She also laid out all the items she bought for her mom on the dining table, piled high.
Of the remaining items, a quarter were hers, another quarter consisted of food and drink, and gifts for friends and family.
The biggest portion, a full half, was for Shen Mo.
As she organized, she marveled again at how much she had bought for Shen Mo.
Things to wear, to use, to watch… like a real mother would do.
She put away the things she bought for herself.
The items for Teacher Shen and Shen Mo were reorganized and put back into their boxes, then placed in her room.
The remaining gifts were also sorted: those for relatives back home, for neighbors, for classmates and friends, all clearly categorized.
Hua’s father, having changed into his new clothes, opened the bedroom door while unwrapping his Nokia phone, and casually asked Hua Jie:
“The fit is quite good, isn’t it? Isn’t my daughter attentive? How does your dad look? Does it look good?”
“Wow, dad, you going out like that?” Hua Jie frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Hua’s father immediately looked up, pausing his fiddling with the phone.
“What’s wrong?” Hua’s father immediately looked up, pausing his fidgeting with the phone in his hand.
“All the aunties on the street keep looking at you. What if mom gets jealous?” Hua Jie voiced her serious concern.
“No respect for elders,” Hua’s father chided, slapping his daughter on the forehead playfully, then turning away to suppress a laugh.
He sat down on the chair, patting the items beside him, “All these for me?”
“Yep, Dad, you’ve worked so hard over the years. Now that I’m earning a bit of money, I bought you some clothes and things to use. When I make more money later, I’ll buy you a luxury car and a big house!” Hua Jie sat across the table and declared earnestly.
“…” Hua’s father suddenly choked up, nearly bursting into tears.
This child, truly incredible, has such a way with words.
When he was a boy, by the age of fifteen or sixteen, he was already getting into fights and causing trouble, not arguing with his parents daily was considered good. He couldn’t even imagine having such a sensible and filial child.
Indeed, having a daughter is better, someone who knows how to care for others and speaks sweetly.
Even a rough man like him felt his heart soften.
“Alright, Dad will wait,” he said, smiling as he started to unbox the phone, studying the manual to set it up, thinking about going to buy a SIM card later.
First, charge the phone, then later buy one of those universal chargers from the mall, which are supposed to be really good.
He got so engrossed in playing with the new phone, that it took a while before he looked up to pay attention to other things.
Noticing that his daughter had also finished unpacking and organizing all the gifts, he then said:
“Don’t go to your Aunt’s house for dinner. I’ll drive you down the mountain, let’s eat in the city.”
“Okay, should I deliver the gifts I bought for the neighbors first?” Hua Jie pointed to a stack of presents.
“Go ahead,” her father nodded.
Just as Hua Jie was about to head to the door, he suddenly frowned, turning to ask his daughter:
“Are all these mountains of things on the table gifts for your mom?”
“Yes.” Hua Jie nodded as if it was obvious.
“Why did you buy so much more for her than you did for me?” He walked half around the table, then turned to glare at his daughter.
What’s the meaning of this? Explain this to me.
…
Hua Jie first carried a stack of gifts to Aunt Bian’s house.
“Ah, we get a share too?” Aunt Bian came over from the stove, wiping her hands on her apron before smiling and accepting the gifts.
There was a scarf for Aunt Bian from Hua Jie, and tea for Uncle Bian.
“Bian Hong is in the back room playing video games. You can knock and go in,” Aunt Bian said with a smile.
Hua Jie then went to the back room and knocked; Bian Hong was slouched on the sofa playing King of Fighters.
The game console was the old-fashioned Subor, very popular in those days.
“Want to have dinner at my place later?” Bian Hong said as he scooted over on the sofa to make room for her.
Hua Jie handed over the keychain and other small gifts she brought for Bian Hong, along with three cassette tapes of Beyond that couldn’t be bought in Jin Song city; she knew he liked Wong Ka Kui.
“Before I had my bike, I really troubled Bian Hong for rides to and from school.
“And that time after school when Bian Ying wanted her sister to beat me up, it was lucky Bian Hong was there to help.
“These are just small gifts, thanks, Bian Hong.”
Bian Hong hit the pause button, looked up at her, and then took the gifts.
Looking up again, he said, “You’re too polite, it was nothing…”
His face couldn’t help but turn a bit red.
She went to all that trouble running around, and still remembered to buy him gifts.
And even knew he liked Beyond.
“You keep playing,” Hua Jie chuckled and left his room.
Once the door closed, Bian Hong immediately jumped up, tore off the plastic wrapping from the cassettes, and inserted one into the tape recorder.
As Beyond’s music played, he leaned against the cupboard and couldn’t help but grin foolishly.
…
After delivering gifts to several other neighbors, Hua Jie finally went home to join her dad.
Her father loaded the gifts for Teacher Shen and Shen Mo into the back of the small pickup, then drove down the mountain with his daughter in his own Ford ‘Little Airplane’ to the city center.
On the way, he muttered:
“Even the gifts for Teacher Shen and Shen Mo are more generous than what she got for her own dad, that little rascal…”
Hua Jie felt a bit embarrassed; in truth, it was mainly the gifts for Shen Mo that were more numerous.
Although Hua’s father kept grumbling about his own gifts, deep down he was really happy. His daughter’s gratitude towards her teacher showed that he had raised her well, and he felt proud of that.
Hua Jie sat in the passenger seat, listening to her dad’s whistling tune and couldn’t help but hum along.
Her dad had rushed out in his new clothes, not even waiting for the New Year to wear them.
Despite looking quite pleased, he still pretended to be sour and jealous, truly a quirky old man.
