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Psst! We're moving!
At six in the morning, Jiang Beibei opened her eyes. Doors were being knocked on upstairs and downstairs.
‘Brothers, wake up!!’
Ten minutes later, there were responses from both floors. Twenty minutes later, everyone except Qin Yuan had gathered at Tang Xizhou’s house, waiting to set off.
But no matter how long they waited, Qin Yuan still hadn’t come down.
‘Are you his little wife?’ Song Lang sent him a voice message. ‘Are we waiting for you to finish getting ready?’
No response.
Tang Xizhou was so bored that he started doing one-armed push-ups. Yan Qingming, who was washing a plate of apples, placed them one by one on Tang Xizhou’s back.
Song Lang asked, ‘Who’s going to wake Qin Yuan up?’
Jiang Beibei took a step back and said, ‘Such a difficult task should be left to the brothers.’
‘Let’s grab a red envelope,’ Song Lang suggested. ‘Whoever has the worst luck gets to go!’
He sent a red envelope in the Unit Two family group chat. As it turned out, Qin Yuan’s dad had the worst luck. In a 300-yuan red packet, most people got double-digit amounts, but Qin Yuan’s dad only grabbed 1.8 yuan.
Jiang Beibei: ‘Uncle, help wake Third Brother up!’
‘Good morning! Uncle, please wake Yuan up. We’re going to the temple to burn incense.’
‘Uncle, call Qin Yuan.’
The younger generation quickly passed this task to Qin Yuan’s dad.
Qin Yuan’s dad, experienced as ever, sighed. ‘It seems my luck is the worst this year.’
Tang Xizhou made a gesture, pointing at the ceiling. Everyone fell silent, listening intently to the sounds coming from upstairs.
A minute later, Qin Yuan’s wails echoed through the hallway: ‘Dad!!! Are you trying to murder me?! Ah—it’s freezing!!’
The siblings downstairs, watching the commotion, exchanged glances.
Chu Yao: ‘...Uncle Qin is really dedicated.’
Ten minutes later, Qin Yuan came downstairs with a sour expression, his hair dripping wet.
‘Let’s go,’ he yawned, casually ruffling Jiang Beibei’s hair with his icy fingers. ‘This is brutal. My dad poured water on me...’
Tang Xizhou chuckled mischievously. ‘He actually poured water on you?’
Qin Yuan grabbed the towel handed to him by Eldest Brother and wiped his hair carelessly. With a sly grin, he said, ‘Hmph... Splashing water on your own son might feel good for a moment, but wait until Mom sees the water on the bed. He’ll get what’s coming to him!’
Despite not starting late, when they arrived at the temple, the place was packed with people. They were already too late.
There was nowhere to park, nowhere to even stand. After handing over the parking responsibility to Fourth Brother, the others led Jiang Beibei into the crowd.
Jiang Beibei exclaimed, ‘Wow! This level of crowding takes me back to elementary school. Let me recite some four-character idioms for you... Shoulder-to-shoulder, step-by-step, heads bobbing, sweat pouring like rain, forming a shadow together...’
‘Are you referencing ‘Yanzi’s Mission to Chu’?’ Chu Yao asked.
‘You remember that too, Yao-ge?’
Chu Yao smiled faintly. ‘It just so happens I thought of the same thing.’
Tang Xizhou joked, ‘Ha! Why are you two thinking about elementary school textbooks? I’m thinking of gongs and drums thundering, fireworks exploding, flags fluttering, and seas of people...’
Qin Yuan, who lived a pampered life, grew restless at the sight of such crowds. He muttered listlessly, ‘Did all these people skip sleep to queue up and burn incense? This kind of thing doesn’t depend on timing—sincerity is what matters. Haven’t they heard that?’
Tang Xizhou draped his arm over Qin Yuan’s shoulder, pulling him along like best buddies. ‘But aren’t you here too? Come on, give us a smile. Stop raising your eyebrows and hurry up.’
Qin Yuan turned his head and gave him a forced smile, adding sarcastically, ‘Oh, we’re such good friends now.’
‘Third Brother, harmony between brothers...’ Tang Xizhou said. ‘You can’t outwit me when it comes to jokes.’
‘Enough, enough,’ Yan Qingming said. ‘With so many people around, watch your words!’
Just then, a voice called out from behind: ‘Beibei! Big Brother, follow me!’
Looking back, they saw Song Lang standing out among the sea of heads, his face bright and clear as he carved a path through the crowd, leading the way.
Before Song Lang arrived, Jiang Beibei had been holding Chu Yao’s hand. But when she turned to look at Song Lang’s voice, she instinctively let go without realizing it. By the time she came back to her senses, she saw Chu Yao standing five paces away, smiling at her and pointing downward with his finger.
Only then did Jiang Beibei realize she was clutching the sleeve of a stranger.
‘...Sorry,’ Jiang Beibei quickly withdrew her hand and apologized.
