Decayed Vulgarian chapter 67

Happy New Year

Shen’s mother was momentarily stunned by the words and was about to say something—

Coincidentally, there was a knock at the door. Another guest had arrived at the house. She quickly rinsed her hands with tap water, wiped them on her apron, and called Shen Xun to accompany her to receive the guests.

So Shen Xun swallowed the draft that had surged to his throat and returned to his usual silent demeanor.

In the evening, Shen Jinge, her father and the rest of the family arrived to have the New Year’s Eve dinner. Several bottles of white wine were set out on the table, and Shen Taian engaged in a lively conversation.

Shen Jinge, wearing a loose down jacket, sat right beside Shen He. Occasionally, they exchanged a few words.

The eldest son from Uncle Shen’s family had children. They were around four or five years old, an age when they could talk. Someone at the table suggested a talent show performance.

The children boldly left the dining table and started singing children’s songs.

The performance was good, and Shen Xun applauded along with everyone else.

He thought the segment would end there, but someone suddenly mentioned Shen He’s name, suggesting that he should also perform. It was claimed that anyone wanting a red envelope had to demonstrate a talent.

Shen Xun’s habitual awkwardness struck again. He thought it was fortunate that he had started work early, so no one treated him as a child. If it were him in that position, refusing would be discourteous, and singing with his out-of-tune voice would be even more awkward.

Shen He calmly took the stage, exuding a confidently sophisticated demeanor, singing a popular song among the younger audience. When asked about the song by some relatives, his voice was clear and confident, showing no sign of timidity.

Shen Xun genuinely admired him.

Shen Xun had a small appetite and was already full. However, he didn’t dare be the first to leave the table, fearing his mother would consider it impolite. So, he waited silently until Shen Jinge and Shen He put down their chopsticks before quietly leaving.

Later, his aunt took the children outside to set off fireworks. Before leaving, she specifically said something to Shen Xun.

The silent child by her side grabbed her hand and hurried towards the door, seemingly unable to wait any longer. Shen Xun found it cute and handed the child a piece of candy. He was well past the age of enjoying fireworks and shook his head to indicate he wasn’t going.

The room was left with Shen Jinge’s father who was rosy cheeked, still reminiscing with Shen Taian. His voice was loud, and even behind a wall, Shen Xun could hear him clearly.

It was actually quite noisy.

The TV began the New Year’s Gala on time. When it reached the first skit, Shen’s mother, carrying a stack of bowls, glanced at the TV screen, showing an argument between an old couple. Her eyebrows unconsciously furrowed, and she glanced at Shen Xun, saying, “Just like your father.”

Feeling bored as well, Shen Xun stood up and went to help his mother tidy up the table.

It was better to keep busy with something.

Unfortunately, after cleaning the dishes, Shen Xun didn’t know what to do. He returned to the TV but noticed Shen He wearing Bluetooth headphones, his fingers swiftly navigating the screen while conversing and occasionally swearing, seemingly engrossed in immersive gaming.

He suddenly recalled something Shen He had told him before: “If you don’t play games, you’ll miss out on a lot in life.”

Shen Xun took out his phone and, while scrolling through messages, he came across one from Liang Yan that was half a month old.

He sent a red packet with a message wishing a happy new year, which was instantly claimed. In return, he received another blessing in a red packet.

The conversation ended abruptly, and Shen Xun felt that Liang Yan also wasn’t in the mood to chat. Well, on New Year’s Eve, everyone was enjoying their family time. There wasn’t much time to chat with friends by candlelight.

In reality, considering his relationship with Liang Yan, if he expressed his loneliness and need for someone to talk to, Liang Yan would readily agree.

But, since the last time he was caught talking to Liang Yan by Meng Yuan Cen in the middle of the night, Shen Xun hadn’t actively contacted Liang Yan to vent his emotions, mainly for fear of upsetting Meng Yuan Cen.

Fortunately, he had anticipated this and brought his laptop. He picked up the laptop, entered his room, and aimlessly browsed uninteresting web pages. It was dull, but he couldn’t just leave it.

The TV was on but silent, relegated to a mere background noise, left running out of habit and to create a festive atmosphere.

Before ten o’clock, Shen’s father and mother had already gone to sleep. Shen He had retreated to his room to play games. The living room was dark, and the house was silent.

He wasn’t fond of going to bed early. Going to sleep around midnight was usual. However, tonight was a bit different. He could claim he was waiting for the New Year’s countdown.

He randomly picked a movie to watch, which surprisingly wasn’t too bad. Occasionally pausing the movie, it was mainly to check his computer for new WeChat messages, particularly from group red packets which had larger amounts during the New Year. It was worth grabbing what he could.

He then got immersed in the movie, completely forgetting the time.

As the movie reached its conclusion, suddenly, the green icon in the bottom right corner started flashing again.

With the determination to seize the red packet this time, Shen Xun clicked on it, only to discover it was a voice message from Meng Yuan Cen.

His heart raced as he checked the time in the bottom right corner, which read exactly midnight.

He opened the voice message.

First, there was a slight rustling noise, then came Meng Yuan Cen’s voice, always clear, bright, and resolute, “Happy New Year, Shen Xun.”

Just as the last note faded, fireworks outside burst forth suddenly, a symphony of sounds transforming into colorful stars streaking across the sky, disappearing behind the bright yellow window frames or the continuous rooftops.

Shen Xun’s heartbeat involuntarily echoed the impact of the fireworks. He smiled and looked down. The transient radiance lit up his pupils as he repeatedly played that simple sentence.

Then, he typed out a string of “Happy New Year.” He couldn’t think of any clever or humorous greetings, didn’t want to say anything too sentimental, and certainly didn’t want to copy some insincere templates from others.

So he changed the message to “Happy New Year, my Meng Yuan Cen,” and to avoid it seeming too plain, he added numerous emojis at the end – firecrackers, ribbons, the Chinese character for ‘luck’ – piling up every element related to the New Year, thanking the omnipotent emojis.

“I knew you wouldn’t be asleep yet, so I wanted to be the first. The first person to wish you a Happy New Year in this new year. To do this, I even set an alarm clock, counting down the seconds to send it.” Meng Yuan Cen asked in the voice message, a hint of pride in the rising intonation, “I succeeded, right?”

The majority of New Year wishes from family and friends were delivered before the New Year’s Eve dinner. At one minute past twelve, Shen Xun refreshed WeChat, no new messages. Slowly, a smile crept up on his face, “You’re the first and the only one to wish me a Happy New Year.”