Twenty-Nine Degrees Part 2

–

When they came out of the hot pot restaurant, it was still snowing.

Shi Yun reminded him to be careful when driving at night and to send her a message when he arrived home. At the end of this ordinary reminder, she added something that was not as usual: “Remember to eat dumplings tomorrow.”

Shi Yun was still in bed on New Year’s Eve. Grandma started preparing for the New Year’s Eve dinner early in the morning, but Shi Yun could not help much.

So she was ordered by her grandma to call her dad and ask him what time he would come for dinner today.

This task might as well be the same as asking Shi Yun to learn how to cook a grand banquet right this instant.

She procrastinated and refused to call. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room, eating mandarins. She wasn’t even watching the TV when it was on. She kept her head down and scrolled through her phone.

Grandma asked Shi Yun several times if she had called. Seeing that she was reluctant, she was about to call herself when a familiar voice came from outside the door.

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“Ysx yde Pye.”

Fbk Zwd jdlo vbyv bla qyvbla oyp cynj.

Qaydexy ydpolale qasx vbl zkhkdt assx.

Mbl xydeyakd kd bla xswvb pweeldzu zspv kvp pollvdlpp, kv lhld pllxle vs byhl clnsxl y ckv knu. Fbk Zwd vbalo vbl rllz kdvs vbl vaypb nyd yv bla qllv yde pvsse wr: “Qaydexy, R’x tskdt wrpvykap.”

Qaydexy bye fwpv alprsdele obld pbl blyae Fbk Zwd’p osaep.

Fllkdt vbyv vbl qyvbla yde eywtbvla pvkzz eked’v oydv vs pll lynb svbla, vbl lzela okvb sdl qssv yzalyeu kd vbl nsqqkd nswze sdzu pktb.

Tso osdelaqwz y byaxsdkswp nswrzl oyp, cwv kd vbl lde, kv vwadle vblka psd yde taydeeywtbvla kdvs vbl ckttlpv ldlxklp.

Fbk Zwd pvyule kd bla cleassx yde alqwple vs ts esodpvykap. Mbl Fbk Dw esodpvykap, obs ayalzu nyxl bsxl, yzps eked’v oydv vs pll Fbk Zwd.

Both of them tried their best to avoid spending time with each other. But on New Year’s Eve, they couldn’t help but sit together at a table and eat.

Grandpa and grandma had prepared red envelopes for Shi Yun. Shi Xu on the other side acted as if Shi Yun was an invisible person, eating food and sipping wine while watching the Spring Festival Gala on the TV.

At the dinner table, her grandparents tried their best to find topics to talk about.

For example, Shi Yun’s studies and Shi Yun’s future plans.

Or the recent development of their son’s company…

When the conversation came to Shi Yun, Shi Xu didn’t speak. When the conversation came to Shi Xu, Shi Yun didn’t speak.

Shi Yun was immersed in eating the food and sensed that her father next to her was drinking more and more. This was a danger sign.

The Spring Festival Gala happened every year, but every year the boring skits that played out were all about family reunions.

However, not to mention that this year’s skit was boring, Shi Yun felt that it was specifically aimed at their family.

In the skit that warned the audience to drive carefully, the character who was looking forward to the return of his family finally said in a sonorous and powerful voice: “For your family, drive carefully. For your parents and children, obey the traffic rules every time you travel…”

There was no sound of food being picked up in the living room, only the sound of the TV playing the Spring Festival Gala. In recent years, fireworks had been banned, so even the sound of firecrackers could no longer be heard.

Grandma found the remote control somewhere, turned off the TV, and told her son, who had been drinking, to eat more food, then asked her granddaughter to stop sitting there without moving her chopsticks.

Just like before a summer thunderstorm, it was hard to breathe and the air pressure at the dining table was too low.

“I’m full.” Shi Yun put down her chopsticks and prepared to stand up.

Grandpa instinctively stopped her: “How much have you eaten? Eat some more. This is the salted goose was bought on the old street. You used to like eating it the most.”

Shi Yun shook her head. She didn’t want to stay for a second longer: “I don’t feel like eating.”

“If you don’t want to eat, leave quickly.” The tone was harsh.

Shi Yun stopped halfway and heard her grandfather behind her quickly stop his son in a low voice: “What are you doing when it’s the New Year? What are you doing being harsh to the child?”

“It’s the New Year.” Shi Xu slapped his hand on the table. The wine he drank fermented in his body. He staggered when he got up. He raised his finger and pointed at Shi Yun’s back, “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have to go to the cemetery early in the morning of New Year. During the New Year, our family would have one more place…”

He was right, if her mother hadn’t picked her up that night, there wouldn’t have been a car accident on the way home. Yes, if she hadn’t been acting like a degenerate and spiraling because of a relationship, her mother wouldn’t have come out to find her in her worry.

Shi Yun had also lived with guilt until now.

She also needed comfort, but as a father, Shi Xu gave her loathing and hated her as much as he hated the perpetrator.

Shi Xu hated her. He told Shi Yun early on to pull herself together, but Shi Yun didn’t listen to him and went to drink with other people instead of going home.

If she had been obedient, his wife would not have needed to drive to the bar to pick her up because she was worried.

That loathing and hatred had become the eternal light of the conflict between father and daughter.

It would never diminish.

Human emotions are inherently complicated. Tormented by guilt, Shi Yun was overwhelmed by the hostility from her closest relative.

The two emotions merged and finally turned into a poisonous thorn for Shi Yun’s father.

“It’s not me who drove and killed my mother.” Did he think she didn’t feel guilt or sadness? Shi Yun turned around and looked at the person pointing at her. She was sarcastic, “Yes, my mother is dead. I am happy.”

–

Shi Yun went upstairs and found the suitcase in her room. She hadn’t unpacked much and she didn’t bother to stuff the pajamas left on the bed into her suitcase. She picked up her phone and suitcase and went downstairs to leave.

Her grandparents were still persuading their son from the living room.

…

“Would she want to see how you’re treating her in heaven?”

Then, a person who drinks too much cannot think properly, and in addition, this matter concerned her mother. He could not accept the death of his wife all these years, and those who were immersed in sadness also needed to vent.

The truck driver who committed suicide out of fear of having committed a crime obviously could not be Shi Xu’s outlet.

Grandma saw Shi Yun carrying her suitcase and went over to her: “Why are you leaving now?”

Shi Yun didn’t know how to answer, so she could only whisper to her grandma: “I’m sorry.”

–

When Shi Yun dragged her suitcase out, she happened to bump into He Sui at the door.

He held a red envelope in his hand and was about to knock on the door of Shi Yun’s house. He saw her coming out, but couldn’t see her expression clearly under the cover of darkness.

“Right on time. Happy New Year, a red envelope for you.” He Sui handed the red envelope to her.

The door opened and He Sui heard the quarrel happening inside.

It was Shi Yun’s father.

“Let her go, let her scram.”

He Sui understood what happened in an instant. He still held the red envelope in his hand, and the words of comfort were stuck in his throat. He only heard Shi Yun’s voice tremble a little, probably because she was so aggrieved that she wanted to cry.

“No need, don’t give me any red envelopes on behalf of your brother in the future.”

She passed by He Sui at the door and walked out into the dark alley. Looking over, there were only a few street lights on the long stretch of road.

She was not wearing gloves, dragging her suitcase with one hand and hailing a taxi with her phone in the other.

On New Year’s Eve, the chances of getting a taxi were slim.

Thousands of lights were brightly lit, and snow began to fall from the sky again.

Her tears seemed to be frozen by such a cold winter. The hand dragging the suitcase and the hand holding the phone were both stiff from the wind.