Chapter 592 - 241: The Silly Boy at Li Zhi’s Doorstep (Part 5)
Chapter 592: Chapter 241: The Silly Boy at Li Zhi’s Doorstep (Part 5)
In the eyes of the family elders, it seemed that as long as you weren’t married, you were forever a child.
"One at a time! Don’t snatch!" his uncle said with a laugh. "Grandma and Grandpa first! You all wait a moment!"
The red envelopes were handed out one by one. For a moment, the dining table was a flurry of passing envelopes, words of blessing, the smiling gazes of the elders, and the gleeful expressions of the younger generation.
Under the warm yellow light, each brand-new red envelope, filled with the elders’ care and best wishes for the new year, passed warmth and connection between family members.
Shen Yuan stuffed the red envelopes into his bulging pockets. Listening to the hearty laughter of his uncles and aunts, he felt a frantic little rabbit fluttering in his chest, a feeling he could barely contain.
"Alright, time for firecrackers! Shen Ming, take Shen Yuan to go light some!"
"I wanna go, I wanna go!" Zhao Yueyang immediately shot up.
Shen Yuan slipped out the door, carrying a roll of "door-opening" firecrackers. "I’ll light the first one!"
Holding a 10,000-shot firecracker roll, Shen Yuan unrolled it from outside the main gate to just inside.
"It’s all yours!"
Zhao Yueyang’s eyes lit up as he looked at the lighter in his hand.
Soon, the sound of his younger cousin running over was accompanied by the CRACKLE-POP of the firecrackers.
After the door-opening firecrackers were done, it was time for fireworks.
When Shen Ming saw Shen Yuan effortlessly lift a large box of fireworks, he was visibly stunned for a moment.
’This kid is that strong?’
Shen Yuan placed the heavy box of fireworks steadily on the open ground in front of the house. Just as he straightened up, a few crisp sounds—WHOOSH... BANG!—tore through the tranquility of the countryside night.
He instinctively looked up to see fireworks from some unknown neighbor’s house soaring into the sky first, then exploding against the high, ink-blue canopy.
The firework instantly transformed into a thousand points of flowing gold and silver light, cascading down brilliantly and illuminating the eaves and bare treetops of the surrounding houses for a fleeting moment.
The resplendent light reflected in Shen Yuan’s eyes, as if igniting a spark in a corner of his heart.
The resplendent light reflected in Shen Yuan’s eyes, instantly illuminating an image in his mind—the person he had promised to watch fireworks with tonight.
Almost without thinking, his fingers dove into his bulging pocket and fumbled for his phone.
The cold metal casing was quickly warmed by his palm. The screen lit up. Unlocked.
The pinned contact’s profile picture sat there quietly.
His fingertip quickly tapped open the camera app.
The young man took two steps back, tilted his head up, and framed the scene of the brilliant, exploding fireworks—cascading like a golden waterfall—in his viewfinder.
CLICK.
After the nearly inaudible click of the shutter, the momentary splendor was frozen in time.
Without missing a beat, Shen Yuan opened the chat window and sent the photo, which captured the sky full of flowing fire.
After doing all this, he lowered his head, his fingertips flying across the cold screen. A smile unconsciously curled his lips as he wrapped his eager invitation in a seemingly casual question.
Shen Yuan: [Fireworks_photo.jpg]
Shen Yuan: Look! Fireworks!
Message sent successfully.
The faint, cool white light from the phone screen illuminated Shen Yuan’s well-defined jawline.
He held the phone in his palm, not immediately putting it back in his pocket, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the edge of the screen.
The young man’s gaze once again drifted toward the slowly fading embers of the distant fireworks, as if he were waiting for a reply, and also as if he were gazing in the direction of Li Zhi.
The night wind, carrying the smell of gunpowder and a chill, blew through the tips of his hair, but Shen Yuan felt that familiar little kitten gently scratch at his heart again.
After Shen Ming also set up his fireworks, he expertly lit the fuse, and Shen Yuan quickly ran back under the eaves.
As he watched the firework soar into the sky, Shen Yuan’s phone buzzed softly.
Picking up his phone, Shen Yuan saw a message from Li Zhi.
Li Zhi: "Just finished eating. About to go set off some firecrackers."
Shen Yuan had just finished reading the message and was about to reply when a bright streak of light suddenly shot up from not far away, accompanied by a familiar, sharp whistle, and plunged precisely into the pitch-black canopy of the sky.
"WHOOSH—BANG!!"
Enormous pink and gold flowers bloomed wantonly in the night sky, brightly illuminating the rooftops and treetops in that area.
A fine rain of light, carrying the chill of the winter night, cascaded down like molten gold.
That direction... it was the Li Family’s house. Shen Yuan recognized it instantly.
His knuckles whitened slightly as he tightened his grip on his phone, his eyes lit up by the sudden, brilliant flash of light.
Once the firecrackers were finished, people could start going from house to house.
’This means I can go set off fireworks with my Li Bao!’
Shen Yuan quickly turned his head to his Eldest Female Cousin. "Sis, did you buy them?"
Yang Yishui held out a hand to Shen Yuan. "500 kuai. Pay up!"
"Just consider it my gift of lucky money to you!" Shen Yuan said through gritted teeth, pulling out his phone to send Yang Yishui a 500-kuai red envelope.
"Thanks, little bro~"
Satisfied after receiving the money, Yang Yishui pocketed her phone, then led Shen Yuan to her car to show off her "arsenal."
"You’ve got everything, cousin!"
Shen Yuan gave his Eldest Female Cousin a thumbs-up, and his younger cousin’s eyes instantly lit up at the sight.
It was a huge pile of fireworks, a sight that made one’s hands itch with excitement.
"Wait here! I’m going to get Li Zhi!"
The night was black as ink, and the clamor of firecrackers and fireworks from all over the village had yet to subside. The air was filled with the familiar, pleasant smell of gunpowder.
Shen Yuan’s steps were light as he hurried along the paths between the houses.
Soon, he found himself standing once again outside the familiar courtyard gate of the Li Family’s home.
Bright light poured from the living room window, outlining the courtyard’s shape. The faint sounds of a TV show and family chatter drifted from within.
Shen Yuan stopped in his tracks, his heart pounding like a drum in the cold air.
That unique blend of sheepishness and anxiety he always felt when facing the Li Family quietly crept over him again.