Cultural Square is the most important entertainment place for residents of Baimei County.
During every festival celebration, all kinds of barbecue stalls, snack stalls, toy stalls, and grocery stalls gather here, so much so that many high school students who have nothing to do will set up stalls here to earn some pocket money.
As for the Chinese New Year, this place is even more lively. Not only are there many celebration stalls that are rarely seen at other times, but there are also many people gathering here to set off fireworks. Mei Fang and his friends came here for this purpose.
"Huh... why are there so many people here... I can't even find a place to park."
Mei Yue was driving the car, moving slowly through the crowd. Xia Yuan was leaning against the window, looking at the night view outside. From time to time, fireworks bloomed in the distance, showing brilliant light.
"What are you looking at? You look so engrossed."
Mei Fang pressed on Xia Yuan and stroked Xia Yuan's little head. "I come here every year, and it's always like this."
"It's not like this every year... The dice games we played when we were kids are gone."
Xia Yuan turned around and muttered, "Do you remember, we just played for a while and won a lot of money."
“That year… I remember it was the year when we first released Kongming lanterns.”
Mei Fang turned around and looked at Lin Youxi, "Youxi, you must remember it, right?"
Lin Youxi smiled and nodded, "I lost Yuanyuan's hairpin, and I cried while looking for it for a long time."
"What? What? Sister Youxi can also cry?!"
Mei Ya ate melon while grabbing the car seat, "I really can't imagine it."
"There are so many things you can't imagine. We have seen her when she was a child—"
"Yuanyuan, if you keep talking like this, we're going to expose each other's dark history again. You don't want to lose face in front of Xiaoya, right?"
Lin Youxi grabbed Xia Yuan's neck through Mei Fang, and she shivered from the cold.
So Xia Yuan quickly waved his hands and said, "Forget it... It happened a long time ago, let's not talk about it."
"What? You're teasing me! Tell Xiaoya about it. Xiaoya really wants to hear it! Xiaoya used to have a lot of good friends with boys, but she transferred to Hakushu. I don't like my classmates in Hakushu... So, I'm really envious of you for having such a childhood sweetheart."
Mei Fang's face immediately darkened after hearing Mei Ya's grumbling.
"Why do you need another childhood sweetheart? You have a brother, that's enough. Don't get involved with other boys..."
"Wow, brother, you still have the nerve to say that, you are so shameless! You only allow yourself to have a childhood sweetheart, but you don't allow me to have a childhood sweetheart, right?"
"Hahaha... Xiaoya, don't be angry. We have watched you grow up from a baby, so in a sense, we are childhood sweethearts, right?"
Lin Youxi also patted Xiaoya's head and said, "I still remember the first time I held you, Xiaoya, when I was a child. I held you with Yuanyuan."
"Yeah, right! We grew up together."
"However, the first person to hold Xiaoya was me, Sister Yueyue!"
Mei Yue said as she drove the car in reverse, "After all, our Xiaoya was born in Echeng!"
Of course, Mei Ya was not really angry with her brother Mei Fang. She also knew that she had grown up surrounded by all kinds of love, so her personality was so cheerful and lively. After being comforted by her sisters, Mei Ya quickly became active again.
"Okay... it finally stopped."
“Go, go, go!”
"Hey, hey, remember to bring your fireworks!"
In order to avoid holding too many things in their hands, everyone started setting off fireworks with others in the open space at the corner of the Cultural Square.
Mei Ya has always been an adventurous person. When other children and even adults need their fathers or brothers to help light the fireworks, Mei Ya always runs to light them herself with a lighter. She first stands far away from the fireworks, then leans sideways to light the fuse with the lighter. After several attempts without success, when she finally sees sparks from the fuse, she immediately rolls and crawls into Xia Yuan or Youxi's arms, smiling.
Sizzle, sizzle—
This kind of small cone-shaped firework always splashes out a bunch of sparks first, and then shoots out very high beams of fire, giving a feeling of fireworks. Then, the firework slowly splashes out small exploding fireworks, followed by a non-stop crackling sound. Everyone follows suit and hides away, only Mei Fang and Lin Youxi are still taking pictures seriously.
It was easy to light the fairy wand and it was fun. Everyone was waving their fairy wands and dancing, but Mei Fang was the only one standing there.
