“I want to see the Northern Lights,” Li Chunfeng said in the video call.
“Northern Lights?”
The distance between Paris and Suzhou really was quite far, and the signal was poor. Qiu Yiran blinked and found herself very blurry on the screen.
She shook her head left and right, and her image in the video call created a double image. “Why do you want to see the Northern Lights?”
“I don’t know.”
The weather on Li Chunfeng’s side seemed good, with the sunset melting into colorful chocolate behind her. She tilted her head. “Maybe because when I was little, I heard my mom talk about it?”
“Your mom?” Qiu Yiran squatted by the roadside and yawned.
She was still back in the country, having just celebrated Lin Manyi’s seventieth birthday, and her jet lag hadn’t fully adjusted yet.
These past few days, she had been low on energy and terribly sleepy.
Meanwhile, Li Chunfeng had many things to wrap up because of that lawsuit. Plus, with Feng Yu coming to Paris again, she couldn’t return to the country with Qiu Yiran. She only wished Lin Manyi a happy birthday over the video call.
At that time, it was August 2020.
Qiu Yiran hadn’t forgotten what she promised. She found a very good lawyer for Li Chunfeng. After understanding the situation, the lawyer started preparing from March and recently resolved the contract issues for Li Chunfeng and Feng Yu.
On this trip back to the country, Qiu Yiran had also been very cautious. She waited until after Lin Manyi’s seventieth birthday before fully coming out.
Thus, Lin Manyi, who was nominally seventy-one that year, learned on the second day after her seventieth birthday—after all the guests had dispersed—
That the pretty girl who had wished her happy birthday via video call from Paris was her grandniece’s wife.
Now, Lin Manyi hid in her room, clutching her chest and sulking alone.
That day, all the neighbors saw Teacher Lin’s grandniece Qiu Yiran—who was said to be so successful abroad—kicked out of the house right after Lin Manyi’s seventieth birthday.
Qiu Yiran had nothing to do.
She squatted on the curb, video calling Li Chunfeng to bolster her own courage.
Thinking that Li Chunfeng’s birthday was coming up soon, she asked if Li Chunfeng had any birthday wish she really wanted fulfilled.
Unexpectedly, Li Chunfeng’s birthday wish was to see the Northern Lights.
“So, did your mom tell you any stories about the Northern Lights?” Qiu Yiran asked.
“Actually, not really.”
Li Chunfeng had gotten off work.
She walked alone now, holding her phone, with Paris shifting colors behind her—very beautiful.
“It was just one time when she had too much to drink,” Li Chunfeng narrowed her eyes.
“She suddenly told me that when she was young, she did many things: climbed snow mountains, went to Russia, went to Africa, saw the Northern Lights. She even said people who see the Northern Lights are very lucky and will be happy their whole lives.”
“In that case,” Qiu Yiran pondered for a moment, “it looks like your mom not getting married had its perks. Her life seems pretty exciting.”
“…”
After saying that, Qiu Yiran realized there was no response from the other side.
She froze instantly.
She noticed that the narrowed corners of Li Chunfeng’s eyes in the video call looked very dangerous.
“Of course, marriage is the best choice.” Qiu Yiran explained very sincerely. “There’s nothing better than marriage.”
Li Chunfeng gave a cold “heh.” “I think that was your true feelings just now.”
“How could it be?”
Qiu Yiran’s rebuttal was firm; she even sighed.
“If you misunderstand me like this, I’ll be very sad too.”
It didn’t sound like coaxing after letting something slip. The tension around Li Chunfeng’s eyes finally eased.
After that, she wasn’t really angry about it. Instead, she explained casually,
“But she’s a total love-brained person. When young, she got deceived by a man, and the second half of her life was spent deceiving men. So who knows if she was lying to me when she said she’d seen the Northern Lights and lived a happy life. She was always spinning lies and loved putting on a show in front of me—her luck didn’t seem great either. However…”
Here, Li Chunfeng sat down somewhere. Sunset flowed over her slightly upturned face.
“Maybe I was still too young when I heard those words. Even knowing it was a lie, I believed it. So I’ve always really wanted to see the Northern Lights.”
“Then we’ll have to wait until your birthday next year.” Qiu Yiran started seriously considering the feasibility.
“This year, by the time I get back to Paris, it’ll probably be too late. And there’ll be other work after that. But if I plan ahead next year, I should make it for your birthday. Didn’t you just get your driver’s license? We can drive there ourselves…”
“Qiu Yiran.” Li Chunfeng suddenly cut her off.
Qiu Yiran blinked.
Li Chunfeng looked helpless. “Can you not have such strong execution?”
Qiu Yiran was a bit puzzled.
“I’m not saying we have to do it just because I said I want to.” Li Chunfeng explained to her.
“But you’ve thought about it, so why not do it?” Qiu Yiran explained her own view.
Li Chunfeng paused for a half-moment. “Some things are different. Like seeing the Northern Lights—maybe I only said it casually, and what I want to do might change someday. So don’t turn every offhand comment of mine into something you have to make happen…”
“Why not?” Qiu Yiran was baffled.
“Because…” Li Chunfeng faltered. “Didn’t you say you wanted to be a good parent?”
“So?”
“Good parents don’t spoil their kids.”
“Oh.”
“So usually, rewards like that come with conditions.”
“So…”
Qiu Yiran lifted her chin seriously.
“If Li Chunfeng turns twenty-four next year, we’ll go see the Northern Lights.”
“…” This year’s twenty-three-year-old Li Chunfeng was speechless. Predictably, she wouldn’t be twenty-three-and-a-half next year.
“I suspect you didn’t hear a word I said.”
“I did.” Qiu Yiran said very sincerely, then sighed again.
