Volume 10 - CH 5

Chapter 5: Fireworks

Location: Taiwan  Time: 6:03 PM

“Ming Yang!”

That lucky classmate quickly caught up to our pace, and then he stopped, before pulling my arm excitedly, “When did you come back? When I called your home before, your mom said you hadn’t come back at all, causing me to think that you got a girlfriend at school and didn’t want to come home anymore~!”

“Haha…” I was doing my best to preserve my life at school and couldn’t come back, dude!

“I was going to say that I could look for you to watch a movie or drink tea and whatnot during holidays, but I didn’t expect that you wouldn’t even come back on holidays.” The lucky classmate made a little complaint to me.

“Oh, it’s because I had something going on.” Scratching my head, I wasn’t sure how I should explain it to him.

“Never mind…Eh? This person is…” The lucky student’s gaze turned to Senior, and he let out a question, “Very familiar.”

“This is my senior from my current school, uh…” I suddenly felt that it was a bit difficult to introduce Senior, and didn’t know where I should start.

“Like Chu, you can directly call me Senior or Icy Flame.” Senior abruptly spoke, and gave me a start, because I had always thought that he didn’t seem to like dealing with my former classmates, especially after last time’s singing incident.

Though after that, I didn’t bump into any of the others either.

“Oh oh, Senior Icy Flame, please take care of me.” That lucky classmate very sincerely reached out a hand, “I’m Ming Yang’s classmate from middle school. My surname is Wei, and my full name is Wei Yu.” Then he has a nickname that didn’t sound so nice called “Wei Yu.”

[T/N: His name wèi yǔ sounds similar to wèi yú, which means feed the fish.]

Senior glanced at me. His expression was too calm, which made me unable to tell how he felt instead. However, he also reached out a hand and shook the lucky classmate’s hand, “Your luck’s not bad.” Senior curved his lips, and said a fact that I had known for a long time.

“Haha, everyone says that, but it’s actually very ordinary.” The lucky classmate embarrassedly scratched his head, giving off the same feeling as that good classmate in my memory. But it might be because of high school that he also looked somewhat more mature than before, “My family members all seems to have a bit of good luck. There’s nothing special or remarkable about it.”

That’s already very remarkable to an eternally unlucky person like me, alright?

“Your family should have done some good deeds several generations ago, so the recipient continued to protect the members of your family, bringing you good luck.” Senior folded his arms, and walked side by side with the lucky classmate while chatting. I quickly  caught up.

“Good deeds? I had no idea…” The lucky classmate looked at Senior with a strange worshipful gaze, “Ming Yang’s senior, could it be that you have psychic abilities? Wow! Is it the same as the ones on TV? It feels very strong!”

Basically Senior’s psychic abilities should be stronger than those people on TV, right? At least that’s what I personally think.

Curving into a very faint smile, Senior didn’t express any opinions. He simply blinked his black eyes, and seemed to also be very relaxed as he replied to him: “I don’t have any psychic abilities, but you should cherish your luck and do more meaningful things; that way, your family’s descendants can also continue to inherit the same luck as you.”

I watched that lucky classmate, and he nodded hard.

“Thanks, Ming Yang’s senior.” He heartily laughed again.

Maybe I’m a little envious of that lucky classmate. Alright, actually I’m very envious of him. I’m not asking for any especially good luck either, but to an ordinary person, occasionally having a bit of good luck, I guess just having this would be very blessed.

To me, perhaps that’s happiness.

“That’s right, is there anywhere the two of you have to go?” The lucky classmate put his hands behind his back, “I heard that there’s some events happening on the streets tonight. Do you want to go and see them together?”

“Events?”

“Yeah, the XX shopping street over there will be setting off fireworks to pray for blessings, and I heard that there’s also going to be a bunch of raffle games. Let’s go, let’s go. Let’s go see them together.” Taking out an advertising flyer and giving it to me, the lucky classmate pointed to the big words on the colorful flyer and said. I squinted. Printed on it was the Joint Shopping Streets’ Events Convention, as well as a small community garden tour. It looks like it’s going to be very lively.

I wonder if Senior wants to go?

