26: Chapter 26 Relatives

The Spring Festival holiday hung heavy with time, like a sponge soaked through with water.

The peace and quiet that had filled the house for the first two days had long since been thoroughly washed away.

The doorbell hadn't stopped ringing since the first day of the lunar year. Leading the charge was Eldest Aunt's family, who lived in the same city.

Even while she was still in the hallway, Eldest Aunt's booming voice burst through the crack in the door.

“Oh my, Youhua is back! Quick, let Eldest Aunt have a look. You can really tell the difference once someone becomes a college student; your whole spirit is just glowing!”

Without taking no for an answer, she shoved a heavy bag of fruit and New Year's goods into Chen Youhua's arms, the apples and oranges rustling loudly against the plastic.

Following behind her was his middle-school cousin, Xiao Jie. White Bluetooth earbuds were stuffed in his ears, his eyelids drooped, and his fingers swiped across his phone screen so fast they almost struck sparks; he only managed a vague mutter of "Bro" as a greeting.

As soon as he entered, Xiao Jie expertly sank into the deepest corner of the sofa. With a 'click', he turned his phone to landscape mode, and the roar of intense gunfire and teammates' shouting instantly exploded from the gaps in his earbuds, flooding the air of the living room.

His body swayed slightly with the action on the screen, his mouth letting out hurried, low shouts.

“Smoke it! Smoke it! ...Damn, Point A is lost!”

Next was Second Uncle's family.

Second Maternal Aunt's laughter arrived before she did. Upon entering, she warmly grabbed Mother Chen's hand as if she were stuck to it.

“Sister! I missed you to death! Look at your complexion, it's even better than last year!”

She spoke as fast as a machine gun, her topics jumping from Mother Chen's new perm to the neighbor's dog downstairs, before taking a sharp turn toward Chen Youhua.

“Youhua, what are you studying at Z University again? Oh right, right, right—Biology! My goodness, that's high-tech stuff! Very precious!”

“You've got to get into a big company after you graduate, like... what was it? Pfizer? Johnson & Johnson? Yes, yes! I heard even the janitors there make more than us!”

Her young daughter, Diminutive for girl, was five years old and like a vibrant little cannonball.

She was completely deaf to the adults' pleasantries, her dark, beady eyes accurately locked onto the colorful candy box on the coffee table.

Her small hand grabbed a fistful of multicolored candies like lightning, stuffing them into her two bulging pockets. Then she expertly fished a phone out of her mother's handbag and tapped away with her little finger. A few seconds later, the theme song of 'Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf' blared at a deafening volume, instantly drowning out everything else.

“Don't look at me, I'm just a sheep...”

Diminutive for girl plopped down on the rug with her legs crossed, the phone resting on her lap. Her large eyes stared unblinkingly at the bouncing sheep on the screen, her small mouth slightly open as she silently moved along with the song.

A half-eaten strawberry lollipop was stuck stickily between her small fingers.

Chen Youhua was entrusted with the heavy responsibility of being the central hub of the living room.

Serving tea, pouring water, watching the children, and handling the interrogations.

A polite, almost formulaic smile hung on his face. Like a pre-programmed robot, he shuttled between the coffee table and the water dispenser.

“Youhua, is studying tiring?” Eldest Aunt's voice rose above the cartoon.

“It's alright, Eldest Aunt.” He handed her a teacup.

“Are you used to the food at Z University's cafeteria? I heard university cafeterias eat real well.” Second Maternal Aunt chimed in between her gossip.

“It's okay, Auntie.” He bent down to pick up a candy wrapper Diminutive for girl had dropped on the floor.

“Do you plan to go to grad school or work later? You've got to plan early!” Eldest Aunt circled back.

“We'll see how it goes, no rush.” He casually pushed Xiao Jie's game console box, which was about to slide off the sofa, further back.

His gaze swept through every corner of the living room like radar:

Eldest Aunt and Second Maternal Aunt flanked Mother Chen on the long sofa.

Their volumes competed to be the loudest, their topics like runaway horses, jumping without warning from Chen Youhua's career prospects to the sky-high bride price for Old Wang's son's wedding in the same compound, then drifting to the ridiculous rise in pork prices at the market this year.

