Chapter Thirty-Seven: White Lotus Root, Green Leaves, Red Lotus Blossoms

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I wondered how my parents were doing. The last time I had transferred money into the family account, we had exchanged only a few hurried words, and even those had been vague and incomplete. Knowing that the two of them habitually rose early, I picked up my phone and dialed the familiar number. Soon I heard my mother’s familiar, affectionate voice.

Her warm chatter and tender concern sent wave after wave of warmth through me. When I had been at home, I had found her endless talking irritating and tiresome. Yet after spending so many years away, I finally understood that the very chatter I had grown up with was an expression of meticulous, boundless love.

A traditional Chinese mother spends most of her life laboring for her children. Their vast and generous maternal love makes them extraordinary in the midst of ordinary life. If my parents found out that I had been neglecting my proper work and losing myself in games, would they be terribly disappointed? Perhaps, sometimes, a well-intentioned lie was born only of profound helplessness.

When I told my mother that I had a girlfriend, I could clearly hear the joy in her voice. She earnestly urged me to treat the girl well and insisted that I bring her home so they could meet her.

A thread in a loving mother’s hand,
A garment in the wanderer’s hands.
She stitches every seam before he leaves,
Fearing he may return too late.
Who could say that a blade of grass
Could repay the warmth of the spring sun?

After hanging up, a deep loneliness welled up inside me. The helplessness of life had accustomed me to solitude, but whenever I had nothing to do, that emptiness would seize the opportunity to creep in, and loneliness would devour the heart I had struggled so hard to keep strong.

Since meeting Xiaolan, my soul seemed to have found something to rely on. Somewhere far away, a warm heart was thinking of me and holding me in its concern. It was a soothing comfort, a sweet happiness. Yet ever since our graduation gathering, we had gone our separate ways. Though we spoke on the phone and exchanged messages every day, and had shared a few moments of tenderness in the game, none of it could make up for the fullness of embracing her—for the solid, tangible feeling that happiness was truly in my arms.

Sigh... Was I destined to be cursed with eternal solitude? Before I knew it, a solitary tear had slipped down my cheek.

“Big pervert, it’s already eight-thirty and you’re still lying in bed! You promised to take me shopping today!”

Xiaoxue stormed through the unlocked door. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of my damp eyes and desolate expression. A flicker of sympathy crossed her face, and her tone immediately softened.

“I’m sorry. I was too thoughtless!”

It was almost impossible to believe. Xiaoxue, who was always overbearing and unreasonable with me, actually had a gentle side—and she even knew how to apologize.

Women really were incomprehensible creatures!

I was not a sentimental man. My sorrow came quickly and departed even faster. Pulling myself together, I teased her, “Xiaoxue, you know I have a habit of sleeping naked. You barged in here on purpose, didn’t you? I almost exposed everything. You nearly got what you wanted!”

Her pretty face flushed. She spat, “You disgusting pervert! Go to hell!”

Unable to bear her embarrassment, she slammed the door and hurried away.

...

“Xiaoxue, have mercy on me. Just let me rest here for a while. Can’t you go in by yourself?”

My hands were full of large bags and small packages. After being dragged around all morning, I was utterly exhausted. When I saw that she was about to enter the local Mickey store under Rongda Group, the leading company in China’s clothing industry, I could not help protesting vehemently.

She would never be satisfied with anything less than one or two hours in such a huge clothing mall. I could not understand women’s stamina at all. Why was their endurance and physical energy while shopping so utterly different from what one would expect of their delicate bodies?

“No! If you don’t go in, can that still be called accompanying me?”

Xiaoxue refused outright. Seeing my weary expression, she softened her voice and said with a hint of coaxing, “This is the last store. We’ll look around inside, and then we’ll go home. All right?”

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“Oh, come on! Another ‘last store’? I’ve lost count. Was that the seventh time you’ve said it, or the eighth?”

I protested.

“Hmph. Fine, don’t come, then. If I’m in a bad mood tomorrow, who knows what I might say when I’m chatting with Xiaoyue and Sister Su? I might accidentally let something slip...”

“All right, all right, you win! I’ll go, okay?”

I sounded utterly aggrieved.

Damn it. She was always using that trick on me.

...

“Xiaoxue, why are you heading toward the couples’ section?”

I followed behind her with my spirits flagging, but when I saw her making straight for the couples’ section, I could not help reminding her.

“What? Am I not allowed to? I’m buying him a T-shirt.”

She pursed her little lips and gave me a mischievous smile. I had to admit that, besides being adorable, that expression stirred a faint temptation in me.

“Oh! I see. So you have a boyfriend.”

For some reason, I felt a little disappointed.

Xiaoxue noticed my expression and said proudly, “Of course I do! He’s wonderfully accomplished—much better than a big pervert like you. He’s gentle, considerate, attentive, generous, and full of compassion. He’s handsome, too, with the charm of a mature man. When I bully him, he never talks back. When I’m angry, he apologizes. When I’m upset, he finds ways to make me laugh. When I’m sad, he comforts me tenderly. He’s nothing like you, you complete blockhead.”

The dreamy look on her face made my heart ache with sour jealousy. Did she really have to praise another man in front of me? This was obviously an indirect attack.

I said dejectedly, “Congratulations on finding your ideal man. Whatever you want to buy, let’s look quickly and go home.”

...

“Welcome to our couples’ section, sir and miss. You two really are an enviable pair of handsome man and beautiful woman. Our matching outfits will make you look even younger and more radiant. Feel free to try on anything you like.”

The saleswoman, young and graceful in a neat outfit, greeted us with a bright smile the moment we entered the T-shirt section.

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“Welcome to our section. I’ve finally had the honor of seeing for myself what people mean by a talented man and a beautiful woman.”

The saleswoman spoke to the couple who entered behind us.

Damn, I really had to admire people in this line of work. They said whatever suited whoever stood before them, and would probably spout nonsense even to a ghost. A remarkably plain young woman had her arm around a five-foot-tall young man with a huge belly, yet even they could be praised as a talented man and a beautiful woman. Had the world changed, or had people’s standards of beauty simply become different?

...

“How about trying on this T-shirt?”

After rummaging through countless garments, Xiaoxue handed me a sky-blue T-shirt decorated with several rows of white Tibetan characters that twisted like earthworms. The grass-green T-shirt in her hand bore the same design. Clearly, they were a matching couple’s set.

“I’m not buying it, so why should I try it on?” I asked, bewildered.

“If you don’t try it, how will I know whether it fits him?”

Without giving me a chance to object, Xiaoxue pushed me toward the fitting room.

I frowned. “Whether it fits your boyfriend or not has anything to do with me?”

“You really are hopelessly stupid! The two of you are almost exactly the same size. If it looks good on you, it will obviously look good on him too.”

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Fantasy Online Game

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