Chapter 58

The sunset always descends to the west, and after a date, one must return home—ready to face a scolding.

However, even if she were to be scolded, it would still be worth it!

Around five in the afternoon, Wang Jinglu adjusted her mood and slowly walked down to her building, all the while savoring the beauty of the day in her heart. Today, they had kissed, watched a movie together, and then went to eat rice noodles. During the meal, they ran into two unreliable and scatterbrained people, one of whom turned out to be the owner of the restaurant where Li Qian used to sing. He was said to love listening to Li Qian's Russian songs and had tipped him multiple times. As a result, the two of them ended up becoming friends with Li Qian, almost eating their way from the rice noodle shop to the nearby seafood restaurant. Fortunately, Li Qian eventually managed to shake off those two clueless guys, and then in the afternoon, the two of them went for a walk around Daming Lake.

Daming Lake, of course, had been visited many times by both Li Qian and herself, but it was the first time they had gone together, making it unique and fresh. There, she saw Li Qian smoke for the first time. Strangely, although she and her sister Wang Jingsnow had repeatedly tried to curb their father's smoking habit, she didn't feel any aversion to seeing Li Qian smoke. Instead, she found his appearance with his light blue stubble and the smoke curling around him a bit charming.

Of course, he was caught halfway through by a security guard and fined ten yuan.

The two of them obediently paid the fine and then left in a hurry.

They didn't dare to have dinner outside again, as they needed to save room for their mother's steamed meatballs at home, or the next few days would be even harder to bear. So, Li Qian rode his bike to drop her off at the entrance of her neighborhood and watched her go in.

The smile of the doorman, Mr. Qin, was quite lecherous.

A familiar car was parked downstairs. Even with Wang Jinglu's distracted state, she immediately recognized it as her sister Wang Jingsnow's sports car—she just didn't know if her sister's return would serve as a buffer or lead to a full-blown critique.

Then, she saw Li Qian's father, Li Shuwen.

Yesterday afternoon, when she looked down, she saw Mr. Li circling their newly bought Jetta, occasionally squatting down to inspect it, with a bucket of water and a snow-white towel in hand, wiping here and there. It seemed he was still doing the same today.

Wang Jinglu took a deep breath and obediently went over to greet him.

For some reason, even though they were old neighbors, she always felt inexplicably shy when she saw Mr. and Mrs. Li recently, and her voice would become soft and timid, her face turning red even before she spoke.

Mr. Li heard her greeting, stood up with a "ah," and smiled warmly at her.

If it were a few days ago, she would have run away after greeting him, but perhaps because of the kiss they shared today, she felt a bit bolder. Although she was still shy, she couldn't help but stay and admire the Li family's new car, complimenting it in a mature tone: "Uncle Li, your car is really beautiful."

This comment hit Mr. Li right where it hurt.

Mr. Li had had his driver's license for several years and had always wanted to buy a car. However, they had mainly relied on a loan to buy their house, which they only finished paying off two years ago. He was a teacher with a decent but not high income, and Mrs. Li was an accountant with a similar income. Together, their combined salary left them with some savings after paying off the loan and covering their living expenses. However, with only about 100,000 yuan in savings and their son about to go to college, they didn't dare to spend it. So, the idea of buying a car remained just that—an idea.

But unexpectedly, their son, who was only in his second year of high school and just 17, suddenly displayed a musical talent they had never seen before. With a few songs, he earned several hundred thousand yuan! And it wasn't a one-time deal; the songs he sold were now all hits, even played repeatedly in music stores. This meant that his songs would only become more popular and valuable in the future!

With this, Mr. Li couldn't resist the urge to buy a car, and so, a brand new Jetta was in his hands!

First, he finally had a car!

Second, the car was bought by his son!

Third, whenever he drove his wife to and from work, he could hear his son's songs playing from the street speakers every minute!

Was there anything more satisfying than this?

So, ever since buying the car, whenever someone complimented it, he would immediately break into a wide grin!

Although some things couldn't be openly boasted about, especially for someone like Mr. Li, who was wary of such behavior, even boasting subtly was satisfying enough!

Don't think that all intellectuals are low-key and deep. They are still human, and they just boast in more subtle ways. For example, if someone complimented his car, Mr. Li would sigh and say, "It's mainly about the cost. The car is good, but it's expensive! I could buy one with a year's worth of food and drink!"

See, boasting while complaining—how sour and satisfying!

Of course, that was for others.

Wang Jinglu, however, couldn't be categorized as "others."

So, Mr. Li smiled and said, "I wouldn't dare say this to others, afraid that Li Qian would get a big head! But, you know, Li Qian is a filial son, he is!"

In the past, Mr. Li gave off a scholarly and somewhat stern impression, the kind that made people, especially children, hesitant to approach. But now, she suddenly realized that Mr. Li wasn't that scary after all.

He was proud of his son and eager to show off his car and his son!

