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- Chapter 51 - Don't Say Thank You to Family (1)
Chapter 27.1
Don’t Say Thank You to Family
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Bo Ziren focused on studying Cheng Jingbo’s coin and she was soon able to discover an exquisite mechanism inside the small opening. She could open the heart with a flick of her fingertip, the two sides of it opening like little wings. They turned 180 degrees and became a round coin. It seemed simple, but it was so difficult to do it coherently and smoothly that she couldn’t manage to open it with the same fluidity, even after fiddling with it for more than an hour.
It seemed that magic required talent. She needed a pair of hands with spirit energy.
The edge of the heart coin shone brightly under the light, and she felt like a child who had picked up a treasure. After searching her room, she finally found a small box where she could keep it safe.
Before she slept, she flipped through the book again. It was very old, and there was an irreparable crease at the back.
The book was Zhang Xiao Feng’s collection of essays.
After reading one-third of it, she guessed that it wasn’t his. Some of the sentences had lines under them, which wasn’t a reading habit of his. There were also fine notes in the blank space that were clearly written in the delicate handwriting of a girl.
In one of the flower notes, the girl had written, “I know of a flower that you love. Year after year, it blooms in the blue sky of a foreign country. Although we don’t see each other, we still have a share of happiness. The Book of Songs has an alias, called the Book of Flowers. It makes me feel that there’s a melancholy fragrance from the broken pages of the Book of Songs on the table.”
There were also some comments written on the side.
“Who is Gongzi?”
“Han Yu’s ‘Jinxue Jie’ says that ‘Shi’ is right and wrong.”
As the night wore on, Bo Ziren’s curiosity grew stronger and stronger. She wondered who had read this book and written the notes.
Perhaps he had bought an old book or it had been given to him by someone. If it was the latter, it would definitely be a girl.
But what kind of girl would give him a book?
However, since he said that he ‘d never liked anyone in the past, it didn’t matter who it was. It might have just been a good friend, and she could respect that.
In fact, she really appreciated those notes. On a winter night such as tonight, with the cold wind blowing against the window, this book with its flowery notes and interesting words made her almost able to feel the cool breeze in the wilderness and smell the dark fragrance of pine nuts.
It felt good.
She fell asleep in the midst of reading the ancient times of spring, and her sleep was very peaceful.
The next day, she found a missed call and a message on her phone. It was from him.
[Cheng Jingbo: It’s nothing important. Get some sleep. I’ll take you out to eat in two days.]
Bo Ziren realized that he had probably guessed she’d been asleep when she missed his call and therefore planned to buy her something to eat. She smiled and stretched, feeling like a spoiled, lazy cat.
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Two days laters, Bo Ziren went out for dinner with Uncle Mu. Before they left, Liu Xinyu felt that Bo Ziren’s outfit was too simple, and insisted on looping a pearl necklace around her neck. Bo Ziren didn’t understand why she had to wear jewellery to a simple meal, but even though she was puzzled, she quietly complied.
On the way there, Uncle Mu said, “Xiaoren, you’re beautiful today. You should be more confident.”
“Huh?” Bo Ziren felt a little confused.
Instead of stating his words bluntly, he gently said, “I mean, you’re a very outstanding girl. You should sometimes show that part of you to other people.”
Bo Ziren was now even more confused.
“When I was selling products as a door-to-door salesmen, I would have to run around a lot. In the beginning I was very shy, so people didn’t want to talk to me, and before I could even say a few words, they would shut the door in my face.
“After a few more tries, I began to understand what I was doing wrong and I started to treat my clients like I knew them very well. I would speak smoothly, have a stronger attitude, and even sometimes act quite righteous. I tried to show them that I was selling a very good thing. If I hesitated even for a second, then it would have become hard to convince someone that my product was worth buying.”
Uncle Mu usually liked to talk about the bitter days of the past, and because Bo Ziren felt that there must be a reason for this, she listened carefully.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Bo Ziren discovered that Uncle Mu had booked a private room. Uncle Mu explained that the first floor was too noisy and not as elegant as the second floor. He also said he knew she liked quiet areas, so he’d specifically arranged it for her.
“Uncle Mu, thank you.”
Bo Ziren’s gratitude was sincere. To be fair, Uncle Mu had always treated her well over the years. Although their relationship couldn’t be as intimate as a biological father and daughter, he was still a friendly, generous and patient elder. There had never been a need for them to get pressured into getting along.
“There is no need to say thank you to family.” Uncle Mu patted her shoulder with a smile and said gently, “Let’s go up.”
They walked into the room, and not long after they sat down, two more people came in. Bo Ziren knew one of them because she had met Uncle Mu’s big brother a while back. He had a round face, was very friendly and had praised her for being polite at her mother’s wedding. However, she didn’t know the tall man behind him who was dressed in a suit and had a serious appearance.
Bo Ziren stood up and took the initiative to say hello.
“Ah, isn’t this Xiaoren? I haven’t seen her in many years.” Uncle Mu’s brother smiled cheerfully at Bo Ziren’s appearance..
“Yeah, our Xiaoren is very good. She’s now a graduate student,” Uncle Mu said smiling.
Both sides sat down. Uncle Mu however deliberately didn’t introduce the two young people to each other.
The young man sat down leisurely and nodded at Bo Ziren. “I’m Zhou Xiaran.”
Bo Ziren greeted him.
“Xiaoren, Mr. Zhou is the son of this restaurant’s owner. He knew that we were coming here today, so he offered to familiarize us with the dishes they serve.”
“You’re welcome,” Zhou Xiaran smiled, and a gentle light appeared in his gold-rimmed glasses. “Just call me Little Zhou.”
With that said, Zhou Xiaran opened the menu and ordered the main dishes while the two brothers chatted together amicably.
The dishes were quickly served, and Bo Ziren ate quietly as she listened to Uncle Mu and his brother talking. She would occasionally take a look at the other man, but he just smiled and didn’t say much.
So Bo Ziren held her chopsticks elegantly and ate a little from each of the dishes. She made sure of course not to eat too much.
After the fourth dish was served, Bo Ziren excused herself and went to the bathroom. However, as she was walking back out, she bumped into someone she knew!