Slowly Falling For Changkong

Chapter 47

***

Because he was planning on sending Xu Lian some lunch, Xiang ChangKong went back into the kitchen after breakfast. Weng ShuLi went with him and said: “I can make lunch by myself. I haven’t been active for a long time, so I want to slowly regain strength by cooking.”

Xiang ChangKong felt a little embarrassed as he replied: “I promised Xu Lian that I would make her lunch today.”

Weng ShuLi immediately understood. With a smile, she reminded him: “Pursuing girls require some patience.”

“I know, mom.” Xiang ChangKong poured some stock into a pot and said: “The kitchen is going to get filled with smoke so you should go and rest in the living room.”

“Alright.” Weng ShuLi went into the living room, then picked up her cellphone. Her previous number had long been useless, so she had asked Xiang ChangKong to help her get a new one worth several hundred yuan. The change in providers hadn’t removed all her saved contacts though. Now, as Weng ShuLi scrolled through the familiar names, her heart couldn’t help but tremble.

She had ignored too many things these past three years. Although Father Xiang is gone, there were still so many people alive beside her. So many of her friends from the dance group persisted in visiting her these past few years, but she had never given them any face. In retrospect, Weng ShuLi was too ashamed to see them.

Weng ShuLi typed up a text message and sent it to everyone she knew.

She told them that she was ready to dance again.

Meanwhile, Xiang ChangKong had finished cooking and was putting the food in some insulated lunchboxes. Soon afterward, he left the house with a textbook in his hands. Xiang ChangKong no longer needed to avoid Weng ShuLi’s gaze.

 

Zhang GuoEr noticed that Xu Lian had been absent-minded all morning. Due to her three-day shopping spree abroad, Xu Lian should be busy making orders right now. But now, although orders were being made…Xu Lian was acting differently!

But soon, Zhang GuoEr found out what Xu Lian had been waiting for.

It was takeout- and not any ordinary takeout, but food that was filled with love.

When Zhang GuoEr saw the extremely familiar lunchbox in Xiang ChangKong’s hands, she understood.

The moment Xiang ChangKong entered the store, Xu Lian had suddenly become so engrossed with her work. So engrossed that she didn’t seem to notice Xiang ChangKong come in. Zhang GuoEr forced the ends of her mouth to flatten and greeted Xiang ChangKong: “Hello, brother. Are you delivering takeout for Boss again today?”

Xiang ChangKong gave her a slight smile. Looking a little shy, he replied: “Yeah.”

Seeing his timid appearance, Zhang GuoEr tactfully said: “Oh, you know that Boss has been abroad for three days. Orders have been piling up since then, so she’s very busy right now.”

“I see.” Xiang ChangKong handed the lunchbox to Zhang GuoEr and said: “Then, please help me pass this to her when she comes down later.”

Zhang GuoEr accepted the lunchbox full of dog food, then grinned at Xiang ChangKong. “Alright! No problem.”

Looking up at the busy Xu Lian, Xiang ChangKong couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. “Please remind her to eat lunch.”

Zhang GuoEr replied: “Yep, no problem.”

With this, Xiang ChangKong finally felt at ease and left.

As soon as his scooter left, Xu Lian came downstairs. Zhang GuoEr grabbed a pen and her notebook, then looked at Xu Lian. “Boss, what are you planning? Please tell me so I can learn.”

Xu Lian didn’t answer her. Instead, she took the lunchbox Xiang ChangKong had left, then went in the break room to eat. Zhang GuoEr went with her and said: “Boss, it’s fine for a girl to act high-maintenance when being pursued, but if she overreaches, it’ll frighten the other person away.”

Xu Lian’s hand that was about to grab a spoon paused at her words. She turned to Zhang GuoEr and said: “Rest assured, my driving is very steady.”

(T/N: She knows how to handle it.)

Zhang GuoEr: “……”

No, Boss. What kind of car are you talking about? The world of adults is quite colorful, ah.

(T/N: Driving can be a euphemism for sex lol.)

Afterward, Xiang ChangKong would deliver lunch for Xu Lian every day. When it rained on Friday, Zhang GuoEr thought that Xiang ChangKong would skip the day, but to her surprise, he still arrived at the store on time.

Xiang ChangKong removed his transparent raincoat when he entered the store and placed it in the wooden crate placed by the door for umbrellas. Xu Lian had put it there to make things more convenient for customers whenever it rained.

