“Xiaoyuan, I put the dishes in the fridge. When you get up, remember to cook for yourself…”
Hearing the woman’s voice groggily, the girl covered her head with the blanket, her voice muffled: “Got it…”
“Mm… remember! Don’t skip breakfast!” The woman’s tone carried a hint of worry.
“I’ll have Yi Aunt come by. Don’t skip eating again, or you’ll regret it when you get stomach problems.”
“…”
“All right, I’m off to work now.”
After saying that, the woman hurried out the door.
With the sound of the door closing, the room fell silent once again…
No one knew how long had passed before the girl suddenly jolted awake.
Another dream…
Lin Xinyuan held her pounding head, her chest rising and falling violently.
She felt a sharp ache in her head and a ringing in her ears.
Lately, she’d been dreaming constantly, but whenever she woke up, she couldn’t remember anything at all…
“Xiaoyuan? Are you up?”
A female voice snapped her back to reality like being pulled from underwater.
The ringing in her ears gradually faded until it disappeared completely, and she could finally hear sounds.
It was the sound of knocking—
Yi Aunt had come.
Lin Xinyuan hurriedly got out of bed.
The door was still open as she left the room and headed toward the front door. “Yi Aunt, I’m coming!”
Right after saying this, a sharp pain suddenly shot through her head.
“Ugh… ah…”
A scene flashed vividly in her mind.
Through a violently shaking perspective, she weakly knocked on a door, seemingly saying something…
Lin Xinyuan tried to catch what was being said, but the more she focused, the worse the pain in her head became.
In the end, all she vaguely heard were a few soft sobs before she could no longer hold on, screaming in pain: “Ah…”
The girl’s anguished cry seemed to reach Yi Aunt outside, who hurriedly knocked again, more urgently this time: “Xiaoyuan, what’s wrong?”
“I’m fine… Yi Aunt…”
The pain persisted, but the girl gritted her teeth and slowly walked to the front door to open it.
The moment the door opened, Yi Aunt stepped inside at once. “What happened?”
Lin Xinyuan forced a smile. “I accidentally hit my foot on something.”
Yi Aunt believed her without a doubt but scolded gently: “Ah! How can you be so careless? Just take it slow; I’m not in any hurry to send you off.”
“Be more careful next time!”
“Ah…”
The headache hadn’t completely faded, but Lin Xinyuan managed to endure it without showing any sign of it.
Hearing Yi Aunt’s words, a warmth bloomed quietly in her heart.
She thought of her father.
Compared to her mother, her relationship with her father had always been better.
She wondered what he would think of her now.
Though still a bit scared, recalling her mother’s attitude now made her somewhat hopeful.
If… if even her mother could accept it…
Could her father accept it too?
A small hope stirred in Lin Xinyuan’s heart.
“Did you break the skin?” Yi Aunt asked again.
“No, just some pain.” Lin Xinyuan said, feigning nonchalance to avoid worrying Yi Aunt.
“That’s good… By the way, have you eaten breakfast?”
“Uh… I just got up.” She felt a bit embarrassed since it was already quite late.
Hearing this, Yi Aunt frowned: “You really want your mother to scold you? It’s already past nine!”
“Ah…” Yi Aunt muttered as she walked into the kitchen. “Are the dishes in the fridge? Why do I only see the rice noodles?”
Outside the kitchen, Lin Xinyuan’s headache had completely eased, no longer as painful as before.
She thought for a moment and said, “Right… I’ll cook it myself. Yi Aunt, you should go do your own thing…”
As she moved toward the kitchen, she was immediately stopped.
“Hey, hey, hey… I’m bored all day, so you hurry up and brush your teeth! If you wait until you’re busy yourself, it’ll be lunchtime before you eat! Go on!”
“Okay…”
Knowing she couldn’t argue, Lin Xinyuan reluctantly went to wash up.
About five minutes later, as she came out, the smell of meat broth wafted through the air.
Lin Xinyuan walked to the kitchen door again.
Yi Aunt was already preparing the soup base—no wonder it smelled so good…
Seeing her, Yi Aunt smiled and said, “Almost done. Just need to blanch the noodles later. Go sit down!”
She nodded silently and turned to sit down at the dining table, pulling out a chair.
