Chapter 17: 17

“AH—“ Qin Juran exclaimed in realization. Feeling embarrassed, she quickly tried to explain, “My bad, my bad – I really didn’t mean it like that! It was a mistake, honestly. I ordered it online, so I just chose it because of the color of the cover.”

“Big Sister, you like yellow?” Qin Julai asked innocently.

“…..”

“Isn’t this orange?” Qin Juran raised her brows.

“Oh, so you like orange, Sis?”

Tch…this little brat.

Just then, Qin Haotian called them down for dinner, interrupting their conversation. Qin Juran quickly finished drying her hair and casually tied it up, walking downstairs. The customers had already left and the tables were tidied up; there was only Mama Qin sweeping the floors.

Qin Juran knew that the least she could do was help. She walked over to Mama Qin and asked to take over the broom, but her mother only raised her head in response, her warm eyes revealing an insulted look. She looked at Qin Juran and clucked, “Foolish girl – you finally decided to come back?”

Qin Juran felt her heart soften and quickly lowered her head, responding quietly, “Ma.”

Qin Haotian came over to dispel the tension: “Alright, alright, enough with the sweeping. Our daughter is out pursuing her studies, we can’t expect her to help out here at the restaurant every day.”

Qin Julai also piped up: “That’s right, Ma. Just wait until Sister and I are rich – we’ll get you guys a nice place to live in.”

At this, Mama Qin finally broke into a smile. She ushered Qin Juran into a seat, telling her that her favorite dishes were coming out.

The Qin family didn’t employ any other workers, so it was usually up to the two parents to run the restaurant. Qin Juran wanted to help, but before she could do anything, Qin Julai would quickly do it for her. Soon all the dishes had been laid out on the table and the family took their seats around it.

Qin Julai deliberately brought over a bottle of Mirinda 1 soda: “Here Sis, your favorite – orange.”

Qin Julai poured a glass for his sister and mother while Qin Haotian retrieved a bottle of white wine that had been stashed away. Before Mama Qin could protest, he insisted, “We must drink in celebration of our daughter’s return!”

At the sight of his reaction, completely under his wife’s thumb, Qin Juran couldn’t hold back a chuckle and raised her glass. Although she was familiar with the act of clinking glasses and drinking from her past life, Qin Juran felt a little dazed sitting here surrounded by these strangers who were supposed to be “family.”

The warm restaurant lights framed the faces of the simple and honest husband and wife; the whole setting was the spitting image of a happy and loving family.

Qin Juran lifted her head then hung it down again. After an awkward silence, Qin Juran murmured, “Dad, Mom. You’ve worked hard.”

Qin Haotian replied, “Your Dad and Mom are just happy you guys are here! Come on, we prepared all this, help yourselves!”

Mama Qin’s culinary skills were indeed top-notch. She had prepared four dishes and a soup, each smelling amazing and tasting even better. Even though Qin Juran had eaten so many exotic delicacies and expensive steaks to the point of being sick of them in her past life, this hearty homestyle meal tasted better than any of them.

After the meal, Qin Haotian brought out a plate of freshly cut fruit. Meanwhile, Mama Qin went upstairs to grab a tape measure and notebook, meaning to take measurements of Qin Juran’s knees. Qin Juran recalled her brother mentioning that their mom wanted to make her leg warmers. She gently protested, “You don’t need to, Ma, we can buy leg warmers anywhere.”

Mama Qin’s hands didn’t falter. “The ones you buy outside either don’t fit properly or are uncomfortable. Ma knows that you care about your appearance, so I’m making you nude-colored ones that you can just layer over your stockings; no one would notice.”

“Nude leg warmers?” As the image appeared in Qin Juran’s mind, she couldn’t help laughing.

Sitting nearby, Qin Julai also chuckled, “Ma, do you want my sister to look good or funny?”

Mama Qin laughed while nudging Qin Julai’s head: “Oh, what do you know? Girls are most sensitive to the cold, especially your sister. Anyways, what’s wrong with nude-colored leg warmers? Ranran is already pretty, so she’ll look fine in anything.”

Qin Julai glanced at Qin Juran’s bare face, which still shone with natural beauty and elegance. He shook his head, remarking, “Dad, Mom, how did I end up looking nothing like my sister?”

Qin Haotian’s eyes swept back and forth from his daughter to his son: “Now that you mention it, Ranran really does look quite different from the three of us.”