The rain was a little heavy today, so the hair in Xiang ChangKong’s forehead was wet. Xu Lian didn’t stay upstairs this time and was standing beside Zhang GuoEr near the cash register.

Rainy days were always inconvenient. Even if you wear a raincoat, some parts of your body would still inevitably get wet. Fearing that he might track water on Xu Lian’s floor, Xiang ChangKong stayed by the door.

Xu Lian grabbed the paper towels by the cash register and offered Xiang ChangKong a few. “Wipe it.”

“Thank you.” Xiang ChangKong accepted the paper towels, but instead of wiping his face, he gave Xu Lian the lunchbox in his hands first. It was only when Xu Lian took the lunchbox that he dealt with the rain on him.

Xu Lian stood in front of him and stared. She couldn’t help but ask: “Do you still deliver meals when it rains?”

Xiang ChangKong smiled and replied: “There are usually more orders during rainy days. But our system automatically extends delivery times for weather like this.”

“Oh….” Xu Lian’s finger circled the waterproof bag she was holding. “Be careful on the road.”

“Un.” After a moment’s pause, Xiang ChangKong hesitantly asked: “Are you free tomorrow?”

Tomorrow was Saturday. Xiang ChangKong knew that Xu Lian usually took the day off on Saturdays.

Naturally, Xu Lian knew that he knew this about her. She didn’t answer him immediately but instead asked: “What’s going on tomorrow?”

“Well, my mother asked me to invite you to dinner tomorrow. She’ll be cooking.”

Xu Lian was a little surprised. Weng ShuLi didn’t even look at her before. How come she wanted to cook for her all of a sudden? But then, Xu Lian remembered that Xiang Nuan would be home from school tomorrow. She figured that Weng ShuLi wanted to cook for her daughter.

Thinking of Zhang GuoEr’s advice to her a few days ago, Xu Lian felt that it was time to soften up. “I’m free tomorrow.”

Xiang ChangKong’s mouth involuntarily curled up into a smile. He asked: “Then I’ll come pick you up tomorrow?”

“No, I’ll drive there myself. 12:00 p.m.?”

“Yes.”

Zhang GuoEr watched as the two talked. Eventually, Xiang ChangKong wore his raincoat and walked back out into the rain.

Zhang GuoEr picked up her pen and wrote in her notebook: ‘Wind, rain or shine, you can count on the dog food to arrive right on time.’

Early Saturday morning, Xiang ChangKong went to the vegetable market to buy ingredients. Unlike his usual Saturdays, Xiang ChangKong concentrated on buying all the foods Xu Lian liked to eat. When he came back home, Weng ShuLi put on her apron and began to cook. Xiang ChangKong wanted to help his mother, but after a call from Xiang Nuan’s homeroom teacher, Xiang ChangKong had to go to Xiang Nuan’s school instead.

The teacher didn’t explain on the phone, so Xiang ChangKong was worried the entire time it took to arrive. Xiang Nuan was usually an obedient student, so he wouldn’t be called for misconduct. Was it her grades?

When Xiang ChangKong arrived at her school, he went straight to the teacher’s office. Xiang Nuan wasn’t in the office. Instead, there were two women, one of whom was wearing a fashionable dress. Xiang ChangKong had a good memory and remembered seeing the woman in a parent-teacher meeting he had previously attended.

Teacher Cai, Xiang Nuan’s homeroom teacher, ushered him inside. Xiang ChangKong greeted her first: “Hello Teacher Cai.”

“Hello, Mr. Xiang.” Teacher Cai nodded to him, then introduced the other woman: “This is Shen Lin’s mother. I invited you here today to talk about Shen Lin and Xiang Nuan.”

Xiang Nuan had never mentioned a person named Shen Lin to him before. For a moment, Xiang ChangKong couldn’t respond. “What happened to them?”

Teacher Cai explained: “Several students have been commenting that Shen Lin and Xiang Nuan are getting quite close recently. Shen Lin’s mother was worried about the matter and wanted to talk about it.”

Xiang ChangKong began to understand. Xiang Nuan and Shen Lin were crushing on each other?

Sure enough, Shen Lin’s mother started to speak. “Our Shen Lin’s academic performance is one of the best in his grade. He’ll certainly be admitted to a prestigious university in the future, ah. Your family’s Xiang Nuan might have a crush on my son, and I’m afraid it might distract him. You look too young to be a parent; I hope you can pass this matter on to your parents. This is very serious, and I’d like them to pay more attention to their daughter.”