Because Xia Yuan's new clothes and cape were a hindrance to her playing, and she was worried that the cape would be burned, she asked Mei Fang to help her put on the cape. She and Youxi lit two fairy wands for each other, Xia Yuan spun the fairy wand like dancing, while Lin Youxi liked to hold the fairy wand and stand still to watch its flames burn out.
Among the four girls, only Lin Youxi was not noisy. Mei Ya and Mei Yue, two members of the Mei family, also made a lot of noise like Xia Yuan when they got the fairy wand.
They played with one fairy wand after another, using one to light up another before it burned out, and soon they had finished playing with all the fairy wands.
Everyone tried all kinds of strange fireworks, and then the only thing left to play with was the sky rockets. Xia Yuan suggested going to the river bank of the Cultural Square to play. Everyone came to the river bank with sky rockets and saw many people on the other side of the river releasing sky lanterns. Xia Yuan, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang smiled at each other, and then continued along the small bridge.
Mei Fang was dismantling the rockets, while Mei Yue, who was standing a little further away, looked into the distance, "Did you hear it? It seems like someone is playing the guitar in front."
“No, no!”
Xia Yuan walked closer in the direction Mei Yue pointed and listened attentively.
"I know who it is! Ah Fang Youxi, come down together!"
Xia Yuan took Lin Youxi and Mei Fang and walked forward along the bridge. Then they saw a short-haired girl with a red headband carrying a bass and playing a folk-style song with all her heart. There was no doubt that this was Peng Xue.
Although Peng Xue has a childish face, her voice has a smoky quality, which makes her look very cool and seductive. Most of the people who listen to her songs are girls.
In front of her was a large round box with a lot of coins piled inside.
During the performance, many people came forward to sponsor and support her.
No matter how much the money was, Peng Xue nodded in gratitude.
Her thanks continued until someone put three red bills into the box.
Peng Xue looked up with some surprise and found that the visitors were Xia Yuan, Lin Youxi and Mei Fang. She was overjoyed and after singing a song, she greeted the three of them warmly.
"Hello! You guys are so lucky to have found me, a street performer, here on your New Year's Eve date!"
Peng Xue was naturally talking to Xia Yuan when she said this. Xia Yuan also took Peng Xue's hand and smiled, "Why did you come here to perform on the street without asking me to join you?"
"What do you want me to do? You must be flirting with your Ah Fang, haha! I don't want to be a light bulb."
"Hey, what are you talking about, Xiaoxue? You're so mean."
Xia Yuan pinched Peng Xue's cheek and said, "Actually, I also want to try singing on the street. Next time you come to Jiangcheng, I think we can try it together."
"Okay, okay, let our Sister Xue take you flying when the time comes!"
Peng Xue patted Xia Yuan's shoulder, then raised her fist towards Mei Fanglin Youxi and said with a smile, "Youxi-chan, Boss Mei, Happy New Year, haha!"
"Happy New Year."
Mei Fang gave Peng Xue a polite fist bump and said, "How long will you stay here? We drove here and will take you back when the time comes."
"Wow, is Boss Mei so considerate? I feel a little embarrassed—"
Peng Xue flirted with Mei Fang in a rather coquettish manner, then patted him on the shoulder and said, "Haha, I'm just kidding. My home is right next to the Cultural Square, I can just walk back. I'll be singing around here after the New Year, Boss Mei, please come and support me when you're free, otherwise I'll have to pay off the money I owe you."
"I didn't ask you to pay back the money urgently..."
Mei Fang smiled slightly and said, "Anyway, don't try too hard."
"I know, I know. Go and have fun!"
Mei Fang and his group said goodbye to Peng Xue, and then returned to where Mei Ya and Mei Yue were before. At this time, the two of them were already playing with firecrackers.
"You two are so bad, you two didn't even wait for us!"
"Who told you guys to be so slow, Sister Yuanyuan?"
"I'm here to play, I'm here to play!"
Xia Yuan and Mei Fang each took a sky rocket to play with, but Lin Youxi did not join in setting off fireworks like she did before.
"Youxi, don't you want to play?"
"There are only four left. It would be just right for each of you to fire one more."
Lin Youxi smiled and said, "I'll help you take pictures."
On the east side of the night sky are fireworks bursting from sky rockets and big fireworks, on the west side are sky lanterns swaying all over the sky, and the continuous sound of firecrackers can be heard from near and far.
On the annual New Year's Eve, people spend it peacefully in the excitement, joy and happiness of being accompanied by their loved ones.
Happy New Year.
There is another chapter that will be posted later, before 1.30
(End of this chapter)