Chapter 20: Happy New Year

The days before the New Year seemed to pass faster, as if hurried along by everyone’s eager anticipation.

After just a few rounds of snowfall and intermittent rain, tomorrow would be New Year’s Eve.

According to their usual habits, Gu Wanting had already flown abroad with her family two days ago to spend the New Year in New Zealand with her grandmother.

Su Zhi, meanwhile, left today with her parents for a skiing trip in Switzerland.

Before boarding her private jet, Su Zhi specially sent Ming Yue a message, wishing her a happy New Year.

When the message arrived, Ming Yue was sitting with her parents, receiving relatives who had come early to pay New Year’s greetings.

Bored, she sat on the sofa, listening to the endless back-and-forth of polite chatter.

Expressionless, she replied:

“Happy New Year, Sister Zhi!”

She then gave a polite smile to the young man across from her who had been sneaking glances at her the whole time, but ignored his desire to strike up a conversation.

By noon, the ink-gray sky began to drizzle.

The steady stream of visiting relatives finally came to an end.

Ming Yue returned upstairs and took out the deep red high-waisted embroidered ruqun that had just arrived yesterday.

Pale golden embroidery rippled across the crimson waves of fabric, with flowing cloud patterns stitched along the hem.

The wide sleeves draped elegantly to one side, shimmering with luxurious brilliance.

She could hardly wait to see her sister wear this dress.

That fragile, pale arm resting against the wedding-red fabric, trembling uncontrollably whenever she called her “Sister”…

The boy’s eyes would go blank and helpless, and for once he would reach out first, clutching tightly at her sleeve.

“Jie…”

Catching the faint fragrance on the ruqun, Ming Yue let go, patiently folding the garment and placing it inside a huanghuali wood box.

She tied it with an equally bright red silk ribbon, forming an elegant little bow.

As the rain gradually stopped, she dressed herself in a Ming-style light red embroidered yunjian skirt, layering a thick suede cloak of the same shade on top.

Carrying the wooden box in hand, she went downstairs.

“Yueyue, make sure to come home early after meeting your friend today.”

Her mother, watching her father write calligraphy of “Fu” characters, looked up at her changed attire and spoke softly.

“Yes, Mom, I’ll be back early today.”

She answered sweetly.

On the way to the distant suburbs, the icy roads caused heavy traffic jams.

By the time she arrived at the villa, it was already three in the afternoon.

Ming Yue got out of the car, opened her umbrella against the biting wind, and stepped onto the stone steps.

The anticipation she had worn away on the road now sprouted again, like wild grass after a spring rain.

On the lunar calendar, New Year’s Eve was tomorrow.

But here, today was the true New Year’s Day.

The villa was still as cold and lifeless as ever.

A lone Chinese knot hung awkwardly from the coat rack.

Ming Yue stared at it, wondering who had hung it there, but when no answer came to mind, she simply straightened the bow on her gift box and carried a bowl of porridge she had bought along the way down to the basement.

“Happy New Year, Sister.”

In the dim light, the frozen boy leaned against the bedframe.

His thin clothes had been beaten until they tore, wounds beneath them scabbing slowly, streaks of dark-red blood clotting across his skin.

His lips were pale, his arms hugging himself as he shivered like a drowning man, yet for once his gaze remained clear as he watched Ming Yue approach step by step.

“Sister, today is New Year’s.”

Ming Yue unwrapped the porridge, stirring it gently before blowing on it.

“The road was blocked for so long.

I thought I’d have to give you something cold and hard to eat again.

Luckily it didn’t get completely cold.”

But the warm porridge quickly lost heat in the basement, soon congealing.

Ming Yue set it aside and pressed her warm palm against Yu Zhu’s chilled cheek.

“Sister, you’re so cold.”

It was like touching a slab of snow-covered stone—icy and unyielding.

She withdrew her hand and pressed it to her own face.

“Gu Wanting went abroad two days ago.

