No one understands rebirth better than me

Chapter 194 Guan Ren's Gift (Third update, added to the 11th)

The longer the holiday, the faster time seems to fly.

"Is it crooked?"

"It's crooked, a little to the left."

"so?"

"Hmm...wait! Let's not take this one from the roadside. Let's get the one from the company."

Guan Qiaoyun felt uneasy; she kept thinking that the character "福" (fortune/blessing) she had just seen looked like the character "逼" (force/bear), which seemed odd…

……

Lunar New Year's Eve is getting closer.

Guan Ren, who was pasting Spring Festival couplets on his door, felt the festive atmosphere of the New Year after a long time.

Moreover, through personal experience, I discovered that the so-called fading of the New Year's atmosphere in the future is not due to any of the various reasons that those pretentious intellectuals have forcibly analyzed and argued about.

It's simply because the internet and technology aren't advanced enough yet.

Without technology, many things would have to be done manually.

Even without short videos, you have to find something to do, even if it's just taking sunflower seeds out on the street, otherwise it's really boring.

With more people on the streets, there are more activities and more people coming and going, and the festive atmosphere of the New Year naturally increases.

As for the claim that "the Spring Festival Gala is getting worse and worse," that's another matter, and it actually has little to do with the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

It is related to the "ban on fireworks".

However, if something really goes wrong, then people will be unhappy, since there are quite a few fireworks accidents every year.

……

"Guan Ren, kid! Come here..."

"?"

The day before New Year's Eve, Grandpa Lin proudly called Guan Ren into the guardhouse.

"What's wrong?"

"Didn't you say before that I'm an old man living alone? Look at this."

"Holy shit..."

Guan Ren couldn't help but swear, because there were so many new things in the old man's guardhouse.

Everything from food to utensils was there, all brand new, and many even had New Year's cards, clearly gifts from others.

"How about it? When I was a member of the cultural troupe, I made quite a few old friends, and we keep in touch every year."

"Wow, grandpa, you're really something else!"

However, Guan Ren always felt that some of the gifts didn't seem like something that "old friends" would give, but rather something that young people would give.

Grandpa Lin said he had no children, so what young person would give him a New Year's gift like he did...?

What Guan Ren found strange was that, apart from showing off a little, Grandpa Lin didn't seem to care much about these gifts.

On the contrary, the sesame paste and biscuits that I gave him before are still in good condition, and he eats them every day.

"Wow? They even have guitars? No wonder they're cultural troupe soldiers, I haven't touched one of these in ages..."

"how?"

Grandpa Lin's eyes lit up:
"You can play?"

"I know a little."

To be honest, Guan Renlian couldn't even remember the chords very well. He had only learned them for a short time in his third year of junior high school, following the example of his classmates, and it was very rough.

Grandpa Lin then took out the guitar and handed it to him:

"Play it for me."

"Uh... right now, I might just play a birthday song..."

"Play it."

"Then I'll show my ugliness."

As Guan Ren spoke, he started fiddling with the instrument, and surprisingly, despite his clumsiness, he actually managed to play the birthday song.

It hurts so much when I press my fingers.

"Pretty good, about one percent of my level when I enlisted."

"..."

"This guitar is getting in the way here, you can take it back."

"what?"

Guan Ren never expected that Grandpa Lin would suddenly want to give him the guitar.

Grandpa Lin chuckled and said:
"You gave me New Year's gifts, this is my return gift."

"but I…"

"Take it, I don't need it anyway. You can just hang it up and let it gather dust."

That's what they say...

But the more Guan Ren looked at this guitar, the more valuable it seemed.
……

Guan Ren touched the guitar body and felt the texture of the top, back, and sides. It felt like a solid wood guitar. You probably couldn't get one for less than a few thousand or even tens of thousands of yuan.

Moreover, a sparkling red star is inlaid on the widened and enlarged headstock.

This unique design looks like it was custom-made.

……

"Sir, you really don't want it?"

Guan Ren himself is not short of money, but he is afraid that the old man may have become confused.

