Winter Returns

Chapter 218 Christmas, Christmas! (Part 2)

"Merry Christmas!"

He looked towards the window. Although it wasn't late at night, the curtains were drawn tightly, and it must have been pitch black from the outside.

Turning around, I saw a key that should have been taken away hanging neatly on a hook in the entryway.

Suddenly, Zhang Shutong understood everything.

It really was a prank, but it was much bigger than he had imagined. Countless people were involved from beginning to end, while he was the only one on his side, fighting alone. It wouldn't be surprising if he lost—that's what Zhang Shutong wanted to say, but he couldn't make a joke now.

"You guys are so boring."

He said in a low voice.

"Hey, surprise, don't be too touched." Du Kang came over and put his arm around his neck.

"Isn't someone else just wandering around aimlessly? He's only just come back now. Only bored people can become good friends," Ruoping nudged him from behind.

Zhang Shutong didn't know how he took off his coat or how he ended up sitting on the sofa. When he came to his senses, there was a cup of hot water next to him, and he was alone in the empty living room again.

The other four people were crammed into the kitchen, the range hood whirring loudly, as if they had only come to the house late at night to borrow the kitchen. But the only one who could cook was Ruoping, and she was now giving orders:
"Du Kang, scallions! Qingyi, garlic!"

Their skills were only good enough to assist him. As soon as he entered the room, Gu Qiu Mian suddenly stomped her foot and said she was going to check on the oven. Then she ran into the kitchen and disappeared.

Zhang Shutong never managed to catch a glimpse of her.

It turned out that each of them was preparing a specialty dish for the evening. Du Kang was the first to come out, and he placed a cucumber salad on the table:

"Dude, are you feeling better yet?"

"A surprise of this magnitude is more suitable for a birthday. How long have you been home?"

"It's been about half an hour. Let me tell you, today was a real ordeal. After school, I had to stuff notes everywhere and rush home to prepare vegetables. I didn't even have time to drink water."

Zhang Shutong sighed deeply and said, "I've been through a lot too. I've been running around since school ended. Who isn't busy? But why so busy?" The two looked at each other, and Zhang Shutong suddenly smiled and said:
How could you have the nerve to serve it out?

Qingyi, emerging from the kitchen, rarely showed any embarrassment:
"I'm really not good at cooking."

The plate in his hand held six golden-brown fried sausages. It was neither plentiful nor meager, yet he had fried an extra one.

With cucumber salad and fried ham, Zhang Shutong seriously doubted whether he could put together four dishes tonight.

"But why did you decide to eat at home?" he asked, puzzled.

Qingyi explained:

"The plan was to wait for you at home, but it would be unnecessary to go out to find a restaurant after you get home, so we decided to eat at home. Besides, the aunt bought the groceries in advance."

"They bought the groceries in advance..." Zhang Shutong muttered, "They were so well-prepared."

"Actually, it gradually became like this," Qingyi said with a smile. "At the beginning, we were just discussing what gift to prepare for you. No one thought about celebrating Christmas together, so guess who brought it up first?"
"You, or Ruoping?"

“Wrong answer.” Qingyi raised an eyebrow. “It’s Gu Qiumian.”

Zhang Shutong was genuinely surprised.

He had assumed that Gu Qiu Mian had been dragged along, since the original plan was to have lunch with his best friends and then treat her to dinner alone. But why did she break those plans on her own initiative?

“That’s just how we men are,” Qingyi said as she arranged the sausages on a plate. “There are only two things we can’t refuse: excitement and romance.”

Zhang Shutong subconsciously looked towards the kitchen.

When Ruoping came out of the kitchen, she saw the boys huddled on the sofa watching TV. Each of them had a sausage in their mouth. Qingyi was changing channels with the remote. When Dukang saw a show he liked, he would nod, and the sausage would sway up and down. Qingyi would pout, and the sausage would move sideways. Only Zhang Shutong seemed to be smoking a cigar, lost in his own world.

"Cough cough."

She cleared her throat.

The three of them turned around.

"Are you all exhausted?" She covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

The three shook their heads.

"Why are you watching TV if you're not exhausted?" Ruoping grinned menacingly. "Du Kang and Meng Qingyi, you two go and serve the dishes. Zhang Shutong, you'll have some dishes for dinner too, so hurry up and help."

"Can I boil eggs?" Zhang Shutong has a unique expertise in boiling eggs.

"Don't ask me, ask Qiu Mian, be her assistant."

After saying that, she sat down on the sofa and crossed her legs. The TV was a Crayon Shin-chan show that Qingyi had searched for a long time to find.

"Go on, are you still shy?"

She waved casually.

……

Mayonnaise.

A fair, white hand was extended in front of Zhang Shutong.

He said "oh," unscrewed the bottle cap, and placed it in that hand.

Gu Qiumian wasn't a good cook, but she was a master at ordering people around. When she cooked, she never took out the necessary items and put them away. Instead, she kindly left them to rest in their places. As the saying goes, being kind to others is being cruel to yourself, so she was soon running around in circles.

"White vinegar."