A little while later, Yi Aunt brought out breakfast with a warm smile.
“Eat quickly!”
Yi Aunt even washed the chopsticks and handed them over.
Lin Xinyuan took them and quietly began to eat.
It had to be said…
As a housewife, Yi Aunt’s cooking was definitely better than Lin’s mother’s.
Though it was just a simple bowl of Lean Meat Soup Noodle, seasoned only with salt and MSG, paired with the signature Thin Rice Noodle from Zhan Nan City, it was incredibly flavorful and delicious.
In Tianbei City, the one thing she missed the most was hometown rice noodles.
“Good?”
Yi Aunt didn’t leave but went to wash her hands and came back to sit beside her.
“Mm, delicious.”
While eating, a slight blush colored her cheeks.
The girl wasn’t used to being watched so closely.
Ever since she became a girl, her skin had grown more sensitive.
She hadn’t expected things to come to this…
Just waking up, Lin Xinyuan hadn’t even fixed her hair yet, a small tuft sticking up clumsily.
She was still wearing the pink pajamas her mother had bought her, the thin fabric barely covering her slender frame, making her seem fragile.
Looking at Lin Xinyuan’s obedient profile, Yi Aunt felt she looked so well-behaved and endearing. “If it’s good, take your time eating. Don’t rush…”
“Mm… okay…”
The girl tended to eat very quickly, stuffing her mouth full like a squirrel.
Hearing Yi Aunt’s words, she slowed down.
Suddenly, Yi Aunt seemed to remember something and said unexpectedly, “Xiaoyuan, your Cousin Uncle will be back soon, and your Cousin will have vacation next week.
Then you can go out and have fun with your Cousin, and you won’t be so bored staying cooped up at home all day…”
There was a trace of longing in Yi Aunt’s eyes, and her happy expression startled Lin Xinyuan.
“Ah…”
If Yi Aunt hadn’t mentioned it, she would have forgotten.
Her Lin Cousin Uncle, who was a leader at County Middle School, was currently out of province on some research or study trip.
And her Lin Cousin, who was attending Shanghai University, was about to go on vacation too.
Lin Xinyuan felt a bit flustered. “I…”
Yi Aunt smiled gently, reading her thoughts. “It’s fine. I can accept this kind of thing, and your Cousin Uncle and Cousin wouldn’t mind either. Besides, you’re a girl now, just returning to your original form.”
As she spoke, she patted the girl’s frail back. “Don’t be afraid! What was before will just be as it was.”
Lin Xinyuan said nothing, only nodded.
Thinking about it, it made sense.
The relationship between her family and her Cousin Uncle’s was just so-so.
It was mainly between her mother and Yi Aunt that things were good, so she had been treated well by extension…
As for Cousin Uncle and Cousin, their relationship was just okay at best, and since Cousin had gone to university, they’d seen each other less and had grown apart.
But thinking about Cousin’s return meant her father might be back in about ten days.
That was how it usually went every year…
Thinking of this, she felt both hopeful and anxious.
Maybe because of her mother, the hope outweighed the worry.
Watching the girl finish her breakfast, Yi Aunt thought she might as well help make lunch since the pot hadn’t been cleaned yet.
Lin Xinyuan quickly stopped her.
She already felt awkward enough having someone cook her breakfast; no way would she let someone help with lunch too.
After Lin Xinyuan’s persuasion, Yi Aunt reluctantly gave up.
The two chatted a while longer.
Soon, Yi Aunt was called away by a phone call—someone wanted her to play mahjong again…
Watching Yi Aunt rush off, Lin Xinyuan couldn’t help but envy her Cousin.
Not only were his parents harmonious and the family happy,
he was also a top student at a well-known 986 in Shanghai, and she’d heard he even secured a guaranteed postgraduate spot.
A real high achiever with a bright future ahead…
Compared to her family, there was really no such thing as a happy home…
If she hadn’t seen how other parents got along, she might still believe that all parents treated each other with mutual respect…
Closing the door, the girl leaned against it, gazing up at the ceiling light, feeling a pang in her heart.
Recalling the scenes of past New Year celebrations, she smiled bitterly, feeling there was no need to hold any illusions.
She just hoped her father could accept her…