Chapter 27: World One [27] Part 1

On New Year’s Eve, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu pasted the long-dried couplets outside their door. Along with the couplets went the Fortune Character Jing Ke had painstakingly practiced over two days to write.

While it lacked a unique personal style, to the average eye, the character was undeniably elegant and pleasing.

New Year’s Eve had the tradition of staying up late. In the past, when it was just Shang Siyu and Mother Shang at home, the mother-daughter pair would sit together on the sofa, awaiting the arrival of the new year.

But this year was different. After a sumptuous New Year’s Eve dinner together, Mother Shang watched the Spring Festival Gala for only a short while, then retired to her room before ten o’clock.

“I’ll leave the staying-up to you two. I’ve also prepared some small sparklers for you, which you can play with when the time comes,” Mother Shang said.

Mu’an County had banned fireworks and firecrackers a few years back. However, for small things like fairy wands, the government could only turn a blind eye. As long as they weren’t large-scale pyrotechnics that shot high into the sky, they would pretend not to notice.

“Alright, Mom. You go get some sleep. Rest early,” Shang Siyu said with a smile.

“Auntie, good night,” Jing Ke added obediently.

Mother Shang glanced at the two young women in their matching loungewear, nodded with a smile, and retired to her room, feeling very content.

The business of seeing in the new year was now left to the two girls. When it came to getting up early tomorrow to cook porridge, she would handle it alone so the kids could sleep in a little longer.

–

The Spring Festival programs playing on TV were as boring as ever. The main themes revolved around family reunions, urging people to marry, and pushing for childbirth. No matter how big the conflict at the beginning, it always ended with everyone making and eating dumplings together.

For Jing Ke, who had never watched the Spring Festival Gala, such programs and skits barely held any value, except perhaps for discerning some subtle policy direction.

Watching a skit about feigning injuries for compensation, Jing Ke’s mind even went off on a tangent. She tugged at Shang Siyu’s sleeve.

“Little Yu, if actors with disabilities ever appear, would our products have a chance to feature on the Spring Festival Gala? A program with such massive viewership… if our brand name appeared, our product would become known nationwide,” Jing Ke said, her amber eyes shimmering with visions of the future.

“It’s possible, but the causal relationship is reversed. Only after our product is nationally known, or even world-famous, would it have a chance of appearing on the Spring Festival Gala,” Shang Siyu replied.

“This is a program for the entire nation. The vetting process is extremely strict. At most, a brand name might be mentioned in a teasing context, but actual advertisements are impossible.”

Shang Siyu elaborated, “Generally, the advertising slots are a few minutes before the Gala starts and a few minutes after it ends. Most are contracted by state-owned enterprises with market caps over a hundred billion. If we wanted to advertise, the ad fee would be a terrifying expenditure.”

Jing Ke nodded, absorbing the lesson. “Our product currently targets a specific user base. It seems that, compared to advertising, ensuring quality and word-of-mouth is more important.”

“Isn’t Professor Lin engaged in deeper research? If the current technology can be broken through again, perhaps humans could gain control over an additional hand,” Jing Ke mused.

Shang Siyu nodded. “The teacher only has a few preliminary ideas right now. External neural connection is also an incredibly difficult research project. If successful, it would become classified technology, likely prioritized for military applications first, right?”

And so, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu watched a few minutes of any interesting segments. If a show was boring, they simply let the Spring Festival Gala drone on as background noise while they sat shoulder-to-shoulder, snuggled together, and chatted about other topics.

Five, four, three, two, one.

As the countdown on the Spring Festival Gala ended, the sound of fireworks and firecrackers erupted outside.

Rules were rules, but every year, some insisted on creating a festive atmosphere, often breaking the ban. Their strategy was simple: light and run. If you ran fast enough, you wouldn’t get caught.

After sharing a kiss amidst the sound of fireworks, Jing Ke and Shang Siyu finally pulled back the curtains fully to gaze through the glass at the fireworks, brilliantly vivid against the night sky.

“Beautiful fireworks,” Jing Ke tilted her head up to watch a large display that covered nearly a third of the sky.

After blooming for less than ten seconds, the fireworks, which nearly lit up the entire sky, vanished without a trace, like falling stars.

“Fireworks were even more beautiful before, with all sorts of varieties and patterns,” Shang Siyu said. “It just carried too great a fire risk. The government chose to ban them after weighing the pros and cons.”

“Perhaps they could be more humane and designate a specific area for setting off fireworks,” Jing Ke suggested.

“I think that’s actually being pushed forward. It might be implemented next year,” Shang Siyu said, lacing her fingers through Jing Ke’s. “Mom prepared some small sparklers for us. Do you want to go play on the balcony, or outside?”

“The balcony. It’s so cold outside, I don’t want to change clothes.” Jing Ke pulled her gaze from the window and turned it towards Shang Siyu.

“The fireworks are beautiful, but Little Yu, you’re even more beautiful,” Jing Ke declared with a perfectly straight face, delivering a cheesy line. “Transient fireworks cannot be held, but you can always hold onto me, who will always adore you.”

