Rejected by the Campus Belle, I Find My True Love-Chapter 411 - 409: How did it turn around when it got to me?
Xue Yang pouted. "Everyone says you forget your mom once you have a wife. Why is it the opposite for me?"
"Xiao Xi, I picked some lychees. There aren’t many left at this time of year; this is all there is. Here, for you." Zhong Hailan handed Lin Xi a bunch of bright red lychees.
Lin Xi quickly took them. "Thank you, Auntie."
"Xue Yang, you have so much fruit here."
"We have mangoes, too. I’ll take you to pick some tomorrow. They’re right behind the longan tree. See that tall one over there? You can’t reach them without a tool."
Lin Xi looked up and saw many mangoes hanging high on the branches, her eyes sparkling. "Okay!"
Xue Yang’s home is so much fun. I have to come again sometime.
"Let’s go home. I’ll make you some smashed cucumbers."
What a good girl. Zhong Hailan found herself liking Lin Xi more and more with every glance, wishing she could bring out everything in the house for her to eat.
Xue Yang followed behind them carrying a large bunch of longans, looking like a little tagalong.
"Hey, Ah Mei, tell me if I’m seeing things... doesn’t that boy look a bit like Qing Zai’s son?"
"Granny, you’re not wrong. That’s the son from the Lao Xue Family, the one who got into Yanbei University. I hear he’s doing very well for himself now. And look, the one walking with Hailan is his girlfriend. She’s so pretty and well-mannered. See? She’s even willing to go with them to the vegetable garden."
"She looks so fair and proper. Girls from the big city really are different."
"I know, right? He was such a mischievous kid. It’s a surprise to everyone how he turned out. I have to say, the Lao Xue Family is just plain lucky. All the good things seem to happen to them."
"Isn’t that the truth? I heard he’s also connected to that new new-energy vehicle market that just opened nearby."
"Really...?"
...
Some people only see good luck, but they don’t know how much effort is put in behind the scenes. It is that very effort that gives one the confidence to seize luck when it arrives.
...
When Xue Yang’s family of three got home, Xue Yuanqing was watching TV in the living room. Seeing them, he immediately put down the remote.
"Honey, Xiao Xi, you’re back?"
"We picked some cucumbers. Go wash them and make a plate of smashed cucumbers for them," Zhong Hailan instructed, as she always did.
"Right away."
Xue Yuanqing complied, picking the cucumbers out of a bucket and heading into the kitchen.
"Xiao Xi, you two rest for a bit. The smashed cucumbers will be ready soon."
"Okay."
Lin Xi sat on the couch with Xue Yang. By now, the sky outside had grown completely dark. Only faint lights illuminated the path forward. The sounds of crickets, cicadas, frogs, and various other creatures filled the air.
In her entire life, Lin Xi had never heard so many animal sounds at once. It didn’t feel noisy. Instead, it felt like this was how life was supposed to be.
Xue Yang held the remote, flipping through the channels. Having not watched TV in a long time, he had no idea what to watch.
*The winter hibernation has just ended,*
*I’m still a little muddle-headed,*
*The birds above are waking up the forest...*
Hearing the familiar melody, Xue Yang put down the remote. *Boonie Bears* was one of the most popular cartoons from the last couple of years. Back then, he never had time to watch it. He would often hear this song playing from someone’s TV on his way home and feel a pang of longing, but he always refrained because of his college entrance exams.
Now’s my chance. I might as well watch it.
Seeing the familiar scenes on the screen, Lin Xi said with surprise, "Xue Yang, how old are you? You still watch cartoons?"
"Liking cartoons has nothing to do with age, didn’t you know?"
"I just thought you wouldn’t be into this sort of thing."
"I didn’t have time to watch it before. Now that I finally have a moment to spare, I figured I’d check it out."
Truthfully, I can’t find any other good shows to watch. I can’t very well ask Lin Xi to watch *Empresses in the Palace* with me, can I?
"Then I’ll watch with you."
The two of them sat on the sofa, quietly watching *Boonie Bears*.
"Logger Vick, you’re not allowed to cut down trees!" Xiong Er’s naive voice rang out from the TV.
"It’s you little bears again!"
"Honey! Delicious honey!"
Lin Xi would burst out laughing at the antics of Logger Vick and Xiong Er. It was hard to tell who wanted to watch more, him or her.
About twenty minutes later, Xue Yuanqing came out with a plate of smashed cucumbers. "Smashed cucumbers are here! Dig in."
"We don’t eat very spicy food around here, so our smashed cucumbers aren’t spicy. But they taste pretty good—sweet and sour. Give them a try."
Lin Xi nodded, speared a piece with a toothpick, and popped it into her mouth. She chewed for a moment, then nodded in pleasant surprise. "This tastes different from the ones I’ve had before, but it’s delicious!"
"Right?"
Life in the countryside was simple, but within that simplicity, there was warmth. The days were mainly occupied with preparing three meals.
Dinner was lavish and authentic. Zhong Hailan didn’t serve the leftovers from lunch. Instead, she prepared a new spread of homestyle dishes. There was fish-fragrant eggplant, salt-baked chicken, spicy shrimp, bitter melon stir-fried with pork, a dish of greens, and a dried-vegetable soup. Five dishes and one soup.
"Is this bitter melon?" Lin Xi asked, pointing at the plate of stir-fried bitter melon and pork. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Honestly, this is the first time in my life I’ve ever seen bitter melon. I’m also just now learning that everything about it is bitter—the leaves, the taste, the whole thing. So what on earth does it actually taste like?
"Yes, it’s a common homestyle dish here. People who are used to it think it’s delicious, but people who’ve never had it find it very bitter."
Lin Xi picked up a piece, placed it cautiously in her mouth, and took a bite. Her small face scrunched up. "It really is bitter."
The sight made Zhong Hailan’s heart ache. "Xiao Xi, if you can’t eat it, then don’t. Be a good girl and spit it out."
Lin Xi chewed a couple of times and swallowed it down. "Actually, it’s not as bad as I expected."
"Oh, you don’t have to force yourself."
"Auntie, I’m not forcing myself. I just figure that if you all can eat it, then I certainly can too. See? I just ate it, and it’s actually pretty tasty afterward."
After saying that, Lin Xi picked up another piece and put it in her mouth. This time, it wasn’t like she was marching to her execution.
After dinner, Lin Xi offered to help with the dishes.
Zhong Hailan gently pushed her away. "You don’t have to. My husband will get them."
Xue Yuanqing dutifully went to wash the dishes.
Lin Xi could only follow Xue Yang back to the sofa to continue watching *Boonie Bears*. Even though the episodes were self-contained, one could never get tired of the cartoon. You could rewatch an episode and still find it just as entertaining.
As they were watching, Lin Xi’s phone rang. She glanced at it and said to Xue Yang, "Si Wen says she’s coming to your place tomorrow. Is that convenient?"
"Of course. If she didn’t come soon, I was going to invite her over from the hotel myself."
"Okay, I’ll let her know."
...
