SYLM Chapter 27
by VolareChapter 27 “I will keep a close eye on Chen Lu, that little cabbage.”
On the way to the restaurant.
After receiving Chen Lu’s reply, Gu Wan Jun raised the corner of her lips. She had just locked her phone screen when she heard Gu Wan Rong’s gentle inquiry beside her ear:
“By the way, what’s the name of that female student you like?”
“Chen Lu.” After saying that, Gu Wan Jun thought for a moment, then added:
“The ‘Lu’ in ‘Sui ru zhui qiong fang jie lu’ (Broken as), meaning precious jade, beautiful jade, flawless white jade.”
“…You even made a special effort to understand the meaning of your student’s name?”
Is this level of attention normal?
Gu Wan Rong didn’t dare ask the second half of the question.
Seeming not to notice her sister’s emotional changes, Gu Wan Jun smiled and said in a teasing tone:
“Sis, have you forgotten that I’m a Literature teacher?”
“Ah, yes…”
The hand gripping the steering wheel loosened slightly. Gu Wan Rong was about to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard Gu Wan Jun say with a smile:
“But I did look up the meaning of the ‘Lu’ in Chen Lu’s name because I was afraid of misunderstanding the meaning. Chen Lu, Lu Lu, it’s a very nice name.”
“…”
Does being a homeroom teacher in high school now require not only remembering the students’ names but also understanding the meaning of their names?
The more Gu Wan Rong thought about it, the more she felt something was off. She adjusted her tone and continued to ask, pretending to be casually chatting:
“Do you have her photo? Would it be convenient to show me?”
“Yes, there’s a photo of her and another classmate.”
As she spoke, Gu Wan Jun eagerly unlocked her phone, opened the album, found the saved photo and showed it to her sister.
There were two girls in the photo, one slender and the other slightly chubby.
The slender girl had very white skin, dark and thick eyelashes that naturally created an eyeliner effect, and a pair of deep, bright crescent-shaped eyes looking straight at the camera, revealing a detachment and calmness beyond her age, as pure and beautiful as a snow lotus in winter;
The slightly chubby girl had some small freckles on her nose, and her round, fleshy hands were cheerfully making a V-sign at the camera, a pair of adorable, innocent puppy-dog eyes filled with a warm smile, as bright and enthusiastic as the summer sun;
At first glance, both were clearly little beauties.
From the two girls’ drastically different personal styles and her understanding of her younger sister, Gu Wan Rong was sure and certain that the slender, cool girl was Chen Lu, whom Gu Wan Jun had mentioned.
“Both girls are very pretty.” Gu Wan Rong sincerely praised.
“Right?” Gu Wan Jun smiled, her eyes crinkling. When it was her turn to look at the phone again, she subconsciously zoomed in on Chen Lu in the photo.
“Are they good friends?”
“Yes, Zheng Wei jie (sister) said they’ve known each other for many years.”
“I see. What do Chen Lu’s parents do?”
“…”
As soon as the words fell, the car fell into silence. It was only when the white Benz stopped at a red light a few seconds later that Gu Wan Rong turned her head in confusion to look at the passenger seat. Only then did she see the sadness and heartache in her sister Gu Wan Jun’s eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Chen Lu has no relatives by her side.”
Gu Wan Jun sighed and told Gu Wan Rong about Chen Lu’s life story as she had heard it from Zheng Wei.
After listening, Gu Wan Rong was also silent, not knowing what to say.
At this moment, she finally understood why her sister Gu Wan Jun liked, or even cherished, this little girl named Chen Lu.
The red light turned green, and the temporarily still traffic began to flow again. Gu Wan Rong gripped the steering wheel and said with heartfelt emotion:
“It’s not easy for this child to have grown up to be so excellent in such difficult circumstances.”
“Yes, it’s not easy.” Gu Wan Jun nodded.
“You just said she’s not in good health?”
“Yes, she often gets migraines, and her immunity isn’t very good either.”
“Find an opportunity to bring her to our hospital. Before she graduates from university, I can arrange a free annual physical examination for her.”