As a good girl, she knew how to say the right things.

So, Wang Jinglu continued, "Of course, he is filial, but how many people can afford to buy a car? Especially at just 17! Uncle Li, you don't know how many people envy you!"

Mr. Li chuckled, "Well, you're not an outsider. He just got lucky this time. Whether his next songs will sell is another story! I told his mom, he's just showing off because he's poor! A dog's den can't hold leftover food!"

After saying this, Mr. Li lowered his voice and asked, "That kid made a bit of money, didn't he give you a gift?"

Of course, he did. It was a beautiful, beautiful dress, in a bohemian style! Wang Jinglu tried it on and found it perfect, but she didn't dare bring it back. They agreed that when she returned to Shuntian, Li Qian would send it to her.

When Mr. Li asked about this, Wang Jinglu felt a bit shy, slowly nodded, and then the urge to escape came again. She quickly said, "Uncle Li, I have to go up. My mom is waiting for me to have dinner!"

Mr. Li nodded and said, "Go ahead, go ahead! I saw your sister's car, she must be back!"

Wang Jinglu said "um" and turned to go upstairs.

After she left, Mr. Li was about to go back to polishing his car when a neighbor from the fifth floor came back from work and said with a smile, "Brother Li, you take care of your car all day but not your wife. She might have something to say about it!"

The two of them laughed.

The neighbor locked his bike and pointed to the third floor on the west side, saying with a smile, "I saw your son Li Qian riding with a girl this morning. Is it getting serious?"

Mr. Li smiled mysteriously, "How could it? They're just kids, what do they know about getting serious?"

The neighbor also chuckled, and they both understood each other.

After he went upstairs, Mr. Li looked at his car and couldn't help but smile.

He wasn't the type to speak without thinking, especially about young love. He asked about the gift just to confirm something.

Now, it seemed, this kid had some talent in this area too?

He smiled, feeling a mix of pride and a sense of aging. Then, he filled a bucket with water, grabbed a towel, and went upstairs to have dinner.

...

Wang Jingsnow was indeed back, and she opened the door for Wang Jinglu.

They had called ahead, but Mr. Wang still hadn't returned. According to Wang Jingsnow, the woman's belly was getting bigger and her temper more unpredictable, so Mr. Wang didn't dare leave her to come home for dinner.

But without him, it was fine. The three of them had slowly gotten used to it over the past two years.

Tao Huijun didn't say much. Dinner was quickly finished, and the three of them drank soup and chatted about their day, the atmosphere harmonious. After finishing the soup, they cleaned up the dishes and sat back on the sofa. Then, Tao Huijun asked, "Jinglu, why didn't you come back for lunch?"

Wang Jinglu looked up timidly, and Wang Jingsnow watched coldly.

Tao Huijun, as usual, spoke calmly, "After your sister came back today, she told me a lot about Li Qian. I admit, if what she said is true, he might have some talent. So, at least for now, with his achievements, I can retract my previous words. He might not be unworthy of you. However, even if you like him and want to date, shouldn't you show some respect to your mother?"

She paused, waiting for her daughter to look up, then said directly, "Jinglu, I want to tell you that rebellion isn't always good. Your parents aren't always wrong."

Wang Jinglu bit her lip and slowly nodded.

Tao Huijun said, "So, think about what your mother said. At least, don't do this again, okay?"

Wang Jinglu nodded again.

When the sisters returned to their room and could speak in private, Wang Jinglu quickly thanked her sister, but Wang Jingsnow said, "I didn't say anything extra. I just saw that Mom was quite angry, so I told her what I knew, without exaggerating or belittling. So, I didn't really help you."

She paused and then continued, "Actually... you should have told Mom about these things earlier. She might not have been so angry. Neither Mom nor I have any intention of stopping you from being with anyone or forcing you to date someone. We just want to help you avoid some inappropriate choices while you're still young. Now that your choice is proving to have some merit, we won't stop you, at least not force you."

Wang Jinglu, somewhat understanding but not fully, nodded again.

Then, Wang Jingsnow fell silent for a moment, her expression somewhat sad, and she seemed to murmur something.

Wang Jinglu didn't hear clearly and asked, "Sister, you..."

Wang Jingsnow quickly smiled and her face returned to normal.

"It's nothing, I'm fine, that's all in the past!"

...

Love isn't a necessity in life. If you can have love in your life, and the person you spend your life with is someone you truly love, then you are incredibly lucky! If that person is also your first love, then... you deserve the envy of the entire world.

The envy of the entire world?

Wang Jinglu was momentarily stunned.

Such a simple statement, but in her ears, it didn't bring the usual hint of shyness or happiness.

At that moment, she just stared at her sister with wide eyes.

Because when her sister said this, she clearly saw a look of loneliness on her face and heard a sense of melancholy.

"Sister, you..."

Wang Jingsnow quickly smiled and her face returned to normal.

"It's nothing, I'm fine, that's all in the past!"