After visiting Wei Xiao’s grandfather at noon, Mi Cai and I had another free afternoon, which I cherished greatly. Once the New Year holiday was over, Mi Cai and I would be immersed in our own busy lives. Especially for Mi Cai, this year would be a significant turning point, and I believed she would take measures against Mi Zhongde.
Time quickly passed to the evening, and Mi Cai and I were preparing to go out. We were both in the bathroom, facing the same mirror, tidying ourselves up.
“Zhao Yang, pass me the towel.”
I handed the towel to Mi Cai and said, “Can you get the hairdryer from the drawer for me?”
Mi Cai took out the hairdryer from her drawer. As I took it from her, we both couldn’t help but smile. In the past, we never had the chance to ask each other for help like this. But these trivial details represented a real life.
After drying my hair, I helped Mi Cai dry hers. Then we looked at each other in the mirror.
I reminded Mi Cai, “Dress warmly, it will be cold tonight. And according to my estimation, the place Circle has chosen for tonight might not even have air conditioning.”
“Is that even possible?”
I nodded again, “Very likely. We’re going for the feeling of having barbecue in college. Speaking of barbecue, my most vivid memory is of those small vendors setting up temporary snack stalls with tents outdoors, and then a group of us squeezing inside to drink beer and eat barbecue… By the way, have you ever eaten at such a place?”
Mi Cai shook her head, “I haven’t eaten there, but I’ve seen it.”
“The atmosphere is what you eat at such places, chatting about everything under the sun. But you probably won’t like it.” I said, subconsciously thinking that the cultural education Mi Cai had received and her social class would make her less accepting of this kind of popular culture.
“How do you know I won’t like it if I haven’t tried it?”
I smiled at Mi Cai, understanding that she was accommodating me. It was easy to understand. If she was interested, why hadn’t she tried it before? I also understood that there were still many lifestyle habits that we needed to adjust to each other.
Of course, we did have some things in common, such as neither of us liked to carry cash. I didn’t have money, and Mi Cai liked to pay by card.
…
At 7 p.m., Mi Cai and I arrived at the agreed barbecue shop, or to be precise, a barbecue stall. Almost at the same time, Xiang Chen and Circle also drove up. We parked our cars on the side of the road opposite the barbecue stall, attracting the attention of all the customers. They didn’t quite understand why a group of people driving Q7s, Land Rovers, and A4s would come to a barbecue stall for a gathering. But we understood without saying: Circle was using the nostalgia of our college days to bridge the gap between Xiang Chen and me. After all, we had been through four years of close friendship.
After getting out of the car, Circle was still affectionately hugging Yan Yan, but Xiang Chen and Jian Wei were not holding hands like before, and Mi Cai and I also kept a certain distance. But this was not intentional, because Mi Cai seemed not yet ready to be my girlfriend in front of them, and neither was I.
After we gathered, everyone said “Happy New Year” to each other, and then each took out their own cigarettes to share. Surprisingly, we all had a tacit understanding, because we were all smoking Zhongnanhai cigarettes.
After exchanging cigarettes and lighting them, Circle patted Xiang Chen on the shoulder and asked, “How have you been abroad?”
“Not bad… By the way, I brought some gifts from abroad for you guys.”
Xiang Chen went back to his car and brought out a bag. He first took out a box from it and handed it to Yan Yan and Circle, saying, “This couple’s watch is for you two.”
Yan Yan immediately unwrapped the gift box and exclaimed, “Cartier couple’s watches, Xiang Chen, you’re really splurging!”
Xiang Chen smiled and said, “You two are like my brother and sister-in-law. Talking about splurging hurts feelings.”
Yan Yan put her arm around Xiang Chen’s shoulder and said joyfully, “You’re sensible, it’s worth it for your sister to have taken such good care of you in college!”
“That’s right, thinking about how you used to wash our coats and bring us food, my heart is still warm!”
Yan Yan pretended to be a parent, saying with a gratified tone, “Seeing you all doing well now, my heart is also warm. All these years of effort have not been in vain!”
Everyone laughed, and Xiang Chen took out another gift box from the bag and handed it to me, saying, “Zhao Yang, you’re single, so I only bought a men’s watch for you.”
I looked at Mi Cai next to me and didn’t take the watch from Xiang Chen. I smiled and said, “You’re too kind, but I find watches uncomfortable to wear. You keep it, or give it to someone else who needs it.”
The atmosphere became awkward because of my refusal. But from my perspective, I couldn’t accept Xiang Chen’s watch worth tens of thousands.
Circle quickly tried to smooth things over, “Zhao Yang, just accept a little token of affection from your brother. If you really don’t like wearing it, just keep it as a collectible!”
Just as I was about to find another reason to refuse, Mi Cai suddenly took my hand. This action was clearly seen by everyone present, and they all looked surprised.Feeling the warmth from Mi Cai’s palm, my heart pounded wildly before suddenly calming down. I lifted our intertwined hands and smiled at everyone, saying, “I want to take this opportunity to officially announce some good news… We are in love, truly in love this time!”
Everyone first looked at me, then their gazes finally rested on Mi Cai. She responded with a smile, holding my hand even tighter, and said, “I am in love with Zhao Yang. You all are his best friends, and we hope to receive your blessings!”
Circle was the first to applaud and congratulate us, “Congratulations, Ms. Mi. You and Zhao Yang being together, we will definitely bless you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Yan Yan also gave her blessings. When it was Xiang Chen’s turn, he handed the watch he originally intended to give me to Jian Wei, and apologized to Mi Cai and me, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you two had confirmed your relationship. My gift for Zhao Yang was a bit abrupt. I’ll make it up to you with a pair of couple’s watches in a few days… I wish you happiness!”
I patted Xiang Chen on the shoulder and said, “You really don’t need to go to such lengths. Your blessings are the best gift for us!”
Xiang Chen smiled and didn’t say anything more. The only person who hadn’t given us her blessings was Jian Wei. She appeared in the corner of my vision, her expression full of desolation, as if everything had changed. The past, written in her eyes, had been eroded by time into a blank slate, a desolate blank slate.
Jian Wei, with her eyes sparkling like water, smiled at Mi Cai and me, “Congratulations, I hope your love will last forever!”
Facing Jian Wei’s calm blessings, Mi Cai and I naturally accepted and thanked her. Of course, we also expressed our blessings for her and Xiang Chen. Then everything returned to calm.
Circle, with one hand on my shoulder and the other on Xiang Chen’s, said excitedly, “Today is a great day for us, so we three brothers must drink to our heart’s content, okay?”
Xiang Chen and I nodded, and Yan Yan, holding Jian Wei and Mi Cai’s hands, followed us to the barbecue stand.