This was probably the most "ordinary commoner New Year" that Yan Hang had ever experienced, eating New Year's Eve dinner, chatting and watching the Spring Festival Gala, staying up late and setting off firecrackers.

It was noisy and lively all night until things finally started settling down later into the night.

Even when things calmed down, he still couldn't fall asleep. Emotions were running high and he had no desire to sleep, so he sat by the window chatting with Chu Yi until dawn. Then the two of them lay horizontally across the bed, not really asleep but not really awake, until nearly noon when Grandma came to knock on the door.

"Get up, it's time for New Year's money gifts," Chu Yi nudged him.

"Oh," Yan Hang felt the attraction of getting money for the new year, and immediately struggled to get up.

Grandpa and Grandma were both sitting in the living room wearing red cotton-padded jackets. Firecrackers had been set off all night, leaving the room full of the smell of gunpowder. You could even see wisps of blue smoke floating by.

It felt very festive.

After another round of firecrackers went off outside, Grandpa seized the moment and said, "Come on."

Chu Yi immediately went over and bent at the waist in front of Grandma and Grandpa: "Grandma, Grandpa, happy New Year."

"Happy New Year," Grandma smiled and took out a red envelope to give to him. "Seeing this grown boy makes Grandma feel a bit unaccustomed."

"Here, take it," Grandpa also took out a red envelope and gave it to Chu Yi.

Yan Hang stood behind them watching. He didn't know what the proper procedure was for getting New Year's money gifts, since he had never properly celebrated before. But what Chu Yi did seemed very simple.

"5-star, come here," Grandma waved her hand at him. "Ever since he was little, Chu Yi has been tongue-tied and doesn't speak smoothly. His New Year's greetings are limited to that one sentence, anything more would make people anxious. You speak very smoothly, you should say some auspicious words."

"You should also kowtow," Chu Yi added from the side.

"You didn't kowtow either," Grandpa said with a laugh. "Only little kids kowtow, you're both grown boys now, no need to kowtow."

Auspicious words...

Yan Hang had never said any auspicious words before. His first thought was to wish them harmony for a hundred years, which made him want to facepalm at himself.

"Grandma, Grandpa, happy New Year," he borrowed Chu Yi's greeting first, then thought for a bit and recited all the auspicious phrases he could remember that were related to wishing someone well. "I wish you health, yearly surplus, great fortune, profits as vast as the Eastern Sea, and longevity like the Southern Mountains..."

Grandma and Grandpa laughed happily, Grandma clapped her hands and laughed so hard she couldn't stop: "Very good, wonderful!"

When Yan Hang took the money from the elderly couple's hands, he suddenly felt his nose go sour.

"I have something to give you," Chu Yi went into the room and took out a box. "I bought you a cell phone."

"Oh dear, why did you spend money on this?" Grandpa was surprised. "We don't know how to use them."

"It's a senior-friendly phone, very simple to use," Chu Yi put the box on the coffee table in front of them and started unboxing it. "Now you'll be able to call me."

"Where did you get the money for this?" Grandma asked. "This must have been expensive!"

"Not expensive," Chu Yi said. "I work part-time jobs, I have wages."

"Look at this child," Grandma dabbed at her tears. "As soon as he has a little bit of money he wants to buy things for us."

After Grandpa and Grandma quickly mastered the skills of making and receiving phone calls, they went to the kitchen to get busy.

Chu Yi and Yan Hang's flight was in the afternoon, so they had to leave after lunch.

Yan Hang didn't even dare look in the kitchen's direction. Every time he did, he could see Grandma wiping away tears.

"Why don't you go lend them a hand," Yan Hang said to Chu Yi.

"They'll just chase me out," Chu Yi smiled. He kept leaning in the doorway peering inside.

Yan Hang didn't say anything else.

Speaking of Chu Yi's family members, his grandparents, maternal grandparents, paternal grandparents were all mentioned, so his family circle seems quite complete, with parents and elders...

Yan Hang searched his memories again. Other than those less than happy snippets he had dreamed about before, he had no more memories of any other relatives besides his dad.

"Here," Chu Yi said in a low voice. "I have a gift for you."

"What gift?" Yan Hang stood up and walked into the room with him. "Do peers exchange new year's gifts too?"

"No," Chu Yi laughed. "This is something I was already planning to give you."

"Alright, what gift? Let me see." Yan Hang sat on the edge of the bed, watching Chu Yi rummage around in his bag.

"This." Chu Yi took out a small red square box from his bag. "I got the box from Daqiang."

Yan Hang took it and looked it over. It was a hard paper box, the kind small jewelry stalls at night markets would give out. He smiled and opened the box.

Inside was a string of prayer beads.

Beads of various sizes, some stone, some metal, with black metal spacer beads among them.

If it wasn't for seeing these little stones now, he would have almost forgotten about them already. These were the few he had given Chu Yi when he caught him on the streets.

"Getting more and more professional," Yan Hang put on the beaded bracelet on his left wrist. "The size fits very nicely too."

"Of course," Chu Yi grabbed his wrist and circled it with his fingers. "I knew as soon as I caught it."

"Thank you," Yan Hang looked at him.

"You're welcome, it's my duty, what I should do," Chu Yi said.

"Aren't you going to touch the bright red scarf on your chest?" Yan Hang smiled.

Chu Yi promptly patted his chest twice very cooperatively.

After eating the elaborate eighteen course lunch Grandma made, he and Chu Yi left with a big bag of local specialties that Grandpa and Grandma had stuffed them with.

Chu Yi didn't let the elderly couple go out, stopping them at home: "We'll get a cab when we go out. No need for you to come."

"A cab must be so expensive!" Grandma exclaimed.

"Just trying to reassure us," Grandpa said. "Where are you going to get a cab this early on New Year's Day, even the buses are barely running."

"How is that reassuring?" Grandma said.

Chu Yi smiled: "We'll take the bus, so don't, don't go out, it's too cold."

"Grandpa and Grandma," Yan Hang said, "if you miss Chu Yi, just call him. Phone calls are very cheap now. The money in your phone can last five years of calling him for an hour every day."

"Oh good!" Grandma smiled and nodded.

After saying goodbye to the elderly couple, as they walked to the bus stop, Chu Yi asked: "Five years?"

"You'll recharge their account anyway," Yan Hang smiled. "It makes them feel better to hear that."

"True," Chu Yi nodded, then patted his pocket. "I'm rich."

The return trip felt much shorter than the trip there, probably because family reunions and farewells elicit different emotions.

There were far fewer people at the airport than on the 29th. The two of them could sit comfortably at the gate without being called out over the PA system.