Chapter 08

Chapter 08

Loving the Sky

As Xu Lian helped wrap the gift for Xiang ChangKong, he couldn’t help but observe her hands. Xu Lian’s hands were white and slender, with seemingly no flaws. At a glance, one could tell that these were hands that had never experienced any rough work. Thinking of the numerous times he delivered food to her, Xiang ChangKong figured that she had no need to fend for either.

(T/N: no need to fend for oneself is an idiom for living a pampered life.)

But it was this hand that made so many beautiful and delicate works. Xiang ChangKong’s gaze drifted towards the shelves that held various scented candles, with one candle next to the register eventually catching his attention.

It was a spherical candle, the size of an apple, with blue skies and white clouds on it. Xiang ChangKong didn’t know how the patterns of this candle were made, but the light blue and the fluffy clouds made him think of the vast and empty skies.

Xu Lian noticed him looking at the candle. She walked towards the register and picked up a candle: “This pattern is a new style I just learned. I’ve only just finished one for now, but I’m quite satisfied with how this turned out. I named it ‘Loving the Sky’.

(T/N: Really cute, she named it called Lian Kong, get it?)

Xiang ChangKong froze for a moment, subconsciously repeating: “‘Loving the Sky’?”

“Nn. In order to find a suitable fragrance, I spent a lot of time smelling many different things and mixing so many different scents.” Xu Lian brought the candle towards Xiang ChangKong: “Here, smell it.”

Slightly bending over, a distinctive scent wafted towards a surprised Xiang ChangKong: “The smell of the sky.”

Xu Lian’s lips slightly lifted, showing a rare smile. She replied: “Nn.”

Xiang ChangKong gently took the candle from her hand. It was warm: “Can you sell this candle to me too?”

“Of course. Did you want me to wrap it up for you?”

Xiang ChangKong replied with a smile: “No, thank you.”

Xu Lian placed his items into a paper bag with her store logo on it and also gave him a voucher, saying it was a 200 yuan discount that he could use on his next purchase. Taking the bag and the voucher, Xiang ChangKong thanked her, then left.

Xu Lian also closed the shop and left soon after, going home.

When Xiang ChangKong said that his sister’s birthday was coming up, it wasn’t an excuse he said to Xu Lian at the spur of the moment, his sister Xiang Nuan really was about to celebrate her birthday.

Xiang Nuan usually lived in her school dormitory and only went home during the weekends, so she had decided to celebrate her birthday this Saturday. Xiang ChangKong went out early that morning to buy food, all of them things Xiang Nuan liked to eat. On the way back, he received a call from Aunt Fan.

Aunt Fan had been in the same literary group as their mother when they were young. In the past few decades, despite growing old, they had never lost contact. He answered the call: “Aunt Fan, what’s the matter?”

Aunt Fan replied: “Xiang ChangKong, Auntie is asking if you have time tomorrow, me and Aunt He wanted to come over and see your mother.”

Xiang ChangKong replied: “I’m off work today. If you can come over today, we can celebrate Nuan’s birthday together.Aunt Fan gave out a cry of delight: “Today is Nuan’s birthday? Well, I’ll talk to Aunt He and buy a big cake for her.”

Xiang ChangKong laughed: “No need, I already bought a lot of dishes. You and Aunt He can just come directly.”

“No, no it’s Nuan’s birthday, how can there not be cake? You can be rest assured, we’ll get there quickly. Nuan hasn’t arrived yet, right?”

“No, they have a half-day today. She should arrive at around noon.”

“Then I’ll stop talking, I’m going to go out and buy a cake now.”

Aunt Fan hung up without waiting for an answer, leaving Xiang ChangKong to smile helplessly at his phone.

When he got home, he immediately started to prepare lunch. At 11:00 a.m. Aunt Fan and Aunt He arrived, bringing with them a big cake. Their small living room immediately looked even tinier when their guests entered. Xiang ChangKong poured them water, then went to their small balcony where a sunbathing Wang ShuLi sat. He told her: “Mom, Aunt Fan and Aunt He came to see you.”Weng ShuLi heard him and looked back towards the living room, her face showing no expression. Aunt Fan was an emotional person and when she saw her good friend like this, her eyes couldn’t help but turn red: “LiLi….”

Weng ShuLi was already around 50 years old, but Aunt Fan still called her LiLi, as if they were still teenagers: “How have you been, feeling a little better?”

Weng ShuLi’s gaze stayed on Aunt Fan for a while, before turning back to the balcony view.

Aunt Fan pursed her lips, trying to hold her tears: “LiLi used to be our literary group’s flower, and she also dominated the square dance community….” But now her eyes held no light, like a pool of dead water.

Xiang ChangKong patted her back and tried to comfort her: “Aunt Fan, don’t be sad. My mother’s a lot better now.”

Aunt Fan nodded. She knew that Weng ShuLi had been much worse before. She also patted Xiang ChangKong’s shoulder in comfort: “Give it more time, I’m sure she’ll get better. Now off you go, I know you’re busy.”

“Alright.” Xiang ChangKong nodded and walked back into the kitchen.

