After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 47
Chapter 47: Happy New Year
◎ Smooch smooch ◎
The New Year’s Eve dinner was prepared from noon till evening—grand and lavish.
The rich aroma of pork bone broth simmered in the pressure cooker all afternoon. As soon as Chen Mengyin walked into the kitchen, she smelled that mouthwatering meaty scent. But before she could sneak a taste, Li Ran urged her to bring out the dishes from the stove.
Chen Mengyin turned her head and saw that the L-shaped kitchen island was filled with all kinds of dishes—land, sea, and air, everything you could think of.
“Mom, are we not planning to live past today or something?” Chen Mengyin joked.
Li Ran smacked her on the head, annoyed: “You stupid girl, what are you saying on New Year’s Eve? Spit that out now!”
Chen Mengyin followed her lead and went “ptooey ptooey ptooey,” then took a plate of oil-splashed shrimp from Chen Lin and headed to the dining room. In the center of the table was a yin-yang hot pot. She placed the shrimp to one side and watched as Xie Yunzhao poured a small pot of bone broth into the hot pot.
Xie Yunzhao said, “Mengyin, add the hot pot base to the other side.”
Chen Mengyin replied, “Okay.”
The hot pot base was right on the table—it looked like the beef tallow flavor.
She picked it up—it really was beef tallow, and it was even her favorite brand.
She tore open the package, dropped a piece in, and stirred it with a spoon to help it melt faster.
Xie Zhirou came in carrying a bowl of vegetables, topped neatly with sliced tofu—it looked pretty pro.
“I didn’t expect New Year’s Eve dinner to be hot pot,” said Chen Mengyin as she added a bit of salt and MSG to the spicy side—it had tasted a little bland earlier.
Xie Zhirou replied, “Hot pot’s great too. You cook whatever you want yourself.”
Chen Mengyin grinned. “True.”
More dishes kept arriving. Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou sat close together, and everyone else found seats as well—except for Li Ran, who was still in the kitchen making “cat food” for Fortune and Treasure.
She had blanched some shrimp and salmon slices, let them cool, then shredded them into tiny strips to top canned cat food like a rice bowl.
“It’s New Year, our Fortune and Treasure should get something special too,” Li Ran said.
The two cats circled anxiously at her feet, meowing louder and louder in anticipation.
Under their supervision, Li Ran sped up.
“Okay okay, stop yelling. Come with me.” She carried two bowls to their feeding spot. As soon as the bowls hit the floor, two fluffy heads immediately dived in. Probably their first time eating something so delicious—the cats ate while meowing in complaint.
Li Ran laughed and recorded their grumbling as they ate.
Tang Jingxue had brought quite a few bottles of red and white wine. After Li Ran came back, Tang asked her which she preferred. Li Ran said red, so Tang poured her a glass right away.
Li Ran jokingly asked Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou, “Want a glass too? You’re both adults now. Time to try the adult taste.”
Chen Mengyin stared at the red wine swirling in her mom’s hand and silently shook her head.
She didn’t want to end up French kissing Xie Zhirou in front of all the parents on New Year’s Eve. That would be too wild—bad for the heart.
She poured herself a glass of ice-cold Coke. Li Ran mocked her for still being a kid. The “kid” just smiled and ignored her sarcasm.
She had no intention of telling Li Ran that she’d just prevented a borderline-R-rated scene from playing out at the dinner table.
Xie Zhirou, however, asked for a glass of white wine and took a small sip.
Curious, Chen Mengyin leaned over and asked, “How is it?”
Xie Zhirou replied, “It’s okay. Want to try?”
Chen Mengyin hesitated. She didn’t know if her alcohol tolerance could handle even a sip.
“It’s fine,” Xie Zhirou reassured her. “It’s not strong.”
“Alright, I’ll try.”
She took the glass, sniffed it first—a strong fruity aroma filled her nose. It already smelled much better than any soju she’d had before.
Feeling reassured, she took a cautious sip. The refreshing texture and rich fruity flavor with a hint of sweetness and sourness surprised her.
It actually tasted… pretty good.
Xie Zhirou laughed at how her expression changed from skeptical to impressed. “Not bad, right?”
Chen Mengyin pretended to be indifferent. “It’s okay, still not as good as ice Coke.”
Everyone else at the table laughed, teasing her for not knowing how to appreciate wine.
Chen Mengyin didn’t argue. She really didn’t get wine—but it was good stuff. And if it were just her and Xie Zhirou, she wouldn’t mind having a few more drinks.
Thinking of what happened the last two times she drank, she licked her lips and took a big gulp of Coke to cool down.
Tang Jingxue had been drinking with Xie Yunzhao, but caught a glimpse of Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou being extra close—sharing one wine glass. Her eyelid twitched.
She thought: Are my daughter and Mengyin too close?
