Chapter 11 He Loved Her

It was on the night of the Lantern Festival. All his family members were invited to the Xia's to celebrate the festival. After dinner, Gu Nianbin, Su Chen, Xia Xiaowan and Gu Shanshan sat together chatting. It seemed that Xia Xiaowan mentioned there were shows of festive lanterns and dragon and lion dances outside. They all heard about the lively scene, but never saw it before. As soon as Xia Xiaowan mentioned it, Gu Shanshan suggested that they should go out to have a look.

However, their parents didn't allow them to go to such crowded places. Gu Shanshan was frustrated but she didn't give up. Among all the kids, she was the youngest but bravest one. She said that they could sneak out to have a look when their parents were playing cards. Nobody would discover it as long as they came back quickly.

Gu Nianbin was then 18 years old and could be counted as an adult. However, he acquiesced their adventure as he saw the eagerness in Xia Xiaowan's eyes. They sneaked out through the side door and climbed over the wall in the yard. Then they took a taxi to the most bustling place downtown.

The temple fair must be the center of the festival ceremonies that night, far more bustling than they had expected. Numerous lanterns were lit up here and there, overshadowing the stars in the sky. The street sides were lined by various snack stands, crowded with people in between. Gu Nianbin bought a dozen cabobs for the four of them. They squeezed into the crowds to watch the dragon and lion dances. Then they went to guess lantern riddles. Those who solved riddles would be rewarded with candies. As he was the eldest of them, Gu Nianbin hit the most and won two handfuls of candies. He gave fewer to Gu Shanshan and more to Xia Xiaowan, which made his sister pout unhappily, “Brother, it’s unfair!”

“You have decayed teeth. Don't eat too many candies,” Gu Nianbin tried to explain. But he knew in his heart that he was being unfair.

Xia Xiaowan raised her head, her sparkling eyes reflecting the glittering lanterns. Her lovely face made Gu Nianbin's heart suddenly skip a beat. She looked up at him with admiration, “Brother Bin, you're marvelous!”

Hearing that, Gu Nianbin felt so delightful as if he had seen thousands of azaleas in bloom or had drunk ice water on a scorching summer day. He laughed cheerfully and wormed his way into the crowd, planning to win more candies, until Su Chen came to alert him. “Nianbin, it's too late. Let's go home now.”

But he insisted, “It doesn't matter. Let me solve a few more riddles.”

He solved more riddles and got another handful of candies, which all went into Xia Xiaowan's pocket.

They returned home only to find that their parents were anxiously looking for them. Although they were back safe and sound, all of them were harshly scolded. As the eldest one, Gu Nianbin was punished most heavily. He was born in an old-fashioned family with strict rules. After going back to their own house, his father made him kneel in the study and reflect on his mistake. However, when kneeling in the study, he felt quite happy because he finally realized his affection for Xia Xiaowan—he more than liked her; instead, he loved her.

Gu Nianbin felt lost after awakening from the memory. He turned around and found Gu Shanshan snickering. Knowing what she was going to say, he quickly turned to a new topic. “Did you visit Su Anqi today? How about her?”

“Quite well,” Gu Shanshan got excited at once, “Can't be better. She is five months pregnant with a huge appetite for food now. You can't imagine how much she eats. Both her belly and face, even her finger tips, become round. She looks like a ball. Even so, her husband Zhou Ziming won’t allow her to exercise much for fear that she may be too tired. He even wishes to carry her in his arms to where she wants to go so that she doesn't need to walk. And instead of using her name, he calls her baby this and baby that. Gee, I am sick to hear that.”

She complained endlessly about her bosom friend and finally became a little bit envious. “Alas, what a happy woman! How happy it is to have a baby! I want to have a baby too.”

Gu Nianbin patted her head and disapproved of her, “Nonsense. You haven't got married yet. How can you have a baby? Be careful not to let Dad know.”

“I'm just kidding!” Gu Shanshan became melancholier. “How can I get pregnant by myself? I'm not a parthenogenetic creature.”

“According to my knowledge, many excellent men have a crush on you. It is you who rejected all of them. Why couldn't you forget Zhong Kege? He is unreliable.”

“Why couldn't you forget Xia Xiaowan? She is more unreliable,” Gu Shanshan retorted.

Gu Nianbin glared at her and put the fruit fork down. “Help yourself. I’m going upstairs.”

“So am I.” Gu Shanshan took a tissue to wipe her mouth, and then caught up with her brother.