BSS - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
On the way back, a light snow fell like mist, fluttering down without pause, dusting everyone with a thin layer of snowflakes. P University's iconic vermilion, carved gate stood out starkly against the night and the snowy scenery.
On Weibo, discussions about Beijing's first snow had already shot to the top of the trending topics. People were taking pictures everywhere on campus. Deng Chuan and her friends also took a group photo under a dim yellow streetlight. The light illuminated their spirited faces, as well as the traces of snowflakes fluttering through the air.
The cake wasn't finished, so Zhou Zhi carried it back. The next day happened to be the weekend. There were too many restrictions at the university, so they had considered staying out for a night, but the reality of the approaching final exam week quickly dispelled that notion.
Li Mingtang declared heroically to Xie Yao, "Call me when you go to the library from now on. I'll go study too."
Xie Yao readily agreed.
Seeing Zhou Zhi's completely unmoved expression, Li Mingtang tried to persuade her earnestly, "You should start reviewing too. It'll be too late by the time the exam schedule is out!"
Zhou Zhi said faintly, "If you all go to the library, I'll be the only one left in the dorm. It'll be much quieter than the library."
Li Mingtang gave her a pat. "I get it completely! You're just saying we're annoying, aren't you?"
Zhou Zhi nodded noncommittally, a smile playing on her lips. Her usually cool and stern features seemed exceptionally soft in the light of the streetlamp and the falling snow. Seeing Li Mingtang staring at her in a bit of a daze, she waved a hand in front of her eyes. "Watch where you're going."
Li Mingtang snapped back to reality, took a step inward, and quietly walked closer to her.
The hems of their coats brushed against each other from time to time. Zhou Zhi didn't notice, but Li Mingtang kept her eyes lowered, watching them the whole way. The coat fabric was rather stiff, so the contact was real, yet the sensation somehow failed to transmit. Seeing that Zhou Zhi still had no reaction, she couldn't help but move her leg, scooping up a thin layer of snow from the ground and kicking it toward Zhou Zhi's calf.
Zhou Zhi turned to look at her and saw that she was also smiling, her grin exceptionally bright. Li Mingtang asked her, "Do you remember having snowball fights after class in middle school?"
Zhou Zhi tilted her head, feigning contemplation. Only when she saw the vexed "you'd better not have forgotten or you'll be sorry" look on Li Mingtang's face did she say, "I remember you being the only one getting hit."
Hearing this, Li Mingtang immediately wrinkled her nose and retorted, "That's fine, I wasn't the one who got called to the teacher's office!"
"Mm," Zhou Zhi continued to twist the knife in a placid tone. "But from then on, someone completely lost face in our grade."
"You're making me so mad." Li Mingtang hit her on the arm. "Back then, those little brats actually thought the one who went to the teacher's office was the hero."
"And to think I shared chocolate with them every day!"
"If you hadn't sold me out, I wouldn't have gotten scolded, okay?" Zhou Zhi's tone also lightened. She glanced at the snowflakes Li Mingtang had kicked onto her clothes and feigned annoyance, sucking air through her teeth. "Look what you've done."
Knowing she was just pretending to be fierce, Li Mingtang still immediately surrendered, hugging her arm and whining, "I'm sorry… I thought you would dodge." Seeing Zhou Zhi's unresponsive profile, she gritted her teeth and said, "At worst, I'll let you kick some at me too."
"I don't want to."
Hearing Zhou Zhi's refusal, Li Mingtang clung to her arm like she had no bones, continuing to beg for mercy. "Then what do you want?"
Zhou Zhi let out a laugh. "Did you see that bag I sent you last night?"
Li Mingtang froze, then slowly recalled, "I saw it."
In the next second, she understood Zhou Zhi's meaning. She wanted to resist but didn't dare. After a long hesitation, she made up her mind. "Fine! I'll buy it for you!"
She mulled it over for a while, the pain of the expense written all over her face, then asked weakly, "Can I borrow it sometimes?"
Zhou Zhi nodded generously.
Li Mingtang was happy again. That was her personality; she had been so well-protected by her family that her emotions came and went quickly. Once she got over something, it was no longer a big deal. "Okay! What color do you want? Let's discuss it when we get back!"