“But Li Chunfeng.”
“Hm?” Li Chunfeng looked up; only her chin faced her.
Qiu Yiran frowned at that fair chin, thought for a moment, and said very seriously,
“In our family, birthday wishes don’t require any extra conditions to come true.”
Li Chunfeng froze.
“And isn’t it the same in every family?” Qiu Yiran explained. “You don’t need to become someone amazing, or achieve some accomplishment, or meet conditions to redeem a birthday wish voucher. A birthday wish is just congratulating you on growing another year older, after all.”
At this point, Qiu Yiran saw Li Chunfeng’s distracted expression. She got nervous, wondering if she’d lectured too much with old-person wisdom that young people hate.
So she clamped her mouth shut and got back to specifics.
“So, next year on your birthday, we’ll go see the Northern Lights.”
She phrased it like an unavoidable life plan.
For some reason, Li Chunfeng—who never proactively contacted Lu Yun—suddenly wanted to call her right then and declare confidently—
Someone’s taking me to see the Northern Lights.
And you were wrong when you said she’d eventually abandon me.
“Got it?” Seeing no response for so long, Qiu Yiran emphasized in the video. “We have to go.”
“Got it.” Li Chunfeng felt like prolonged time around Qiu Yiran had trained her into a yes-man bug.
Because Qiu Yiran always solicited her opinion on everything—Got it? You know, right? Do you get it?
Then yes-man Li Chunfeng asked Qiu Yiran, “So what are you going to do about your great-aunt now?”
“She…” Qiu Yiran hesitated, glanced up at their house window, and sighed.
“This time, she’s really mad at me.”
To be fair, Qiu Yiran wasn’t sure about Lin Manyi’s attitude this time.
Truth be told, from childhood onward, Lin Manyi had rarely gotten mad at her. This time, she must have been furious to hole up in her room without speaking to anyone.
But for seventy-year-old Lin Manyi—
Learning that Qiu Yiran had flash-married someone of the same sex abroad—and only told her after nearly a year—had to be heartbreaking and unacceptable.
“But I’ll coax her good.” Qiu Yiran didn’t want Li Chunfeng worrying.
“Really?” Li Chunfeng frowned slightly.
“She won’t lock you up and ban you from Paris forever, will she?”
Qiu Yiran looked around—
Twisting alleys and nosy old neighbors itching to pry what mistake she’d made.
“No.” Qiu Yiran let out a slow sigh.
She’ll just kick me out the door—and she already did.
But Qiu Yiran didn’t say it that way. She didn’t want Li Chunfeng worrying from so far away.
Li Chunfeng was about to say more on the video.
Suddenly—
A loud voice boomed from upstairs in the old house—
“Sis! Grandma told me to call you for dinner!”
It was Xu Wuyi.
She went quiet fast, like she’d said the wrong thing and got smacked on the head by an adult.
Qiu Yiran covered the phone mic and looked up—
Lin Manyi flung open the window in a fury, hands on hips as she stood there.
“Dinner!”
In August 2020, Qiu Yiran—who’d been kicked out for coming out—dragged her suitcase in one hand and held the phone call with Li Chunfeng in the other. She straightened her numb legs from squatting, then obediently climbed six floors amid the old neighbors’ lively gossip. She went home and ate a steaming spread of four dishes and a soup.
At the door, the call still wasn’t ended.
Xu Wuyi cracked the door quietly, poked her head out, and secretly waved to the nervous Li Chunfeng on the phone. Bravely, she issued her rebel declaration:
“Sister Chunfeng, I support you forever!”
Li Chunfeng wanted to hear if Lin Manyi would hit Qiu Yiran, so she hadn’t hung up.
Qiu Yiran stepped inside in thin slippers.
She sat at the table, gingerly picking at her food.
Lin Manyi snorted through her nose, then suddenly declared,
“Qiu Yiran, don’t talk to me for nine months.”
Full-named and hit with that demand, Qiu Yiran was baffled. “Why?”
Lin Manyi ignored the question and barreled on. “For the next six months, I won’t pick up any calls from you. Don’t come back to see me, don’t buy me anything, and I won’t send you anything anymore…”
Qiu Yiran wanted to argue back.
Xu Wuyi zipped her mouth with a gesture, then scooted her chair over for a hint.
“Because you hid your marriage from Grandma for nine months too.”
Qiu Yiran got it.
Lin Manyi snorted furiously.
Xu Wuyi scooted her chair back, face serious—like a perfectly neutral line.
“Lin Manyi,” Qiu Yiran set down her chopsticks, “you really are petty.”
“So what if I am!”
Lin Manyi got so mad she nearly flung her chopsticks.
“I see you’ve been abroad so long you’ve forgotten home! Not only did you hide your marriage from me, but also… but also…”
Here, Lin Manyi wiped her eyes.
“Two women getting married—who knows how society will judge you. And later, when you’re old, two people with no security at all.”
“Aiya, why are you crying?”
Seeing Lin Manyi wiping tears, Qiu Yiran panicked. She jumped up hurriedly to hug her.
Lin Manyi dodged the hug and sulked off to the side.
Qiu Yiran hit a wall and traded looks with Xu Wuyi.
Xu Wuyi pouted and mouthed, “You’re screwed…”
Then she got caught instantly by Lin Manyi.
Xu Wuyi clamped her mouth shut obediently.
“Great-aunt.”
Right then—
Another voice emerged from Qiu Yiran’s side.
Lin Manyi blinked suspiciously.
Qiu Yiran knew it was Li Chunfeng, who’d heard everything on the ongoing call.
She blinked at Lin Manyi.
Then she obediently pulled out her phone, went to the other side, squatted in front of Lin Manyi, and held it up.
