Cloud Girl Chapter 2
Chen Yiwen is currently working at the Lu Group headquarters in a neighboring city.
She did graduate from a prestigious university, which is true, and she has some things to be proud of. However, she has only been working for a few years, and Lu's Enterprise has a high starting point, so she cannot be transferred. Therefore, she sometimes comes back once a month or every two or three months.
Although I'm still busy, it's much better than when I was studying in another city and only came back once a year.
Chen Yiwen and her two younger sisters are quite far apart in age.
Because Chen's parents were a young couple, they had Chen Nanyi nine years after Chen Yiwen was born, and Chen Yijing seven years later. So now Chen Yiwen is 27 years old, Chen Nanyi is 18, and Chen Yijing is only 11. However, to put it bluntly, all the children in their family are either too young or mentally challenged. Only Chen Yiwen is completely healthy.
Life for a family over the past twenty-odd years has always had its hardships, not to mention the significant age difference between the sisters, which has created a generation gap.
Perhaps women are more adaptable and understanding, and more patient and kind. So far, no one in their family has been subjected to a flood of negative comments, so the three sisters live a happy and harmonious life together.
When Zhang's parents passed away, Chen Nanyi and Chen Yijing were still young, so it was impossible to discern their strengths or weaknesses, and there was nothing to comment on.
However, when it comes to Chen Yiwen's perfection, there are just too many things to list.
Chen Yiwen was clearly the kind of person who had always been reliable since childhood, and a popular figure who seemed to be an all-around class monitor. Moreover, she was a lucky girl whose parents had a financial foundation and the ability to let her do what she wanted... If she hadn't suddenly received a call in her sophomore year about her parents' death in a car accident, she might have been able to live a carefree and unrestrained life! But all of that is just a hypothetical situation, so let's not talk about it.
Chen Nanyi could be considered a prominent figure—after all, she was indeed very intelligent. However, being the second child in the family and being too young when her parents passed away, and later being busy taking care of her younger sister, she had no opportunity to develop outwards or upwards. There were other students who skipped grades, so it's hard to say she was a prominent figure. At most, she was praised a few times for being smart in her studies, but that was it.
When her parents passed away, Chen Yiwen was still in class and couldn't take care of anything else. Her former boss decided to sell all their properties except for Tu Luoshan, and leave the inheritance to Chen Yiwen. He also transferred Chen Nanyi's school registration and household registration to live near the university where Chen Yiwen was studying in Tu Luo City.
Even though Chen Yiwen was busy with her studies and couldn't take care of them later, Chen Nanyi didn't complain. After all, without her as an adult, she and Yijing would definitely not be able to live together anymore.
Speaking of which, the station manager of Tu Luo Community is kind-hearted.
Seeing how pitiful Chen Nanyi's two children were, she kindly suggested that Chen Nanyi leave Chen Yijing at the community office and take her home after school—this prevented Chen Nanyi from carrying out her plan to take Chen Yijing to school.
Fortunately, apart from the initial adjustment period, everything went smoothly for Chen Yijing, and they lived peacefully for four years.
This year, Chen Yi heard that Chen Nanyi had skipped a grade and was worried that she would fall behind in her studies and not graduate. She also said a lot of things that made her feel guilty. She took the initiative to offer to transfer back to work in the city. No matter how much Chen Nanyi promised, she was determined to come back.
Seeing her insistence, Chen Nanyi eventually acquiesced and secretly rejoiced at the day of their reunion.
With the Lunar New Year fast approaching, the day when Chen Yiwen will be living with them is drawing near.
Chen Nanyi also successfully passed the exam to skip grades and was admitted to Tu Luoshan University, so that she could take care of Chen Yijing nearby and go out to work sooner to reduce the burden on her family.
In her excitement, Chen Nanyi cleaned the entire house, forgetting that Chen Yijing was alone and hadn't played with her.
But after she finally finished cleaning, she discovered that Chen Yijing was not in the room!
She frantically searched for her, nearly breaking down, until she suddenly saw her sitting on the open ground in front of the door playing in the water, and only then did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Chen Nanyi had been taking care of Chen Yijing for so many years, and she usually had to prepare for the grade skipping exam. It was rare to have such a quiet and peaceful moment. Moreover, Chen Nanyi saw that she was in a good mood, so she didn't rush to go down and hug her.
That's why she stood on the second-floor balcony, quietly letting her thoughts wander, watching the leaves in the woods sway in the wind, blocking out the dappled sunlight...
Unexpectedly, after a short while, they heard Chen Yiwen's familiar voice.
Chen Nanyi initially thought she was hallucinating, but when she looked up, she was surprised to find that Chen Yiwen had returned with a boy.
As Chen Yijing rushed downstairs, she also noticed that her older sister, who always saved her from Chen Nanyi's "clutches," had returned. She excitedly tried to rush over, but Chen Nanyi had to hold her down so that she wouldn't fall over again while running, which led to the scene at the beginning.
Chen Nanyi quickly tidied up the things that had been brought in, and seeing that the two women were still upstairs, she turned on the stove to start preparing dinner.
