Seeing how much Xiao Guang had changed, Xiao Hua hesitated for a moment. “Xiao Guang? You’ve changed so much.”
Hu Xiaoguang snorted softly. “I can’t compare to you. You’re about to graduate from university, and I’m still muddling through my final year of high school.”
The moment those sour words left his mouth, Hu Xiaoguang wished he could slap himself. How could he be so stupid? He knew Xiao Hua did not like this kind of talk, yet he still spoke with barbs hidden in his words.
She would probably ignore him for a long time again.
Hu Xiaoguang drooped his head in frustration and sat down across from Xiao Hua. The eighteen year old boy had long arms and legs, yet he curled up pitifully in the rattan chair, looking just like a puppy that had done something wrong.
Perhaps the moonlight was especially enchanting tonight, or perhaps Xiao Guang looked like he truly needed comfort at this moment. Xiao Hua found herself reaching out unconsciously and giving Hu Xiaoguang’s head a light pat.
“Which university are you planning to apply to?” To hide her own awkwardness, Xiao Hua cleared her throat and deliberately changed the subject.
Hu Xiaoguang was still dazed from having his head patted. When Xiao Hua shifted topics, he followed along instinctively. “I haven’t decided yet. My grades are decent, so I’ll see when the time comes.”
Xiao Guang’s grades really were decent. Compared to his disastrous elementary school grades that once drove Chen Xiaopei nearly out of her mind, Xiao Guang could now truly be considered someone else’s child.
He worked hard to chase after Xiao Hua’s footsteps, but Xiao Hua moved too fast. When he was in his third year of middle school, she was already in her final year of high school. When he reached his final year, Xiao Hua was only one year away from graduating university.
He watched her charge ahead the entire time, leaving him far behind. No matter how hard he tried, he could never catch up. Thinking of this filled him with a sense of helplessness.
The girl he liked was simply too outstanding.
Thinking again of how she had been surrounded by so many talented young men that night, Xiao Guang’s heart felt even heavier.
“Is Grandma planning to arrange an engagement for you?”
After a long silence, Xiao Guang finally asked this question.
Xiao Hua rested her chin on her hand. “No. It was just my eighteenth birthday. I’m still young, and I’m not thinking about relationships right now.”
She yawned lazily. “Compared to dating, I’d rather stay in the lab doing experiments. What’s so great about men? Can they compare to a laboratory?”
Xiao Guang had been very happy listening to the first part. When he heard the latter half, his heart jumped in alarm. “You can’t just lump everyone together like that. What do you mean men aren’t great? I’m pretty great!”
To make his words more convincing, Xiao Guang even patted his chest deliberately.
Xiao Hua immediately recalled how he used to go soft all over whenever she called him ‘Xiao Guang gege’ twice in a row.
A faint smile appeared at the corner of her lips. “Alright, sure. You’re great.”
Xiao Guang grumbled. “You don’t sound sincere at all. Forget it, I’ll accept it anyway.”
Seeing him act smug even after getting what he wanted, Xiao Hua did not argue back. She let the foolish boy enjoy himself for a while longer.
After all, they had grown up together. Even though they had fought and argued when they were younger and did not understand much back then, Xiao Guang had undergone earth shaking changes as he grew older.
This had surprised Xiao Hua, who had watched him grow up, even though they had not seen each other very often over the past three years.
The greenhouse gradually grew quiet, with their voices drifting in from time to time.
After Jiang Chan finished seeing off the guests, she came looking for the greenhouse and overheard Xiao Guang telling jokes to Xiao Hua.
“My deskmate is a really show off kind of guy. He bought a ballpoint pen, the kind you press down and it pops back up,” Xiao Guang gestured wildly as he spoke, his body language extremely animated. Xiao Hua rested her chin on her hand and watched him.
“He showed it off to everyone in class, and then when he pressed it, the pen shot straight up and stabbed right into his nostril. We almost laughed ourselves crazy.”
Xiao Guang was clearly delighted as he recounted the story. Even Xiao Hua could not help but smile at the image.
Seeing Xiao Hua smile so brightly, something he rarely saw, Xiao Guang froze on the spot.
“Wuyou, you look really beautiful when you smile.”
Xiao Hua’s smile immediately faded. She rarely smiled so freely in front of Xiao Guang. In fact, she only ever relaxed like that in front of Jiang Chan.
Hearing Xiao Guang’s foolish words, Jiang Chan remained outwardly calm. She knocked lightly on the glass door of the greenhouse. “Wuyou, it’s getting late. You still have school tomorrow. Go wash up and get some rest early.”
She then looked at the slightly flustered Xiao Guang and gave him a kindly smile. “You too, Xiao Guang. Your final year of high school is demanding. You should focus more on your studies.”
The unspoken meaning was clear. Stop staring at my cabbage and put more effort into your academics. Wuyou is almost done with university, and you are still stuck in high school. That gap is a bit much.
To be honest, Jiang Chan had once considered matching Xiao Hua with someone and nurturing a childhood bond. But after Xiao Hua skipped several grades in a row, Jiang Chan abandoned that idea.
There was no other reason than this. Xiao Hua had reached her current level. If she chose someone close to her age, the boy would almost certainly fall short of her.
That would create an imbalance in status. Even if Xiao Hua herself did not mind, it was uncertain whether the boy could endure the gossip and rumors from the outside world.
As such, Jiang Chan no longer interfered in Xiao Hua’s choice of partner. It would depend entirely on Xiao Hua’s own feelings. Of course, if Xiao Hua found someone she liked, Jiang Chan would still evaluate him carefully. The most important requirement was upright character.
She did not care about career or status. A person’s moral character was the foundation of who they were. As long as someone had good character, money and power could be gained later.
After sending off Xiao Guang’s family, Jiang Chan washed up and prepared for bed. Unexpectedly, Xiao Hua knocked on the door holding a pillow and came in.
“You’re already this grown, and you still want to sleep with me?” Jiang Chan teased.
Ever since Jiang Chan had the means to buy a house, Xiao Hua had slept in her own room. Jiang Chan was the same. She was not used to sleeping with others. Back then, Xiao Hua had been young and their finances tight, so the grandmother and granddaughter had squeezed together for over a year.
“It just feels like Grandma has something on her mind.” Xiao Hua leaned against the headboard, her long black hair spilling over her shoulders. Her dark eyes stared at Jiang Chan.
Jiang Chan paused while brushing her hair. “I do have something on my mind. Xiao Hua, do you still remember your grandfather?”
Xiao Hua froze for a moment, her gaze drifting. “I remember a little. Grandma, why are you bringing this up today?”
Before the age of five, Xiao Hua rarely thought back on those memories. They were not good ones. All of her true memories began from the moment Jiang Chan carried her out of the mountains.
Discover more from Lilly Translations
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.