The house fell silent after Mr. WhiteBrittany left.
“Did my parents give you a hard time?” Elisa shook her head, “No.” She secretly slipped the check into her pocket, and Louis didn’t notice her move.
“If they come while I’m not here next time, don’t open the door.”
“Your dad is nice, and your sister is very well-behaved,” Louis had such a happy and complete family, so good that it was beyond what she had ever dared to imagine.
It was this kind of family that made Louis who he was. She was so grateful that she couldn’t bear to leave his father and sister outside.
Thinking about the check, Louis became curious, “How much did my dad write on the check?”
Elisa, holding her teacup, replied, “I didn’t pay attention to the amount, but I’m sure it’s more than just that.”
Carefully, Louis asked, “How much do you think I’m worth?”
Elisa didn’t answer directly, “A lot, probably more than I could ever find in my whole life.”
Sitting beside Elisa, the two of them close together, neither of them spoke, enjoying this quiet moment.
When a person quieted down, they could feel their heartbeat, and at this moment, his heartbeat was strong. It seemed like he could feel the blood flowing through his body. Louis looked at Elisa, who was sipping her tea with a soft gaze.
It turns out he was so valuable to Elisa. She might not find that much money in her whole life. Could this value extend to the next life?
Elisa said she wouldn’t sweet-talk, but every word she said about him could touch one’s heart, invisibly, and be fatally charming.
“Do you want to watch TV?”
“Sure.”
Louis picked up the remote and tuned it to Elisa’s favorite channel, holding the remote in his right hand and holding Elisa’s hand with his left, their fingers intertwined.
Leaning against Louis’s shoulder, Elisa said, “After learning my name, you’ve even thought of the name for our child?”
Louis murmured, “Yeah,” feeling a little embarrassed and blushing.
Elisa noticed and teased, “What were you thinking?”
“Please don’t laugh if I tell you.”
“I won’t.”
Louis hesitated, “If it’s a girl, I’d call her Winna White, and if it’s a boy, Elias….”
Elisa couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Frowning, Louis said, “You said you wouldn’t laugh.”
“Sorry, I couldn’t help it.” But after laughing, she felt warm inside, “Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, are we going back?”
“Go back where?”
“To your home.”
“Isn’t this my home?” For Louis, anywhere with Elisa was home.
Typical, once a man has a wife, he forgets his mother.
Louis explained, “Actually, I told my mom on the 26th, and she felt that you weren’t used to being with them, so she specifically asked me to take good care of you and spend New Year’s Eve with you.”
It was the fourth year since her death during the Christmas season. With Louis, she had forgotten it was her memorial day.
Elisa said, “Let’s wait until New Year’s Eve to go back. What should we buy next time?” They had rushed to the White family’s place this time, only bringing a few supplements. They would need more energy for the New Year.
“My parents don’t lack anything, but you can ask my sister.”
“Okay, let’s decide on that.”
On New Year’s Eve, Elisa and Louis decided to make dumplings at home and watch the New Year’s Eve gala on TV. The popular stars were performing on stage, singing and dancing splendidly.
Louis chopped the filling, Elisa kneaded the dough, and rolled it into dumpling wrappers.
“Let’s make some sweet dumplings,” Louis suggested.
“Okay, let’s make a few more.”
Elisa’s dumplings didn’t look as nice as Louis’s. His long and nimble fingers could make dumplings of any shape. He secretly made the sweet dumplings into the shape of goldfish.
When they were cooked, he put all the sweet dumplings into Elisa’s bowl, hoping that she would have a sweet year ahead, free from bitterness.
Elisa didn’t notice until she tasted a sweet dumpling. She excitedly showed it to Louis, “Look, I got a sweet dumpling.”
“You’re really lucky. May you have smooth sailing next year, and may all your wishes come true, with peace and joy in everything.”
Finding a sweet dumpling was lucky, but what about finding a second or third one? Sweet dumplings had a unique flavor, but eating too many made them cloying. Elisa realized something was amissociated with the third sweet dumpling. Looking at the shape of the dumplings, Louis had put all the sweet ones in her bowl.
She paused for a moment, looked at Louis, who was eating his dumplings, and smiled gently.
So where did the luck and smooth sailing come from? Wasn’t it someone who had taken the brunt for you, quietly giving you all the good luck and silently praying for you in their heart?
She picked up a sweet dumpling and put it in Louis’s bowl.
Louis saw the shape and asked, “You figured it out?”
“Your technique is too clumsy, easily seen through by me. Luck is only lucky when shared.”
…
Louis and Elisa stayed up until the early hours of the New Year. At the stroke of midnight, there were fireworks and the Quokka would chime and set off fireworks, said to be the most beautiful time for Quokka.
Elisa had never experienced a New Year’s Eve with Quokka, nor had she ever had someone to accompany her through the New Year. She was determined to stay up until the early hours.
The TV was on, the outside was bustling, and Louis took out the fireworks he had bought earlier, and set them off in the yard, holding one in his hand.
Elisa held a firework in her hand, and in the December sky, they could still see the stars.
Elisa raised the firework and looked up at the stars without blinking.
“Wait, the chimes are about to ring.”
The TV presenter was also loudly counting down, “10, 9, 8, 7…”
At that moment, her phone in her pocket vibrated. Elisa took it out and saw an unknown number, and she instinctively answered.
A hoarse voice came from the other end.
“Elisa, Happy New Year.”
“3…”
“2…”
“1…” The chimes rang, and there were popping sounds in the sky. Huge fireworks lit up the entire sky.
Elisa tightened her grip on her phone and looked up. Louis stood in front of her. “Wishing Elisa a healthy, happy, and successful New Year.”
Elisa ended the call with a tap of her finger and put the phone back in her pocket.
“Merry Christmas, Louis. I hope to spend every New Year with you from now on.”
The dazzling fireworks illuminated Elisa’s face, as well as her eyes, which shone even brighter than the neon lights.
The fireworks were beautiful, but the person watching them was even more beautiful.
Whether it was because Elisa watching the fireworks was too beautiful, or because of the touching words she had spoken, Louis couldn’t control the beating of his heart.
“I promise you, I will spend every New Year with you from now on.” Louis held Elisa’s hand.
Thinking back to the call Elisa had just answered, he asked, “Who called just now?”
“Just a junk call, I’ll block it later.”