Shang Siyu burst out laughing. “Did you look that up online just now?”

“No, it was spontaneous emotion.” Jing Ke frowned slightly and explained with precision, “At most, I referenced some statements found online.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll go get the fairy wands. You can experience the fireworks up close and see if I’m really more beautiful than they are,” Shang Siyu said, still laughing.

Seeing Jing Ke’s brow still furrowed, Shang Siyu stood on her tiptoes, kissed the tip of her nose, and manually smoothed away the crease between her brows.

“The first day of the new year, you must be happy. That way, you can be happy the whole year through.”

Jing Ke’s amber eyes widened. “Alright, then after we do the sparklers, I want to do happy things with you. That way, we can be happy the whole year through.”

“Fine, but it’s the same procedure as before.” Shang Siyu emphasized, “I teach you first.”

Seeing Jing Ke nod without hesitation, the mirth in Shang Siyu’s eyes intensified.

If on the first day of the new year, she could get one over on Jing Ke, then wouldn’t she maintain the upper hand for the entire year ahead?

Excellent!

–

Shang Siyu’s logic was flawless, but she had overestimated her own stamina.

Sometimes, seizing the initiative doesn’t guarantee final victory. Endurance and staying power are the more crucial factors in the subsequent contest.

Luckily, Shang Siyu had set an alarm before bed. Even though her body still carried a trace of fatigue, she managed to open her eyes at eight-thirty. Hazily dragging Jing Ke along, she managed to join her mother for breakfast promptly at nine.

As Mother Shang ladled out porridge for them, she couldn’t help glancing several times at their open collars. The mingled amusement and helplessness in her eyes grew slightly.

Young people were certainly full of energy. Those marks on their necks… likely fresh from the early morning hours.

To be so energetic after staying up all night, they really did have robust constitutions.

–

According to the customs in Mu’an County, visiting relatives on the first and second days of the Lunar New Year was avoided. These days were usually spent comfortably at home.

In the past, with only Shang Siyu and Mother Shang, they would typically chat while watching TV in the living room, or perhaps read books, spending the day as relaxed as possible.

But with Jing Ke added to the mix, the range of activities expanded considerably. They could now play Fight the Landlord, or, by removing the suited cards, play three-person Mahjong.

To add a bit of fun, the candies originally bought for visiting children became the stakes. Whoever lost all their candies first would be responsible for washing the dishes after dinner.

Playing cards was an entirely new territory for Jing Ke. However, she seemed exceptionally gifted at it. Just moments after grasping the rules, she won five hands in a row, consistently drawing incredible cards.

Shang Siyu declared it a “beginner’s protection period” and couldn’t resist exchanging a knowing wink with her mother. The two “farmers” attempted to team up and dethrone Jing Ke, the “landlord.”

Unfortunately, when luck was on your side, it was irresistible. Several times afterward, Jing Ke even won with a “spring” win, leaving Shang Siyu and Mother Shang no chance to even play a single card.

The result was predictable. Jing Ke emerged the ultimate victor. Shang Siyu and Mother Shang lost every single one of their candies, splitting the duties of cooking dinner and washing up between them.

Jing Ke, having freeloaded without doing any chores, felt a bit embarrassed. After dinner, she proactively rolled up her sleeves and began clearing the dishes.

“Little Jing, stop right there. Leave it to me. This was the agreed bet. We must honor our losses,” Mother Shang said, firmly taking the bowls and chopsticks from Jing Ke’s hands.

“Be good, go watch some TV for now. It’s only a few dishes; we’ll finish washing them quickly,” Shang Siyu reached over and gently pinched her girlfriend’s ear, murmuring softly.

“Today was your beginner’s protection period. We’re still staying home for several more days. You definitely won’t win every time.”

Jing Ke’s ears twitched. She wanted to tell Shang Siyu that by simply remembering all the cards played, plus a few simple probability calculations, winning at cards was actually quite straightforward.

But having finally learned a bit about the ways of the world, Jing Ke swallowed the words at the tip of her tongue and simply nodded obediently, expressing strong agreement with this viewpoint.

Knowing how to count cards could make winning effortless. But similarly, it also made it possible to throw the game without the other party ever suspecting a thing.

–

After blissfully enjoying two relaxing days, the third day of the Lunar New Year arrived, traditionally the day for receiving visiting guests.

Mother Shang had relatively little contact with relatives. Typically, she simply sent a sum of money to her own parents, who lived with her brother’s family. That was considered her familial obligation fulfilled.

However, Mother Shang was a public-school teacher, responsible for the music curriculum across an entire grade.

Music wasn’t a major academic subject, but it couldn’t withstand the increasingly competitive environment parents were creating for their children. If a child didn’t master at least one musical instrument, parents felt their child had already lost at the starting line.

Thus, to meet parental demands, the university had also established an extracurricular program, allowing interested students to choose whether or not to study.

As a veteran teacher with over twenty years of experience and an excellent reputation, Mother Shang was designated by the school as an extracurricular instructor.