The grandfather and grandson talked about a great deal. They reminisced about the days when the grandfather served in the army with Shen Yu's grandfather, Shen Junkun. They also talked about their love - hate relationships and revolutionary friendship back then.
Just as every flower has its blooming season, people are bound to be young and impetuous.
Yi Pin sat there quietly, listening with a faint smile on his lips.
Just then, Mama Liu brought over the phone.
"Sir, there's a call for you. It's from Mr. Shen!"
Hearing this, Yi Pin felt a sudden daze. He sat still, listening to the two old men chatting. It seemed they were talking about their recent whereabouts and experiences.
Yi Pin sat quietly, not saying a word, but his ears were tuned to the conversation. It seemed Shen Yu had just come over at this moment.
The two old men put the call on speaker and roared as they chatted.
Yi Pin smiled. He wondered if he would be hard - of - hearing like them when he got old. And who would he be calling and chatting about the old days with?
"Old Yi, that's it for now. I won't talk anymore. I'm getting old and my mouth is parched." Shen Junkun said with a laugh. "A Yu, come here and say a few words to Yi Pin!"
Hearing this voice, Yi Pin raised his eyebrows, feeling flustered.
After the old man said a few words, he handed the phone over. "You young people should chat more. I'll go upstairs and soak my feet!"
Watching the old man's retreating back, Yi Pin stood there stunned.
He was a bit expectant, but didn't know what to say. Ever since he was a child, he had been most afraid of making phone calls because he didn't know what to talk about and the conversation always ended up in an awkward silence.
"Hello!" Yi Pin picked up the phone, speaking in a daze, with a look of uneasiness on his face.
"Hello!" Shen Yu replied coldly.
Hearing this voice, Yi Pin felt a bit more at ease.
For some reason, every time he heard Shen Yu's voice, he inexplicably felt calm.
"How... have you been lately?" Shen Yu asked coldly. His magnetic voice made Yi Pin's ears tingle.
"Pretty good!" Yi Pin smiled, a hint of a smile appearing on his face.
After that, an awkward silence fell between them. They didn't know how to break the ice.
"Happy New Year!" Shen Yu said with a smile. His voice was a bit weak, but the corners of his mouth were upturned.
"You too. Happy New Year!" Yi Pin smiled.
Then they hung up the phone.
After hanging up, Yi Pin immediately regretted it. Why didn't he ask when Shen Yu would come back? Why didn't he ask if Shen Yu had a good time abroad?
But it seemed too late.
Since things had already happened, it was of no use to say anything now.
The next day, the old man insisted that Yi Pin and Zi Qi accompany him to buy New - Year goods.
The old man, adhering to the principles of thrift and a strong New - Year atmosphere, believed that the New - Year goods must be prepared by oneself so that the coming year would be blessed with good weather, bumper harvests, and smooth sailing.
Yi Pin and Zi Qi, two gluttons, only focused on the snack section, while the old man was very enthusiastic and carefully selected all kinds of New - Year goods.
When they got home, they were carrying a lot of bags and felt hot.
This was the longest New Year in recent years. Time seemed to stand still and showed no sign of passing.
They waited for a long time, but the Chinese New Year's Eve still hadn't arrived.
Yi Pin's father took his young step - mother out for a romantic date, and the house was full of people coming to pay New - Year greetings to the old man.
Yi Pin tossed and turned and finally managed to get through to the next day.
Finally, it was Chinese New Year's Eve. It was extremely lively, and the living room was packed with people.
"Yi Pin, do you have a girlfriend?"
"Do you want your aunt to introduce one to you?"
"Yi Pin, how's your job? Is it busy?"
"The little cousin from the distant relative's family living next to me is very charming and well - behaved. Why don't you give it a try with her?"
...
Just like in all families, during the meal, Yi Pin's family couldn't help but ask him a series of questions: whether he had a girlfriend, how his job was, what his salary and benefits were, and so on.
Yi Pin could only smile and accompany them, not saying a word.
After all, the old man was getting old. It was really rare for him to see so many descendants and have a reunion dinner.
The New - Year's Day seemed really lively. The house was filled with laughter and joy. It seemed that all the unhappiness of the year had passed, and they were welcoming a beautiful and happy future.
But Yi Pin felt a bit lost. He couldn't really say why, but he just felt empty inside.
Although he kept smiling on the surface, he felt a wave of loss in his heart.
Now that he had graduated and started working, he was no longer the one receiving red envelopes. Instead, he had to give red envelopes to his younger siblings and nephews and nieces.
Almost all of his salary during the internship had been used to give out New - Year lucky money. He also used his own money to buy watches for his grandfather and father, so he had very little left.
It seemed this was the current situation of contemporary Chinese people. Sometimes, the money earned in a year was not enough for the consumption during the few days of the New Year, but at least they felt content.
Although his internship salary was a bit low, it was the first money he had earned with his own hands, so it naturally had special significance.
"Pinzi, you've grown up!" The old man smiled, his face showing a look of relief.
Then the old man gave out red envelopes to the kids one by one.
"Pinzi, this is for you!" The grandfather handed over a rather plump - looking red envelope.
"No need. I'm so old. It would be so embarrassing to take a red envelope!" Yi Pin smiled, a hint of emotion on his face.
"This is for warding off evil spirits during the New Year. Besides, how old can you be? In grandpa's eyes, you're just a little kid. Do you think the red envelope isn't big enough?" The old man glanced at Yi Pin, his eyes full of affection.
Yi Pin suddenly felt his nose sour. Although this grandfather never seemed to express his feelings well. He was clumsy and not good at saying nice things. But everything he did was really heart - warming. Whenever something happened to him, just thinking of his grandfather as a role model, he felt that there was nothing impossible.
"Then... thank you, old man, for your concern!" Yi Pin smiled.
The most heart - warming thing about the old man was that he would definitely cook candied sweet potatoes every New Year because it was his grandma's favorite dish.
Zi Qi was becoming more and more outgoing. She was holding red envelopes and had more and more playmates around her.
After the New - Year's Eve dinner, Yi Pin suddenly felt a bit lost.
He forced a smile on his lips.
Lying in bed, feeling lost, he listened to the laughter and chatter from the living room.
He smiled.
Suddenly, he felt he was the loneliest person, with no one to talk to.
Lying in bed made him feel like his limbs were going to degenerate.
So Yi Pin decided to get up, go out to have some fun, and then set off fireworks and firecrackers.
People should always find some fun for themselves.