The cold wind in the countryside was exceptionally biting. While her friends were all at home comfortably eating Osechi-ryori, only Momozawa's family was heading to the suburbs to visit her elderly grandmother.
Momozawa was an only child and a Tokyo native. Although her family wasn't as well-off as Kusanagi's or Inohara's, being a local allowed her to live quite comfortably in the land of Tokyo.
She had learned bass and keyboard from a young age, and had also studied tea ceremony and fencing. She was the child in the band who could play the most instruments, but her naturally carefree personality and cute baby face made everyone think she was just an ordinary Japanese high school student.
She had known Kusanagi the longest. In the first month after Kusanagi transferred to Tokyo from Osaka, Momozawa couldn't help but go up and strike up a conversation. At first, Kusanagi was indifferent to her, but upon discovering that she could play various instruments, she was quite surprised and even said, "I didn't expect you could play the piano?" She also found that Momozawa had an excellent ear for music; she could play a piece perfectly after listening to it a few times without even looking at the sheet music. Kusanagi challenged her to a musical duel, and in the end, Kusanagi was slightly outmatched. After interacting back and forth, they became close, and with their shared love for music, they became good friends.
Momozawa had always known about Kusanagi's family situation, so she pestered Kusanagi to come to her house. After successfully convincing her parents, the two of them even lived together for a summer vacation.
Momozawa's mother was originally from the countryside and had come to Tokyo to settle down with her husband. Over thirty years had passed in a flash, but she still retained a simple and kind country accent. She really liked her daughter's beautiful and elegant friend; every time Kusanagi came over, she was very enthusiastic, wishing she could stuff all the delicious food into her mouth. Kusanagi acted especially well-behaved in front of her, like a proper young lady, and even now, Momozawa's mother didn't know how rebellious and wild they were behind her back.
Whenever there was a holiday, the three families would share their own food. Inohara's mother provided the most, waving her hand generously and shouting, "Come to my house and eat your fill!" It was hard to refuse such hospitality. Only Kusanagi would not attend the friends' group gatherings; she had only come a handful of times. When the Kuroki family was mentioned to the adults, everyone would gasp in surprise, lamenting that the beautiful and frail girl was actually the daughter of the famous Kuroki Group, and then they would express understanding regarding her inability to attend.
As for them forming a band, the parents didn't take it to heart at all, letting the children play around as they pleased. It wasn't until the night they exploded in popularity, when their phones were flooded with messages and calls from friends and relatives, that they realized their daughters had become truly famous. Momozawa's father was the most excited, kissing his daughter repeatedly. He knew that letting Momozawa learn instruments back then was the right choice! He even went to buy the band's merchandise and albums, displaying them all over the house despite Momozawa's protests, and every time Inohara and Kusanagi came over, they would tease her about it.
"Grandma, we're here!"
The custom of returning home at the end of the year had never changed in Momozawa's family. Her grandmother was eighty years old this year, having lived in the rural countryside her whole life, and she was unwilling to follow her daughter to the city.
Her husband had passed away early, and she had raised her daughter all by herself. Now, she lived alone in the countryside. Although a bit lonely, she was also content.
"Oh, my sweet granddaughter! Come here quickly, let Grandma see if you've grown taller and prettier!" Her grandmother doted on Momozawa the most. She didn't bother greeting her daughter and son-in-law, instead lovingly pulling Momozawa over and hugging her tightly in her arms, just like when she was a child.
Momozawa had dyed her hair back to black; she had to be a bit more well-behaved when visiting her grandmother at home. She hugged the old woman back, "Grandma!"
"Let Grandma see if you've become prettier." Her grandmother smiled, beaming as she ruffled her hair. The happiest time of the year for her was seeing her granddaughter, and seeing that she was taller and prettier than last year.
"Our Momotao is turning 17 this year, right? How has this year been? Did you miss Grandma? Have you made a boyfriend at school?"
"Oh, Grandma, what are you talking about!" Every time this was mentioned, Momozawa got a headache, pushing her grandmother toward the house, "I'm hungry, I'm hungry!"
"Mom, I brought you some souvenirs, and a computer; it's in Zhihui's car." A simple and honest-looking woman, carrying bags full of things in both hands, walked into the house, familiar with the way.
"Why bring a computer? I don't know how to use that thing."
"Mom, you can use the computer to watch TV series. It's very simple; I'll teach you."