The girl smiled gently, shaking her head. Her appearance and demeanor exuded kindness, and her soft-spoken voice reassured Jiang Beibei. ‘It’s fine. There are so many people; your boyfriend got pushed ahead.’
After a long while, Jiang Beibei finally made her way back to Chu Yao. Smiling, he took her hand and tucked it into his pocket.
‘This way, you won’t get lost.’
‘Hey, Yao-ge, that girl earlier...’ Jiang Beibei glanced back again. She noticed the girl whose sleeve she had accidentally grabbed—long, smooth hair, dressed in white, and with striking features that made her stand out. Sincerely impressed, she remarked, ‘She’s quite pretty.’
Chu Yao also glanced at her and said, ‘She looks a bit familiar.’
‘...Huh?’ Jiang Beibei hadn’t expected such a reaction from Chu Yao. She had secretly hoped to gauge his reaction when complimenting someone else’s beauty.
Familiar? That was unexpected... However, Chu Yao was always serious and rarely joked. If he said she looked familiar, perhaps he really had seen her somewhere before.
As Jiang Beibei was still pondering the question, Chu Yao’s memories drifted back to his childhood.
‘When you were little, you got lost once—around the age of four,’ Chu Yao said. ‘It happened at an event like this... probably during a temple fair that year. We went out together in the evening, and because there were so many people, you refused to be carried and insisted on walking yourself, holding Uncle’s hand. Later, we got separated in the crowd. You were small, and when you let go of his hand, none of us noticed right away. After walking for a while, Uncle suddenly said, ‘Where’s Xiao Bei?’ When we turned around, all we could see was a sea of people—you were nowhere in sight...’
Jiang Beibei vaguely remembered something like that happening. In her memory, she had walked far with an old man wearing a coat, repeatedly calling him ‘Dad.’ But when he didn’t respond, she looked up and realized it wasn’t her father. She couldn’t find any familiar uncles or aunts, nor her brothers. Panicking, she burst into tears.
She remembered the old man looking utterly bewildered.
Chu Yao continued, ‘That night, we went against the flow of the crowd to look for you. Everyone was calling your name...’
‘I think I remember,’ Jiang Beibei nodded.
‘Do you remember where you were found in the end?’
Jiang Beibei shook her head again. ‘I forgot. Where?’
‘...In front of the ice cream freezer,’ Chu Yao reminisced. ‘That was the first time I spent my New Year’s money on something.’
‘Eh? Was it you who found me, Yao-ge?’
‘Mm-hmm, me and Second Brother. He carried you as you cried, saying you wanted ice cream. Your snot smeared all over his shoulder. I bought you one to calm you down… In the end, our parents scolded us for letting you eat something cold in the middle of winter.’
‘Because it was winter and they thought eating ice cream was bad for me?’
‘Yes,’ Chu Yao said, smiling wryly. ‘It was a bit unfair.’
Tang Xizhou had sharp ears, no matter which way the wind blew. As soon as his name came up, he tuned in immediately.
Tang Xizhou chimed in, ‘I have a vague memory of this. The little brat probably doesn’t remember anymore.’
Yan Qingming added, ‘Kids at four or five years old don’t remember much. Back then, it really scared everyone senseless. My dad almost called the police. Imagine—a bunch of cops losing their kid, and the first thing they’d think to do is report it to the police…’
Qin Yuan also spoke up, ‘Heh, my dad even declared that whoever dared to kidnap a child under the noses of the police would pay dearly. Turns out, she just let go of the hand herself and wandered off. Of course, they couldn’t criticize little Beibei—she was too young to know better. In the end, everyone blamed Uncle Jiang for being too careless.’
‘Thinking about it now, after Beibei started working, it feels like the age gap between us has shrunk,’ Tang Xizhou remarked, gesturing with his hands near his thigh. Turning to Yan Qingming, he continued, ‘Back then, she was just this tiny thing, and we were already in high school. Yao-ge and Fourth Brother were about to enter middle school. She was the only little bean sprout among us. Never thought she’d grow up to feel like a peer now.’
‘…Hard to believe,’ Yan Qingming said. ‘In a few more years, we’ll all be pushing forty. I still feel like I’m in my early twenties.’
Jiang Beibei laughed. ‘So even Eldest Brother feels this way! I always think I’m twenty-something…’
From afar, Song Lang waved his hand. ‘Brothers, what are you talking about over there? Come this way! Take out your IDs—we’re getting in for free!’
Tang Xizhou pushed Qin Yuan, who was spacing out. ‘Let’s go. What are you dazed about? Still not awake?’
Qin Yuan shushed him. ‘I think I just saw my ex-girlfriend.’
‘Wow… you’ve got so many exes, which one?’ Tang Xizhou craned his neck, following Qin Yuan’s gaze.
‘…The last one—the one from the court.’
Chu Yao made a sound of realization. ‘Ah, that’s why she looked so familiar.’
