Mud beads

After Yue Feng left, Yue Jian Che did not immediately give an answer.

He slept until noon as usual, played games as usual, occasionally answered the phone, spoke a few words in English, and then continued watching movies after hanging up. No one mentioned the border closure anymore, no one mentioned going abroad again, and there was no news from the old man. Yu Zhu passed by his door several times and heard gunshots, engine noises, and low laughter coming from inside. Those sounds were thin and distant, coming through the door.

She didn't know what he was thinking or what decision he had reached.

She had no right to ask.

Lunar New Year's Eve arrived quickly.

A light snowfall drifted through Chang'an during the day, melting as soon as it touched the ground, leaving the roadside trees damp. Yuejian Che gave the chef the day off, and Aunt Wang prepared lunch: steamed fish, stewed chicken, and fried lotus root slices. As the oil heated up, the batter-coated lotus root slices were slid in, instantly bursting into a ring of fine bubbles. Compared to the chef's usual professionalism, Aunt Wang's cooking had a more homely flavor; the aroma of oil, vinegar, scallions, and ginger filled the house, overpowering the fragrance of flowers and perfumes, giving this usually excessively cold house a touch of New Year's warmth.

In the afternoon, Toru Echizen came downstairs.

He was wearing a dark gray loungewear set with a thick blanket draped over it, and his voice was very nasal. His hair was unkempt, with a few strands hanging down his forehead, and his face was paler than usual, but the corners of his eyes were flushed red. Aunt Wang saw him and immediately went over to him.

"Young Master, you still have a fever?"

Tetsuya Echizen leaned against the restaurant entrance, his expression indifferent: "Almost done."

"It was over 38 degrees Celsius last night, how can you say it's almost healed?" Aunt Wang frowned. "Shall I have Dr. Liu come and take another look?"

"No need." He coughed twice, his voice terribly hoarse. "You should go home."

Aunt Wang was stunned for a moment.

"Go back and be with the children," Toru Koshima said. "I'll have the driver take you."

Aunt Wang looked at him: "Then what about here tonight..."

"I ordered dinner, someone will deliver it." Echizen Toru looked up. "I can still breathe."

He spoke gently, a weary smile on his face. Aunt Wang was taken aback, unsure what to say, but nodded gratefully and said, "Thank you, young master." Before leaving, she placed the fever reducer, water, thermometer, and electrolyte solution on the coffee table.

"Zhuzhu," she whispered, "keep an eye on the young master. If he catches a fire, call me."

Yu Zhu nodded: "Okay."

Aunt Wang picked up her bag and walked out the door. The door closed very softly, and the room suddenly felt empty.

Dinner was delivered early from the hotel, placed in a professional insulated box with the provided tableware, and set on the table by a dedicated person. Yuejian Che didn't have much of an appetite, only drinking a couple of sips of soup. Yu Zhu couldn't eat much either, and the two of them sitting on the table with a lot of food seemed unusually empty.

In the past, the Yu family didn't have a New Year's Eve dinner during the Spring Festival in the village. There were no elders in the family, and Yu Laidi worked away from home and didn't come back. The four of them would just get together to eat dumplings, and that was enough for the New Year. Some families with many members would slaughter pigs and sheep in advance. Yu Zhu would occasionally see various dried vegetables and salted fish drying in the yards of some houses when she passed by carrying firewood.

That evening, Yuejian Che didn't go upstairs for the first time in a long time, and watched the Spring Festival Gala with Yuzhu in the living room.

The living room wasn't lit with many lights, but the huge screen displayed a vibrant, bustling red display, adding a festive touch to the otherwise undecorated house. Young celebrities took turns performing on stage, but Yu Zhu couldn't recognize a single one of the singing and dancing figures. The villa district outside the window was eerily quiet, as if every household had closed their doors to celebrate their own holiday. The streetlights were on, and the shadows of trees were reflected on the sheer curtains of the French windows. Occasionally, a car would drive by, its tires making a low thud on the wet pavement.

Tetsuya Echizen was nestled on the sofa, a wool blanket draped over him, the television light reflecting off his face, turning red and blue in turns.

Yu Zhu sat on the small sofa next to her.

She didn't actually watch the Spring Festival Gala much. It was too cold in the mountains in winter, and she couldn't sit still to watch TV at night. After 8:30, people usually went to bed. Sometimes Yu Dahai would leave the TV on to listen to the sound, but Liu Guizhen would always scold him, saying that if he didn't want to watch it, he should turn it off and not waste electricity.

