Chapter 155 - Extra 2 Part 1 Second Day of Chinese New Year
The automatic announcement on the bus was broadcasting the name of the next stop over and over again.
It was a name he knew very well, so well that even after years of not hearing it, he could instantly recall it from memory and instinctively get up from his seat to prepare to alight.
The bus stopped by the side of the road.
Qi Jing adjusted the strap of his satchel slightly as he stepped out from the bus, taking a deep breath as the cold air hit his skin. Then, he stood alone beneath the bus stop sign for a while.
Today was the second day of Chinese New Year[1]
.
For this mid-sized, third-tier city, the second day of the new year was an uneventful day, removed from the festivities. Most of the city's residents would choose to stay at home on this day, leaving the streets almost deserted. With hardly anyone on the streets, there was no point to keep the shops open so nearly every single shop along the street was closed. Even the few small grocery stores he would frequent when he lived here had their shutters down, so he didn't even have the excuse to go inside and buy something.
He wandered aimlessly down the empty street for a while and sent a few random texts to Shen Yan. After adjusting his clothes for the third time, he found himself with nothing left to do.
"Huu…"
Finally, he closed his eyes to compose himself. He exhaled deeply before finally taking a step towards the residential estate whose name was just as familiar as the bus stop.
+++++
The small market within the complex was likely the only place still open for business in the area. After all, people still needed to stock up on groceries during the New Year. Moreover, traditionally, the second day of the Lunar New Year was when daughters would return to visit their parents with their husbands. Even before noon, quite a few people had already come to buy groceries.
A group of middle-aged women had just finished their shopping and were happily chatting away as they walked toward the residential buildings, bags filled with fresh produce in tow. Suddenly, they noticed a woman around their age standing dazedly at the entrance to the market, holding several shopping bags. They couldn't tell if she was done shopping or if she needed to buy some more; her expression was blank as she stood rooted to the ground as if she had lost her soul.
"Mrs Qi," one of the women called out to her curiously, "Are you on your way home, or did you forget something and need to go back and buy it?"
Hearing the neighbours' question, the woman lifted her head awkwardly, forcing a weak smile.
"…I'm just a bit tired from walking so I’m resting here for a bit. I’ll head home in a moment."
"Ah, I see."
"Well, we’ll be off then."
The woman nodded, watching them walk away before her gaze drifted back down to the concrete pavement, aimlessly sweeping back and forth. She seemed unable to lift her head, as if she didn’t know how to face the possibility of suddenly seeing a familiar face among the passersbys.
Because of this, she didn't see his face at first, only a pair of clean, well-kept shoes—shoes worn by a young man.
He walked towards her slowly and cautiously, even pausing for a bit before taking the last step forward, as if searching for a distance that was neither too distant nor too intrusive.
The woman caught her breath slightly, feeling it catch in her throat, leaving her momentarily unable to breathe.
The two stood face to face in silence for a while, until finally, the younger of the two spoke first.
"Mum."
Qi Jing called out softly. The word felt more unfamiliar to him than the bus stop or the complex itself—and realising this, his smile couldn't help but turn somewhat sad.
"Let me help you with those," he said, trying to make his voice sound like that of a son helping his mother, rather than a server assisting a customer.
With that, he bent down slightly, reaching for the shopping bags she was holding. He gently tugged at them first, making sure she wasn't refusing his help, before fully taking them into his hands.
Then they walked in silence.
Qi Jing quietly walked ahead, the speed of his steps seemed to be slowed by the weight of the bags, while his mother, now empty-handed, followed behind, her pace just as slow.
They arrived at an old-style apartment building from the 1990s and were met by a resident coming down the stairs. The resident paused upon seeing Qi Jing and studied him from head to toe.
Qi Jing responded to the unabashed stare with a polite smile, greeting him with a simple, "Happy New Year."
Just as he was about to move off, that resident's gaze fell on his mother, and he let out an "Ah" of realisation.
"Oh my, Mrs Qi, could this be your eldest son?"
Qi Jing stiffened slightly at the words.