The man was also carrying big and small bags. During the New Year, they would always bring many things back to the countryside—food, drinks, and daily necessities. Since they couldn't be by the old woman's side usually, these things were a way to show their filial piety.
The adults got busy, and the usually cold and empty house instantly filled with the atmosphere of daily life, making their hearts feel warm as well.
"Little Momotao, come here."
Upon hearing this, the young girl hopped over to the old woman, her face flushed red from the cold.
"Tell Grandma, what new things happened this year?"
"New things... let me think." Momozawa ate a crab stick, tilting her head to think, "I grew two centimeters this year!"
"That's very good," her grandmother said. "Do you remember the chubby older brother from next door? He married a wife from Italy, and the child they had is very tall!"
Momozawa's eyes widened, "That chubby guy actually married an Italian wife? Just based on him?"
"That boy went to study abroad in Italy after graduation." Her grandmother looked at her lovingly, "What about our Momotao? Do you still want to play music and sing in the future?"
"Of course, I want to go on a concert tour with Kusanagi and the others." Momozawa patted her chest with conviction, "It will definitely come true in the future!"
"Good, good, Grandma is also looking forward to that day." The old woman beamed, "Get ready, let's have New Year's Eve dinner."
"Ah, wait a moment, Grandma, I need to answer a call first." Momozawa fished her phone out of her pocket. Her pink phone case rang, and the caller was Kusanagi.
"Is that your best friend calling?" Her grandmother hit the nail on the head.
Momozawa blinked. Did she mention Kusanagi that often?
"Hello, what's up? Yeah, I'm back in the countryside visiting my grandmother. You? Did the old man drag you to a resort hotel? Are you calling just to show off! And hot springs? I hope you soak until you die."
"I only called you because I was bored." A cold, indifferent laugh came from the other end of the line, "Have a happy New Year's in the countryside."
"?! Did you call specifically to wish me a Happy New Year?"
"No, get lost."
"Hahaha, you are! You're just thin-skinned and won't admit it, hahaha! You actually just called specifically to care about me—"
"Beep, beep, beep..." The call was mercilessly hung up by the other party.
Tsk, acting cold but being honest at heart—would it kill her to admit she cares about her friend?
"Momotao! Come eat, your favorite eel rice is ready!"
"I'm coming!" Momozawa turned and sprinted. Seeing her grandmother holding the freshly brewed milk tea, her eyes sparkled with excitement, "I'm coming, I'm coming, I'm coming!"
"Grandma, there's one more new thing I forgot to mention." Momozawa said intermittently while wolfing down her food, "My best friend, yes, Kusanagi. A Chinese female exchange student came to her house. She's tall and pretty, and she even came to watch our school cultural festival performance."
"There have indeed been many foreign exchange students in recent years."
Her mother nodded from the side, smiling in agreement, "Yes, I don't know when it started, but exchange students from various countries have all come to Tokyo."
"That's not my point."
Momozawa swallowed a big mouthful of eel meat and couldn't help but complain, "The point is that Kusanagi really likes her. Kusanagi, you know! That incredibly arrogant young lady—she actually has a day where she likes someone so much she can't help it. Hahahaha, I'm going to die laughing just thinking about it!"
"Momotao," her parents looked at each other and asked, puzzled, "A female exchange student? Kusanagi is a girl, just like you, right?"
"Yeah, so what?" Momozawa was indifferent.
Her parents looked at each other, stunned for a few seconds, then said in unison, "It's nothing, being a girl is fine too!"
Her grandmother calmly wiped her hands, "Making a fuss over nothing. In a place like Tokyo, the more developed it is, the more archaic the thinking. It's not even as good as an old woman like me."
"Exactly, whoever Kusanagi likes, she's still Kusanagi, and she's still my good friend."
"I didn't expect Mom to be so progressive in this regard." The man scratched the back of his head, embarrassed.
"Your good friend has someone she likes, tell Grandma quietly." The old woman leaned toward the young girl, smiling as she tried to get information out of her, "Do you have a boy or girl you like?"
"Oh, you're dragging me into this again. I really! Don't! Have! Any!"
——————
On a day of nationwide celebration, as the only two foreigners in the group, we felt a bit out of place. Li Shijia and I had agreed to make Osechi-ryori at her place and drink some alcohol to ring in the New Year.
