Chapter 90
Fang Xingyan carried the gifts into the room, then took a stack of books into the study and placed them next to a pile of historical documents.
“I’m from the history department,” she said, looking at Xia Linxia, who was wilting beside her, and smiled. The wrinkles at the corners of her eyes crinkled gently. “Her father is from the mathematics department. I never expected that the daughter we gave birth to would be involved in art.”
Xia Linxia immediately showed all eight of her teeth, trying to salvage some impression points: “Lao Ji is really good at art. Many people in the industry like her and consider her an idol.”
“Whatever she wants to do, she can do it,” Fang Xingyan sighed. “Don’t be fooled by her pretense. She’s the most disobedient. When I asked her to bring back a few award certificates when she was little, she went straight to the store and bought a stack of them. When I told her to study hard and not get into early relationships, she came home and said she had a girlfriend.”
“Hahahaha.” Xia Linxia leaned against the bookshelf, laughing so hard she bent over. “So she’s that defiant?”
Fang Xingyan seemed a bit surprised: “She was in an early relationship, aren’t you angry?”
“Why should I be angry about an early relationship?” Xia Linxia blinked. “I was in an early relationship too.”
“Oh.”
“Professor Fang, you don’t understand. In the dullness of student life, early relationships are truly one of the greatest joys,” Xia Linxia said.
“One of? What other joys are there?”
“Sleeping in class, buying snacks after class, holding signs at sports meets, and being the outstanding representative speaker at flag-raising ceremonies.”
“I can’t tell, you’re quite capable.” Fang Xingyan chuckled.
Xia Linxia immediately stood up straight and said obediently, “Mhm, I’m very capable. Auntie, please don’t dislike me.”
“Who dislikes you?” Ji Fengxue suddenly appeared at the doorway. “Mom, do you dislike her?”
“What’s it to you?” Fang Xingyan replied.
Xia Linxia’s eyelids twitched. This Professor Fang is also quite defiant. So, the daily life of this mother and daughter is just a battle of wits?
“Then I won’t make lunch for you,” Ji Fengxue said, walking in and taking Xia Linxia’s hand to lead her out. “Come, I’ll cook for you. What do you want to eat?”
“Fried small fish,” Xia Linxia said, then turned back and winked at Fang Xingyan. “Auntie, what do you want to eat?”
Fang Xingyan followed behind them and said, “I want to eat steamed lamb, steamed bear paw, steamed deer tail, roasted duck, roasted young chicken, roasted goose…”
Xia Linxia: “Uh…” This is a tough opponent. It’s better to leave it to Ji Fengxue.
Ji Fengxue said without looking back, “Just give her a bucket of Lao Tan pickled cabbage.”
Fang Xingyan didn’t know how to cook. Her father used to cook, then she did, and after she started working, she hired a nanny to cook. If she was hungry, Fang Xingyan would self-sufficiently make instant noodles. Ji Fengxue had told her many times not to do that, but she never changed, which led to Ji Fengxue locking up her instant noodle stash every time she went home.
She had just finished counting the vegetables Fang Xingyan had bought: “Mom, you bought all meat. Are vegetables more expensive than meat now?”
“They have indeed increased in price,” Fang Xingyan said righteously. “Since Xiaxia is here, shouldn’t we give her some meat?”
Xia Linxia secretly clenched her fists: Ahhh, ahhh, ahhh, my mother-in-law called me Xiaxia! So affectionate, I love it so much, I’m so excited!
“Oh, eating meat is also good,” she quickly spoke up for her mother-in-law. “I just like eating meat. Auntie understands me best.”
Fang Xingyan smiled and said, “You flatter me.”
Xia Linxia cupped her fists: “You’re welcome.”
Ji Fengxue: “…”
Ji Fengxue led Xia Linxia on a tour of the house. The bedroom was piled with many things. Since she wasn’t home often, Fang Xingyan used it as a storage room. Under the vanity mirror were stacks of old newspapers, and on the wall hung the only “Three Good Students” award certificate, which was already yellowed.
Xia Linxia recalled what Fang Xingyan had said earlier and smiled at the award certificate: “You must have had a very interesting time in school.”
“You were interesting too,” Ji Fengxue said, remembering her diary.
Both of them had the same thought—if only they could have gone to school together.
“Oh, this bedsheet is so retro,” Xia Linxia said, touching the pattern on the quilt. Calling it retro was a polite way of saying it; this kind of floral fabric only appeared in the TV shows she watched as a child.
Ji Fengxue was embarrassed: “This was my mom’s dowry. After washing and using it for so many years, the quality is really something.”
Xia Linxia chuckled: “Auntie is also very interesting.”
“Yes, you must have a lot to talk about with her.”
“Really?” Xia Linxia asked cautiously, “Do you think your mother likes me?”
“Of course, she likes you,” Ji Fengxue said. “When she was hospitalized last time, she was secretly watching your TV shows.”
Xia Linxia quickly asked, “Really? What was her evaluation?”
Ji Fengxue recalled what a fellow patient had told her at the time: “She said the female lead’s kissing scenes weren’t very good, very unnatural.”
Xia Linxia looked at her dryly: “Is that really Auntie’s evaluation? Why does it feel like it’s yours?”
“Mother and daughter share the same heart. I agree with her opinion too,” Ji Fengxue said, smiling like a gentleman. “But times have changed. The female lead’s kissing scenes now are extraordinary.”
“That’s for sure!” Xia Linxia proudly put her hands on her hips and walked to the desk, bending down to look at the notebook placed on it. Next to it was a high school graduation photo. She picked it up and immediately spotted Ji Fengxue in the crowd.