Before she could think more, Li Ran raised her glass with a wide grin and called for a toast. Tang was distracted and smiled, clinking glasses and drinking.
The hot pot was delicious, and Chen Lin’s stir-fried dishes were just as good.
Chen Mengyin peeled a shrimp and put it into Xie Zhirou’s bowl. Looking around at the clinking wine glasses and red faces, she had no idea how many drinks the adults had already had.
Li Ran stood up tipsy, raised her glass: “Everyone worked hard this year. I won’t say anything too emotional—no one likes that. Let’s just toast to the coming New Year!”
“Cheers!” Everyone raised their glasses and laughed as they drank.
Though Chen Mengyin was drinking Coke, under Xie Zhirou’s coaxing, she had a few more sips of white wine and soon sported rosy cheeks like the adults.
After the meal, Li Ran cleared the table, leaving only a fruit platter to help everyone refresh their palate.
Spring Festival Gala wasn’t a big thing in Yonghuai City. The TV in the living room played some old drama. The male and female leads were hurting each other in the rain due to a misunderstanding. Chen Mengyin glanced over, found the rain too fake, and looked away.
That’s when Li Ran and Tang Jingxue came over to Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou, smiling. They handed each girl two red envelopes.
“Lucky money—two each,” said Li Ran, stuffing them into Chen Mengyin’s arms, then into Xie Zhirou’s.
Tang Jingxue did the same.
“Go light some sparklers. Your dad secretly bought some. You two go out to the yard quietly,” Li Ran whispered.
Fireworks were banned in Yonghuai City, and while a few sparklers weren’t illegal, nosy neighbors could still complain.
After thanking them, Chen Mengyin and Xie Zhirou ran upstairs and then came back down with gifts for the adults, handing them over with smiles and “Happy New Year!” before rushing outside to light sparklers.
It was cold in the yard, but with Xie Zhirou there, it didn’t feel cold. At least, her heart was warm.
Chen Mengyin took out two sparklers. The lighter clicked, and the flame lit them.
Orange sparks lit up her face, and flowers bloomed in her clear pupils.
The sparklers burned quickly. Across the Huai River, someone must’ve gotten permission—grand fireworks began lighting up the sky, blooming in all colors, the petals of light becoming thousands of falling stars.
They sat on the backyard swing, watching the show.
Chen Mengyin sighed, “So pretty.”
Xie Zhirou said, “Yeah.”
When it ended, the stars and moon disappeared, and the sky grew dark like it might snow. Chen Mengyin leaned tightly against Xie Zhirou, their fingers interlocked.
“A few months ago, I never thought we’d be together,” she said suddenly.
“Why not?” Xie Zhirou asked.
“Because I was dumb,” Chen Mengyin replied.
She had been too stupid. She realized her own feelings, but couldn’t see that Xie Zhirou’s affection for her was obvious to everyone.
Everyone knew she was special to Xie Zhirou—except her. She had the girl’s heart and still worried about being rejected, wasting so much time.
If she’d confessed earlier, she could’ve become her girlfriend sooner, and kissed her sooner.
She regretted it deeply.
Xie Zhirou laughed. “That was cute.”
“Huh?”
The way she looked for excuses to be around her was cute, her smile after becoming deskmates was cute, her flushed face after being teased was cute…
Everything about Chen Mengyin was unbearably cute.
Xie Zhirou had willingly become her captive.
“Nothing. Just think you’re super cute.” She turned and gently kissed Chen Mengyin’s cheek.
“Ah!” Chen Mengyin yelped, covering the kissed spot and nervously looking around. After confirming no one was watching, she whispered, “What if your parents see?!”
Xie Zhirou shrugged. “So what? My mom really likes you.”
“That’s different!” Chen Mengyin muttered. “I get so guilty now when I see her. What if she grabs me and asks if I deserve all her love and care after stealing her daughter?”
Xie Zhirou didn’t understand her anxiety. Tang Jingxue clearly liked Chen Mengyin. Maybe she’d have trouble with the coming out part—but eventually, she’d accept it.
Maybe… liking Chen Mengyin was genetic.
From the first moment, Tang Jingxue liked that cute neighbor kid. And so did she.
“Don’t worry about that on New Year’s. Let’s just enjoy the moment, okay?” Xie Zhirou comforted her.
“Okay, okay, I won’t think about it,” Mengyin relented.
They leaned on each other, chatting softly.
At midnight, the fireworks started again across the river.
Dozens of bursts lit up the sky over Yonghuai. The dark clouds bloomed with flowers.
Watching them, Chen Mengyin smiled at Xie Zhirou. “Happy New Year.”
Xie Zhirou looked into her smiling eyes. Under the radiant fireworks, she leaned in and kissed her.
“Happy New Year,” she whispered.