Zhang Shutong handed over the white vinegar and watched Gu Qiumian cut off the crusts of the baked bread.

"What a waste." Even though Zhang Shutong knew she was making sandwiches, she couldn't help but say.

"Well……"

Then a piece of bread got stuck in Zhang Shutong's mouth.

The kitchen lights were dim. Gu Qiumian was focused on cutting bread on the cutting board. Although it was winter, it was warm inside. Her sideburns were messy.

The range hood was turned off, and only the small pot of boiling eggs was bubbling away. Both of them kept their eyes down and didn't speak, only exchanging necessary information. One of them would ask for what he needed, and the other would take what he asked for.

They're quite in sync. Zhang Shutong thought to himself, he said he was going to make boiled eggs, and Gu Qiumian clapped her hands and said she was going to make an egg sandwich, so the bread machine that hadn't been used in a long time was dug out.

The kitchen was small to begin with. Zhang Shutong timed it perfectly, and when the eggs were almost cooked, he took them out and put them in cold water to cool. The two stood side by side, their division of labor fairly clear.

"Give me the egg white first."

"Is it really necessary to go through all this trouble? Why can't we just chop the eggs up?"

"That cut looks terrible."

Zhang Shutong nodded. Eggs rolled on the cutting board, and for a moment only the sound of eggshells breaking could be heard. He placed the peeled egg whites in Gu Qiumian's palm.

Gu Qiu Mian slapped his hand away without looking up and said:

"I told you to put it in a glass bowl, isn't it dirty?"

Zhang Shutong looked at her hands and thought, "You'll be using your hands to cut later too, so what's the essential difference?"
"Then why are you reaching out your hand?"

"I want a spoon!"

"Here you go, here you go," he said, admitting defeat.

Gu Qiumian chopped the eggs into small pieces with a light and quick motion.

Then she mixed all the ingredients together, and the fresh egg sauce was ready.

Gu Qiumian dipped her little finger in the water, put it in her lips, and tasted it.

Zhang Shutong thought to himself, "So it's not dirty anymore?"

Do you have any candy?

"Yes." He felt that even the charisma of a Michelin-starred chef could not surpass this.

After seasoning the bread, Gu Qiumian finally finished and started spreading egg sauce on it with a spoon. However, she found the spoon difficult to use and needed to find a knife.

Zhang Shutong frantically went to find the knife again, and just as she handed it over, the other woman said:
"You should do some work too, don't let me do it all by myself."

"Have I not started working yet?" Zhang Shutong thought a beat late.

He picked up a piece of bread, but after spreading it halfway on, the chef spoke again:
"Oh dear, you've applied it too thickly. Let me demonstrate for you."

As she spoke, Gu Qiumian used the tip of her knife to pick up a little sauce and spread it evenly on the bread slice. She asked him if he had learned how to make it, and Zhang Shutong nodded. Gu Qiumian then stretched out her hands to signal him to take it.

Zhang Shutong wants to take back his statement that they were quite in sync.

Gu Qiumian handed him a dinner knife, but he mistook it for the half-spreaded bread, so he held the handle out to him. Zhang Shutong, however, grabbed Gu Qiumian's other hand that was holding the bread. They both paused for a moment, then looked up at the same time.

Their eyes met once again. In the dimly lit kitchen under the night sky, thousands of stars shone in the distant heavens outside the window, and the girl's eyes held the brightest light.

Zhang Shutong moved his hand away and took the dinner knife.

“I already learned it,” Zhang Shutong muttered. “I don’t even need to look at such a small thing; just say it once and it’s enough.”

"Then why don't you say anything?" Gu Qiumian muttered. "I thought it was going too far."

"It's not overcooked, is it?" Zhang Shutong looked at the piece of bread in her hand. "I like it a little burnt."

"Don't play dumb." She wrinkled her nose.

Saying thank you feels too cheesy.

"Who said that? Tell me, I'm listening."

"Thank you," Zhang Shutong said readily. "You were busy at noon, but suddenly made time for me in the evening. It's so touching."

"Why are you making me so angry?" Gu Qiumian glared at her. "What did I say wrong? I'm just busy, I have other plans. Who's going to have dinner with you..."

She suddenly asked suspiciously:

What was that expression you were making just now?

“I’ll mimic your glare.” Zhang Shutong quickly blinked.

Gu Qiu Mian immediately became unhappy and stomped on him hard.

Zhang Shutong hurriedly dodged away, saying he wouldn't dare again, but Gu Qiumian insisted on stepping on him a few times before she was happy.

As they were talking, they finished making the sandwiches, and she turned around, seemingly satisfied.
"Help me take off my apron, my hands are dirty."

Looking at her swan-like long neck, Zhang Shutong actually wanted to splash some water on her to cool her down.

……

Christmas 2012 was destined to be an unforgettable day.

That day they gathered together for dinner, which included a cinnamon pie, an egg sandwich, shredded pork with green peppers and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a cucumber salad, and three sausages.

Nothing could be more bizarre than this, which is why it's so unforgettable.

They drank a little wine that day, it was Mom's homemade wine, just a small sip, simply to celebrate.

