The husband, who seemed a bit slow, dumped out the chestnuts he was scooping and began filling a bag with the hot ones from the bottom. The wife took the opportunity to chat with them. “You must be from out of town! Once you try our roasted chestnuts, you’ll definitely want more!” 周于谦 pointed to the pre-packaged chestnuts on display, from a businessman’s perspective, “Since you know we’re not locals, why didn’t you just give us one of those?” The woman laughed heartily, “Oh, I saw how good you two get along, you’re definitely here for fun. If cold chestnuts cooled your relationship, that would be a big sin, so I give you the hot ones!” What kind of logic was that? 来茴 gave her a strange look and asked, “So, do you give cold ones to couples who aren’t getting along?” “Yes, if I see two people walking far apart, I give them the cold ones!” The woman, seeing 来茴’s surprise, pointed to the packaged chestnuts, laughing uncontrollably, “Haha, clever girl, I’m just teasing you. Those are freshly scooped and are meant for delivery. I give you the hot ones to wish your relationship stays warm like freshly roasted chestnuts!”
As they finished speaking, the chestnuts were bagged, and the husband passed them to his wife, who then handed them to 来茴. Before they left, she told them, “Chestnuts aren’t good when they cool down, just pop them in the microwave for a bit, and they’ll taste just as sweet!”
Even though they were bundled up, the wind found its way through their clothes, perhaps through the sleeves or pant legs, sending chills throughout their bodies. 来茴 held the warm bag of chestnuts, reminiscent of the small hand-warming stove from her childhood, a flat round iron box with glowing charcoal inside, covered with a blue woolen sleeve, hung around the neck, making the palms the warmest part during the snowy trek to school.
“Let’s not take the car, shall we walk?” 来茴 said to 周于谦, who was about to open the car door. In this freezing weather, even the sleepiness was frozen away; she didn’t want to go back to their lodging just to wash up and sleep. Perhaps the unfamiliar city awakened her childhood playfulness, thinking that since they came all this way, although they couldn’t sightsee, they could still walk around.
周于谦 hesitated, then closed the car door. “Where do you want to go? There’s a pedestrian street just around the corner!” 来茴 shook her head with a smile, “Let’s just walk down this road. I like places with dim lighting!”
In the dead of winter, a veil of mist hung over everything; they walked side by side on the quiet street, where everything seemed like a shadow, gray and hazy like sand floating on water. The wind carried moisture, splashing onto their faces, leaving them feeling damp. After adapting to the bone-chilling cold, 来茴 started peeling the chestnuts, “That woman said her chestnuts are so good you’ll want more, but I didn’t find anything special about them. Aren’t they just like the ones from the supermarket?” “People are simple-minded. If she didn’t say that, would you have bought them?” “I never claimed to be smart!” “Good to know your limits.” He paused, then added, “I think the husband just relies on his wife for business, if he were to sell chestnuts, the whole family would starve!”
来茴, shaking her hands, peeled off a tender chestnut and stuffed it into 周于谦’s mouth. “You always swing your stick everywhere, hitting anyone or anything. I actually like the wife; I love how she says ‘our home,’ even though she’s better than her husband, she doesn’t forget to include him when talking to people. Look at how well they work together; even if they’re poor, it’s admirable!” 周于谦 scoffed, “I don’t see what’s so enviable about that!” “Of course you don’t, because you don’t have to stand on the street in the cold selling chestnuts. Think about it, they’re ordinary folks, they might fight, but at night, the wife still stands by her husband selling chestnuts! Ah, forget it, you wouldn’t understand the affection of the working class!” 来茴, taking advantage of the dim light, rolled her eyes several times, laughing triumphantly, when her cold cheeks were pinched by a freezing hand, her eyes watering, and she managed to protest, “Be gentle!” “You make it sound like poverty is something to be envied?” 周于谦, seeing the moisture in her eyes, quickly let go and gently touched her face in what seemed like regret. “You are really unreasonable. It’s not envy, it’s admiration,” said Lai Hui, gently rubbing the sore spot on her face. “If it were me, I wouldn’t be standing out in the cold with my husband. Plus, her husband listens to her so well. I think the boss lady is wise; with such a husband, she might not become extremely wealthy, but at least life is peaceful and secure.” Tossing away the chestnut shells in her hand, she clapped her hands and said, “It’s a case of having gains and losses, isn’t it? Their relationship might be good, but life is still hard!”
Zhou Yuqian chewed over her words repeatedly, ‘gains and losses.’ What he had gained was wealth, money, fame, and status, but what he had lost was a partner willing to sell chestnuts with him in the cold wind. In short, a simple and warm home. Would he be willing to trade all that wealth and power for a simple, warm home? Without luxury cars or mansions, spending days looking at others’ faces, earning a meager income to support the family? He pondered seriously for a long time, unable to imagine himself living in poverty, so he stopped thinking about it. He glanced at the dark end of the road, momentarily laughing at his own foolishness.
Grabbing her small hand trembling in the cold, he snatched the paper bag from her, saying indifferently, “Eat when we get in the car!” Ignoring Lai Hui’s protesting gaze, he changed the subject: “Everyone’s emotional expression is different. Indeed, as you said, the relationship between the boss lady and her husband is deep, but not every loving couple is like that. My parents, for the sake of the family business, are busy with their own affairs, but the rare moments we share at the beginning or end of the year, or occasionally, are particularly cherished. You can’t say their relationship isn’t deep!”
He rubbed the cold, hairy little hand in his palm, probably from handling the prickly chestnut shells, and as he rubbed, he even managed to scrub off some dirty sugar residue, but oddly, he didn’t mind the dirt and rubbed even more vigorously, gradually warming both hands. Lai Hui moved closer, placing her other hand between his arm and coat, as if clinging to his arm for warmth, her back of the hand still cold, but her heart was already warmed.
In the dim light, she stared at Zhou Yuqian with bright, shining eyes and suddenly said, “You actually still believe in love, don’t you?”
Zhou Yuqian’s expression froze for a moment, his tone complex as he said, “Let’s go back, it’s too cold out here.”
On the way back, Lai Hui, lulled by the warmth of the car, fell into a drowsy sleep, clutching the bag of chestnuts she barely ate, muttering discontentedly with her eyes closed, “There’s no snow to see here!”
Zhou Yuqian smiled faintly, his heart feeling a pang of guilt, knowing he was the one who had robbed her of joy for several years. ‘Gains and losses,’ she was talking about herself too. His hand, resting on the gearshift, reached towards her cheek, hovering in the air for a moment before withdrawing. He simply said, “Just wait, it’ll snow on your birthday!” He had only checked the weather forecast, not entirely reliable. But he would find a way, perhaps delay their return or go to another city; he would make sure to fulfill this modest wish of hers.