The two of them began discussing the bag's color while looking at their phones. Meanwhile, Xie Yao was watching the snow with great novelty. She tilted her head back, her gaze following the falling flakes, causing her to unconsciously spin in circles toward the sky. She nearly spun into the middle of the road before Deng Chuan grabbed her.
Xie Yao let Deng Chuan hold her, grinning foolishly with satisfaction as she watched the snow.
Seeing how happy she was, Deng Chuan was reminded that Xu Wei also loved snow this much. Her tone couldn't help but soften as she reminded Xie Yao to watch her step. Then, she took a photo of the snowy night sky and sent it to Xu Wei.
Xu Wei didn't reply immediately. It was too cold outside, and Deng Chuan's fingertips were red from the chill. The cold air seemed to have completely invaded Beijing with the arrival of this snow. Deng Chuan walked toward the dormitory, her hands tucked into her coat pockets, quietly gazing at the campus covered in its first snow.
Back in the dorm, the four of them shook the snow from their coats. The melting snowflakes quickly dampened a small patch of the balcony floor. After shaking off the snow, Deng Chuan pushed the door open to enter the room, calling out a reminder not to slip.
The centralized heating in Beijing had started a few days prior. Xie Yao sat by the radiator, lazily munching on spicy Guizhou potato chips. She answered with a grunt and asked Deng Chuan if she wanted any.
Deng Chuan felt like she'd get a sore throat just looking at them. After refusing, she asked casually, "Doesn't your throat hurt after eating that?"
Xie Yao said, "It's fine. I just saw a Guangdong herbal tea place on a delivery app nearby yesterday. If I get a sore throat, I can test out how authentic their tea is."
Li Mingtang made a fist. "Guangdong people strike hard against sore throats!" Then she opened her hand. "So good, give me another piece."
Her computer screen was on, displaying a game interface. Holding a napkin full of potato chips that Xie Yao had poured for her, Li Mingtang hurried back to her desk and put on her headphones. "I'm here, I'm here, bros. No delays this time, let's make it quick."
The room was warm now. Deng Chuan took off her black sweater, leaving on only a thin white base layer, and sat in her chair to call Xu Wei.
The phone rang for a while with no answer, but a message from Xu Wei came through right after: Wait a moment. I'm talking to someone.
So Deng Chuan sat obediently in her chair and waited. She twirled a pen slowly. The comfortable temperature and relaxing environment made her feel at ease as she imagined what Xu Wei was doing at that moment. Deng Chuan remembered that students were often called out for talks during their third year of high school, but Xu Wei rarely did so. She wasn't one for grand, moralizing speeches or earnest nagging. Deng Chuan knew she preferred students who were proactive and strived for themselves.
Besides, Xu Wei wasn't a homeroom teacher this year. Who on earth was she talking to?
She didn't have to wait long. Xu Wei's call came through soon, but it was a regular voice call, not a video call. Her tone was a little apologetic. "I'm sorry, I'm still at school. Can I video call you when I get back?"
Deng Chuan didn't care about whether it was a video call or not; she was concerned about why Xu Wei was still at school so late. She had memorized Xu Wei's class schedule and knew she didn't have evening study hall tonight. "It's fine. Why are you still at school? Have you eaten?"
Xu Wei's voice lowered. It sounded like she was walking down a hallway, as footsteps echoed through the phone. "Not yet, I'm going to eat now."
Knowing what sorts of things were probably running through Deng Chuan's mind, she took the initiative to explain, "Nothing bad happened. A student from my class got into a fight with someone from the class next door, and I happened to run into them. I watched them for a bit, and now their homeroom teacher is here, so I can leave."
Her tone lightened as she asked Deng Chuan, "Did you have any cake? I was planning to have cake tonight too, but I didn't expect things to run this late. Zhou Liu is still at the pet shop. When I go pick him up, he's going to make a fuss again."
Deng Chuan smiled. "Don't let him out right away, or he'll just cling to you again."
Xu Wei hummed in agreement. It sounded like she had reached a stairwell, as the footsteps on the phone became muffled. They chatted for a little longer, and then Deng Chuan heard the sound of a car being unlocked. "Okay, I'm going to pick up Zhou Liu now and grab some food. I'll call you when I get home, okay?"
Deng Chuan wanted to nod, then realized Xu Wei couldn't see her. "Okay." Her voice was much gentler than usual. "You left too quickly, it's snowing in Beijing…"
With a thud, Xu Wei closed the car door and started the engine, her voice still gentle. "I'm sorry… I should have left later. But I couldn't get away from school. How about we watch the snow together next time?"
