In the middle of the night, Jiang Yu was jolted awake by the ringing of her phone. Half-asleep, she fumbled to answer it. Before she could say a word, an excited voice on the other end started talking rapidly.
Fu Gui?
The name echoed once in her head. It sounded familiar… had she heard it somewhere before? The thought flashed across her drowsy mind, but she was too tired. Soon her brain slipped back into a haze, and still clutching the phone, she drifted off again. By the time she woke up the next morning, the phone had already fallen to the floor and run out of battery.
“Fu Gui…”
She repeated the name softly. Suddenly, a spark lit in her memory.
“Fu Gui… wasn’t he the one who bought my peony painting?”
The name had stuck with her because it was distinctive. Fu Gui sounded like wealth and honor, a rather auspicious pairing.
But now that she knew who had called her last night, her doubts only deepened. Ever since that sale, she had had no contact with Mr. Fu. She had almost forgotten he existed. Why had he suddenly called her out of the blue?
After charging her phone and washing up, she saw a missed call from Xu Ruyi.
“I gave the painting to Grandma yesterday,” Xu Ruyi said when she answered. “She really likes it. She told me to thank you.”
Jiang Yu sat cross-legged on the bed. “As long as Grandma likes it, that’s all that matters. But as for the remaining ten of the Twelve Beauties, it might take me a while to finish them properly.”
Xu Ruyi nodded. “There’s no rush, take your time… Oh, right!”
She suddenly remembered something. “Last night I ran into that person you mentioned to me before, the one who bought your peony painting. His name’s Fu Gui.”
Jiang Yu froze. “Fu Gui… funny you say that. In the middle of the night yesterday, he suddenly called me too. He sounded really excited, thanking me for something… but I was too sleepy, I didn’t catch what he was saying. Next thing I knew, I fell asleep with the phone in my hand.”
Xu Ruyi chuckled. “Well, he does have reason to thank you. If you hadn’t mentioned him to me, I honestly wouldn’t have paid him any attention…”
She then explained what happened. Last night, she’d heard Fu Gui’s idea for a business collaboration. Surprisingly, she found his proposal interesting. She told him to bring a detailed plan after the New Year so they could discuss it further. The two of them had already reached a preliminary agreement to cooperate.
Jiang Yu quickly said, “That… has nothing to do with me. I don’t even know him well.”
Xu Ruyi laughed over the phone. “Jiang Yu, don’t think I agreed to work with him because of you. Of course, you being connected to him was one small factor. But the main reason is simple: his proposal can bring me profit. You know I’m a businesswoman. What I care about is whether a deal makes money. His idea has real potential, so I agreed.”
That was true. If Jiang Yu hadn’t mentioned Fu Gui before, Xu Ruyi wouldn’t have given him a second thought, let alone had that conversation. In that sense, Fu Gui really did owe Jiang Yu his thanks.
“I see. As long as you know what you’re doing.” Jiang Yu nodded slightly.
Xu Ruyi added, “Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve. Jiang Yu, Happy New Year’s Eve!”
Jiang Yu couldn’t help but smile. “Happy New Year’s Eve, Ruyi!”
Yes, tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, the very last day of the year. After that, a new year would begin.
Looking around her room, Jiang Yu suddenly realised how close the festival was. Yet her house showed no sign of celebration at all. On impulse, she changed clothes, went to the supermarket, and bought couplets and “Fu” posters. Back home, she pasted them on the doors inside and out. The moment those bright red decorations went up, the whole place instantly felt festive.
Next, she laid drawing paper across the table and painted a few cheerful New Year pictures: a chubby child in a red bellyband hugging a pile of gold, and two bright red carp, symbols of abundance year after year.
Once she finished, Jiang Yu put down her brush with satisfaction and hung the paintings in good spots. Their auspicious meanings added joy to the house, and the vibrant red didn’t feel gaudy at all.
She took some photos and posted them online. She hadn’t uploaded any artwork in a while, so when her followers saw her update, they were thrilled.
Of course, Jiang Yu’s paintings were nothing like the mass-produced decorations from the supermarket. The child hugging gold radiated chubby charm and good fortune, a dab of red painted on the forehead making the little one look even cuter. The gold in his arms seemed to shimmer with light.
As for the carp, every single scale was painted meticulously. Especially the contrast between the back scales and the belly scales, whose colours shifted seamlessly under Jiang Yu’s brush. The two fish looked lively and spirited, brimming with good fortune and festive joy.
Fans compared her works to the decorations in their own homes and were floored.
