Chapter 113: White Day Gift
Why were newlyweds called “newlywed butterflies”? Even young couples who had just confirmed their relationship couldn’t help but be lovey-dovey whenever they had free time.
Xiao Luohan greatly enjoyed Jiang Xue’s initiative. After her mouth was filled with the mint flavor of toothpaste, she cupped Jiang Xue’s face in her hands and returned the kiss.
“There’s something I need to apologize for,” Jiang Xue said softly, feeling the atmosphere was right. “There was a Valentine’s Day on February 14th, but I had already started school by then, and by the time I remembered, it had already passed.”
“It’s alright, I already considered the Lantern Festival as Valentine’s Day,” Xiao Luohan said, not minding at all. She had enjoyed the Lantern Festival with Jiang Xue, and the “Xue Yu” keychain would also stay on her phone case for a long time.
“That’s different…” Jiang Xue muttered softly, then immediately raised her voice. “But there’s another Valentine’s Day in March! White Day on March 14th, I’ll definitely celebrate it with you!”
This year, White Day happened to be a Friday, and they could leave school early that afternoon.
Xiao Luohan, however, looked a little troubled. “I have to meet with Ms. Silin that day. I haven’t had time to tell you yet.”
She had been busy with the “Intangible Cultural Heritage Special Enrollment” recently. There was a beginner-level guqin exam at the end of March, which Ms. Silin had specially arranged for her. This way, she could try for the intermediate-level exam in the second half of the year, otherwise, she would have to wait another six months.
Ms. Silin was part of Ms. Wei’s network, both her university classmate and a fellow “mixed-race Chinese.” Xiao Luohan wasn’t sure how much Ms. Silin knew about her origins, but like Ms. Ning, she had been very kind and helpful during this time.
Jiang Xue also knew this was important and thought for a moment. “Then, can I pick you up from Ms. Silin’s place after school?”
Before Xiao Luohan could respond, she added, “Can I… bring flowers? White roses, not red. If not, I’ll just bring homemade chocolates.”
Xiao Luohan chuckled. “You can bring them. Ms. Silin doesn’t mind these things.”
This reminded her that if it was an important holiday for Jiang Xue, she should also prepare a gift.
But then she remembered that the money she currently had was given by the Jiang family, and using their money to buy a gift for Jiang Xue felt strange. It was better to make something herself.
She recalled the souvenir Jiang Xue had given her after the lantern festival—the DIY miniature house of the ancient town.
Jiang Xue had emphasized that it was something she herself liked. Did this mean she liked DIY crafts?
Xiao Luohan wasn’t good at sewing, but she felt confident in making this kind of handicraft.
Ms. Silin had plenty of traditional Chinese-themed items, so she could ask if there were any DIY materials. She wanted to exchange free participation in the exhibition for free materials.
The two continued with their studies, each with their own thoughts.
Just in case, Xiao Luohan still asked Ms. Silin before White Day arrived.
“Of course, what kind of DIY materials do you want? What kind of craft do you want to make?” Ms. Silin asked with a smile over the phone. “If you don’t have any specific ideas yet, you can also tell me who the gift is for, and I can help you brainstorm.”
Xiao Luohan thanked her first, then explained a little embarrassedly, “It’s a White Day gift for my girlfriend.”
Ms. Silin thought for a moment. “Music boxes have always been popular. If you want to make it more special, you can add your favorite song, or put some thought into the design and decorations, using patterns and accessories with special meaning for both of you.”
After careful consideration, Xiao Luohan asked, “Are there materials for building a miniature Ferris wheel, a miniature diary, and a miniature plum blossom tree?”
These three were the most representative items with special meaning to them that she could think of.
“We don’t have everything readily available, but we can definitely get them in time,” Ms. Silin said gently. “Just give me a detailed list, and I’ll find a way. If you want to assemble it yourself, it might take at least two or three days. Do you want to come to my studio during those days?”
So the White Day gift was decided. While Jiang Xue was at school, Xiao Luohan practiced the guqin and used her computer to search for other music box decorations, carefully clearing her browsing history before closing the computer, gradually finalizing her design and the required materials.
As the day approached, Xiao Luohan deliberately wore the ink-wash mamian skirt that Ms. Silin had complimented before and asked Sister Cheng to drive her there.
She had originally wanted to ask Teacher Sui for leave, but as soon as Teacher Sui heard where she was going, she immediately wanted to join her.
“The materials are all in the studio’s warehouse. I’ve informed the staff. Just give them my name, and they’ll let you in,” Ms. Silin said. She still had things to do, so after taking them to the studio area and giving Xiao Luohan a key to the warehouse, she hurried off.
Xiao Luohan quickly found the studio. Arriving there and seeing a young man working inside, she couldn’t help but look back at Teacher Sui nervously.
“Go ahead, I’m here,” Teacher Sui encouraged her.
But when Xiao Luohan actually walked closer, she realized it was a young woman with a very short, almost crew cut hairstyle, and she relaxed.
The young woman with the crew cut also paused when she saw her, then quickly stood up. “You must be the Xiao Luo that Sister Ruo mentioned. I’ll get the materials for you.”