“That’s kind of you, but she probably won’t accept it.” Gu Wan Jun’s tone was tinged with helplessness: “That child is very self-reliant.”
“I see. Indeed, from what you just said, I can tell that she’s an independent and individualistic child.” Gu Wan Rong sighed.
The white Benz turned into a new street. Seeming to think of something, Gu Wan Rong hesitated for a moment, then continued:
“Wan Jun, actually… there are some things I don’t know whether I should say or not.”
“Say it, what can’t we sisters talk about?”
Gu Wan Jun looked at the driver’s seat in some confusion. She felt that her sister was being a bit circuitous today.
“I don’t deny that this Chen Lu is a good child, but you should still pay more attention when getting along with her.”
Gu Wan Rong paused, then continued with some reluctance:
“Children like Chen Lu, who have been deprived of love since childhood, are easily moved by people who are kind to them, and are prone to developing feelings for others that they shouldn’t have.”
Gu Wan Rong chose her words carefully. She originally wanted to remind Gu Wan Jun to be careful about the boundaries when getting along with Chen Lu, but these words changed meaning when they fell into Gu Wan Jun’s ears.
Recalling Qin Hao Yang’s gaze towards Chen Lu earlier, Gu Wan Jun narrowed her eyes slightly, and a hint of vigilance that she herself didn’t notice crept into her tone:
“Do you mean I should pay attention to whether Chen Lu might be having a puppy love?”
“…Huh?”
As soon as the word “puppy love” came out, Gu Wan Rong almost choked. She thought Gu Wan Jun understood what she meant and was about to say, “It’s good you understand, no need to be so blunt,” but then she immediately heard Gu Wan Jun say decisively:
“She won’t. Those little boys in the class are not worthy of her.”
“…”
Wait, did she just talk in vain for half a day? Is that what she meant?
And what does ‘not worthy of her’ mean? In your heart, who is worthy of her?
Could it be you…?
Gu Wan Rong pursed her lips, her thoughts completely messed up.
On the other side, Gu Wan Jun was frantically filtering through people who might like Chen Lu in her mind, and while her thoughts were racing, she didn’t forget to express her position in a slightly cold tone:
“Don’t worry, sis, as a homeroom teacher, I will keep a close eye on Chen Lu, that little cabbage, and I will definitely not let others get any ideas about her.”
“…”
As soon as the words fell, Gu Wan Rong’s expression became a little complicated.
Don’t just say you’re going to watch over others, but in the end, you’re the one who gets ideas about that little girl…
Gu Wan Rong didn’t dare to say these words explicitly. Seeing that the topic of Chen Lu couldn’t continue, she could only silently pray in her heart that she was just overthinking things.
—
On the night of New Year’s Eve, the streets and alleys were brightly lit, red lanterns were hung in front of every household, red couplets were pasted on doors, and families sat together, enjoying delicious food, talking about the harvest of the past year, and looking forward to the hopes of the new year. Everyone’s faces were filled with happy smiles.
In an old-fashioned neighborhood.
In the living room, the old-fashioned TV was broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala that the whole country would watch. Chen Lu stood by the window, the sound of firecrackers outside the window rising and falling in contrast to the silence inside the house where she was the only one.
She looked up at the window, under the myriad of lights, all kinds of colorful fireworks intertwined, blooming like stars in the vast night sky.
It’s the New Year.
The screen of the phone in her hand was still on the chat page with Fu Yi Wen, who asked her if she really wasn’t going to spend the New Year with them.
Since Chen Lu’s grandmother passed away, Fu Yi Wen and Jiang Zhen Zhen had asked this question every year.
And Chen Lu refused every year.
[I won’t go, I want to go back to the old house to spend the New Year with Grandma. Have fun, Happy New Year.]
Chen Lu replied like this every year.
This year was no different.
On the first day of the holiday, when Gu Wan Jun knocked on the door, Chen Lu was packing her things, planning to go back to the old house for the New Year. However, when Gu Wan Jun asked her why she was packing, Chen Lu lied.
Whether it was because she didn’t want Gu Wan Jun to worry about her, or because she didn’t want the person she liked to pity her, Chen Lu never intended to tell Gu Wan Jun that she was spending the New Year alone from the beginning.
