...
The annual New Year's Eve came around in the blink of an eye.
At four in the afternoon, Han Jingnian went alone to the supermarket. He bought a lot of New Year's goods, filling seven large bags. He could only carry them home from the underground parking lot in three trips.
He sorted the New Year's goods he bought into the refrigerator one by one. Then, wearing a Hello Kitty apron, he started preparing the New Year's Eve feast.
Three hours later, a fragrant, colorful New Year's Eve feast laid out on the dining table.
He took off his apricot, habitually shouted, "Good night, dinner's ready."
All he was greeted with was the familiar silence.
With pursed lips, Han Jingnian stood at the dining table for a while, then walked over to the chair where Xia Wan'an used to sit. He gently pulled it out, then got a spoonful of soup and placed it directly in front of the chair.
Circling the dining table to sit directly across from that chair, Han Jingnian scooped himself a bowl of soup.
