Chapter 17

Two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, plus a bowl of steamed meatballs.

Mother and daughter each had a small bowl of rice.

Wang Jinglu's mother is named Tao Huijun. She is forty-six this year, but she looks less than forty. Although she is not as beautiful as her two daughters, she still looks graceful and slightly stunning in her middle age. Her personality is gentle and peaceful, and she usually doesn't talk much, but she has excellent culinary skills.

In comparison, Wang Jingsnow's personality is a bit strong, and Wang Jinglu is more like her.

Even the way they eat seems to be a routine they've developed together, taking small bites and chewing slowly... Almost half of the bowl of steamed meatballs ended up in Wang Jinglu's stomach, but her lips remained clean, without a trace of grease.

Neither of them spoke during the meal.

After they finished eating, Tao Huijun served each of them a bowl of soup. She herself only took a small sip and then smiled at her daughter as she drank.

"Is it about three or four weeks until the final exams? Have you started reviewing?" she asked.

"Um-hum," Wang Jinglu nodded.

Tao Huijun smiled and said nothing, taking two more sips of soup.

"I'm so full!" Wang Jinglu patted her small belly like a child, smiling sweetly, "Mom, don't make steamed meatballs for me in the future. I can't control myself and always eat so much. I'll get fat!"

Tao Huijun smiled and said, "You won't get fat. You and your sister are like me. Look, I haven't gotten fat."

Wang Jinglu shook her head, not believing it, "Last time, my sister said I was eating myself into a little pig."

Tao Huijun smiled, paused, and said, "Xiaolu, this morning, your father came back."

Wang Jinglu suddenly became nervous, "Is she... causing trouble again?"

Tao Huijun smiled, shook her head, and reached across the table to hold her daughter's hand, "Your father mainly talked about some things related to you."

Wang Jinglu's heart suddenly sank.

Sure enough, Tao Huijun's smile faded, and she said slowly, "Mom knows you have your own thoughts, so I've talked to your father. We will only provide some references and choices. We won't force you to do anything, okay?"

Wang Jinglu looked at her timidly.

Tao Huijun sighed, withdrew her hand, and asked, "What do you think of Zhao Yumin?"

Sure enough!

Wang Jinglu hesitated and said, "Mom, you really won't force me?"

Tao Huijun suddenly laughed, "What era is this? Even when your mother and father got married, it was already a time of free love. How much more so now? How could I possibly force you?"

"But..." Wang Jinglu hesitated.

Tao Huijun said, "Introducing Zhao Yumin to you and helping to bring you two together was something I agreed to."

Wang Jinglu looked at her in surprise, "Why?... Why would you do that?"

She always thought it was her father's idea. She knew her mother loved her and was willing to indulge her.

Tao Huijun smiled, but her expression was serious, "If we set aside our prejudices, tell me, what do you think of that young man?"

Wang Jinglu was speechless.

What do you think of Zhao Yumin?

Without deeper interaction, she couldn't really judge a person. But from what she knew and saw, he was handsome, suave, and charming, with a distinct British gentleman's demeanor and excellent temperament. As a graduate of Cambridge University's Trinity College, his academic credentials were undoubtedly impressive, and... his family seemed quite wealthy.

If she were to evaluate him purely as a potential husband, he had almost no obvious flaws to criticize, only a series of shining points that would make most girls swoon.

Wang Jinglu hesitated, lowered her head, and pouted.

Tao Huijun chuckled, "No words?"

She paused and said, "So, after he came to our house with your father, I did some research through various connections and agreed with your father's suggestion. I think he would be a good match for you."

Wang Jinglu frowned and looked at her.

Tao Huijun continued, "Mom doesn't want to tell you that love and marriage are not the same thing. Even if they aren't, I don't think my daughter doesn't have the right to pursue love. In fact, Mom believes that a marriage with love is truly happy. But... if you're not even willing to give him a chance, how can you be sure you won't like him?"

"Maybe, just maybe, when you start interacting with him, you'll quickly find all sorts of flaws and shortcomings that you can't accept. At that point, if you say you don't like him, Mom will support you 100%! Right?"

"But, what if, when you get to know him, you find that he is exactly the type you like? If you really start to like him, fall in love with him... wouldn't that be even better? Love in this world isn't just about childhood sweethearts or love at first sight, is it?"

"So, trust Mom's judgment and give him a chance to get to know him, okay?"

Wang Jinglu pursed her lips and said nothing.

In fact, she had no words.

Although she didn't want to have anything to do with that person, she had to admit that her mother had a point.

But...

Tao Huijun began to drink her soup in small sips, and then Wang Jinglu also picked up her spoon and started to drink her soup.

In the end, Wang Jinglu finished first. Despite her clean mouth, she still took a napkin to wipe her lips, then stood up and said, "Mom, I'm full. I'll go back to my room."

Tao Huijun nodded but suddenly called her, "Xiaolu..."

Wang Jinglu stopped and looked back.

She hesitated and said, "You already have someone you like, right?"

Wang Jinglu looked up, then down, and said nothing.

Tao Huijun asked again, "It's the boy next door, right?"

Wang Jinglu was surprised but still lowered her head and said nothing.

So, Tao Huijun thought for a moment and said, almost to herself, "In the past two years, your father has been focused on that woman, and your sister has been focused on music. They might not have noticed, but Mom has. I know that in the past two years, you've started to like going to the rooftop after dinner... with him, right?"

Wang Jinglu hesitated and silently nodded.

Tao Huijun also nodded, "Mom has no intention of breaking you two up. Your father and sister might not agree, but Mom won't. Mom just wants to tell you that you are... too young. Being young means that the world you've seen is still too small, like a little frog that hasn't had the chance to jump out of the well and see a bigger world. So, don't close your heart too early. Give other excellent boys a chance, okay?"

