Fireworks

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[TN Note: Read after “Notes in Rain Village: Part 2”]

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I stood at the window and ate roasted peanuts while watching Fatty organize fireworks in the courtyard below.

Fatty had bought several boxes of fireworks that would shoot off sixteen rounds each. To be honest, since there were mountains around us, we might cause a wildfire and end up being arrested if we weren’t careful when setting them off. It would be more appropriate for us to play with sparklers instead.

When we were looking for aquatic plants before, we agreed that the lake we found was the perfect spot for setting off fireworks. That was why Fatty was currently loading fireworks into the back of the van.

Everyone was busy this year. We had all planned on going to Hangzhou for the Chinese New Year but everyone couldn’t make it for various reasons so we planned to meet up for the Lantern Festival instead.⁽¹⁾ As a result, only Wang Meng drove over to see us.

After Fatty and Wang Meng were finished, they started scolding me and Poker-Face, “It’s past midnight. Can’t you guys hurry up?”

Fireworks in other places started to go off in the sky. I put on my clothes, went downstairs, and saw that Poker-Face was also dressed. He pointed to our homemade wine that was sitting off to the side.

Yuanshanjinger.⁽²⁾

He didn’t want to drink; he was just reminding me that maybe I would want to.

We got in the van and drove on the dark road, numerous fireworks filling the night sky as we approached the lake.

By that point, I had already finished half of the wine. Text messages kept popping up on my phone sending blessings for the new year but I turned it off when Wang Meng asked me to send him a red envelope.⁽³⁾

In a daze, I looked out of the van window at the bright fireworks soaring high into the sky.

I looked at Fatty, who looked at Poker-Face—the two of them seemed to have come to some kind of agreement—before saying to me, “You can smoke one cigarette today.”

I took the cigarette and lighter that Fatty handed over to me, opened the window a crack, and looked out at the small lake. There were many small fishing boats, fishing lanterns, and fireworks reflecting off of the water’s surface.

I held the cigarette between my lips, not quite sure how to describe what I was feeling.

But I didn’t expect Poker-Face to have another lighter in his hand, which he used to light my cigarette for me. He was very swift, so by the time I came back to my senses, I found that the cigarette had already been lit. I reflexively sucked in a mouthful of smoke, afraid that if I didn’t take advantage of this, he wouldn’t give me a second chance.

I laughed and Fatty immediately looked at Poker-Face as if to say, “You see? I knew he was suffering.”

I was just about to thank them when Fatty said, “Don’t smoke it too fast. We’re going to use it to light the fireworks later.”

I didn’t know why, but I was very happy. Maybe it was the wine or maybe the scene just now was a little absurd.

Let’s set off some fireworks.

<About Dirty Faces><Table of Contents><What Are They Doing 2022 Chapter 1>

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TN Notes:

(1) Chinese New Year is also called the Spring Festival. This year, it started on February 1^st. The Lantern Festival is on February 15^th.

(2) Yuanshanjinger “远山净儿” (lit: purity in the distant mountains)

(3) Monetary gift in a red envelope given during holidays or special occasions. Info here.