Most of the teachers were in the middle of class, so the teacher’s office was quite empty. There were only one or two teachers on their desks. However, Shen Lin’s mother was obviously angry about the situation, so her voice was quite loud. It caused the other teachers to look in her direction.

Teacher Cai tried to smooth things out. “This is Xiang Nuan’s brother. Their family situation is a bit special, so her brother usually attends the parent-teacher meetings.”

After Teacher Cai said this, Shen Lin’s mother seemed to vaguely recognize Xiang ChangKong. Xiang ChangKong didn’t respond to the woman’s tirade and instead turned to Teacher Cai. He asked: “Has Xiang Nuan and Shen Lin been informed on this matter? What did they say?”

“When it was only a rumor among their classmates, I talked to both of them about it. They said that they were only studying.”

“Ah, it must be that girl that taught him to say this. Shen Lin had never lied before! Now she’s led my son astray.”

Xiang ChangKong finally looked at the woman. “How can you be so sure that they aren’t studying?”

Shen Lin’s mother unhappily replied: “Didn’t you see their test results last week? Shen Lin had always been number one, but this time, he fell to third place.” If it wasn’t for that, she wouldn’t be this anxious.

Xiang ChangKong said: “This kind of result is normal. No one can guarantee first place every single time. Besides, other factors can affect your son’s performance- it isn’t necessarily caused by young love.”

“Normal? You think everyone’s results are the same?! Shen Lin is going to be admitted to a prestigious school! What university did you go to?”

Xiang ChangKong pursed his lips, then answered: “A University.”

Shen Lin’s mother was stunned. She didn’t know if she heard wrong, or if the man in front of her was talking nonsense.

Teacher Cai once again tried to smooth things out. “Mr. Xiang really did graduate from A University of Technology. He even got first place in the college entrance exams and was featured in the newspapers.”

Whether small or large, several newspapers really did write about Xiang ChangKong that year. The articles were mostly about the awards he had won and his scores in previous exams.

Shen Lin’s mother no longer spoke, but her heart was still somewhat skeptical. After all, her son will also likely get first place and be admitted to A University.

Xiang ChangKong didn’t continue to talk about his education and instead said: “I know that as a parent, you’re very worried about your child’s achievements. But no matter how excellent of a student he is, no one can get first place every single time. After all, other students are also improving. There are also many other factors that affect their grades. If you have such a big reaction to your son falling to third place, you’ll add significant pressure to him, and this might affect his grades on the next exam. As a parent, you should do your best to encourage him instead of blindly blaming him.”

Teacher Cai tried to reassure the woman. “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you. Although Shen Lin’s ranking went down, his total score hadn’t lowered much. In fact, Xiang Nuan’s score improved a lot this time.”

After hearing that Xiang Nuan’s grades had improved, Shen Lin’s mother became even more unhappy. It was like Xiang Nuan’s grades were at her son’s expense.

Teacher Cai finally concluded: “Since both children said that they were only studying, I’d like to believe in them. Let’s believe that both are responsible children that will do their best for their future. As their guardians, you should find ways to help and care for them, not stress them.”

When the meeting finally concluded, it was almost time for Xiang Nuan to leave school. After seeing the time, Xiang ChangKong decided to just wait for his sister and stood outside her classroom.

When the school bell rang, Xiang Nuan was the first one out of the classroom. She knew that Shen Lin’s mother had come to school to talk with her brother. When she saw Xiang ChangKong standing outside, Xiang Nuan suddenly felt aggrieved. She called out: “Brother….”

Xiang ChangKong walked up to her and rubbed her head. “It’s alright. Let’s talk at home.”

Students who were leaving the classroom curiously looked toward Xiang ChangKong. A girl even grabbed her phone and boldly took a picture of him.

Xiang Nuan: “…..”

Xiang Nuan stepped in front of Xiang ChangKong and tried to block the girl’s camera. “Hey! No taking photos of my brother!”

The girl winked. “Hey, at least I didn’t do it on the sly. I took a photo in a fair and just way.”

Xiang Nuan wrinkled her brows and led Xiang ChangKong away, wanting to leave. However, when they turned, she saw Shen Lin come out of the classroom.

Xiang ChangKong was keenly aware of his sister’s sudden change and followed her gaze to see a boy.

Was this Shen Lin?