When Jian Ming’s name was mentioned, Jiang Huai’s face couldn’t hide his pride.
And this name made Jiang Nuan’s heart skip a beat.
She had always heard of Jian Ming and had often seen his face in college fencing tournaments and national youth fencing championships, but whenever she had seen him as a child, he was almost always wearing a fencing mask. Jiang Nuan hadn’t really talked to him much, only remembering that he once gave her a Ferrero Rocher.
Jian Ming had started learning fencing from Jiang Huai when he was six years old. At twelve, he left because his parents were transferred to the capital, but it was said that during winter and summer breaks, whenever he had time, Jian Ming would return to Jiang Huai’s club to seek guidance.
“My guess is he sent you some mock exam papers that I asked him for.”
Jiang Nuan’s excitement, which had been bubbling just moments before, instantly deflated.
“What’s the point of sending mock exam papers all the way from the capital? The difficulty level of the papers here is more suitable for me anyway!”
But even if they were just mock exam papers, they were sent by Jian Ming… So, I’ll still take a look.
Jiang Nuan carefully unwrapped the packaging, only to reveal a down jacket with a blue and white checkered pattern.
“Huh, it’s a down jacket?”
Jiang Nuan spread the jacket out. Clearly, it wasn’t meant for her mother, Luo Chen.
Jiang Huai chuckled. “Your down jacket got soaked when you fell into the pond last time, right? Your mom tried to dry it on the radiator, but instead, it ended up burning the lining. You were in the hospital after that and didn’t have a chance to buy a new one. When I mentioned it to Jian Ming, he picked out this jacket for you. I originally wanted him to send over some mock exam papers, but Jian Ming said that sending you only that would make you unhappy during the New Year, so he bought something to cheer you up instead.”
“Really?!”
Jiang Nuan immediately took off the old-fashioned wool coat she had been wearing and put on the down jacket.
Her mom, Luo Chen, came out of the kitchen and laughed as soon as she saw her. “Jian Ming sent that? Young guys have different taste than we do. Just look at that—Nuan looks like a proper young lady now.”
“I’ve always been a girl, okay!”
Lu Ran, who was sitting on the sofa, glanced at Jiang Nuan casually.
Jiang Huai stood up to help Luo Chen serve the noodles, leaving only Lu Ran and Jiang Nuan in the living room.
Jiang Nuan looked up to see that Lu Ran was still watching her, and she immediately remembered how he had once said that her school uniform was “so tacky it could crack a mirror.” She walked up to him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, “So? How does it look? This time, the mirror won’t crack, right?”
Lu Ran slowly stood up, lowered his head, and gently tapped Jiang Nuan’s nose with his finger. Just as she was about to say something, Lu Ran suddenly leaned in closer, startling Jiang Nuan into stepping back.
“Why are you so afraid of me?” His voice was soft and drawn out.
Jiang Nuan didn’t respond, but internally, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Lu Ran was about to bite her nose.
“Boo…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Ran moved in closer again, his eyes holding a serious intensity, as if trying to wrap her up completely.
Then, all of a sudden, he blew a puff of air, causing Jiang Nuan’s hair to fly up and exposing her forehead. Lu Ran flicked it with his finger.
“You’d look good picking your nose, even without this down jacket.”
Before Jiang Nuan could react, Lu Ran stood up, hands in his pockets, and told Luo Chen, who was coming out of the kitchen with bowls of noodles, “Auntie, I think I’ll pass on the noodles. I’m still too full from the buffet earlier.”
“Oh, okay, no problem. Get home early and rest up. Tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve.”
“Yeah, I’ll come by with my parents on the second day of the New Year to wish you all a Happy New Year.”
“Great!”
The thought that she wouldn’t have to see Lu Ran until after New Year’s Day, and that no one would be around to push her to do her homework, filled Jiang Nuan’s heart with pure joy.
After Lu Ran left, Jiang Nuan continued to admire herself in the mirror. But once everything quieted down, she couldn’t stop thinking about the moment when Lu Ran had flicked her forehead.
Jiang Huai muttered, “What’s up with Lu Ran? He seemed fine when I invited him to stay for noodles, but when he left, he didn’t look too happy.”
Luo Chen tugged on her daughter’s ear. “Did you slack off on your homework and make him angry?”
“How could I possibly make him angry? Besides, doesn’t he always have the same expression whether he’s angry or not?”
And when he bullies me while you guys aren’t around, you never do anything about it!
After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Jiang Nuan hopped onto her bed and called Rao Can to demand an explanation.
“Tell me, what was up with you today after the buffet? How could you just hop onto Mu Sheng’s bike without even saying anything to me?”
“I thought you actually wanted to ride on Lu Ran’s bike but were too shy to leave Dou Dou and me behind, so I went ahead and got on! Who knew…”
Who knew she never even ended up riding Lu Ran’s bike!
Ugh, just thinking about it made her mad!
“Listen up, even if I’m someone who causes chaos while riding on fire wheels like the Monkey King, why would I be interested in riding Lu Ran’s bike?”
“Of course! My Nuan Little Master is the best!”
“Okay, okay, where are you stuck on your holiday homework? Let me mark it down, and I’ll ask Lu Ran after the New Year.”
“Haha, see? We still need to rely on Lu Ran, don’t we?”
After Rao Can finished giving Jiang Nuan the page numbers and problems she couldn’t solve, Jiang Nuan let out a long “Hmm—.”
“What’s up?”
“It’s just… I think I can solve some of these.”
Jiang Nuan explained the solutions to a few of the problems to Rao Can.
“See, this one, F1=kr, F2=qE, and then F1=F2, so qE=kQqr, divide out the q, and E=kQr.”
“Wow… Nuan, you’re awesome! Your brain wasn’t this sharp before!”
