We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

On Lunar New Year's Eve, February 9th, every household puts up Spring Festival couplets and hangs up red lanterns.

"Xiaobai, after we finish eating, we'll go to your aunt's house."

"In a little while?" Li Mubai put down his chopsticks. "Uh... I'm going out in a bit."

"Going out? Where are you going during the New Year?" Li's mother asked, putting down her bowl.

Li Mubai glanced at Li Muyong and Yu Nan at the dinner table, took a deep breath, and said, "I'm going to find Xie Shu."

As soon as he finished speaking, the air at the dining table seemed to freeze for a moment.

"Where are you going during the Chinese New Year?"

"Nowhere to go, just going for a walk outside."

Li's mother glanced at the time on her phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally relented: "Okay, but don't stay out too late, and don't go to any remote places, understand?"

"I heard you, I heard you." Li Mubai couldn't help but smile.

"Do you have any money left?"

"There are still some."

Yu Nan, his future sister-in-law, even gave him 500 yuan as a New Year's gift!

He quickly finished his meal, then eagerly got ready and went out: "Mom, I'm off."

"Remember not to stay out too late," Li's mother instructed.

"understood."

A soft click sounded, and the room fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Yu Nan chuckled softly, "Does Xiao Bai have a boyfriend?"

"He insisted on being with that female classmate," Li's mother said, her tone not particularly harsh.

"But it's pretty good, isn't it? A lot of guys have trouble finding girlfriends these days, so Xiaobai's girlfriend must be alright?"

After thinking for a moment, Li's mother's expression softened: "It's alright, as long as it doesn't affect your grades."

……

On New Year's Eve, perhaps because it was in the suburbs, the streets were unusually deserted, with almost no cars or pedestrians.

Following the address given by Xie Shu, Li Mubai boarded the subway. The city center was different from the suburbs, and was even a bit crowded.

He arrived at his destination—Wanda Plaza—at around 6:50.

The square was brightly lit, and crowds thronged the Spring Festival market. Stalls were filled with red lanterns and couplets, and lively songs played from speakers.

He took out his phone, snapped a photo, and sent it to Xie Shu.

Li Bubai: "I've arrived."

Yan Shu: "I've arrived too. Guess where I am?"

He subconsciously turned around and looked around, but Xie Shu was not among the passersby.

When he turned back, a red and white figure was slowly walking towards him, and Li Mubai's gaze stopped.

"You idiot," Xie Shu stopped in front of him, "you took pictures of me in all of them."

"Uh..." He touched the tip of his nose somewhat awkwardly, "It's just that you're a little different from usual today."

"Isn't it the same?" Xie Shu looked down at himself, then looked up again.

She was wearing a beige long dress with a bright red wool cardigan over it, the collar of which was turned up over the dress's stand-up collar, and a rather large red bow was pinned at the back of her head.

She also wore light makeup, her eyelashes were longer than usual, and her lips had a thin layer of color. She looked completely different from the person who always wore a school uniform at school.

"It's different." Li Mubai looked away with difficulty. "It's quite beautiful."

"Wasn't it good-looking before?" Xie Shu's lips curled up slightly.

"She looked good before, she always looked good."

"So, what makes me look good today?" Xie Shu moved a little closer, and a faint floral fragrance drifted into Li Mubai's nose.

"Ahem." Li Mubai coughed twice, his eyes darting around.

"Look at me." Xie Shu reached out and gently held his cheek, turning his face towards him.

Li Mubai held his breath. Perhaps it was the light from the red lanterns beside him that made Xie Shu's cheeks blush slightly.

They looked at each other for only a few seconds before she looked away.

Li Mubai breathed a sigh of relief: "Where to next?"

Xie Shu didn't speak. She suddenly took a step closer and quickly gave him a light peck on the cheek.

Li Mubai felt a chill run down his spine and subconsciously raised his hand to touch the spot where he had been kissed; it was moist.

"In France, there's a basic etiquette called a cheek kiss, and that's how it's done," Xie Shu said earnestly, justifying his behavior with a plausible explanation.

"I'm not well-educated... don't try to fool me."

"It's true, I'm well-read." Xie Shu twisted his fingers and nodded emphatically.

Li Mubai glanced at her lips; they were cherry-colored, like freshly picked strawberries.

He quickly shook his head, trying to clear his mind of those distracting thoughts.

"Where to next?" he changed the subject.

"Let's go to the market." Xie Shu stretched out his hand and pointed to the stalls with red lanterns hanging in front of the square.

"it is good."

Li Mubai lifted his leg, but Xie Shu remained standing still. He looked at her in confusion.

Xie Shu held out his hand: "There will be a lot of people later, be careful not to get separated."

Li Mubai smiled helplessly. He took her outstretched hand and slowly intertwined their fingers, then walked side by side toward the market.

"Congratulations on your fortune! Congratulations on your wonderful life!"