When the Spring Festival Gala aired a comedy sketch, the camera cut to the audience, who were laughing and cheering.

Koshima Toru suddenly looked up and asked, "Do they set off firecrackers in the mountains for the New Year?"

Yu Zhu turned her head.

He was still watching TV, his eyelids drooping, his face showing little interest.

"They set them off." Yu Zhu thought for a moment. "They start setting them off as soon as it gets dark, and the most people set them off around midnight. They're incredibly loud. Every year, several dogs in the village are scared to death by the firecrackers."

Echizen Toru chuckled softly, followed by two coughs.

Yu Zhu hurriedly handed over the warm water from the coffee table.

Ji Yong and the others came to her house a few days ago, and she heard that they had made plans to celebrate New Year's Eve together. She just didn't know if Yue Jianche had been too tired from hiking a few days ago, which had lowered his immunity and caused him to cough for a few days before suddenly developing a high fever last night. So, the New Year's Eve activities that were supposed to happen today were canceled.

After finishing his water, Toru Koshima slowly sat up and put the cup back on the coffee table: "This is the place that deserves a loud bang."

Yu Zhu was taken aback: "It can't be released in the city."

Besides, it's the middle of the night, where can you buy firecrackers?

"Come with me." Echizen Toru stood up, wrapped in a blanket. He swayed for a moment, but quickly regained his balance.

The light in the storage room on the basement level came on, and Toru Koshima went inside.

Yu Zhu stood at the door, looking at the soundproofing cotton covering the walls, and stopped in her tracks, not continuing to walk inside.

The storage room was bright and not cluttered. There was a temperature-controlled wine cabinet against one wall, and on the other side were several boxes, sports equipment, old musical instrument cases, and some large tools that she couldn't name.

Yu Zhu watched Yue Jianche's retreating figure.

He bent down in front of several cardboard boxes, holding a blanket over his shoulder with one hand and rummaging through the boxes with the other.

She wanted to go and help him look for it, but then she remembered the story Yue Feng had told about the driver's son—Yue Feng had said that the storage room used to be an audio-visual room.

Koshima Toru suddenly turned around: "What are you standing there for?"

He gestured with his chin toward a dark green desiccant box on the far right of the room.

"Go open that."

Yu Zhu hesitated for a moment, then walked over, squatted down, and pressed the latch.

The lid was lifted, revealing a box crammed with all sorts of fireworks and firecrackers. The wrapping paper was dazzlingly shiny, with English, Japanese, and Chinese characters pasted together, in red, gold, and silver, all neatly arranged.

Yu Zhu suddenly froze and turned to look at Yue Jianche.

Koshima Toru leaned against the wall, his face finally showing some life: "Bring out all the ones in gold packaging."

"Fireworks are not allowed in the city..."

"Take it." Echizen Toru remained unmoved.

Yu Zhu lowered her head: "If I get caught, what will happen—"

"Yu Zhu," he interrupted her, his tone turning serious, "Don't make me repeat myself."

Yu Zhu didn't say anything more. Her fingers went into the boxes and she picked up two boxes of gold-packaged fireworks and cannons.

Moth

They went out through the side door.

It was past eleven o'clock, and the night was bitterly cold. Yu Zhu was carrying two boxes of fireworks, her hands too busy to zip up her coat. A gust of wind slipped into her collar, and she sneezed. Yue Jianche wasn't wearing a coat; he was still wearing the same blanket over his pajamas. He walked ahead of her, the wind tousling his hair, but he seemed oblivious to the cold, his steps leisurely, his jade-like ankles occasionally peeking out with each step.

Instead of taking the main road, he led her around a winding grassy path and a Taihu stone, along a long corridor, all the way to the lakeside pavilion in the center of the community.

On the eve of the Lunar New Year, no one was out strolling around. Yu Zhu looked up and around. The lake was surrounded by villas that stood quietly, their lights shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows, with people moving about.

"Put it here." Tetsuya Echizen stood under the pavilion, his arms wrapped in a blanket, and pointed to the ground of the covered bridge with his toes.

Yu Zhu stood on the covered bridge, listening to the sound of the lake water lapping against the riverbank, her heart pounding louder and louder.

"Senior Yue," her voice trembled, whether from fear or cold, "there are security cameras here."

"So?" Toru Echizen lowered his head and pulled a silver lighter from the pocket of his pajamas.

"You will be fined."

"Oh." He smiled indifferently. His sickly appearance made him look more relaxed than usual, but his features were still gentle and handsome.