“Anyway, we also have to go and buy some things, so let’s go and take a look around.” Senior nodded, not having any objections.

You want to go and take a look around, but I still want to go home and report first…

“Hey, instead of thinking about it, why not go right away! Let’s get going!” That lucky classmate, who completely didn’t understand my inner struggle, directly reached out a hand and dragged me away. Our way of interacting seems to have once again returned to before during middle school.

I raised my head, and saw Senior looking at me with a strange gaze.

Alright, alright, if you want to laugh, just laugh! I’m often the one being dragged around anyway.

Unexpectedly, Senior actually didn’t express any opinions.

“What kind of opinion do you want me to express?” Icy-cold words hit me from behind, and I hurriedly shook my head vigorously.

I don’t dare, I don’t dare, I don’t dare to do anything.

“We’re almost there!”

Pointing at the lively street far away, the lucky classmate, who was completely unaware of the turbulent undercurrents beneath, very happily walked a bit faster. In the evening, the whole shopping street was brightly lit. There were many people coming and going, almost filling up the entire street.

Over at the school, it was often very lively as well, but the thing that makes one nostalgic the most, is still the human world’s liveliness.

It’s good to be back home.

***

Our destination is the downtown shopping street center.

The shopping street in downtown had improved a lot in popularity after it was developed into the New Year’s Avenue not long ago. Later on, when the District and Committee collaborated and helped each other out, it often held events during several major holidays, and in recent years, the events held were vivid and exciting; it has already become a must-go shopping place for residents and tourists during holidays and leisure.

When I came here to shop in the past, accidents often occurred, so I only came every once in a blue moon. Most of the time it was due to being dragged here by the lucky classmate, and sometimes, I came here with my family.

After entering the shopping street area, I felt that there seemed to be even more crowds than before. The surrounding stores also increased a little, and it was a bit more lively.

The place that I went to see the movie with senior Geng and Miao Miao last time was close by. The nearby street even had a few working students passing out flyers for the movie theater. It seems to be the films that will be released on Christmas Eve. At six o’clock, the sky was already pretty dark. The winter sky darkens a lot more easily, and at five or six, there was an illusion of it already being dark.

The lucky classmate pulled/dragged me into the crowd of people shopping, and the remaining slight chill was immediately dispersed by the warmth of the crowd as soon as we entered.

“It seems that during the events of these few days, you can participate in the raffle by shopping and getting a stamp at specific stores or booths. The special prize is even a luxury cruise trip, quite typical.” The lucky classmate was dragging me with one hand while his other hand was holding a flyer. Pictured on the advertisement of the special prize was a ship and the special effects of some classic movie; it really is old-fashioned, “The special prize is a winter cruise on the sea that is cold enough freeze you to death, and from this we can see that the organizers don’t have any sincerity; they should consider the elderly and children who can’t handle the sea breeze.”

Who are the elderly and children who can’t handle the sea breeze…

“We need to buy something for a gift-exchange.” I slowed my pace slightly, and the lucky classmate beside me also slowed down.

“What kind do you want?” The lucky classmate curiously looked around. Most of the stores were blocked by the crowd. It was easier to see the street vendors on both sides of the street. Many of them were selling plush toys, then there were jewelry stalls, etc., and finally, there were some Christmas snacks and game booths.

“Aih…It’d be best if it can be used interchangeably for both males and females. That way, no matter who receives it, that person won’t feel embarrassed.” I have a hundred percent certainty that they will definitely know whose gift they received, even if it’s not named.

Because those guys aren’t human.

“Then there’s a lot. Things like clothes or everyday items could all work…Wait a minute, where’s your senior?” Just about to find a random store and drag me in, the sharp-eyed lucky classmate suddenly noticed something out of the ordinary.

“Eh? Wasn’t he still behind us just now?” I followed suit and turned my head. Behind us, in addition to people, there was still people. That nonhuman Senior had already naturally evaporated to who-knows-where.

“Probably got separated in the crowd?” The lucky classmate looked around for a bit, “Should we wait for him?”