Su Zhi boarded her plane this morning.

So today, only I’ll be keeping you company for the New Year.

And I’ve prepared a special New Year’s gift just for you, Sister.”

The boy looked like a flawless jade carving, his body rigid, eyes following her with slow, deliberate movements.

Behind the girl, in the heavy darkness, it was as if a single spark of light had flickered.

New Year.

Was today really New Year?

That spark reminded him of the ring of lanterns on his family’s balcony, which his parents always had him light every year on Little New Year’s Eve.

In the dark, those flames danced, guiding the homesick back.

He hadn’t lit them for years now.

Were his parents still waiting?

Don’t wait anymore.

The New Year should be filled with joy and celebration.

Don’t wait for him.

“…Sister, Sister?”

Ming Yue pressed the gift box into his arms, folding his long, slender fingers around it.

“I prepared this gift for a long time.

Why don’t you open it yourself and see?”

Yu Zhu’s stiff fingers gained a trace of sensation.

He tried to tug at the ribbon, but lacked the strength.

He attempted again and again, each time failing.

It was as if his whole body had been frozen into solid ice, brittle enough to shatter into countless pieces at the slightest tap, never to be whole again.

His lips turned purple, his trembling hands shaking more violently, his pupils losing focus.

Ming Yue gripped his hands tightly, but could not stop the fierce shivering.

Suddenly, the boy collapsed against her.

The chill spread from his collarbone into her body, his eyes shut tight, breath nearly imperceptible.

“Sister, Sister?”

Yu Zhu gave no response.

Ming Yue froze, then hurriedly stripped off her cloak to wrap him tightly.

The fluffy hood covered half his face, leaving only a pale, pointed chin and violet lips exposed.

Her mind went blank.

Without another thought, she held him tight and rushed upstairs to the second floor.

The hot, dry air from the heater burned against her skin.

She laid Yu Zhu on the bed, covering him with thick goose down blankets.

Then she ran to Su Zhi’s room next door, grabbed another duvet, and layered it on top of him.

She wasn’t used to caring for anyone, so she didn’t notice the mess of the room.

Her heart pounded wildly as she collapsed onto the carpet, clutching his icy hand.

This can’t happen.

It absolutely can’t.

Ming Yue had always been calm and collected.

Even when Huo Xin once called her in a panic, saying the boy had nearly drowned, she had only sent over a first aid video at a measured pace, even mocking Huo Xin for overreacting.

But life and death had no clear boundary.

When the needle pierced her own skin, the pain left her frantic, helpless, her whole body weak.

Sister.

Sister.

Sister…

Sitting on the floor, her legs numb, her mind blank, she couldn’t think of anything that would stop the suffocating sense of watching floodwaters rise to her neck.

All she could do was cling to his hand, not daring to let go for even a second.

By the time Yu Zhu’s body warmed again, night had already fallen completely.

Ming Yue sat slumped on the carpet, her limbs stiff and drained of strength.

When she finally noticed the warmth in her palm, she tilted her face, resting her cheek against his hand.

Propping herself up against the bed, she saw his lips had regained a faint color, his breathing shallow but steady.

She lifted the hood from his face.

His long lashes quivered with each breath, like a slumbering, noble princess.

She exhaled deeply, the weight in her chest finally easing.

After carefully tucking the hood back around his ears, she massaged her numb legs and smoothed the creases in her skirt.

She was no longer herself.

Realizing this, the girl who had always watched the world calmly from the shore paused—then smiled, her eyes curved.

“Sister, your gift is still in the basement.

Wait here obediently while I go fetch it, alright?”

“New Year’s is for receiving gifts.”

Whatever else may be,

Happy New Year.

TL Note:

•  Ruqun (襦裙): A traditional Han Chinese outfit consisting of a blouse and skirt.

• Yunjian (云肩): A decorative “cloud-shoulder” collar worn over traditional Han Chinese clothing.

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