Qin Yuan: ‘Huh?’
‘The girl in white clothes,’ Chu Yao pointed at the girl Jiang Beibei had accidentally grabbed earlier.
‘Uh… that can’t be right!’ Qin Yuan exclaimed in shock. ‘How do you know more about where my ex is than I do?’
‘Stop stirring up trouble,’ Chu Yao brushed him off, gently pushing Jiang Beibei forward. ‘You took her to Fourth Brother’s shop for milk tea last year—I saw her then.’
Jiang Beibei squealed excitedly, ‘Third Brother, Third Brother! I touched her hand earlier! It must be fate!’
Qin Yuan sighed, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.
Tang Xizhou teased him, ‘Why don’t you go rekindle things with your ex-girlfriend? We can keep moving ahead without you.’
Qin Yuan groaned, ‘Spare me. We broke up amicably. If I try to rekindle anything, I’ll be dead meat during my next trial.’
‘Oh! So this girl’s already a judge at such a young age?’
‘…No, that’s her dad,’ Qin Yuan grimaced. ‘Life isn’t easy, please, Second Brother, watch your words.’
Suddenly, Tang Xizhou recalled Qin Yuan drunkenly venting to them about heartbreak six months ago. ‘Ah! This is the girl who treated you as a backup option, right?’
‘…Yes, I was the third wheel,’ Qin Yuan nodded. ‘Let’s not talk about it. Let’s hurry up and leave. Hopefully, we won’t run into her.’
________________________________________
By late morning, Jiang Beibei finally got her chance to burn incense and pay respects to the deities in each hall.
‘Eldest Brother saves lives, helping countless people. Second Brother is upright, saving countless families and punishing criminals. They’re both good people, truly virtuous individuals who stick to their principles and live earnestly… May they both stay safe this year, whether in work or love, may everything go smoothly…’
After silently reciting her prayers, Jiang Beibei raised her head to look at the deity statues and thought further: ‘May all my brothers fare well, and may I fare well too. I only wish for peace and happiness in life, nothing more.’
Truthfully, she didn’t harbor grand ambitions or greedy desires. All she wanted was for her loved ones, the people she cared about and cherished, to be healthy, safe, and happy.
Before she could finish raising her head, she heard a loud thud beside her. Song Lang, holding incense sticks, closed his eyes and began speaking aloud:
‘I pray for wealth, love, and health. Thank you, uh… whatever your names are… Anyway, thank you, gods and Buddhas. I don’t understand all this, but my heart is sincere. I know you’re all divine beings with broad minds, treating all beings equally, not fussing over trivial details. If you hear my prayers, great—if not, that’s fine too. Things depend on human effort, and as for the results, I’ll take them as they come. I can accept anything. Amitabha, and may your incense offerings remain prosperous this year!’
If Jiang Beibei hadn’t stifled her laughter in time, she would’ve burst out laughing at Song Lang’s antics.
On second thought, Fourth Brother was truly someone with a pure heart. Unlike her, who hid her feelings and hesitated endlessly, even praying felt burdensome and overthought.
When Chu Yao offered incense, his expression remained unchanged from usual. Jiang Beibei was curious about what he wished for during those five seconds he paused in front of the incense burner, what thoughts crossed his mind.
She wanted to ask, but gazing at his back, she didn’t want to disturb him in that moment.
When you like someone, whether they’re still or in motion, every detail becomes part of the scenery in your eyes.
Jiang Beibei waited patiently by his side when suddenly, Qin Yuan’s ex-girlfriend and her companion approached, arms linked.
The companion spoke loudly, ‘Did you really see him?’
‘Keep your voice down—he’s inside praying. The one wearing the gray scarf—it’s definitely him. I’m sure of it. I don’t want to run into him right now. Let’s go somewhere else for a bit...’
‘Hold on, I’ll go take a quick look and see what he looks like,’ the companion said mockingly, her tone grating on Jiang Beibei’s nerves. ‘Your guy says he has the face of a homewrecker. I need to check out this male mistress-to-be and see what he’s really made of. How dare he compete with Peng Ge...’
Jiang Beibei heard every word clearly. Stunned for a moment, she didn’t wait for the ex-girlfriend to react before exploding.
‘How dare you disrespect my brother in a temple on New Year’s Day!’
Internally, Jiang Beibei was known as Jiang Song Song, but externally… she had a nickname: Untouchable.
And now, here was an outsider, walking straight into trouble.
Damn it, how dare you insult my Third Brother!
Though Jiang Beibei had never met this particular ex-girlfriend of Third Brother’s, she’d heard about the situation.
It was you who cheated on my Third Brother, you bastard!
Rolling up her sleeves, Jiang Beibei grabbed the companion’s shoulder. ‘You come here! Since the person involved is present, let me give you a lesson. I’ll teach you, step by step, how a proper person should speak!’
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