“…Nn, probably not.” Senior is super godly. If he wants to catch up to us, he’ll immediately catch up. If he doesn’t want to catch up to us, no matter how long we wait, we probably won’t be able to wait till he comes. That person has tracking techniques and whatchamacallit techniques all over him. He definitely won’t get lost.

I looked at the huge amount of people…probably not, right?

“Students, please try a bit of this; if it tastes nice, remember to come back and visit!” The hawker selling sweets and cookies beside us handed us a small bag of candy. I took it and looked. Stuffed inside were two candies and a little gingerbread man. There was even the shop’s business card on it.

Because next up is the New Year and then the Chinese New Year, in previous years during this time, the rush to snatch customers was particularly fierce, since they hoped everyone could come back again; so, the cost was relatively higher too.

“This doesn’t taste half bad.” The lucky classmate opened the bag, with his arm over my shoulder as we strolled around, and then he tossed the gingerbread man into his mouth and chewed a few times, “When we go back later, I’ll go buy some and give them to my classmates tomorrow.”

That’s right, the lucky classmate’s popularity has always been pretty high. I guess, it’s probably the same even after entering high school. It’s always been easy for him to mingle with others.

I glanced at the gingerbread man in the bag. I wonder if Chifuyu, Miao Miao and the others would like to eat this kind of thing? I don’t need to think about Xiao Ting: she’s definitely the type to accept everything she’s offered. I suspect that sometimes she might not even know what she ate.

Just when I was considering how many cookies I should buy when we go back later, a signboard suddenly flashed out of the corner of my eye, and I subconsciously turned to look at that signboard.

It was a very inconspicuous signboard that felt a lot like a Chinese-styled plaque. It was just at the corner of an alley that no one paid attention to. Unlike the stores that had people going in and out, the carved wooden doors were only half open, and there was no one going in.

Two cursive words were written on the plaque.

“Ming Yang, that store doesn’t seem bad!” Just when I was about to go over there to look, the lucky classmate suddenly pulled me toward the other side, and my line of sight directly changed to another high-quality store.

When I turned my head back for the second time, that plaque had already disappeared into the crowd.

“What’s wrong?” Noticing that I kept turning to look back, the lucky classmate puzzledly asked.

“Nothing, what were you saying about the store just now?” I recovered my senses. Anyway, it’s just a store, it’s probably that kind of landscaped tea-and-simple-meal shop and the like.

The store that I was dragged into was a lifestyle store. Including tableware, pillows and whatnot, almost all the daily necessities could be seen, and every one of them was exquisitely made. Just looking at them would give you a sense of high-class satisfaction.

“This should satisfy your requirements, right?” The lucky classmate looked around at the things displayed inside. Looking at him, it seems that he likes this store a lot.

“Uh, I guess so.” I saw that the store’s interior was pretty big and that quite a lot of people were shopping inside. It’d probably have something that I want to buy.

To be honest, I have no idea how gift exchanging works at all. Senior and the others aren’t some ordinary people, so if I choose a gift that’s too normal, it might make them feel like it’s nothing special.

After glancing at the numerous high-quality goods everywhere, my gaze finally stopped on a small locker.

It was a small locker about thirty centimeters high, with three little drawers that could be used to store some small ordinary things. The small locker was white and Japanese-styled. On it was a light maple leaf pattern, and then with golden sequins as decoration, the whole thing felt very elegant.

“This doesn’t look bad.” The lucky classmate stood beside me, picked up the small locker, and turned it around to look, “Should be pretty practical, but it’s not cheap.” He turned the locker over to its bottom, and the price on it had three zeros and one number.

Really is…super expensive.

The me who has only bought a locker from a 99-cent store* before immediately had this thought in my head.

[T/N: They’re stores that have prices ending in 99 cent, for example, $0.99 or $10.99.]

What’s with this locker!? It’s gilded in gold, right!?

“Dear students, do you like this small locker?” Noticing our actions, the nearby attendant immediately came over with a friendly smile and explained, “This is the new model that we designed by coordinating Christmas and New Year this year. The most notable part is that this small locker is completely handmade and hand-painted. Every pattern is slightly different, and the golden color on it is even made using pure gold foil. Giving it to your elders or friends would be very suitable.”