Mother Chen was squeezed in the middle with a smile that was a mix of helplessness and habit. Occasionally she tried to interject, but her voice was immediately drowned out by the surging waves of sound.

In the corner of the sofa, Xiao Jie seemed to be in another dimension.

His earbuds blocked out all the festive atmosphere; only the light from the phone screen flickered on his focused, even somewhat grimacing face.

His fingers tapped and swiped frantically on the screen, his body tensing and leaning with the jumps and dodges in the game, low curses or hurried commands occasionally bursting from his mouth.

On the sofa armrest next to him sat a half-drunk Coke, the carbonation long since gone.

On the rug, Diminutive for girl was completely captured by the world on the phone screen, which was saturated with eye-searing colors.

The dialogue and soundtrack of the cartoon poured unreservedly from the phone's speaker, clashing violently with the other noises in the living room.

She was entranced, her small body leaning forward slightly with the plot, her sugar-stained little hands unconsciously picking at the fuzz of the carpet.

Father and Second Uncle occupied the single sofa and wooden chair slightly further from the center of the storm.

A purple clay tea set was laid out on the small coffee table between them.

Father unhurriedly scalded the cups, rinsed the tea, and poured, while Second Uncle nodded, talking in low tones about the impact of the newly opened local subway line on housing prices and the upcoming adjustments to pension policies.

Their conversation was moderate in volume and clear in logic, a rare harbor of calm in this noisy ocean.

The air was so thick it felt like it could be wrung for juice.

“Ding-dong—!”

The doorbell rang again, unwilling to be left out.

It was the family of distant Third Paternal Great-Uncle, bringing along their seven or eight-year-old grandson, Xiao Hu, who had more energy than a monkey.

Xiao Hu was like a bullet fired from a gun; as soon as the door opened a crack, he zipped inside.

His darting eyes swept the living room and instantly locked onto the slightly ajar door of Chen Youhua's bedroom. Ducking low, he slid inside like a loach.

Chen Youhua's heart suddenly tightened!

His desk drawer wasn't locked! Inside lay his laptop and a stack of newly printed literature that still smelled of ink!

He immediately set down the kettle and walked quickly after him.

He saw that Xiao Hu had already pulled open the top drawer of the desk and was standing on tiptoe, excitedly rummaging through the odds and ends inside.

Chen Youhua's heart leaped into his throat.

The next second, Xiao Hu cheered and held something up.

It was a plastic green wind-up frog with some of its paint worn off. It was something Chen Youhua had bought at some stall back in high school, long forgotten in the depths of the drawer.

“Xiao Hu! Don't go through your brother's things! Where are your manners!”

Third Paternal Great-Uncle gave a token shout from the doorway. There wasn't much genuine reproach in his voice; it was more like performing a social ritual.

Xiao Hu didn't listen at all, his eyes shining as he wound the key on the frog's backside.

After a few 'click-clack' turns, he placed the frog on the floor.

The crude plastic toy immediately began to hop frantically across the floor with a series of 'clatter-clatter' sounds, the mechanical impact especially clear in the room.

“Froggy jump! Froggy jump!”

Xiao Hu clapped his hands, excitedly chasing the rampaging plastic frog, his small face flushed red as he imitated the sound.

“Ribbit! Ribbit! Ribbit-ribbit-ribbit!”

Chen Youhua's heart, which had been in his throat, dropped heavily back into his stomach.

He walked over and quietly pushed back a few scattered pens and an old notebook in the drawer, making sure the laptop and documents were pressed underneath, then gently closed the drawer, leaving only the wind-up frog to frolic on the floor.

He turned around and walked back into that massive, concrete cacophony composed of human voices, electronic sounds, cartoons, gaming battles, tea fragrance, and cooking fumes.

He picked up the kettle and poured a cup of water for Third Paternal Great-Uncle.

In the air, the sickly sweet smell of candy seemed to thicken a bit more.

He continued to fulfill his duties of serving tea, pouring water, and playing along, his gaze occasionally drifting over those glowing screens and focused little faces.