Although there is a custom of celebrating the New Year in December in China, it mostly belongs to young people; the older generation is still used to celebrating the Lunar New Year, and Li Shijia and I were no exception.
But after all, being in Japan, we had to do as the Romans do and experience it. The first thing she and I wanted to experience was: making Osechi-ryori ourselves.
"Nozawa, come here quickly and say hello to my mom!"
I had been to Li Shijia's apartment several times; it was an exquisite two-bedroom studio apartment, equipped with a vanity and a treadmill, very suitable for an urban beauty like her. Perhaps because the New Year was approaching, the usually messy living room had been cleaned up by her, and it actually looked quite presentable. If I hadn't seen her disheveled self eating potato chips before, I would have really doubted my own eyes.
"Hello, Auntie, you can just call me Xiaoye." I greeted the young woman on the screen, "Shijia and I are making a very famous Japanese dish called Osechi-ryori, which is a type of food eaten here during the New Year. As for the price? It's fine, Auntie, after all, it's New Year's, so we should eat something hearty. Don't worry, Shijia is doing quite well in Japan, and she is also very diligent in her studies."
"Shijia is a mischievous girl. Her father and I have always been worried about her getting into trouble in Japan. We heard her say before that she had made a good Chinese friend, and we have always wanted to meet you."
Li Shijia's mother was a woman with a lot of class, wearing gold-rimmed reading glasses and a high bun. Her Northern accent didn't affect her elegance and chicness at all. Li Shijia must have inherited most of her looks from her; the two were very similar in their brows and eyes, both hiding a natural charm.
"You are also younger and prettier than I imagined." I didn't expect Li Shijia to have mentioned me to her family, so I was a bit surprised, but this wasn't flattery; it was the truth.
"Thank you for the compliment." Shijia's mother smiled happily on the other end of the screen. "When you return to the country, have a chance to come visit us in Liaoning; our family welcomes you."
"You two are chatting away; are we still making the food or not?" Li Shijia carried the ingredients over and placed them on the liver-colored dining table, saying unhappily, "You've been talking for an hour, and we still need to cook."
"Alright, alright, alright, I won't disturb you anymore. Take care of yourself while you're away, and get along well with classmate Nozawa."
"Got it, Mom!"
"Li Shiqi, come over and say hello to your sister."
The little girl's soft, sweet voice came through the receiver, "Sister~"
"Li Shiqi, have you been listening to Mom and Dad at home?"
"Yes..." The little girl seemed to be pouting in dissatisfaction, "I'm very obedient. When is Sister coming back?"
"Big sister will be back for the New Year," Li Shijia's tone softened unconsciously. "Study hard at home and be a good girl."
"I miss Big sister… Big sister hasn't been home for so long…" The little girl with pigtails pouted, looking like she was about to cry.
"Big sister will be back in a few months, so be a good girl, Shiqi."
"Okay…" the little girl agreed, feeling aggrieved.
"Alright, Big sister needs to go eat now," the woman's voice returned on the other end of the line. "Li Shijia, you too, study hard abroad, and remember not to slack off."
"Got it, Mom!"
Hanging up the phone, Li Shijia let out a long sigh and slumped onto the sofa. "No matter how old I get, I still feel uncontrollably nervous and creeped out whenever I answer her calls…"
"It's the aftereffects of getting beaten when you were little," I said, hitting the nail on the head.
"Right! I was so scared of my mom when I was a kid. She's a teacher, and if I didn't do my homework perfectly, I'd get hit with a paddle. Just thinking about it makes me shiver." Li Shijia shuddered. "Let's not talk about this anymore! Let's start cooking!"
I found her amusing. She usually acted like she feared nothing, but in private, she was a mama's girl who was afraid of her mother. Still, I was quite envious. On New Year's Eve, her mother specially called to congratulate her, while my parents didn't care about it at all, not even sending a text. Ultimately, it was because they didn't approve, believing that just celebrating New Year's Day was enough and there was no need to participate in these holidays. Whenever I heard them say things like that, I could only brush it off with a laugh.
"By the way, have you ever eaten Osechi-ryori?"
"I haven't. I've only seen it on TV before; it looks so lavish!"
"Me too," I curled my lips into a smile. "I'm quite looking forward to it."
"I heard this stuff is also called New Year's food, and it's made by housewives. To let housewives rest during the New Year, it's all prepared before the 30th, so there's no need to cook on the 1st."
