Ephemeris 2788 February 5th Snow
Today was New Year's Eve. Ruge had said that it was a day to get rid of the old and welcome the new. Hence, our family had to do a thorough cleaning. The cleaning robot was doing the cleaning. Ah Baldy flew to the window to wipe the glass. Halfway through, he suddenly called out to us. I looked up and saw Ah Baldy's finger land on the glass that was covered in snow. Then, he drew a heart.
"A heart!" He flapped his little wings happily. The sun shone from behind him, gilding him with a layer of gold. At that moment, Ah Baldy was like a little angel.
Bo Bo stood on the balcony and gave Ah Baldy a heart with a spray bottle. Ah Baldy received the gesture and continued to wipe the glass energetically. Bo Bo did a lot more work than Ah Baldy. Not only did he take care of the flowers and plants, but he also tidied up the study and arranged the books on the bookshelf neatly.
Ruge and I were dealing with the old clothes. Ah Baldy and Bo Bo were growing very fast. They couldn't wear the little clothes anymore, but it was a pity to throw them away. We wanted to donate the clothes, but Ah Baldy couldn't bear to.
"Can you leave them for my baby?" I flicked Ah Baldy's head. "You are still a baby yourself."
Ah Baldy shook his head and said, "No way. After today, I will be a big baby."
"You are a big idiot."
"No, you are not a big idiot! You are a smart idiot! "
"Big idiot."
"Smart idiot!"
"Ah Baldy is a big idiot."
"Oh, oh, bad daddy! I don't like you anymore! Humph! "Ah Baldy ran away angrily. After a while, he ran back. "Daddy, what are you doing?"
I didn't look up and said calmly, "Big idiot."
"Humph. I am not going to talk to you anymore. "Ah Baldy ran away to find Bo Bo to comfort him. I raised my head and looked at Baldy's angry back. I smiled silently. I knew that Ah Baldy would run back later. By then, I would praise him for being a cute idiot.
After we were done cleaning, we started to cut the window flowers. At first, we used red colored paper. Then, Ah Baldy tried to take out a piece of yellow colored paper. When he realized that we didn't stop him, Ah Baldy began to cut all kinds of Huahua -colored window flowers.
We pasted the cut tracery on the window-panes and hung the lantern at the gate. With the addition of these decorations, the atmosphere in the room suddenly changed. It was lively and festive. We were all wearing Ruge's sweaters and preparing dinner in the kitchen.
Ruge had said that they had to stay up late on New Year's Eve.
"Shousui means shousui fire. Light the candles and all the evil plagues will be chased away. Next year, we will be healthy and prosperous." Ruge was holding a long candle. The light from the candle illuminated half of his face, leaving the other half in the soft, soft darkness.
"Really?" Popo stood on a small chair and looked at the candle curiously.
"Yes, I hope it's true. When I was in the orphanage, there would be a small candle for any child who was willing to watch over them. I always carefully held the candle and stood in a sheltered place, afraid that it would be blown out by the wind … "
In the evening we sat in the candlelit living room and talked about many things. Most of the time, Ruge and I did the talking, while Pop and Baldy listened. Speaking of which, I rarely told them about my past.
"When I was your age, I lived in a very small place. I never ate candy, had no friends, no pajamas, no books, no optical computer. I never had a proper meal. I couldn't take a bath like you …" I picked out some of my experiences in the Xinghai Orphanage to tell Baldy and Pop.
I could actually talk about my past so calmly. Baldy opened his eyes wide in astonishment. "Papa, you are so pitiful. Can I give the little clothes that I can't wear to the old Papa?"
I wanted to laugh. He gave me the little clothes that he couldn't wear. Why didn't he give me the new clothes? This stingy, bad Baldy.
Baldy didn't know what I was thinking. His little face was full of
Heartache. Blue Eyes flashed with struggling emotions.
Finally, his face showed a heroic expression and he rushed back to the bedroom. After a while, he ran back.
"Papa, I'll give you a lot of candy." Then, he took out a bunch of candy from his pocket and gave it to me as if he was presenting a treasure.
Baldy had always cherished the candy that I gave him for Christmas. He would only eat one as a reward when he felt that he was great. Now, he gave me so much candy … I felt that I didn't raise Baldy in vain.
"I don't want to eat. I don't want to eat the candy in Baldy's socks." I rubbed Baldy's head. "You can eat it yourself."
Pop, who had been listening to my story, stood up. I thought Pop wanted to give me candy too. "Papa, don't be sad." He gave me a small hug and a kiss on my right cheek.
I thought I had said it casually, but the sensitive Bo Bo still sensed a trace of weakness in my words.