They lit up the small Christmas tree in their house and went out together.

On this day, many streetlights illuminated the streets of the island. As you passed the commercial street, it was lit up with colorful lights. Someone was playing a guitar on the street. They were tourists from outside the island. Just as some people make a special trip to the island to celebrate a lively Christmas, others come to the island to seek a different kind of tranquility.

The singing only gradually faded away after I had walked more than ten meters away.

There were banners with holiday activities in front of the mall, and staff dressed as Santa Claus were handing out free gifts. Zhang Shutong went over and picked one up, which was an exquisitely designed candle.

The boy and girl walked in and out of the mall hand in hand. The girl was holding a bouquet of flowers in her arms. The flowers were freshly bought not long ago. It is not easy to find flowers in winter.

Zhang Shutong and Qingyi walked at the back, chatting about other things.

"Actually, Lu Qinglian knows about what happened tonight, right?" Zhang Shutong asked.

"Yes, I roughly know our plan. Ruoping invited her at noon, but she didn't come," Qingyi asked curiously. "Did she say anything to you?"

Who put that chocolate bar in my desk drawer?

“I went there, and you weren’t in your seat at the time.”

No wonder she said "go home" at the end.

Zhang Shutong thought for a moment, then said nothing. He simply took out his phone, found a number, and sent a "Merry Christmas" message.

"You two hurry up!" Ruoping shouted from the front.

Surprisingly, the mall didn't have many lights on tonight, and the huge Christmas tree at the entrance stood in complete darkness.

Gu Qiumian said that it would be lit up at 8 o'clock sharp.

It's 7:40 now, and people have already gathered under the tree.

They stopped at the market in front of their house, where there were many entertainment options. Gu Qiumian's face was flushed as she pointed loudly at a fluffy teddy bear and said she wanted it. There were so many people around that she had to call out to Zhang Shutong several times before he could hear her.

That was a whack-a-mole activity.

Among the crowd, there were a few classmates who looked both unfamiliar and familiar. Qingyi and Dukang went to play ring toss, while Ruoping had indeed made an appointment with her best friend, leaving only him and Gu Qiumian looking around.

Zhang Shutong originally intended to just go straight to the queue because there were so many people today, but she insisted on buying some food before going in. A short while later, Gu Qiumian came in holding a sugar painting; of course, she only looked at it, not ate it, thinking it was dirty.

"Does it look good?"

She hummed.

She painted this sugar painting herself; it only cost a little more money. With the money that could have bought ten sugar paintings, they got an ugly sheep instead.

Even her sugar paintings had to be unique, but after only a few steps, one fell to the ground and shattered.

Gu Qiumian sobered up a bit.

Zhang Shutong then observed a moment of silence for the sheep on the ground.

"Class monitor!" someone waved from afar, "You're out having fun too?"

It's not unusual to run into classmates, so Gu Qiumian greeted them with a smile.

"This is……"

Zhang Shutong didn't know if the other person recognized him; they might look familiar, or they might not recognize him at all.

Gu Qiumian glanced at him.

"friend."

Zhang Shutong had no choice but to answer for her.

She snorted and said nothing.

She also ran into a few acquaintances during the trip. She would simply say hello or nod briefly. She was a young lady from a wealthy family, and even when she was in a crowd, she had an air of elegance that made her stand out. It wouldn't be accurate to say that strangers should stay away from her, but people would take the initiative to greet her, and no one dared to get close.

"No, we have to go back!"

After thinking it over and over again, Qiu Yulian pointed to the sugar painting stall and said firmly.

It was fine for her to be firm, but it was not good for her to hold onto the henchman so firmly. Zhang Shutong struggled to pull her to the whack-a-mole stall to queue up.

Finally, it was their turn. Zhang Shutong slapped his hands a few times, breathed a sigh of relief, and calmly stopped, relieved that he had not failed in his mission.

He had just hugged the teddy bear to his arms when Gu Qiu Mian spotted another matryoshka doll at a stall where people used to shoot balloons with toy guns.

"What else do you want?" Zhang Shutong asked, putting away his gun.

"that!"

"Okay... anything else?"

"that!"

"Wait, I really can't carry it anymore..."

The mall manager somehow got wind of the situation and, while making a phone call to Gu Qiumian, squeezed into the crowd from a distance, giving Zhang Shutong a little breathing space.

While Gu Qiu Mian was talking to the other person, he squeezed over to Qing Yi's side. Qing Yi, carrying a cage for rabbits, asked Du Kang:
Why are you wearing it?

"Since it's just a side trip, how about keeping Zorro company?"

"This stuff smells awful."

"Never mind," Du Kang muttered, picking up the rabbit. "I'll ask the boss if we can get a few more laps if we return the rabbit to him..."

"Oh, Shutong." Qingyi turned around. "Want to ride bumper cars later?"

"Okay." Zhang Shutong had just nodded when his phone vibrated.

"happy holidays."

It was 8 p.m. when Zhang Shutong turned around and saw that the huge Christmas tree was lit up.

(End of this chapter)