Those Sweet Times

Chapter 16 Part 1

Xiang Nuan went downstairs to pick up a package soon after she

got back to her room.

The package was from her mother, a large one filled with clothes for

the fall and winter. Xiang Nuan had decided to buy less new clothes this

year to save some money to buy skins in the game. She had done the

same thing before in her high school days; she would beg money from

her parents to buy new clothes then use it to invest in Miracle Nikki.

Well, strictly speaking she did use the money to buy new clothes, only

it was in the game.

Xiang Nuan was the only child. Her parents were firm believer of the

principle that “daughters should be raised pampered.” They had never

deprived her of any material things. Beside, their daughter was pretty,

they felt it was only natural for their daughter to dress nicely…...Xiang Nuan

usually could get away with it quite easily.

After she came back to the room with the package, she called her mother.

“Mom, I got the clothes.”

“En, Nuannuan, how are you doing lately? Have you gotten used to

the new life?” Mom's voice was always gentle.

Xiang Nuan hadn't felt homesick until she heard her mom's voice. “Mom,

I miss you and dad. I miss your cooking.”

Mom laughed: “You aren't a child anymore, you have to learn to live

by yourself.”

“En. Mom, where's dad?”

“He's gone to a friend's house for tea…...Something's wrong with him

to drink tea this late at night.”

Xiang Nuan chuckled: “Not all tea will make it hard to sleep…...Has

he painted anything lately?”

Xiang Nuan's dad taught Chinese painting at the arts school. He was

different than most of the Chinese painters who liked to paint landscapes

or flowers and birds; his favorite subjects were kitties and puppies. When

she was younger, her dad had a stronger desire to paint and painted a lot

of kitties at home. But he painted less and less, nowadays he would only

occasionally paint.

Mom replied: “No. Many people came to ask him to paint and he would

hide when he doesn't feel like it. Then those people turn and ask me, it's

so bothersome.”

“Then, you should hide as well.”

“Where can I hide? I have to go to work!”

Her mom works as one of the staff in the academic affairs office of the arts

school and it would be many years before she could retire.

Xiang Nuan listened to her mom's complaints about her dad. They were all

trivial things, but she didn't find it boring, sometimes even amusing. She

tried to be more considerate to her mom and asked what she was doing lately.

“I bought some yarns. I plan to knit an outfit for Xiao Xue. Winter will be

here soon, Xiao Xue is afraid of the cold.”

Xiao Xue was the family cat.

“What about me?” Xiang Naun hopefully asked.

“You can go buy it yourself.”

Xiang Nuan: = =

Then let Xiao Xue be the one to be considerate to you…...Xiang Nuan

thought jealously.

There was no one else in the room. She leaned against the window and

chatted with her mother for another hour..

By the time she hung the phone, Min Lili returned with a large bag. She

looked quite tired, even her large gla.s.ses were askew. Min Lili asked

Xiang Nuan the moment she came into the room: “Nuannuan, look at all

this good stuff I brought back for you! Wait, where's your internet friend?”

“He's long gone. He has to go back to the main campus. Let me see what

you've brought.”

Min Lili pulled out plastic bags full of snacks to hand them over to Xiang Nuan

while asking: “Where are the pictures?”

“There's none. Just the one I sent you, the one with all the fingers…...Didn't

you like it a lot?” Xiang Nuan took the bags and saw pastries, nougats, and

many local delicacies.

Min Lili wouldn't let the issue pa.s.s: “You didn't shoot any other pictures?”

“No.”

Min Lili: “Why are you so dumb! If he's handsome then you should shoot

more pictures of him to keep.”

Xiang Nuan couldn't figure out the logic between “handsome” and “more

pictures.” She shrugged: “Why didn't you say so earlier?”

Min Lili asked: “What's he majoring in?”

“Physics. He's called Lin Chuyan.”

“Lin Chuyan!” Min Lili's voice abruptly raised a few notches in surprise.