Chapter 17
The next day, Lin Ting pulled out a new sheet of drawing paper and placed it in front of Chen Zhiyi. "Here, I've come to fulfill my vow ahead of schedule."
Chen Zhiyi picked it up and examined it closely. "What is this?"
"The clothes I designed for you." Lin said casually, but she had spent hours drawing them last night, putting a lot of effort into them.
Last night, after Lin Ting finished all the work uniform design sketches, she looked up and saw the rabbit nightlight on. The memory of Chen Zhiyi's dream about the two of them during the day echoed in her ears, and she felt she needed to do something for him.
She knew very well that the two would lose contact once the tutoring ended, and she never spent time maintaining relationships; she would cut ties when necessary.
Although it was just a verbal promise, Lin Ting sensed that Chen Zhiyi took it to heart. No matter where they were in the future, or whether they achieved their dreams, at least for now, she could fulfill half of her promise. That way, she wouldn't have any regrets when she looked back later.
So she worked through the night to design the style sketches.
Chen Zhiyi was taken aback, not expecting the promise to be fulfilled so quickly.
Lin Ting pointed to the style above and explained, "This is an evening suit, but it's not a regular suit and trousers. Its highlight is the cape-style trench coat, made of velvet, which will highlight the sense of luxury. The design is short in the front and long in the back. The front only covers the chest, which can show off your waistline and long legs, while the back is long enough to reach the knees, giving it a British gentlemanly style. It has no sleeves but has openings, which is a very bold and novel design. It is different from the formality of regular suits and adds a touch of casualness. What do you think?"
Lin Ting lowered her eyes, pointing to each part of the design drawing as she explained, as if it were a precious work of art. The sunlight streaming in from the window cast dappled shadows on her face, highlighting her focused and confident gaze.
Chen Zhiyi could tell that she loved her profession, loved every piece of clothing she designed, and loved her design talent. That's why she could confidently talk about the design concept, style, and details of each piece of clothing. I really admire her passion.
After a moment of silence, Chen Zhiyi remained silent, staring blankly at Lin Ting.
"Why aren't you reacting? Don't you like it?" Lin Ting asked back.
Don't you like it?
How could that be?
I love it so much!
But the words caught in his throat, and Chen Zhiyi didn't know how to say them. He shifted his gaze from her to the design sketch in front of him, his burning gaze almost scorching the sketch. His voice was slightly choked, "I like it, thank you."
Lin could tell he liked it and was very pleased. "Actually, this evening gown is perfect for the red carpet. Use it to celebrate your bright future in the entertainment industry."
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhiyi clenched his hands under the table, his fingertips turning slightly pale from the force. His body leaned forward slightly, as if drawn by an invisible force, unable to resist the stirrings deep within his heart.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
Chen Zhiyi opened the door and saw Aunt Chen and Uncle Chen carrying two gift boxes as they entered.
Aunt Chen placed the two boxes at Lin Ting's feet, looking at her with a kind face. "Teacher Lin, the day after tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival. According to our agreement, you won't be coming. This is a Mid-Autumn Festival gift for you today. Please accept it."
Lin Ting was utterly astonished. She took a step back and quickly waved her hand in refusal, saying, "I can't accept this."
Although I'm not a formal teacher, I understand the rule that teachers don't accept gifts or red envelopes.
Aunt Chen knew she had misunderstood, and said with a smile, "Teacher Lin, these are osmanthus mooncakes, which I made myself. We have a lot of osmanthus flowers here, and we pick some to make mooncakes every year before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Jinshi is famous for its osmanthus flowers, which are even the city flower. Now that it's September, the air is filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus.
“Zhiyi never used to help make mooncakes, but this time he took the initiative to help when he knew they were for Teacher Lin.” As she said this, Aunt Chen glanced at Chen Zhiyi, who lowered his head and touched the back of his neck embarrassedly.
"This box contains fruit, including pomegranates, grapes, peaches, and pears. Normally, apples would be included, but Zhiyi said you don't like apples and prefer peaches, so we changed it. Here, we always give these four kinds of fruit as gifts for the Mid-Autumn Festival, symbolizing a sweet life."
Lin Ting felt a surge of warmth in her heart when she mentioned that she loved peaches without thinking.
Uncle Chen said, "Teacher Lin, don't feel bad. These things are not valuable. They're just food. Even if we didn't give them, you would have bought them yourself. In ancient times, it was customary to give a gift when becoming a student. Although we can't do that now, it's still appropriate to give a small token of our appreciation for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Madam and the others were very happy to hear that Zhiyi has returned to school. They originally wanted to invite you to dinner on the Mid-Autumn Festival, but the entire Chen family has a family gathering every year on this day, so it couldn't be arranged."