Ah Baldy came forward and kissed my left cheek. Finally, Ruge came over and kissed my forehead. I was surrounded by warmth.
Baldy and Pop rarely stayed up late. When it was almost eleven o 'clock, their heads were still nodding. After we put Baldy and Pop to bed, we sat on the balcony and enjoyed the night view.
Ruge leaned his head on my shoulder and said softly, "Gui Can, if only I could appear in Xinghai Orphanage and take care of you at that time."
I reached out and touched his hair. His smooth black hair was like fine silk. I couldn't put it down. "You've already appeared in my heart."
We interlocked our fingers. The wind blew through our hands. Time passed by like a breeze passing through the gaps between our fingers.
I looked at the night view. The snow had lessened. After a while, it would be the season when the snow melted and everything came back to life.
This year's winter passed by very quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was coming to an end. In the past, when I was alone, I felt that winter was endless. Just as I was lost in thought, I heard a familiar gentle voice by my ear.
"It's twelve o 'clock." Ruge lifted his head and looked at me with his dark eyes. "Happy New Year."
Ephemeris 2781 February 5th Snow
Ruge said that today was the Spring Festival. It was a very important festival. "The year ends with the sound of firecrackers, and the spring breeze brings warmth to Tusu." "What do you mean?" I asked Ru Ge. "You should set off firecrackers during the New Year." Amidst the noise of firecrackers, the old year had passed. Under the warm spring breeze, every family drank Tusu wine.
We didn't have Tusu wine, but we had fruit wine. Baldy and Pop could only taste the wine on their chopsticks. They couldn't drink more than that. Ruge wasn't a good drinker. He only drank a small cup and he was tipsy. So, he drank a spoonful. I drank a small cup. Drinking wine warmed my body. When I saw Ruge, Baldy, and Pop, my heart felt warm.
The warm winter day made me feel sleepy. I transformed into my beast form and laid lazily on the blanket, hugging Ruge in my arms …
However, Ah Baldy was making a fuss, saying that he wanted to set off firecrackers. I had to comfort him first. Otherwise, if he kept making noise, I wouldn't be able to sleep.
We stood in front of the house and fiddled with firecrackers.
Ruge said that in the past, the firecrackers could directly ignite the bamboo, and the bamboo would make a crackling sound. There was no bamboo here, so I made a "firecracker" that could make a sound.
The firecrackers of this interstellar era were lit, and the crackling sounds were so loud that the snow on the treetops fell. Bald's tiger ears trembled when it heard the commotion. It exclaimed, "Wow … It sounds like thunder …"
Pop squatted on the ground and watched happily. He asked Ruge why he wanted to set off firecrackers. Could it chase away diseases?
Ruge said, "It's because in legends, there's a monster called the Nian Beast that eats humans. Setting off firecrackers can scare the Nian Beast away."
Baldy, who was howling, paused for a moment. He looked at me and said, "Daddy, you're so powerful. You can stomp that Nian Beast to death with one toe."
Pop laughed at the side.
At noon, we made glutinous rice balls. Baldy liked such sweet things. He could eat an entire bowl in one go. When Ruge said that there were also salty glutinous rice balls, Baldy put down the bowl in shock and said in disbelief, "Sweet glutinous rice balls are so delicious. Why do you want salty glutinous rice balls?"
Actually, I thought that salty glutinous rice balls were okay. Pop could also accept salty and sweet things. Only Baldy was a firm fan of sweetness. Ruge told Baldy about many salty and sweet things, such as zongzi and tofu pudding.
We had never eaten such things before, so we listened to Ruge's descriptions with great interest. Baldy pestered Ruge to make sweet tofu pudding and sweet zongzi for him next time. I purposely said that I wanted to eat salty tofu pudding and zongzi, which almost made Baldy angry.
After eating glutinous rice balls, I took Baldy to the nursing home to deliver glutinous rice balls. Ruge took Pop to the orphanage to deliver glutinous rice balls.
This time, Pop didn't go to the nursing home. The group of old men was a little disappointed and said that they wanted to see Pop. I felt that perhaps in their hearts, they didn't care whether I went to the nursing home or not. They only wanted Baldy and Pop to go.
Ephemeris 2781, February 19, Sunny
Today was the Lantern Festival that Ruge mentioned. Ruge cooked sweet glutinous rice balls and salty glutinous rice balls. The sweet glutinous rice balls were filled with sesame seeds and white sugar. Under Baldy's bold suggestion, Ruge added strawberry jam, diced mango … all kinds of new varieties of glutinous rice balls. Baldy ate happily.
