The person who had Tao Zhi’s phone line occupied was Fu Si Heng.
Xu Yujia was still hesitating at the dinner table about whether to eavesdrop on Fu Zheng’s call when Fu Si Heng passed by from the living room and overheard the gist of the conversation.
Just as Fu Zheng asked 178k Bro, “If I take the initiative to reach out to him, won’t I lose face? Won’t it look like I’m throwing myself at him?” Fu Si Heng had already gone upstairs, returned to his study, and dialed Tao Zhi’s voice call.
On Tao Zhi’s end, they were setting off fireworks.
The Spring Festival Gala had been too boring to watch, so Tao Tao had somehow gotten a bag of fireworks and called Tao Zhi over to play.
When Fu Si Heng called, Tao Zhi was standing in the courtyard, having just lit a tube of Money Tree fireworks. The flames burst open with a series of loud bangs.
Tao Zhi covered his ears and stepped aside.
“Hello, Brother Fu.” The call connected, and Tao Zhi’s joyful, delighted voice came through the speaker, his laughter evident. “Have you finished New Year’s Eve dinner?”
“Mm.” Fu Si Heng closed the door and walked straight to the window.
Perhaps because Tao Zhi sounded so happy, his own mood lifted as well. “What are you doing? You sound thrilled.”
“Setting off fireworks.” Tao Zhi answered honestly.
As he spoke, he glanced sideways at Tao Tao, who was playing happily.
Tao Tao’s personality was completely different from Tao Zhi’s. She had always been rowdy, and she didn’t play properly either—she lined up all the Money Trees in a row, three sets of nine, and lit them one by one.
Suddenly, the courtyard was ablaze with firelight, and the smell of gunpowder filled the air. Tao Zhi didn’t catch what Fu Si Heng said and quickly took his phone farther away.
“That’s quite a racket.” Fu Si Heng heard the continuous bangs coming through the phone.
“Yeah, my little sister’s gone wild.” Tao Zhi told him. “What about you? What are you up to?”
He wasn’t sure if the noise on his end was too loud, but he hadn’t heard any sounds from Fu Si Heng’s side.
It was unusually quiet on the other end—no voices from family members, no clamor from the TV.
Was he working in his study?
That’s too hard on him.
“Not doing much. Bored.” Fu Si Heng said casually. “You’re putting on quite the fireworks display. Aren’t fireworks banned where you are?”
“No bans in the countryside.” Tao Zhi replied.
The countryside didn’t have so many rules. During the Spring Festival, fireworks and firecrackers started banging away from around four in the morning, and by six, people had to get up to pay New Year’s visits.
It was tomorrow, so he needed to sleep early tonight.
He couldn’t talk on the phone too late.
Tao Zhi hinted tactfully.
Fu Si Heng chuckled.
Tao Zhi touched his nose, as if covering up his pettiness, and rattled off several things about New Year’s visits tomorrow in one breath.
Fu Si Heng found his chattering amusing and asked what other customs they had there.
Tao Zhi thought for a moment and was about to tell Fu Si Heng when someone suddenly knocked on their front door twice. Then, a middle-aged woman walked in.
“Little Tao.” The woman entered and waved her hand, choked by the gunpowder smell in the courtyard. “Why’d you turn the house into this? Look at the smell… Oh, Little Zhi’s here too. When did you get back?”
“Almost half a month ago.” Tao Zhi tensed at the nickname and quickly pressed the end call button. He greeted the woman. “Second Aunt, Happy New Year.”
“Hey, Happy New Year.” Second Aunt smiled awkwardly. “You know, I was so busy before the New Year that I didn’t have time to visit. I didn’t know you were back. Um, are your parents home?”
“Yes, they’re in the living room.” Tao Zhi said.
“Alright.” Second Aunt acknowledged. “I need to talk to your parents about something. You kids keep playing.”
With that, the middle-aged woman headed into the house.
Tao Tao had somehow come to stand beside Tao Zhi. The siblings watched the woman’s back together, moving in sync. Tao Zhi asked, “Why’d she come over on New Year’s Eve?”
“No idea.”
Tao Tao was curious too.
Staying home on New Year’s Eve was the norm—coming over to visit like this seemed odd no matter how you looked at it.
Tao Tao wanted to listen in. She glanced toward the living room window, then at Tao Zhi, and lifted her chin at him.
Tao Zhi got the hint and followed Tao Tao to crouch by the window.
Second Aunt first chatted with his parents about family matters and village gossip, then turned to the topic of Tao Tao’s hot spring post on her Moments before the New Year.
Huh?
Tao Tao, hearing this, turned to look at Tao Zhi and pointed at herself, as if saying, Talking about me again?
Tao Zhi rapped her head twice and kept listening.
After bringing up Tao Tao’s fun outing, things got easier. The gist was: since they had spare cash to go out and buy dolls, could they first repay the 30,000 yuan they owed her family?
The living room fell silent the moment she said it.
Tao Zhi had no idea about the 30,000 debt to Second Aunt’s family. He turned to ask Tao Tao, “When did this happen? How come I didn’t know?”
“After you went to university.” Tao Tao picked at the windowsill and told him honestly. “Mom went into the hospital again later, and Dad borrowed from them. They said not to tell you—they were afraid you’d drop out and work everywhere while studying.”