Xiao Luohan followed her, watching as she carefully picked up a large box, effortlessly carried it to the desk outside, and gently put it down.
“Please have a seat, Teacher Sui,” the young woman with the crew cut said after washing her hands and went to get the tea. “I’ll make you some tea.”
“You recognize me?” Teacher Sui was a little surprised.
“I attended your lecture when I was in university,” the young woman smiled. “But you probably don’t remember me. I had long hair back then.”
“Why did you cut your hair after graduating?” Teacher Sui’s “occupational hazard” kicked in, and she looked at her face shape with regret. “You were so beautiful with long hair.”
“Well, I wanted to earn more money after graduating, and I’m busy with work, so I don’t have time to take care of it,” the young woman with the crew cut touched her head. “This length only takes a few minutes to wash, and I can trim it myself when it gets longer. Anyway, I’m not interested in dating, so I don’t care about my appearance.”
Xiao Luohan, who was organizing the materials, felt a little awkward—she was making a Valentine’s Day gift for her girlfriend in front of someone who wasn’t interested in dating.
But the young woman was indeed busy. After serving them tea, she went back to work, not even asking what Xiao Luohan was doing.
Teacher Sui sipped her Pu-erh tea for a while, then went out for a walk with her cup. Xiao Luohan focused on assembling the music box according to her design. When she came back to her senses, only she and the young woman with the crew cut were left in the studio.
About half an hour later, she heard the young woman say, “My surname is Yin, the right part of ‘yiren’ (beauty), and my given name is Yuan, the ‘yuan’ in ‘shenyuan’ (abyss).”
Hearing her surname, Xiao Luohan paused.
“Yin” sounded almost the same as “Ying” in “Daying.”
Could this person be the counterpart of someone from the Daying region in this world? But there was no Yin family in Daying…
“Xiao Luohan, the ‘luo’ in ‘yingluo’ (tasseled jade ornament), and the ‘han’ in ‘handong’ (winter),” she politely introduced herself.
“…That’s not a good name,” Yin Yuan frowned. “Putting precious jade together with the character ‘han’ (cold) doesn’t sound very auspicious.”
Xiao Luohan looked at her in surprise. This was the first time she had heard someone criticize her name.
And she indeed disliked her full name, even using the simple “Yu” as her online username, preferring to be called “Xiao Luo” by those close to her.
But before she could respond, Yin Yuan hurriedly apologized, as if suddenly realizing something. “Oh no! I wasn’t thinking! I’m sorry, I work with words, so I tend to overanalyze…”
“It’s okay, your analysis is correct,” Xiao Luohan said with a smile. “This name isn’t good indeed. My father… didn’t really care about me.”
“Father, such a rare word…” Yin Yuan sighed. “Then you must have had a hard time.”
Xiao Luohan understood why she said that. Since the technology for same-sex couples to have children became widespread, women marrying women had become the norm.
Heterosexual relationships still existed, but in this current world of “gender equality,” even if there was a “father” figure, he would be responsible for taking care of the home and children—after all, it was women who endured the pain and hardship of pregnancy and childbirth.
Logically, their conversation should have ended here. It had started with a simple self-introduction.
But after Xiao Luohan worked on the music box for less than ten minutes, a small woven basket filled with snacks and candies appeared in front of her.
“I… cough, I’m only good at writing, I don’t always think before I speak, and I still feel very apologetic,” Yin Yuan said, hurriedly returning to her seat after giving her the basket. “Consider it a peace offering. They’re all snacks I brought myself. If you can’t finish them, you can take them home for your family or friends.”
Xiao Luohan hesitated for a moment, seeing Yin Yuan’s embarrassed expression, and since there were also snacks that Jiang Xue and A-Xi liked in the basket, she accepted it.
As Ms. Silin had predicted, by the time Jiang Xue was about to finish school, only a third of the music box was completed.
“I’ll come back tomorrow,” Xiao Luohan said, afraid that Jiang Xue would worry if she returned late. She covered the half-finished music box with a cloth, and before leaving, couldn’t help but add, “If anyone needs to use the table, please be careful when moving it—this is a White Day gift I’m making for my girlfriend.”
“No problem, no problem!” Yin Yuan nodded vigorously. “Don’t worry! I’m here, I’ll make sure no one touches it!”
“I noticed you get nervous whenever you talk to her,” Teacher Sui said while they were waiting outside for Sister Cheng. “Does she have any traits that trigger your PTSD? You can tell me, I also know about your situation.”
She was close to Dr. Qi, so she naturally knew about Xiao Luohan’s true origins.
“…The country I was sent to for marriage alliance was called ‘Daying’,” Xiao Luohan murmured. “And her surname is Yin, her name is related to water, and at first glance, she looked like a man…”
It was a coincidence that all the factors that had terrified her in the past were present in this one person. Fortunately, Yin Yuan was very caring, and the small details in their interactions had greatly lessened her fear.
“It seems you haven’t completely moved on,” Teacher Sui said thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand. “But this is also an opportunity. If you’re willing, you can use her to overcome your past fears.”
