Time truly flew like an arrow. With a sudden SWOOSH, before anyone knew it, its sharp tip had found its way into every home.

Wherever the arrow passed…

The lakes froze over and frost covered the withered grass. The acrid smell of gunpowder smoke filled the streets and alleys. Even the tightly pasted spring couplets were caught in the biting wind, their corners curling up.

At some point, Chen Yuan stopped waking up naturally in the morning. Instead, while still lost in a drowsy haze, he’d be jolted awake by the never-ending POP, POP, POP of firecrackers outside.

“Whose little brat is that?! So damn annoying!”

That morning, woken up yet again, Chen Yuan clamped a pillow over his ears. Even someone as good-natured as him had finally had enough!

The pillow was no match for the sound of the firecrackers.

He slipped on his house slippers, threw on a down jacket, and headed straight downstairs.

“Cut it out! Stop setting those things off!”

Down in the alley, a group of seven- and eight-year-olds had gathered. A few of them had snot dripping from their noses, and they were all wearing incredibly thick padded jackets.

They were all bundled up, looking like miniature versions of Baymax.

They clutched box after box of firecrackers. Some were stuck in the snow, others were tossed carelessly into the air.

Then came the CRACKLE-POP-POP. Each explosion made his head BUZZ and sent a tremor through his entire body.

“Yuan, you’re up.”

A little squirt in a fluffy hat, holding a lit incense stick, saw Chen Yuan and chuckled mischievously.

He didn’t stop lighting firecrackers, though.

“Aren’t you guys a pain in the ass this early in the morning? You’ve got so much energy? Why aren’t you in bed sleeping in?”

Of course, Chen Yuan recognized these kids. They were all his neighbors’ children from the school’s faculty housing, and most of their parents were teachers.

He walked over, snatched the little squirt up, and lifted him high into the air.

Chen Yuan was over six feet tall, and these kids barely came up to his waist. He could have grabbed one in each hand without breaking a sweat.

“Ah! Let me go! Let me go!”

“You’re the one leading this racket every day! It’s loud as hell. Let’s see how I teach you a lesson.”

“Ah, I’m scared of heights! Put me down… Please, I’m begging you, man.”

Despite the freezing wind, these little rascals didn’t seem to feel the cold at all. Seeing their leader get hoisted up, they just cheered and enjoyed the show.

“Chen Yuan, what in the world do you think you’re doing?!”

Suddenly, a sharp rebuke came from around the corner of the faculty housing building. It was Mrs. Chen, carrying a glass container, scowling at him.

“What are you doing, bullying little kids?!”

“Mom… I wasn’t bullying him. This kid’s the one leading the firecracker brigade every day. A guy can’t even get a decent night’s sleep.”

“What’s wrong with setting off firecrackers? It’s New Year’s Eve! Just let them have their fun. School’s starting in a few days anyway.”

Mrs. Chen swatted him.

Chen Yuan winced, but his mind was still in a daze.

He obediently set the little squirt down.

He was suddenly lost in thought.

‘In the blink of an eye, it’s already New Year’s Eve.’

…

“I don’t want the red bean paste ones. I want pork and glass noodle.”

At noon, Mrs. Chen brought out a large steamer basket of freshly steamed buns. She had made them over at a neighbor’s house with some of the other female teachers. It was the last batch of the year. For the next few days, the buns stockpiled in the fridge would be their staple food.

They had to eat them whether they got sick of them or not, because everything on the streets—even the supermarkets—was closed for the holiday.

The supply of fresh vegetables had stopped for a few days, so they could only eat what they had in stock.

A small county town wasn’t like a big city, where large shopping malls would stay open for the New Year.

Chen Yuan reached for a steaming hot bun.

Mrs. Chen commented from the side, “Didn’t you used to love the red bean paste filling? I made sure to grab extra for you.”

“That was ages ago. I told you back in middle school I didn’t like red bean filling anymore. I only liked sweet things when I was a little kid.”

He bit into the fragrant bun. The skin was smooth and thin, revealing a scalding-hot filling where the pork and glass noodles mingled perfectly. It was loosely packed, yet held together just right.

As he chewed, the taste and texture were so familiar.

Chen Yuan had been eating these pork buns since he was a kid. Compared to the ones sold on the street, the homemade ones weren’t perfectly white. Instead, they had a healthy, wheaten color, inside and out.

“Eat slower. Can’t you just sit still for a minute? Where are you running off to with that bun? I was just about to make a couple of side dishes.”

Mrs. Chen looked baffled as Chen Yuan dashed out the door with the bun still in his mouth.

“I’m going to pick up a package! I’ll be right back.”

“Delivery services are still open during the New Year?”

“They are, they are!”

Chen Yuan slammed the door shut with a BANG and hurried down the hallway.

He wasn’t in such a hurry because he’d bought himself some insane new gadget. It was because his dear, thoughtful, adorable Yaoyao had prepared a very meaningful New Year’s gift for him.

Yaoyao really knew how to make things interesting; she had a knack for her own unique brand of playful little schemes.

Jiangg Ning would never plan little surprises like this. Even if she did something romantic, it would be a spontaneous act, something that just happened in the moment.

She was nothing like Yaoyao, who had deliberately chosen New Year’s Day for her gift and hadn’t mentioned it for the longest time.

Chen Yuan himself had only just found out about it after waking up that morning.

‘What could Yaoyao be sending?’

He hopped on the little electric scooter Mrs. Chen usually used for grocery shopping. His long legs were crammed awkwardly, but that didn’t stop him from zipping along, arriving at the delivery depot in just a few minutes.

With a CLICK, he put the kickstand down.

Chen Yuan walked inside. Before he could even say a word, a woman in her forties asked without looking up from her work:

“Last four digits of your number?”

“2200.”

“Let me get it for you…” The woman fiddled with her phone for a moment, then walked over to the package shelves. A moment later, she returned with a box. “Headwind Express?”

“That should be it.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep