Which way to go is the road?

Xiang Fei and Dong Lu chatted while eating, covering a wide range of topics: books they had read, silly things they had done, and fond memories. Laughter occasionally drifted out of the attic, mingling with the sounds of fireworks and firecrackers in the New Year's Eve night sky.

However, Xiang Fei discovered that although their conversation covered a wide range of topics, it did not involve Dong Lu's family or relatives, and they even remained tight-lipped about her hometown, which was very unusual and puzzling.

Xiang Fei wanted to ask several times, but he held back each time. Since not saying it would be too sensitive, asking rashly would make both of them feel awkward and would ruin the relaxed and free atmosphere of the conversation, so he simply stopped worrying about it.

A cell phone rang, and Dong Lu answered it: "Happy New Year, Sister Luomei!"

"I'm having a bad New Year, why are you locking the door when everything's fine? How can I feel good after being turned away?"

Dong Lu was startled: "Why are you here at this hour? I'll go open the door and get you right away!"

Xiang Fei didn't let Dong Lu get up. He turned around and left the attic, running to the front door on the first floor. Qian Luomei was outside the door carrying a large bag of things, shivering and stamping her feet in the cold. When she saw Xiang Fei, she kept blowing her beard and glaring at him, telling him to open the door quickly.

"What are all these things you're carrying? They're so heavy!" Xiang Fei took the big bag and shook it; it was quite heavy.

Dong Lu slapped Xiang Fei's bangs: "Food! It's the New Year, I was worried you wouldn't eat well! I came all the way here to bring you food, but before you even got to eat what I brought, I got the cold shoulder! You're really something!"

"Thank you, Sister Luomei. Actually, I prepared quite a lot of things beforehand. The food I cooked today tasted pretty good. Thank you for your trouble!" Xiang Fei said gratefully, looking at the contents of the bag.

"Really? You cooked again? Come on, let's go upstairs and see!"

The two walked and talked, and a few minutes later they arrived at the attic living room. When Dong Lu saw Qian Luomei coming over, she immediately got up and asked her to sit in her seat, and then went to the kitchen to get a set of bowls and chopsticks.

"Hmm! That's good. This braised pork ribs are even better than my mom's. And there's red wine too. Dong Lu, is this your glass?"

Qian Luomei picked up her chopsticks and immediately started eating, giving a thumbs-up as she ate. She didn't care whether she'd already drunk from it, and picked up Dong Lu's cup to drink. Xiang Fei and Dong Lu, on the other hand, stopped and stood watching.

"What are you doing? I've already put up door gods on the internet cafe door. You two don't need to be so dutiful. Sit down and eat with us, or I'll eat it all!" Qian Luomei glanced at the two people standing there, clearly displeased with their politeness.

Dong Lu pushed the plate towards Qian Luomei: "Sister Luomei, what did you eat for your New Year's Eve dinner? How did you spend it?"

"Don't even mention it. These days, it's all about going to a restaurant for New Year's Eve dinner. Do you think the food at a restaurant can be any good? The atmosphere just isn't right. Even if it is, it doesn't taste like home cooking, does it? We ordered a whole table of food, but I don't know about them, I didn't eat much!" Qian Luomei said while eating.

"Then eat more. We've all eaten enough. These four dishes are enough for the three of us!" Xiang Fei handed over a glass of red wine and filled Qian Luomei's glass.

"It's not just four dishes. I just packed a few more to go, plus dumplings. How can you celebrate Chinese New Year without dumplings? Yes, they're in that bag. Open them up and put them out; they're still warm!"

With the vegetables and dumplings packed in the bag laid out, it looks even more like a New Year's Eve dinner.

When Dong Lu and Xiang Fei were having dinner together, the food and wine were quite good, but it just didn't feel like the New Year's atmosphere was right. Once the steaming dumplings were served, it immediately felt like the New Year.

Qian Luomei clinked glasses with Dong Lu, took a sip of red wine, and swirled the glass in her hand, the red liquid bobbing back and forth. "Dong Lu," she said, "you spent the New Year at an internet cafe. Didn't Zhang Fang come to see you? Or did he not invite you to his house for the New Year? After all, his family is from Beijing, and they're well-off. It should be a lively New Year at his house!"

"No, Zhang Fang isn't in Beijing. His whole family went to Hainan for the Spring Festival. We were just sending text messages!" Dong Lu took a small sip of red wine, not swallowing it immediately, savoring its sourness.

Qian Luomei slammed her wine glass on the table: "These days, traveling during the New Year is all the rage. If you have money, you can spend it however you want! But Zhang Fang shouldn't have gone. He knew you were in Beijing, and he didn't even offer to help! When he gets back, I'm going to give him a good scolding!"

"Forget it, he hasn't told his parents about us yet! There's no reason for him to stay in Beijing. Besides, we've been keeping in touch via text message. He even sent me a Chinese New Year greeting just now! He also sent me photos from our trip via MMS. Sister Luomei, look, is it really that hot in Sanya? Zhang Fang is still wearing shorts!" Dong Lu was particularly good at comforting herself, perhaps it was related to her life experiences!

Qian Luomei looked at Dong Lu, who had come over excitedly to show her the photos, and stroked her hair affectionately, saying, "Dong Lu, whoever marries you is truly blessed!"

Looking at Dong Lu, Xiang Fei felt a pang of sadness, unsure whether it was pity for Dong Lu's plight or the memory of Bai Xue's solitary desolation.

Just then, a cluster of fireworks burst open outside, dazzling and radiant, bursting forth with a beautiful array of colors.

The three of them walked out of the pavilion and onto the roof. The night was like a curtain in a theater, enveloping the entire city of Yandu. Fireworks opened small holes in the curtain, spilling out bursts of colorful light.

Qian Luomei and Dong Lu stood hand in hand, quietly leaning on each other. Each ray of light illuminated their pretty, dignified, warm, and peaceful smiles. Xiang Fei stood with his hands in his pockets, took out his camera phone and snapped three photos, but they couldn't capture the effect seen with the naked eye.

Qian Luomei couldn't help but laugh when she saw Xiang Fei's actions, and she snapped her fingers at him.

"Taking photos at night, even with a DSLR, might not be able to capture the desired effect. Don't bother; just enjoy watching the fireworks. Instead of trying to capture this beautiful moment, appreciate it fully and immerse yourself in it! What's that saying again? 'I don't ask for forever, I only wish to have had it!'"

"Hmm, the photos are all dark and blurry. You guys look at the fireworks, and I'll look at you. I think you're more beautiful than the fireworks at this moment!" Xiang Fei said glibly.

Upon hearing Xiang Fei's reply, Qian Luomei deliberately made things difficult for him, saying, "Then tell me, who is prettier, Dong Lu or me?"

Xiang Fei blurted out, "Both are beautiful, with looks that could make fish sink and geese fall from the sky, and beauties that could shame the moon and put flowers to shame!"

"No, we have to choose one, we can't say both!" Dong Lu knew that Qian Luomei was deliberately teasing Xiang Fei, but she couldn't help but join in the game.

"So you can only choose one, right?"

"That's right!" they both said in unison.

"Alright, I choose—Snow White! Snow White is the prettiest, are you satisfied now?" Xiang Fei shook his head and swayed, smiling smugly.

……

The three of them chatted, joked, and played like that. When they ran out of things to do, they started throwing beanbags. Heaven knows how Qian Luomei ended up with such an old-fashioned toy in her attic. They had a blast, completely unrestrained, as if they had returned to their childhood, to the materially scarce yet fun-filled 1980s.

It was 11 o'clock when Qian Luomei decided to go home, still feeling unsatisfied. Xiang Fei escorted her downstairs. As they passed the front desk on the first floor, they noticed a customer sitting on the sofa reading a book, which was obviously taken from the bar counter.