Although the fireworks were beautiful, they were fleeting.
Turning around and looking at the empty living room, Chen Lu felt empty inside.
When her grandmother was still alive, on New Year’s Eve afternoon, her grandmother would start making the dough and preparing the dumpling filling early. At eight o’clock in the evening, she would make dumplings while watching the Spring Festival Gala.
When Northeasterners eat dumplings during the New Year, they put boiled coins in the dumplings. Eating a dumpling with a coin symbolizes that the person will have good fortune in the new year.
Although it was just a seemingly superstitious New Year’s ritual, in order to give her precious granddaughter more good fortune, Grandma would cook the dumplings with coins separately and plate them separately each time, so that Chen Lu would always eat a pile of money on New Year’s Eve.
After Grandma was gone, Chen Lu’s New Year’s Eve no longer had handmade dumplings, no more coins one after another, no more laughter between grandma and granddaughter in front of the TV, but only the visible but untouchable lights of thousands of homes, the perfunctory Spring Festival Gala, and a bag of frozen dumplings that she couldn’t finish by herself.
And at this moment, compared to the previous two years, Chen Lu felt more anticipation in her heart on this New Year’s Eve.
The paper bag that Gu Wan Jun gave her was placed neatly on the living room table. Chen Lu listened to the Spring Festival Gala on the TV while looking at the time from time to time, hoping that midnight would come soon.
—
On the other side, Yunjiang City.
The LCD TV on the wall was playing the Spring Festival Gala, and a family of four was sitting around the dining table in the living room, making dumplings.
Gu Wan Jun’s brother-in-law, Zhou Hai Bin, Gu Wan Rong’s husband, was investigating a major case in another place and couldn’t come back for the New Year. Only the old couple and the Gu Wan Jun sisters were at home.
During the dumpling-making session.
Gu Wan Jun couldn’t roll dumpling wrappers as well as her dad, or make dumplings as well as her mom. She was finally about the same speed as her sister, but her sister’s dumplings didn’t open, while hers would leak after being put down for a while, and would definitely turn into a soup in the pot.
Therefore, Gu Wan Jun had to make new ones while keeping an eye on which of her dumplings were “restless.” When making the 12th dumpling tonight, Gu Wan Jun received a heartless complaint from her mother:
“After being away for so many years, your cooking skills still haven’t improved.”
“Hmph, who said I haven’t improved?” Gu Wan Jun defended herself: “I can cook several dishes now. I don’t make dumplings often, so I’m not good at it.”
As she spoke, Gu Wan Jun put the “neither fish nor fowl” ingot dumpling in her hand on the lid, and said with a slightly smug tone:
“I can also pick vegetables now, guaranteed to be fresh.”
Hearing this, Gu’s mother, who had just finished making a lid of dumplings, couldn’t help but laugh. She nudged Gu’s father, who was rolling dumpling wrappers next to her, and joked:
“Did you hear that, old man? Your daughter doesn’t just pick old radish skins anymore.”
“Heard it, heard it.”
Gu’s father handed a stack of rolled dumpling wrappers to his wife and followed up:
“Oh dear, after so many years, you’ve finally learned how to pick vegetables and don’t buy the oldest ones anymore. What’s wrong, have you finally figured it out?”
“My student taught me the trick to picking fresh vegetables.”
“Your student taught you?” Gu’s father and Gu’s mother looked up at Gu Wan Jun at the same time, almost in unison.
Seeing that Chen Lu was about to be mentioned, Gu Wan Rong, who always had a bad feeling, quickly stood up to smooth things over:
“Who cares who taught her, learning it is the real skill. I’ll go to the morning market with you tomorrow, and I’ll see if you can graduate.”
“You’re still talking. Wan Jun is now ignorant about grains and terrible at cooking. You spoiled her when she was a child.”
“?”
Seeing that her mother suddenly turned the finger at her, Gu Wan Rong looked innocent and shouted injustice:
“How is it my fault? You didn’t teach me how to make dumplings either?”
“That’s right, don’t blame everything on my sister. My sister’s cooking skills are all self-taught.”
