Chapter 146: Messages Carried by Wild Geese

At seven-thirty in the evening, the show officially began. It was a variety game show sponsored by a famous local beer manufacturer. Dong Yanyan looked at the spacious and bright stage backdrop, which lacked a full LED screen or overly dazzling lighting, while the audience below did not burst into exaggerated screams. Instead, there were only the color-lit steps popular in that era and the artificial rockery and flowing water beside the stage. The audience members below all wore matching oversized T-shirts of the same style but in different colors, sitting in several square sections and laughing like fools.

A burst of music played, and three hosts ran onto the stage with microphones in hand. Sure enough, there was an extra one, and the extra one was naturally Jiaxuan! At this time, he was just here as an extra gaining some experience and building a bit of familiarity. Truly, she wasn't very close to him back then, and after graduation, she never really paid attention to which program he joined, though she heard his parents were both quite formidable, so she didn't need to worry about his future.

"Hello everyone, I am Li Hao!" The handsome and suave male host waved and greeted the crowd.

"Hello everyone, I am Jingyan!" The lively and cute female host said in a sweet voice.

"Hello everyone, I am Jiaxuan! Welcome everyone to ** Entertainment Park!" Dressed in a tailored suit, Ren Jiaxuan stood tall and straight, with his chin slightly lifted and a proper smile, looking dashing and elegant.

Dong Yanyan could tell that he was somewhat unpolished and not entirely relaxed in front of the two seniors. However, for a student who hadn't even graduated and had only received half a year of professional training, such a performance was already quite good! It wasn't until the gaming segment, when she saw him boisterously casting off his suit jacket, rolling up his shirt sleeves high, and playfully running a race with Li Hao while carrying a female guest on his back, that she finally caught a glimpse of the familiar shadow in her memory.

"This new host looks quite a bit like the guy in that photo." After watching for over half an hour, Mom reached this conclusion.

Dad stared at the television for two minutes and laughed, "This kid looks quite nice. Just a bit too thin and slender; he needs to eat more meat."

Dong Yanyan was dumbfounded and didn't know what to say for a moment.

"You guys snooped through my things!" she said, very displeased.

"I didn't snoop. Nannan fished it out from your book, and I just glanced at it," Mom quickly explained, then seemed to recall something. Her face darkened as she asked her, "I haven't asked you yet. Are you really dating someone?"

"No! That photo is just of this guy. It's a postcard, do you know what a postcard is?" Dong Yanyan lied without turning red or skipping a beat.

"Isn't that just a New Year's greeting card? Don't I know that!" Mom laughed.

Dong Yanyan stared at the television screen and nodded.

The hour-and-a-half show ended quickly, and at the end of the program, Ren Jiaxuan sang a song, showing off a little.

"…Let the space between your brows widen, look upon a spell of mortal splendor, who isn't tasting both sorrow and joy… Waves surging high, mortals drifting afar, the youth bird has flown away, even if ancient romance sways amidst the billows…"

The rolling subtitles quickly blocked his face, and Dong Yanyan suddenly remembered those days when he sang on stage and she served as a judge in the audience. The furthest distance in the world was not being separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, but rather that you were right before my eyes, yet I could not touch you.

*

Early that morning, when Ren Jiaxuan got up, he saw his mother sitting by the dining table drinking milk and reading a letter. Out of habit, he picked up the envelope to take a look, and sure enough, it was unmistakably addressed to Ren Jiaxuan in Dong Yanyan's handwriting.

He sidled over, threw an arm around her shoulder, and laughed, "Reading things while eating is not a good habit, confiscated!" With that, he snatched the letter away, ran back to his room, locked the door, threw himself onto the bed, and began reading.

Dear Jiaxuan:

Hoping this letter finds you well. In the blink of an eye, vacation has already lasted several days. I've been busy all this time and only today have I found the time to write to you…

Ren Jiaxuan finished reading through the formulaic pleasantries, and his gaze landed on the fragrant stationery. He smiled: the upper left corner of the stationery was printed with the motif of a cold moon over clear winds, accompanied by a line of text: I like to quietly think of you on nights like this, are you thinking of me too?

"I've missed you to death!" He excitedly kissed the stationery hard, then ran over to the desk, dug out paper and pen, and buried his head to write a reply.

*

As the Lesser New Year approached, according to rural customs, a thorough house cleaning was required before the new year to sweep away the old and welcome the new, leaving the house spotless. The television was playing the Fu Yiwei version of Investiture of the Gods. Dong Yanyan wore her mother's old clothes, humming a song while holding a large brush to scrub the door and window frames. Nannan followed Mom with a rag, wiping the glass quite convincingly. Two basins of warm water placed on the edge of the brick-bed were already very dirty. After helping Mom wash the rag, Dong Yanyan went to the kitchen to change the water. A large pot of boiling water was steaming on the kitchen stove; she poured the dirty water into the drain, scooped two ladles of cold water from the water vat, and mixed in a ladle of hot water from the big pot.

"Coming through, coming through! Don't splash water on yourself!" She carried a washbasin of water and trotted across the hallway. The outer door suddenly opened, and a slightly chubby boy ran in, stamping the snow off his shoes.

Dong Yanyan paused for a split second, and upon closer inspection, recognized the newcomer. It was her classmate Zhao Guo, who, much like Li Juan, had been her classmate for nine years. This person had an easygoing temperament and got along well with everyone in the class, except that his academic performance was poor, so he ended up attending a vocational high school.

"Dong Yanyan, don't you recognize me?" Zhao Guo took off his hat, patted the snow off the top, and smiled at her.

"Ah, Zhao Guo, hurry inside. It's pretty cold outside, isn't it?" Mom warmly welcomed him into the inner room and said apologetically, "We're cleaning the house right now, just find a clean spot to sit yourself."

"It's fine! Auntie, I came to find Dong Yanyan today. Our class is having a gathering tomorrow, can Dong Yanyan go?" Zhao Guo smiled at Mom.

Dong Yanyan only then remembered that in the past, whenever she went out with classmates and friends, she always had to ask Mom for permission. Over time, anyone who came looking for her had to greet Mom first; only if the elder lady permitted could she leave, otherwise she had to stay put at home!

"Alright! Then you guys go, and come back early!" Mom agreed quite readily this time.

"Great! Then I'll come pick you up tomorrow morning at eight!" Zhao Guo smiled at Dong Yanyan, then turned back to Mom and said, "Auntie, I'll head out first then! I still need to go to Li Juan's place to find Li Juan."

"I'll go with you, otherwise her dad won't let her go!" Dong Yanyan laughed.

"Then go ahead, change your clothes before you leave," Mom instructed.

Dong Yanyan returned to the east room, changed into a sweater and pencil pants, slipped into a down jacket outside, combed her hair, opened the door of the east room, and called out to Zhao Guo to set off together.

Zhao Guo looked at her brand-new appearance and flattered her with a smile, "Dong Yanyan, you're getting prettier and prettier."

"Of course! Let's go!" Dong Yanyan laughed.