Chapter 997: Chapter 997 - 998: Another Year
On New Year’s Eve, Cheng Su was awakened by the sound of firecrackers early in the morning, and when she reached out beside her, Qi Taiguo had already gone back to the army, as usual.
Now that he’s been promoted to deputy battalion commander, his role involves assisting with the battalion commander’s duties. Whether it’s New Year’s leave or holiday readiness, he has more responsibilities to handle.
Cheng Su rolled around in the warm bed for a while before getting up to wash up and make breakfast.
In their building, every household’s front door was tightly shut, but all had new red couplets pasted on them. The same was true for Hualing’s family, with an upside-down "Fu" character pasted on their door.
That day, after she and Hualing went shopping, Chen Shouwang put them up because on New Year’s Eve, Hualing was going back to her parents’ home for the celebration.
The whole building seemed like only Cheng Su’s family was left; it was so quiet that it felt a little unusual and somewhat lonely.
"Humans are indeed social animals!" Cheng Su chuckled as she held the pot and then went to the kitchen to get busy.
Even if it was just the two of them for the New Year, she had to make something delicious. Soup, fish, chicken—they were all essential. After all, the New Year is about celebrating with food.
So after breakfast, Cheng Su started preparing. She stewed soup with lotus root and big bones to attract the good omen of "year-long prosperity."
After putting on the soup, she mixed flour with boiling water to make glue, planning to paste the couplets herself.
"Hey, what are you doing?"
When Qi Taiguo returned, he saw Cheng Su standing on a chair, tottering. He quickly walked over and picked her up.
"You’re back? I was pasting couplets!" Cheng Su waved the bowl in her hand, filled with glue.
Qi Taiguo took the bowl from her and said, "Wait for me to do it when I get back. Why are you doing it yourself? What if you fall?"
"I thought you might be busy!" Cheng Su laughed.
"Duty is duty, but since it’s New Year, the soldiers staying behind also celebrate at the unit; they just can’t go home. Today is about cleaning up and setting the festive mood." Qi Taiguo smeared the glue on the wall, took the couplet Cheng Su handed over, pasted it according to her direction, and continued, "The unit is on holiday for the New Year too—making dumplings, organizing activities, watching galas, and so on for three days, then it’s back to training."
"So I thought you’d be too busy!" Cheng Su said.
"With you at home, I absolutely have to make time to come back." Qi Taiguo turned to her with a smile. "I’m here on standby duty, which is good. During holidays, there’s readiness to be on guard; many comrades have to go out for readiness missions. In the past years, I’ve been out almost every year."
"So you rarely celebrated New Year’s at home?" Cheng Su found it interesting and handed over another couplet, and they finished pasting the couplets while chatting.
Qi Taiguo mentioned that there would be a gala in the evening and fireworks, so they should have dinner early and then go to the unit.
"Can I come along?" Cheng Su asked.
"Yes, I’ll take you to see," Qi Taiguo replied with a smile.
Cheng Su was immediately thrilled, "Then I’ll cook dinner early in the afternoon."
Qi Taiguo nodded.
In the afternoon, after Cheng Su finished cooking, Qi Taiguo returned, and they enjoyed their first reunion dinner as a couple. They then called their families, tidied up, and headed to the unit to watch the gala together. It wasn’t until the fireworks signaling the new year burst at midnight that they returned home.
In the distance, some people were still setting off fireworks and firecrackers. Listening to the crackling sounds, Cheng Su fell asleep peacefully. Another year had passed.