Even without turning around, he knew his mother must have froze as well.
But that person didn't seem to notice the change in their expression as he continued cheerfully, "I’ve never met your eldest son despite moving here for quite a while. I thought he looked kinda familiar, a bit like your husband—and just as I thought."
Qi Jing’s reflexes as a journalist kicked in, and he let out a light chuckle, casually glossing over the fact that he hadn’t been home in years.
"I work out of town all year round, my job keeps me busy, so I rarely have the chance to come back."
"Oh." The other party nodded thoughtfully, then shook his head. "That won't do, young man. No matter how busy work is, you should make time to come back and spend time with your parents. It’s your duty as a son."
"Mhm…" Qi Jing mumbled in agreement, but his hand unconsciously tightened around the shopping bags, his expression betraying a hint of discomfort.
After hastily bidding farewell to the resident, they walked into the building. The atmosphere seemed to have become even more awkward than before, so much so that Qi Jing could only keep his head down, counting the steps until they reached the metal door that often appeared in his dreams. It was then that he suddenly realised—the set of keys in his pocket didn't include the one that could open this door. He had thrown that key away six years ago when he left home.
Standing there at that moment, he suddenly felt a fear of "doors".
He wasn't afraid of not finding the key again.
What he feared was the possibility of having to throw it away once more after finding it—
Suddenly, there was a click, and the wooden door behind the aluminium frame opened on its own.
Startled, Qi Jing looked up to see a figure appear behind the bars of the metal gate. His heart suddenly felt as if it were being squeezed by something twisting into a knot that caused his entire chest to ache slightly. It was the same feeling he had when, as a child, he was caught doing something wrong, and his father would appear in front of him, furious, with a belt in hand.
The difference now was that his father wasn't holding a belt, and he wasn't in the wrong… because he didn't feel he had done anything wrong.
His father looked at him and he stared back.
If he had a free hand to take out the notebook he used for interviews, he might have immediately written down a key word—[Aged].
Yes, aged.
There were many more wrinkles than before, much more grey hair, and far less vitality than in the past. For a moment, he almost couldn't recognise him, couldn't bring himself to say "Dad". He just stood there stiffly until he heard himself softly utter:
"…I'm back."
His father didn’t respond.
But the moment Qi Jing spoke those words, his mother suddenly let out a sob. She could no longer hold it in and, not caring that they were still in the hallway, she threw her arms around him from behind, gripping his arms tightly as she leaned against his back, trembling and weeping uncontrollably.
Qi Jing's eyes reddened as well, but he couldn't utter a word of comfort.
Instead, his father chided sharply, "What's there to cry about! It’s the second day of the New Year! Get inside, all of you, come in!"
As he spoke he opened the outer metal door while Qi Jing hastily wiped the corners of his eyes, before turning back to steady his trembling mother and help her inside.
++++
Qi Jing helped his mother into her room, fetched a damp towel for her to soothe her eyes, and sat with her in silence for a while before quietly excusing himself.
His father was still sitting quietly in the living room. The ashtray in front of him was already full of cigarette butts, many of which had been stubbed out halfway,
crookedly scattered among the ashes.
Qi Jing glanced at his father, then at the door of another room adjacent to the living room—the door was tightly shut.
"…Is Xiao Zhe not in?" he asked.
"He’s here," his father replied after a short pause. "He hasn’t come out since this morning. He doesn't even answer when we knock."
"Hah." Qi Jing let out a dry chuckle.
He understood the reason for his brother’s closed door. He had called home yesterday, informing his parents that he would arrive before noon today. His younger brother… definitely heard it, that’s why he was avoiding him, refusing to open the door.
Qi Jing withdrew his gaze. Then, he silently walked over to his father and sat down beside him, his posture stiff and uneasy.
The layout of the living room was largely unchanged; the arrangement of the furniture was exactly as it had been six years ago. Only a few new decorations had been added to the cabinets and tables, while a thick stack of old newspapers and outdated magazines still lay beneath the coffee table. His father’s favourite rattan chair was still in its old spot, one could even see the marks left by the chair’s constant rocking on the floor—a testament to the long years they had spent together in this room.
