Those Sweet Times - Chapter 16 Part 1

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.

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 glasses 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 pass: “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.

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.