[Wow, Master’s paintings are gorgeous! Compared to these, my decorations look like cheap knockoffs.]
[Happy New Year, Master! Ah, if only I had the money, I’d buy your paintings to hang at home. They’d look amazing.]
[Hehe, I can’t paint, but I can do calligraphy! This year, I wrote my family’s Spring Festival couplets myself. Feeling proud!]
Comments poured in with blessings for the New Year. Reading them, Jiang Yu felt a warmth in her heart.
Come to think of it, this year was the Year of the Rooster. After the New Year, she would turn eighteen.
Year of the Rooster…
Her eyes suddenly lit up. Inspiration struck. She now knew what to paint for the March Colour Exhibition, aside from Flying Apsaras.
Since this was the Year of the Rooster, she would paint a “Crowing Rooster Heralding Spring.”
In her mind, she began to sketch out the composition. A proud rooster must be at the center, of course. But the painting also needed to convey the essence of “spring.” Otherwise, how could it be a rooster heralding spring?
Ideas quickly formed. She knew how the piece should look. She would paint it in traditional Chinese style, with a simple colour structure, primarily blacks.
The rooster would stand fierce and imposing, its comb bright red as blood, its long tail feathers lush and dazzling. Perched atop a rock, its talons would grip the stone firmly as it stretched its neck to the sky, crowing loudly, a sound powerful and resonant. Beneath it, blooming flowers and lush green grass, with yellow forsythia blossoms, would bring out the fresh colours of spring.
The whole painting had plenty of blank space, with colours kept simple. The emptiness behind the rooster left room for endless imagination.
When the final stroke was done, Jiang Yu set down her brush and instinctively rubbed her sore neck. She was a little tired from painting, but in contrast, her eyes were sparkling. She looked genuinely happy.
After finishing, she picked up a pen and wrote a small name in the lower right corner: [A Fleeting Dream].
Hmm, originally she had wanted to carve a seal, but she hadn’t found a good stone, so the idea was shelved. After the New Year, if she had time, she should go to the antique market and see if there were any good stones, ideally a chicken-blood stone. In her previous life, her seal had been carved from one, and she had long grown used to the texture of it.
The next day was New Year’s Eve. With no relatives or friends in City B, Jiang Yu was invited to spend it at the old master’s home. At first, Jiang Yu was reluctant. She had spent so many years celebrating the New Year alone that she was used to it. The holiday was a time for family reunions. As an outsider, how could she intrude on the Cui family’s New Year?
But when the old master looked like he was getting upset, Jiang Yu had no choice but to agree.
“You think too much, child.” The old master took her hand, sighed softly, and looked at her with eyes full of affection. “Isn’t there a saying, once a teacher, a father for life? Since you’re my student, you’re my child. You’re part of the Cui family now. Isn’t it natural to celebrate the New Year with us?”
Jiang Yu could tell he meant every word. Warmth spread through her chest, and she raised her head with a smile.
“Wait a minute, Grandpa! What do you mean, ‘a teacher for a day is a father for life’? What do you mean Jiang Yu is your child? I don’t agree!” Cui Mingzhu suddenly shouted from the side, her face full of dissatisfaction.
The old master frowned. “What did you just say?”
“Jiang Yu is your student, sure, so she’s part of the Cui family. But making her your daughter? Absolutely not!” Cui Mingzhu said righteously. “If she’s your daughter, then wouldn’t that make me her junior for no reason at all? No way. Absolutely not!”
The old master froze for a moment. He truly hadn’t thought that far.
Cui Mingzhu wrinkled her nose, grumbling: “She’s two years younger than me. I’m not accepting an extra aunt out of nowhere!”
“Eh…” the old master sighed. “Anyway, that’s what I mean, A-Yu. Just treat this place as your own home. Don’t be restrained, don’t be polite. If anyone bullies you, tell me and I’ll deal with them for you!”
The Cui family wasn’t very large. The old master had only one son and two daughters. During the holiday the two daughters hadn’t returned, so at the dinner table it was just their family of five, plus Jiang Yu.
The Cui parents were gentle toward Jiang Yu, and Cui Mingyi had no objections either, being an internet-addicted teenager, he was just glad no one interrupted his online games.
After the New Year’s Eve dinner, Jiang Yu’s phone kept buzzing with messages. Many acquaintances sent her New Year’s greetings.
In their teacher-and-student group chat, Ning shixiong started firing off a string of red packets, each one with a large amount of money, but only for a single grab.
Teacher Shen happily tapped one open and said, “Ning shixiong must be drunk again!”