However, one thing had changed.
"Your old room has been converted into a guest room," his father suddenly muttered, blowing out a cloud of smoke as he mechanically tapped the ash from his cigarette. "Aside from the bookshelf, everything else has been packed into boxes and stored in the corner. Your sister will be back with her this afternoon, and they’ll be staying here overnight, so her room won’t be available, and you’ll have to sleep in the guest room…"
Qi Jing's eyelids drooped at those words and he softly defined his position, "Of course, guests are supposed to sleep in the guest room."
His father raised his head sharply at this and stared at him intensely for a long moment, but was ultimately unable to refute the word "guest".
"How did you know I was standing outside just now?" When someone doesn’t want to continue a particular topic, the best way to avoid it is to start a new one. "We weren't talking on our way up, and we hadn’t even knocked on the door."
The answer he received stunned him momentarily.
"I've been watching from the balcony the whole time."
Yesterday, when he called, Qi Jing hadn't given them a specific time of arrival. Given the possibility of traffic congestion due to the Spring Festival travel rush, it was hard to predict when he would arrive, so he had told them not to wait.
Yet his mother continued standing at the market entrance, unwilling to leave, obviously waiting for him, her "wilfully misguided" unfilial son.
And how long had his father been standing on the balcony, silently waiting? An hour, two hours, or perhaps even longer?
The tears he had barely managed to hold back at the door unknowingly welled up in his eyes. They weren't gushing out, nor was it messy. They simply trickled down quietly, reflecting his current feelings. Perhaps it was a sign of weakness, but at least it was real.
On his way back, he had been pondering over how he should act in front of his parents. Should he maintain a distant and polite demeanour, preserving his so-called pride? Or should he pretend nothing had happened six years ago and hide from the issues behind a professional smile? But now he finally understood that the appropriate reaction would naturally emerge, because a son's response when facing his parents simply couldn't be faked.
"Dad," he finally managed, choking back on a sob, "Thank you… for calling me, telling me to come back. Thank you."
His father remained silent, the only movement coming from the faint flicker of his cigarette, glowing on and off in rhythm with his breathing, which seemed a little faster than usual.
After a long while, Qi Jing calmly wiped the tears on his face, then stood up from his seat and smiled gently. "It's almost noon, Sis and her family should be arriving soon. If we don't start preparing the food now, we won't have enough time. I'll help."
His father said nothing, nor did he stop him.
While his mother, who had probably been quietly listening to their conversation, emerged from her room at his words, her eyes still red.
Qi Jing looked at her with a faint smile on his face, rolling his sleeves up as he asked, "What are we planning to make today?" He gently grabbed onto her shoulders and guided her into the kitchen. As he skilfully handled the ingredients they brought back in the morning, he looked up and suddenly noticed that his father was standing at the kitchen doorway, silently watching the mother-and-son pair busy themselves at the stove. But when he looked up again, his father was no longer there.
1. Did you know, the Chinese New Year which is based on the Nongli Calendar is a lunisolar calendar, combining the solar, lunar, and other cycles for various social and agricultural purposes? Hence, translating it simply as Lunar New Year is actually incorrect.↩
I don't remember if it's been mentioned in the main story but this is the Qi siblings ranked by age, starting from the eldest: Qi Xi (sister), Qi Jing, Qi Zhe (brother). And adorably their names are a single Chinese character that is formed by two same Chinese characters:
- Xi (囍) - which is double happiness. '喜'
- Jing (誩) - which is made of '言', meaning speech
- Zhe (喆) - which is made up of '吉', meaning good luck
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Please feedback to me in the comments below if you find any typos or
terrible grammar, etc that you think I should change. Or maybe you think
my interpretation is completely off lol Help me help you have a better
reading experience ahahah what a tongue twister XD
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Thank yous!! (˶‾᷄ ⁻̫ ‾᷅˵)
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day!!
You can support me by sending some love in the comments or through the button below
peace lilies~