The literary era since 1979

December 12st, after tonight, it will be a brand new year.

Bai Ruoxue and Luo Daian had already decorated the huge villa festively. The bright red curtains fluttered in the wind, exuding a festive splendor.

The air was filled with the aroma of delicious food, and on the table were not only Chinese delicacies, but also American dinners that were different from the usual white people's meals.

During the New Year's Eve every year, every American household prepares a large amount of food such as black-eyed peas, pork, cabbage and cornbread.

“Why do you have to prepare so much?”

Dialects are very curious.

Mike explained that the shape of the black-eyed peas is like a copper coin, the green color of the cabbage is similar to the color of American bills, and the color of the cornbread is similar to gold. All of these are meant to bring good luck and hope for good fortune in the coming year.

"It's America after all." Fang Yan couldn't help but shake his head, "Even though they didn't mention money at all, every single line of their conversation was about money."

"It's just like when we celebrate Chinese New Year, we put fish on the table, hoping for 'abundance every year'."

Bai Ruoxue said with a smile: "Putting the chicken on the table means 'Eat chicken tonight, good luck', which carries the good expectations for the coming year."

Lin Qingxia sighed, "It's a pity that the preparations were rushed, otherwise I would definitely make the hot pot myself and let you guys have a taste."

"Although there is no hot pot, there are other substitutes that imply reunion, such as dumplings."

Fangyan suggested waiting until late at night, dividing the work among everyone and making dumplings together.

"Okay!"

Mike was very excited. "It's been a long time since I came back from Beijing. I haven't tasted real dumplings!"

Then he made an "X" sign with his hands and added, "Of course, no cilantro and chives!"

"Hahaha."

As soon as these words were spoken, the whole room burst into laughter and the atmosphere became more lively and relaxed.

After a while, there were "bang bang" sounds outside the house, and the fireworks blooming in the sky poured down like a waterfall.

It is brilliant and colorful, streaking across the night sky like a shooting star, intoxicating everyone.

Fang Yan was enjoying the fireworks show in the city while rolling out the dumpling skins, and his eyes would occasionally glance at Lin Qingxia and Bai Ruoxue.

They were seeing them teaching Mike and Rodian how to make dumplings one-on-one, step by step. Even though it was their first time, the dumplings they made were extremely ugly, but fortunately they were not as bad as Guo Furong in "Wulin Waijiao", who used glue to stick the dumpling skins together and then threaded them with silk thread.

Lin Qingxia was laughing happily, and the smile on her face was like the warm sun in winter.

"How about we boil half of the dumplings and fry the other half?"

“Fried dumplings?!”

Everyone looked at each other, as if they had heard some dark dish. Can dumplings be fried?

Bai Ruoxue said weakly, "Sister Qingxia, you should be talking about pot stickers and fried dumplings, right?"

"Of course not, it's fried. I heard from my parents and my eldest sister that fried dumplings seem to be a dish in Ludong's New Year's Eve dinner."

Lin Qingxia blinked her clear eyes, "Why, don't you have this dish?"

Bai Ruoxue, Mike and others cast inquiring glances at Fangyan. After all, he is the big foodie who wrote "A Bite of China"!
"In the eastern part of Shandong, there are fried meatballs and fried lotus root for New Year's Eve dinner, which implies 'prosperity'." Fangyan thought for a moment, "The 'fried dumplings' Qingxia just mentioned should not be fried dumplings of this kind, but fried leek boxes that look like dumplings."

Lin Qingxia listened quietly to the method of making “leek boxes”, and her eyes suddenly lit up:
"Yes, yes, that's it! Can I use this dumpling to make chive dumplings?"

"Of course that won't work. This dumpling is not that box."

Fangyan waved his hand.

There was a flash of regret in Lin Qingxia's eyes. Just when she was feeling disappointed, a burst of laughter came to her ears.

"Since you want to try the 'leek boxes' from your hometown in Ludong so much, I'll make some for you to try."

"I want one too, Teacher Fang!"

Bai Ruoxue said with anticipation.

Mike hesitated for a while and stammered, "Teacher Fang, can you make me a leek box without leeks?"

Bai Ruoxue chuckled, "If there is no leek in the leek dumpling, is it still a leek dumpling?"

"It's not impossible, the filling can be replaced with carrots, green onions, vermicelli, rapeseed, spinach, etc."

Fangyan said that he would prepare tailor-made "boxes" for Mike and Rodian that did not contain leeks.

Mike smiled and said, "Thank you, Mr. Fang. Let us help you."

