Those naive and innocent years spent during Chinese New Year

  The next morning, Tian Junfeng returned home and walked straight past Lü Yanlan without even looking at her, his face exhausted as he went to take a bath.

  After taking a bath and answering a phone call, I started packing my luggage.

  "What are you going to do?" Lü Yanlan leaned against the bedroom door and asked.

  "Return to France." Tian Junfeng didn't lift his head, casually putting a windbreaker into the suitcase.

  "Why?"

  "There's a financial issue with the company and I need to go deal with it. Do you have any other business?" Tian Junfeng said.

  Lü Yanlan didn't speak for a moment. After a while, she hesitated and said, "Do you need me to go back with you?"

  "No need, you stay with the kids for a few more days." Tian Junfeng zipped up his suitcase and put it on the floor. "I've already had my secretary book the ticket, I'll leave at noon." His words were stiff, without any expression, a formulaic narrative.

  Just then, Tian Tian stood at the door, looking at him and then at the suitcase, "Are you going back to France?"

  "Uh," Tian Junfeng said, "I'll come back and visit you again."

  "Oh."

  "Take care of your body at home, okay?"

  "Oh."

  "Study hard and when you graduate from high school, Dad will take you on a trip to France."

  "Oh."

  "Xiao Tian, I'm leaving at noon."

  "Oh."

  Tian Junfeng looked at Tian Tianmu's dull expression, sighed, walked to her side, squatted down and said, "Don't you have anything to say to your dad?"

  "No." Tian Tiantian's eyes didn't even flicker, staring blankly at the exceptionally handsome face in front of her. At this moment, she didn't want to say anything, only wanting to firmly imprint this face in her mind. His short hair was black and shiny, his eye corners slightly upturned, his nose bridge high and straight, his lips thin, and his facial features sharp. She closed her eyes for a moment, okay, remembered, then gently opened them again.

  Tian Junfeng felt a little disappointed, he hugged Tian Tian and whispered in her ear, "Daddy will miss you."

  Tian nodded slightly.

  "Silly girl, Daddy loves you." He rubbed his face against Tian Tian's delicate cheek, only he himself knew how much he liked this little girl.

  Tian Tian just nodded, and only nodded. It seemed that saying those cheesy words would be too pretentious, she wasn't a pretentious person to begin with.

  12:00 noon. Airport. Time of parting.

  A family of four stood together, at that moment, everyone was silent, with the crowd rushing to and fro, the bright lights as the background, there were happy families jumping up and down with heavy luggage on their backs, estimated to be traveling abroad; There were also couples who reluctantly said goodbye, sprinkling the last drop of tears before leaving on each other's sleeves; Some people had no expression, carrying a large suitcase, wearing sunglasses, embarking on a journey in a foreign country alone.

  Tian Heng pulled Tian Junfeng's big hand and said, "Dad, next time you come back, take us to eat ice cream too, okay?"

  "Alright," Tian Junfeng pinched Tian Cheng's chubby cheeks and readily agreed.

  "When is Father coming back?" Tian Cheng asked.

  "Dad will come back to see you as soon as he is free."

  "When will Father have time then?" Tian Cheng asked, one question after another, as if he had ten thousand whys, afraid that once Tian Junfeng left, he would never come back again.

  "It's up to you whether you behave or not." Tian Junfeng hooked Tian Cheng's nose.

  "Alright, Xiao Cheng, Daddy will miss his flight if he doesn't leave now," said Lü Yanlan.

  "I'm leaving now, take good care of the two kids."

  Lü Yanlan nodded, actually, she now just wants a farewell hug.

  Tian Junfeng seemed to see through her thoughts, opened his arms and gave her a slight hug, saying "You're okay too."

  He didn't notice Lü Yanlan's slightly flushed face and turned his gaze to Tian Tian, "Dad is gone."

  "Bye bye." Tian Tian said.

  "Uh-huh." Tian Junfeng crouched down, kissed her cheek, and whispered in her ear, "Dad said you're the cutest girl he's ever seen."

  "I said it too, thank you."

  Tian Junfeng smiled helplessly and said, "I'm leaving." He pulled his luggage and walked forward.

  Three people watched the man's receding figure, each feeling differently, until just as he was about to disappear from view, he heard a clear, slightly trembling, grandmotherly voice with great penetrating power behind him, "Dad!"

  Tian Junfeng suddenly turned his head, and the corners of his eyes were moist at that moment. His gaze was fixed on the small, weak, and delicate girl, who finally shouted out loud.

  He had never forced her to call him Dad, this time, it was what she thought in her heart, wasn't she not hating him anymore? Tian Junfeng waved at her, Tian Tian looked at him slowly, slowly fading out of her sight, the full feeling of the past few days, all fell empty again. "I love you, Dad." Tian Tian murmured, "Goodbye."

  The New Year arrived without warning at this time. Since the heavy snowfall, the temperature dropped sharply, and most of the leaves on the trees had fallen off, leaving only bare branches with no signs of life. As soon as you opened your mouth to speak, white mist would emerge in thick clouds.

  Buildings huddled in the cold air around zero degrees, only the evergreen leaves surrounding them were still green, and the edges of the leaves were wrapped with small white frost, like an unrealistic art piece in the hands of a painter.

  A few days ago, Lü Yanlan took Alan and his siblings to the market town to buy a lot of New Year's goods. Alan stored a pile of vegetables, fruits, sweets and nuts, and also bought several Spring Festival couplets and firecrackers.

  Lyu Yanlan bought a new set of clothes for Tian Tian and Tian Cheng, both with red down jackets, and they were sibling versions.

  This was Tian Cheng's strong request, he said that if they didn't buy it, he would stay in the store and not leave, and if someone asked whose child he was, he would say he was Lü Yanlan's biological son. Lü Yanlan had no choice but to agree to his request. Later, Tian Cheng held up the bag of clothes and flirted with Tian Tian, looking very pleased with himself.

  At night, Tian Tian and Tian Cheng sat on the sofa, eating melon seeds and watching TV. Lü Yanlan was in the bedroom doing something unknown, while Alan was busy with Old Zhang in the kitchen, stir-frying dishes, rolling out dumpling wrappers, chopping fillings, and preparing a sumptuous dinner.

  Outside, there are occasional firecracker sounds, and a fleeting flash of light appears in the sky. The air is still filled with the pungent smell of gunpowder. Children will carry lanterns, wearing colorful new clothes, jumping around on the streets. On the storefronts, red "Fu" characters and auspicious paintings are pasted, looking particularly harmonious, everything is so warm and cozy.

  After dinner, Lü Yanlan invited the mayor's wife and others to play mahjong, they left early, while Alan and Old Zhang went to participate in worship activities. As people get older, they need to find some beliefs as spiritual support to rely on, to dispel the boredom of life and the emptiness of their hearts.

  "Sister, I want to go out." Tian Cheng put a piece of sugar into his mouth and said with a smack.

  "Where do you want to go?"

  "I don't know, but I just want to go out."

  "Alright, I'll take you somewhere, get dressed and let's go."