The two of them craned their necks and yelled for a good while, feeling quite satisfied. But Jiang Cheng felt like yelling in this position for too long caused a bit of oxygen deprivation.  

He took the opportunity to take out his phone: "Come on, keep this pose and don't move."

"Taking pictures?" Gu Fei turned his head and asked.

"Yeah, don't move, look at the camera," Jiang Cheng held the phone up over his head, and the two of them craned their necks to look at their faces on the screen, "Yell, ah--"

Gu Fei laughed and yelled "Ah" with him. Jiang Cheng snapped the shutter: "Very good, my neck is sore now."

"Set off fireworks." Gu Fei kicked the plastic bag.

"Would Er Miao dare?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"She wouldn't," Gu Fei said, "You have to hold her hand to light them."

"Okay," Jiang Cheng took out a pack of cigarettes, "I'll hold her hand and set them off."

"Whoa, whoa," Gu Fei handed over his lighter, "You're still planning to have her light them with a cigarette?"

"Oh right," Jiang Cheng took Gu Fei's long-nosed lighter, "I forgot."

"Come on Er Miao, let's set off some fireworks?" Jiang Cheng said to Gu Miao.

Gu Miao came over hugging her skateboard. Jiang Cheng put the lighter in her hand: "Press here."

He pressed Gu Miao's fingers to flick the lighter, then pulled her hand over to light the fuse of the firework.

"Okay, okay, it's lit!" Jiang Cheng pulled her back a few steps.

This time it was a bundle of eight shots. Although it didn't look too impressive in daylight, Gu Miao still blew an excited whistle when the fireworks shot up into the air.

Gu Fei didn't bring that many fireworks, but Gu Miao was different from other kids setting off fireworks. Other kids set them off one by one to watch, but she would get excited after each one and ride her skateboard in a circle or two before coming back. If there were people setting off firecrackers nearby, she would also go squeeze through them.

So with just these few fireworks, it took nearly an hour to set them all off.

"Alright, no more," Gu Fei said, "We'll save the rest for tonight when it's dark, looks better."

Just as Jiang Cheng was about to speak, a shout came from the other side of the smoke-shrouded road, from a place as distant as the horizon.

Loud and clear.

"Fei Fei Miao Miao and student--dinner time--"

"What the fuck?" Jiang Cheng turned to Gu Fei in shock, "Who's shouting?"

"Who else could it be?" Gu Fei looked exasperated.

"Ponytail Blue Paper?" Jiang Cheng asked.

"...The speed you come up with nicknames is rather astonishing, huh?" Gu Fei sighed, "Let's go, back to taste the cooking of that...basket."

"It's Blue Paper, not basket," Jiang Cheng corrected his pronunciation.

"Blue Paper." As Gu Fei walked forward, he repeated it once more.

"He's a blue dude, how did his shout come out sounding like a female soprano," Jiang Cheng was still a bit stunned, "I thought it was your mom calling you, Fei Fei."

"I'll smack you if you keep going." Gu Fei glared at him.

"Come on, smack me, it's the Chinese way." Jiang Cheng was suddenly in a great mood. In this air filled with the smell of fireworks, although he couldn't see what lay ahead, having the person he cared about most by his side, going out shopping together, setting off fireworks together, eating new year's dinner together, he just couldn't help feeling happy.  

He hopped and took a lunging step forward with his right leg, then put his hands on his hips and started bobbing his shoulders rhythmically, saying: "Not, smacking, isn't, the, Chinese, way."

Gu Fei looked at him expressionlessly for a few seconds, then turned and ran: "Er Miao run! There's a monster!"

Then he blew a whistle. As soon as Gu Miao heard, she kicked her skateboard and rushed forward.

Ponytail cooked pretty fast. By the time they got back to the shop, six dishes and a soup were already laid out on the table, all hearty portions.

As expected of a chef.

Judging by the dishes, this chef probably didn't work at a very high-end place, but the table of food still smelled delicious and appetizing.

"Thanks for the hard work," Jiang Cheng said as he sat down.

"No hardship, this is my profession," Ponytail waved a hand, "This is nothing."

"I'll get some wine," Gu Fei's mom ran to the liquor cabinet and looked through it, choosing a bottle of Jin Liu Fu, "This is festive, let's drink this."

"Er Miao go get yourself a soda." Gu Fei told Gu Miao.

Gu Miao ran to the cooler and took out a can of beer, then turned to look at Gu Fei.

"...Drink up." Gu Fei said.

"Miao Miao, here," Ponytail took out a red envelope from his pocket, "This is for you."

Gu Miao didn't look at him, just kept her head down picking at the beer tab.

"Er Miao?" Gu Fei's mom called her, "Uncle is giving you new year's money."

Gu Miao still didn't lift her head. She popped the tab open and chugged a few mouthfuls of beer, then wiped her mouth and sat down, staring at the dishes on the table.

"Er Miao," Gu Fei spoke.

Gu Miao looked up.

"Uncle gave you new year's money, take it and say thanks to uncle." Gu Fei looked at her.

Gu Miao finally turned her head to glance at Ponytail. She stood up and bowed first, then took the red envelope and put it in her pocket.

"Here," Ponytail continued rummaging in his pocket, "Fei Fei..."

"No need," Gu Fei looked awkward and waved his hand, "Really no need."

"He doesn't need it," Gu Fei's mom stopped Ponytail, "He's an adult now, not a child anymore."

After a very awkward back-and-forth of declining, Ponytail put the red envelope away. Gu Fei's mom raised her glass: "Come come, let's drink to my son getting rich, my daughter staying healthy, Jiang Cheng getting into a good university..."

"What about me?" Ponytail asked.

Jiang Cheng was surprised to hear a coquettish tone in Ponytail's voice, and glanced over at Gu Fei.

Gu Fei held his glass with a complex expression on his face.

"As for you," Gu Fei's mom laughed and leaned against Ponytail, "I wish you the best of luck."

Her tone was full of coy charm too. Jiang Cheng was so nervous he was practically sweating, then looked again at Gu Fei who had uncomfortably turned his head away.

Only Gu Miao remained calm, staring blankly at the table of dishes.

After those two lines, Gu Fei's mom and Ponytail suddenly slipped into an oblivious lovers' world. Holding up their glasses, they started shamelessly flirting with each other.