She heard the kid hum in agreement, then coaxed her, "Alright, I'm hanging up. See you in a bit."
Deng Chuan reminded her, "Be safe."
"I know. Bye."
"Bye…"
After they hung up, before Deng Chuan had a chance to savor the moment, another call came in. This time, it was from Lao Deng.
She answered, and before she could speak, she heard Lao Deng's booming voice, "Deng Chuan!"
"Yes," Deng Chuan said. "Dad."
Lao Deng said, "Don't call me Dad, I should call you Dad."
Deng Chuan frowned, bewildered, unable to comprehend Lao Deng's unreliable brand of linguistic art. She said nothing.
She heard Lao Deng continue, "The strong are revered. You're the top dog in our family now! Deng Chuan."
Deng Chuan let out a helpless sound. "What are you talking about…" She thought for a moment, then said firmly, "Stop reading those messy webnovels."
"Yes, yes. I know, I know." Lao Deng chuckled. "Your mom told me everything. We really should have held a university acceptance banquet. Seriously, would it be too showy to hold a banquet now?"
Before Deng Chuan could reply, he continued on his own, "But you don't need to worry. I'm calling you this time to make our family's stance clear. Don't worry about anything else, just focus on your studies and do what you want to do. Don't let down the university and the country's investment in you. And don't worry about employment or internships. While our family isn't super, super well-off, we're still doing okay. You don't need to make any sacrifices or contributions."
Although Lao Deng acted all high and mighty outside, Deng Chuan rarely heard him speak so seriously at home. Hearing this, she was still a little touched and hummed in agreement, then said earnestly, "Thank you, Dad."
"It's nothing." After saying that, Lao Deng immediately switched to a fawning tone. "Deng Chuan, are your car keys at home?"
Deng Chuan was puzzled. "Yes. On the cabinet next to my bedroom door."
"Great." Lao Deng chuckled. "Lend it to Dad for a few days, okay? This afternoon, when I was entering the community parking garage, I was too happy and a bit distracted. I hit the side mirror on the wall while making a turn. It's being repaired now."
"…" Deng Chuan was silent for a few seconds. "Okay." She couldn't help but add, "Be safe."
"It's fine, it's fine," Lao Deng said, about to hang up. "Alright, your mom is rushing me to play mahjong, I'm hanging up now- Is it your birthday today? Dad sent you some money, check it, and go have a nice meal."
After saying all that, Lao Deng hung up abruptly. Before Deng Chuan could even say goodbye, she heard the dial tone.
Sure enough, a text from the bank arrived shortly after. Deng Chuan glanced at it and was a little surprised, as the amount was not small.
While waiting for Xu Wei's call, Deng Chuan seriously considered what to do with the money. After a while, Xu Wei's call came through. This time it was a video call. Deng Chuan tugged at her collar, sat up straight, and then answered.
The background was Xu Wei's living room. Xu Wei seemed to be sitting cross-legged on the sofa, with Zhou Liu whining and acting cute in her lap. Deng Chuan could even hear his purring through her headphones. She watched Xu Wei's helpless expression and laughed. "Have you eaten?"
Xu Wei said, "No." She turned the camera to show the takeout box on the table. "He's clinging to me so much I can't eat."
Xu Wei thought for a moment, then held Zhou Liu with one arm while using the other to untie the plastic bag and open the takeout box, preparing to eat while chatting with Deng Chuan.
Her dinner tonight was sliced pork in hot chili oil with rice. Deng Chuan watched as Xu Wei meticulously picked out the chili segments from the dish one by one. After finishing with the chilies, she patiently started picking out the Sichuan peppercorns. Her gaze was incredibly focused, which made Deng Chuan involuntarily long for that attention herself.
Zhou Liu lay in the crook of Xu Wei's arm, hugging her elbow tightly, which made the movements of her other hand look very strenuous.
As Xu Wei moved, the plastic bag under the takeout box rustled. There were simply too many peppercorns. After picking for a while, her hand grew sore, and she gave up. Just as she put a mouthful of rice into her mouth, she heard the quiet Deng Chuan on the other side of the screen suddenly speak to her.
The kid was resting her chin on her hand, looking at her earnestly. "Teacher Xu, how about we go on a trip during winter break?"
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