Chapter 43 Part 2

“So small, can she even understand sign language…” Bai Kou muttered worriedly, preparing to follow.

But the kid nodded super happily, took a bag of colorful things from her sister, and handed her a black-and-red box in return.

Bai Yuqiao came back and spread the black-and-red box out to Bai Kou.

Bai Kou took it; just holding it let her smell the thick gunpowder scent of firecrackers.

“What did you give her?” Bai Kou was even more curious about that.

【Candy.】 Bai Yuqiao answered.

After trading for the firecrackers, Bai Kou tugged her sister’s sleeve and suggested, “Let’s go out to play!”

Outside the courtyard was a narrow lateral path, only wide enough for a single car to pass one way.

The air on the night before New Year’s Eve was very damp and cold. Both Bai Kou and Bai Yuqiao were wrapped in thick scarves.

Their wrapping styles were completely different.

Bai Kou liked to fold the scarf in half, wrap it tightly around her neck once, then thread the ends through, making sure half her face hid inside for warmth.

Bai Yuqiao, on the other hand, wrapped it loosely in circles, with the two ends dangling slackly in front—anyway, Bai Kou felt her sister was always very careful when putting a scarf on her, but extremely perfunctory on herself.

Usually Bai Kou did not notice much, and the weather had not been that cold then, so she ignored it.

Now, she had wrapped herself in three layers inside and out securely, still feeling not windproof enough. Turning, she saw her sister’s neck still exposed.

No way! That looks so cold!

In the instant Bai Kou’s presence loomed before her eyes, even Bai Yuqiao’s breathing briefly stopped.

Her hands, tucked in her jacket pockets, clenched slightly. She wanted to refuse Bai Kou adjusting her scarf, but Bai Kou’s icy fingertips brushed her neck, leaving her completely unable to think.

Bai Kou finished arranging the scarf, wrapping her sister up tightly without gaps, finally satisfied. She cupped the scarf with both hands.

Unintentionally cupping her sister’s face too, she praised herself.

“Feel it—surely my method is warmer!”

The small courtyard lodging was not like home; Bai Kou and Bai Yuqiao had to share a room and one quilt.

Fortunately, the quilt was heavy and thick.

Bai Kou came out of the bath shivering and shouting “so cold so cold” as she dove in speedily. Only when the quilt pressed down on her did a blissful smile appear.

Before going to the bathroom, Bai Yuqiao glanced at this Bai Kou hiding in the quilt, with only one hand out flipping through her phone.

She sighed, her mood extremely complicated.

She should be glad it was a cold winter. Bai Yuqiao lifted the quilt.

The long-vacant room had no air conditioning; the electric blanket was left for the younger kids.

Bai Kou felt cold and lay in the quilt for a bit before putting on a coral fleece pajama over her nightgown.

She also changed from lying down to sitting propped up.

Bai Kou’s pajama style was particularly simple: white fleece base with pale blue bamboo leaf patterns, V-neck collar.

Because the collar was not very warm, the seated Bai Kou occasionally pulled the pajama up high, hunching her neck and shoulders into a bundle, persisting in tapping her phone screen amid the cold.

Replying to messages.

She felt the sister beside her lie down and silently pull up the quilt.

Bai Kou lowered her head and asked softly, “Sister, are you going to sleep?”

After the lights were turned off.

Bai Kou’s back shuffled closer and closer, inch by inch, until she finally pressed carefully against Bai Yuqiao’s back.

Hoo—

Finally, it felt warm.

Before lying down, she had felt overdressed and uncomfortable, so Bai Kou stubbornly took off her thick pajamas. But she really couldn’t bear the chill of the town’s winter night…

Even though Bai Kou knew her sister didn’t like being too close to her right now, her teeth chattered as she hesitated. She thought, Doesn’t my sister get cold too? No way that’s possible…

She decided to give it a try. If her sister showed even the slightest discomfort, she would scoot back.

Luckily.

After pressing close to her sister, there was no sign of being pushed away.

In the quiet night, their body heat passed between them.

Bai Kou warmed up, closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Bai Yuqiao’s clenched fist rested under her ear as she lay on her side. After who knew how long, she finally drifted into dreams.

“500,000?”

The next day, Bai Kou yawned as she came downstairs and heard her mom on the phone. “Isn’t that risk a bit too high?”

“Kou Kou’s up! Come drink some porridge quick. Your sister’s already finished.” Huh, was that Second Great-Aunt or Third Great-Aunt smiling at her?

Bai Kou walked into the living room on the first floor. She didn’t see Bai Yuqiao anywhere, so she muttered under her breath, “Where is she?” Then she smiled and took the spoon. “Thanks!”

“Aiyo, such a polite child, even saying thanks.” The other woman patted her head. “Eat up. I’ll add more if it’s not enough.”

While Bai Kou gnawed on a steamed bun, she messaged Bai Yuqiao to ask where she was.

No reply.

After eating, she went upstairs and downstairs three times looking for her.

No one.