All the ingredients were prepared, and a single serving was added.
Just as Chen Nanyi shoveled the already chopped meat into the boiling water, she turned her head and saw Chen Yiwen, who had taken off her coat and was only wearing a white turtleneck sweater, leaning against the door frame and watching her with a smile.
When Chen Yi saw that Chen Nanyi had noticed her, she took off her apron and walked in, smiling as she said, "Not bad, you're getting more and more skilled! Looks like the meals my third sister has prepared are still pretty good while I'm away!"
Upon hearing this, Chen Nanyi lowered her head in embarrassment, "Sister, please don't laugh at me!..."
Chen Yi glared at her. "Tch, what's with the fake modesty? It's good, it's good. But I'll cook today, your taste is just too bland!"
Chen Nanyi thought to herself that Chen Yiwen was probably trying to take over the housework so she could rest more, but she could never get her way, so she obediently stepped aside and said, "Okay, then I'll watch you cook."
Chen Yi shook her head speechlessly and said, "Really, what's so interesting about it?"
As he spoke, his hands never relaxed. Standing by the stove, he methodically put the mushroom and shredded chicken noodles into the pot, tasted it, added some salt, and sprinkled in MSG.
Seeing that she had added such a large spoonful of salt, Chen Nanyi couldn't help but swallow. She thought that Chen Yiwen had finally come back, and it wasn't worth making her change her taste immediately. She would tell her later that Chen Yijing had to eat bland food.
As Chen Nanyi thought this, watching the busy figure, her mind wandered, and she suddenly thought of something else, but her face did not show any emotion.
For some reason, even though everyone said Chen Yiwen was good—not only to her, but also to the mentally challenged Chen Yijing… She didn’t mean to say her sister was bad, but that was just the truth. Chen Yiwen had never asked how Chen Yijing was doing lately, or even taken her to the hospital. If she had any common ailments, she would treat her with traditional folk remedies—it didn’t seem like the kind of thinking someone who had gone to university should have. And then there was the matter of oil and salt; children shouldn’t be given heavy meals… But she couldn’t bother her with this as soon as she came back, so she could only remain silent.
The truth is, you shouldn't overthink things; the more you think about it, the more wrong it seems.
She took Chen Yijing to the hospital for a check-up. Chen Yijing's intelligence and immunity were worse, and she needed better medicine to alleviate them. However, the money for the medicine had always been included in their living expenses, and Chen Yiwen hadn't given her any extra money. So Chen Nanyi had to save money in other places, but it still wasn't enough.
When Chen Yiwen mentioned receiving slightly more allowance than usual, she subtly suggested that Chen Yiwen had spent too much and should be more frugal. Chen Nanyi, observing Chen Yiwen's clothing and belongings, realized that she hadn't been entirely truthful. However, considering Chen Yiwen's usual hard work, she thought it wouldn't be appropriate for her to dress poorly for work. Or perhaps she had misunderstood...
A flood of thoughts overwhelmed her, leaving her, a person who had long been capable of independent thinking but whose personality was somewhat hesitant, completely confused.
Her gaze followed Chen Yiwen's cooking movements, her mind racing. Remembering something, she finally couldn't suppress her inner doubts, so she casually coughed and asked, "Sister, who was that person just now?"
Chen Yiwen was in such a hurry to come in that she didn't introduce the person.
Chen Nanyi only glanced at him briefly because Chen Yiwen had thanked him, and since he knew that the person was not an acquaintance of Chen Yiwen, she didn't pay any attention to it. However, now that she thinks about it, she has a deep impression of him.
Chen Yi paused in her act of tasting the food with a spoon, then asked hesitantly, "How should I know? We just bumped into each other on the street, what's wrong?"
Perhaps it was Chen Yiwen's overly clear eyes that made Chen Nanyi blush. Her gaze suspiciously swept over the exquisite white turtleneck sweater from the same brand as Chen Yiwen's and the boy's, and she secretly scolded herself for overthinking—maybe it was just an accidental coincidence that they wore the same clothes.
However, a thought kept creeping into my mind: could it be that she was hiding something?
Fearing she wouldn't be able to stop the growing urge, and also feeling it inappropriate to ask given the age difference, Chen Nanyi moved her lips, but after a long pause, she only stammered, "Is Yijing playing upstairs? I'll go bring her down for dinner."
Chen Yiwen was busy cooking vegetables. After grunting in response, Chen Nanyi turned around and ran upstairs.
The Chen family's residence in Tulo Mountain was a two-story villa.
Upon entering, you'll find the living room. Turning left, you'll find the kitchen and dining room. To the right, against the wall, are a guest room, a bathroom, and a spiral staircase leading to the second floor. The second floor has four rooms, a long hall—a place where Mom used to read, drink tea, and while away the afternoons. The large room near the main entrance was where Mom and Dad used to live, but now it's filled with miscellaneous items. One room is where Chen Yiwen lives, and the other room is connected to the study by Chen Nanyi, serving as her and Yijing's room.
