Fireworks

After taking a shower, Ye Mian changed into a brand-new crimson velvet dress and even took the trouble to apply a delicate, light makeup.

She looked at herself in the mirror for a long time before nodding with satisfaction.

On New Year's Eve, the custom for the residents of Qiao Town was to wash up early and have the reunion dinner while the daylight still lingered.

As dusk fell, the lanterns on the street bridges were all fully lit, and the sound of firecrackers echoed continuously, popping at various intervals.

Around five o'clock, Ye Haisheng also lit a string of firecrackers in the courtyard, and Ye Mian's family finally sat down at the table to enjoy their reunion dinner.

At the dinner table, although Grandmother Ye still maintained a rather expressionless face, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes were visibly deepened.

Ye Mian picked up a piece of cured pork with her chopsticks, put it into her mouth, and took a bite of rice. When she raised her eyes again, a red envelope appeared before her.

Following the source of the red envelope upward, she saw it was handed over by Grandmother Ye.

In a flat tone, Grandmother Ye said, "New Year money, take it."

Feeling somewhat surprised, Ye Mian hurriedly received it with both hands and smiled sweetly, "Thank you, Grandma. I wish you happiness as vast as the East China Sea, longevity surpassing the Southern Mountains, and every year even sweeter than dried persimmons."

"..."

No matter how aloof Grandmother Ye usually was, hearing such sweet words, she couldn't help but reveal a trace of a smile. "Eat quickly."

Seeing this, Ye Father also handed Ye Mian a red envelope. "Wishing Mianmian happiness every day and good health."

He was merely an ordinary father, harboring only the most ordinary of wishes.

"Thank you, Dad! I wish you a smooth career, success in all your endeavors, and good health!"

Ye Mian accepted it with a smile as well.

After finishing the rice in her bowl, she fished out two prepared red envelopes from her bag, handed them respectively to the two elders, and reeled off a string of auspicious blessings without even pausing for breath. Fleeing on the pretext of watching fireworks, she bolted out the door.

This tactic of handing over the gift and running away immediately was something Ye Mian had learned from Grandmother Ye herself.

As expected, it proved extremely practical.

***

On the night of New Year's Eve, Qiao Town was breathtakingly beautiful. The light and shadows of the lanterns spilled across the surface of the river, layering and shimmering in a hazy glow, while the exquisite stone bridge arched high into the air, driving the encroaching night up toward the heavens.

Every time Ye Mian went out, she would be utterly captivated by this scenery.

She walked along the riverbank and purposefully made her way to the largest stone bridge in the town. Finding the optimal spot for viewing the fireworks, she quietly waited for them to begin.

The night temperature was low, and the wind up high whipped past incessantly.

Perhaps Ye Mian was blessed with good luck.

She had stood on the bridge for merely two minutes when a sharp whistling sound suddenly rang out from beside the riverbank.

Ye Mian abruptly looked toward the source of the sound.

A gorgeous arc streaked across the firmament, and dazzling fireworks burst open in the deep darkness, illuminating the night sky as bright as day.

In an instant, the brilliance was reflected upon the water's surface, intertwining with the town's stone bridge, red lanterns, and the wooden buildings lining both banks, resembling countless brilliant stars gathering into a breathtaking display of floral sparks.

The first burst of fireworks acted as a signal.

The fireworks of other households were ignited at this very moment as well.

In the blink of an eye, the night sky was filled everywhere with radiance.

Terrified of missing the scenery of the moment, Ye Mian didn't even have time to admire it for herself before she hurriedly opened her phone and video-called Jiang Chen.

The video connected very quickly. The man seemed to be inside a car carriage, and the lighting flickered between bright and dim.

Ye Mian flipped the camera to point at the night sky above.

A succession of brilliant fireworks and the river scenery were framed within her square phone screen.

Only then did she lower her gaze to look at Jiang Chen.