Seeming to think of something, Gu Wan Jun paused, couldn’t hold back her laughter, and then said:
“I still remember the ‘dark cuisine’ she made when she first learned to cook.”
“?”
Eye to eye, the two sisters began to wink at each other, exchanging glances.
Gu Wan Rong: What’s wrong with you, how can you talk about me with Mom? Shouldn’t we be on the same side?
Gu Wan Jun: Who told you to interrupt me? I clearly wanted to praise Chen Lu just now.
Gu Wan Rong: …You want to introduce Chen Lu to Mom and Dad?
Gu Wan Jun: Yeah, so what?
Gu Wan Rong: You… never mind.
Gu Wan Jun:? What do you mean, never mind? What does that frowning mean? Isn’t Chen Lu well-behaved, cute, and likable? What’s wrong with introducing her?
Gu Wan Rong: …
…
—
Gu Wan Jun’s family always stayed up until midnight to cook dumplings for the New Year, and this year was no exception.
On TV, the Spring Festival Gala was about to count down to zero, and Gu’s mother took the dumplings to the kitchen, ready to cook.
“The New Year’s bell is about to ring. In this new year, we sincerely wish our great motherland prosperity and peace! We wish every friend a happy family and all their wishes come true! Friends at the scene and in front of the TV, are you ready! Let’s count down together!”
Hearing the host on TV say “countdown,” Gu Wan Jun subconsciously looked for her phone, seemingly thinking of something.
“Let’s count down together! 10—9—8—7—6—5—4—3—2—1—Happy New Year!”
After the host finished speaking, the midnight bell rang on time.
Chen Lu sent out the New Year’s greetings she had edited long ago, and then almost piously picked up the paper bag on the table.
Opening the paper bag, there was a white hand-knitted scarf and a brand new, unopened Kindle reader.
Gu Wan Jun really gave her things she liked.
Chen Lu held the white hand-knitted scarf in her hand and stroked it repeatedly, then took two pictures of the gifts and sent them over.
…
On this side, it took Gu Wan Jun five minutes to find her phone in the sofa cushions.
All kinds of greeting messages covered the entire screen. Gu Wan Jun swiped directly past them. She found the pure blue avatar among the messages and clicked into it.
Chen Lu had sent her New Year’s greetings right on time.
Two minutes later, she sent two more photos of the gifts.
Chen Lu: [I really like the gifts, especially the scarf. It feels very comfortable. Thank you, Teacher.]
Seeing the sentence “especially the scarf,” Gu Wan Jun couldn’t suppress the corners of her mouth at all. Her slender fingers typed quickly: [Does it fit well around your neck? Take a picture and show me.]
After thinking for two seconds, Gu Wan Jun added another sentence: [A photo where I can see your face.]
After the message was sent, the chat box kept showing “The other party is typing.”
After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Gu Wan Jun raised her eyebrows. She was about to send a message asking “Is it inconvenient?” when a selfie of Chen Lu was sent over.
In the photo, Chen Lu seemed to be standing on the balcony. Those deep and beautiful eyes were more dazzling and bright than the stars in the night sky behind her. Her fair face was buried in the scarf, almost blending in with the white of the scarf.
Gu Wan Jun smiled and saved the photo in a newly created album, then typed a reply:
[You look very beautiful wearing it. It suits you very well.]
[I haven’t opened your gift yet. I plan to open it in my room after eating the dumplings later.]
[Have you eaten dumplings?]
As soon as the message was sent, before Chen Lu could reply, Gu Wan Jun caught a glimpse of someone standing at the kitchen door not far away.
“Oh my god, sis, what are you doing? You scared me.”
Hearing this, Gu Wan Rong turned her head and glanced at the kitchen. She closed the kitchen sliding door tightly, then turned back and asked softly:
“Chatting with Chen Lu?”
“Yeah, hey, how did you know?”
“…”
Those big eyes, smiling so much that they were almost invisible, how could she not know…
The sounds of her parents urging her to bring the dumplings came from the kitchen. Gu Wan Jun replied “Coming” and then locked her phone screen and pushed Gu Wan Rong’s back into the kitchen without explanation.