"Let me do it." Lin Qingxia volunteered, "You guys go make the dumplings, but remember not to eat any of them secretly!"

Bai Ruoxue, Mike and the others made solemn promises and hurriedly carried the wooden board filled with dumplings, unable to wait.

Lin Qingxia was chopping the stuffing for chive dumplings as the dialect meant. She turned around and saw that his face was covered with flour as he kneaded the dough.

"Don't move, I'll wipe it for you."

Little did she know that she had just made dumplings and her hands were also covered in flour.

The result was that the more she rubbed, the whiter it became, just like applying rouge and powder, and Fangyan's entire face turned into a big tabby cat.

The smile on her lips was harder to suppress than AK, but in the end she couldn't suppress it. Lin Qingxia smiled, and her laughter echoed in the house like the sound of clear wind chimes.

"Okay, watch this!"

Fangyan had already guessed why she was laughing, so he responded "unceremoniously".

The two of them laughed and joked for a while, and then the wrapped boxes and dumplings came out of the oven, steaming slowly.

At the same time, a clock-like picture appeared on TV, with the second hand moving forward second by second, counting down to the New Year.

"five four three two one!"

Accompanied by the sound of "Ding Dong" three times, the melody of "Auld Lang Syne" slowly played from the TV.

Mike and Luo Diane sang the English version, Fang Yan and Bai Ruoxue sang the Mandarin version, and Lin Qingxia sang the Cantonese version.

Three different versions are interwoven together. Although the lyrics are different, they achieve a state of emotional resonance and deep fit.

Everyone had a great time and was half drunk, some even unconscious. They left in boredom around midnight. Fortunately, Fang Yan had anticipated that everyone would not return home drunk tonight, and had arranged a driver in advance so that he and Lin Qingxia would not have to drive home drunk.

Along the way, people from all over the city would gather in street squares to sing, pray, confess and bless.

Especially when passing by a church, the bells will ring and the band in the church will play the famous nostalgic song, "Bon Voyage".

Just like the title of the song, the two returned safely to the villa.

Lin Qingxia drunkenly held Fangyan's arm, snuggled in his arms, and a faint smell of alcohol came out of her breath.

"Would you like some hot water?"

Fangyan put his arm around her shoulders to prevent her from losing balance.

"Ah."

Lin Qingxia's face flushed, she nodded slightly, and seemed to reluctantly let go of her hands that were around his waist.

Just as Fangyan was pouring water, Lin Qingxia's exclamation came from behind, "Snow! It's snowing!"

When I looked back, I saw snowflakes flying outside the window, dancing in the air.

Lin Qingxia suddenly became energetic. Even though she was staggering and walking unsteadily, she opened the door and ran out. Fang Yan hurriedly put down the hot water and rushed out. She was wearing an Ankara red coat, which was particularly conspicuous in the snow.

She was spinning and laughing in the snow, and the snow fell on her flying hair, which was as beautiful as a painting.

Suddenly, her feet slipped, her body swayed, and she began to lose her balance. A big hand hugged her in time and stabilized her body.

Their eyes met, and Lin Qingxia's look gradually became blurred, her eyes sparkling, and somehow she moved her lips closer to his.

Her eyes can speak, her charming smile can speak, her kiss, her hands, her chest... every inch of her can speak.

She is waiting and inviting!
They hugged each other tighter and tighter, and snowflakes fell gently on their hair, shoulders and collars.

A gust of biting cold wind blew by, which made them, who were gradually becoming infatuated, sober up for a moment, but it was only for a moment.

"Wait a minute! We...we..."

"Wait, my mouth tastes like leeks!"

"I have it too!"

The sky was dark and the ground was covered with white snow.

There was no trace of the two people outside the house, and the lights in the room were off. Only the fireworks blooming in the night sky were as bright as daylight and crackling.

From time to time, one or two stars pierced the Milky Way, or slid into the darkness, with red or white tails of light, floating or stiff, falling straight down or sweeping across, and sometimes flickering and trembling, giving the sky some turbulence of light and heat, and giving the darkness some flickering bursts.

........................

3 days later, Los Angeles International Airport.

Passengers gradually climbed the stairs, passed through the boarding cabin, and boarded the flight to Washington.

As soon as Lin Qingxia sat down in the business seat, she keenly noticed that Bai Ruoxue was looking her up and down with a scrutinizing gaze.

"What's wrong, Ruoxue, is there something on my face?"

