Reborn in 2005, starting with repairing mobile phones

The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Lantern Festival.

The old streets of Miancheng are bustling from early morning.

The red lanterns that used to adorn the doors of every household have not yet been taken down, and new colorful lanterns have been added.

The air is filled with the smell of incense—the Chaoshan people worship the gods during the Lantern Festival, which is a major event. The offering table is filled with red rice cakes, sweet taro, and whole chickens, and the smoke from cigarettes rises gently.

Even more bustling were the "Ying Laoye" (a local deity) stalls on the street.

The procession was led by a drum and gong band, followed closely by a flag-bearing team, and strong young men carried the palanquin of the deity at a brisk pace, with firecrackers exploding wherever they went.

The children chased after the procession, scrambling to pick up the unexploded firecrackers.

The Lin family also got up early today.

Li Xiuzhen was busy in the kitchen before dawn.

The dough made from glutinous rice flour obediently transformed into round glutinous rice balls in her hands, and the sweet aroma of peanut and sesame filling filled the entire room.

She also specially made red peach cakes, pressing out peach patterns with a cake mold, which turned a festive pink color after steaming.

In the living room, Lin Guodong was unusually not smoking.

He was wearing the new down jacket that Lin Dong had bought from Shenzhen. His back was straighter than a few days ago. He was wiping the old coffee table with a rag. The coffee table leg was still limping and was propped up with wooden pieces, but he was wiping it very carefully.

"Dad, let me do it."

Lin Dong came out of the room.

"Need not."

Without looking up, the father said, "Go help your mother."

In the kitchen, Mother was frying crispy dumplings.

The oil sizzled in the pan, and the golden dumplings floated to the surface, emitting a wonderful aroma.

"Mom, that's enough, we can't finish it."

Lin Dong said.

"Today is the Lantern Festival, let's have a feast."

The mother smiled broadly, "Besides, your father has a better appetite; he ate two bowls of rice yesterday."

This is real.

Since his medical check-up and subsequent rest at home, coupled with the removal of the thorn in his heart, my father's ashen complexion has faded considerably.

Although he still doesn't talk much, his whole demeanor and spirit are completely different.

At noon, the food was served.

A table laden with food: glutinous rice balls, red peach cakes, fried dumplings, braised goose, steamed fish, stir-fried beef with kale, and a pot of slow-cooked soup.

This was a level of protocol that the Lin family had never seen before.

My mother first served three bowls of glutinous rice balls and respectfully placed them on the altar in the living room. She then bowed to the ancestral tablets and said, "Grandpa and Grandma, our family is doing well this year, so you can rest assured."

The mother clasped her hands together, her voice trembling slightly, "Adong has made something of himself, the debts are all paid off. May our family have a smooth and peaceful life from now on."

The three of them sat down.

The father picked up the wine bottle; it was homemade rice wine, which he usually couldn't bear to drink, but today he unscrewed the cap and poured three cups.

"Ah Dong, you're eighteen now, you can have a drink."

He pushed a cup in front of his son.

Lin Dong accepted it.

The father raised his glass, his hand trembling slightly: "This glass is for you."

He downed the drink in one gulp, wincing from the spiciness, but smiling, he said, "You've held this family together."

Lin Dong's nose tingled, and he downed his drink too. The liquor was strong, burning from his throat to his stomach, but his heart felt as if it were being soaked in a hot spring, warm and swollen.

This is the moment. He thought to himself.

In his past life in Shenzhen, he had imagined countless times this scene: his family sitting around a table, with no creditors knocking on the door, no sighs and groans, his father able to drink with his back straight, and his mother able to smile with peace of mind.

But every time I imagine it, the picture always falls apart because I know it's impossible.

And now, this steaming hot meal, the wine glass handed to me by my father, the happy smile on my mother's face... it's all real.

This is what I want to be reborn into this life.

Money can be earned again, and business can be started again, but the ease and relief that comes from the depths of one's bones after a heavy burden has been lifted from their face is something that no amount of money can buy back.

He poured himself another glass, raised it, and said, "Dad, Mom, I'd like to toast you too. Let's celebrate the Lantern Festival like this every year from now on."

The mother wiped her eyes and served food to the father and son: "Eat, eat more. Adong, here's some fish maw for you, it's good for your brain. Your dad, have some goose leg."

"Mom, you eat it yourself."

Lin Dong put the goose leg back into her bowl.

"I can't eat that much..."

"If you eat like this every day from now on, you'll be able to eat more."