“I have to say, you were quite good-looking when you were younger, though still a bit behind me,” she said shamelessly.
Ji Fengxue also leaned over to look with her: “It’s a shame we didn’t have filters for photos back then.”
Xia Linxia smiled and her gaze swept around: “Why isn’t Xing Baifeng here?”
“She got an offer from a foreign university and was busy with admission procedures back then.”
“That’s good. Fortunately, she went abroad!” Xia Linxia said triumphantly. “Otherwise, how could I have picked up a leftover like you?”
“Makes sense. We should thank her.”
Xia Linxia touched the photo and suddenly remembered something. She turned and asked, “What stage had you two reached?”
… Ji Fengxue touched her nose, her gaze drifting slightly. “Holding hands, I guess.”
“Impossible.” Xia Linxia directly asked the crucial question: “Have you traveled together?”
“No.” Ji Fengxue said without hesitation. “We were quite strictly supervised back then, and we didn’t think that much about it. We broke up before anything could happen.”
Xia Linxia observed her expression for a while before saying, “It seems we still need to thank Xing Baifeng for breaking up so promptly.”
When the two returned to the living room, Fang Xingyan was nowhere to be found, and the door was wide open. A group of children ran in. Seeing the beautiful older sister who suddenly appeared, they all stopped, staring at her blankly, their eyes filled with both curiosity and admiration.
Sheng Sheng, the granddaughter of Teacher Zhang, was a bit bolder and asked proactively, “Sister, who are you?”
“Hello everyone, I’m her friend,” Xia Linxia said, pointing to Ji Fengxue.
“Then you’re our friend too. Can you play with us?” Sheng Sheng wasn’t shy at all. “We’re planning to play hide-and-seek, and there aren’t enough people.”
Xia Linxia glanced at Ji Fengxue: “Together?”
As soon as the game started, Xia Linxia looked around: “Let’s go to the rooftop. It’s hard for them to climb up there.”
Ji Fengxue had initially thought they would just humor the children, but seeing Xia Linxia’s determined expression, she knew this girl was serious.
“Let’s go.”
There were many green plants planted on the rooftop. It was unclear whose they were, but everyone managed them together.
Xia Linxia leaned on the railing, looking down. Seeing the children still milling around the first floor, she felt relieved and turned to lean against the railing: “It’s really lively over here.”
“It’s lively when there are many people,” Ji Fengxue said, pulling up Xia Linxia’s zipper as a gust of wind blew. “Stop being so cool.”
“You can’t give up on image management just because you’re in love,” Xia Linxia said, looking down at the zipper as it moved up from the bottom to the very top. When she looked up, she met a pair of eyes filled with deep affection and a smile.
The two remained still, gazing at each other for a moment. Ji Fengxue said softly, “I’m very happy. Thank you for coming.”
She hadn’t actively invited her before, worried that Xia Linxia would feel awkward refusing. But they hadn’t been together for long, and going to each other’s homes for the New Year seemed a bit premature.
However, she had come without even a word of greeting.
Passionate and direct, this was the Xia Linxia she liked.
“Why be so polite? You’ve eaten at my house so many times,” Xia Linxia said, a smile curving her lips. “I have to get my fill.”
Ji Fengxue smiled and lowered her hand, the zipper pull dangling.
Xia Linxia gazed at her, tilting her head slightly, and couldn’t help but kiss her soft, cool lips: “From now on, we’ll spend every New Year together.”
The aroma of food from someone’s house downstairs drifted out, accompanied by the sound of mahjong and festive songs, winding through the windows and onto the street. Streets and alleys celebrated the New Year in similar ways, but the joy was immeasurable. Children were playing and laughing, their scattered footsteps exuding vitality.
The two kissed, seemingly finding a sense of belonging in this lively atmosphere.
Suddenly, Xia Linxia opened her eyes, pushed Ji Fengxue to hide behind a nearby grape trellis, and pressed her head down, whispering, “Shh, they’re coming!”
Ji Fengxue: “…” So serious?
Xia Linxia poked her head out, watching the activity at the entrance of the corridor. If they came looking, she would circle around and run downstairs from the corridor entrance.
So clever!
The voices grew closer. She held her breath, but her phone rang.
“There’s noise upstairs! They’re upstairs!” Sheng Sheng shouted.
Xia Linxia immediately turned off her phone, but it rang again. It was her mother, Mother Xia. Worried something might happen, she had no choice but to answer in a small voice: “What?”
Mother Xia asked, “Have you seen Xiao Xue?”
“Mhm~” Xia Linxia’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s.
“Why is your voice so quiet? What are you doing?”
Xia Linxia glanced at the corridor entrance and said nervously in a low voice, “We’re stealing—”
“Love?” Mother Xia understood.
Xia Linxia: “!”
The children had already run out of the corridor! Danger!
Xia Linxia quickly hung up the phone and turned to kiss Ji Fengxue’s cheek, saying deeply, “Lao Ji, you must know that I love you very much. Nothing can separate us. We are just temporarily parting ways.”
Ji Fengxue was a little touched, and a little confused.
The next second, Xia Linxia pushed her out.
“She’s here! Come quickly! I caught Sister Fengxue!” Sheng Sheng shouted happily. “Sister, where’s your friend? Can you tell us where she’s hiding?”
Ji Fengxue: “…”
“She went downstairs.” Ji Fengxue, leading a group of little ones, went downstairs aggressively, searching one by one, her tone carrying a hint of gritted teeth. “If you find her, be sure to hand her over to me.”
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