"What are you dawdling about? Why don't you take it and let your girlfriends play it? If you don't want it, I'll just throw it away."

"..."

Since Grandpa Lin had put it that way, Guan Ren naturally couldn't refuse.

And as the old man said, although he wasn't very good at playing the guitar, he could still play for the girl to have some fun.

As for when to play it, Guan Ren already knew.

----------

On New Year's Eve.

Guan Qiaoyun turned on all the small lights in the living room that she usually wouldn't turn on, making it brightly lit.

The small maroon coffee table was covered with candies and snacks.

There are several kinds of melon seeds alone.

White pumpkin seeds, spiced seeds, and black watermelon seeds.

The tin biscuit box, originally used to hold needles and thread in the last century, was also filled with almonds and raisins.

……

With everything ready, Guan Ren and his mother sat on small stools, munching on snacks while waiting for the countdown on TV.

Soon, with several choral pieces, some familiar yet still young faces appeared on the screen.

Thank you to all the people of China! Thank you to all Chinese people around the world for celebrating the Year of the Dragon with us!

The 2012 Spring Festival Gala has begun.

Watching the passionate people on TV, Guan Ren grinned foolishly, feeling that time was somewhat unreal.

At this point, the male host was just a male host, not yet "the future gentlemen".

The female host remained a female host, and nothing serious happened.

Guan Ren even saw the host of "Very 6+1", who used to love watching him smash golden eggs when he was a kid.

……

Actually, Guan Ren didn't have a very deep impression of that year's Spring Festival Gala.

All I remember is that Eason Chan and Faye Wong sang "Because of Love," which made the song a hit in 2012.

Guo Donglin's skit "The Interview" plagiarized the Japanese comedy duo Unjush, drawing criticism from many.

Gone.

After all, even the 2012 Spring Festival Gala, which Guan Ren felt was alright, was still considered by many to be less exciting than expected these days.

Like many others, Guan Ren felt that the Spring Festival Gala had been getting worse and worse since 08. Although there was Shen Teng later on.

I need to extend my life every now and then.

But that's all.

Watching the Spring Festival Gala is now a tradition for Guan Ren's family. Even if they only play on their phones during the Gala in the future, they still have to turn it on.

……

Gradually, Guan Qiaoyun, who had been eating sunflower seeds all night, couldn't take it anymore.

I was so sleepy at 11 o'clock that I went inside to sleep.

At 11:30, Guan Ren pushed open the door and squeezed her feet, but there was no response; she was asleep.

This actually made things convenient for Guan Ren.

"Hey? Sister Gu? Come out quickly! Come to the school!"

"Now?"

Gu Youli on the phone was taken aback:
"Who goes out on New Year's Eve?"

"Of course there are! Look at the class group chat, there are quite a few people who stay up all night."

"But…"

"Hurry up, I'm waiting for you on the chair outside the convenience store."

----------

The front gate of Jiangzhou No. 2 Middle School is not closed properly, making it easy to slip inside.

The back door is even simpler; it's next to the teachers' residential area, making it easy for Gu Youli, as a teacher's family member, to get in.

And so, fifteen minutes later, the two of them sat down on chairs under the New Year's Eve lights.

"You...you're out so late at night...what are you doing..."

Guan Ren suspected that Gu Youli had run over, panting in the fragrance of perfume. He didn't bother to smell it any longer and took out a small white starfish, about the size of his palm, decorated with a circle of mini pearls.

"Here, this is from Sanya."

"Eh…?"

Did he even think of bringing himself a gift when he went to Sanya?
Gu Youli's eyes flickered a few times before she took it, somewhat incredulously.

Then a question suddenly came to mind.

"Did someone else receive a gift like yours...?"

"no!"

Guan Ren and you are steadfast:

"I only sent it to you."

Gu Youli's eyes flickered slightly:
"...Really?"

"real."

So, the dimples on his deskmate's cheeks slowly appeared under the cover of night. Before he could suppress the warm flutter in his heart, Guan Ren sneezed at an inopportune moment.

"Ah sneeze——!"