Drunk Ning shixiong had a peculiar habit: he would keep sending out red packets. And he was a one-cup man – just a sip and he’d be drunk. Knowing this, he usually avoided alcohol to prevent making a fool of himself.
As the youngest in the group, Jiang Yu received extra private red packets from her senior brothers and sisters, as well as from both teachers. Even Elder Lin sent her a gift.
Jiang Yu did the math. This year, she’d made over 100,000 yuan just from New Year’s red packets.
[Happy New Year’s Eve, shimei!]
Someone messaged her privately. Jiang Yu glanced down at her phone. It was Du Song shixiong. Her eyelids twitched instinctively. She didn’t have a very good impression of him. The last time they’d met at a meal, his attitude toward her hadn’t been great, though afterward, for some reason, he’d changed.
Jiang Yu typed back: “Happy New Year’s Eve, shixiong.”
The reply came quickly: “Shimei, I have something I’d like your help with.”
Meanwhile, in the group chat, Han shixiong @-mentioned her: “After the New Year, let’s all get together for a meal. Shimei, since you came to City B, we still haven’t properly hosted you. Do you have anywhere you’d like to go?”
Seeing this, Jiang Yu replied to Du Song, tactfully declining: “Shixiong, I’m just a high school student. I doubt I can help much with anything.”
“No, no, shimei, you can definitely help me. I just want you to paint a picture for me.”
Paint a picture for him?
Jiang Yu frowned slightly. “Shixiong, if you need a painting, you can always ask Ning shixiong or the others. I’m sure they’d do a better job than me.”
On the other end, Du Song muttered, irritated: “This girl, making excuses when I just ask for a small favour!”
He took a deep breath and typed: “Why don’t we talk about it in person, shimei?”
Jiang Yu thought for a moment, then relented: “Alright. Han shixiong mentioned a group dinner after the New Year. We can talk then.”
“Great!”
Seeing his reply, Jiang Yu frowned even deeper. What kind of painting did this Du Song want, that he wouldn’t go to Ning shixiong or the others, who were much closer to him, but came to her instead?
She had originally wanted to refuse outright, but since they all shared the same teachers and group chat, if things got ugly it would look bad for everyone.
Annoying, Jiang Yu muttered silently to herself.
The group chat kept buzzing. Teacher Shen asked Han shixiong: “Han shixiong, did you finish that project you were working on?”
At that, Han shixiong sighed. “Don’t bring it up. It’ll still take a while… Two of my illustrators suddenly had to leave, so we’re short on hands and progress has slowed. I’m already looking for replacements, but so far no one has applied.”
Although many studied painting, most treated it as a skill to make a living, to find work, rather than becoming full-time artists who relied on selling their own paintings. Han shixiong, however, had organized a group of painters to take on commissioned art projects.
This time, the project they had taken on was for a temple: painting Buddhist images and Sanskrit scriptures on the temple walls. It was a massive undertaking, but things hadn’t gone very smoothly from the start.
Outside, fireworks crackled in the sky. Jiang Yu lifted her head and saw brilliant blossoms of light exploding outside the window. Fireworks were banned in the city except during the New Year; only then could you see such a spectacular display.
From across the room, Cui Mingzhu waved. “Jiang Yu, come play mahjong!”
On New Year’s Eve, you were supposed to stay up all night. At midnight, they would open the main door—said to bring wealth in the year to come. Staying up so long, of course, meant finding something to pass the time. In the Cui family, that meant playing mahjong.
“I… I don’t know how to play mahjong…” Jiang Yu said helplessly as they sat her down at the table.
Cui Mingzhu plopped into the seat beside her, cracking sunflower seeds, then threw one at Cui Mingyi, who was hunched over a video game. “Cui Mingyi! Jiang Yu doesn’t know how to play mahjong. You sit here and teach her!”
Cui Mingyi looked dumbfounded. “But… I’m playing a game.”
“What’s more important, your game, or your mom and big sister?” Cui Mingzhu shot back.
Cui Mingyi: “…”
That was a deathtrap of a question.
Dragging his chair over with resignation, Cui Mingyi slouched down beside Jiang Yu. He was a year younger than her, still a high school junior, but a gifted student already guaranteed admission to the country’s top university.
Jiang Yu didn’t know how to play, but with Cui Mingyi’s guidance she won round after round, the pile of winnings in front of her growing steadily higher.
“Mingyi, are you counting cards again?!” Cui Mingzhu shouted.
