This year's New Year's Eve, the three brothers still spent at Uncle Tang's house.
Tang Suoyan couldn't celebrate the New Year at home, so Xiaodong brought his two younger brothers to accompany the old man. They were still in high school when they first came, and they are now in their twenties.
The two of them were chatting quietly in the kitchen, Chi Cheng was working, and Tao Huainan was chatting with him.
Xiaodong was making dumplings with the old man at the dining table. The fillings had already been put in. Xiaodong stirred the stuffing quickly and asked, "Did you put ginger, Mom?"
"Leave it." Tang Mu saw that the dumpling filling was a bit light in color, and added a little soy sauce.
Tao Xiaodong smiled and asked, "Are you really letting go?"
"Really let it go, get rid of the fishy smell." Tang Mu smiled, knowing what Xiaodong was thinking about, and just said, "I'm still my own child at the age of 800, what should I choose?"
Papa Tang finished kneading the noodles, kneaded them into long strips and pulled them into small balls, and sewed beside him, saying, "Who doesn't say yes, it's not good."
Xiaodong didn't talk back or talk back, just laughed.
"When will Xiaonan's project enter the third phase?" Dad Tang asked Xiaodong.
Tao Xiaodong glanced at the kitchen and said, "Brother Yan said that next year will be around the same."
"How is this time? Is it better?" Papa Tang asked.
Tao Xiaodong put his finger in front of his mouth, smiled and signaled to lower his voice, and replied in a low voice: "It's still the same. Last time a target was off, I have to try again."
"What does Suoyan say?" Tom also lowered her voice, and the three adults secretly whispered here.
"Brother Yan can't judge, he can only look at the result." Tao Xiaodong is more open-minded now, and said comfortingly, "Let it take its course, wait slowly, he's used to this, it's fine."
"Where are the other volunteers? Have they succeeded?" Father Tang asked.
Xiaodong nodded: "Yes, there are two monoculars that can reach 0.3. Xiao Nan is different from them, he is not a single type, so it is more complicated."
"Oh..." Tom sighed, "I don't know when it will be fruitful."
Tao Xiaodong smiled and said, "No hurry."
Chi Cheng was cleaning the shrimp in the kitchen, and he was going to fry the shrimp for Tao Huainan later. Xiaodong wandered over after a while, and said with a smile, "Brother Ku, save some shrimp for me?"
Chi Cheng glanced at Tao Huainan, Tao Huainan smiled and hummed twice, meaning am I good
"What are you two doing?" Tao Xiaodong asked.
Tao Huainan whispered to Chi Cheng just now, Xiaodong will definitely come to you later, and ask you to give him some stuffing. When Aunt Tang was preparing stuffing just now, Tao Huainan could smell the smell of ginger, so Xiaodong would definitely not do it.
It is said that brother does not eat ginger.
Chi Cheng smiled and said, "Keep it, I'll mix it up for you later."
"Okay," Tao Xiaodong bumped into his shoulder, "you don't need to fix too much."
Chi Cheng said he knew.
He wandered out again, Tao Huainan was on Chi Cheng's body and continued to stalk him.
This pestering was really annoying, Chi Cheng pushed him with his elbow, he thought that he was simply mentally ill when he grew up, I don't know what to think about it.
Taking advantage of the absence of the kitchen, Tao Huainan stretched his hand under the clothes and touched Chi Cheng's waist.
His hands were warm but not cold, Chi Cheng ignored him at first, but he touched them endlessly, touching and pinching endlessly, Chi Cheng asked him to get up, Tao Huainan shook his head.
"What are you doing?" Chi Cheng asked him.
Tao Huainan said softly, "Touch."
"Stay away from me." Chi Cheng said.
Tao Huainan didn't make a sound, his fingers scratched Chi Cheng's tight and stiff side again.
Chi Cheng annoyed him so much, he frowned and said, "Don't wait for me to kick you."
Tao Huainan was not afraid of him either, so he pressed his face against his back, and slid his hands from the side to the front to touch his stomach: "It's Chinese New Year... don't worry."
Chi Cheng can't scare him at all now, Tao Huainan's fear and timidity when Chi Cheng just came back is now rare. Then no one can rely on it, it all depends on Chi Cheng not being able to hold it.
Anyway, Tao Huainan is too good at coaxing, no matter what kind of face Chi Cheng puts on when coaxing him, he just goes up and speaks obediently, no matter whether people listen or not, he talks endlessly.
Later, when Chi Cheng was annoyed, Xiaodong passed by the kitchen door, and Chi Cheng called him, "Brother."
Tao Xiaodong probed: "Hey."
Chi Cheng pointed back with his hand: "Let him go."
"Don't walk away," Tao Huainan withdrew his hands from under his clothes, and stood aside obediently, "Stop making trouble, don't give me away."
Tao Xiaodong pretended to say Tao Huainan: "You are good, don't rub people."
"Understood." Tao Huainan agreed.
Xiaodong left quickly.
He is really happy this year, Chi Cheng is back, it is useless for him to go to Beijing to pick him up this year. Tao Huainan hasn't been in this state since Chi Cheng left, no matter whether the annoying energy he is showing now is to coax Chi Cheng, or because the little brother is back and he has really become the same as before. , which is fine anyway.
In the past few years, one didn't go home, and the other was worried all the time. Now it's not easy for the two of them.
No matter how old they are, they will always be the youngest in this family, and they can receive a stack of red envelopes during the Chinese New Year. After collecting Tao Huainan, Chi Cheng gave it to Chi Cheng, and Chi Cheng picked it up.
