As winter break arrived, the festive atmosphere for the New Year grew stronger.
Shops along the streets were gradually closing for the holiday, while those selling New Year goods had long lines. Ever since the break started, Shao Xue hadn’t had a moment of rest, constantly being sent all over town by Yu Dong Ge to buy things.
The town was small. Just as Shao Xue stepped out of Daoxiang Village with three boxes in her arms, she ran straight into Zhang Qi.
Of course, he had something to say.
“Shao Xue, this new haircut of yours is really something. Did a dog chew on your bangs?”
“Shut up.” She kicked the wheel of Zhang Qi’s bike, thought for a moment, then plopped down on the back seat.
“What are you doing?!” Zhang Qi yelped. “My stuff is heavy enough, and now you too? I won’t be able to make it up the hill!”
“Come on, stop being so fragile,” Shao Xue teased. “Let’s go, it’s freezing.”
“Are you going to Grandpa Sun’s too?”
“Where else? What are you delivering?”
Zhang Qi sighed dejectedly, "My mom’s making me deliver calendars."
Zhang Qi’s mother, Han Shuxin, was different from Shao Xue and Zheng Su Nian’s parents. She wasn’t in restoration work but worked as an editor at a publishing house. This meant that every year, their friends' families received new calendars from her, all featuring the same thing—a cover with the central axis of the Taihe Hall. Every year, Shao Hua would frown at the sight.
"Can’t we buy a new one ourselves?" Shao Hua would complain. "It’s always the same places. I work with this view all day, and then I come home and have to see it again."
"What’s the point of buying it? Do you know how expensive these are outside?"
Yu Dong Ge would instruct Shao Xue to hang up the calendar, then stand back and sigh routinely, "Another year gone."
Back then, time seemed to pass very slowly. The calendar had twelve pages, and the family would slowly flip through it, from the blossoming gardens of spring to the snow-covered Qianqing Palace, a process that took them a long time to complete.
* * *
Master Sun Qirui from the porcelain restoration group was a veteran with decades of experience, and both of his apprentices were in their twenties. One was Dou Siyuan, who had originally studied chemistry at a technical university. The other was Fu Qiaomu, who had yet to graduate from an art academy when he joined, making him Master Sun’s final disciple.
Master Sun had worked at the Palace Museum for forty years, even returning to work after retirement. He had watched Shao Hua, Jin Ning, and Zheng Jin grow from young and promising individuals into parents themselves. His home was always visited during holidays by those eager to show their gratitude.
That’s what it meant to have students all over the world.
When Shao Xue was sent by Yu Dong Ge to visit him, Zheng Su Nian had also been dispatched by Jin Ning for the same reason. The three of them bumped into each other downstairs, exchanging knowing smiles.
Master Sun’s children lived abroad, and they had bought him an apartment in a residential building near the Third Ring Road. When the trio arrived, they found Dou Siyuan and Fu Qiaomu changing their shoes at the door. The five of them stood there grinning at each other until Master Sun, holding his teacup, smacked Dou Siyuan on the back of the head with a rolled-up newspaper.
"Why do you always pick on me?" Dou Siyuan yelped.
"A bunch of fools standing around the door. Just looking at you makes my blood pressure rise," Master Sun grumbled, sipping his tea.
Shao Xue, always quick on her feet, rushed over to pour Master Sun more water and massage his back. Once his temper had been soothed, Zheng Su Nian and the others took turns placing their gifts on the coffee table.
When visiting the elderly, the standard gifts had remained unchanged for decades: fruit and milk. But Dou Siyuan’s hands held a mysterious black box that piqued Master Sun’s curiosity.
Dou Siyuan opened the lid and pulled out a camera.
"Hey," Zheng Su Nian’s eyes lit up. "Isn’t that a digital camera? I’ve seen my teacher with one of these."
Master Sun pushed up his glasses, examining it closely. "What’s the difference between this and my old Kodak?"
"My dear master, the difference is huge," Dou Siyuan said ingratiatingly. "This connects to a computer, and there’s no need to develop the photos. After you take a picture, I can upload it to the computer for you. You can enlarge it as much as you want without scanning."
The boys were all fascinated by the gadget. While they fiddled with the digital camera, Shao Xue and Fu Qiaomu chatted with Master Sun. The boys spent ages figuring out how to adjust the settings on the camera, finally getting it right.
"Master, let’s take a group photo of you all."
"No, no, I’m not taking any pictures," Master Sun immediately refused. "You kids can take one. I’m not getting photographed in my pajamas."
"I’ll pass too," Fu Qiaomu chimed in. "I didn’t sleep well last night, and my face is all swollen today."
"You guys are unbelievable." Dou Siyuan laughed, exasperated. "Shao Xue, why don’t you three stand together for the photo?"
Shao Xue, feeling self-conscious about her recently trimmed bangs, was about to refuse when Zheng Su Nian grabbed her and pulled her into the shot.
"Come on, let’s take the picture," Zheng Su Nian said, turning to her. "Don’t listen to Zhang Qi. It doesn’t look like a dog chewed on it."
Master Sun’s living room had floor-to-ceiling windows on the second floor, providing a perfect view of the snow-covered garden outside. Dou Siyuan crouched down, preparing the shot, and called out, "One—two—three—"
Just as the shutter clicked, Shao Xue raised her hand to cover her bangs.
With a sharp click, the camera went black.
"Well, that’s it, battery’s dead," Dou Siyuan said with a chuckle, looking at Shao Xue. "That’s the only one we got."
"I don’t want it! Don’t send it to me."
"I want it! Siyuan, make sure you send it to me," Zheng Su Nian suddenly said with uncharacteristic enthusiasm.
"You can’t have it either. Don’t send it to him," Shao Xue protested.
"Alright, I’ll send it to Zhang Qi then."
"Don’t send it to Zhang Qi either! Ugh, delete it!"
"The battery’s dead."
"Delete it!"
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