…
After lunch, Hua’s father took the table he made for Shen Jiaru and drove Hua Jie to Teacher Shen’s house.
As they entered the community, he looked around at the surroundings.
While moving things into the yard, he couldn’t help but examine the layout.
Entering the house, his eyes continued to survey the area.
The villa was indeed different from the bungalows up in the mountains; it was refined and unique.
He thought if he could buy two adjacent small houses on the mountain and refurbish them, he might achieve a similar effect, even though it lacked the community environment. Still, the nearby nature and wilderness were comparable.
Suddenly, Hua’s father felt a stir of ambition; it would be great to buy two adjacent places not far from where he currently lived.
This way, he wouldn’t be far from Old Bian and others, and it would improve their quality of life.
As Shen Jiaru arranged for him to have tea by the window, Hua’s father pulled his thoughts back.
He realized that it’s indeed hard to transition from luxury back to simplicity. He had only been wealthy for a short while, yet his desire for enjoyment was rapidly increasing.
Indeed, the expensive clothes he wore and the costly car parked outside were quickly fuelling his desires.
“Teacher, this table can tilt. Sometimes when you’re leaning over and suddenly want to paint, it’s super convenient. I have a smaller one at home, and only the two of us in China have these,” Hua Jie boasted like a salesperson, proudly introducing the various gifts she had prepared for her teacher:
“Teacher, these are the clothes I bought for you. They’re not very expensive, but they really suit your temperament. Although you don’t lack clothes, it’s different when a student buys them for you for the New Year, it represents my filial piety,” she chuckled.
“And these shoes, they’re both stylish and comfortable. Look, the soles are so soft. You often stand while painting, and these will make it much more comfortable.”
“This is high-quality tea from Beijing. And this instant coffee, paired with the hazelnut powder I ground myself, makes a pure hazelnut latte.”
“This curry, I’ll keep it in your fridge. One day I’ll cook curry beef for you and Shen Mo; it’s delicious with rice, and I’m really good at making it.”
“These are bedding sets for the New Year, four sets in total, two for Shen Mo and two for you. The ones Lei bought for you feel too cold, not cozy at all. For the New Year, it should feel festive, so use these two sets of bed linens and quilt covers before the end of the month…”
Hua Jie rattled on, clearly arranging every detail of Shen Jiaru’s home.
Much of it was not just out of respect for her teacher but also resembled the care a daughter would show for an elderly father living alone.
Shen Jiaru never worried about these household matters, as Zhao Xiaolei, who had graduated only a couple of years ago, usually picked things up haphazardly. He could barely take care of himself, let alone give Shen Jiaru the detailed attention he needed.
Not like Hua Jie, who took care of everything so warmly, practically like the lady of the house.
Listening to the young girl arrange everything, Shen Jiaru’s dignified expression softened into a gentle smile.
He nodded continuously in agreement while pouring tea for Hua’s father, expressing his admiration:
“Having a daughter is indeed wonderful. That rascal Shen Mo doesn’t pay attention to these things at all.”
“Cough!” Shen Mo, who had been standing on the stairs for a while, coughed lightly to signal: I heard you talking about me.
Shen Jiaru shot his son a glance and called him over to help move the table into the studio.
Hua’s father watched his daughter, as she organized the curry and coffee into the cupboard and neatly arranged the clothes and shoes, acting like a little hostess.
He also noticed that Shen Jiaru always spoke to Hua Jie in a soft and considerate tone, without any of the arrogance or commanding presence one might expect from a great artist.
As for Shen Mo, although he didn’t speak much, he was always the first to help whenever he saw Hua Jie doing something, silently taking care of things in his reserved way.
“…” Hua’s father exhaled softly, feeling like he was the only guest in the house.
He sipped his tea, crossed his legs, and jiggled his foot, his gaze constantly following his daughter as she comfortably and relaxedly interacted in her teacher’s home, always with a smile on her face.
He couldn’t quite describe the feeling in his heart, only that…suddenly, he felt quite at peace.
After Shen Jiaru finished busying himself, Hua’s father also stood up to leave.
“Let Hua Jie stay here and learn from Shen Mo for a while. I need to head back, there’s still a lot to do at the shop,” Hua’s father said, grabbing Shen Jiaru’s arm, “No need for formalities, Teacher Shen, I can see myself out.”
“It’s okay, I haven’t been outside today anyway, might as well get some fresh air. I’ll walk you out,” Shen Jiaru replied calmly, his tone authoritative and slightly uncomfortable with warmth, making it hard to refuse.
Hua’s father didn’t protest much, and the two dads walked out shoulder to shoulder.
Only then did Shen Mo come down the stairs, looking at the three huge cardboard boxes still on the ground, and asked:
“What are these?”
Hua Jie clapped her hands and smiled brightly:
“All of these, all of them! They are all for my little teacher, Mr. Shen Mo!”
She then performed a mock curtsy, mimicking a Western-style lady’s gesture:
“Please accept them with joy~”
“???” Shen Mo stared incredulously at the boxes before him.
Each box was nearly 80 centimeters in length, width, and height, and each one was packed full. He randomly opened one and peeked inside.
Just from that glance, he could see books, clothes, shoe boxes, and more.
“Is this like a poverty alleviation group coming to aid needy children?” he looked up, half amused, half exasperated.
“This is from Mom—love from the world’s greatest desk-mate!” she patted the boxes, “Come on, let’s get these into your room~”
“…” Shen Mo sized her up, squinting slightly as he said:
“You’re giving so many gifts, what are you scheming?”
“?” Hua Jie.
“Offering yourself in marriage is out of the question.” Shen Mo.
“…” Hua Jie.