In the living room, Aunt Fan and Aunt He continued to chat with Weng ShuLi, reminiscing on their past. Of course, it was Aunt Fan and Aunt He who talked the entire time, with Weng ShuLi sitting nearby without reaction. But even so, the atmosphere wasn’t cold.

At half-past twelve, Xiang Nuan arrived home. As soon as she entered, she smelled the delicious scent of boiled pork” Wow brother, are we having pork for lunch today?”

Xiang Nuan didn’t even put down her bag and instead ran straight into the kitchen. The busy Xiang ChangKong smiled at her and said: “Go say hi to Aunt Fan and Aunt He.”

“Oh!” Ever since her mother became ill, Aunt Fan and Aunt He would regularly visit so Xiang Nuan didn’t find it strange that they were here. She went out of the kitchen and greeted them: “Aunt Fan, Aunt He you came to visit?”

Aunt Fan smiled as she replied: “Yes, ah you cut your hair? It looks very nice.”

Xiang Nuan: “Combing it in the mornings took too long so I got it cut. It cuts down on my time in the shower too.” For highschool students, their lives were a race against time.

Aunt Fan: “Well you look beautiful. Your brother said it’s you’re celebrating your birthday today? Me and Aunt He bought you a fruit cake, I don’t know if you like this kind of cake?”

“Love, love it!” Xiang Nuan nodded her head like she was pounding garlic, “You girls talk slowly, I’ll just put my bag down first.”

Running to her room, she put down her bag then went back into the kitchen, wanting to see what her brother had prepared. Seeing Xiang Nuan come in, Xiang ChangKong asked helplessly: “Why are you hanging around here for?”

“I came to see if there’s anything I can do to help.”

Having known her since the moment she was born, Xiang ChangKong wasn’t the least bit fooled: “I think you just want to see if there’s anything you can stealthily eat.”

“Haha, well I am hungry.”

“Alright, alright, go take the dishes out and we can eat right away.”

“Great!”

Xiang Nuan pushed her sleeves up as she approached, only to be stopped by Xiang ChangKong: “Don’t take the soup, I’ll bring it out myself.”

“OK.”

Their small dinner table soon became filled with dishes. In the middle was a big cake filled with seventeen candles, burning a warm yellow. Xiang Nuan closed her eyes and with her hands clasped together, made a wish. Afterward, she blinked, then blew out the candles.

Aunt Fan asked her: “What did you wish for?”

Aunt He guessed: “It’s probably to get into a good university?”

Xiang Nuan smiled warmly but didn’t tell: “It’s a secret, oh.”

The two aunts smiled at her response, then helped her cut the cake.

After celebrating Xiang Nuan’s birthday, the two aunties chatted with Weng ShuLi for a little more before leaving. Before they left, they asked Weng ShuLi: “LiLi, how about we go square dancing again? I’m not sure if you realize, but a lot of people are asking where Ms. Weng went.”

Weng ShuLi looked at the two for a while, then turned her head away. Xiang Nuan looked at the two disappointed aunties and smiled for them: “Why don’t I send you two down.”

“Alright.”

The two aunties were successfully seen off, then a sleepy Xiang Nuan patted her cheeks as she went to her room. Trying to renew her spirit, she took out her school textbooks.

Meanwhile, Xiang ChangKong cleaned up the kitchen. Afterward, he took his gift for Xiang Nuan and knocked on her door. Xiang Nuan was in the middle of solving a complicated math problem when she heard the knock on her door. She turned around and shouted: “Brother? Come in, the door is unlocked.”

Pushing the door open, Xiang ChangKong approached her and placed her gift on her desk: “Your birthday present.”

Xiang Nuan was surprised, she thought the big meal they had at noon was her birthday present!

“Thank you, brother!” She happily reached for the gift, pushing the irritating math problem to the back of her mind. “Wow, what a pretty little tablet…and the scent!” She sighed softly, suddenly feeling healed, “It smells so nice. I didn’t think that my brother could choose such a nice gift, ah.”

Xiang ChangKong had an indescribable feeling of ill-ease as he replied: “The store owner helped me pick.”

“Oh, that’s why.” She looked at the logo on the paper bag and vaguely felt that it looked familiar, “Hey, I think I’ve seen this before…isn’t this…”

After a few seconds of deliberation, she suddenly reached for her cellphone and opened her Weibo: “It was this! A dessert shop I followed recommended this shop…found it! Yep, I remembered right!”

She turned her phone screen towards Xiang ChangKong, Xu Lian’s logo clearly visible.

“Her stuff is super pretty, but none of them look cheap.” Xiang Nuan lightly hit Xiang ChangKong: “Who let my brother spend so much money.”

Laughing, Xiang ChangKong patted her head: “As long as you like it. Alright, I won’t disturb your study anymore.” Before he walked off he added: “Ah, but you made a mistake in the third part of your equation.”

Xiang Nuan: “…..”

The author has something to say:

Xiang ChangKong: Perhaps you didn’t know, my name is ‘to long for the sky’.

Xu Lian: Yes, that’s what it means

Xiang ChangKong: …………o(*////▽////*)q