Once one reaches a certain age, the Lunar New Year seems to become somewhat... formulaic.
Liang Jueyun departed for the United States as scheduled. On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Mu also returned to C City from London. On New Year's Eve, Li Du took his wife and son back to their ancestral home, while Xia Yan went to his mother-in-law's house. The old matriarch, Xia Yinuo, and Li Qingfeng's family shared the New Year's Eve dinner together. Early on the morning of the first day of the New Year, Xia Yinuo and Li Mu were "decreed" to accompany the old lady to Tianzhu Temple to offer incense.
Tianzhu Temple was located on Mount X in the suburbs of C City. It was famous far and wide, its incense fires burning eternally bright. From the foot of the mountain to the temple halfway up, one had to climb stone steps for about half an hour.
The sky had barely begun to brighten. Li Mu, puzzled, asked, "Grandma, why do we have to come so early to offer incense?"
The old lady replied, "This is your first time. In previous years, your parents or your aunt and uncle accompanied me. Little Bao should have come with me a few times. Young people should exercise more; don't just sleep until eleven in the morning for no reason. It’s not early anymore—who knows how many people were waiting to strike the hour last night just to offer the 'First Incense.' Though we aren't that particular, in the end, sincerity brings results."
Li Mu rubbed his head. "Does 'First Incense' mean the very first stick of incense on New Year's Day?"
Xia Yinuo smiled. "Offering the First Incense on New Year's Day refers to the incense offered between midnight, when the old year meets the new, and two in the morning."
The old lady nodded. "Little Bao is right. Because during that time, the presiding Bodhisattvas and all the various deities descend. Praying and burning incense then is especially efficacious."
Li Mu curled his lip. "But I'm a materialistic atheist."
The old lady sighed. "Oh, you child..."
"Children's words carry no harm, children's words carry no harm!" Xia Yinuo hooked her arm around Li Mu's neck and whispered, "Forget it, it's the New Year. Don't go against the old lady's wishes."
"I know that, obviously," Li Mu said sneakily. He waited until their grandmother had walked a bit further ahead before continuing, "Hey, let me tell you something."
"Mm, go ahead." Xia Yinuo was looking down at her phone.
"You'd better listen properly! You've been messing with your phone the whole way. You must be acting all lovey-dovey with Sister Jueyun!"
"Ahem, hardly..." Xia Yinuo felt a pang of guilt.
"Hardly?" Li Mu snatched Xia Yinuo's phone. "Let me see!"
Xia Yinuo surrendered. "Alright, just a few messages. It just so happens that the time difference works out in the morning!"
The old lady turned around and urged them, "You two, stop fooling around and keep up."
Xia Yinuo grabbed her phone back and called out, "Okay, coming!"
Li Mu, however, said nonchalantly, "Sis, I like Su Xu."
Xia Yinuo froze. "What?"
Li Mu kept walking forward. "I said, I like the bassist from Flower Never Sleeps, Su Xu. But he rejected me. He said he's graduating after the New Year and going to the West to do volunteer teaching."
Realization dawned on Xia Yinuo. She caught up to Li Mu and asked, "So when you said you wanted to go volunteer teaching before, it was because of Ah Xu?!"
Li Mu shrugged. "Not entirely. The motherland needs me, the West needs me, and I am willing to go."
"Does Ah Xu know? Did he agree?"
"This is my decision. Why would he need to agree?"
*The waves of the Yangtze behind push those in front; the front waves are beaten to death on the beach.* Xia Yinuo didn't know what to say.
"Sis! You'll support me, right?" Li Mu started shaking Xia Yinuo's arm and acting spoiled. Experience told him this trick never failed.
Xia Yinuo said seriously, "I definitely will, but this matter needs careful consideration. At the very least, you need to figure out if you're just acting on a whim or if it's truly him and no one else."
Inside the Mahavira Hall at the heart of Tianzhu Temple, red candles glowed brightly and incense smoke swirled, filling the room with petitioners. The old lady instructed the curious, wide-eyed Li Mu not to move about recklessly, fearing he might desecrate the divine. Li Mu obediently complied. After offering incense, while Li Mu was busy peppering the old lady with questions, Xia Yinuo stepped outside for some fresh air.
Stepping out of the main hall and crossing the long corridor, she reached the western wing. There weren't as many pilgrims here, making it much quieter, though Xia Yinuo didn't know which deity was enshrined in these side rooms.
A merit box stood before the wing's entrance, and beside it stood a person dressed as a lay Buddhist. To her surprise, the layperson looked toward Xia Yinuo and said with a beaming smile, "You are a person of great virtue."
