Yohan's Poetic Fish

"Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!"

Ye Shuang was awakened by a burst of firecrackers. It was the first day of the Lunar New Year. He woke up in a guest room at the Chen family's house, his face still showing traces of sleepiness. He hadn't planned on staying the night, but after having a few drinks, he eventually chose to sleep over here with Bai Yuyou.

Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms, and the wardrobe had disposable clothes, so staying for a few days wouldn't be an issue.

"So lively." After washing up, Ye Shuang walked to the windowsill and saw a few children lighting firecrackers downstairs. Among them, of course, was Qiaoqiao and the other kids.

The children's playful laughter accompanied by the sound of the firecrackers made him feel completely refreshed just listening to it.

However, at this moment, Ye Shuang noticed that Chen Qin was also setting off firecrackers. Despite her demure appearance in a long dress, she was laughing and joking with the children, looking incredibly energetic.

"..." Ye Shuang suddenly remembered the situation with An Shiyu and couldn't help but fall silent.

How was he going to handle things on that side?

Ye Shuang pinched the bridge of his nose and fell into deep thought.

"Ah Ye—" A voice called out from below. Ye Shuang looked down and saw Chen Qin waving at him.

His train of thought interrupted, Ye Shuang smiled back at her and turned around to head downstairs.

Passing through the living room, Ye Shuang noticed Chen's parents chatting with their relatives, so he greeted them.

"Shuangzai, come here." Several of them waved at Ye Shuang.

"Hmm?"

To his surprise, the elders handed him several red envelopes. He immediately waved his hands in refusal, "No, no need, I'm already an adult."

"You're not married yet, so age doesn't matter," Mother Chen said with a smile.

"If you don't want to receive red envelopes, get married sooner. You don't want to be receiving them next year too, do you?" Father Chen added.

"I wouldn't mind it, it's free money." Ye Shuang chuckled, causing the elders to reach out and affectionately pat his shoulder.

After breakfast, Ye Shuang stepped outside. The faint smell of gunpowder still lingered in the air, and the ground was littered with red paper shreds from the firecrackers. Looking at the playing children and Chen Qin, he realized that Bai Yuyou wasn't there.

"Looks like she isn't up yet?" Just as Ye Shuang was thinking this, he noticed a girl with her hair tied in a ponytail walking towards him from a distance. She was carrying a bucket in her hand, and beside her were Chen Hai and a few other young men and women.

"You slept in so late, were you drunk last night?" Chen Hai said when he saw Ye Shuang. "Little Yuyou got up way earlier than you."

"Probably. Sleeping in a little on the New Year." Ye Shuang smiled, then noticed Bai Yuyou's ponytail and the fishing rod she was holding. "Did you guys go fishing?"

"Ye Shuang, look, big fish." Bai Yuyou lifted the bucket in her hand, from which the splashing sounds of fish flopping around could be heard.

"You actually caught so many." Ye Shuang peeked into the bucket; it was a bountiful harvest.

"Fishing is very fun."

"That's good." Seeing Bai Yuyou's happy expression, Ye Shuang rubbed her head and then took out a red envelope.

"Here, a lucky red envelope for you."

"I've received a lot of these today too," Bai Yuyou said, pulling out a thick stack of red envelopes from her pocket, all of which she had received that morning.

"Do I need to give them red envelopes too?"

"No need, it's basically elders giving to the younger generation. Once you're married, you can give them to those little kids." Ye Shuang pointed at Qiaoqiao and the other brats.

Hearing this, Bai Yuyou thought for a moment, and eventually just nodded lightly without saying anything else.

The morning flew by. After having lunch and sitting down for some tea, Ye Shuang politely declined the two elders' offers to stay longer, and then set off for home with Bai Yuyou.

In the car, the young girl hugged the red envelopes in her arms and asked curiously, "Can I open them?"

"Save them until after the New Year. Besides, there's at most a hundred yuan inside, so there's no rush to open them." Ye Shuang said. In the Guangdong area, red envelopes generally ranged from 10 to 100 yuan. It was just for good luck, so there wouldn't be much money.

Just like Ye Shuang; because he didn't have many relatives, the total amount of red envelope money he received during the New Year never exceeded a thousand yuan.

"Ye Shuang," the girl sitting in the passenger seat suddenly spoke.

"Hmm?"

"You can only give others red envelopes after getting married." Bai Yuyou looked at Ye Shuang. "Will I be able to give them out in the future too?"

"Of course you can," Ye Shuang smiled.

"I want to marry Ye Shuang." Bai Yuyou's words made Ye Shuang pause for a moment. He turned his head to look at the girl beside him—her face was very calm, but it carried a profound sense of earnestness.

Hearing this, Ye Shuang remained silent for a few seconds before speaking,

"I... am actually a pretty lousy guy."

"Why?" Bai Yuyou asked.

Thinking of Chen Qin and An Shiyu, and realizing that without knowing when, he had ended up with his feet in two boats—one of which was even a twin-hull ship—Ye Shuang subconsciously touched his nose, unsure of how to explain his behavior to Bai Yuyou.

Seeing that Ye Shuang wasn't speaking, Bai Yuyou touched the red envelopes in her hands and didn't ask anything else.

The car was dead silent.

Outside, however, it was a bit noisy.

Which only made the silence inside feel even more profound.

...

After returning home, Yi Wan, dressed in a festive red outfit, trotted over with its tail held high, "Meow, meow-ga."

Its voice carried a hint of grievance, as if asking Ye Shuang and the others why they hadn't come back for the New Year.

"Ye Shuang, should we have brought Yi Wan along?" Bai Yuyou reached out and picked Yi Wan up, letting it rest on her shoulder.

"We didn't expect to stay the night over there, after all."

Ye Shuang reached out to rub Yi Wan's face, then took his and Bai Yuyou's clothes upstairs to wash them. When he came back down, he found that Tang Keke had appeared in the living room.

"Happy New Year, brother." Tang Keke lived downstairs, so knowing Bai Yuyou had returned, she just took the elevator straight up, not looking like a shut-in at all.

Perhaps she just preferred spending time with Bai Yuyou. Being a homebody didn't necessarily mean she disliked socializing; it was just that she might not have found a kindred spirit to be friends with. When communicating with people who don't share your interests, socializing becomes a troublesome chore.

"Happy New Year," Ye Shuang smiled faintly.

"Wishing you wealth and prosperity, now hand over the red envelope," Tang Keke playfully held out her hand.

"I'm not married yet, you know," Ye Shuang teased.

"But Yuyou said you just gave her one," Tang Keke grinned.

"Here." Ye Shuang handed Tang Keke a red envelope. She happily accepted it and slipped it into her pocket. Seeing the two girls huddled together, chattering away about something, Ye Shuang took out his phone.

Opening the chat window with An Shiyu, Ye Shuang planned to use the afternoon to go see them.

A few seconds after he sent a message, the other party replied.

An Shiyu: Remember to bring it.