CH 49

Once New Year’s Eve passed, Lu Ye’s vacation was almost halfway over.

Originally, Lu Ye was scheduled to be on duty on the fourth day of the lunar year, but unfortunately, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. There was a temporary shortage of personnel at the sub-bureau, so they had to bring him back early to cover for them.

On the afternoon of New Year’s Day, there was a light snowfall, and the ground was covered with snow and frost. Public transportation had not fully resumed, and Lu Wenyu was worried that they would have difficulty returning home, so she personally packed their things and prepared to take them back to the new district.

“Don’t bother sis,” Lu Ye said. “We can just take a taxi home.”

“The snow outside hasn’t melted yet. Where will you find a taxi?” Lu Wenyu said, taking a scarf off the hanger and casually remarking, She then tied the scarf around Lu Mingming.

“Are you taking her along with us?” Lu Ye raised an eyebrow and complained, “This little third wheel.”

Lu Ye and Qi Yanbai had just become intimate, and this was the time when they enjoyed being alone together. They didn’t like having a big and a small “third wheel” intruding in between.

Lu Wenyu was an adult, so it was manageable, but Lu Mingming was a clingy little troublemaker. If she wasn’t pestering her uncle with questions about urban legends, he was clinging to Teacher Qi, always wanting attention.

Unfortunately, during the busy New Year period, transportation options were limited, so he could only passively accept Lu Wenyu’s “buy one, get one free.” offer.

On New Year’s Day, the streets felt deserted. Many of the small businesses had put up signs that said “closed,” and only a few 24-hour convenience stores still had their lights on.

Red lanterns hung from the street lamps, and a large advertising sign for the Lantern Festival carnival was nonchalantly suspended in mid-air over the road, flashing with lights all around.

“Hey…” Lu Ye stared at the advertising sign with interest for a moment, then adjusted his posture as if he had suddenly remembered something and turned to Qi Yanbai. “How about we—”

He didn’t finish his sentence because Lu Mingming in the back seat suddenly saw something and exclaimed in excitement, grabbing Qi Yanbai’s arm.

“Teacher Qi, Teacher Qi!” Lu Mingming said excitedly, “There’s a stall selling candied hawthorns over there!”

Lu Ye: “…”

Lu Ye’s sentence was abruptly interrupted, and Qi Yanbai looked apologetically at him. He hesitated for a moment, shifting his gaze back and forth between Lu Ye and Lu Mingming, as if unsure whose words to follow.

Lu Ye was an adult and had no intention of competing for attention with a child. In response to Qi Yanbai’s glance, he smiled reassuringly, tilted his head, and gestured for him to focus on Lu Mingmimg for now; he could wait.

Qi Yanbai gratefully looked at him and, while Lu Mingming wasn’t paying attention, discreetly caressed Lu Ye’s hand from the gap in the seats.

Qi Yanbai was fair and just, never favoring one over the other. After pacifying the older one, he turned to Lu Mingming with a smile and asked gently, “Mingming, would you like to have candied hawthorns?”

The bright red hawthorns with their crystal-clear sugar coating held an extraordinary attraction for Mingmimg. She nodded eagerly and made a decisive “yes” sound.

“Then let’s go buy some,” Lu Wenyu chimed in and parked the car on the side of the road. She added, “Just get a small portion, and hurry back. It’s cold outside.”

The stall selling candied hawthorns was a bit of a distance from the roadside, at the entrance of a small alley on the commercial street.

Seeing Qi Yanbai going along with the child, Lu Ye couldn’t help but sigh softly. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, lit one with a lighter, and muttered, “now I’m the thirdwheel.”

Lu Ye remarked with a smile.

“Or maybe you should’ve bought a car a long time ago,” Lu Wenyu said with a mischievous grin. “You wouldn’t need to be a third wheel if you had four wheels to ride.”

“Forget about the car,” Lu Ye replied, shaking his lighter in front of Lu Wenyu before putting the cigarette case and lighter back into his pocket.

“I’m thinking about saving up for a house,” Lu Ye said.

“A house?” Lu Wenyu looked puzzled. “I thought you didn’t want to become a mortgage slave.”

Lu Ye was approaching middle age, and according to Lu Wenyu, he should have been thinking about finding a place to settle down. However, Lu Ye, with no children in need of schooling and no strong desire to buy a house, had always felt that carrying a mortgage for thirty or fifty years was too burdensome. Therefore, he hadn’t really considered it and was content with being a renter.

Lu Wenyu thought his mindset was too carefree and unstable for long-term planning and had advised him several times, although in vain. However, today, out of the blue, he brought up the topic himself, making Lu Wenyu wonder if the sun had risen from the west.