Xia Yinuo looked around to confirm the words were directed at her, feeling somewhat bewildered. Looking closer, she saw a small incense burner beside the merit box, a thin wisp of smoke rising from it. Next to the burner was a merit ledger, densely packed with the names of donors who had given money to the temple. Xia Yinuo thought: *Is this the part where I'm supposed to donate?*
The layperson tucked their sleeves together and continued, "The moral character that determines fate can be seen in one's countenance. You are a person of virtue—filial to your parents and kind to others. You are also a silent person; you understand everything in your heart, yet you do not speak it. As for your matrimonial fate, it should arrive within these two years. You must cherish the person beside you."
Xia Yinuo looked at the layperson with a touch of disbelief. The layperson explained with a smile, "I feel you are a person of destiny, so I spoke a few extra words to you."
Over there, Li Mu came running, calling for Xia Yinuo to hurry over. Xia Yinuo didn't ask anything; she simply gave the layperson a sheepish smile, bowed slightly in thanks, and walked away.
Xia Yinuo's understanding of religion was that it was a path for humans to seek cognition and liberation. Thinking about it later, perhaps in that environment, those words felt profound—or perhaps the layperson's smile was too compassionate, inspiring a sense of solemn respect. What he said wasn't wrong, but those words could apply to many people. Besides, Xia Yinuo didn't consider herself a "silent" person. Yet, with so many people passing by that wing, why had he said those things specifically to her?
Xia Yinuo felt a chill run down her spine, but she quickly convinced herself to treat it as if she had drawn a "top-tier" fortune slip. Life is sometimes that wondrous and fatalistic; in the unseen depths, things are predestined, no matter how materialistic you are or how much you believe in science.
Aside from visiting relatives and friends, another unavoidable part of the New Year was class reunions. Xia Yinuo wasn't keen on gatherings involving eating and karaoke, especially during the holidays. This year, Chu Meng had returned home for the New Year, and Lin Shuwan was getting married after the holidays. The two of them "kidnapped" Xia Bao to attend their university class reunion. Most of their former classmates were now working in hospitals or pursuing clinical doctorates, while a few had gone abroad or changed careers. No matter what they did, one thing was certain—her old classmates were collectively hitting a peak in marriage and childbirth.
The Xia and Li families didn't have many relatives, so even as an "older youth," she didn't have to worry about being interrogated about her love life by various aunts. Instead, it was in settings like this where she would be asked, intentionally or not, if she had a boyfriend. Xia Yinuo would simply shake her head, then hold her corn juice and watch the clinking glasses and bustling noise around her with a smile.
During the meal, Jiang Yang came over to strike up a conversation. Xia Yinuo brushed him off with quiet indifference. Chu Meng leaned in and whispered in her ear, "You devil, still as slippery as ever!"
Xia Yinuo replied righteously, "It's called: 'Those on different paths cannot make plans together.'"
Chu Meng said, "Hey, why do I get the feeling 'Dentures' is interested in you?"
Xia Yinuo replied, "He's not interested in me; he's interested in my mother!"
Chu Meng gasped. "Whoa! No way?! I couldn't tell Dentures was into the mother-daughter dynamic!"
Xia Yinuo didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Sister, can you be serious? He's a pharmaceutical rep now. He's got his eye on that fat piece of meat called the Affiliated Hospital, and he wants to use me to get to my mom."
Chu Meng realized, "Oh! So that's it. I was wondering!"
Lin Shuwan curled her finger and rapped Chu Meng on the head. "Hindsight is twenty-twenty!"
Chu Meng protested, "Hey, hey, hey! Just because the Boss isn't here, you think you can bully me."
Lin Shuwan looked around. "Is that so? Where? Why don't I see it?"
The three of them burst into laughter together.
Time is a double-edged sword—both a poison and an antidote. The carefree university days were over, and after the music stopped and the crowd dispersed, everyone had their own lives. Perhaps some feelings would fade, but what was more precious than the unchanging, deep affection between best friends?
***
On the other side of the ocean. The three members of the Liang family finished dinner and chatted idly, the atmosphere harmonious. Afterward, Liang Guodong stood up to go to his study, and Liang Jueyun followed quietly behind him.
Liang Guodong asked, "How is the research project progressing?"
Liang Jueyun replied, "Fairly smoothly."
Liang Guodong said, "If you say 'fairly smoothly,' then it's going very smoothly."
Liang Jueyun smiled. "I brought a gift for you. I'll go get it."
The gift was a tea tray. It had a base of mottled bamboo and a surface of black gold stone, with a cluster of emerald bamboo carved on one side, standing proud with its joints.
"Good," Liang Guodong lifted the tea tray, running his hand over the corners. He praised, "The bamboo joints are upright and vigorous, possessing a character that does not wither in the winter cold. Good!"
"I'm glad you like it."
"It's just that bringing it all this way must have been inconvenient."
"I didn't have much luggage anyway."
"What made you think of giving me this?"
Liang Jueyun pursed her lips and smiled. "She sent it."
"Oh?" Liang Guodong raised an eyebrow. "Then the silk scarf you gave Mary just now..."
"She prepared that as well."
Liang Guodong took off his reading glasses. "The young lady has quite refined tastes; she knows how to please people."