Wang Jinglu kept her head down and said nothing.

After Tao Huijun finished speaking, she finally looked up. Mother and daughter made eye contact for a moment, and then she looked down again and turned to go back to her room. She took a step but stopped. She turned to look at her mother and, gathering her courage, asked, "Mom, do you also think I'm not suitable for Li Qian?"

Tao Huijun was taken aback by her daughter's sudden courage but soon smiled and asked gently, "Do you want to hear the truth?"

Wang Jinglu nodded firmly.

Tao Huijun thought for a moment, put on a serious face, and nodded, "He's not good enough for you."

She paused and added, "Not now, and certainly not in the future!"

Wang Jinglu couldn't help but feel indignant and asked, "Why? How is he not good enough?"

Tao Huijun suddenly laughed again, as if she enjoyed seeing her daughter angry, and looked at her playfully, "So, are you trying to tell me that he is very handsome?"

Wang Jinglu was surprised but had no response.

Of course, that wasn't all of Li Qian, but at least for now, what did she have to boast about or compare with others?

Tao Huijun continued, "Mom knows he is very handsome. His mother is very beautiful, especially when we first moved here. Mom saw her for the first time when you were just over a year old. She was holding Li Qian, and we met in the hallway and greeted each other. When I came back, I told your father that the wife of the teacher next door is really beautiful! Mom admits that she is more beautiful than me. If we only talk about looks, Mom admits that Li Qian and you are a very good match. But... does it matter?"

Wang Jinglu kept her head down and said nothing.

She wanted to say that Li Qian wasn't just handsome, that he had many good qualities. She even wanted to mention how he improved his grades by a hundred points in just a month, but she knew that... it didn't matter.

Sure enough, Tao Huijun continued, "There is a truth in this world that everyone has to admit: good-looking people do have an advantage. They always get more opportunities, including some very good ones, but that's all."

"Now, let's just talk about now. If you don't go to Beijing, don't apply to the Film Academy, Mom believes you can get into any university in the country. With your intelligence and beauty, you will have a bright future after graduation. What about him? Can he do that?... And if you go to Beijing and apply to the Film Academy, Mom can't be sure you will get in, but Mom knows you have a talent in this area. You and your sister will both achieve success in your respective fields in the future. What about him?"

Tao Huijun shrugged, "So, can you tell Mom that you and he are a good match?"

Wang Jinglu looked up.

"But I like him!" she said firmly.

Tao Huijun was surprised; clearly, she hadn't expected her daughter to answer so directly.

And it was an answer that could overturn everything.

So, she was silent for a moment and then said, "Okay. You can like him! But at least... before you graduate from university, don't give yourself to him. Give yourself the chance to choose others and give others the chance to show themselves, okay? If in the future, after you graduate, start working, and have your own career, you still firmly believe you like him, then Mom will bless you, okay?"

Wang Jinglu was silent for a moment and finally nodded slowly.

Then, she looked up at her mother.

"I like him! I won't change!" she said.

Tao Huijun smiled, "If that's true in the future, stubbornness can also be a kind of happiness. But trust Mom, there are many handsome and capable boys in this world who can give you a better life and better love. When you go out, when you look, observe, and feel, you will understand that being blinded by a single leaf and not seeing the mountain is not just a saying."

Wang Jinglu pursed her lips, lowered her head, and turned to walk to her room.

In the dining room, watching her daughter's stubborn back, Tao Huijun sighed slowly as the door was gently closed.

"I really hope I'm wrong," she murmured, "I really hope the boy next door has more to offer to impress me and your father."

...

"Hey, Xiaolu? What's up?"

"Sis, what should I do?"

"..."

"Dad arranged a match for me, and Mom just told me she agrees."

"Mom called me this afternoon and told me."

"Then... what should I do?"

"Don't like him?"

"Don't like him."

"Not even willing to give him a chance?"

"Unwilling."

"Mom said he's a good guy."

"I know. But..."

"Troubled? Want to control your own destiny and not let anyone decide for you, even Mom?"

"Um-hum."

"Then come to Shun Tian! Think about what I told you."

"Um-hum."

"By the way, the boy next door has been eyeing you. Be careful. He's been scheming since he was little. Don't let him trick you. Remember, the most unreliable thing in this world is a man's sweet talk, and boys are the same."

"Uh..."

"What's with the 'uh'? That's it. When you get to Shun Tian, your parents won't be able to control you. By the way, as for that Zhao Yumin... I suggest you still give him a chance to meet and talk. After all, even Mom thinks he's good, so he must have some outstanding qualities. If you still don't like him after meeting, just ignore him. Xiaolu... Xiaolu?"

"Um, I'm listening."

"Um, that's it. I'll hang up. I'll come back to pick you up after your final exams."

"Um. Bye."

"Bye."

The call ended, and Wang Jinglu fell onto her bed, feeling powerless.

"They don't like you, what should I do?" she murmured.

Lifting her hand, she opened her "Messages" and tapped on "Li Qian," who had sent her hundreds of messages. She thought for a moment, typed "Rooftop," hovered her finger over the send button, hesitated for a long time, then deleted the two words, threw her phone aside in frustration, and covered her face.

A moment later, she released her hands, sat up, and picked up her Walkman. She found Zhou Mo's "Dreamer" on the small bookshelf on her desk and put it in, pressing the play button.

"...

The wind is not the wind, the cloud is not the cloud,

I love you, but it doesn't matter,

It's just a passing moment.

The flower is not the flower, the mud is not the mud,

You dancing in the desert,

Coming and going,

I need a little more luck."

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