For some reason, upon seeing that exquisite and alluring face, her voice grew slightly hoarse. Masking her emotion, she smiled softly, "Jiang Chen, can you see this? These are the fireworks from my side."

His voice came through clearly a few seconds later, gentle and laced with a soft, fragmented smile.

"Mm, I see them."

Yearning...

Reached its absolute peak at this very moment.

Ye Mian covered her mouth.

She had thought it was no big deal, seeing as they would meet again after a short while.

Yet the moment she heard his voice, she felt a sharp ache in her heart once more.

She took a deep breath and held it in for a long while before managing to force her tears back.

Just the next second, however, when she looked back down at her phone screen, the man's face had vanished from it.

The dim environment on his side had changed; faint, flickering red glows could be vaguely seen casting themselves across the bluestone pavement.

Looking remarkably like... the warm light of lanterns.

At that moment, the man's voice came through the phone speaker, cold yet refined and gentle, "Ye Mian, do you miss me?"

Gazing fixedly at the phone screen without blinking, trying to search for any suspicious clues and traces, Ye Mian gripped her phone tightly and answered in a muffled voice, "Mm, I do."

As her words faded, she heard footsteps beside her.

Turning her head to the side, her gaze suddenly froze.

Amidst the lively and beautiful New Year's Eve in Qiao Town, a man dressed in a long trench coat stood looking at her with a calm yet weary gaze, his brows and eyes exceptionally gentle. He, too, was holding a phone, stepping up the tiered stone stairs as he walked toward her.

Just like her initial understanding—it seemed that whenever she needed Jiang Chen, he would always appear by her side.

He would never say a single word of refusal to any of her requests.

Because she missed him, he had come?

Was that it?

Unable to hold back, Ye Mian felt her eyes turn red. She held her breath as she watched him stride forward through the winter wind, coming to a halt right in front of her.

The bridge wind blew heavily.

The fireworks continued to soar endlessly into the sky and burst into bloom.

His sudden arrival left Ye Mian feeling somewhat dizzy.

This was different from the dizziness of falling ill.

It felt like someone who had been drowning in the deep sea for too long, suffering from extreme oxygen deprivation, suddenly breaking the surface and inhaling too much air all at once—she felt somewhat lightheaded and floating.

Staring at him in a daze, she realized that the yearning in his eyes seemed no less than her own; instead, it was as heavy as the deep sea.

The moment their breaths mingled, the man extended a pale, chilled hand.

The distance between them was abruptly closed, his tall frame casting a shadow over her entirely, and the familiar scent of ebony wood invaded the tip of her nose.

She could feel the man's body heat, carrying a warm touch that was intensely real and impossible to ignore.

Ye Mian pressed her face against his chest.

Atop the wide stone bridge, his slender, distinct-jointed fingers brushed against her face, cautiously and tenderly touching the tip of her nose as he lowered his head slightly.

Jiang Chen's perpetually gentle voice rang out beside her ear, his chest vibrating as it carried a restrained and steady smile.

"Little Ye Mian, I miss you very much too."

"I always felt that when you said you missed me, I should be right by your side."

"So, I took the liberty of coming to see you. I'm sorry."

The fireworks fell like cascading stars into the river.

Love enveloped her completely.

Ye Mian parted her lips to speak, yet she didn't know what to say. And so, her defenses completely crumbled. A crystal-clear tear instantly slipped from the corner of her eye, falling down to the ground.

The fireworks of Qiao Town had yet to cease their display, blooming one after another. The entire sky was filled with white smoke, brilliant sparks, and swaying, deeply romantic red lanterns.

These were all the breathtaking sights she had eagerly anticipated for tonight.

Yet at this moment, she found herself entirely unable to spare any attention to admire them.

She could only hear the sound of her own heartbeat growing faster and faster.

Her entire being was enveloped in the scent of another person.

Her mind grew hazy, her vision blurred, her senses dulled.

She couldn't even quite comprehend how someone who had been far away in Wancheng could manage to appear by her side in the blink of an eye.