Before the New Year

After learning that Tang Manman had returned, to avoid having his lies exposed, Lin Yu completely transformed into a homebody, staying put at Xia Muzhu's place.

He would occasionally go downstairs for a stroll, but absolutely refused to leave the residential complex.

Coincidentally, his ankle was still recovering, giving Lin Yu a valid reason not to go out.

During this period, Gu Yue sent several invitations, wanting to hang out, to which Lin Yu uniformly replied with two words.

Not going.

Tang Manman's university had a later break, so by the time she returned, there were less than fifteen days left until the New Year.

Lin Yu's stay-at-home plan had only been in motion for a few days when the New Year quietly arrived at his toes, seemingly just a step away.

The "Fu" character decorations and Spring Festival couplets for the New Year appeared on the living room table one morning. The meals at home also became increasingly sumptuous. For certain dishes that stored well, or were meant to be eaten cold, Xia Muzhu would make a huge pot each time, preparing in advance for the New Year's Eve feast a few days later.

Dried nuts were also bought in large bags—seven or eight varieties, each weighing several pounds, stored in the living room cabinet. Every time Lin Yu opened the cabinet to grab some nuts, he felt a sense of satisfaction and security, much like a hamster retrieving its ample winter stash.

One evening, as Lin Yu and Xia Yueshan were watching TV and shelling pistachios, the sound of a firework slicing through the air came from outside the window.

They both turned to look. With a thump, the firework that had shot into the sky happened to explode right then, bursting into brilliant, colorful lights.

Outside the window, the firework rapidly faded after reaching its peak of color, quickly vanishing into the dark night sky.

Lin Yu and Xia Yueshan silently looked away, their eyes meeting in unison.

The next second, Xia Yueshan got up to go to his room and put on his coat. Lin Yu dumped the pistachios in his hand into the nut bowl on the table, stood up, brushed the nut crumbs off his legs, and then limped back to his room to get his jacket as well.

Nothing needed to be said—time to go out and set off some firecrackers!

After the cast was removed and following over ten days of rest, the injury to Lin Yu's ankle had improved a lot. His injured foot could already bear weight, though it still hurt a little when he walked, making him hesitant to put full force on it, hence the slight limp.

After changing clothes, the two of them, chattering back and forth, successfully roped Xia Muzhu into joining them. The three put on their jackets and winter coats, donned hats and gloves, bundled themselves up like stuffed rice dumplings, and happily headed downstairs.

In Lin Yu's mind, firecrackers were only fun if they blew something up.

That instant of light and sound was far too brief, gone before you could even see it clearly, vanishing into a wisp of smoke in the air. Only by looking at the damage they caused could you clearly see the power they held in that fleeting moment.

Somewhat disappointingly, there wasn't much to blow up in the city. Fortunately, there was a blanket of white snow on the ground. Piling it up, sticking a firecracker in it—that could be quite fun too.

After buying some firecrackers and fireworks, Lin Yu gathered a pile of snow in the complex, carving out a small hole in the middle.

Lin Yu held the firecracker, Xia Yueshan held the lighter. Once lit, Xia Yueshan took off running.

Lin Yu tossed the lit firecracker into the snow pile and also sprinted away.

Xia Yueshan ran all the way to Xia Muzhu's side. Whether this silly kid was too excited to remember or underestimated the firecracker's power, he just stood there with a goofy grin next to his sister, looking expectantly at the snow pile, wondering what shape the explosion would take, not even covering his ears.

Seeing this, Xia Muzhu naturally placed her two thickly padded mittens over Xia Yueshan's ears. She herself hunched her shoulders, furrowed her brow, and squinted her eyes, bracing for the bang of the firecracker.

She wasn't very brave. She had been there while they piled the snow, but by the time Lin Yu and Xia Yueshan were lighting the firecracker, she had already moved far away.

Now, with nothing to cover her own ears, she fearfully hid half her face in the fur collar of her winter coat. Bundled in her puffy coat, she looked plump, and shrinking down like that made her even cuter.

Just as Xia Muzhu was anxiously waiting for the firecracker to explode, a pair of warm, reassuring hands covered her ears instead. She opened her eyes and saw Lin Yu's smiling face.

The tension on her face melted away instantly, like cotton candy dropped in water, replaced by a full smile. Happiness brimmed in her azure blue eyes, making her look exceptionally charming.

Lin Yu couldn't help but lean in and give her a gentle kiss. The surprised Xia Muzhu's face flushed slightly—no scolding, just a shyness that made her even more captivating.

What Xia Muzhu didn't realize was that, with her attention diverted, the pressure from her hands had unconsciously loosened. The two thick mittens were barely touching the edges of Xia Yueshan's ears, almost not covering them at all.

Xia Yueshan was still wearing his silly grin, completely unprepared.

The next second, the firecracker exploded. Xia Muzhu, with Lin Yu covering her ears, was one hundred percent safe, and Lin Yu himself was long prepared.

Only Xia Yueshan, who seemed safe, was the least prepared. The sound of the explosion startled him badly, making his whole body jolt.

Seeing this, both Lin Yu and Xia Muzhu laughed out loud.

Xia Yueshan didn't mind much either. He scampered over to the snow pile to inspect the damage caused by the firecracker.

This firecracker was quite powerful—something you could actually tell from its long fuse. The manufacturer was genuinely worried someone might get hurt by this thing.

The half-meter-tall snow pile was almost leveled, turned into a crater. At the center of the crater's bottom was a black mark from the burnt gunpowder, with faint white smoke drifting up.

Very satisfied with the destruction, Xia Yueshan, his enthusiasm high, decided to build another snow mound. He wanted to see how much damage lighting two firecrackers together would do.

As he was piling the snow, he suddenly sensed something was off.

Where was Lin Yu?

Looking around, he quickly spotted what Lin Yu was doing.

He was over by his sister. Each of them was holding a lit, pitifully small sparkler, playing with them happily.

???

Xia Yueshan's head was full of question marks.

What are you guys doing?

What's so fun about those pathetic things?

Don't you understand? Explosions are a man's romance!