A bowl of dumplings, two bottles of wine, and the three of them sat around the hospital bed.
The festive, lively sounds of the Spring Festival Gala played from the TV, and firecrackers went off outside the window from time to time.
Mother was frantically grabbing red envelopes in the family group chat.
Bai Yao and Qiu Ye sat side by side on the bed, whispering to each other, occasionally taking a sip of wine or nibbling on some appetizers or dumplings.
Even though Mother had already discovered Bai Yao and Qiu Ye’s relationship, Bai Yao was still too thin-skinned to act too close to Qiu Ye in front of her.
Qiu Ye’s face was flushed red.
He had downed an entire glass of wine earlier and hadn’t quite recovered yet.
Bai Yao’s fair cheeks also had a faint blush—she simply had a low alcohol tolerance.
As for Mother…
Bai Yao realized for the first time that her mother could really hold her liquor.
How had she never noticed before?
“Your uncle sent a red envelope. Go grab it in the group.”
“Oh, okay.”
Bai Yao quickly picked up her phone and opened WeChat.
She snagged a red envelope worth three cents, then put her phone down with a slight look of disdain.
She had no idea why her mother was so obsessed with grabbing red envelopes.
If three cents were on the ground, she probably wouldn’t even bother to bend over and pick it up.
“You’re usually so stingy, and I got over a buck.”
Bai Yao suddenly felt a bit worried.
She looked up at her mother and asked, “Do they all know about me?”
“Not yet.”
Mother paused, not sure how to say it.
“Then what about my dad…”
Mother sighed softly.
“Who knows what he’s thinking? No matter what you’ve become, you’re still his kid. Remember to nag him for more hospitalization and nutrition money.”
Bai Yao didn’t like asking her parents for money.
On one hand, her parents might not really have much money.
On the other hand, it was hard to get anything out of them anyway—it felt like begging.
Mother saw right through her and shot her a glare.
“You were in a car accident and hospitalized. Isn’t it only natural to ask him for money? After the New Year, when the insurance pays out, you keep it for yourself. Don’t tell him.”
Even as an outsider, Qiu Ye could clearly tell that Bai Yao was much closer to her mother and quite distant from her father.
“Right, Xiao Ye?”
“Exactly, exactly.”
Qiu Ye chimed in.
“No matter what, when your kid’s in the hospital, the dad should take responsibility, don’t you think?”
Bai Yao shot him a glare, unhappy that he wasn’t taking her side.
But she didn’t say anything.
She picked up another dumpling with her chopsticks, dipped it in ketchup, and popped it into her mouth.
Qiu Ye’s eyelids twitched at the sight.
He’d never seen anyone eat dumplings with ketchup before…
When Bai Yao used to eat soup dumplings with sweet chili sauce, he could at least understand that.
“This year, since you broke your leg in the accident, you’ll just stay home after you’re discharged. No need to go visiting for New Year’s,” Mother suggested.
Bai Yao nodded frantically.
“Yeah, no need.”
She never liked New Year’s visits anyway, and she really couldn’t imagine showing up in front of her relatives as a girl now.
What would their reactions be?
“What about Xiao Ye? You’re really not going home for the New Year? Maybe head back on the second or third day of the new year?”
“Better not. It’s too far.”
Qiu Ye had been staying at Bai Yao’s rented place for the past nine days.
Actually, he could have stayed in the dorm.
“Nobody doesn’t go home for the New Year.”
Mother held out her glass toward Bai Yao.
Bai Yao quickly picked up her own glass, clinked it lightly with her mother’s, and took a sip.
“I don’t know what you’re going to do in the future.”
Mother let out a long, worried sigh.
Qiu Ye cut in, “As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters. We’ll worry about the future later.”
Bai Yao nodded in agreement and went back to eating her dumplings.
Maybe it was her mother’s first time making shrimp and three-fresh dumplings.
Honestly, the taste was pretty mediocre.
The shrimp and the three-fresh meat filling were completely separate.
In one bite, you could taste two completely different flavors and textures.
Still, she ate happily.
It had been a long time since she’d had her mother’s homemade dumplings—they were way better than the frozen ones from the cafeteria.
“Xiao Ye, where do you plan to settle down after you graduate?”
Qiu Ye immediately grew wary and exchanged a glance with Bai Yao.
“I’m fine with anywhere. Maybe I’ll just find an internship here first?”
“Ah, so all the young people from Dongbei are running away from home? Your parents probably want you to go back, right? That’s normal.”
“Ah, so you’re not going to buy a house back home either?”
“I’ll buy wherever I settle down for work.”
Bai Yao could clearly feel her mother testing Qiu Ye.
She studied her mother’s expression but couldn’t tell whether her mother liked Qiu Ye or not.
But considering how Qiu Ye had behaved the past few days, she should be satisfied, right?
At least Qiu Ye had acted honest and well-behaved in front of Mother, and he took good care of her.
The sound of fireworks outside became a continuous roar, interrupting the conversation in the room.
Even the background noise of the Spring Festival Gala on TV was drowned out.
Bai Yao turned to look out the window.
This Grade-A tertiary hospital in the suburbs was surrounded by low buildings.
From the ward, the night sky was completely unobstructed.
Against the pitch-black sky, firework after firework shot up, blooming into brief, brilliant colors that nearly lit up the entire sky before trailing down like shooting stars into the darkness.
“So noisy.”
Bai Yao felt she had already outgrown the age for enjoying fireworks.
She covered her ears with both hands.
“Isn’t it pretty?”
Hearing Qiu Ye say that, Bai Yao turned to look out the window again.
To be honest, it was pretty, but it was also really loud.
Especially when midnight on New Year’s Eve came, the fireworks would probably go on for hours, making it impossible to sleep.
But since Qiu Ye and her mother were both staying up with her tonight, and as a patient she didn’t need to get up early on New Year’s Day, she calmed down.
She quietly watched the fireworks, sipping her wine, her eyes slightly unfocused from the mild intoxication.
The fireworks blurred into patches of light.
Once that wave of fireworks passed, Bai Yao yawned and turned to her mother.
“Mom, I remember back when we celebrated New Year’s at home, we’d always have a huge table full of food.”
“The conditions don’t allow for that this year.”
Mother noticed that Bai Yao’s gaze had gone blank and her cheeks were flushed red with drunkenness.
“Drink less. You’re already nursing a fracture.”
“I’ve only had two glasses…”
Qiu Ye had never really figured out Bai Yao’s alcohol tolerance.
Back when they drank beer, she could down five or six bottles in the dorm and just be slightly tipsy.
Later, she drank three or four bottles with him and was already acting like she was ready to be taken.
Today, it was only two glasses of wine, but Bai Yao already looked drunk and dizzy, struggling to keep her eyes open, with a dazed and adorably confused expression.
“That bad with alcohol?” Mother rolled her eyes.
“Xiao Ye, let’s drink together. Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.”
Qiu Ye clinked glasses with Mother.
Seeing this, Bai Yao hurriedly picked up her glass to join in.
“Happy New Year~ Happy New Year~”
Bai Yao held her glass with both hands, took another big gulp, let out a satisfied burp, and shook her head as she asked her mother, “Mom~ What if no one wants me in the future?”
“Then come home. Do you think I can’t support you?”
“I don’t want to live with you either. You’re so annoying, always nagging me.”
Mother shot her an exasperated look.
“Then live with whoever you want.”
“You mean it?”
Bai Yao instinctively glanced at Qiu Ye.