In the past few years, Chi Cheng has transferred money to Tao Xiaodong every year, saying it was a red envelope for his brother.
This year Xiaodong finished collecting and said, "So much?"
Chi Cheng made a "hmm" and said, "New Year's money."
"Take it." Xiaodong smiled and shook the phone.
Tao Huainan also transferred two thousand to his brother.
Tao Xiaodong couldn't bear to accept it: "You forget it, baby? Keep it for yourself."
"Then my salary is low, isn't it? I haven't become a full-time employee..." Tao Huainan didn't think it was shabby, "I have a total bonus of 4,000, and the two of us get half of it."
"I'm ashamed to accept this, how can I do it?" Although Tao Xiaodong said so, he immediately accepted the transfer.
They lived here at night, and the two younger ones slept in Brother Tang's former bedroom. Tao Xiaodong went to the hospital to deliver dumplings and would return them later.
Originally, I wanted to cross the New Year, but I was too sleepy, and the two of them fell asleep not long after returning to the room. Just holding hands before going to bed, it will naturally become hugging when I fall asleep.
Chi Cheng still hugged him tightly, and when he fell asleep, he frowned tightly, not sleeping soundly. Tao Huainan patted him on the back reassuringly when he was strangled.
A pair of puppies clung to each other and finally crossed another new year together.
In the morning of the first day of the new year, Chi Cheng opened his eyes, and saw Tao Huainan staring at him with big eyes.
Chi Cheng thought he wanted to kiss, so he touched the tip of his nose perfunctorily.
Tao Huainan asked with a smile, "Are you awake?"
With a hoarse voice, Chi Cheng said "um", clasped his neck and hugged him down, clasped him in the crest of his neck, and closed his eyes again.
Tao Huainan then kissed his neck and said softly, "I want to give you a small present."
Chi Cheng closed his eyes and said, "What gift?"
Tao Huainan thought for a while and said, "It's a little gift that is useless but maybe you will have a little bit of happiness."
Chi Cheng said, "Bring it."
Tao Huainan didn't move, nor did he go to get it.
Chi Cheng was about to fall asleep again, and put his hand on the back of Tao Huainan's head, hugging her warm, very comfortable.
Tao Huainan nestled in the small nest between Chicheng's neck and the pillow, and after a while he whispered, "Actually, I can see a little bit of your shadow."
It took nearly ten seconds for Chi Cheng to react to this sentence from his stupor, and suddenly opened his eyes.
Tao Huainan's eyes only had an insensitive sense of light.
He could see no shadows, no outlines at all.
Chi Cheng didn't move for a long time, maintaining his original posture.
Tao Huainan got up from his arms, propped his elbows on the bed, his eyes were very close to Chi Cheng's face.
"But I still can't see your face clearly, even with a vision aid. I'm still blind." Tao Huainan felt a little regretful, "I really want to see you."
Chi Cheng looked into his eyes and raised his hand to touch it.
When he touched it, Tao Huainan closed his eyes, his eyelashes scraping Chi Cheng's fingertips.
"The target of the second phase has missed the target. Even if it doesn't miss the target, there may not be significant improvement. Brother Tang said it might not be." Tao Huainan said slowly to Chi Cheng, "I didn't report much hope, but in my After being able to see a little ghost, I couldn't help but think about it. I used to have a dream... If one day I can really see a little bit, I will go to Beijing to watch you secretly."
At that time, Tao Huainan never thought that Chi Cheng would come back, he didn't dare to think about anything.
"Just... take a look," Tao Huainan said a little embarrassedly, "see what you look like."
After a while, Chi Cheng asked, "Have you finished watching?"
Feeling that the atmosphere was about to sink, Tao Huainan smiled and said, "If you think you look good after reading it, strike up a conversation. If you think it's not good-looking, I'll come back."
Chi Cheng asked again in a deep voice, "Why didn't you tell me, brother?"
"I won't let my brother say..." Tao Huainan lay back again, and put his face back into the nest just now, "At first, I didn't want him to mention me to you, but later I felt that this improvement was not worth mentioning. blind."
Tao Huainan was right, he was still blind, and he couldn't even break through the level of light perception. This little improvement in vision was of no practical significance.
So Tao Huainan said it was a useless little gift.
Chi Cheng stared into his eyes for a long time that day, and then kissed his eyes.
"They all say you are handsome now, such a handsome little brother, I really want to see it." There was a little smile in Tao Huainan's eyes. puppy."
Chi Cheng didn't speak, Tao Huainan's hand touched his face: "When you were young, everyone said you were ugly, why are you handsome now?"
Chi Cheng said, "Let's grow up."
Tao Huainan said cooperatively, "Okay."
The three of them lived everywhere anyway, and stayed at Uncle Tang's house during the New Year's Eve until Tang Suoyan came back in the second day of junior high school.
He came back, took a shower, had a quick meal, and went back to his room to sleep after eating. Tao Xiaodong also went in with him. The two elder brothers lived in the hut at the door, and Tang Suoyan's room was reserved for the younger one.
Tao Huainan sent a message to his brother and asked: Did you go to bed so early
Tao Xiaodong lay on his side and replied: What are you doing
Tao Huainan: Do you eat candied haws
Tao Xiaodong: Eat.
Tao Huainan: Then you come out.
Just as Tao Xiaodong was about to move, Tang Suoyan's arms tightened behind him, and he frowned and made a noise.
Tao Xiaodong patted his arm and replied with a smile: Put the refrigerator for brother.
Tao Huainan relayed to Chi Cheng outside: "Put the refrigerator for brother."