The salty glutinous rice balls were filled with pork, shrimps, and chopped green onions. Baldy said that he didn't want to eat salty glutinous rice balls, but when he smelled the tempting aroma, he quickly forgot what he said. He held the salty glutinous rice balls and ate happily. He ate until his belly was round, and he looked like a big glutinous rice ball.
I looked at Pop, who was elegantly eating glutinous rice balls, and then at Baldy, who was the reincarnation of a hungry ghost. Why did Pop and Baldy eat so differently? I had never starved Baldy before. It was an unsolved mystery.
After eating the glutinous rice balls, Baldy slumped on the sofa in satisfaction. I said to Baldy, "Baldy, pig."
Baldy looked up at me blankly. "I'm not a pig. I'm a little white tiger."
"Baldy, fat tiger."
Ah Tui snorted and kicked Ru Ge gently with its little foot. "Papa, rub my tummy ~"
I said to Baldy, "Are you a lazy pig? Don't you know how to rub your own belly?"
Baldy didn't want to talk to me, so he turned around and faced me with his butt. I went to poke Baldy's round butt. I was worried that Baldy would grow into a little fatty in the future. No, wait until the snow melts. I'm going to take Baldy out for a run and run all the fat he got from winter.
Ruge clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let's guess the lantern riddles."
Baldy asked, "Where are the lanterns? Where are the lanterns?"
Pop came out with four small lanterns. "The lanterns are here."
We spent half a day making the lanterns yesterday. I made a white tiger lantern, Ruge made a koi lantern, Baldy made a yellow duck lantern, and Pop made a lotus lantern. The lantern riddles were questions that each of us came up with.
We started with Baldy's lantern riddles and asked, "How many candies does Baldy have?"
Little Baldy, who came up with this question, was very proud. He felt that no one would be able to guess it. However, I had known for a long time that Baldy had a habit of hiding candies under his bed. Sometimes, I would go and check Baldy's little treasury.
Last night, I went to take a look. There were around thirty candies. I guessed based on my intuition. "Thirty-four candies."
Baldy looked at me blankly. "Daddy, how did you know?"
"Is that right?"
"Yes."
"I guessed."
After hearing my answer, Baldy's face scrunched up. He felt that something was wrong, but he didn't know what it was.
Pop looked at Baldy with a complicated gaze. He rubbed Baldy's head and said his lantern riddles, "Baldy's underwear. Sing a children's song."
Baldy didn't care about how I guessed the number of candies he had. He said hurriedly, "I know, I know! It's quack quack quack! It's under the bridge in front of the gate! "
… …
At night, we went to the riverside to release the lanterns. The half-melted and half-frozen river slept under the night sky. There were pieces of ice floating on the surface of the river. If it weren't for these pieces of ice, our lanterns would have been able to float to the end of the river, carrying the light and my wish.
I hope that the person I love will always be happy.
Ephemeris 278 March 6th Rain
This morning, the spring thunder woke us up early. Baldy covered his tiger ears, closed his eyes, and snuggled into my arms. Three seconds later, he continued to snore happily.
Pop stood in front of the window and looked at the spring rain. The pitter-patter of the spring rain hit the glass window. The purple forest outside the house and the land that was growing green seemed to be playing a soothing tune. I lay on the bed, still feeling sleepy. Suddenly, I felt that all things in spring were like me. They had been woken up in their half-asleep state. I could vaguely feel the tranquility and vitality of spring.
Baldy's snoring was the annoying sound of spring thunder. "Huff, huff, huff," and "Rumble." There wasn't much difference.
After breakfast, we took an umbrella and went out for a walk. The snow had almost melted, but it was still cold. When the wind blew, there was still a trace of the winter's chill.
The dew on the leaves fell in the mist and landed on the umbrella. Xiaoshui droplets splashed everywhere. Light yellow flowers were piled up on the dark green treetops. The clusters of winter jasmine were bright and moving.
I looked at the grass and trees and the distant mountains in the mist. Everything in sight was accumulating strength, trying to nurture a blooming spring.
Bo Bo sang cheerfully, "Where is spring, where is spring ~ Spring is in the green mountain forest ~"
Baldy was running crazily in his raincoat. "Look! Little bird! "
A gray bird flapped its wings and wanted to fly away. Baldy spread his wings and pounced on it excitedly. He flew over the treetops and stopped in front of the bird. He reached out his hand and tried to catch it.
The gray bird chirped in shock and quickly dove into the treetops. Before Baldy could react, it shot out like an arrow and luckily escaped from Baldy's grasp.