Yu Zhu held the fireworks tightly, her arms aching and trembling, but she still didn't dare to put them down.

"Yu Zhu." Yue Jian Che approached a little closer, his brow furrowed and his hair disheveled. "I have a fever, and it's really cold standing here."

Yu Zhu closed her eyes in despair, bent down, and placed the two boxes of fireworks she was carrying close together on the ground. After doing this, she retreated to the pavilion and couldn't help but secretly look up at the surveillance camera on the vermilion pillar. She stared at the faint red light and could almost feel the shadows moving in the monitoring room behind the camera.

Echizen Toru took off the blanket and casually stuffed it into her arms.

He walked to the fireworks display, and the silver metal fuselage snapped open with a crack, sending flames shooting out and burning straight into the night wind.

Yu Zhu, clutching the blanket, couldn't help but speak, "Senior Yue..."

Echizen ignored her and slowly lit the two fuses one after the other.

Tiny sparks hissed and pierced inside, as fast as lightning.

The instant Koshima Toru turned around, a tremendous cannon roared in the center of the lake, echoing with the waves.

Yu Zhu felt a chill run down her spine. Looking at Yue Jianche's face illuminated by the fireworks, she felt as if the whole world had been put on slow motion in an instant.

Golden flames shot into the sky, exploding with a deafening roar at the highest point of the night. The brilliant fireworks briefly turned the dead of night into day, and the countless sparks of light vanished just before touching the lake's surface.

The second, the third, the fourth. The booming sound of the cannons was deafening, and a continuous stream of fireworks shot upwards. This expensive, quiet place, where even the trees were trimmed, was awakened by the sound of the cannons. Yu Zhu watched as more and more figures appeared at the windows of the surrounding villas, and people gradually drew back their curtains and went to their balconies.

Echizen Toru stood under the eaves of the pavilion, his face tilted back, his hair flying backward in the wind.

The fireworks reflected in his eyes, his pale face, etched with illness, now shimmered with a strange, eerie beauty under the multicolored flames. He laughed wildly, a mad, unrestrained glint in his once cool and refined features.

Yu Zhu was so stunned that she overlooked the security personnel who were gathering and running along the shore.

Echizen looked at her, tilted his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Why aren't you running? What are you waiting for?"

Yu Zhu snapped out of her daze and instinctively followed Yue Jianche's steps. The ground of the covered bridge was wet and slippery from the snow, and she almost fell because she was running too fast. Yue Jianche didn't turn around; his hand reached out from behind her and firmly gripped her wrist, the temperature of his palm surprisingly high.

After they took shelter in a holly bush, the branches brushed against Yu Zhu's face, cold and hard, with a slightly damp, earthy smell.

Fireworks continued to bloom in the night sky overhead. The security guards searched frantically for people like headless flies, the buzzing of their walkie-talkies echoing along the nearby path.

"Yeah, someone set off fireworks illegally, but I didn't see anyone. Yes, they've already started them off, not many, they should be done soon... It's too dark, let's check the surveillance footage tomorrow."

Yu Zhu crouched behind the bushes, her vest soaked with sweat, the sound of her heart pounding louder than the booming of cannons. She breathed rapidly, her breath rustling through the leaves, creating a slight tremor. Beside her, Yue Jianche sat on the ground without a care, head tilted back, a suppressed laugh escaping his lips. His breathing was also heavy, interspersed with occasional coughs, his blanket rumpled haphazardly around him.

As Yu Zhu looked at him, her fear slowly subsided, and a slight smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

She carried out the fireworks, she arranged them herself. Neither the property regulations, the city's prohibitions, nor the red dots on the surveillance poles stopped her. She was Toru Echizen's accomplice, the other half of the creator of this chaos and disorder.

From an outsider's perspective, this may be the first time she has stood side by side with Echizen Toru.

The bell rang at that moment.

It came from far away, very heavy, from somewhere in the city.

Echizen raised one hand, and the watch on his wrist lit up, the time jumping to exactly midnight.

Yu Zhu raised her head and looked into Yue Jianche's eyes.

The afterglow of the fireworks fell on his nose and eyelashes, a play of light and shadow. The wind by the lake was cold, and the smell of smoke drifted along the ground, a mixture of sulfur and dampness from the grass, making her eyes sting.

She whispered, "Happy New Year."

Yu Zhu smiled as she watched Yue Jianche turn his head amidst the fireworks.

"Yu Zhu," he said, "Happy New Year."