Qin Juran quickly coughed and interrupted, “Dad, in biology, this is known as recessive genes. I probably just have the recessive traits.”

“Oh really?” Qin Haotian replied, slapping Qin Julai on the back, “This kid didn’t get the good genes like his sister.”

The family laughed and chat together for a long while after. The awkwardness that Qin Juran felt when she first walked through the door had mostly worn off. Although these three were strangers to her personally, they without a doubt have provided “Qin Juran” with immense affection and familial love.

Familial love…

Suddenly, Qin Juran’s face darkened.

Noticing the change in his daughter’s expression, Qin Haotian thought her to be tired and finished up their conversation. He ushered the two children upstairs while he and his wife cleaned up.

At nighttime, Mama Qin brought over another thicker blanket: “Ranran, it’s colder over here than at your school. Layer this over if you get cold during the night.”

Qin Juran promptly received it and thanked her. A District was more south, but it hadn’t reached the cold season yet. On top of the humidity from the rain, Qin Juran felt a hot and stuffy feeling instead.

Before she left, Mama Qin paused and peered at Qin Juran. Qin Juran also froze, asking, “Wha – what is it?”

“Ranran, is everything okay at school?”

Mama Qin was of short stature and the hair on her temple was sprinkled with layers of grey from years of hard labor.

Qin Juran’s throat tightened: “Yep, everything’s good.”
“That’s good, then.” As she said this, Mama Qin reached out a hand and pat Qin Juran’s back, then walked out.

Qin Juran locked the door to the room. Only when she collapsed onto the chair in front of the desk was she finally able to relax. She casually looked around the room, her eyes landing upon a small strip of paper taped to an inconspicuous corner of the wall. Written on the top in neat handwriting were the words “My Dreams.”

Throughout the list, the writing variated from pencil to fountain pen to ballpoint pen, but the contents were all along the lines of “Study well” or “Aim for the top of the class.” Most of the writing had been smudged throughout the years, except for the very last line: “fc.”

It was identical to the tattoo on her leg.

Qin Juran grabbed a pen from the desk and swiftly crossed out the two small letters. After pondering for a moment, she filled in the last two empty lines on the page:

Become President Qin again.

 

Gypsophila

 

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After she finished writing, Qin Juran felt a tinge of hesitation. What if Qin Julai saw the note and misunderstood it to mean the gypsophila flower, then ended up buying her a room full of those? She found a white-out tape and carefully swiped to cover up the last line. She paused in thought, then lightly wrote a single word over the tape: “Mine.”

Since her room didn’t have air conditioning, Qin Juran laid uncomfortably in bed at night, feeling stifled from the heat. At one point, she crawled up to turn on the ceiling fan. With a loud groan, the fan started to spin around over her head, vibrating so fast that it seemed as if it might collapse any second. Qin Juran curled back in bed and huddled under her thin blanket.

After a while of laying awake under the covers, she began to feel stuffy again. She turned off the fan and glanced at her phone to see that it was already 11.

She gave Ruan Nan her phone number and WeChat ID when she dropped her off, but there were still no new friend requests.

Qin Juran flipped the phone over in her hands. Indeed, this little stray cat – she would have to be patient for her to make the first move.

Qin Juran left her room and stepped downstairs, planning on sitting in the small courtyard outside “JuJu Tavern” to get some fresh air. When she reached the first floor, she saw that there was already a figure perched atop of the steps outside the door. Qin Juran walked closer and called out, “Dad?”

Qin Haotian turned his head at her voice, then quickly put out the cigarette he’d been smoking. “What are you doing out here?”

Qin Juran fanned herself with her hands. “It’s a bit hot. I wanted to come outside to cool off.”

“Hot? I have a fan in my room somewhere, I’ll give it to you.” As he said this, he stood up to go retrieve the fan.

Qin Juran quickly pulled him back, protesting, “No need, Dad. I’ll just stay out here for a moment, then I’ll be fine.” She sat down beside Qin Haotian on the stone steps, purposely leaving a small gap between them.

Before, when it was the whole family together, they conversed with no problem, but now that it was just the two of them, Qin Juran once again felt awkward and at a loss for words.

Qin Haotian might’ve noticed her uneasiness, and picked up an opened can of beer from his side, jokingly offering, “Want a drink?”

Qin Juran laughed and shook her head at his teasing.

