Chapter 23| Two or three things in Chinese New Year holiday

A simple barbecue in the courtyard brought great enjoyment to a few people. 

After the barbecue, they gathered as planned in a circle to quietly study, with Xing Xiuze persistently tutoring Nie Hai in Chinese. 

When no one was looking, Lin Xipei sneakily took a group photo. 

That night, Xu Zhiyi shared his privately curated playlist "About You and Me" with Meng Yin, who reciprocated by sharing her playlist "The Story of Me and Him" with Xu Zhiyi. Xing Xiuze couldn't resist sending Nie Hai the picture of "Nebula Tie." 

Young emotions sometimes come quietly and unexpectedly, while other times rush in like waves.

Upon returning to school after New Year's Day, Hai reluctantly agreed to Xiuze's insistence on Chinese tutoring at home. 

Zhiyi and Yin's interactions remained unchanged, but the group was privy to the situation. Yin spent nights reviewing and summarizing science subjects, while the brief calls with Zhiyi after returning home always turned into listening to Yin's breathing, followed by a morning greeting when dawn broke. Yin was severely fatigued in winter, relying on Zhiyi to sleep all the way to the school gate in the morning. The hot soy milk in the thermos was switched to the hot latte.

They had an unspoken understanding, meeting at the city library every weekend in January.

The week before the final exams, A City experienced a heavy snowfall. Coastal cities are not unfamiliar with snow, but this time it was a rare dry snowfall. The excitement of encountering snow was irresistible for every Southerner. 

During breaks, they all rushed to the playground to play in the snow and have snowball fights. Despite their hands turning red from the cold, they didn't manage to build a snowman. After school, Yin was given a new insulated bottle filled with red date ginger tea.

Following improvements in study methods and strategies, Yin's grades in science steadily improved and remained stable, occasionally even making remarkable progress. The group performed consistently well in the final exams, with Xu Zhiyi and Xing Xiuze firmly holding the top two positions, while the rest ranked in the top one hundred. 

Subsequently, they began a two-week winter break, marking the last winter break of their high school career. 

Throughout the holiday, they rarely gathered, yet it seemed like they were inseparable every day.

Xipei diligently immersed himself in live-streamed learning sessions every morning and recorded vlogs in the afternoon; Xiuze went to tutor Hai in Chinese every day, with rumours of them bickering during their lessons; Zhiyi and Yin spent their holiday routine like an elderly couple, practising problems, walking the dog, occasionally watching a movie, and sharing kisses in the darkness. They also took a day to visit Granny Yu and Li Yong, although, from a distance, they were content just watching.

That day, Yin mentioned to Zhiyi for the first time about her experience of going to Nepal as an international volunteer after the high school entrance exam. 

Nepal, an economically challenged country, with exposed red bricks in the square, dilapidated electrical wires, smoke in the city area, garbage strewn around, ubiquitous three-wheeled vehicles honking, and unemployed individuals wandering around temples and streets.

At the volunteer school, a girl of the same age as Meng Yin asked her, "What is the world outside Nepal like?" 

Yin opened the cloud drive album and handed it to the girl. It almost covered all the places she had visited during her compulsory education, from the east to the west, from the northern hemisphere to the southern hemisphere. She reminisced about the carefree moments, sharing with the girl the azure seas and skies she had seen, the vast deserts she had crossed, the Statue of Liberty she had gazed upon, the awe-inspiring reefs, and the envious look in the girl's eyes. It dawned on Yin that her life was bright and beautiful, and her setbacks were insignificant.

When they parted ways, a Nepali girl named Davi said she would study hard in hopes of having the opportunity to see the outside world. 

Yin and Davi exchanged email addresses, hoping to meet again in a bigger world.

"At that time, for the first time, I realized that poverty and filth cannot hinder one's yearning for brightness. And staying under the sun for too long, one may forget the existence of the night." Yin, wearing a pure white down jacket, looked mischievous and radiant in Zhiyi's eyes. 

With her hair now shoulder-length, Yin pinned up her bangs in a small bun on top, while Zhiyi always loved to play with her little bun, which annoyed her.

"Even little Yong will have his own brightness." Zhiyi pinched his little bun again. 

Although Grannyt Yu was old and Li Yong was young, regardless of their life circumstances, the light in their eyes always remained.

"Xu Zhiyi, you're pinching again."Yin playfully pushed Zhiyi forward.