Music poured from the speakers in the square, carrying the sounds of bustling people, echoing back and forth in the New Year's Eve night.

Xie Shu held his hand and walked among the stalls, stopping and looking at anything interesting.

"Guess the riddle! There's a reward for the correct answer!"

Xie Shu quickened his pace and approached; the small stall was covered with all sorts of riddles.

"Is there a reward for guessing a riddle correctly?" someone asked.

"That's right, there will be a reward as long as you guess correctly."

Xie Shu pulled him to a word puzzle: "Hidden heart before the year, spring colors half-remain" (Guess a Chinese character).

"How's it going? Any leads?" Xie Shu asked.

"Not yet." Li Mubai shook his head.

He rested his chin on his hand in deep thought, while Xie Shu also stared at the riddle in contemplation.

Hey.

Li Mubai's phone vibrated in his pocket, and he took it out with his other hand.

Qinghe: "Happy Chinese New Year! Look at our family's New Year's Eve dinner."

She then sent a photo that looked quite lavish, with many people sitting together.

He chuckled briefly.

Li Bubai: "Happy Chinese New Year."

Who is it?

Li Mubai put down his phone and noticed Xie Shuzheng looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Chen Qiuhe, she's having her New Year's Eve dinner."

He turned his phone screen to show her, and Xie Shu glanced at the familiar profile picture on the screen and nodded.

"I've figured it out," she suddenly said.

"Hmm? What is it?"

Xie Shu leaned close to his ear, covered his mouth with his hand, and whispered, "It's the word 'love'."

"The word 'love'?"

"The character '藏心' (cáng xīn) has the 'heart' radical, and '春色半留' (chūn sè bàn liú) refers to the green color of spring."

"Oh—" Li Mubai suddenly realized that the riddle was actually quite simple, but he hadn't thought about it much.

He quickly called the stall owner to claim his prize and successfully won a small dragon doll.

"Here you go, Xie Shu." Li Mubai handed Xie Shu to him.

"Here you go," she waved her hand.

"I don't need it, just give me the one you guessed."

"I wanted to give this to you. You should hug it to sleep and keep it by your pillow, as if I'm right beside you, okay?"

It sounds pretty scary, like Xie Shu put a surveillance camera inside the doll.

He chuckled, just kidding.

"Thank you, Xiao Shu."

"Xiao Bai is gone," Xie Shu replied immediately.

They hadn't walked far when they saw a small circle gathered in the distance. Xie Shu pulled him along curiously.

"Boss, how much is this sparkler?"

"Twenty-one boxes."

Li Mubai peeked out and saw that someone was selling fireworks from a cart piled high with them.

He turned his gaze away and looked at Xie Shu beside him, whose eyes remained fixed on the car.

"Want to buy it?" he asked softly.

"Mm." Xie Shu nodded.

"Then wait for me."

He lifted his leg to squeeze into the crowd, but Xie Shu kept holding his other hand.

"I'll be with you," she said.

"it is good."

Although it was difficult for the two of them to squeeze in, they managed to reach the fireworks vendor after waiting for two minutes.

He bought a box of sparklers and two handheld fireworks.

Li Mubai patted his pockets and suddenly remembered, "Hey, I don't think I have a lighter."

The stall owner looked at the young couple holding hands in front of him: "Lighters are two yuan each."

The selection is really complete...

Li Mubai quickly paid two yuan and accepted the ordinary lighter handed to him by the stall owner.

Suddenly, he saw several people wearing reflective vests.

"Who gave you permission to sell fireworks here? Take them away right now!"

"Sorry, I'll be leaving right away."

Li Mubai quickly grabbed Xie Shu and ran away as fast as he could; if they had been any later, his fireworks might have been confiscated too.

They walked to an open area next to the square, where many people were already setting off fireworks.

Xie Shusong loosened her grip; she was about to open the fairy wand box.

Seeing her enthusiastic expression, Li Mubai couldn't help but ask curiously, "Xie Shu, have you played this before?"

Xie Shu paused for a moment: "No, my mother used to worry that this would hurt me, so she wouldn't let me play with it."

He was really strict. When he was a child, he would stuff firecrackers directly into other people's hats when they played with them.

Li Mubai raised his hand and gently patted Xie Shu's head.

"Quickly, help me light the fire." Xie Shu held up two sparklers, his face slightly flushed.

Li Mubai leaned closer, and the lighter clicked softly, a few sparks shooting out from the tip of the sparkler. He quickly pulled his hand back.

Immediately afterwards, thin golden sparks emerged from the tip of the stick, illuminating a small patch of the night. Xie Shu held one in each hand and slowly drew something in the air.

"What does this look like to you?" she asked, turning her head to him.

"Love".

"Then take one, and we'll draw together."

Li Mubai took the fairy wand she handed him, took half a step closer to her, raised his arm, and followed her movement to slowly draw an arc in mid-air.

At the finish line, the sparkler's light went out, and the surroundings were once again enveloped in night.