As he spoke, he pulled his scarf up as if guilty, to cover the red marks on his neck that had not yet completely faded.

"No, Sister Qingxia, I just think you've suddenly become more beautiful."

Bai Ruoxue was very surprised.

"Y-yeah?"

Lin Qingxia's heart skipped a beat. When she thought of the days of living together, her cheeks flushed slightly. However, she remained calm on the surface and deliberately asked in a resentful tone: "Ruoxue, do you mean that I was not good-looking before?"

"No, no, Sister Qingxia, you misunderstood. I meant that you are more beautiful than before."

Bai Ruoxue explained: "From the inside out, I feel completely different from before. How should I put it? I feel more charming!"

Lin Qingxia touched her face subconsciously: "Maybe I got enough sleep these days, and all the fatigue and stress from filming have been released, so my complexion has improved, and my skin has become brighter and healthier, which makes you think I have become more beautiful and more attractive, right?"

"wrong……"

Bai Ruoxue still felt something was wrong. After all, Lin Qingxia's changes before and after New Year's Eve were particularly great!

"This must be your illusion."

Lin Qingxia became nervous and immediately changed the subject, talking about Bai Ruoxue's pale complexion and dull skin.

"Maybe it's because I often stay up late." Bai Ruoxue said that she has to keep a close eye on the financial markets in Japan, the United States, Hong Kong and other places.

"So, Ruoxue, you have to be more careful. Don't just ignore things because you are young."

Lin Qingxia breathed a sigh of relief and successfully diverted Bai Ruoxue's attention by recommending her beauty and skin care knowledge and products.

Bai Ruoxue gently stroked Lin Qingxia's hand, with envy flashing in her eyes, "Sister Qingxia, your skin is so good..."

"After the plane takes off, you can take this opportunity to have a good sleep. I will wake you up when we arrive in Washington."

Lin Qingchu finally managed to fool her best friend and breathed a sigh of relief.

Turning his head, he caught a glimpse of Fangyan and Mike, who seemed to be discussing the contents of the new book. They pouted and raised their eyebrows, with a hint of resentment.

After the plane landed in Washington, everyone went from the airport to the hotel that had been booked in advance, and only then did they find a chance to be alone with Fangyan.

"I was almost discovered by Ruoxue!"

"She was right to praise you. You are indeed more beautiful than before. You are so beautiful that you are bubbling with beauty."

"Still laughing and talking nonsense! It's all because of you, it's all your fault!"

Lin Qingxia pursed her lips, and her tone of reproach was mixed with a hint of sweetness and embarrassment.

"Yes, it's all my fault. It's all my fault."

Fangyan took her into his arms.

"Stop messing around, Ruoxue and Michael are next door."

Lin Qingxia struggled for a few times, but finally rested her head on his shoulder.

"I know my limits."

Fangyan said, "You can't have any complications on the eve of your personal film exhibition, right?"

Seeing that he was devoted to her, Lin Qingxia was worried that if she stayed any longer, she would become uncontrollably emotional again.

"I, I'm going back to try on the dress. I'm going to wear it to the film festival tomorrow."

The "dress" mentioned here is a specially customized train dress by Dior, which is inlaid with diamonds and looks magnificent under the lights.

As the host of this personal film exhibition, standing in the lobby of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in the capital, he welcomed with a smile all the guests and visitors who came to participate in the "Lin Qingxia - Today, the Star of the East; Tomorrow, the Star of the World" event, and Fangyan accompanied her on both sides, just like a host.

With the dialect as her companion, Lin Qingxia seemed to have found a backbone. She was neither nervous nor anxious, and she received guests and accepted interviews calmly and easily.

After a while, Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Zun Long and other important guests arrived one after another, immediately attracting the attention and siege of the media.

Steven Spielberg almost called Fang Yan and Lin Qingxia "Sao Rui" several times just before his personal film exhibition was about to start.

"I thought I was the only one late. I didn't expect Francis and the others haven't arrived yet?"

"I guess he won't be able to come."

Fangyan cast a meaningful look.

"Are you currently working on the script you carefully prepared for him?"

Steven Spielberg got the message.

“Untouchable.”

He announced the name of the movie in dialect and said that Francis Coppola was busy with the early preparations and casting.

"Speaking of this, I, Martin, Cameron and others all have to thank you very much."

Steven Spielberg said: "Thank you for fulfilling your promise and helping Francis get back on his feet."

"Ha ha!"

Fangyan laughed loudly, and then he and Lin Qingxia smiled and welcomed the people into the art center. (End of this chapter)