I turned on the oven switch and switched on the kotatsu heater. The small apartment was warm and comfortable, and there was even a [Good Fortune] spring couplet pasted up, giving it a real festive New Year feeling.
Outside the red spring couplet, the cold wind used invisible fingers to rudely mess up pedestrians' hair. A thin layer of snow, like a huge, soft wool blanket, covered everything, shimmering with silver light. This room was a warm sanctuary.
I teased her, "You know quite a lot."
"Beauty and talent, that's me." As expected, only praise could make Ms. Li Shijia feel like she was on top of the world. "Come, come, let me educate you."
I pointed to the wooden box in front of us. "Why does it have to be packed in a box like this?"
"This is a jubako, a container for the highest level of etiquette. [Osechi-ryori] was originally food offered to the gods, later evolving into court cuisine, and it wasn't until the Edo period that it entered common households and gradually became popularized. The ingredients required for Osechi-ryori are also very particular! For example: black beans symbolize diligence; burdock root symbolizes having many children and blessings; sea bream represents joy and celebration; shrimp represents longevity."
"I see."
"On the 2nd, there's also the New Year's first calligraphy. After the New Year celebrations end, you write Chinese poems or couplets that signify peace and good fortune on rice paper. It was originally a custom among Japanese nobility, likely learned from China."
"It really is very similar to writing Chinese spring couplets, probably passed down from the Tang and Song dynasties, for blessings and the like."
"Exactly, writing down various phrases containing luck and joy to get a good start for the New Year is exactly the same as in China."
Li Shijia used charcoal fire to evenly sear the surface of the fish meat. The aroma instantly reached the tip of my nose. The center of the reddish fish meat was slightly charred, while the edges were translucent.
"Some temples and shrines also host [Calligraphy Festivals], providing students with the opportunity to practice their first calligraphy, which is for students to pray for smooth academic success, passing exams, and the like."
"I know that, and there's also fortune-telling." I moved quickly. The ingredients were all ready, and I soon finished the first layer of the Osechi-ryori. "How is this?"
"There are 12 items on just one layer…" Li Shijia was losing patience too. "The two of us can't eat that much, let's slack off and just make two layers."
"Osechi-ryori should have at least four layers."
"Oh, what does it matter if it's just the two of us eating? This much is enough!"
"…At least finish three layers."
And so, a neither lavish nor abundant Osechi-ryori was born.
Li Shijia turned on the TV with great interest, opened a few bottles of sake, even properly sprinkled a few cherry blossom petals, and then filled two cups.
Her wish was very simple. "Come, let's raise our glasses to celebrate. I wish for us both to be happy every day!"
"Happy New Year, wishing us academic success and smooth graduation." I was a bit greedier, saying many things with a smile.
"Right, right, wishing us a smooth graduation, finding the most handsome boyfriends, and the most lucrative jobs!"
"The gods would sigh at how greedy that is if they heard." I downed the sake in my cup in one go. A stinging sensation rushed straight to my brain, and I almost coughed.
"Hmph, I don't care, it will definitely come true." She clinked her glass against mine forcefully and downed it heroically.
"What's the alcohol content of this? It's so strong."
"Let me check… holy crap, it's actually 55 percent."
"You really are a tough woman."
"Hey! Are you mocking me? You've learned to be bad."
"No, I'm just concerned about you." I ate a piece of charcoal-grilled fish sushi to suppress the taste of alcohol in my mouth. "After getting so drunk last time, were you okay when you got back?"
"A little sister took me home, I was very happy." She seemed to recall the discomfort of being drunk, and when drinking the second cup, she was clearly not as decisive as the first one. "Indulging in getting drunk occasionally is also quite nice, not having to think about so many things."
I naturally thought of her and Mori Reiko.
"Kissing a female professor must be hard to forget."
"…"
"Maybe you're her type."
"…"
"Is a scumbag like Peng Keming better to kiss, or a great beauty like Mori Reiko? It must be Mori Reiko, right? She looks like she takes very good care of herself."
"…Can you stop bringing that up?" Li Shijia's face darkened a few shades. "How many times have you brought it up since entering the house today! Can you let me off the hook!"
I finally put away my black-bellied little thoughts and couldn't help but laugh.
Who told her to keep teasing me about Mori Reiko? Now that I've caught her red-handed, I could tease her until she graduates.
