The New Year holiday was filled with lanterns and banners. For the New Year’s Eve dinner, many families chose to eat out at restaurants.
It was the best meal of the year. Every table was lavishly set with eight or nine dishes. Between the clinking of glasses, the bright lights reflected off people’s invigorated faces.
All sorts of troubling problems made way for this reunion. Men and women, faces full of smiles, chatted loudly at their tables and joked with one another. From time to time, cups and bowls collided, splashing a few drops of golden wine.
The kitchen was bustling with activity, and the workload was staggering. These few days were the most profitable time of the year for restaurants. Even if the prices rose, it couldn’t dampen the guests’ enthusiasm, and the long queue at the door never broke.
Fragrant steam drifted through the crowded, noisy room. The fresh meat of a boiled fish sat in a white porcelain plate, its flesh pale against the vibrant, spicy red broth. A girl carried it carefully. It was a bit of a struggle for her, but she didn’t spill a single drop of soup.
As the fish was served, several elders at the table who had run out of topics looked at the girl. Despite the freezing winter, beads of sweat clung to her forehead. Naturally, they assumed she was the owner’s daughter. They inwardly praised her for being so pretty, well-behaved, and sensible for helping her family on New Year’s Eve.
The young girl wore a polite smile. She wiped the sweat from her brow, turned back to the kitchen door at the rear of the restaurant, picked up another fresh hot dish, and headed toward another table.
In the kitchen, heavy, greasy meat dishes were being stir-fried and thickened with starch. The plastic exhaust fan whirred loudly, swirling thick oily smoke. A sturdy, middle-aged man had sweat sliding down his forehead as he tossed a heavy iron wok.
He glanced at the girl coming and going. The young girl was unexpectedly hardworking. The slips of paper with orders on the wall were being taken down one by one, only to be quickly replaced by new ones.
The restaurant was incredibly busy during the New Year. He didn’t know where his own rascal of a son had run off to play. He and his wife were working non-stop, wishing they had four hands instead of two.
The girl was a temporary worker they had just hired. Being able to find anyone during such a lively festival was a miracle, and she hadn’t even tried to raise the price. She accepted the hourly wage without a word of haggling and worked diligently and smartly. The recruitment notice they had posted on a whim had turned out to be incredibly useful.
“Luo Ming! Go to the tank outside and catch a fish!”
The man shouted toward the front. Seeing the girl who had just set down a plate turn back and answer, he lowered his head to continue his work. His knife chopped through the green onions, ginger, and garlic on the cutting board.
He had originally worried whether the girl could handle a fresh, flopping carp. A girl as beautiful as her might be delicate and afraid of getting dirty.
However, 2 minutes later, Luo Ming stepped back inside. Her slender, reddened hands gripped the fish tightly, showing no distaste for the fishy smell or the slime. The carp, which had been thrashing its tail desperately, was now completely powerless.
“Give it to me. Wash your hands and take those two plates out.”
“Yes.”
The noisy chatter in the restaurant lasted until the early hours of the morning before finally dying down. Under the lights, empty wine bottles lay scattered on the floor, leaking dregs. Stacks of food scraps piled up on the tables, mixed with soup and grease in a messy, dirty heap.
The thick night spread across the streets outside. The meager dinner she’d had earlier wasn’t enough to sustain such intense exertion. Luo Ming’s legs felt weak with exhaustion, and sweat had soaked her inner clothes, making them feel uncomfortably sticky.
Cleaning up the aftermath took nearly 1 hour, and the last bit of strength in her body was completely gone.
Her phone buzzed with a notification that her wages had been transferred. Luo Ming panted, resting for 30 seconds. Just as she was about to walk out the door, the voice of the boss’s wife suddenly called out to her.
“Take this Red Envelope, little girl. It isn’t easy to be out working during the New Year.” The woman’s face bore the marks of time as she held Luo Ming’s hand and pressed the Red Envelope into it. Her gaze was kind and affectionate. “If only my brat of a son were even half as sensible as you.”
“Thank you.” Luo Ming didn’t refuse and put the Red Envelope into her pocket.
“No need for thanks. Go back and get some sleep. Rest well. Are you coming back tomorrow?”
“Yes. If you still need help, I’ll be here.”
“That’s good. Take care of yourself, too. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“I will. Thank you, Auntie. Goodbye.”
“Mhm, goodbye.”
Luo Ming waved goodbye to the woman and walked toward home under the dim light of the streetlamps. The cold winter wind sliced across her cheeks like a blade, the chill invading her weary body.
So tired… The 6 or 7 hours of work had left her drenched in sweat, and her bones felt soft. Her pale, jade-like hands—which had spent the night carrying bowls, washing vegetables, catching fish, and sweeping floors—ached from the exertion.
Her steps were slow but persistent as she moved forward. The old building grew closer.
What was there to go back to in that cold, lifeless home? She didn’t actually have a harbor to shelter her. She wasn’t much different from the boy, and because of that, they could sympathize with each other and huddle together for warmth.
Luo Ming suddenly stopped. Fine snowflakes drifted down from the night sky. She reached out to catch one, and it instantly melted into a water stain in her palm, radiating a faint coldness.
More and more snow fell with the wind. The first snow after the start of winter had arrived quietly in the lonely dead of night. A few playful flakes landed on the girl’s pale pink scarf, while others fell onto the shoulders of her white sweater.
It was a beautiful snowscape, and she was the first to appreciate it. The whole world was silent. This snow seemed to fall just for her, as if to drape the beautiful Winter Princess in a pure white gown.
‘If only… he were here, too…’
‘If I could just snuggle into his arms right now, feel his warmth, and touch the things I’ve craved for so long, then this cold night would surely become much gentler… I… I would be willing to trade my life for it.’
Anyway, she was already living for Gu Yu.
Everything, including her life, had long since ceased to be important. Her flesh and soul belonged to him. If the boy wanted it, she would offer him everything she had.
Luo Ming fished her phone out of her pocket and took a photo of herself catching the snow, her slender wrist tucked into her knitted sleeve.
She sent it to Gu Yu with a message: “Happy New Year.”
Putting her phone away, a light caught her eye. She looked toward the far end of the long street and saw a few 24-hour accessory shops. It was as if invisible black threads were pulling her toward them.
Through the glass window, Luo Ming saw many exquisite and beautiful decorations on the shelves. Bright gemstones reflected the light into her eyes, making the scene before her look hazy and dreamlike.
A silver Bracelet caught her attention. Luo Ming entered the shop and picked it up to take a look. The design was simple and elegant, and it looked like a pair with the Necklace around her neck.
She asked for the price. It wasn’t cheap; it would take more than half of tonight’s wages. But… since it was for him, why should she care?
Luo Ming paid and walked out of the store. The snow was falling harder now, already accumulating into a thin layer on the ground like a pure white blanket.
She received a response on her phone. Gu Yu had replied just seconds after she sent her message.
“Happy New Year. It’s so late, are you still outside?”
“Yes, I have some things to do.”
She didn’t want Gu Yu to know she had found another part-time job. He would feel pity and worry, and she didn’t want the boy to have those kinds of feelings toward her.
“I want to hear your voice. Is that okay?” Luo Ming placed a call, and the text chat turned into a voice call.
“It’s so late. You should make sure to rest.”
The boy’s voice was clean and pure, tinged with a bit of sleepiness. It brought her a flicker of warmth.
“I know. What about you? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
“I was playing until late. I’m just about to head to bed. You should go home and sleep, too. Goodnight.”
“Mhm, goodnight.”