Liang Jueyun smiled softly. "She does."
"Her name is... Xia Yinuo?"
"Yes."
"Thank her for me."
"I will."
"It just so happens I have something for you too." Liang Guodong turned and stepped up onto the three-tier wooden step-stool in front of the bookshelf, rummaging through an upper drawer. "Do you remember why I named you Liang Jueyun?"
"Be careful," Liang Jueyun stepped forward to stand behind her father. "'Jue' was chosen by you; it means 'awakening.' 'Yun' was chosen by Mom because she liked the Tang Dynasty poet Wen Tingyun."
"Then do you know why she liked Wen Tingyun?"
"I've never heard you two talk about that."
Her father laughed warmly, his back still turned to her.
Liang Jueyun continued, "Back when I took Mrs. Ye's Chinese class, she introduced the Huajian School of poetry. I thought it was strange that Mom liked that kind of... I don't know how to describe it. My study of poetry wasn't very good... that kind of... graceful... and somewhat blurred style."
"Found it!" Liang Guodong took a small box from the drawer and stepped down, his voice tinged with excitement. "You really didn't study your poetry well! The Huajian School isn't just about women's beauty and the sorrow of parting; it focuses on the refinement of language and phonology. But I can't blame you. In our student days, there was less information available. No matter what your major was, you couldn't help but dabble in poetry and literature. Young people today can't do that; the information on Facebook and Twitter is enough to fill their leisure time."
Liang Jueyun nodded in agreement.
Liang Guodong handed the box to her. "Here, open it and see."
Inside the box was a pen case. An old-fashioned fountain pen lay quietly within. She picked it up carefully to examine it; a line of small characters was engraved on the barrel.
Liang Jueyun read softly, "Exquisite dice inlaid with red beans, do you know this longing that has reached the bone?"
Liang Guodong said, "Exactly."
"This is..."
"A very ordinary fountain pen. It was the token of love I gave your mother back then."
Liang Jueyun sighed in admiration. "That's so romantic!"
"It's a line from Wen Tingyun's Yuefu poetry, describing a woman's longing for her lover. Don't laugh at this old man for being cliché and mushy back then."
"How could I? No wonder Mom liked Wen Tingyun so much."
Liang Guodong's voice grew slightly husky. "Actually, I've always wanted to ask you: do you blame me for being too strict? Other fathers dote on or even spoil their daughters. As I've gotten older and look back, especially after your mother passed away, I realize I wasn't a very qualified father."
"Not at all. You did it all for my own good. I understand."
"Also, back then... I shouldn't have treated you that way, ignoring you for half a year."
"Over the years, I've often asked myself the same question you asked me: Liang Jueyun, do you know what you're doing? Whether it's scientific research or relationships, one must first know oneself."
"When you said you liked women, that you liked Tracy, my head was filled with thoughts of how I would explain it to your mother. Heh, thinking about it now, it's truly ridiculous."
"It's all in the past. You've accepted it now, haven't you? As long as you accept it, the process doesn't matter anymore."
Liang Guodong stroked the fountain pen in his hand. "I've spent most of my life in research, but life, like science, has too many blind spots. Regarding your situation, what is there that can't be accepted? Your mother... she left so suddenly... I am someone who has lost once, and I know how much time and courage it takes to balance the tears in that process."
Liang Jueyun's eyes reddened, and she fought to keep the tears from falling.
"I thought my life would just pass by like that; I had accepted my fate. However, in the years of waiting, by settling and tempering myself, fate gave me a turning point, and so I met Mary. Tracy was an important person in your growth, but the two of you were never destined for love. So, this time, I hope you can hold onto her—I mean, this one." Liang Guodong pointed toward the tea tray.
Liang Jueyun nodded.
Liang Guodong smiled with relief. "Now, I am giving this pen to you."
Liang Jueyun was startled. "How can I..."
"I originally planned to give it to you when you got married. It seems that time is just about here." Liang Guodong paused. "It was your mother's thing to begin with. It's only right to give it to you. Keeping it myself would only..."
"Dad..."
Liang Guodong patted Liang Jueyun's hand.
"I understand. I will take good care of it."
"Good. If I have a vacation next year, we'll go to C City to see you both. What do you think?"
"Really?"
"Yes. Are we welcome?"
"Of course!"
***
Fate can be an excuse and a sophistry for cowards to escape the world, or it can be a lucky person's explanation and gratitude for a predestined connection. More often, fate is the expectation and faith that you, I, and everyone else hold for the future, even if it means setting aside the scientific spirit.
Is love fate or science? Is it a matrimonial cycle carved upon the Three-Life Stone, or the intertwined red strings of destiny pulled by the Old Man under the Moon? Is it the impulse-driving acetylcholine, or the addictive dopamine?
I suspect our love might be a scroll of genetic code. I have long since written love into the nucleic acid probes, buried deep within your origin of replication...
***