Lin Dong looked at his parents and said earnestly, "Dad, Mom, starting this year, every day will be a good day for our family. We've finished suffering all that we used to suffer."

The room fell silent for a moment.

The deafening sounds of firecrackers and drums came from outside the window as the procession of "Master Ying" passed through the alleyway.

The father poured himself another glass of wine, but this time he didn't drink it immediately.

"Ah Dong," the father's voice choked with emotion, "Dad... I always feel like I've let you down."

He paused, as if gathering his courage: "Look at other people's kids, they get new clothes for the New Year and can go out and play during holidays. What about you? You're in your final year of high school, a time when you should be focusing on your studies, but you still have to worry about things at home..."

His voice suddenly stopped mid-sentence.

It felt like something was blocking my throat, and I couldn't say anything more.

His eyes quickly reddened, and he abruptly raised his glass, tilting his head back to drink it all in one gulp.

"Dad!" Lin Dong reached out to stop him.

The father looked at Lin Dong, his eyes still red, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something.

"Dad, stop talking." Lin Dong interrupted him before he could speak. "We're all family, no need for formalities."

"Yes, we're all family, no need for formalities," the mother immediately replied to her son.

She picked up her chopsticks, first placing a glutinous rice ball in her husband's bowl, then one in her son's, and finally picked up the one in her own bowl, gently blew on it, and carefully took a bite.

The black sesame filling slowly oozed out. She looked up at her husband and son, a smile spreading across her face, and even the fine lines around her eyes smoothed out.

"Sweet."

The father looked at the round glutinous rice ball in the bowl, then glanced at his wife's smiling yet tearful face, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed. He didn't say anything, but simply picked up his chopsticks and slowly ate the glutinous rice ball.

The sweetness melts on the tip of the tongue, and warmth rises from the stomach.

Lin Dong also ate the one in his bowl.

The glutinous rice skin is soft and chewy, the sesame filling is sweet and fragrant, and the warmth comforts your entire body.

He chewed slowly.

This is the taste of happiness.

Outside the window, the clamor of the Lantern Festival rose higher and higher. The drums and gongs of the lion dance resounded loudly, and the laughter of children penetrated the glass.

But the room was very quiet.

The family of three ate the glutinous rice balls in their bowls, one bite at a time.

My father ate slowly, chewing each bite for a long time, as if savoring the taste of this long-awaited, reunion that had come more than a decade in the making.

The mother would occasionally put food on the father and son's plates, but she didn't eat much herself. Just watching her husband and son eat made her feel full and sweet.

This meal took a long time to finish.

It was as if he had already forgotten about having to pay off his debt that afternoon.

After the meal, Lin Dong helped clear the dishes.

His mother wouldn't let him, and pushed him to rest: "Go and get some sleep, we have errands to run this afternoon."

Lin Dong didn't sleep.

He returned to his room and opened the black handbag.

Ten bundles of banknotes, brand new, just withdrawn from the bank.

He took out the money in bundles, put it back, and zipped it up.

At 2 p.m., he walked out of the room carrying his briefcase.

My parents were already waiting in the living room.

The father put on his old coat, saying the new clothes were too conspicuous.

"I'm leaving," Lin Dong said.

"I'll go with you."

The father stood up.

"Dad, you stay home and keep Mom company."

"I'll be waiting for you across from the teahouse."

The father's tone left no room for argument: "The Lin family's debts will be repaid by all the men of the Lin family. I'm not going in; I'll just watch from across the street."

Lin Dong looked at his father.

Since the debts were all paid off, his father's back did straighten a bit, but what touched Lin Dong's heart was the look in his father's eyes—the guilt was gone, replaced only by calmness.

"Okay." Lin Dong nodded.

His mother came over and straightened his collar: "Come back early. The glutinous rice balls... I'll keep them warm for you."

"Um."

The father and son went out one after the other.

The alley was filled with the noise of the festival.

The lion dance troupe had just passed by, leaving a trail of red confetti on the ground.

Several children ran around holding plastic lanterns, laughing carefree.

Lin Dong, carrying a briefcase, walked through the bustling area.

He walked at a steady pace, his eyes fixed on the road ahead, seemingly oblivious to the surrounding noise.

The 100,000 yuan in cash in his briefcase was not light, but he handled it steadily and felt even more at ease.

Everything that needed to be prepared had been prepared, and everything that needed to be arranged had been arranged. Now, all he had to do was walk over and finish the performance.

Meanwhile, the situation was completely different in the other three places in Miancheng.