“Why the change of heart?” Lu Wenyu asked, her eyes shifting between Lu Ye and Qi Yanbai outside the window as they chatted.

“He’s part of the reason, but not entirely,” Lu Ye replied, exhaling a puff of smoke out of the car window.

“I just feel that maybe it’s time, given my age,” Lu Ye said.

Perhaps that’s how people were—when they were alone and carefree, they didn’t think much about the future. But once they had a significant other and a more stable and fulfilling life, they started to yearn for progress.

Lu Ye took a deep drag of his cigarette, the bittersweet and familiar taste circulating through his body before dissipating into the air as ethereal smoke.

He looked through the icy car window at the silhouette of Qi Yanbai, who was talking to Lu Mingming with a slight bend at the waist. Suddenly, he felt like the elusive heart he had carried for so long had landed, making him ordinary and commonplace. His eyes now held the lingering warmth of a long-lasting fire.

“He didn’t have it easy before, so I promised him a normal family,” Lu Ye said, rolling down the car window a bit wider and flicking some ash outside. “Even though family and houses aren’t directly related, I think I owe it to him.”

Lu Ye wasn’t a casual person. While he didn’t have a virginity complex, he still held intimate relationships in high regard. In his eyes, liking someone and being in love were one thing, but once a deeper and more intimate connection was established, it added a layer of responsibility. From then on, he couldn’t act on his own whims, and their future plans had to include both of them.

The events of New Year’s Eve were unexpected, but it seemed like a natural progression, a logical step. Lu Ye took a glance at the vibrant candy apple stall outside the window and suddenly felt that the pressures, if it was for Qi Yanbai, weren’t so daunting.

The cold wind entered the car through the window gap, stealing most of the warmth. Lu Wenyu shivered and pressed the button to close the window.

“As long as you’re clear about it,” Lu Wenyu said. It was Lu Ye’s personal matter, so she didn’t press further but advised, “Since you’ve made up your mind, start looking for a suitable place. If you don’t have enough money, you can turn to me anytime.”

Lu Ye understood what Lu Wenyu meant, but he was used to not relying on her. He smiled and deflected the conversation with ease, “No worries, I can save up for the down payment, and the rest can come later.”

Lu Wenyu knew his personality and smiled, smoothly changing the subject, “By the way, why did your boss suddenly call you back for overtime? Is there a new assignment?”

Lu Ye responded with a simple “yes” and added, “The city bureau needs to deploy some personnel.”

“Is it dangerous?” Lu Wenyu asked.

“Not dangerous,” Lu Ye replied with a smile. “We’re just assisting the city bureau; we’ll still be on the periphery.”

“That’s good, then,” Lu Wenyu said.

Not far, Lu Mingming had already picked out a skewer of candied fruit from the vendor’s stall. Qi Yanbai paid, held her hand, and turned back.

Lu Ye saw that he was coming back, so he finished the last drag of his cigarette and crushed the cigarette butt in the ashtray.

“By the way, what I told you today, don’t mention it to Yanbai,” Lu Ye instructed.

“Don’t worry, I’m not fond of gossip,” Lu Wenyu adjusted the air conditioning temperature up by two degrees and complained, “You two are the ones in love; why should I mediate in between and pass messages?”

“But you did sell me out on Chinese New Year’s Eve,” Lu Ye laughed, exasperated, “I asked you to drop hints subtly, but you…”

“Hey, just that one time,” Lu Wenyu interrupted with a mischievous grin, holding up one finger and wiggling it, “I promise it was just that one time.”

Meanwhile, Qi Yanbai had led Lu Mingming to the car. Each of them held a skewer of candied fruit, and the vibrant red color of the treats made them look even more festive.

Lu Ye didn’t expect that Qi Yanbai would buy snacks with the kids and even remember to get something for himself. He rolled down the car window, intending to tease him a bit, but before he could say anything, Qi Yanbai acted quickly and passed the skewer of candied fruit through the window to him.

“This is for you,” Qi Yanbai bent down and leaned against the car window, his eyes twinkling as he said, “Today you stood still and waited for me like a good boy, so this is a reward.”

Lu Ye: “…”

Lu Ye didn’t expect that at thirty years old, he would one day be coaxed like a child. He thought that Qi Yanbai had indeed become a bit bold recently. Now, he dared to flirt with him casually, showing no sign of the submissive attitude he had before.

He was both amused and irritated, so he turned the skewer of candied fruit in his hand for a moment, but in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say “no.” He could only helplessly watch as Qi Yanbai grinned, bit off the ripest hawthorn berry from the skewer, and enjoyed it.