“…I guess I’ll take that as a compliment. And, well, this problem wasn’t that hard…”
“Look, since I’m sticking around in the science class to keep you company, don’t go showing off your intelligence in front of me!” Rao Can laughed.
“Alright, I’ll lower my intelligence level to communicate with you.”
After hanging up, Jiang Nuan suddenly remembered something and rushed over to her mom, beaming as she gestured with her fingers. “Mom—guess what! I’ve grown this much taller!”
“Really!” Luo Chen smiled. “Looks like you’ve hit a growth spurt. No wonder Lu Ran has been bringing milk to our house every week.”
“…What? Lu Ran brought milk to our house?”
“Yep.”
“That must have been… for Dad, right…” Lu Ran practically worships Dad. He might as well start burning incense for him.
“Honor your dad? Bringing him youth growth calcium milk?” Luo Chen chuckled.
Jiang Nuan stood there, dumbfounded, and after a long pause, pointed to herself. “He really brought it for me? Didn’t Dad tell him to?”
“You had a real growth spurt last semester. I didn’t pay much attention to your nutrition at the time. One night, your calves cramped up in your sleep, and you were curled up in bed whimpering. It was your dad who massaged your legs. The next day, I was planning to drive you to school, but we ran into Lu Ran downstairs, and he offered to take you on his bike. That same evening, he brought milk over and even asked in the elevator if you had any more leg cramps.”
This doesn’t sound like something Lu Ran would do at all.
Jiang Nuan tilted her head, muttering, “Why do I feel like I’ve been so ungrateful?”
“If you ever develop a sense of gratitude, I’ll light incense and thank our ancestors.”
“Mom—our ancestors are probably asleep. Don’t go bothering them.”
From New Year’s Eve onwards, Jiang Nuan couldn’t manage to sleep in properly, no matter how many pillows she stacked on top of her head.
Half-awake, she dreamed that she was standing on a chair, holding a dictionary over someone’s head, carefully marking a line with a pencil.
“I need to mark this. You won’t grow again next month, will you?”
“I’ll wait for you.”
“Since when can you wait to grow taller!”
The sound of firecrackers in the hallway was so loud that it nearly knocked Jiang Nuan out of her dream.
She sat up and rubbed her head. It seemed like she had just had a dream… but what was it about?
Ah! She needed to use the bathroom!
Jiang Nuan got out of bed and searched for her slippers. Just as she reached the door, she looked up and saw a horizontal pencil mark on the doorframe, about fifteen or sixteen centimeters above her head. She reached up and touched it.
Did I make that? Why is it so high?
Ah! Bathroom time!
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day were spent at her grandparents’ and her maternal grandparents’ houses.
She wore the down jacket Jian Ming had picked out for her, along with a small crossbody bag. All her aunts and uncles praised her for looking more ladylike and said she had become prettier.
Jiang Nuan’s grandma still treated her like a child, stuffing her little crossbody bag with handfuls of White Rabbit candies and a few Ferrero Rochers.
White Rabbit was the taste of childhood, and Ferrero Rocher was her favorite chocolate.
Since her New Year’s money would inevitably be handed over to the “Empress Dowager” for safekeeping, White Rabbit candies and Ferrero Rocher were the most practical treats.
After dinner, Grandma pulled Jiang Nuan aside and secretly gave her a bill.
“Nuan Nuan, I know you never get to keep your New Year’s money. Your mom says she’ll give it to you when you’re in college. But Grandma knows that a young girl should have a little money of her own. Take this. You don’t need to tell your mom, and Grandma won’t say a word either.”
Jiang Nuan hugged her tightly and gave her a big kiss. “Grandma, you’re the best!”
“Don’t spend it on lamb skewers, okay? Those aren’t clean! You can buy some snacks, clothes, notebooks, or pens, whatever you want!”
“I know, I know!”
Jiang Nuan slipped the New Year’s money into her down jacket pocket and snapped it shut.
When they got home that night, just as she was about to take off her down jacket, she realized that her crossbody bag was missing.
“Mom! Did you take my bag?”
“No, I didn’t. I remember seeing you carrying it when we left Grandma’s place!”
“But my bag is gone!”
“Gone? What was inside? Was your phone in there?”
“Yes! And Grandma’s White Rabbit candies and Ferrero Rocher!”
“Go check the car first to see if you left it there. If not, maybe you forgot it at Grandma’s house? But I clearly remember you carrying it when we came downstairs.”
Jiang Nuan went to the garage to check the car, but her bag wasn’t there. She called Grandma, which only made her more worried. Grandma kept asking if there was anything valuable inside besides the candies and chocolates. Jiang Nuan quickly said no, because if Grandma knew her phone was in there, she’d definitely go downstairs to help her search.
Since it was the New Year, there weren’t many people on the streets. She had only walked from Grandma’s building to the corner, so maybe the bag was still there.
Jiang Nuan quickly ran outside to look for it, but it was already almost ten o’clock. With public buses stopping early for the holiday, there weren’t many taxis around either. The streets were deserted, and all the shops were closed.
Jiang Nuan shivered in the cold air, thinking that she might just have to walk back to Grandma’s place. But then she saw a boy on a bicycle coming toward her, gliding through the cold light cast by the streetlamps.
It was Lu Ran. His sharp features became clearer as he emerged from the winter chill, illuminated by the warm lights spilling from people’s homes.
“What are you doing here?” Lu Ran stopped in front of her. He must have just come back from visiting his grandparents.
—
Author’s Note:
Jiang Nuan: I need to mark this. You won’t grow again next month, will you?
Lu Ran: I’ll wait for you.
Jiang Nuan: Since when can you wait to grow taller?
Lu Ran: I’ll wait for you to grow taller, wait for you to grow up, and wait for you to fall in love with me all over again.
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