"How does it feel different between a woman and a man?"
"Stop it!" Li Shijia glared at me fiercely, her lightly made-up eyes almost popping out of her head. "You're getting worse and worse, I don't know who you learned that from!"
I blinked innocently. If I really had learned to be bad, it was from a mischievous high school girl.
"By the way, let's both send a text message to Mori Reiko."
"Why text her?" Li Shijia was very wary.
I explained, "She doesn't have many friends around here, so she's probably spending New Year's Eve alone. Let's just send a greeting."
"…Fine." Li Shijia was skeptical, but she agreed nonetheless.
I took out my phone with a straight face. "I plan to wish her a Happy New Year, and while I'm at it, ask her how it feels to kiss a pretty female student."
"…" Li Shijia's face turned bright red, and she jumped up fiercely. "You're not Nozawa at all! Give me back my kind and cute Nozawa!"
I dodged her pursuit, laughing out loud.
Hmm, it seems I've been infected with a bit of black-belliedness by Kusanagi, but teasing people is indeed very fun.
I always lose to that girl, rarely having a moment of victory, and almost forgot that I should be the dominant one. When we first met, I used my height advantage to pin her on the sofa and tease her, but now that's absolutely impossible; I can't even dodge her fast enough.
Where did my calm and composed self go? I get incredibly nervous just from her flirting, which wasn't like this before.
I made such a fool of myself on Christmas Eve that I have no face to see her again.
Thinking of this, I felt a bit dazed, and at the same time, vaguely distressed.
Those flirtations, the heart palpitations, I can't just pretend nothing happened. Once some things are exposed, you can never justify them again.
The two of us still have to live under the same roof for a long time. How to get along during this time is truly a difficult problem.
A few kilometers away in the teacher's dormitory, the heater was humming. A woman in a bathrobe held a thin cigarette, squinting at the New Year fireworks outside.
She watched the fireworks for a while, then looked down and replied to two messages, which were New Year's greetings from students.
Her ex-girlfriend had cut off contact. In the past, they would always spend the New Year together, but this year, the ties were completely severed. She didn't actually feel much; feelings come and go quickly, and there was no one she couldn't live without. At worst, she'd just find someone else. It's just that occasionally at night, she would feel bored and have nowhere to pass the time.
She answered a few calls, one of which was from a newly met ambiguous partner, a blonde, blue-eyed American with wavy hair, and a few others were New Year's calls from colleagues.
After chatting, she was in a good mood, tapping her toes lightly on the floor, keeping time with the music in the room.
"Hello, Alex. Yeah, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Mori Reiko-jie!" On the other end of the line was loud electronic music, and a deep bass voice came through. "The signal is not very good in the suburbs, did you receive those bottles of red wine?"
"I received them. Also, I've already delivered your things. She will definitely return them to you, so that can count as an opportunity to meet."
"Alright… I… the music here is about to… start…"
"Okay, got it."
After smoking a few cigarettes, the woman slid her slender fingers down, answered a few more calls, and then casually scrolled through the interface to read the news.
She read for a while, then paused on a dialog box she had been chatting with frequently recently.
She didn't really like chatting; she preferred calling if possible. Recently, there was only one person she chatted with frequently, and thinking that the person who said these things was a young girl, she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows playfully.
In reality, she was cold and spoke little, but she didn't expect that behind the screen, she could ask herself so many questions. Truly, you can't judge a book by its cover, and the questions asked were all quite "sensitive."
She had to admit that the other person was very smart, beating around the bush without revealing her true inner thoughts, in order to obtain the information she wanted. She could have just pretended nothing happened, but the other party happened to be a child who had fallen in love, making it hard not to care.
Intuition is a hard thing to explain.
The woman let out a breath, feeling a bit emotional. She thought of the way the girl looked at that person: burning, domineering, sincere—it was like a passionate movie.
This reminded her of someone, buried deep in her memory, someone who had once had incredibly sincere and burning feelings for her when she was in her ignorant, teenage years.
That person had the exact same look in their eyes. She was moved by this. Originally, she had wanted to dispel the girl's absurd thoughts, but for some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say it. If she knew that that person couldn't be with her forever, she knew all too well how that young, burning heart would break.
Young love is like fire; it is bound to burn you.
"Sigh…"
The woman lit another cigarette and let out a long sigh.