Mentioning this made Chen Zhiyi angry. Every Mid-Autumn Festival family gathering was clearly a family reunion, but it felt like a shareholders' meeting being held in a restaurant. The insincerity and the blandness were utterly disgusting. "It doesn't matter if I'm not there, I can just treat Teacher Lin to dinner," Chen Zhiyi muttered under his breath.
Aunt Chen gently patted his arm and said earnestly, "This is a family banquet, and all the older generation will be attending. As a junior member and the most important person in the family, how can you not go?"
Chen Zhiyi snorted coldly. He was only forced to attend because of the elders' face; otherwise, no one could persuade him otherwise.
Uncle Chen picked up the two boxes from the ground, his tone kind and friendly, "Teacher Lin, please accept this small token of our appreciation. We always have to eat a mooncake for the Mid-Autumn Festival. We made it ourselves; it's clean, hygienic, and has a sweet flavor. It's much better than the ones sold outside. Even if you're living alone, you should still enjoy the festival. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival, and may you have a happy reunion with your family!"
Lin Ting tremblingly accepted the two boxes, her heart surging with excitement like a turbulent sea, overwhelming her words, leaving her unable to find a suitable outlet to express herself.
They haven't celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival for many years, almost twelve years. Since that incident, their family hasn't celebrated any festival related to family reunion.
Since starting university, she would go back to her hometown during the Spring Festival holiday at the end of the year and a Saturday or Sunday in the middle of the year. She would not go back during other holidays. Instead, she would take on some part-time jobs during the holidays. The salary during these times would be three times higher than usual, so she would never miss them.
So she has almost forgotten what it's like to celebrate holidays, and she's always alone, with no hope of family reunion anymore.
The two boxes of gifts in her hands gave her a sense of warmth and comfort, as if she had rediscovered the warmth of humanity.
"Thank you!" Lin Ting bowed to express her gratitude, glistening tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.
Aunt Chen quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe away her tears, "Why are you still crying?"
Lin Ting turned her head away, a little embarrassed. "No, it's just that no one has bought me mooncakes in a long time. I've almost forgotten what they taste like."
Aunt Chen stroked the back of her hand, feeling a little sorry for the girl in front of her. "Then let's eat our fill this Mid-Autumn Festival."
Chen Zhiyi looked at her, his eyes calm and deep.
Actually, he realized a long time ago that she came from a very ordinary or even poor family. Otherwise, why would she be doing two part-time jobs? Her clothes were always faded and worn out. But she had an outstanding temperament, so when people saw her, they didn't think of her in that way. They just thought she was the apple of the eye of a middle-class family.
But at this moment he saw a new side of her, a vulnerable side, and he felt very sorry for her.
Back in the dormitory building, Lin Ting didn't go upstairs. Instead, she carried the gift box to a flower bed next to the dormitory, sat on a stool, and slowly opened the mooncake box, revealing the neatly arranged mooncakes inside.
She gently picked up a mooncake. Its golden crust was tempting, emitting a faint fragrance of osmanthus. She took a bite, and the sweet taste filled her mouth. After more than ten years, she tasted mooncakes again, but her broken family could never be mended. She ate while tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping onto the mooncake and forming glistening pearls.
Another full moon, a time for family reunion, yet another moment of heartbreak and sorrow. The sweetness of mooncakes mingled with the bitterness in her heart. Lin Ting recalled the warm scenes of her family of three sitting together, sharing mooncakes with laughter and joy. At that time, she was so happy and content, but now, those beautiful memories have become so distant and blurred.
Thinking of the hardships her mother endured raising her alone all these years, and the discrimination she faced, she hated the perpetrator and hated herself even more for being powerless at the time.
After finishing a mooncake, Lin Ting wiped away her tears, repacked the mooncake box, and took it to the courier point.
Hello! I want to send a package.
"These are mooncakes, right? To ensure freshness, I suggest you use SF Fresh Express. It guarantees delivery time and will arrive by the morning of the day after tomorrow at the latest."
"OK."
After a series of steps, Lin Ting pasted the printed waybill onto the outer box, took a picture of the tracking number, and sent it to the WeChat chat box.
Lin Ting: Mom, this is the osmanthus mooncake I sent you. Remember to check it. I won't be coming home for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lin's mother: Thank you, but don't send it to your mother. Keep it for yourself.
Lin Ting: I've already tried it, and it's really delicious, so I thought I'd send it to you to try. Our family hasn't had mooncakes in a long time, and we haven't had a proper Mid-Autumn Festival.
Lin's mother: Xiaoting, it's Mom who's sorry!
Lin Ting: No, Mom, we didn't do anything wrong. He was the one who was wrong. Now that he's gone, we should live our lives even better and enjoy every holiday to the fullest.
Lin's mother: Okay, my daughter and I will live together.
Lin Ting: Mom, your daughter loves you!
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