It really is gilded in gold. I was speechless.

But once the attendant said this, I realized that the other styles of this small locker didn’t seem to be exactly the same.

“Then I’ll just buy this one.” I looked at the small locker and rather liked it. It should be quite practical for the others too, so I’ll just choose this.

“Ming Yang, this isn’t that cheap.” The lucky classmate whispered in my ear, “Do you want to consider getting something else?”

“Dear student, if you like it, we can give you a discount, and if you spend more than a thousand yuan (~158 USD) in the store, you can also get a free raffle ticket. You can just enter the raffle outside the store; the gifts are very plentiful!” The attendant was trying hard to sell the product, “If you really like it, just consider it.”

Looking at the small locker, the more I looked, the more pleasing it seemed. Thus, I decided that I should occasionally be extravagant once or twice, “Then I’ll get this one.”

I took out the legendary universal payment card.

***

“You better not tell me that you threw all your money from work there.”

After paying, the lucky classmate, who still felt that the small locker was too expensive, said.

“It’s not that bad…” In fact, I still had quite a lot of money from work, so much that sometimes even I suspect that the amount on my bankbook was wrong.

Due to the event, the small locker also had a fifteen percent discount. The shop assistant helped us make a high-class wrapping in passing, and that wrapping paper doesn’t seem cheap either. It just so happened to go together with the small locker.

“Did you guys finish shopping?”

Just when the shop assistant gave us the lottery ticket, a certain someone who self-evaporated as we were shopping just now, suddenly issued a sound behind me, giving me a big start, “Se, Senior!?” When did he appear!?

I turned my head and glanced at the lucky classmate. He shrugged at me, likewise having a baffled look.

Great, Senior has already trained himself in the skill of coming and going without a trace.

“Yeah…pretty much.” I noticed that Senior’s hand was carrying a leather-colored paper bag. Looks like he probably went somewhere too and finished shopping.

“Nn.” Senior nodded, not saying anything.

“Ming Yang, do you want to go to the store entrance and draw a prize?” Reminding me of the ticket’s existence, the lucky classmate came over and said with a smile.

“Aih, I won’t win anything.” Ever since I was little, whenever I enter a raffle, I never win anything. The only thing I win a lot is bad luck. I don’t want to go and draw a prize of being struck by lightning or water disaster and whatnot.

“That’s fine anyway. It’s just for fun.” The lucky classmate encouraged me, “I bought some gifts to give people too, and I also have a raffle ticket. Let’s go and draw together.” Then he pushed directly toward the store entrance.

I glanced at Senior. He was following behind us. This time he didn’t wander off.

The raffle event at the high-quality store’s entrance was managed by the store, so the prize naturally wouldn’t be as good as a luxury cruise. The top prize was a ten-thousand yuan* gift certificate, and apart from that, there were also some small things and whatnot. Quite a lot of people had already taken their raffle tickets to draw a prize, and several gifts have been given away as well.

[T/N: About 1579 USD]

I’m definitely the type of person who never gets anything in ten thousand years.

“I’ll go first!” The lucky classmate gave the ticket to the attendant, and directly drew a little blue balloon from the acrylic box.

After bursting the little balloon, there was a piece of paper inside. Opening the paper, the people beside him all followed suit in exclaiming in surprise.

The attendant immediately picked up the megaphone and cheered loudly, “Congratulations to this student for winning the second prize! A seven thousand yuan* gift certificate! He can freely purchase things in our lifestyle high-quality store! Let’s all cheer for him!”

[T/N: ~1105 USD]

The surroundings immediately resounded with the applause of several people.

Sure enough, he’s very lucky.

The lucky classmate very happily held the gift certificate as he bounced back to us, “Ming Yang, it’s your turn to draw!”

I’ve already said that I definitely won’t be able to win anything; I’m unlucky enough to die. That’s right, maybe the moment I reach my hand into the box, it’d be bitten by a snake!

“Senior, can I give it to you to draw?” I believe Senior’s luck would definitely be much better than mine. Instead of not winning anything or being bitten by a snake, I think it won’t be as wasteful if I let someone else draw.

