The doorbell rings, and Mom slips off her apron to answer the door.
“Xīnnián kuàilè!” two voices boom from the front entryway. Randall and his husband, Jonathan, pass through the living room carrying trays of sweets and Randall’s special peanut snack.
“Happy Lunar New Year!” I repeat back to them.
“Olivia! It’s been forever,” Jonathan calls out. He sets his tray down and greets me with a big hug.
Seconds later, I spot Mae Yí-Pó and Dale Yí-Gong slipping their shoes off at the front door.
I grab the tablecloth, Randall’s bowls of peanuts, and my latest baking creation, a Year of the Ox–shaped Incompatibility Cake, and head outside to the backyard.
Paper lanterns in the shapes of accordions, horses, and fish dangle between the trees. The moon balloons from Nina’s Cookie Day are surprisingly still floating, so we placed them by the back door to give them a second life.
I fling the tablecloth over the dessert table and arrange the bowls of melons and pears, plates of sweets, and pots of tea so everything looks presentable.
“I just had a little chat with Bennett,” Nina says, sidling up beside me. She places a tray of two chicken dishes, hot and sour soup, and homemade dumplings onto the table.
“And?”
“He’s great. Listening to me paid off, huh?” she says with an all-knowing look on her face. She lays out the spoons and forks and examines my food arrangement. She pushes a teapot one inch back and looks satisfied.
“Don’t get used to it,” I say playfully.
Asher calls out, and we see him struggling to start a fire in the fire pit.
“Not again,” Nina says, running over to help.
“Let me know if you need help finding the spark!” I call out after her. “It’s how I make the big bucks!”
Through the glass windows, I see Bennett and Dad laughing about something. I spot ZodiaCupid team members chatting with the Lunar Love team on the back patio.
Auntie makes her way over to me with a bowl of green beans. “Are you ready?” she asks.
“More than ready,” I say, taking the dish from her and placing it next to the rest of the food.
“I’m proud of you, Liv. I’m still trying to wrap my mind around the changes. And learning how to let go. Whatever you choose to do long-term, you will always have my full support,” Auntie says emotionally.
“Thank you.”
She picks up a tangerine from a pyramid of fruit, tosses it back and forth between her hands, and looks around at the guests. “It was a good idea only limiting this year’s festivities to close family and friends. We’ve had enough big events for the year.”
“It’s been nonstop, hasn’t it?” I reflect. “The LA Times and El Lay Daily articles were the cherries on top.”
“The LA Times profile was beautiful. Pó Po would’ve been shocked by how much attention it received,” Auntie reflects.
“It meant Lunar Love and her legacy will live on.”
Auntie places the tangerine back on top of the pile and winks. “Would you have thought four months ago we’d both have boyfriends?” she asks.
“Never in my wildest dreams,” I say with a laugh.
“One way or another, we had to get you matched!” Auntie says mischievously.
“And you, apparently!” I say.
Auntie throws her head back in laughter before heading back to the house to greet Walt. She waves to Colette, who has arrived bearing a box of what must be more baked goods. Over the last few months, we reconnected, catching up on the past three years. I didn’t fully realize how much I missed her until she was back in my life.
“I’ve missed your family’s Lunar New Year parties,” she says. “My mom can’t be bothered to throw one together.”
I take the pastry box from her and slide it between two other plates of food. “Where is she now?”
“Who knows? Probably off on a yacht somewhere in the French Riviera,” she sighs. “Bennett said he’ll be out soon. I’m glad you found a good one. He’s nothing like the last ones we dated.” Colette nudges me, and we laugh.
“No. Definitely not,” I agree with a shake of my head.
Once the food and decorations are set up and all the guests have arrived, I tap my teacup to get everyone’s attention. I stand to the side of the fire pit and feel the warmth from the flames. Bennett joins me as we face our group of friends and family.
“Thank you, everyone, for joining us tonight. It means a lot that we can celebrate together. It’s fitting, considering this holiday celebrates new beginnings and intentions, both of which we have a lot of.” A few people in the group chuckle. “This year’s Lunar New Year looks a bit…smaller…than other years, but even after everything, we wanted to make sure we celebrated. Many of you didn’t have the chance to meet Pó Po, but I know she would’ve loved all of you.” I look up at the night sky and raise my teacup. “Tonight, we celebrate her and the start of new traditions.”
Everyone lifts their teacup in unison, and we all take sips of our tea.
“There’s also something we wanted to share with you first, though most of you already know. It’s not public yet so don’t tweet about it or anything,” Bennett jokes. “We were ecstatic to receive funding from a couple of investors, but we were even more floored when they got on board with our second pitch for a Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid merger.”
I look into the group to find Alisha and Randall’s faces. They give me thumbs-up signs. Bennett’s team cheers and whoops. Even Elmer, who actually is a nice guy once I got to know him, looks excited.
“We’re over the moon that, starting Monday, Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid will be sharing the same orbit,” I announce.
“Hopefully, together we can see a boost across both platforms,” Bennett adds. “Especially since Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.”
“It’s a merging of tradition and modernity. It’s not all or nothing,” I say, thinking of Pó Po. “There’s room for both of us. And there’s room for adapting.”
In the group, I locate Harper and Parker, the original Lunar Love and ZodiaCupid collaboration before it was official. Their signs and ascendants weren’t compatible according to the Chinese zodiac, but based on my evaluation of their traits, we paired them up to see what would happen. Three months later and they’re still going strong.
“Sometimes traditions can be reinterpreted, but that doesn’t mean they go away completely,” I say. “We think this route could help us bring something we’re passionate about into the modern day. Lunar Love will have a more updated database, in a sense, while being able to use data to assist with our in-person matchmaking.”
Our friends and family excitedly clap and raise their drinks.
I hold my teacup up. “Thanks for coming along with us on this journey. It’s been a wild ride so far.”
After our announcement, Bennett finds me standing alone by the dessert table. He comes bearing a bowl of rice dumplings in warm water.
“I made these especially for you,” he says, handing me the bowl.