Qin Haotian didn’t press further, cracking open the can then taking a chug for himself. The stars were especially bright during this time of the year. Qin Juran raised her head towards the starry sky, bird calls echoing from the trees.

Just like that, the two of them sat in peaceful silence. By the time Qin Haotian finished his second can of beer, Qin Juran seemed to have a realization, and cautiously asked, “Dad, is something troubling you?”

Qin Haotian paused, then took another sip. After he placed the can back on the ground, he crossed his arms over his knees and responded, “Ranran, Daddy just couldn’t stop thinking – when you came back today, you’ve seemed to become more guarded.”

“Did something happen at school?”

His voice was filled with worry and his eyes were unable to fully meet Qin Juran’s. He looked conflicted between his personal shame and his perceived estrangement from his daughter. Qin Juran fervently shook her head: “No, there’s nothing, Dad. I’m doing pretty well.”

“Does it have to do with Fan Chuan?” Qin Haotian lowered his can of beer.

“You also knew about that, Dad?” Qin Juran asked, taken aback.

Qin Haotian let out a sigh, and the look in his eyes seemed to say, “So it really is that.” He looked at Qin Juran and spoke softly, “Ranran, Daddy knows that you’ve liked him ever since high school. He is quite outstanding, but I’ve always felt that your feelings towards him have brought you some hardship.”

Noticing the unnatural look in Qin Juran’s eyes, Qin Haotian quickly added, “I’m not saying to stop pursuing your feelings, but it’s just that…I don’t want you to suffer so much.”

A cool breeze swept through the courtyard, rustling the hair on Qin Juran’s temple. The honest square face of the man sitting in front of her didn’t quite match up with his quiet, wavering tone of voice. His slim frame appeared slightly stooped.

Qin Juran felt a tickle in her nose and quickly turned away. When she collected herself together, she faced Qin Haotian and spoke, “Dad, I don’t like Fan Chuan anymore.”

Qin Haotian froze. Realizing that she was serious, he raised in hands in a halting motion: “Really?”

“Really.” Qin Juran curved her lips: “What’s done is done, but I’ve learned my mistake.”

“So, Dad – you don’t need to worry about me anymore.”

Although her voice was soft, her tone carried a calmness and confidence that Qin Haotian had never heard before. He sat dazed for a long moment, but when he came to his senses, his face flushed with happiness. He firmly nodded his head:

“Then that’s good, that’s good. Next time you like someone, bring him over and Dad will personally cook a delicious meal for him.”

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Seeing his face grinning like a child, the tickling feeling in Qin Juran’s nose grew stronger. She held up her head and widened her eyes, replying playfully: “I can like anyone?”

“As long as they don’t hurt my daughter, then anyone is okay!”

An utterly foreign sense of trust and dependency washed over her so forcefully that she could only stare blankly ahead. As if she were possessed, she opened her mouth and let out, “What if it’s a girl?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Qin Juan felt a wave of regret. Her head dropped and she was about to brush it off as a joke when she heard Qin Haotian’s voice: “A girl, huh…then she must like to eat sweets. I’ve been trying to learn how to make candy floss ice cream lately, but it looks like I’ll have to learn faster…”

“Dad…” Qin Juran couldn’t believe her ears: “You don’t think it’s wrong? Won’t you be worried about what everyone in the neighborhood would say?”

Qin Haotian raised his head, his large and rough palm patting Qin Juran’s shoulders. He replied gently,

“Ranran, your Daddy and Mommy are not very cultured. All these years from your childhood to now, we were never able to provide anything special for you guys. We’ve been running this restaurant for so long, we’ve never accomplished much else.”

“But we know – you and Lailai are the most precious gifts that the world has given us.”

“Daddy will never care about what anyone else thinks, Daddy only wants –”

The man’s expression revealed the intensity of 20 years worth of love and affection, along with the most tenacious assurance. His clumsy words bared a simple, honest truth:

“Only for you to be happy, always.”

Qin Juran suddenly recalled a saying she had heard –

“Like a small, flight-worn bird on his journey away from home, coming out of the heavy mist to find a warm ray of light waiting just for him.”

Qin Juran felt that, at this moment, underneath the night sky full of stars, within this mystical world, she had also seen that ray of light.

T/N: Papa Qin is so wholesome, I’m tearing up

Footnotes

orange-flavored soda 

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