Senior narrowed his eyes and looked at me for a while, “So long-winded.” He quickly took the ticket and straightforwardly walked up to the raffle table without hesitation. After handing over the ticket, he directly drew a balloon, burst it, and without even looking, he gave the paper inside to the attendant.

“Special prize!” The attendant shouted again, “Congratulations to this student who drew the special prize—limited to only three thousand in the world, a big one hundred centimeters, handmade white pure-wool rabbit!”

“Pfft!” A rabbit!

I saw that the attendant taking out a huge box, and then two people worked together to lift out a very big, white bunny rabbit. The rabbit’s fur was really beautifully white; it felt pure and innocent. Then its two big, red eyes seemed a lot like high-quality gems. This made me associate this rabbit to a a certain someone whom it resembled a lot.

“The most special feature of this pure-wool rabbit is its eyes. It’s said that those two eyes are made of real rubies, very rare; other than that, it’s globally released by foreign companies, a limited amount of only three thousand along with the factory’s guarantee.” An introduction advertisement book had appeared in the lucky classmate’s hands at some point, and he began explaining, “It’s said to be one of the three great treasures of this store! During this event, they were particularly reluctant to take it out as a prize.”

Great job, Senior just drew once and snatched away other people’s treasure.

Under the gazes of a bunch of envious people, Senior was holding that white rabbit’s neck between his fingers as he came back, and then he directly threw it at me, “Here!”

I could only watch as a vast white thing flew over, and in the next second, the rabbit that was actually quite heavy directly crashed into me, causing me to take several steps back and almost fall.

Why would I need a big rabbit?

“Your raffle ticket, your stuff.” Senior simply threw these two sentences over.

To be honest, I think this rabbit looks a lot like a certain person, especially its bright red eyes, “Senior, but this is what you drew…” And this thing looks so expensive. I don’t dare take it.

An icy-cold murderous gaze looked over, “Why would I need a rabbit?”

“Aih…you can hug it to sleep.”

In the next second, the back of my head was immediately smacked with a “pa” sound, and I felt dizzy and my eyes blurred.

“Ming Yang’s senior, how about you accept it as a Christmas gift?” The lucky classmate hurriedly helped smooth things over between us. I had a feeling of extreme gratefulness towards him.

“…” Senior glared at me.

At this time, what am I supposed to say?

“That…Merry Christmas.” I held out the big rabbit.

The surroundings suddenly became very cold, so cold that I almost thought I was about to freeze to death from Senior’s gaze.

It was unknown how much time had passed, when Senior abruptly snatched the rabbit and threw a word, “Troublesome!” Then he turned around and walked away.

I should be able to interpret this as him accepting the gift, right?

The lucky classmate gave me a thumbs up.

After leaving the store entrance, it wasn’t long before the surroundings immediately began clamoring, “They’re setting off the celebratory fireworks!” I don’t know where this voice came from. Then the cheers grew louder, and the crowd began pushing us forward. Following the crowd, we were pushed all the way to the center of the shopping street. There was a large decorated Christmas tree, and several Santas were giving out candy nearby.

Senior was holding that rabbit at a slight distance away from us.

“The Christmas blessings ceremony is about to begin. The first fireworks will shoot off into the sky soon. Please close your eyes and make a wish!” The host on the stage had raised the mood, and adding the liveliness, many people closed their eyes.

I secretly glanced over at Senior. He actually followed them and closed his eyes as well.

“Now the fireworks begin—!”

Perhaps because of the mood’s influence, I unconsciously followed suit and closed my eyes.

I hope, everyone I know will have a very happy life.

A booming noise sounded in my ears. I opened my eyes, and saw large fireworks exploding in the sky. Golden and silver fireworks scattered down like rain.

The people crowded around me happily cried out and shouted.

The world that I was familiar with was actually so lively.

Looking at the fireworks in the sky, beside me, someone suddenly pushed me twice. I turned my head. It was that lucky classmate. He winked at me.

“Next year at this time, let’s come to watch the fireworks again!”

Then, he laughed.

I followed and laughed too.

The surrounding people all laughed.