Chapter 332 - Redundant (1/2)

Zhang Heng pasted the Spring Festival couplets and the word ‘Fu’ (prosperity in mandarin) on the front of each door, taking a step back to make sure they were aligned correctly.

One thing he just couldn’t understand was that with the continuous economic boom, consumer products were continuously improved, not only in terms of function but also in design. This part had been given more importance as the years went by. Yet, the Spring Festival couplets were forever so gaudy. Since it was going to be the Year of the Dog, malls and roadside stalls had incorporated elements of dogs to their Spring Festival couplets. Their designs, however, were somewhat questionable. The cartoonish images looked almost exactly as they did ten years ago, and everyone seemed to have gotten used to this gaudy style.

It was generally accepted that if the couplets weren’t gaudy and garish, they wouldn’t be traditional enough. In actual fact, the traditional Spring Festival couplets centuries ago didn’t feature these messy cartoonish elements.

A little girl ran into Zhang Heng as he was pasting the couplets. She knocked on Tian Tian’s house, located opposite his grandfather’s place. She looked to be a cla.s.smate of hers and was warmly welcomed into the home by Tian Tian’s mum. This seemed to confirm that Tian Tian was indeed very popular in school.

When Tian Tian’s cla.s.smates heard about the misfortunes befalling her family from her mother, many of them came by to visit. They gave her some much-needed encouragement and wished her a speedy recovery, also rea.s.suring her that she would be out of the woods soon. On top of that, her relatives had also been by her side, eagerly searching for a cure.

Now that Zhang Heng had found and eliminated the source of Tian Tian’s anti-social behavior, her family should be able to enjoy a peaceful and happy Spring Festival.

Zhang Hen’s parents were expected to land at seven twenty in the evening. As the Spring Festival approached, a ma.s.sive influx of people was on the move. To avoid getting stuck in a traffic jam and the ensuing lack of parking, Zhang Heng left home with his grandfather an hour and a half ahead of time.

Despite that, when they finally arrived at the airport, a long pile-up was blocking the road, with a few cars rear-ending each other like dominoes. Fortunately, no one was hurt, and by the time traffic police were done dealing with the accident, there wasn’t much time left. Coincidentally, the flight had been delayed too. Thus, even after grandparent and grandson circled the airport’s parking lot twice, the plane still hadn’t landed yet.

Grandfather’s wore a very formal outfit tonight, donning a 20-year-old French leather suit with meticulously combed hair. Although he had often expressed his dissatisfaction with his daughter and son-in-law, this was the first time in three years that they saw each other. This reunion was clearly very important to him.

The two squeezed their way through the crowd, and when they finally arrived at the pick-up gate, it was crowded as h.e.l.l. Like Zhang Heng and his grandfather, most of them waiting for their relatives. Some even held up signs.

There were no more seats left at the pick-up gate. Zhang Heng looked at the watch on his wrist. Although there had been a traffic delay, the flight was also delayed by 30 minutes. Including the time needed for baggage collection, it meant Zhang Heng and his grandfather would have to wait here for at least forty minutes.

Sensing that the long wait might be taxing for the elderly man, Zhang Heng said, “Why don’t you go back to the car? I’ll stay here and wait.”

“Don’t worry about me, I’m not that old yet. I didn’t dress like this so I could sit in the car,” said Grandfather as he shook his head.

“Alright. I’ll get us some drinks then. What would you like?”

“Water will do.”

Zhang Heng nudged his way through the ma.s.sive crowd again to reach the convenience store. He grabbed two bottles of Ganten* off the shelf, and at checkout, the cas.h.i.+er swiped away 24 yuan from his Alipay*.

IIII

Selling mineral water at the airport was probably more profitable than pus.h.i.+ng drugs.

As soon as Zhang Heng paid for the water, a commotion started at the pick-up gate.

During the holidays, the flow of people at the airport skyrocketed. Because of how crowded it was, it was almost impossible to avoid physical contact with another person. It turned out that a man had seized the opportunity to lean his body against a young woman. He held a magazine in one hand, preventing anyone from seeing what was he doing with the other.