A lifelong promise.
A phrase even sweeter than Eve’s apple.
The one who proposes blushes with a racing heart, while the listener’s face turns even redder, heart pounding even harder.
Normally, upon receiving such an invitation from their beloved, the first reaction for most people would be to disregard all worldly views and agree to it before considering anything else.
Major Su was far from ordinary.
He blushed, his heart raced, he was excited.
Then, holding Lin Nianhe’s hand, he spoke with a seriousness that resembled Uncle Team Leader writing a report: "No."
Lin Nianhe: "I get it, you don’t love anymore."
"What nonsense are you talking about."
Su Yuncheng, who doesn’t show drunkness even after two catties of white liquor, surprisingly had a hint of tipsiness in his eyes. Gazing into Lin Nianhe’s eyes, he spoke earnestly, word by word:
"Nianhe, I am the utmost realist. Before, I also thought that marriage was extrely troubleso, but now, I too wish to fall into the cliché in pursuit of romance... I very much look forward to Uncle Lin entrusting you to , the two of us eting guests together."
"I look forward to their blessings, and I don’t want to miss any mont with you."
Lin Nianhe, feeling a tad intoxicated by his gaze, rested her chin on her hand and asked with a voice that softened involuntarily: "Aren’t you in a hurry?"
"I am indeed a bit impatient, but for you, I can wait a long ti."
"How long is a long ti?"
"Until the day I die."
The warm yellow light bulb suddenly went out, and the world plunged into darkness.
"Hey? What happened?" Sie Yufei was blurry with drink, his words slurred.
"I’ll go check..." The rustling sounds of movent, Miao Hongqi put on clothes and went out.
"Xiao He? Xiao He, where are you?" Sie Yufei staggered around searching for Lin Nianhe.
Lin Nianhe ignored him, her lips curved in a slight smile, she leaned towards where she rembered Su Yuncheng to be from the last glimr of light.
Su Yuncheng could also discern in the darkness, he clearly saw Lin Nianhe leaning in, thinking she had sothing to say, he subconsciously leaned forward too.
No words were exchanged.
Only a kiss imbued with the scent of liquor.
"I’m not quite the sa as you."
"I am an extre romantic, but if it’s for you, I can do without romance."
...
Lin Nianhe and Su Yuncheng were clearly different.
Yet one of them could rack their brains to create surprises and delight in them, while the other could accept his rough manners and still find them amazing.
They were not the most alike, but they were the most compatible.
...
The next day, the blown fuses caused by every household lighting up their electric lamps on Chinese New Year’s Eve were fixed.
Lin Nianhe said, this was about saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, and that the new year should have new fuses, symbolizing that the old fuses were not worthy of the good days to co.
The villagers all enjoyed hearing this and were even happier.
Lin Nianhe went to the Ten Miles Team office early in the morning to make a phone call ho, paid her New Year’s visits after greeting everyone in the office, and then carried gifts and red envelopes to pay New Year’s visits.
The red envelopes weren’t much, just ten cents, for the children.
The New Year’s gifts weren’t heavy either, just candied fruit and sweets, for a taste of sothing new.
She went from the start to the end of the village all day, her pockets filled with red envelopes.
The first day of the year passed amidst auspicious greetings.
In the evening, Lin Nianhe sat in her small room opening red envelopes, while casually chatting with Su Yuncheng who was helping her pack.
Tomorrow morning, she would visit Uncle Wong, Factory Director Ji, Qian Guozhu, and others to pay her New Year’s respects, then go to the provincial city in the afternoon — taking Sie Yufei, that third wheel, with her.
It’s not that they were worried about Sie Yufei not being able to survive at the Educated Youth Corps, but many of the elders in the compound were Mr. Lin’s old war comrades. They spent the New Year here, so there was no excuse not to visit them.
"Also, no need to bring too much," Su Yuncheng said, "Your clothes are at ho."
"Mhm, bring that pack of Head Flowers for , I especially asked Uncle Ji for them to give to Caiwei and Chen Qing."
"Okay."
Su Yuncheng probably couldn’t rember who Lin Nianhe was talking about, but he wasn’t at all curious and just stuffed the things into the suitcase.
He was in a good mood, as last night Lin Nianhe had played him a violin piece, the lively and enthusiastic "Carn."
Every subtle expression on her face while performing seed to be telling him she liked him.
And...
Su Yuncheng glanced at her clothes in his hands.
The fact that she let him pack her luggage must an she utterly trusted and depended on him.
Little did Lin Nianhe know that Su Yuncheng could co up with such a dramatic scene just from packing a suitcase—she was simply too tired today, too lazy to move her hands, unwilling to do it herself.
"Brother Yuncheng, speaking of which, you might not believe it, but I received eleven dollars and eighty cents in New Year’s money today!"
Lin Nianhe held a stack of money, her eyes shining.
"If it were New Year’s every day, that’d be great; I could be a full-ti visitor for New Year’s greetings!"
...
Although Lin Nianhe couldn’t be a full-ti visitor for New Year’s greetings all year round, she did manage to do it from the first to the eighth day of the lunar new year.
Early on, Su Yuncheng had made a list of elders to visit, along with a few friends of Lin Nianhe and people like Factory Director Tian and Director Zhai. During their days in the provincial city, they visited families one after another, seeing more people in one day than they would in a week.
"I can’t move anymore."
On the evening of the eighth day, Lin Nianhe collapsed on the sofa, drawing a final check mark on the list, releasing her hand, then turning to look at Su Yuncheng: "Brother Yuncheng, starting tomorrow, I’m going into seclusion. I won’t leave the house!"
"Okay," Su Yuncheng agreed without hesitation.
Sie Yufei, munching on an apple, joined in the excitent: " too, I’m going to sleep until the afternoon!"
These past few days, constantly being outside, aiming to maintain a surface harmony and the "Don’t scold children during New Year" good tradition, Sie Yufei indeed had so good days.
So much so that he had forgotten his current role as the third wheel.
Su Yuncheng gave him a sidelong glance and responded, "Not for you, you’re taking your cara to Old Zhou tomorrow, needing you to take so photos."
"Ah?"
Sie Yufei was shocked: "Why ?"
Su Yuncheng: "Because you’re in the way."
Sie Yufei: "..."
Sie Yufei felt that Brother Cheng’s arrangent was problematic. Even if he went to take photos during the day, wouldn’t he have to co back in the evening and continue to be in the way?
There was no need for that at all!
It wasn’t until Company Commander Zhou took him to the location for the photo shoot—the Forest—that Sie Yufei regretted not having run back to Ten Miles Team overnight on the eighth.
However, Youngest Master Sie soon found joy there.
Everything before his eyes was a scene he had never seen before, and the stories they told were all new to him.
He now wanted not only to photograph them but even to make movies of their stories for everyone to see.
He ate flatbread in the Northwest wind, having completely put Lin Nianhe out of his mind.
He forgot everything, yet soone was rembering him.
"Um... Nianhe, where’s Sie Yufei? Did he go back to the production team?"
At ho, Chen Qing sat on the sofa, her gaze flickering, not daring to et Lin Nianhe’s eyes.
"Him? No, he went to the Forest to take photos." Lin Nianhe replied offhandedly, then quickly sensed sothing amiss.
Her professional instinct as a lon-eating bystander (gossip enthusiast) told her there was a juicy story here!
Chen Qing felt inexplicably that Lin Nianhe’s eyes lit up in a whoosh, making her feel very uneasy.
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