Now, Ah Baldy could fly stably, but its speed was not fast enough and it was not agile enough. He didn't manage to catch the gray bird. Instead, he picked four yellow flowers. He put one on his head, one on Pop's head, one on Ruge's ear, and the last one. Baldy looked at me. When he saw that I didn't stop him, he put it in my hair.
Our whole family wore yellow flowers. When Ruge saw me, he said, "Don't laugh when you wear flowers with white hair. Time never loses to a beauty."
I touched my silver hair. I didn't know if I should laugh or not.
Ephemeris 2788, March 12, Sunny
Today was Ruge and my first wedding anniversary. It was also Tree Planting Day. Ruge thought of a saying, "There was a loquat tree in the courtyard. It was planted by my wife the year she died. Now, it is as tall as a canopy."
That was why Ruge wanted to plant trees on this special day. What should we plant?
Plum trees, peach trees, apricot trees, and a hedge of roses. Then, after Spring Awakening next year, the flowers would bloom one by one.
On Valentine's Day, we could plant roses. Maybe many years later, our little house in the forest would be surrounded by all kinds of flowers. In spring, there would be clusters of flowers. In summer, there would be green trees. In autumn, there would be abundant fruits. In winter, there would be a sea of snow. Every day, when we opened the window, we would see different scrolls of the four seasons.
While we were planting the tree, Ah Da and Bo Bo were also digging with small shovels. As Ah Da dug, he babbled, "Papa, if I water it every day, will it grow very, very tall and become the tallest tree in the forest?"
I told him that it would be many years later.
Baldy asked me, "How long is many years? Is it after I die?" When Baldy and Pop were very young, I had brought them to attend funerals and visit cemeteries. That was why Baldy already had a vague idea of death when he was still a little muddle-headed.
"If I die, bury me next to a tree. Then, I can watch it grow until it is taller than the sky," Baldy said solemnly.
Pop said in a childish voice, "I know about a tree burial. It means to scatter our ashes in the soil. Baldy, do you want a tree burial?"
They had their own children's photon computers, so they could learn a lot on the Star Web. At that moment, Pop and Baldy's conversation didn't seem like a conversation between two children.
I put down the shovel and looked at the silent trees around us. When the wind blew, the leaves rustled. Everything was so quiet and normal. Even the cubs' words of life and death sounded normal.
I heard Popo say, "If I die, bury me under a flowering tree, so that in the spring I will bloom, and in the summer birds will land on my branches, and in the autumn I will bear my fruit, and in the winter I will be bare, but under the thick snow, who will notice?"
I will find out.
Ephemeris 278, March 19, Rain
Today was Baldy and Pop's birthday. It was their first birthday. We celebrated it in the kindergarten in the morning. We brought a chocolate cake to the classroom and invited every child to eat it.
All the children sang a birthday song to Baldy. "Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you." The classroom was filled with joy. The singing and happiness rippled together.
I asked Baldy and Pop to make their wishes before blowing out the candles. Baldy said loudly, "I wish I had a mountain of sweets to eat!"
I told Baldy that the wish wouldn't come true if he said it out loud. Baldy quickly covered his mouth and looked at me with tears in his eyes. Ruge smiled and said, "It's okay. You can make your wish again. You want two mountains of sweets."
Pop looked around the classroom. Then, he looked at me, Ruge, and Baldy. Finally, he closed his eyes and put his palms together to make his wish.
What kind of wish would Pop make?
Anyway, it definitely wouldn't be a mountain of sweets.
The two birthday girls, Ah Baldy and Bo Bo, were wearing paper crowns and happily playing with the other children. They had received a lot of presents.
In the afternoon, we held a birthday party for Baldy and Pop at the nursing home. This time, it was a fruit cake. Baldy only ate cream, and his face was covered in it. He looked like a tabby cat. Pop liked to eat fruit on top of cream. They received a lot of presents.
When we returned home that night, we prepared longevity noodles for the two children. The noodles were very long, just like our wishes. Happiness is so long, happiness is so long, and the future is so long.
Yes, the future is so long, so long. I would watch Baldy and Pop grow up slowly, from babbling to young teenagers. I would watch them go to primary school, secondary school, and university. I would watch them make new friends, fall in love, graduate, work, get married, have children …
They would experience setbacks, have dreams, and have love. They would have their own little family. They would live a happy life. And I would use the rest of my life to understand those words:
"The so-called father and daughter, mother and son, only means that you and he are destined to be together in this life. You would constantly watch his back disappear into the distance. You would stand at the end of the path and watch him disappear around the bend. Also, he would use his back to tell you silently, 'Don't chase.' "
But what did it matter?
I would always be with Ruge. From now on, there would only be separation in death, no separation in life.
[End of Epilogue]
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