When Chen Nanyi went up, Chen Yijing was sitting on the floor of the long hall building a house. The house was almost finished, so Chen Nanyi waited for a while.
She cleaned Chen Yiwen's room regularly, changing the sheets and blankets as needed. As for Chen Yijing's things, since their single beds could only accommodate two people at most, the three of them had never slept together.
Chen Yijing used to sleep with me, but now that Chen Yiwen is back, she will definitely be with Chen Yiwen. So Chen Nanyi took this opportunity to move some of the things Chen Yijing would need to sleep in over there, and then took Chen Yijing downstairs to the dining table.
Just as the bowls and chopsticks were set out, Chen Yiwen brought out the noodles.
At the dinner table, Chen Yijing ate and played by herself, and the table was silent for a moment.
Chen Nanyi inexplicably felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so she smiled and said, "Sister, let's spend the New Year at the community center this year! I heard they have a new annual meeting, it sounds really good... Oh, by the way, I think we shouldn't send Yijing to the station chief's place this year! Anyway, I've been admitted to the academy, and the classrooms are on the mountaintop. You'll also be coming back to work soon, so we can roughly switch our schedules and take care of Yijing closer to home..."
Chen Nanyi spoke softly and earnestly in a consultative tone. Chen Yiwen occasionally hummed in response, took a few bites, and seemed completely unconcerned. However, upon hearing the last words, she looked at Chen Nanyi hesitantly, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
Although Chen Nanyi was secretly delighted that Chen Yiwen was coming back and was a little carried away, she still noticed something was wrong and looked up at her with puzzled eyes, "Sister, what's wrong?"
Chen Yi hesitated for a moment, but still spoke of her plans, "Well, I didn't want to say it now. But Nan Yi, I have to go back to the company in a couple of days, and I probably won't be able to spend Chinese New Year with you this year."
Chen Yiwen explained apologetically, "As you know, our company pays five times the usual overtime during the Chinese New Year, and I've already used up all my annual leave by taking leave to go home every month..."
Chen Yiwen felt embarrassed by these words, after all, she had said many times that she would come back for the New Year, but each time she still stood them up "because of something". However, Chen Yiwen suddenly remembered something, smiled to herself, but still had a guilty expression on her face.
Chen Nanyi's eyes dimmed upon hearing this, but she still managed a forced smile. "I know. Just remember to take care of yourself while you work, don't overwork yourself. Yijing and I will take good care of ourselves... Okay, hurry up and eat, the noodles are getting cold."
Chen Nan paused for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say, and then hurriedly ate his noodles with his head down.
"No," Chen Yi paused for a moment, biting her lip. It seemed she hadn't originally planned to say it so soon, but for some reason she had to.
Then, seemingly afraid of upsetting Chen Nanyi, Chen Yiwen mustered her courage, put down her chopsticks, and said, "Also, I'll be promoted next year. If I go back here, I'll have to start all over again, so..." Chen Yiwen's implication was clear.
Chen Nanyi's movements were like a machine, suddenly freezing and then slowly resuming. The heat blurred her glasses, just like her empty mind, a blankness where she wanted to say something to keep her, but couldn't utter a word.
Sometimes Chen Nanyi really felt that rather than being the closest people in the world to her, they now seemed to be a responsibility to her.
Responsibility is always a fearsome thing, so she and Chen Yijing should be aware that they are "burdening others".
Chen Yiwen's visits were always fleeting, whether it was a reunion or a rare, unexpected smile... It seemed that from some unknown day, those so-called kinship ties had begun to deteriorate, and these signs now meant that they had become unreachable—had she been presumptuous all along? But what right did she have to ask for?
"I'm still a bit rusty," Chen Nanyi thought, her heart pounding. She felt a little dazed and stopped talking.
Chen Yi looked at Chen Nanyi, who was eating noodles with her head down, concealing all her thoughts. Her lips moved, but she remained silent.
After a long while, she sighed softly and turned her attention to Chen Yijing, who had made a mess of the table. After a while, she smiled helplessly and said, "You naughty girl." Then she silently picked up Chen Yijing's bowl and chopsticks and fed her the noodles one bite at a time.
The night was still long, and in the boundless desolation, only the lamp on the earthen wall shone in the darkness, reflecting the eyes rising in the steaming mist, and together with the slightly swaying lower lip, slowly evolved into the ancient star rocks in the sky.
Like wind and like fog, a certain bittersweet feeling slowly spreads in the air, passing through the earth, brushing past the heart, and rippling in some unknown place.
For many, this was destined to be an eventful night.
Xu Xiaomeng: "Hmph, Xiao Linlin, I only glanced at you a few times when we first met, and you got upset and even yelled at me!"
Chen Nanyi: "At the time, I thought you were trying to woo my sister, so of course I didn't give you a friendly look."
Xu Xiaomeng: "I don't care, you have to make it up to me before I'll forgive you (*︶*)"
Chen Nanyi (ー_ー)!!: "I'm already yours, how can I possibly make it up to you?"
Xu Xiaomeng (▽): "Deepening the repayment with flesh!"
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