the Class One group chat, things were more reserved. The posts were all New Year greetings, one after another, as polished as the opening lines of an essay.

It turned out the teacher had started it.

Ye Mian found it dull, so she scrolled back to the Class Two group and sent a red envelope.

After a moment’s thought, she separately opened chats with Jiang Yuan and Jiang Chen, sending each an eighty-eight yuan red envelope.

One was a blessing for her friend.

The other...

She worried that amidst the lively New Year, Jiang Chen might not receive any New Year’s money.