Gu Youli quickly pulled out a tissue and handed it to him, not forgetting to scold him:
"Do you really have to deliver it so late on New Year's Eve...?"

"Yes."

Guan Ren nodded:
"That's exactly what I wanted! New Year's Eve is the last day before the Lunar New Year. Giving you a gift today is to commemorate our relationship this year. If I give you another gift tomorrow, it will be a new year's relationship."

"..."

That's why they say bad deskmates are bad; they keep talking about "feelings." At least say "deskmate feelings," right?

but…

Little Pear Blossom didn't really want to correct him.

"Come on, let's sit down for a while and listen to some music."

Guan Ren also brought headphones, and the two of them each wore one, just like usual.

A few minutes later, just as Gu Youli was about to ask how long they were going to stay there that night, Guan Ren suddenly pointed to the open sky above the playground:
"It's 12 o'clock! Look!"

call out--

Gu Youli looked up and saw one dazzling firework after another bursting into bloom.

The colorful mottled patterns, like the vibrant youth of the boys and girls of this era, were reflected on Gu Youli's beautiful face as she stood there, lost in thought.

You used to be so careful—asking me to borrow half an eraser. You also once casually mentioned that you liked being with me.

Quite coincidentally, "My Deskmate" started playing again in my headphones.

Just like that evening when someone realized they liked their deskmate.

This time, however, as he watched the dazzling fireworks, Guan Ren suddenly heard what sounded like heavenly music, even more beautiful than what he heard in his headphones, being softly hummed from the thin lips of the person beside him.

"Back then, the sky was always so blue, and the days always seemed to drag on... You always said graduation was a long way off, but in the blink of an eye, we're all going our separate ways..."

Although I only hummed a short passage without realizing it.

But at this moment, Guan Ren was nothing short of astonishing.

The melody is melodious, gentle, and lingering.

It sounds like silver bells, and even more like celestial music.

Guan Ren realized for the first time that his classmate, who seemed to only know how to study and whose only interest was "listening to songs," actually had a singing voice that was just as good as that of a certain country girl broadcaster—it was incredibly beautiful!
"Sister Gu."

"Ok?"

"Next year at the Spring Festival Gala, I'll kick Faye Wong off and push you up."

"..."

----------

In short, after learning Gu Youli's "little secret," Guan Ren was so excited that he almost couldn't sleep all night. He frantically "harassed" his deskmate on QQ, asking her if she had studied it before and why he had never heard her sing it before.

Gu Youli's answer was also very Gu Youli.

[Xiao Li: I've never studied singing; learning to sing is not as good as studying.]

[Xiao Li: You usually have to study, why would you sing?]

However, even though he stayed up all night on New Year's Eve, Guan Ren still got up early on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

Because he still needed to find Luo Xiaobei.

"Guan Ren, why are you being so mysterious and covering my eyes?"

"I'm giving you a gift."

"What gift should I give so early on the first day of the Lunar New Year...?"

"That's exactly what I wanted! The first day of the Lunar New Year is the first day of the Lunar New Year. Giving you a gift today is like giving you gifts all year round. You should be secretly happy!"

"Okay, hehe~"

Luo Xiaobei chuckled:
"Can you open your eyes now?"

"Okay, open your eyes."

Luo Xiaobei opened her eyes, then giggled:
"What is this?"

She looked at the egg-sized, sharply angled black stone in Guan Ren's hand with a puzzled expression:

"You've reached the Core Formation stage?"

"..."

"From the kidneys?"

"..."

Guan Ren's forehead veins throbbed.

This guy is the only one who would curse someone to get kidney stones on the first day of the Lunar New Year...

"I picked this up at the Tianya Haijiao (End of the Earth) in Sanya, and then had someone carve it. Look."

Luo Xiaobei took a look and was pleasantly surprised to find that there were indeed a few lines of writing on the stone.

[Stones bring good fortune, academic success is assured, childhood sweethearts, a sweet and loving relationship.]

"Pfft..."

Luo Xiaobei burst into laughter, mercilessly mocking Guan Ren's lousy poem while clutching the stone tightly in her hand.

(End of this chapter)