Leaning back in his chair, still focused on his phone, Cui Mingyi replied without lifting his head, “Not my fault. You’re the one who dragged me over. If I’m playing mahjong, of course I’m going to win. What, I’m not allowed to count?”
“No, you’re not! I make the rules!” Cui Mingzhu retorted.
“Fine, fine, I won’t count…” he said in defeat. But it wasn’t like he could help it. His brain just did the math automatically. Was he supposed to deliberately lose?
“I think I’ve more or less figured it out now. You don’t need to teach me anymore,” Jiang Yu said.
At that, Cui Mingyi’s eyes lit up. He actually smiled at her; rare, since he usually looked half-asleep. “Great, brother. You play, I’m going back to my game.”
“…Okay, brother, go ahead.”
“She’s got it! I’m off to play my game,” he announced to Cui Mingzhu and the others. After earning a fierce eye-roll from his sister, he happily bounded back to the sofa with his phone.
With Mingyi gone, Mingzhu regained her confidence, rolling up her sleeves. “I’m going to win my money back!”
Instead, she kept losing.
“…”
“You’re really a beginner?” she glared at Jiang Yu.
Jiang Yu smiled sheepishly. “I… I can count cards too. Mahjong isn’t that hard.”
“…”
Mingzhu collapsed on the table in despair. “I’m not playing anymore. This is bullying!”
The old master chuckled. “Jiang Yu’s always scored full marks in math. She’s ranked second in her whole school. Oh, first place is her deskmate.”
“…”
Unfair! Pure bullying!
When they finally quit mahjong, Jiang Yu stepped outside for some fresh air. Her phone buzzed. It was a message from Lu Mingshen.
“Happy New Year, Jiang Yu!”
She couldn’t help but smile. “Happy New Year to you too, Mr. Lu!”
He sent her a red envelope: 66 yuan.
“Wishing you great luck in the Year of the Rooster, smooth and successful all year long.”
“You too, Mr. Lu. Wishing you great luck in the Year of the Rooster!”
Seeing that reply, Lu Mingshen smiled faintly. The girl didn’t talk much, yet she lingered in his thoughts. Maybe because she didn’t even know how to take care of herself, someone ought to cherish her a little.
“Da ge, what are you doing squatting out here? Come on inside!” Behind him, Lu Mingyu waved and shouted.
“Coming!”
Snuffing out his cigarette underfoot, Lu Mingshen said a quick goodbye to Jiang Yu, then turned back into the house.
Looking down at her phone, Jiang Yu smiled softly. This New Year’s was probably the liveliest she had ever had. Truly, so lively.
They had said they would stay up all night, but by the second half, people were dozing off at the table or on the sofa. The old master had gone upstairs long ago; at his age, he couldn’t stay up that late.
By dawn, Jiang Yu also drifted off. When she woke again, daylight was already streaming in, and Aunt Cui was draping a blanket over her.
Blinking, Jiang Yu rubbed her eyes. Aunt Cui whispered, “Did I wake you?”
Shaking her head, Jiang Yu sat up, still bleary. She had dozed off on the sofa, and now her body ached.
“Not going back to sleep? Mm, how about this, you eat something first. There are glutinous rice balls already prepared in the kitchen. I’ll cook a bowl for you. You’ll sleep better after eating.”
Jiang Yu stared at her in surprise, then slowly nodded.
Her pale face still bore faint pillow creases, which only made her look more delicate. Aunt Cui couldn’t resist giving her cheek a gentle pinch.
“Wait here!” she said, heading for the kitchen.
Jiang Yu sat there watching her go, dazed for a long while before she came back to herself.
Stretching, she noticed Mingzhu asleep on the sofa, breathing evenly under a blanket. No doubt tucked in by Aunt Cui.
After washing her face, Jiang Yu felt more awake. She went into the kitchen, where Aunt Cui was dropping rice balls into boiling water.
Smiling, she said, “There’s a coin inside the tangyuan. If you bite into it, it means you’ll have good luck all year.”
The water simmered with rice wine, and soon the tangyuan floated to the surface. Aunt Cui scooped them out, preparing a bowl for Jiang Yu and a few for herself.
They sat together in the living room to eat. On her second bite, Jiang Yu’s teeth struck something hard. She looked down and spat out a one-yuan coin.
Aunt Cui beamed. “You found the coin! That means you’ll have wonderful luck this year.”
Jiang Yu blinked, then suddenly broke into a wide, radiant smile. Such a bright expression was rare on her face, reminding everyone how very young she still was. Even Aunt Cui was momentarily stunned.
This child really was impossible not to love.
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