“Um…” Bai Kou finally stood in the courtyard with her hands on her hips. Once Bai Xiaochu finished her call, she asked, “Mom, have you seen Sister?”

“Nope, didn’t she come down with you?”

“No.” Bai Kou pouted. “Where did she go? Why didn’t she call me?”

As she sulked, she heard footsteps coming from outside the courtyard. Bai Kou and Bai Xiaochu both turned their heads at the same time.

“Huh? Yuqiao, what’s this you bought?” Bai Xiaochu walked over to Bai Yuqiao and peered into the bag. “All bang snaps?”

Unlike the small square box from last night.

The plastic bag was stacked with transparent round boxes, each filled with colorful things that looked just like candy.

“Bang snaps?” Bai Kou hurried over and took one from her mom’s hand in surprise. “It really is—” she murmured.

She looked up in a daze.

Bai Yuqiao gave Bai Kou a faint smile.

New Year’s Eve in town was much livelier than the night before.

Bai Kou and the other young ones left the house where the Spring Festival Gala was playing and gathered in the courtyard.

They crunched over the fallen leaves in the yard, covering their ears one moment to light spider fireworks, waving sparklers in the air the next to write words.

Bai Kou was happily saying, “Sis, I’ll write a ‘Bai’ for you—”

Bang!

A firework burst into the sky right nearby. Bai Kou jumped in fright, her body flinching as she shrank toward the crowd.

Thump thump, thump thump.

Bai Yuqiao’s lips parted slightly, her heart pounding heavily.

When Bai Kou bumped into her, she didn’t react at all, her hand still casually tucked in the pocket of her black cotton jacket.

A few seconds later, she hesitantly pulled it out.

But by then, Bai Kou had already snapped out of it and walked a bit farther away. She tilted her head back, her back to the night sky as she exclaimed—

“Wow! The fireworks look even prettier from here!”

Her phone rang in her pocket just then. Bai Kou pulled it out and saw it was Yang Wanxi calling.

She answered happily, “Yang Kuikui!”

As she passed by Bai Yuqiao, she raised her voice. “Happy New Year!”

And headed to a quieter corner.

That night, everyone stayed downstairs to stay up late for New Year’s until after midnight.

Late into the night, a biting wind swept through the courtyard, and the young ones all rushed back into the living room.

Bai Kou and Bai Yuqiao naturally sat together.

But Bai Yuqiao on her right smiled as she listened to the elders talk, while Bai Kou on her left buried her face in her scarf, busy telling someone far away in Guangzhou just how cold their town was.

They sat together, yet it felt like thousands of mountains and rivers separated them.

With a quarter hour left until midnight.

Bai Kou started collecting red packets. Everyone wished her, “Kou Kou, keep progressing! Success in your studies!”

She grinned and nodded nonstop, not really listening to a word, just thinking, “Hehe, money money money money money.”

Bai Yuqiao had also prepared a red packet for Bai Kou.

Once everyone else had dispersed to the other side, she took it out: 【Good health, happy every day, may all your wishes come true.】

Almost the same words every year.

Bai Kou clutched the red packet from her sister tightly against her chest and smiled. “Got it! You too, Sister! Health! Happiness!”

Then she set the red packet down and suddenly pulled a deep blue round box from her bag.

“Here!” She handed it to Bai Yuqiao.

Bai Yuqiao held it in her hand and looked at the words on the box—“Moisturizing, nourishing, anti-dryness”—with a half-smile. She raised her gaze and asked, 【Is this a New Year’s gift?】

“No no.”

Bai Kou waved her hand. “The New Year’s gift is still upstairs; I’ll give it to you later. This is something I bought last month. Auntie Yang and Mom said she always needs to wash her hands, but her old moisturizer wasn’t working anymore. This one’s been super effective lately.”

Bai Yuqiao pressed her lips together silently and gripped the box tighter.

Bai Kou scratched her ear, suddenly a bit embarrassed. “But I was just guessing. Maybe it’s different in your lab? Do you wear gloves? Don’t need to wash your hands often?”

With that, she slowly reached out and tapped the box lightly twice with her fingertips. Tap tap.

“Even so, take it… It could work as hand cream in winter, right?”

The firecrackers outside the window crackled nonstop until two in the morning.

Bai Yuqiao stood still by the window.

Suddenly, she really, really, really wanted to ask Bai Kou one question.

She picked up her phone and messaged her sister, who wasn’t far behind her: 【Bai Kou, do you miss your sister?】

In the room, Bai Kou went, “Hm?” She was brushing her teeth and didn’t look closely, only catching “do you miss sister,” thinking her sister was too lazy to walk over and ask.

Bai Kou quickly spat out the foam in the bathroom, rinsed with two gulps, then poked her head out. “Of course I miss you! I hope every day that you’ll get vacation soon and come home!”

Bai Yuqiao’s back figure shifted from her head hanging low over her phone to slowly lifting.

She turned around, glanced at Bai Kou, then looked down again, typing with her expression obscured.

【I mean, your sister.】

After a pause, she added, 【The Bai Yuqiao who’s already passed away.】